Category: Dermatology

An experimental drug that attacks cancer in an entirely new way has shown promise in treating advanced melanoma, delaying progression of the disease and prolonging the lives of patients.New research presented at the European Cancer Conference (ECCO 14) in Barcelona found that giving the new drug in addition to chemotherapy more than doubled the amount of time patients survived without progression of their cancer.

The Medical Research Council has awarded a grant of £1.3 million to professors from the Universities of Dundee and St Andrews to develop new drugs to combat eczema. The three year grant has been given to Prof Irwin McLean, (College of Medicine, Nursing and Dentistry, University of Dundee), Prof Julie Frearson (College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee) and Prof Nick Westwood (University of St Andrews).

The Institute for Molecular Bioscience has been awarded almost $17 million from the National Health and Medical Research Council for fellowships and projects including regenerating wounded skin, and fighting golden staph. IMB Director Professor Brandon Wainwright will receive $501,000 over three years to study a genetic pathway his team have identified that regulates skin stem cells.

New findings from researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and colleagues suggest why some people with kidney failure can develop a rare tightening and swelling of the skin and other organs, including the lungs and heart.

“Eczema is a cruel disease that is often mistaken as just a rash but can have a profound impact on patients’ quality-of-life and emotional well-being, particularly in children. It not only afflicts the patients, their friends and family are also affected by the emotional impact.” Eczema affects approximately 17 percent of the U.S. population and is often a distressing condition characterized by itchy, scaly, dry, inflamed skin.

A new topical lotion that penetrates the skin deeply enough to target and eliminate serious skin infections, but without being systemically absorbed, has shown a high degree of safety and tolerability in patients with onychomycosis, or toenail fungus, a new study has shown.

The AMA is calling for urgent regulation of the booming solarium industry to protect young Australians from developing deadly skin cancers. The AMA Public Health Committee has developed a draft policy following the death of skin cancer awareness campaigner, 26 year old Claire Oliver, from melanoma thought to be related to solarium use when she was a teenager.

The Royal College of Physicians and British Association of Dermatologists advised holidaymakers to look for changes to their skin on return from holiday, particularly the growth of new moles or changes to existing moles. Being alert can save lives, as these changes can be signs of skin cancer, and patients have a better chance of being treated successfully if melanomas are found early.

While generally perceived as a male issue, approximately 40 million women in the United States suffer from the emotional and physical ramifications of hair loss, according to the American Hair Loss Association. The Women’s Hair Loss Project unites and empowers women around the world who suffer from hair loss.

Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, L.L.C., announced that the investigational antibiotic ceftobiprole was as effective as commonly used combination therapy in treating patients with complicated skin infections caused by a broad spectrum of bacteria. Ceftobiprole also was found to clinically cure more than 90% of patients who had infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus (S.