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Medical News Briefs:

Jan. 3, 2008     WASHINGTON - A consumer group sued the Food and Drug Administration Thursday, charging the agency is ignoring calls for stronger warnings that Cipro and similar antibiotics may cause serious tendon injuries

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Jan. 3, 2008:  Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a type of bacteria that is resistant to certain antibiotics. These antibiotics include methicillin and other more common antibiotics such as oxacillin, penicillin and amoxicillin. Staph infections, including MRSA, occur most frequently among persons in hospitals and healthcare facilities (such as nursing homes and dialysis centers) who have weakened immune systemsMRSA infections that occur in otherwise healthy people who have not been recently (within the past year) hospitalized or had a medical procedure (such as dialysis, surgery, catheters) are known as community-associated (CA)-MRSA infections. MRSA is also spread in locker rooms, high school athletic departments, fitness clubs and other gyms where sanitation is not properly attended to.  These infections are usually skin infections, such as abscesses, boils, and other pus-filled lesions. (see Community-associated MRSA. at the Centers for Disease Control in Washington DC.).

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Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a very recently studied form of skin cancer, previously misdiagnosed as benign tumors.  It is a rare, aggressive type of skin cancer that forms on or just under the skin. It is also called primary small cell carcinoma of the skin, trabecular carcinoma, APUDoma, neuroendocrine carcinoma, endocrine carcinoma, or primary undifferentiated tumor of the skin (1). MCC is believed to start in neuroendocrine cells called Merkel cells. These cells release hormones into the blood when stimulated by the nervous system. They migrate from part of the nervous system called the neural crest to the skin. Merkel cells are believed to play a role in making the skin sensitive to touch.

How often does Merkel cell carcinoma occur?

Approximately 1,200 new cases of MCC are diagnosed in the United States each year, compared with almost 60,000 new cases of melanoma and more than 1 million new cases of non-melanoma skin cancer. The incidence of MCC has been rising, with a 3-fold increase between 1986 and 2001. Most patients diagnosed with MCC are over age 50 at diagnosis (the average age is 69), with only 5 percent of cases diagnosed in those under age 50. MCC is more common in white people than in other racial/ethnic groups. Some cases have been reported in Japanese people, but very few have been seen in black people.

What are the possible causes of Merkel cell carcinoma?

The exact cause of MCC is unknown, but it appears to be linked to sun exposure and Immuno-suppression (suppression of the body’s immune system and its ability to fight infections or disease). Sun exposure as a risk factor for MCC is supported by data that show a rise in incidence corresponding with the solar UVB index (scale indicating the intensity of solar ultraviolet-B (UVB) radiation at noon for a particular location). MCC has been linked to conditions such as HIV infection, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, Hodgkin lymphoma (cancer of the lymph system), ectodermal dysplasia (a disease involving abnormal tissue development), and Cowden’s disease (a disease in which masses of abnormal but benign tissues grow in multiple sites in the body). Other possible causes include exposure to arsenic and treatment for psoriasis that uses psoralens (a medication that causes the skin to become sensitive to light) and ultraviolet-A light (PUVA).

Early detection is crucial as this form of cancer can be fatal twice as fast as melanoma.

Using Hand Sanitizer Reduces Illnesses, USA Study Finds

  Sept. 05: Using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer gel significantly reduces the spread of gastro-intestinal infections in the home, researchers have found.  In a 5 month study of 292 family  homes in the Boston area, half of which were given the sanitizers, those who used the gel had a 59% reduction in the spread of GI illnesses.  They were told to place bottles of hand sanitizers around the home and apply it to hands after using the toilet, before handling food and after diaper changes.  The other half of study families were given materials on nutrition and told not to use hand sanitizers.  Study published in September issue of Pediatrics.

Cigarette Smokers Exhibit Poor Wound Healing Results

     Any doctor or surgeon knows that cigarette smoke in the patient’s home is bad news, and a smoker should be asked to refrain from smoking for a few weeks before surgery to improve his/her chances of getting a good outcome. Smokers just do not heal the same way. Indeed, smoke-related lung injury is a result of bad repair: fibrosis. But only now they are starting to understand why this is so, and the news may also start to explain the startling effect of smoking on skin aging.

    Research by Martins-Green and colleagues published this week in BMC Cell Biology suggests that poor wound healing may be the result of the effect of second-hand smoke on fibroblasts, with the cells showing decreased motility, but increased survival. Fibroblasts are the 'work horses' of the healing process.

   The researchers used a mixture of components found in second-hand (SH) smoke. The addition of this solution to cultures of chicken embryonic fibroblasts at high concentrations caused the cells to die. At lower concentrations, it did not kill the cells, but instead activated a selection of stress response proteins suggesting that lower levels of SH smoke caused increased cell survival. The problem is that this survival comes at a price: fibroblast morphology was changed, and they migrated poorly. Indeed, second-hand smoke may delay wound repair because of the inability of the fibroblasts to migrate into the wounded area, leading to an accumulation of these cells at the edge of the wound. Also, the increase in cell survival coupled to the decrease in cell migration can lead to a build-up of tissue, thereby causing fibrosis and excess scarring.

    Those smokers prone to acne will have about 3 times the problems of non-smokers.  Their healing from each pustule will take longer and there will be inevitable scarring because the skin of the smoker is not capable of satisfactory "wound healing".

     This month's news from the Surgeon Generals Office reports that the list of health problems and diseases impacted by smoking has grown due to more studies. Because the toxins from cigarette smoke travel through the bloodstream, virtually every cell in the smokers body is affected.

to view products we carry for Smokers Skin repair, click...

Have you stopped smoking?  Read The Body Ecology Diet by Donna Gates!

 Oolong Tea quiets outbreaks of eczema.  Japanese researchers reported that patients with a form of eczema improved after drinking a liter of oolong tea daily (Archives of Dermatology Jan. 2001).  No American follow up studies have been found but anecdotal patient reporting of success trying this remedy for even the worst cases of eczema on scalp, face and body areas.  Reports of results in 24 hours of tea consumption have been found in America.

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The American Cancer Society (news - web sites) expects about 55,100 people were diagnosed this year with melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, with an estimated 7,910 deaths.  Over 1 million cases of skin cancer in general were diagnosed in the USA this year.

Melanoma can be cured when it is detected and treated early, but if the lesion penetrates deeply into the skin it is often fatal. Sun exposure is a major risk factor in the disease, which has been increasing in the past few decades.  

Feel a cold coming on?  Apply some Vicks Vapo Rub to the soles of the feet at bedtime and put white cotton socks on to protect your sheets.  Many people report this nips cold symptoms in the bud!

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Depending on the microbe involved, white superficial onychomycosis (WSO), a fungal infection of finger or toe nails, can be hard to treat, Italian researchers report.

In order to characterize such infections, Drs. Bianca Maria Piraccini and Antonella Tosti of the University of Bologna reviewed the records of 79 patients with WSO seen at their hospital over a period of about 9 years. The researchers' findings are published in the Archives of Dermatology.  Seventy-three percent of the infections were caused by a fungus called Trichophyton interdigitale. The next most common cause was by fungi of the genus Fusarium. WSO can be difficult to manage if the infection is deep and wide, Dr. Piraccini told Reuters Health. In such cases, a combination of antifungal agents plus surgery may be required.

Knowing which fungus is causing the infection and the health status of the patient can help doctors select the best treatment.

SOURCE: Archives of Dermatology, June 2004.

 With skin cancer rates soaring, protecting your skin from the sun has never been more important.  And there's much more you can do than simply staying in the shade.  Start with a sunscreen. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends using a product with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15, and applying it generously at least 20 to 30 minutes before going out into the sun. Make sure to cover not only your legs, arms, face and neck, but also your feet (if you're wearing sandals) and hands. If you're going to be swimming or perspiring heavily, it's a good idea to reapply sunscreen, because toweling yourself dry can rub off the previous application. Hats are a great way to keep the sun off your face. But if you're using a baseball cap, don't forget to apply sunscreen to the back of your neck and ears.  If you think you don't need protection because it's cloudy or overcast, think again. Experts say the sun's harmful UV rays can pass through clouds, and even water. Be especially careful in places ranging from the beach to snow. Sand, water and snow can reflect sunlight and increase the amount of UV radiation you receive. In such high-glare settings, you should wear a higher SPF and protect your nose and lips with zinc oxide.

Ancient Roman Cosmetic Cream Found 

Scientists have unearthed a small tin canister dating back to the middle of the second century AD in an excavated Roman temple precinct in London that contains a sophisticated white cream that could rival today’s top cosmetics.  “Perhaps they didn’t understand the chemistry of everything but they obviously knew what they were doing,” stated Richard Evershed, an Analytical Chemist at the University of Bristol.  The cream consists of about 40 percent animal fat—most likely from sheep or cattle and 40 percent starch and tin oxide.  The fat forms the creamy base and the tin oxide makes the mixture opaque white.  The scientists, who reported the findings in the journal Nature, think fashionable Roman women probably wore the whitish cream.  A fair complexion was popular in Roman times, according to the researchers. 

Science & Space, Nov. 3, 2004

UV Light, Sun Damage Information

Be sure to consult with your physician about any prescription or cosmetic products to see if they are "photo sensitive"...meaning that they are known to cause the skin to burn or become irritated in sun light or tanning beds.

If you use Glycolic Acid, Retin A, vitamin A (includes retinyl palmitate, retinolic acid), hydroquinone, cosmetic skin care products, DO NOT USE THEM in the morning if you are going out in the sun for any  length of time that day.  This includes driving or even sitting by a sunny window.   Even still, you must wear sun screen because last nights ingredients are still in the skin!  Your make up products will not protect you unless you are wearing mineral powder make up with a spf15 or higher.  These ingredients make the skin more susceptible to burning in the ultra violet light of the sun.