NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The results of a new study suggest that patients with psoriatic arthritis, a form of rheumatoid arthritis accompanied by psoriasis, may have "subtle" cardiac conduction disturbances. Researchers point out, however, that it is not yet known if these irregularities lead to serious heart disease.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Surgeons have replaced 80 percent of a woman's face, transplanting bone, teeth, muscle and nerve in the first such operation in the United States.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Taiwanese investigators report that an ointment made from an extract of Indigo naturalis is effective in treatment-resistant plaque psoriasis -- and the treatment appears to be safe.

LONDON (Reuters) - A breakdown in a reaction between immune cells and blood vessels in the brain appears to play a key role in epilepsy, Italian researchers said on Monday.

LONDON (Reuters) - A breakdown in a reaction between immune cells and blood vessels in the brain appears to play a key role in epilepsy, Italian researchers said on Monday.

LONDON (Reuters) - Family doctors have been paid nearly 100 million pounds in incentive payments to adopt a key National Health Service reform that has failed to improve services or save money, a health think-tank said on Thursday.

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Merck KGaA, the drugmaker that markets Genentech's psoriasis drug Raptiva in Europe, said it is working with European Union regulators after a second Raptiva patient died of a rare brain infection in the United States.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A compound found in green tea could slow or even prevent the development of type 1 diabetes, new research in mice suggests.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - About a quarter of biological medicines approved in the United States and Europe since 1995 have triggered safety warnings in the years after entering the market, Dutch researchers said on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A procedure using a topical solution made by DUSA Pharmaceuticals Inc and laser treatment stimulates collagen production and helps rejuvenate sun-damaged skin, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Combining two different types of lasers to remove unwanted hair is no more effective than using either laser alone, and may result in more adverse effects, new research shows.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. health regulators have ordered strong black-box warnings for Genentech Inc's psoriasis drug, Raptiva, saying patients given the once-weekly injections are at risk for life-threatening infections.

LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have found two new genetic variations that appear to increase the risk of the most common skin cancer among people of European descent.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Older women's facial wrinkles and sagging skin are not improved by a long-term, low-dose regimen of hormone therapy, a new study suggests.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A cream containing vitamin C, vitamin E and ferulic acid protects the skin from sun damage and reduces cancer-associated mutations in skin cells, new research shows.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Sun exposure may contribute to skin aging by blunting the skin's ability to produce collagen in response to estrogen, new research published in the Archives of Dermatology suggests.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Patients with an allergy to metal, often first revealed when wearing certain jewelry, are also at risk for reactions to implanted medical devices made of metal, such as pacemakers and orthopedic prostheses.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Reading patch tests for allergies beyond the customary 5 days may identify certain allergies missed by an earlier reading, according to a new report.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In a testament to how much teenagers are bothered by acne, a study released today shows that many would be willing to pay a considerable amount to be acne-free.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Certain commonly available skin creams may cause skin tumors, at least in mice, and experts should be checking to see if they might cause growths in people as well, researchers reported on Thursday.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The prescription cream Elidel used to treat eczema leads to rapid improvement in symptoms and quality of life in people who suffer from a specific type of acne-like condition that typically occurs around the mouth, doctors from Germany report based on a study they conducted.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - One in three people who are prescribed medications may never get them filled, a new study in patients being treated for skin conditions has found.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The percentage of adults who have ever had a thorough skin exam to look for signs of skin cancer is low -- with some of the lowest rates seen among those whose jobs keep them in the sun all day, a U.S. study shows.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women are more likely than men to see a dermatologist to have a tattoo removed and their motivation may be the social stigma associated with tattoos and negative comments by others, suggest the results of a survey conducted in 2006 released today.

SILVER SPRING, Md. (Reuters) - U.S. health officials should approve wider use of Amgen Inc's drug Enbrel to treat psoriasis in children, a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel said on Wednesday.

SILVER SPRING, Maryland (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson's experimental drug ustekinumab should be approved for treating adults with moderate or severe psoriasis, a U.S. advisory panel unanimously ruled on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. drug regulators are concerned about life-threatening complications in children taking Amgen Inc's drug Enbrel for psoriasis and other conditions, according to documents released on Monday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. health officials are investigating whether drugs for rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease are linked to cancers in children and young adults, the Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Several natural health products have been investigated for treating the pigmentation disorder vitiligo, but overall, the quality of the research is poor, the authors of a new review conclude.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Corticosteroid creams and ointments are often recommended for soothing a sunburn, but a new study suggests they are unlikely to help.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Genes appear to play a role in susceptibility to shingles. People with a family history of shingles are more likely to develop the condition than those without a family history, according to a new study.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A cosmetic facial filler called polyalkylimide may cause moderate to severe side effects months after injection, doctors warn in a report published today.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A number of environmental exposures, including trauma, are associated with the onset of inflammatory arthritis in patients with psoriasis, findings published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases indicate.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Alefacept, a drug that reduces the activity of certain immune cells, is effective in treating psoriasis of the scalp, according to a report in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - There is no good evidence for any long-term benefit of any treatments now available for patchy hair loss, a type of baldness called alopecia areata, the authors of a review of current research on the subject conclude.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, is much deadlier when it appears on the scalp or neck than somewhere else on the body, according to a study published on Monday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An experimental new drug that suppresses certain parts of the immune system worked safely to relieve some of the symptoms of psoriasis, researchers in Canada reported on Thursday.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The use of "thiazolidinediones" type diabetes drugs, such as Avandia and Actos, may reduce the risk of developing the scaly skin condition psoriasis, according to Swiss and US researchers.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A traditional Finnish folk medicine derived from spruce trees may help heal hard-to-treat bedsores, a new study suggests.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Dust mites and cockroach allergens can weaken defence mechanisms of the human skin, making it more permeable and vulnerable, a study in South Korea has found.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Post-traumatic stress disorder is nearly as powerful a predictor of the likelihood of dying over a 15-year period as an abnormal score on two laboratory tests commonly used to gauge overall health, a new study in Vietnam veterans demonstrates.

LONDON (Reuters) - Black pepper could lead to better treatments for a disfiguring skin condition that affects about 1 percent of the world's population, British researchers said on Thursday.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The oral contraceptive Yasmin, plus a low-dose of the diuretic spironolactone, is a safe and effective treatment for women with severe facial acne, according to the findings of a small study.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Overall, people who suffer from psoriatic arthritis do not appear to have a higher risk of cancer compared to the general population, according to a new study.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The drug alefacept, which in 2003 was the first "biologic" agent approved in the US for the treatment of moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis, appears to be a long-term option for certain patients, results of a study suggests.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Oh, it brings such blessed relief and now scientists can tell you why -- scratching an itch temporarily shuts off areas in the brain linked with unpleasant feelings and memories.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Identifying pigmented moles that look different from a person's other moles -- the "ugly duckling sign" -- is a practical way to spot malignant melanoma skin cancer, doctors say.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Young women have wide-ranging reasons for going to the tanning salon, which means they likely need different motivations to stop, according to researchers.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - People who suffer from severe psoriasis die younger than people with mild cases or without the disease, for reasons that are unclear, researchers said on Monday.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - While Asian men generally have less trouble than Caucasians with the most common form of hereditary male baldness, smoking cigarettes may erase that edge, researchers said on Monday.