In a study published in Emerging Infectious Diseases, investigators found that the number of infections with Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) increased more than 90% between 1999 and 2006. The study also found that over time more MRSA infections are community acquired (CA-MRSA) compared to hospital acquired (HA-MRSA).

The FDA recently approved a new non-narcotic patch for the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia, a very painful complication of a shingles infection. The name of the new patch is Qutenza and it contains 8% capsaicin, a substance found in chili peppers that causes a burning sensation when applied.

The interesting thing about this treatment is application of the patch to the affected skin for just 1 hour can actually give up to 12 weeks of pain relief.

In a study that will be published in December in the International Journal of Primatology, investigators have found that the color of a person's skin determines how healthy they appear. They also surmise that diet is a major factor that gives the skin that healthy appearance.

In the study Caucasian participants, using special software, were asked to change the skin color of male and female Caucasian faces to make them look the most healthy. The participants chose to turn up the redness, yellowness, and brightness of the skin.

If the skin is a little flushed with blood, this suggests the person has a strong heart and lungs. The investigators believe that slightly yellow skin comes from eating fruits and vegetables which have antioxidants that help fight off disease and soak up toxins.

The part of the study that warms my heart is the fact that the study participants didn't make the skin tanner to make it look healthy, they actually lightened it.

I think this study reinforces what we already knew about "living right" -- exercise regularly, eat a healthy diet with fruits and vegetables, and use sunscreen to protect your skin.

In June Roche, the maker of the acne drug Accutane, quietly pulled the drug off the market citing competition with generic equivalents as the reason, not problems with safety. Accutane is a very effective medication used for severe acne, but it also has many potential side effects, some very serious.

In October 2007 a Florida man who took Accutane for nine years was awarded $7 million when a jury decided that Roche did not adequately warn about Accutane's risks which helped cause the inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's disease, in the 31-year-old man.

More recently on October 27, 2009 a Florida appeal court reversed the $7 million judgement against Roche. In a unanimous opinion the court said that the patient did not prove that the lack of adequate warning caused his disease.

Now in the latest development, in a study presented last week at the annual meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology in San Diego, researchers from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, presented evidence that people who take Accutane are at a higher risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease. However, the risk of developing Crohn's disease was not increased.

The risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease is low in general. Only 5 to 10 people in 100,000 are diagnosed each year. When I think back on the patients I've prescribed Accutane to, I think most of them would have taken that chance because they were so distraught over the severity of their acne. Which is more important, the pain and suffering of severe acne or the risk of inflammatory bowel disease? I suspect the answer depends on whether you develop inflammatory bowel disease.