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Biomedical subjects

Eric J Hester

Publications and source records attributed to Eric J Hester.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Is high mole count a marker of more than melanoma risk? Eczema diagnosis is associated with melanocytic nevi in children.

BACKGROUND: The number of melanocytic nevi is the best single marker of increased melanoma risk. In a previous study, adults with severe eczema were reported to have significantly fewer nevi than adults without eczema. OBSERVATIONS: In a nested case-control design within a randomized, controlled interventional trial of additional sun protection vs standard care in 269 children, a history of eczema was reported by the parents of 44 (16%) of the children. More nevi were found in children with a parental report of previous eczema diagnosis than in children without reported eczema (median, 7.5 nevi vs 5.0 nevi; P =.01). Eczema diagnosis was most significantly associated with more melanocytic nevi in children with lightly pigmented skin (8.5 nevi vs 6.0 nevi; P <.001). In multivariate logistical regression analysis, including assessment of hair color, sun protection practices, and study assignment (intervention vs standard care), eczema status remained significantly predictive of nevi number in children (P <.001). CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to a previous study that associated severe eczema with fewer nevi in adults, in the present study children with a reported history of eczema had more nevi than children without a reported history of eczema.

Case-Control Studies↗
PubMed2004

Demand outstrips supply of US pediatric dermatologists: results from a national survey.

BACKGROUND: The US pediatric dermatology workforce was last examined in 1986 when limited employment opportunity was found. OBJECTIVE: We sought to re-examine pediatric dermatology workforce issues. METHODS: US dermatology chairpersons and residency program directors were surveyed for: (1) agreement with pediatric dermatology workforce statements; and (2) pediatric dermatology faculty and fellow numbers. RESULTS: Respondents agreed that having a pediatric dermatologist or dermatologists on faculty is important, and that a shortage of pediatric dermatologists exists, but did not agree that increasing pediatric dermatology training requirements will increase this shortage. Almost half of the programs (45/94) employed a full-time pediatric dermatologist, and 24 programs had currently been recruiting a pediatric dermatologist for more than 1 year. Only 6 pediatric dermatology fellows were in training. CONCLUSION: Given that open pediatric dermatology faculty positions greatly exceed the number of fellows in training and that formal training requirements will be increasing, the shortage of pediatric dermatologists will likely continue.

Data Collection↗
PubMed2003

Information science. Going, going, gone: lost Internet references.

The use of Internet references in academic literature is common, and Internet references are frequently inaccessible. The extent of Internet referencing and Internet reference activity in medical or scientific publications was systematically examined in more than 1000 articles published between 2000 and 2003 in the New England Journal of Medicine, The Journal of the American Medical Association, and Science. Internet references accounted for 2.6% of all references (672/25548) and in articles 27 months old, 13% of Internet references were inactive. Publishers, librarians, and readers need to reassess policies, archiving systems, and other resources for addressing Internet reference attrition to prevent further information loss.

Information Storage and Retrieval↗
PubMed2003

Assessing evidence-based dermatology and evidence-based internal medicine curricula in US residency training programs: a national survey.

OBJECTIVES: To examine attitudes toward evidence-based medicine and evidence-based dermatology and to assess evidence-based training in US internal medicine and dermatology residency programs. METHODS: A 1-page self-administered questionnaire was mailed to residency training directors and chief residents at 104 dermatology and 103 internal medicine residency programs from the same or affiliated medical centers. RESULTS: Questionnaires were returned by respondents from 70 (68%) of 103 internal medicine programs and 86 (83%) of 104 dermatology programs. Most respondents (91% internal medicine and 70% dermatology) strongly agreed or agreed that evidence-based internal medicine/dermatology is valuable and should be included in residency training (93% internal medicine and 70% dermatology). Respondents from internal medicine programs agreed more strongly with both statements than respondents from dermatology programs (P =.001). Dedicated evidence-based curricula were in place at significantly more internal medicine programs (50 [71%] of 70) than dermatology programs (20 [23%] of 86) (P<.001). Curricula at internal medicine programs offered significantly more evidence-based medicine training sessions (24 vs 6; P<.001) and biostatistics sessions (10 vs 2.3; P =.03), and internal medicine programs more frequently evaluated the curricula using clinical question applications (56% vs 30%; P =.04). CONCLUSION: Despite favorable attitudes toward evidence-based dermatology, compared with internal medicine programs, dedicated evidence-based training is underdeveloped in dermatology programs.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2003

Youth access laws: in the dark at the tanning parlor?

OBJECTIVE: To compare laws governing youth access to UV irradiation at indoor tanning facilities with laws governing youth access to tobacco. DESIGN: Tobacco and UV irradiation youth access laws were assessed via correspondence with public health offices and computerized legal searches of 6 industrialized nations with widely differing skin cancer incidence rates. SETTING: National, provincial, and state legal systems in Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. PARTICIPANTS: Public health, legal, information science, and medical professionals and government and tanning industry representatives. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Statutes specifying age restrictions for the purchase of indoor tanning services or tobacco products. RESULTS: The 5 English-speaking countries with common law-based legal systems unilaterally prohibit youth access to tobacco but rarely limit youth access to UV irradiation from tanning salons. Only very limited regions in the United States and Canada prohibit youth access to indoor tanning facilities: Texas, Illinois, Wisconsin, and New Brunswick prohibit tanning salon use by minors younger than 13, 14, 16, and 18 years, respectively. In contrast, French law allows minors to purchase tobacco but prohibits those younger than 18 years from patronizing tanning salons. CONCLUSIONS: Youth access laws governing indoor tanning display remarkable variety. Uniform indoor tanning youth access laws modeled on the example of tobacco youth access laws merit consideration.

Adolescent↗