With this week's approval of a stronger version of adapalene, the most widely prescribed topical retinoid, people troubled by acne have a new treatment option. The prescription gel, which will be marketed by Galderma Laboratories as Differingel, 0.3 percent, beginning in July, is three times as strong as the existing version. According to dermatologists, the new formulation works slightly faster and is more effective, without causing harsh side effects, a problem that plagues many treatments for severe acne.
Students now appear likely to get a back-to-school present: loan reform. The Senate Education Committee approved relief measures this week similar to those recently passed by its House counterpart. Both full houses are expected to approve the bills later this summer, with a final version going to President Bush in September, just in time for the new school year. The proposed changes include halving interest rates on federal loans (from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent), increasing the size of Pell grants for low-income students, and limiting monthly loan payments for students in certain public-service fields, such as teaching. The bills would pay for the measures, valued at around $18 billion over five years, by reducing subsidies to lenders.
Not satisfied with ordinary punishment, Louisiana State University is calling for its Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity chapter to sing "Kumbaya" during an "introspection period"—designed as reprimand for housing a live goat last fall, reports the Daily Reveille. Members claimed it was a chapter mascot.
AP - The U.S. may be able to reduce combat forces in Iraq by next spring if Iraq's own security forces continue to grow and improve, a senior American commander said Friday. He denied reports the U.S. is arming Sunni insurgent groups to help in the fight against al-Qaida.
AP - President Bush's pick to be the No. 3 official in the Justice Department asked to have his nomination withdrawn Friday, four days before he was to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
AP - An Army officer who played a key role in the "enemy combatant" hearings at Guantanamo Bay says tribunal members relied on vague and incomplete intelligence while being pressured to rule against detainees, often without any specific evidence.
U.S. and Iraqi troops killed at least 68 al Qaeda militants in Iraq's Diyala province in the past four days, the U.S. military reported today. The military said the attack was part of Operation Arrowhead Ripper, the anti-insurgent offensive going on in and around Baquba, Diyala's provincial capital.
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