Monday 28 December 2009

Diabetes-related eye diseases may be treated with steroids

According to a new study that was led by researcher Dr Neil M. Bressler of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, steroids when injected directly into the eye can help in treating Diabetic retinopathy, which is a complication of diabetes and results in vision loss and blindness.
Proliferative diabetic retinopathy occurs when new blood vessels are formed on the optic disc or another component of the retina. The study highlighted that there is a need for further studies in identifying other treatment though laser treatments may reduce the risk of vision loss while control of blood glucose can prevent the development of retinopathy.
"Use of this intravitreal [injected into the eye] corticosteroid preparation to reduce the likelihood of progression of retinopathy is not warranted at this time because of the increased risk of glaucoma and cataract associated with intravitreal steroid use," the authors write.
"Any treatment to be used routinely to prevent proliferative diabetic retinopathy likely needs to be relatively safe because the condition already can be treated successfully and safely with panretinal photocoagulation.
“Nevertheless, further investigation with regard to the role of pharmacotherapy for reduction of the incidence of progression of retinopathy appears to be warranted," they added.
The study appeared in journal Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Tuesday 22 December 2009

Rituximab can prove useful for treating membranous nephropathy

According to findings appearing in the April 2009 print issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN), Rituximab can prove its usefulness in treating patients with membranous nephropathy, a kidney disorder.
It is important to note that present treatment options for treating this ailment are calcineurin inhibitors, steroids, and chemotherapeutic agents, all of which have some side effects.
Andrew Bomback, MD (University of North Carolina Kidney Center), and his colleagues after conducting the first systematic review of rituximab use in patients with membranous nephropathy evaluated the effect of rituximab when it comes to curing patients struggling against nephropathy.
To investigate rituximab's potential, Andrew Bomback, MD (University of North Carolina Kidney Center), and his colleagues conducted the first systematic review of rituximab use in patients with membranous nephropathy. They collected and analyzed all of the data available on rituximab therapy in this patient population. They found 21 articles to date, all of which were either case reports or case series without controls, meaning that patients taking rituximab were studied for a certain length of time but were not compared with patients not taking the drug.
Dr. Bomback remarked further that further studies are needed for finding the true and complete value of this drug and the usage must be done in research setting till then.

Friday 18 December 2009

APP Pharmaceuticals to sell Chlorothiazide Sodium in injectable form

An approval has been received from U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by APP Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Fresenius Kabi Pharmaceuticals Holding, Inc., (NASDAQ:APCVZ), for the marketing of Chlorothiazide Sodium for Injection, USP.
This injectable form of Chlorothiazide Sodium is expected to be launched by APP in the fourth quarter of 2009.
Chlorothiazide Sodium for Injection, USP is therapeutically equivalent to the reference-listed drug Diuril®, which is marketed by Lundbeck Pharmaceuticals. According to 2008 IMS data, sales of this product in the United States were approximately $51 million1. Chlorothiazide is a diuretic used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension), as well as fluid retention in people with congestive heart failure, cirrhosis of the liver, kidney disorders, or edema caused by taking steroids or estrogen.
It was remarked by Thomas H. Silberg, president and chief executive officer of APP Pharmaceuticals, that the present stream of ANDA approvals reinforces APP's commitments in providing a consistently expanding portfolio of products to the customers and the patients.


Monday 14 December 2009

Cattle steroid abuse now comes with a new test

Innovative new tests have been devised by scientists at Queen’s University Belfast to identify the illegal use of steroids in the European beef industry. These tests are not only far more accurate and convenient but also cheaper than the conventional doping tests in tracing the illegal drugs.
This study was led by Professor Chris Elliot, the Director of the Institute of Agri-Food and Land Use at Queen’s and published in the scientific journal Analytical Chemistry.
Using a commercial blood analyser commonly found in hospitals, the researchers measured 20 different chemical markers, including proteins and cholesterol, in cattle treated with and without the commonly used steroids testosterone and oestrogen over a 42-day study period.
The new test detected the presence of the steroids with a high accuracy rate - between 91 and 96 per cent.
Professor Elliot said: “In recent years, a trend of administration of very low dose cocktails of naturally occurring hormones has made conventional forms of analysis even more problematic.
“Even if minute traces of steroids can be detected, proving definitive illegal administration under these circumstances is close to impossible.
“The ability to detect evidence of such administrations using metabolic markers would be a major scientific advance.
It was remarked by Professor Elliot that a single incidence of steroid administration means that a minimized metabolic response can be generated compared with what could have been achieved through cocktail hormone treatments that are being abused in Europe.
The research was funded by the European Commission and safefood organization in Ireland.

Thursday 10 December 2009

Anabolic steroids can easily result in anti-social behavior

There can be a possible link between anabolic steroids and anti-social behavior as per researchers from Sweden.

Anabolic steroids are drugs related with male sex hormones that are used in oral as well as injectable forms for building muscles and developing lean body appearance. However, long-term use or abuse of steroids can result in serious health complications including liver cancer and kidney disease.

From News-Medical.Net:
Apparently non-prescription steroid use has been linked previously to a number of psychiatric conditions and changes in behaviour and there have been reports of groups such as bodybuilders using anabolic androgenic steroids where hypomania or manic episodes, depression or suicide, psychotic episodes and increased aggressiveness and hostility have been experienced.

Dr. Fia Klötz of Uppsala University in Sweden, and colleagues studied the associations between criminality and steroid use in 1,440 Swedish residents tested for the drugs between 1995 and 2001.

They found that those who tested positive for steroid use were about twice as likely to have been convicted of a weapons offence and one and a half times as likely to have been convicted of fraud.

It was remarked that the use of steroids leads to anti-social behavior due to steroids' effects on mood swings, impulsiveness, depression, paranoid jealousy, extreme irritability, delusions and impaired judgment.

Sunday 6 December 2009

Exercises before coming to office enhance workers' productivity

Time management, work quality, and mental performance of workers get improved on days when they reach workplace after spending some time on exercises, according to a presented research at the 52nd American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee.
It was also revealed by the research that workers return more forgiving to themselves and others apart from being more tolerant.
“The results are striking,” said lead researcher Jim McKenna, Ph.D. “We weren’t expecting such a strong improvement on productivity linked to exercising. Even more impressive was that these people already thought they were good at their jobs. Participants tracked mood, and as expected, exercising enhanced their mood. However, boosts in productivity were over and above the mood effects; it’s the exercise—or attitude related to exercise—that affects productivity.”
Focus groups confirmed the surprisingly strong effects of workplace exercise. “We expected to hear more about the downside, such as afternoon fatigue,” said McKenna. “But out of 18 themes raised by study participants, 14 were positive. It was almost overwhelming.”
Workplace exercise programs, said McKenna, benefit more than just the workers. “Companies see more productive employees who also work better together. From the public health side, health care costs can be expected to go down for employees who regularly exercise at work. Think of it: fewer sick days, better attendance and more tolerant co-worker relations.”
The research also communicated the fact that more than 65 percent workers showed considerable improvements in time management and output demand levels besides leading a stable, improved mental and interpersonal performance after exercises and before reaching workplace.


Tuesday 1 December 2009

Abuse of Human growth hormone may lead to severe health complications

While testifying before the U.S. House of Representatives Government Reform Committee on behalf of The Endocrine Society, Dr. Alan Rogol outlined the legitimate medical use of human growth hormone.
It was remarked that severe health risks may occur when HGH abuse is initiated by steroid users and that individuals, especially celebrities and sportsmen on HGH, run a high risk of fatal health complications.
“There are a number of safe and legitimate FDA-approved uses of growth hormone in adults and children,” said Dr. Rogol. “The off-label use of growth hormone, which primarily is in the anti-aging and body image or athletic market, comes with increased risks.”
One risk factor is that most off-label users are usually unaware of the correct doses. “One can assume that the dose administered would be much greater than that given for legitimate purposes,” said Dr. Rogol.
At higher HGH dosages, it is possible to achieve levels similar to those found in the endocrine disease acromegaly, which is caused by too much growth hormone in the body. This condition can lead to severe muscle weakness and even heart disease.
According to Dr. Rogol, perhaps the most insidious off-label use is by athletes and others who believe they are using actual growth hormone, when in fact they may be receiving an entirely different substance.
“Magazines and the internet are replete with advertisements for substances marketed as ‘growth hormone',” said Dr. Rogol. “Growth hormone, however, can only work if injected, and many of these preparations are taken orally, so they cannot possibly be HGH.”
It was also remarked by Dr. Rogol that human growth hormone obtained from human tissues has already been eliminated from the legal drug market because of the possibility of the rare yet fatal Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.