Odesnik banned for two years by ITF

Wayne Odesnik, the South African-born left-handed tennis player, has been banned for two years by the ITF. He has been banned for violating doping rules by possessing human growth hormone.

Eight HGH vials were found in the luggage of Odesnik by customs officials in Australia in January.

From Espnstar.com:

Odesnik, 24, had not obtained a therapeutic use exemption for the HGH, of which eight vials were found in his luggage by customs officials in Australia in January.
The South African-born left-hander, ranked 114th in the world, stressed he had intended to seek permission for the HGH before using it, and said he had not used it at the time of its discovery.
His suspension is backdated to December 29 and will end on December 28 next year. His results since December 29 have been quashed and he must forfeit ranking points and prize-money of just over £60,000 from the tournaments he has participated in.

Odesnik had not obtained a therapeutic use exemption for the HGH.

Death of Newton may be caused due to drugs

An inquest heard has revealed that drugs could have clouded the judgment of former Wakefield Wildcats player Terry Newton when he hanged himself.

The inquest was told that the banned drugs could have lowered his mood and impaired his judgment though they were not a direct favor in the cause of death.

From Wakefieldexpress.co.uk:

DRUGS may have clouded the judgement of former Wakefield Wildcats player Terry Newton when he hanged himself, an inquest heard.

A coroner recorded an open verdict after ruling she could not be certain the hooker, who began serving a two-year drug ban in February, was intent on suicide. The inquest heard that traces of anabolic steroids, cocaine and amphetamine were found in his system following his death on September 26.

And although none of the banned drugs were a direct factor in the cause of death, the inquest was told that all could have lowered his mood and impaired his judgement. Dad-of-two Mr Newton was discovered by police in the loft of his home in Wigan, after his wife Stacey had told a friend she was concerned for his safety.

The death of Newton is seen by many, as a warning, to sportsmen experimenting with steroids or keen to take them in the future.

Low levels of testosterone lead to early death

Low levels of testosterone have been associated with an increased risk of premature death from heart disease and all causes, according to a new research.

The finding, however, refuted the claim that testosterone is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

From Timesofindia.indiatimes.com:

Researchers base their findings on 930 men, all of whom had coronary artery heart disease, and had been referred to a specialist heart centre between 2000 and 2002.

Their heart health was then tracked for around 7 years.

On referral, low testosterone was relatively common. One in four of the men was classified as having low testosterone, using measurements of either bioavailable testosterone (bio-T) - available for tissues to use - of under 2.6 mmol/l or total testosterone (TT) of under 8.1 mmol/l.

These measures indicate clinically defined testosterone deficiency, referred to as hypogonadism, as opposed to a tailing off in levels of the hormone as a result of ageing.

During the monitoring period almost twice as many men with low testosterone died as did those with normal levels. One in five (41) of those with low testosterone died, compared with one in eight (12pc) of those with normal levels.

The study has been published online in Heart.

Detectives investigating a body building drug supply racket have arrested a 26-year-old Metropolitan police constable.

The police man was held after a series of early morning raids in Swansea, South Wales.

From Guardian.co.uk:

A Metropolitan police spokesman said the men are believed to be linked to a network supplying steroids to hundreds of people across South Wales.

He said: "Officers are expected to meet the highest standards of honesty and integrity. The Met is determined that those who fail to meet these standards will be dealt with swiftly and robustly."

The operation was carried out by members of Scotland Yard's directorate of professional standards with officers from South Wales police's anti-corruption team.

Officers suspect the men were supplying anabolic steroids in pill and injectable forms to bodybuilders and weight trainers.

Some sportsmen claim steroids help them train harder, build muscle mass and recover from exercise more quickly.

Steroids are categorised as class C drugs and can only be sold by pharmacists with a doctor's prescription.

The police constable was arrested on suspicion of supplying controlled class C drugs following an investigation by anti-corruption officers.

Montgomery accused of using cocktail of banned drugs

Tim Montgomery, the world 100 meters record holder, has been accused by the USADA for using a cocktail of banned drugs, including human growth hormones and the blood-boosting agent EPO.

Montgomery's claimed that her client has been made the victim of a witch-hunt after a "bitter" falling-out with Conte and is innocent.

From Guardian.co.uk:

Usada also said in the letter - published in the Los Angeles Times - that it "anticipates testimony" from an unnamed source regarding Montgomery's "admitted use of the 'clear'", allegedly the code name for the designer anabolic steroid tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) manufactured by the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative in San Francisco.

Usada alleges that apart from the THG, HGH and EPO (erythropoietin) Montgomery also used several other anabolic steroids.

They also claim to have discovered a series of Montgomery's urine and blood test results that are consistent with the use of banned substances, calendars detailing a drug regime, receipts relating to the purchase of illegal drugs and correspondence referring to Montgomery by Victor Conte, the Balco founder and owner. Montgomery disputes this evidence. Montgomery has always denied taking banned drugs.

Montgomery had until last Friday to respond to Usada's letter and a review board will meet this week to decide whether to charge him along with three other top US sprinters: Chryste Gaines, Michelle Collins and Alvin Harrison. If guilty they face at least a two-year suspension.

The USADA made the allegations in a nine-page letter sent to Montgomery setting out allegations that he was involved in doping as long ago as 2000, two years before he set the record.

New allegations against trainer make Armstrong defensive

After controversial Italian coach Michele Ferrari was accused of being involved in wrongdoings, accusations against cycling champion Lance Armstrong gained momentum.

Armstrong recently said that Ferrari was "a clean man . . . an honest man . . . an innocent man". The Italian magazine, GQ, however printed extracts from statements provided to police by Italian rider Filippo Simeoni, who said Ferrari advised him to use the red blood cell booster erythropoietin (EPO), testosterone and human growth hormone to improve his performance.

From Guardian.co.uk:

An inquiry led by the magistrate Pierguido Soprani is investigating Ferrari on charges of providing or recommending performance-enhancing drugs to cyclists. Key evidence lies in diaries kept by Simeoni in which he recorded the substances he took between 1992 and 1999, when he was questioned by Italian police.

Simeoni told Soprani he worked with Ferrari between October 1996 and July 1997 and alleges Ferrari advised him how to dodge the tests for blood thickness, intended to restrict the use of EPO.

In one of his diaries Simeoni wrote: "Doctor Ferrari advised me to use two alternatives: Hemagel [a blood thinning agent] on the morning of the control, albumin [an element contained in white blood cells] on the evening before a possible control."

Simeoni, who won four races last year, said Ferrari had not warned him about possible side-effects and that he stopped working with him because he felt Ferrari was giving preferential treatment to others. "Ferrari did not treat me with the same efficiency he showed to other athletes," he said.

"It's a story that is three years old. Anyone can print old articles," Armstrong remarked when he was asked to reply in context to new allegations about the trainer he consults on diet, altitude training and the use of a depleted oxygen tent.

Roflumilast effective in reducing COPD exacerbation rate

Roflumilast is effective when it comes to enhancing lung function and preventing exacerbations in patients with COPD with chronic bronchitis and severe airflow obstruction, as per a large 12-month randomized trial.

Results of the 1,568-patient, double-blind, placebo-controlled study known as the M2-125 trial suggest that the drug is an important potential advance in the treatment of a subset of patients with COPD, Dr. Andrew McIvor said at the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians.

From Internalmedicinenews.com:

Participants in the eight-nation M2-125 trial had to have at least one documented moderate or severe COPD exacerbation during the year prior to enrollment. They were randomized to roflumilast 500 mcg once daily or placebo for 1 year, on top of background long-acting beta2-agonist or short-acting anticholinergic therapy at stable doses, along with short-acting beta2-agonists as needed. Long-acting anticholinergics and inhaled corticosteroids were not permitted.
The rate of moderate to severe COPD exacerbations requiring systemic steroids and/or treatment in a hospital—one of two co-primary study end points—was 1.21 cases per patient per year in the roflumilast group and 1.49 in controls, for a highly significant 18.5% relative risk reduction.
The other primary end point was improvement in lung function as reflected in mean change from baseline in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) prior to administration of a bronchodilator.
Again, roflumilast showed a highly significant advantage, with a 33-mL increase in FEV1 as compared to a 25-mL decrease with placebo over the course of 12 months.

Roflumilast (Daxas) is an investigational selective phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor that targets inflammation that is a hallmark of the disease when taken daily in an oral form, as per Dr. McIvor of St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton (Ont.).

Legal cases linked to New Jersey Police

Police officers and corrections officers, who obtained anabolic steroids from Jersey City physician Joseph Colao, have been named in at least five lawsuits related to alleged brutality or violations of civil rights.

Other officers, accused of getting steroids from the doctor, were fired, suspended or arrested for allegedly engaging in bad conduct on or off the job.

From NJ.com:

In August 2007, Jersey City resident Mathias Bolton called police to report a possible break-in at his apartment building. Bolton, 37, claims the first officer on the scene, Victor Vargas, mistook him for a burglar and, in a rage fueled by steroids, repeatedly punched him, threw him against the wall, dragged him from the building’s vestibule and pushed him down a flight of stairs to the sidewalk.

Other officers, among them Michael Stise, continued to beat Bolton as he lay on the ground, the suit states. The officers charged Bolton with resisting arrest and aggravated assault on a police officer. The counts were later dropped.

Court documents filed in the case show Vargas, 33, and Stise, 30, were taking anabolic steroids and human growth hormone prescribed by Colao. The officers deny in legal papers doing anything wrong, saying they identified themselves and repeatedly ordered Bolton to stop resisting.

“Given the broad hostility to athletes who abuse steroids — Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez and Manny (Ramirez) are widely hated — a jury that hears steroid evidence could readily misfire,” the lawyers of Vargas and Stise wrote.