Anabolic Steroids Information

Clean drug tests for anabolic steroids at UFC 139

2012-01-26T09:37:00.000-08:00

All UFC 139 fighters tested clean for recreational/drugs of abuse, the California State Athletic Commission confirmed two weeks ago.

Steroid tests also came back clean for this past month's event, a representative of the CSAC said.

From Mmajunkie.com:

The night's main card aired on pay-per-view, and the preliminary card aired on Spike TV and streamed on Facebook. Dan Henderson defeated Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in the night's main event.
In addition to those headliners, Wanderlei Silva, Gleison Tibau, Shamar Bailey, Cung Le, Danny Castillo, Brian Bowles, Urijah Faber, Rafael dos Anjos, Ryan Bader and Jason Brilz also were tested for anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs.

UFC 139 took place on Nov. 19 at HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.

Prosecutors urged for prison time for Bonds

2012-01-22T09:46:00.000-08:00

Federal prosecutors want baseballlegend Barry Bonds to serve 15 months in prison for his obstruction of justice conviction, according to a sentencing memo filed in court.

In their filing, defense lawyers argued that the judge should accept recommendation of the probation office that the ex-baseball player be sentenced to two years probation, fined $4,000, and ordered to perform 250 hours of community service.

From Edition.cnn.com:

Bonds, 47, is set to be sentenced on December 16 in a San Francisco federal courtroom, less than two miles from the ballpark where he broke Hank Aaron's major league home run in August 2007.

Jurors who found Bonds guilty in April said he was "evasive" in his testimony to the federal grand jury investigating illegal steroids use by pro athletes.

"Because Bonds's efforts were a corrupt, intentional effort to interfere with that mission, a sentence of 15 months imprisonment is appropriate," the prosecution said in its memo to U.S. District Judge Susan Illston.

Hulk Hogan refutes domestic abuse claim

2012-01-18T09:58:00.000-08:00

Hulk Hogan insisted recently he "never laid a hand" on his ex-wife following her domestic abuse claims.

Former spouse of the wrestling legend, Linda Hogan, has claimed in her new autobiography, Wrestling the Hulk: My Life Against the Ropes, that he had a violent temper that would manifest itself physically when they argued.

From Nzherald.co.nz:

But the 57-year-old TNA grappler has branded Linda's allegation a "total, blatant lie" and has accused her of still trying to trade off his famous name.
Insisting he has "no reason" to defend himself, he said during a radio interview on the Bubba the Love Sponge Show: "Dude, I never laid a hand on her ... If you step back and take a really good look at this - if you take the Hulk Hogan name out of her situation, her life, her career, the air she breathes ... she's out of gas. She's still riding on the Hulk Hogan name. Just take her and put her in the same category with the Iron Sheik and the Ultimate Warrior. They all belong together."
The Iron Sheik and the Ultimate Warrior are former wrestling opponents of Hulk - real name Terry Bollea - and have been vocal critics of him during their retirements.

Linda said, "Drugs were always around - prescribed. Wrestlers have always got injuries. There was a constant flow of pain pills, anti-inflammatories, steroids - a lot of them did take steroids. It makes somebody - you don't know what you're dealing with."

MLB's HGH testing not effective

2012-01-14T09:25:00.000-08:00

On November 22, 2011, the recent feat of Major League Baseball of extended "labor peace" with the Major League Players Association was reached.

According to the terms of the latest basic agreement between the parties, the MLB has apparently won out in its attempt to curb illicit use of human growth hormone (HGH) by its players.

From Sports-central.org:

The lockouts by both the NFL and NBA this year perhaps did not go by unnoticed by MLB brass in its seemingly under-the-radar collective bargaining talks with the MLBPA this past fall. MLB attempted to show up the other leagues' rather unkempt labor relations.
And MLB Commissioner Bud Selig made it quite clear by way of his public display of self-aggrandizement during the week following a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) was reached, that his is the first North American professional sports league to agree to such a test for HGH. And perhaps it was indeed Selig's latest and greatest coup yet, in such a pronouncement, however yet to be realized.

Article 39, Sec. 7 (b) of the NFL's CBA states: "The parties confirm that the Program on Anabolic Steroids and related Substances will include both annual blood testing and random blood testing for human growth hormone, with discipline for positive tests at the same level as for steroids."

Four-game ban for Colts guard

2012-01-10T09:37:00.000-08:00

The NFL has handed a ban of four years to a Colts guard who violated the anabolic steroids and related substances policy.

Jaimie Thomas is on injured reserve and has been banned for four games.

From Espn.go.com:

Thomas was a seventh-round selection by the Colts in the 2009 draft and played in eight games with Indianapolis in 2010. He was placed on IR on Aug. 19 this year with a back injury.
Also Wednesday, the Colts placed defensive tackle Eric Foster and rookie offensive tackle Ben Ijalana on injured reserve, ending their seasons.
Foster dislocated his right ankle in a gruesome scene during Monday night's loss at Tampa Bay.

"Practice will go along this week and we'll see where we are. We do have a lot of possibilities and some of them are too endless to go through," coach Jim Caldwell said Wednesday. "It's just the way it is. You take a look at where you are and adjust accordingly."

Marion Jones on diplomatic visits

2012-01-06T09:40:00.000-08:00

Former track star Marion Jones is making a series of diplomatic visits to Serbia and Croatia on behalf of the U.S. State Department.

Once considered the fastest woman in the world, Jones give back her five medals from the 2000 Sydney Olympics after lying to federal investigators about taking performance enhancing drugs.

From Espn.go.com:

Since getting out of jail, she started a career in the WNBA -- playing a season and a half for the Tulsa Shock -- and has started a campaign to encourage others to think before making critical decisions.
This week, Jones is visiting with school children and other citizens in Serbia and Croatia, the former Yugoslav republics hit by war and earthquake in recent years.
"It paints a very positive picture of who we are as a country and the fact that she's here on the invitation of the United States government shows that our country believes in people always having opportunities to come back from adversity," said Ryan Rowlands, a public affairs officer for the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade who helped arrange Jones' visit. "So that's been a great part of this message."

"I think that this country is in the process of rebuilding," she said. "My story is one that I am also rebuilding from making some bad choices in the past, so I think that was one of the main reasons that I was chosen because I have decided to not give up in my quest to help people."

Steroid use common, says retired NHL enforcer

2012-01-02T09:42:00.000-08:00

In a new book, retired NHL enforcer Georges Laraque said steroid use was commonplace for years in hockey dressing rooms.

Laraque wrote in "The Story of the NHL's Unlikeliest Tough Guy" that steroid use wasn't limited to just the league's bruisers.

From Espn.go.com:

Laraque, who is now a deputy leader of the federal Green Party, doesn't accuse any players by name in the book. He said enforcers also used steroids to gain weight before arriving in the pros, and took substances such as Ephedrine so they would be desensitized before a fight.
The NHL and the NHL Players' Association haven't responded to Laraque's claims. Testing for performance enhancing substances was included in the collective bargaining agreement between the league and the union in 2005.

Laraque did not name any players who were making use of steroids.

Steroid use accusations on Two All Blacks

2011-12-29T09:13:00.000-08:00

The former coach of Olympic gold medalist Hamish Carter, Jack Ralston, has accused two All Blacks of taking steroids in his new book.

"People might be stunned by this but I know at least two All Blacks in the 1990s who responded to demands that they bulk up by taking steroids," Ralston revealed in an early edition of his biography The Sports Insider.

From Stuff.co.nz:

Ralston was the New Zealand Rugby Union's head of sales and marketing between 1997-99. He has also been on the payroll at Netball New Zealand, Gymsports NZ and as a coach worked for Arthur Lydiard during a lengthy career in New Zealand and international sport.
The highly regarded Ralston, who also enjoyed a stint with Nike and worked with sporting icons such as Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan and Carl Lewis, worked with the All Blacks in a commercial capacity during their failed 1999 Rugby World Cup campaign.

Ralston added he "never saw" any All Black ingesting steroids.

Steroid bust by Albuquerque Police

2011-12-25T09:41:00.000-08:00

On Friday, the Albuquerque Police Department said it made one of its largest steroids busts at a Westside home.

Ruben Jaramillo Jr., who turned his home into a steroid lab, at his home near Unser Boulevard, was arrested by the ADP.

From Kob.com:

"He is huge, probably I would say right now, probably one of the largest trafficking distributions of anabolic steroids from what we are finding in there,” APD Sgt. Patrick Ficke said.
APD went to the home with a warrant but Jaramillo didn’t answer the door, so police entered by force.
APD’s Eastside Narcotics Team found vials of liquid steroids plus it's pill form, in plain sight inside Jaramillo's home.
Most interesting, Jaramillo was making the steroids himself, he even had his own labels, police said.
He also wasn’t shy about his drug dealing.
"Obviously, he's very open, everybody in the household knows what he's doing," Ficke said.

About a year ago, Jaramillo and his wife were arrested by Bernalillo County deputies for similar steroid related charges.

One year suspension for Sonnen

2011-12-21T09:57:00.000-08:00

The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) has suspended UFC middleweight contender Chael Sonnen following a failed drug test he took prior to his UFC 117 bout against middleweight champion Anderson Silva on Aug. 7, 2010.

The fight was dominated by Sonnen with punches and takedowns but Silva managed to make a triangle choke submission to force Sonnen to tap out.

From Prommanow.com:

The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) has suspended the license of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Chael Sonnen, after Sonnen tested positive for steroids, a banned substance.
A sample from Sonnen’s August 6 drug test came back with a high T/E (testosterone-to-estrogen) level, which is indicative of anabolic steroid use. CSAC learned of the results September 2 and ordered a second test, which also came back positive for steroid use. CSAC received test results from the second sample on September 14 and suspended Sonnen two days later. He is suspended for one year. Sonnen has 30 days to appeal the decision.
“The use of anabolic steroids and other banned substances are not tolerated by the commission,” said CSAC Executive Officer George Dodd. “Anabolic agents put the health and safety of both the user and his opponents at risk.”

Sonnen’s sample was sent to the World Anti-doping Agency test facility at theUniversity ofCalifornia,Los Angeles on August 6, 2010 for processing.

Aristy faked age for bonus

2011-12-17T09:09:00.000-08:00

Alvaro Aristy, originally Jorge Leandro Guzman, forged everything from his name to age and even talent.

The vice president of Major League Baseball's department of investigations, Dan Mullin, remarked the MLB got a tip about Aristy's identity in January 2010.

From Baseballamerica.com:

Randy Smith, Padres vice president of player development and international scouting, said the team was surprised to learn of Guzman's fraud before spring training in 2010. "We had no reason to be suspicious," Smith said. "From our information and him being cleared the first time, we were comfortable with MLB's investigation."
MLB launched its department of investigations in 2008 in response to recommendations from the Mitchell Report, but Mullin's team didn't take over age and identity investigations of Latin American players until July 2009. Prior to that, teams contracted out background checks of Latin American players—including Guzman's—to independent investigators, a system that team officials often complained was ineffective and at times outright corrupt.

Aristy tested positive for a metabolite of Nandrolone, an anabolic steroid commonly sold as Deca Durabolin.

Drug seizure with Pelham drug bust

2011-12-13T09:56:00.000-08:00

In a search of a Pelham home by the Niagara Regional Police Morality Unit and the Prescription Unit, four people have been arrested and nearly $30,000 worth of drugs have been seized.

Police seized $24,599.30 in cash, about $12,000 worth of marijuana, $890 worth of cocaine, and $15,000 worth of anabolic steroids.

From Niagarathisweek.com:

In all, police charged five people. A Pelham man has been charged with possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking, possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, possession of anabolic steroids for the purpose of trafficking, possession of crime over $5,000, careless storage of ammunition and unauthorized possession of a prohibited weapon.
A Welland woman, a Thorold man and a man from Clinton have all been charged with possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.

A Welland woman was charged with possession of oxycodone for the purpose of trafficking and possession of proceeds of crime under $5,000 in a related investigation.

Popular asthma drug inadequate when used alone

2011-12-09T09:21:00.000-08:00

A drug widely prescribed as the sole treatment for asthma has been found to be incapable by itself when it comes to preventing asthma attacks.

The drug is also ineffective in controlling the airway inflammation thought to lead to deteriorated lung function and gradual worsening of asthma.

From Ucsf.edu:

“Inhaled steroids are widely underutilized,” Lazarus concludes. “In low doses they are safe, and they are the most proven method of attacking the inflammation that is asthma’s greatest long-term danger.”
Lazarus is co-author of a companion article in the same issue of JAMA which found that once their asthma was brought under control with inhaled steroids and long-acting beta agonists, most patients with more severe asthma could cut their steroid dosage in half with no ill effects. But if the steroids were dropped completely, the asthma could not be adequately controlled.

The study was funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

E-learning to help tackle drug use

2011-12-05T09:10:00.000-08:00

The London 2012 Olympic Games will become a learning archive through online resources bringing thousands of people from all over the world to England's capital city.

Online learning resources would be used to help raise awareness in conjunction with the experts.

From Virtual-college.co.uk:

E-learning modules for the Olympic and Paralympic Games have been announced which will provide packages educating users on the benefits of sport and fitness, PJ Online reports.
In collaboration with the Games, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) Clinical Pharmacy Services Group has implemented the use of a new revolutionary system which will help those operating on site and allow them to get information on the go.
The three polyclinic pharmacies at the athlete villages in Stratford, Eton Dorney and Weymouth are designed and well under construction. Furthermore, the package entitled 'The use of drugs in sport: a healthcare professional's perspective', are fully completed and ready for use as all pharmacy policies and procedures have been written.

Categories of drugs banned from sporting events such as the Olympics include anabolic steroids, peptide hormones, strong analgesic painkillers, stimulants, and diuretics that can all have performance enhancing effects.

More and more local fighters taking steroids

2011-12-01T09:26:00.000-08:00

Drug-busters recently said that a growing number of local fighters are taking steroids after banning South African boxing champion, Matima Molefe for two years.

Molefe's urine sample tested positive for traces of Nandrolone, an anabolic agent, after he stopped Simphiwe Tom in the second round of a showdown for the vacant SA featherweight crown in East London on May 29.

From Sowetanlive.co.za:

SA Institute of Drug-Free Sport (Saids) chief executive Khalid Grant said on Tuesday that drug abuse by professional boxers was becoming rife, with four positives out of 87 tests from April 2010 to March 2011.
Pugilists were turning to steroids in the "misconception that steroids alone will enhance their performance and give them additional strength and power".
“Boxers are not only increasing their risk by using sports supplements, but are also wasting their money as the boxing performance gains are minimal,” said Galant, adding the promised performance gains of sports supplements and steroids had little bearing on improved boxing skills.

Galant added, “We hope boxers will learn from these doping bans being handed down that champions are made through hard work in the gym and will not be found in some capsule or muscle powder drink.”

USEF made changes to Drugs and Medication Rules

2011-11-27T09:52:00.000-08:00

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has been reminding members and competitors of the rule changes surrounding drugs and medications in competition horses.

USEF is encouraging every exhibitor, trainer, coach, and owner to take the time, prior to competing, to carefully review the "Guidelines for How Long Drugs Remain Detectable" that can be accessed online or requested on call by calling 800/633-2472.

From Thehorse.com:

Also effective Dec. 1, 2011, anabolic steroids will be considered a forbidden substance under the USEF therapeutic drug rule. No anabolic steroid is to be administered to a horse or pony in the time before competition such that it, or any metabolite of it, might be present in the animal, or might be detectable in its blood or urine sample at the time of competition. This means that, if anabolic steroids are administered and/or any surgical implants are removed, the administration and/or procedure occurs sufficiently in advance of competing to ensure these substances are not present in the blood or urine at the time of competition.

The new competition year starts December 2011.

Arthritis sufferers get relief from steroids

2011-11-21T09:28:00.000-08:00

Symptoms of arthritis can be relieved by a simple therapy using an optical illusion, according to scientists.

It was revealed by scientists that mirror therapy that has been used successfully to treat amputees suffering from phantom limb pain could now be used for other medical conditions.

From Dailymail.co.uk:

Lead researcher Laura Case said: 'Our findings suggest that simple and inexpensive materials like mirrors could be used to reduce the pain and suffering caused by this common disease.
'Many patients reported a reduction in pain and stiffness during this illusion.'
Professor Alan Silman, medical director of Arthritis Research UK applauded the study, presented at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, and said mirror therapy was a promising line of research and potential treatment.

The cost-effective treatment could offer an alternative to millions of sufferers who currently rely on high doses of painkillers and steroids.

Laraque bio attacks steroid use

2011-11-19T09:07:00.000-08:00

During a 13-year career, Georges Laraque said he fought not only against the National Hockey League's toughest players, but also against the use of performance enhancing drugs.

"Quite early in my career I started asking the (National Hockey League Players' Association) to take action against all the performance enhancing drugs some players would use to become bigger in order to stop feeling the pain," Laraque writes in The Story of the NHL's Unlikeliest Tough Guy, a new autobiography, excerpts of which were reprinted in the Toronto Star.

From Montrealgazette.com:

"The job was hard and harsh enough not to have to compete against 'killers' swollen with steroids. The NHLPA listened to me, but refused to take any action on that front, for obvious political reasons. They wanted to keep drug testing as a card in their negotiations with the league."
Laraque, who piled up 1,126 penalty minutes as one of the NHL's most feared fighters, writes that the use of drugs created an uneven playing field for pugilists.
"The use of steroids by tough guys makes it unfair for the ones who decide to remain clean," he writes.

"In my final years in the NHL, the league finally decided to set clear and precise rules against the use of any performance enhancing drugs," he writes. "I was relieved, and found it funny how much weight some players had lost in just one year."

Clenbuterol find a place with most players

2011-11-17T09:34:00.000-08:00

A majority of the players tested at the Under-17 World Cup in Mexico had traces of clenbuterol in their bodies because they ate contaminated meat, as per FIFA.

FIFA medical officer Jiri Dvorak termed the results as "highly surprising" but insisted that teenage footballers were not cheating.

From News.smh.com.au:

"It is not a problem of doping, but a problem of public health," Dvorak told reporters, adding that none of the players was harmed or put in any danger.
FIFA and the World Anti-Doping Agency declined to prosecute any cases because the weight of evidence pointed to contamination.
Mexican authorities have acknowledged the country has issues with feeding banned steroids to livestock.

"Since day one we knew the players were innocent and we are happy with this result," Justino Compean, the Mexican Football Federation president.

More than hundred tested positive for stimulants

2011-11-15T09:50:00.000-08:00

More than 100 players at the Under-17 World Cup in Mexico tested positive for stimulants due to contaminated meat, according to FIFA.

Jiri Dvorak, chief medical officer for world football's governing body, said samples provided by players from 19 of the 24 squads at the tournament - that ended in July - tested positive for banned substance clenbuterol.

From Soccerway.com:

After four players at the youth competition tested positive, FIFA opted to analyse all 208 urine samples collected, with the steroid found to be present in more than half of them.
Suspicions were aroused by the fact five players from Mexico's senior squad for the CONCACAF Gold Cup had previously tested positive for the same substance in May.
The players were later deemed to have unwittingly ingested the drug through tainted food consumed on a training camp in Mexico.

"FIFA was very alarmed and it was highly surprising to see something like this – I had not seen anything like it in my 20 years in this post," Dvorak said.

2011-11-12T09:23:00.000-08:00

Dr. Timothy Sigman has surrendered his medical license and is on a leave of absence from his Sebastian practice while facing federal steroid distribution charges, according to an official with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami.

The 40-year-old doctor was arrested by Drug Enforcement Administration agents after he allegedly approved steroid and human growth hormone prescriptions illegally.

From Tcpalm.com:

At Health Transformations, a Sebastian business registered at his 110th Street home address, Sigman employed medical professionals and salespeople — including the receptionist and office manager — to sign off on orders for steroids and other prescriptions, according to the indictment.
As a condition of his bond, Sigman has handed over his medical license and DEA registration while the case is ongoing, according to U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida spokeswoman Annette Castillo.

Sigman was one of 13 people arrested earlier this month on various charges related to distributing steroids, human growth hormone, and pain pills.

Sri Lanka sacks sports medical unit

2011-11-07T09:44:00.000-08:00

Over allegations that staff members were associated with banned steroids used by cricketers and national athletes, Sri Lanka sacked their entire sports medical unit.

Sports minister Mahindananda Althugamage ordered the complete overhaul of the unit.

From Timesofindia.indiatimes.com:

Official sources said Mendis was sacked after repeated allegations against his unit, though no direct evidence of its involvement in the positive tests has been made public.
Opening batsman Tharanga, 26, was given a three-month ban earlier this year after testing positive for a banned substance.
He claimed he had been unwittingly given the drug by a high-profile Colombo-based faith healer who was reported to have links to the medical unit.
In June, three Sri Lankan national rugby players admitted taking banned steroids during the Asian Five Nations tournament in Colombo in May.

"The minister wants to revamp the sports medical unit and have a separate anti-doping section to provide a full range of services to national sports men and women," ministry spokesman Harsha Abeykoon said.

2011-11-03T09:28:00.000-07:00

Ten defendants have been sentenced for their involvement in a large scale conspiracy to possess and distribute anabolic steroids in the Western, Middle, and Eastern Districts of Texas and Louisiana, according to an announcement by United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley.

Bryce Thomas Meaux, 24, Christopher Keith Gass, 25, Tyler Jordan Kuykendall, 20, Shane Patrick Hinton, 23, all of Lake Charles; Blake Meche, 25, of Rayne; Canien Lee Matte, 24, Terry Duane Kuykendall, 24, both of Baton Rouge; Troy Newton Broussard, 27, of Lafayette; and Shane Keith Weekly, 24 of Lake Arthur were sentenced conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and the distribution of anabolic steroids.

From Sulphurdailynews.com:

Charles, is scheduled for sentencing on Oct. 27, 2011. The facts surrounding the defendants sentenced in this case are attached.
According to court testimony, these defendants were involved in a drug trafficking organization responsible for receiving several hundred 10 milliliter (10 ml) vials of anabolic steroids, numerous packages of anabolic steroid cream, and approximately 35 kilograms of raw steroid powder which was shipped from China and Germany.
Once the internationally shipped packages of anabolic steroid powder were received by members of the organization, the powder was then converted into an injectable form, bottled, labeled for distribution, and sold. This drug trafficking organization sold anabolic steroids to individuals located in the Western, Middle and Eastern Districts of Louisiana and Texas. In total, approximately 7,000 10-milliliter (10 ml) vials of anabolic steroids were manufactured, possessed, and distributed by this drug trafficking organization.

Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Jim Lee said, “Today's sentencing is a direct result of the excellent partnership IRS-CI has with the U.S. Attorney s office and other federal agencies. Together, we will continue to investigate and prosecute those individuals who are involved in money laundering activities in our community.”

Drug charges against Carter dropped

2011-10-30T09:59:00.000-07:00

A police officer and former Mr Gay UK, PC Mark Carter, who was cleared of raping a man in June, has had the remaining charges against him dropped.

The 28-year-old was due to face trial later this year on separate charges of possessing the anabolic steroid, stanozolol.

From Bbc.co.uk:

Peter Mann, head of West Yorkshire CPS's complex casework unit, said: "Having carefully considered expert evidence, we are satisfied that Mr Carter's use of the drugs was for a medicinal purpose within the terms of the Medicines Act 1968."

Pc Carter went on trial at Leeds Crown Court earlier this year charged with sexually assaulting three men and raping a fourth while on a Christmas night out with colleagues.

He was cleared of two rape charges and two sexual assault charges but the jury failed to reach a verdict on another sexual assault charge and this was not proceeded with.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said, "This case involves an allegation relating to the possession of steroids. A decision regarding disciplinary action remains under consideration."

Two plead guilty to steroids charge

2011-10-26T09:36:00.000-07:00

A Monroe County doctor and a North Alabama man pleaded guilty to participating in a steroids conspiracy.

Dr. Mark Peter Koch admitted that he sold and consumed anabolic steroids.

From Blog.al.com:

Prosecutors and Koch, who has a troubled history with state medical regulatory authorities, agreed that the conspiracy involved more than 300 grams of steroids.

His attorney, Ken Nixon, declined to comment after the hearing

James Robinson, an attorney for Rivers, said notwithstanding a summary of facts contained in the plea agreement, it is “not necessarily true” that his client was Koch’s supplier of the controversial performance-enhancing drugs.

“He is not the main defendant in the case,” he said. “He was ancillary. And they recognize that.”

Steroids becoming integral part of modern-day lifestyle

2011-10-22T09:45:00.000-07:00

Anabolic steroids are being admired by people across the world for promoting lean muscle mass and stay in the best shape.

"The psychological effects are highly variable," said Harrison Pope, steroid specialist, psychiatrist and professor of psychiatry at Harvard University. "Most people who take anabolic steroids don't get much of any psychological effects, but for reasons that are not well understood, a minority of people can get quite striking psychological effects."

From Iowastatedaily.com:

"About one person out of 10 will get really quite uncharacteristically irritable and aggressive on steroids, and one person out of 10 will develop fairly pronounced depressive symptoms after coming off of steroids, especially if they've taken them for a prolonged period of time," Pope said.
For users like Carl, the psychological effects are not even on the radar. Carl focuses primarily on his physical health and monitors it through frequent checks of his blood.
"Blood work is essential. I get it done every 12 weeks or so to make sure my health stays in check," Carl said. "I use a private lab where you can schedule an appointment at one of their sites. They'll take your blood and it's completely anonymous."

"Most of us [power lifters] go to a powerlifting meet or body-building show to see just how far the human body can be pushed," Ryan Wagner, certified sports nutritionist at the Ames Nutrishop, said. "Regardless of if the person is using anabolics or not, the amount of hard work, dedication and technique that goes into it is at a higher level than most people will ever realize."

Anthony Jones had excess amount of potassium in system at time of death

2011-10-18T09:40:00.000-07:00

According to an Arkansas State Athletic Commission report released this week, one of the contributing factors of boxer Anthony Jones' death may have been an excess amount of potassium in Jones' system.

Jones was knocked out during a January heavyweight bout in Benton, Arkansas.

From NYdailynews.com:

"Jones' use of alcohol and anabolic steroids, together with his extraordinary use of caffeine, tobacco, and nutritional supplements on top of additional multi-vitamins and potassium supplements without drinking sufficient water, created a biological environment which altered his normal physiological responses and facilitated his demise," the report said. The complex biological and chemical processes involved in this case made it remarkably difficult for the professionals to reach a consensus as to the specific cause of death. In fact, due to the multiple origins and particularly complex nature of the biological, chemical and physical processes involved, it is possible for reasonable, medically and professionally trained minds to disagree on Jones' specific, primary cause of death; however, all agree as to the secondary/contributing conditions or factors."
The report makes the analogy that Jones' death was similar to the domino effect – once one organ or body function fails, others will soon follow.

"The short and overly simplistic answer is that Mr. Jones died as the result of a cascading systems failure caused by extraordinarily complex biological and chemical processes of multiple origins," the report says. One of the steroids found in Jones' system was the veterinary steroid boldenone.

Mayweather claims Khan on steroids like Pacquiao

2011-10-14T09:20:00.000-07:00

The reigning light welterweight champion Amir Khan is likely into performance enhancing drugs, according to Roger Mayweather.

Ring icon Manny Pacquiao was previously accused by Mayweather of steroids use.

From Gmanews.tv:

The allegations obviously stemmed shortly after the 24-year-old Khan's remarkable fifth-round knockout of Zab Juddah to unify the World Boxing Association (WBA) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) 140-pound title belts.
The Bolton, England-born Khan is Pacquiao's regular sparmate and also trains under Freddie Roach.
Like Khan, Pacquiao had been accused time and again by the Mayweathers—including Floyd Jr and his father—of being under performance enhancing drugs, an allegation that forced the Filipino boxing champion of taking them to court.
Clean fighter
Khan denied he's ever used steroids, even stressing that he'll agree to any drug-testing procedure if and when the Mayweathers would insist on it should a fight between the two of them materialize in the near future.

"I am clean fighter. I get drug-tested in between, before and after fights," Khan told SkySports.

Sophisticated dopers to be aware of testers

2011-10-10T09:23:00.000-07:00

The battle to keep the London Olympics free from drugs has begun even before the opening ceremony next July.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Britain's largest drugmaker, has offered a sophisticated laboratory that is ready and waiting.

From Reuters.com:

"We have a state-of-the-art facility, we have the best detection systems going, we're right up to date with the science, and if athletes know you've got good testing and good detection systems, it really has a deterrent effect," said David Cowan, head of the Drug Control Centre at King's College London and the man who will oversee London 2012's anti-doping regime.
His staff, which he has expanded to include eight times as many scientists as he would normally have, are aiming to conduct more than 5,000 tests at the London Olympics - roughly one for every two of the 10,000 or so athletes expected to take part.
As the science of detecting doping advances, athletes who cheat by using performance-enhancing drugs are devising ever more sophisticated doping regimes.

The drugs of choice for cheats, usually, vary from anabolic steroids to human growth hormone, blood boosters like erythropoietin (EPO), beta-blockers and stimulants, or diuretics.

Positive tests during schools' rugby tournament

2011-10-06T09:24:00.000-07:00

School boys, as young as 17-year-olds, have tested positive for anabolic steroids at the recent Craven Week schools’ rugby tournament.

This was revealed after doping control tests and the school boys could face bans of up to two years from sport.

From Timeslive.co.za:

Galant says that 4 boys tested positive for the banned steroids. “Out of the four positives, two results also showed high levels of testosterone and these tests have been sent off for further analysis to Germany to verify whether the levels of testosterone are due to external sources, or naturally produced by the body.
"Only if the tests confirm that indeed the source of testosterone is from outside of the athlete’s body, will a doping case be opened.”
He says that one positive result is a lot, therefore four positives translates into an 8.5% positive result, which is a serious cause for concern.

Khalid Galant, CEO of the Institute for Drug-Free Sport, said, “The Craven Week school tournament is known to be the hunting ground for talent scouts looking to find best new players for their provinces.”

Craven Week stunned by doping scandal

2011-10-02T09:11:00.000-07:00

The CEO of the Institute for Drug-Free Sport, Khalid Galant, has confirmed that drug tests of four schoolboys have returned positive in Craven Week.

The four schoolboys cannot be named as they are still minors.

From Ecr.co.za:

CEO of the Institute for Drug-Free Sport, Khalid Galant, confirmed on Wednesday that the drug tests of four schoolboys, who can't be named because they are still minors, have returned positive.

This was after tests were carried out on 47% of those that took part in the tournament in Kimberley, at the end of June.

Galant went on to say that out of the four positives, two results also showed high levels of testosterone, and these have been sent for further analysis in Germany, to determine whether they were due to external sources or were naturally produced by the body.

The schoolboys who tested positive for anabolic steroids could face two-year bans from sport.

New Orleans Saints guard suspended

2011-09-28T09:18:00.000-07:00

The NFL has suspended New Orleans Saints guard Jamar Nesbit without pay for violating the league's policy on anabolic steroids and related substances.

The suspension begins immediately for Nesbit.

From Espnstar.com:

"We are disappointed in the suspension of Jamar," Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said. "We will support Jamar through this process and look forward to having him rejoin the team soon."

Nesbit will be unable to participate in team activities until the week of October 20. New Orleans heads to London that week to face the San Diego Chargers in Wembley Stadium on October 26.

The Saints re-signed Nesbit to a three-year contract in February. The 10-year veteran had appeared in all 16 games the past two seasons.

Nesbit has started 87 games in his career with the Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Saints.

WWE shttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifuspends Sin Cara

2011-09-24T09:42:00.000-07:00

The WWE has handed over a suspension of thirty days to Luis Ignascio Urive Alvirde, who performs as Sin Cara after he was found violating the Talent Wellness Program.

Cara failed a drug test on June 23, 2011.

From Wrestleheat.com:

According to a source close to F4WOnline.com, WWE is seriously pondering his future and are considering not bringing him back to the roster when his 30-day suspension ends. McMahon brought Cara on the roster earlier this year amongst fear that Rey Mysterio was going to be leaving the company and wanted to beef up the roster on Hispanic stars but, according to various sources, Cara has underperformed in McMahon’s eyes and his future is still undecided as of press time.

It is assumed by many that Cara tested positive for anabolic steroids.

Perfect ending to steroid era

2011-09-20T09:01:00.000-07:00

The mistrial in the Roger Clemens perjury trial has provided the best ending to the steroid era.

It was suggested by the trial that no one was definitively guilty and undeniably innocent.

From News-sentinel.com:

Performance-enhancing baseball probably started earlier than we realize, hit its stride with the bogus Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa love fest and peaked when Barry Bonds' head was mistaken for an entrant in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Very few elite power hitters from the performance-enhancing era emerged unscathed, with Ken Griffey Jr., Frank Thomas and Jim Thome being the most prominent apparently clean hitters to come to mind.

Few admitted guilt. McGwire did so only in order to return to the field as Cardinals' hitting coach. Sosa not only failed to remember any encounter with steroids, he forgot how to speak English. Andy Pettitte came clean and was largely forgiven, as was Jason Giambi. Bonds stuck to never “knowingly” using performance enhancers. Clemens denied, denied, denied.

But the era, like the Clemens trial, came to an abrupt, unsatisfying end. Now we don't know which records are legitimate, although Bonds' regular-season and career home-run marks will never resonate like 60 or 61, 714 or 755. Most can still recall Bonds' 73 in a year. Do most people know his career total? I had to look it up. It's 762.

With this trial, the final unsatisfying chapter of the steroid era is all closed now.

Sprinter handed suspension by UK Athletics

2011-09-16T09:53:00.000-07:00

UK Athletics has charged and suspended Bernice Wilson, the British sprinter, charged with an anti-doping offence.

The 27-year-old Wilson tested positive for the anabolic steroids, testosterone and Clenbuterol, last month.

From News.bbc.co.uk:

The provisional suspension came into effect on 9 July. It was issued by UK Anti-Doping, the independent body responsible for all anti-doping programmes and the management of violations and disciplinary issues in the United Kingdom.
Wilson, from Lincolnshire, could face a two-year ban if found guilty of doping.
This year she has set new personal best times in the 60m and 100m. She ran 7.25 seconds for the 60m at the European Indoor Trials in Sheffield in February, and 11.57 seconds for the 100m at the Inter Counties Championships in Bedford in May.

Bernice Wilson ran a wind-assisted time of 11.41 seconds for the 100m in Loughborough in May.

Breivik was wired on steroids

2011-09-13T09:50:00.000-07:00

The mass killer, Anders Breivik, slaughtered 68 people while wired on anabolic steroids and listening to powerful music used on Britain’s Got Talent and X Factor.

The killer listened to rousing violin anthem Lux Aeterna by Brit Clint Mansell on maximum volume on his iPod while indulging into 90-minute death spree that shocked Norway and the world.

From Mirror.co.uk:

The stirring song is used at the beginning of BGT as the judges walk out on to stage and has also featured heavily at various stages of The X Factor. Breivik said it and a cocktail of steroids and stimulant enphedrine would turn him into “an extremely focused and deadly force, a one-man-army,” adding the track will increase “my aggressiveness, physical performance and mental focus”.

A version of it was used in a battle in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and is the opening for Sky Sports’ Gillette Soccer Saturday.

Lux Aeterna means “eternal light” and Breivik said he wants his extremist conservative movement, European Federation to use the song as its anthem.

Breivik added: “I’ve listened to this track several hundred times and I never seem to get tired of it. It is very inspiring and invokes a type of passionate rage within you. In Lord of the Rings, a good version of this track (Requiem for a Tower version which I think is the best) is performed during the most intense fighting of one of the central battles.

House Committee misled on steroid use among players

2011-09-10T09:46:00.000-07:00

Major League Baseball and union officials may have misled the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in relation to steroid use among players, according to a report by the New York Times.

The newspaper said officials presented figures that demonstrated that baseball's two-year-old testing program had substantially reduced the number of positive tests for performance enhancing drugs.

From Espnstar.com:

"It's clear that some of the information Major League Baseball and the players' union gave the committee in 2005 was inaccurate," Waxman said in a written statement, according to the Times. "It isn't clear whether this was intentional or just reflects confusion over the testing program for 2003 and 2004. In any case, the misinformation is unacceptable."
The newspaper also reported that the committee's staff plans to send letters to MLB commissioner Bud Selig and union executive director Donald Fehr about what Waxman deemed "misinformation."
Those falsities came from the information about 2004 testing, which was shut down for part of the season, allowing for the significantly lower number of positive results, according to the report. The newspaper said the committee was not aware of that. The Times reported that Selig's office later called that shutdown "an emergency response to an unforeseen situation," which the report said was in reference to the federal investigation of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative steroid ring.

"The testimony of Major League Baseball officials was completely accurate, and we are happy to address any concerns that Congressman Waxman may have," deputy commissioner Rob Manfred said.

End of first juror pool for Clemens trial

2011-09-07T09:35:00.000-07:00

The judge looking after the case of Roger Clemens, U.S. District Court Judge Reggie Walton has selected 24 potential jurors from an original pool of 50 to come back Tuesday.

The most decorated pitcher in Major League Baseball, Clemens, has pleaded not guilty to charges of committing perjury, obstructing Congress, and making false statements in 2008.

From Washingtonpost.com:

None of the potential jurors probed by the judge Monday were more than casual baseball fans, though many had heard of Clemens. The second potential juror said she was a fan of European soccer.

“I have not followed baseball since the ‘80s,” she said. She was asked to come back Tuesday.

Another juror worried the defense when he said he came from a law enforcement family consisting of police officers, detectives, a sheriff and a Texas Ranger.

But the potential juror, who catered federal and Republican Party events during George W. Bush’s two terms as president, said he would be fair.

“I’m a Regular Joe, okay?” he said. “I’m going to still love baseball, no matter which way this goes.”

Clemens told a House committee that he didn’t used anabolic steroids and Human Growth Hormone.

Woman sneaking drugs caught

2011-09-04T09:11:00.000-07:00

A female visitor to the Lincoln prison has been caught while sneaking Class C drugs into the jail.

Katarzyna Paszkiewicz was caught while trying to smuggle drugs into Lincoln Prison hidden inside her bra.

From Thisislincolnshire.co.uk:

Katarzyna Paszkiewicz, 25, appeared before city magistrates charged with possessing 100 tablets of methandienone.

She is accused of trying to supply the drugs, a controlled steroid often used for body building, to Wictor Blotnyin Lincoln Prison on June 12.

Paszkiewicz of Henry Street, Lincoln, was granted unconditional bail to return to Lincoln Magistrates' Court on October 15 to have her case committed to Lincoln Crown Court.

The female visitor attracted a sniffer dog's attention when she arrived at the prison to visit her boyfriend.

Mr Lincolnshire bodybuilding title countdown starts

2011-09-01T09:13:00.000-07:00

Bronzed and buffed men are all set to flex their muscles in Lincoln while aiming to win the crowned Mr Lincolnshire's top bodybuilder competition.

The competitors would be striking a series of poses to show off their muscles in the best light for the show.

From Thisislincolnshire.co.uk:

Kimberly White, who helps run Performance Foods with partner and former Mr Universe runner-up Laurie Carr, said: "During the competition judges will be looking for things such as body symmetry, muscle definition, weight and how well they pose.

"The Mr Lincolnshire event is not in itself a qualifier for bigger events like Mr Universe, but it's a really good place for someone to start getting some experience."

Competitors will be entered into five different categories and asked to strike a series of poses to show off their thighs, gluts, biceps, abdominal muscles and chest. They will also perform a five-minute routine featuring differently flexed poses, they will devise.

And before heading on stage they will be bronzed up in a special tanning solution aimed at showing off the definition of their muscles and will have shaved their entire bodies.

The top bodybuilder competition is set to be held at The Lawn in Union Road, Lincoln, on Saturday, July 30.

Daily steroids could benefits boys with muscular dystrophy

2011-08-27T09:26:00.000-07:00

According to a study, daily steroid treatments for several years could benefit young boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy by helping them walk on their own for longer period of time.

A study published in an issue of Neurology®, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology suggested that daily steroid treatment also helps them reduce the risk of scoliosis.

From Sciencedaily.com:

Duchenne muscular dystrophy occurs in one in 3,500 boys. Symptoms start in early childhood and rapidly progress with most boys losing the ability to walk between ages nine and 11. There is no cure for the disorder.
For the study, researchers reviewed records of 143 boys seen at the Ohio State University Muscular Dystrophy Clinic in Columbus. Of the group, 75 had been treated with corticosteroids for an average of eight years and the rest of the boys had never been treated or had received a brief dose of steroids.
The study found boys who were treated with daily steroids walked by themselves 3.3 years longer than the untreated boys and had a lower rate of scoliosis, 31 percent compared to 91 percent.

"Previous studies have shown steroids improve strength and function in Duchenne muscular dystrophy, but this is the first study to show the long-term impact and how treated boys are able to walk longer on their own," said study author Wendy King, PT, with the Department of Neurology at Ohio State University Medical Center, and member of the American Academy of Neurology.

Drug-testing saga of Mullings continues

2011-08-23T09:50:00.000-07:00

Steve Mullings, the sprinter from Jamaica, is pretty confident that his second portion (B Sample) of the urine sample he submitted following the men's 100m final at the JAAA/Supreme Ventures National Senior Trials on June 24 will be tested in the presence of his representatives at the IAAF/WADA accredited lab in Montréal, Canada.

Mullings' sample will be tested at the Doping Control Laboratory at the INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier Research Center in Quebec.

From Jamaicaobserver.com:

It was revealed last week that the first portion (A Sample) of Mullings sample had tested positive for the presence of a powerful diuretic Furosemide that has been used by athletes to mask the presence of anabolic steroids in their system.

According to Medicinenet.com, Furosemide, which is dispensed under the brand name 'Lasix', is "a potent diuretic (water pill) that is used to eliminate water and salt from the body. In the kidneys, salt (composed of sodium and chloride), water, and other small molecules normally are filtered out of the blood and into the tubules of the kidney. The filtered fluid ultimately becomes urine".

Mullings' agent John Regis told reporters last week that Mullings, who has the third fastest 100m time so far this season when he ran 9.80 seconds to win the event at the Pre-Fontaine Classic on July 4 in Eugene, Oregon, was notified last week Monday of the failed drug test.

The lab is one of only two World Anti-Doping Agency-certified laboratories in North America and has been used by the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association for many years and the US Major League Baseball.

Most abused drug in Korea

2011-08-19T09:22:00.000-07:00

Korea has a higher proportion of users of methamphetamine compared to other drugs than the West, according to a straw poll.

The finding was revealed in a survey of 523 drug addicts led by Prof. Kim Dae-jin at Catholic University of Korea's College of Medicine and commissioned by the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs.

From English.chosun.com:

Experts cite the historical background. Methamphetamine spread during World War II in Japan, where it was given to munitions workers and soldiers as a performance enhancer. When Korean laborers returned after the war, they brought the drug with them, and it is still known here under the generic brand name Philopon (pronounced "Hiropon").

Heo Cheol-ho, the director of Narcotics Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, claimed there was no case of manufacturing methamphetamine for sale in Korea since 2000. The reason for the continued dominance of the drug is smuggling from major production centers such as China, Russia, and northern Malaysia, according to Heo. Over 50 percent of methamphetamine seized in Korea is found on its way in from China.

In North America and Europe, the percentage of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana is much higher than of methamphetamine.

Tainted athlete put on bench by employer

2011-08-15T09:12:00.000-07:00

The Indian athlete who recently tested positive to anabolic steroids, Ashwini Chidananda Akkunji, has life on a tailspin.

The funding of Akkunji was provisionally suspended by Olympic Gold Quest, founded by sports icons Prakash Padukone and Geet Sethi. Her employer, city-based Corporation Bank, has temporarily yanking her off their promotional drive.

From Articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com:

The bank had launched Ashwini, local lass from Siddapura in Kundapur taluk, with much fanfare on International Women's Day on March 8 as their new young face. A little under four months from that day, the bank for the time being has decided to keep on hold all promotional material involving Ashwini. Reason: Bank does not want to court controversy over the conduct of its employee. Ashwini is a probationary officer with the bank.

Reacting with alacrity to news of Ashwini returning positive for anabolic steroids in the out-of-competition dope tests conducted by NADA on June 27, the bank has removed all advertisement hoardings featuring her. Even the print media publicity ads featuring Ashwini have been put on hold for the time being, a bank official stated.

The doping incident that involved eight Indian athletes has shocked the entire fraternity and sport lovers.

Father son duo in dock over supply of anabolic steroids

2011-08-07T09:22:00.000-07:00

A father, detective by profession, and his son have been charged with supplying anabolic steroids.

Dad and son DC Paul David Fletcher, 46, and Paul Michael Fletcher, 26, appeared at the magistrates' court alongside co-defendant and St Helens policeman Sgt Paul Hornby, 42.

From Osadvertiser.co.uk:

St Helens CID officer Fletcher Snr, of Downall Green Road, Ashton, was charged with eight counts of conspiring with his son to supply the class C drugs in Wigan between October 1 last year and March 24.

He was also charged with misconduct in a public office after it was alleged that he explained police tactics and procedure about telephone evidence to a known criminal, arrested on January 25.

Fletcher Snr is also said to have accessed sensitive information on police files and leaked it to a known criminal in St Helens on February 1.

His son Fletcher Jnr, of Richmond Hill, Wigan, was charged with eight counts of supplying steroids during the same period in Wigan.

The pair were represented by different legal teams.

Their co-defendant, Hornby, of Bembridge Court, Wigan, was charged with four counts of conspiring to supply anabolic steroids.

A preliminary hearing to determine the possibility of a trial was set for May 12 at 9.45am.

Allegations denied by disgraced coach

2011-08-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

Facing the sack after six of his trainees returned positive, Athletics coach Yuri Ogorodinik on Tuesday termed the development as a "dirty trick".

The ex-Indian coach defended himself by claiming that he had no role in the doping program.

From Articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com:

Yuri said that there was a possibility that he was set-up.

"I have been set-up. It's a dirty trick. I am not stupid, I am a professional coach. I prohibited this drug 20 years back. I can't believe what has happened. I called the doctors in Ukraine who say there's nothing in the supplement. It's a set-up and I don't know who are behind it," he told a news channel.

AFI forms enquiry committee

NEW DELHI: The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) on Tuesday formed a three-member enquiry committee to look into the doping incident involving leading track and field athletes of the country. AFI said that the committee will submit its report in two stages - preliminary report in one month time and the final report in three months.

"I cannot believe the girls tested positive for the same anabolic steroid. I am not to blame for it. You better ask the federation how it happened," the coach told TOI in Patiala.

Stroud banned for four games

2011-08-03T09:34:00.000-07:00

Marcus Stroud, the Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle, has been suspended without pay for four games.

Stroud was suspended for violating policy of the NFL on anabolic steroids and related substances.

From Reuters.com:

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Marcus Stroud has been suspended without pay for four games for violating the NFL's policy on anabolic steroids and related substances.

Stroud, whose suspension begins immediately, is eligible to return to his team's active roster on December 3, the NFL said in a statement on Tuesday.

No details of his violation were disclosed by the league.

Stroud, a three-time Pro Bowl tackle, has three sacks this season after starting all eight games for Jacksonville.

Reds Minor League catcher suspended

2011-07-30T09:47:00.000-07:00

Jose Raga, the Reds Minor League catcher, was recently suspended after he tested positive for a banned steroid.

Raga tested positive for Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance, in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

From Web.minorleaguebaseball.com:

Raga, a 17-year-old from San Felipe, Venezuela, had appeared in six games for the Rookie-level Reds, going 3-for-13 with two RBIs. This was the 5-foot-11 backstop's first season in the Minors.

Stanozolol is a synthetic anabolic steroid derived from testosterone that is used by body builders as well as with animals to promote muscle growth, increased bone density and red blood cell production. In baseball, it has previously been linked to Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmeiro and Roger Clemens, among others.

Raga is the 30th player to be suspended in 2011 under the Minor League program, his ban coming two days after Braves pitcher Matt Suschak was suspended for 50 games after testing positive for amphetamines.

The catcher with Cincinnati's Venezuelan Summer League affiliate has received a 50-game suspension, according to the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball.

Most steroid users are not athletes

2011-07-26T09:03:00.000-07:00

A study has suggested that contrary to popular belief, most users of anabolic steroids are in their 20s and 30s, well-educated, and don't even play sports.

The majority began using the hormones as adults, and most were not motivated by sports according to a survey of nearly 2,000 U.S. men who used anabolic steroids.

From Reuters.com:

On average, the study found, steroid users were 31 years old, and three quarters were college graduates. Most had "white-collar" jobs and relatively high incomes.

When asked about their motivation for using steroids, most said they wanted to boost their muscle mass, strength and physical attractiveness.

Only 6 percent said their steroid use was driven by bodybuilding or sports. In fact, most said they had never been in organized sports, even in high school.

The results suggest that most efforts to prevent steroid abuse, by focusing on young athletes, have misses the mark, according to the researchers. "The targeting of athletes through drug testing and other interventions does little to address use among non-competitive users," they write.

Steroid abuse, the researchers point out, has held steady, if not increased, in the U.S. This, they add, may be related to the fact that the largest segment of steroid abusers -- adult non-athletes -- has been "virtually invisible."

"In total, our findings belie the images of (steroid) users as mostly risk-taking teenagers, cheating athletes, and a group akin to traditional drug abusers," according to Jack Darkes of the University of South Florida, Tampa, and co-investigators.

Major doping scandals on the Tour de France

2011-07-22T09:05:00.000-07:00

The world of cycling has taken a backseat while the relationship between cyclists and anabolic steroids has taken the front-seat these days.

Big names such as Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador have been accused of doping in sports.

From Reuters.com:

* 2010 - Alberto Contador, winner of the 2010 tour, tests positive for the banned anabolic agent clenbuterol during the race. He is cleared by the Spanish cycling federation (RFEC), but the International Cycling Union (UCI) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appeal. Contador's CAS June hearing is postponed, allowing him to enter this year's race.

-- If found guilty, Contador, who has denied any wrongdoing, would face a possible two-year ban and be stripped of his 2010 Tour title.

2011 - Seven-time Tour de France winner Armstrong is again accused of taking banned substances. His former team mate Tyler Hamilton tells the U.S. television program "60 Minutes" he witnessed Armstrong inject himself with a blood-booster during the 1999 Tour de France won by Armstrong. Armstrong has always denied taking banned substances and has repeatedly had to fend off accusations despite having never failed a drugs test.

The list of names linked with performance enhancing drugs does not end here and includes big names like Richard Virenque, Floyd Landis, Jan Ullrich, Ivan Basso, Alexandre Vinokourov, Riccardo Ricco, and Bernhard Kohl to name a few.

Sex lives of young men killed by sleep loss

2011-07-18T09:25:00.000-07:00

According to a new study, young men who slept less than hours a night for a week have considerably lower levels of testosterone than when they had a full night's sleep.

"Low testosterone levels are associated with reduced well being and vigor, which may also occur as a consequence of sleep loss," said Eve Van Cauter, professor in medicine.

From Articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com:

Cauter and his colleagues found that skipping sleep reduces a young man's testosterone levels by the same amount as aging 10 to 15 years.

The investigation was conducted on 10 men recruited from the University of Chicago campus area. The participants, who were 24 years old on an average, lean and in good health, underwent a series of psychological and physical tests to screen for endocrine or psychiatric disorders.

For three nights, the men slept up to 10 hours, and then eight nights sleeping less than five hours.

The researchers obtained blood samples every 15 to 30 minutes for 24 hours on the last day of each experiment.

They found that the effects of sleep loss on testosterone levels were apparent after just one week of short sleep.

The finding appears in the June 1 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Japanese Wrestler banned

2011-07-14T09:14:00.000-07:00

The Japan Wrestling Federation has disclosed that the 25-year-old Japanese Greco-Roman wrestling champion Katsuya Kitamura has been banned for two years.

Kitmura was banned after testing positive for a muscle-building anabolic steroid.

From Articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com:

Japanese Greco-Roman wrestling champion Katsuya Kitamura has been banned for two years after testing positive for a muscle-building anabolic steroid, the Japan Wrestling Federation said on Monday.

Kitamura, 25, tested positive for drostanolone in two tests after triumphing in the 96-kilogramme category at a major national competition on April 29 and will be stripped of the title, the federation said.

He has represented Japan at two world championships, without winning a medal. He lost to Germany's Mirko Englich in their opening match at the worlds in Moscow last September.

Kitamura tested positive for drostanolone in two tests after posting a win in the 98-kg category.

Alex Wilson says his team is not a drug cheat

2011-07-10T09:19:00.000-07:00

East Perth chief executive Alex Wilson has defended his club's culture and remarked that there is not a widespread issue with illicit drug use despite a second player facing a possible ban of two years over a positive test.

The positive test issue is bound for the WAFL tribunal if the footballer's B sample confirms the results.

From Au.news.yahoo.com:

It is the second time in the space of 12 months that a Royals player has returned a positive drug test. Dean Cadwallader was suspended for the maximum two years.

Wilson said the club was disappointed at the positive test but refused to concede the two cases were linked to an inherent culture problem at East Perth.

"We've had close to 100 players on our list from time to time and you take two out of that, that's the situation," Wilson said.

"I wouldn't prefer to say that this club's got a drug culture at all. It's just a matter of two people and let's face it, if the B sample comes up (negative), it's one."

The unnamed senior player is believed to have tested positive to both an anabolic steroid and cocaine.

Sex therapy could reverse ageing in men

2011-07-06T09:08:00.000-07:00

The testosterone treatment, which is being used by pop star Robbie Williams, has been supported by a new study.

The study revealed that this form of treatment could really help reverse the ageing process in men.

From Articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com:

The chart-topping singer, 37, had admitted injecting himself with the sex hormone twice a week in a bid to boost his sex drive and slow down the march of time.

Loss of muscle tissue, which is a typical symptom of ageing and is also associated with diseases such as aids and cancer, can be treated using anabolic steroids but these can have unwanted side-effects, making testosterone replacement a healthy alternative.

Testosterone, the primary male sex hormone, is promotes lean muscle mass and development of male sexual characteristics.

Giambi offers details on steroid use

2011-07-02T09:17:00.000-07:00

Baseball star Jason Giambi, while testifying at the perjury trial of home run king Barry Bonds said he made use of illegal anabolic steroids that were obtained from the personal trainer of Bonds.

The American League Most Valuable Player in 2000, Giambi explained how he initiated the use of steroids after meeting trainer Greg Anderson at an all-star baseball game in Japan.

From Reuters.com:

"I was picking Greg's brain as to what kind of training Barry was doing, was he lifting weights, what was he doing in the gym," Giambi said. "Barry was a great athlete. I just wanted to continue my career so I wanted to get information from him."

He said that Anderson subsequently sent him packages containing steroids he called "the clear and the cream," explaining that the cream was testosterone, and the clear was epitestosterone. The package included a syringe with injectable steroids, which Giambi said he used.

Giambi said Anderson told him Major League Baseball tests were designed to detect the ratio of these two hormones and by raising the levels of both, he could increase their testosterone level without testing positive for illegal steroids.

Bonds has pleaded not guilty to charges he lied to a grand jury about whether he knowingly used the same substances. His case is the latest in a years-long U.S. investigation into the use of performance-enhancing drugs in professional sports.

Giambi said he made use of drugs for a few months before abandoning them.

Contador has right to defend title

2011-06-28T09:23:00.000-07:00

The International Cycling Union, or UCI, recently remarked that Alberto Contador has the right to defend his Tour de France title next month.

Cycling’s world governing body challenges decision of the Spanish federation to acquit Contador of doping in the race last year.

From Bloomberg.com:

“The UCI recognizes the legitimacy of the request made by Mr. Contador’s defense team, and has accepted that request in the interests of guaranteeing the rider a fair trial,” the cycling body said in a release. “However, the UCI also perfectly understands why the timetable set by the Court of Arbitration for Sport has caused some disappointment, even incomprehension, among many observers within the cycling community as well as the general public.”

Contador, 28, faces a possible two-year ban and loss of his 2010 Tour de France title if the court finds against him. The UCI’s management committee echoed the view of International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge that Contador be presumed innocent until a verdict is rendered, the UCI added.

Contador was cleared of wrongdoing by the Spanish cycling federation after testing positive for clenbuterol at the 2010 race.

The three-time Tour winner is free to “take part in any competition in so far as he has not been found guilty” by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, as per the UCI.

ODI opener to face ICC doping panel

2011-06-24T09:40:00.000-07:00

Upul Tharanga, the Sri Lanka ODI opener, will appear before an International Cricket Council hearing on Friday to answer doping charges.

Tharanga tested positive for a banned drug after Sri Lanka's World Cup semi-final against New Zealand in March.

From Bookmakersinc.co.uk:

However, the International Cricket Council (ICC) still has to confirm whether Tharanga failed a doping test. Many of the player’s fans that closely follow the cricket odds wonder what the outcome of this will be, and what could happen to the player.

“As a matter of ICC policy and in accordance with ICC and Wada (World Anti-Doping Agency) regulations, we do not comment on anti-doping matters of this nature,” a spokesman told the BBC.

Tharanga, limited-overs specialist, played in15 Test appearances and 121 one-day internationals, helping to make very good cricket odds, but is not in the Test squad for Sri Lanka’s current England tour.

In the meantime, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Sri Lanka’s sports minister, ordered a three-member panel to look into Tharanga’s failed drug test, although he still has to receive official confirmation coming from the ICC, and many of the player’s fans wonder what will happen, and hope that everything goes well for the player.

Tharanga said he received a steroid for an asthma-related problem by a Colombo-based faith healer, who also treats other international players.

MLS haunted by drug use

2011-06-20T09:40:00.000-07:00

The Major League Soccer (MLS) has suspended Columbus Crew defender Josh Williams after he was found violating its substance abuse policy June 8.

Five players from the Mexican national team were suspended on June 9 for allegedly testing positive for a banned anabolic steroid.

From Oregonlive.com:

Several current MLS players said they think Williams' suspension will prove to be an aberration, in part because of the league's strong track record on drug prevention and in part because soccer players don't feel pressure to bulk up.

"I don't think people are doing it in general at all," Colorado forward Conor Casey said. "And the guys that are, I would doubt that they're doing it on purpose."

Williams is the third player in the league's 16 years to be suspended for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Defender Jeff Parke and goalkeeper Jon Conway of the New York Red Bulls were each suspended 10 games and fined 10 percent their salaries in 2008 for using PEDs (androstatriendione and boldenone metabolites, that, according to the league, were ingredients in an over-the-counter nutritional supplement the players purchased at a vitamin store).

Mexico's soccer federation suspended five national team players after the players tested positive for clenbuterol. However, on Thursday, the federation said results from a second test conducted June 10 came back negative.

"There is no place in sport for performance enhancing drugs," MLS commissioner Don Garber said in a statement. "We continue to hold our players responsible and accountable for everything they ingest in order to ensure the integrity of our competition."

Professional Boxing high on performance enhancing drugs

2011-06-15T09:09:00.000-07:00

The use of performance enhancing drugs is on an increase in almost all professional and amateur sports, including professional boxing.

Sportsmen use these performance enhancement drugs for improving performance or adding extra pounds on that bench press or to get bigger in a shorter period of time.

From Boxingnews24.com:

There are anabolic steroids (medicines: androstenedione, ephedrine, stanozolol and nandrolone just to mention a few) for humans and even for animal use, human growth hormone (HGH, somatrotopine), and design laboratories drugs (tetrahydrogestrinone – THG) that have been used to improve the performance of athletes, but even some food supplements are banned; the hyperbaric chambers could be considered as a non natural way to increase your performance in some cases.

The use of performance enhancement drugs gives an illicit advantage to the user, it is shameful and disgraceful, and in some cases it could be even a coward attitude to take that illicit edge on your opponent.

Some argue that PEDS wont give you the skills but they do will give you extra strength, stamina, resistance, speed and power, so if I am a fighter who has average boxing skills I might be able to improve my physique so much that I could end up beating guys who are better naturally gifted than me and even also the ones who are more skilled than me.

Many successful sportsmen of the past had admitted to making the use of anabolic steroids and performance enhancing drugs and the world of professional boxing cannot be the exception.

Doctor pleads guilty of steroid conspiracy charge

2011-06-12T09:37:00.000-07:00

Dr. Raymond Heller of Omaha, a doctor from Nebraska, pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court in Tulsa to taking part in a steroids conspiracy.

The prosecutor said Heller distributed more than 40,000 dosage units to dozens of customers across the country.

From Tulsaworld.com:

Dr. Raymond Heller of Omaha admitted that from Oct. 1, 2008, until April 8, 2010, he participated in a plot to dispense anabolic steroids outside the usual course of professional medical practice and without a legitimate medical purpose.

Heller, 49, stated in his plea agreement that he was paid $50 for each prescription he signed by Edward Franklin Ward, 51, of Harvest, Ala.

Both men were charged March 11 by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Tulsa. The charge against Ward is pending.

Heller said he signed prescriptions forwarded to him by Ward for androgenic anabolic steroids - primarily testosterone - to clients of Ward's "anti-aging" business without having conducted any physical examinations or even having any direct contact with the clients.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel-lyn McCormick said the conspiracy featured the distribution of more than 40,000 dosage units to dozens of customers throughout the United States, including in Oklahoma.

Heller - who is free on bond - could be sentenced to 15 to 21 months in prison under federal guidelines, according to Heller's attorney, Keith Ward.

Warning to school boys over illegal anabolic steroids

2011-06-08T09:22:00.000-07:00

Roughly one in six schoolboy rugby players are using illegal anabolic steroids, according to a new survey.

The SA Sports Medicine Association issued a warning in response to the survey results and said the use of anabolic steroids is harmful to the health of school boys.

From Eyewitnessnews.co.za:

The association's Dr John Patricious said the illegal use of steroids among school pupils is becoming a dangerous trend.

“It is harmful to the boys’ health and they often do not see the signs because many of the side effects are silent and will only manifest later. These are schedule 5 drugs and it is a criminal offence to use them without a prescription,” said Patricious.

The survey was independently commissioned by several schools and urine samples were sent for analysis in the United States.

Appeals court declines to block suspensions

2011-06-04T09:14:00.000-07:00

The Minnesota Court of Appeals recently declined to block the NFL's long-fought suspensions of Vikings defensive linemen Kevin Williams and Pat Williams for taking a banned substance.

The decision leaves the players to decide whether to appeal to the state Supreme Court.

From Startribune.com:

The Appeals Court said that because the diuretic the players took does not fall under the state's workplace drug-testing law, the NFL's failure to follow that law's worker-notification requirements does not give state courts a basis to prevent the league's punishment.
However, the Appeals Court's three-judge panel noted that the NFL is subject to state law when testing players for other, covered drugs, such as anabolic steroids.
"Importantly, our holding is limited to the specific facts of this case and should not be read to excuse the NFL from complying with [state law] when applicable," Judge Francis Connolly wrote.

Kevin and Pat Williams tested positive in July 2008 for bumetanide, which is a powerful diuretic that was an unlisted ingredient in the over-the-counter weight-loss supplement StarCaps.

McDermott fails a drugs test

2011-05-31T09:33:00.000-07:00

Brett McDermott, the Rugby ace, has failed to clear a drug test. Traces of steroids were found in his urine after Rugby Football League testers visited him at his Dalton home on March 2.

The Barrow Raiders forward was in the middle of a six-match ban for stamping and punching at the time.

From Nwemail.co.uk:

In his first interview following the test results and his retirement – hastened by his wish to avoid tarnishing Raiders – the father-of-three said he had taken a healing agent to speed his recovery and aid his return to his day job as a coal man.
He said: “When I was banned for seven weeks, I fit in to get my elbow fixed.
“I took some orals from the gym to speed things up. With work, I wanted to get back to fitness as soon as I could.
“I didn’t ask what was in them. I knew they were anabolic, but I didn’t ask what was in them, I just wanted to get back playing and working and this sorted us out.
“There are things you can take in competition and out of competition and I thought, as long as I’m clear when I’m playing, I would be fine.
“I was never taking any performance-enhancing drugs when I was playing.
“It’s a bad way to end (my career). I hope people don’t judge me on what I have done now, but rather what I have done in the past.
“All I did it for was to get back as quick as possible for work and for rugby.

McDermott will have an appeal hearing with the RFL on May 10.

Trial of ex-Padre Giles will have no steroid talks

2011-05-27T09:53:00.000-07:00

According to a San Diego Superior Court judge, any evidence of alleged steroid use by former Padres outfielder Brian Giles should be excluded from his ongoing palimony trial against his former fiance.

Judge Jeffrey Barton made this ruling in response to a request by attorneys of Giles before the trial.

From Signonsandiego.com:

Giles’ attorney, James Scott, said this pre-trial request was made because of their concern that Olvera “will try to throw any kind of mud against the wall they can. That’s the reason for the prohibition on the issue.”
“I’ve represented Brian since 2003,” Scott said Monday. “He was never involved in it.”
They argued that Olvera had no expert witness to testify about it, that it was irrelevant to the case and that testimony about this subject would be highly prejudicial.
Olvera is seeking more than $10 million in damages in her palimony and domestic violence suit against Giles. She cited four incidents of alleged domestic abuse -- all denied by Giles -- and said he broke an oral agreement with her to provide for her and her daughter after they broke up in 2008. His attorneys have made the case that she refused to sign a prenuptial agreement and that this is part of a pattern of her seeking money from wealthy men.

It was argued by the attorneys that the ex-fiance of Giles, Cheri Olvera, would apparently attempt to prove Giles’ use of Adderrall (an amphetamine) and anabolic steroids to prove him mentally or physically predisposed to anger or violence.

Florida man pleads not guilty

2011-05-23T09:44:00.000-07:00

Richard Sciacchetano, a Florida man with reported ties to organized crime and who allegedly provided large quantities of marijuana to a Danbury area drug ring has pleaded not guilty to a conspiracy charge Thursday in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport.

Sciacchetano is accused of being the primary supplier of marijuana to the drug ring, according to court documents.

From Newstimes.com:

The operation was run by Bethel resident Mark Mansa, 46, and it distributed at least 1,000 pounds of marijuana in the last year alone, according to a federal prosecutor handling the case.

Sciacchetano, an older man with curly gray hair who was using a wheelchair to enter the courtroom Thursday, has been detained by federal authorities since his arrest Feb. 28.

During his brief arraignment hearing Thursday, Sciacchetano pleaded not guilty to the single charge of conspiring to possess and distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana.

Sciacchetano, according to federal court documents, was the main supplier for Mansa and Brookfield resident Glenn Wagner, 48, who allegedly purchased between 20 to 30 pounds a month of marijuana and distributed the drug to "lower-level dealers."

Wagner, who is also facing weapons charges for a sawed-off shotgun police say they discovered during a search of his North Lake Shore Drive home in late February, has also pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Mansa is facing several charges for allegedly selling anabolic steroids, including conspiracy to distribute and several counts of possession that stemmed from controlled purchases with an undercover informant last spring, according to court documents.

Ban for four Chinese swimmers

2011-05-19T09:48:00.000-07:00

A three-man FINA panel has revealed that four Chinese swimmers were guilty of using banned substances in the World Championships in Perth.

The accused athletes have been suspended for two years from all competition.

From Independent.ie:

A THREE man FINA panel yesterday found four Chinese swimmers guilty of using banned substances in the World Championships in Perth, Australia, and suspended them for two years from all competition.
FINA said the suspensions went into force immediately. A temporary suspension period, which was in force from Jan. 14 until April 25, will be deducted from the two-year total.

The three Chinese women Luna Wang, Cai Huijue and Zhang Yi and male teammate Wang Wei tested positive for triamterene, a banned diuretic used for masking the use of anabolic steroids.

Bonds accused over d Posting Comments Settings Design Monetise Stats View Blog New Post Edit Posts Edit Parugs

2011-05-15T09:12:00.000-07:00

Barry Bonds, one of the biggest sport stars of the United States of America, has been charged with lying under oath about taking steroids.

Bonds has been charged with perjury and obstructing justice.

From Telegraph.co.uk:

Bud Selig, the commissioner of Major League Baseball, vowed to rid the sport of illegal drugs and stressed that he was awaiting the results of an investigation by a former US senator.

The indictment against Bonds, 43, on four counts of perjury and one of obstruction of justice, was filed in San Francisco on Thursday. It follows a four-year investigation into the sale of performance-enhancing drugs to top American athletes.

The home run record holder of Major League Baseball has been accused of being "intentionally evasive, false and misleading" in his testimony.

Hingis wants to clear name

2011-05-11T09:27:00.000-07:00

Martina Hingis, who stormed the world at a young age with her tennis skills, is now fighting a legal battle to clear her name following a positive test for cocaine.

Hingis, while announcing her retirement, said, she did "not want to have a fight with anti-doping authorities."

From Telegraph.co.uk:

Anti-doping officials are astonished by Hingis's decision to go public with the cocaine charge, which arose from a urine sample she gave at this year's Wimbledon, because she is in the middle of a legal process that will culminate in a personal disciplinary hearing by an independent panel in the near future.

Under the rules of the World Anti-Doping Code, any athlete charged with a drugs offence is guaranteed anonymity until he or she is found guilty. Were she to be cleared by the disciplinary panel, her involvement in a doping case would never be known and her reputation would remain intact.

Hingis has hired the London-based lawyer who helped former British athlete Diane Modahl overturn a four-year drugs ban.

McGwire used steroids to bulk up

2011-05-07T09:35:00.000-07:00

The efforts of Mark McGwire to reduce the extent of his decade-long doping program seem to be as inauthentic as his home run records.

McGwire's records are under scrutiny ever since a California steroid dealer handed Mark McGwire a sophisticated array of super-potent anabolic steroid almost twenty years ago.

From NYdailynews.com:

That's not only the reaction of Jose Canseco, who lashed out at his former Bash Brother on Tuesday during an interview with ESPN 1000 radio in Chicago. It's also the reaction of an FBI informant who was involved in Operation Equine, a long-running investigation that uncovered McGwire's use of hard-core drugs.

The needles were thick, the anabolic steroids were potent, and the injections were frequent and furtive. McGwire kept them secret for more than 15 years, and now - like Alex Rodriguez before him - claims not to remember exactly what he took in those "small doses."

The informant of FBI, insisting on anonymity, said the regimen of McGwire was one-half cc of testosterone cypionate every three days; one cc of testosterone enanthate per week; the veterinary steroids Equipoise and Winstrol V, one quarter cc every three days, injected into the buttocks, one in one cheek, one in the other.

Education Program for Arlington ISD Students

2011-05-03T09:39:00.000-07:00

A partnership has been created between the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation and the Taylor Hooton Foundation for fighting against steroid abuse on a comprehensive education program in the Arlington Independent School District.

The partnership and program details were announced at a press conference at the Hutcheson Junior High School in Arlington.

From Texas.rangers.mlb.com:

The Rangers-Hooton Foundation program will educate and inform Arlington ISD Junior and Senior High School students on the dangers of anabolic and Appearance and Performance Enhancing Drugs (APEDs). The Hooton Foundation and Texas Rangers representatives, including Rangers Foundation President and club Hall of Fame catcher Jim Sundberg will make presentations at numerous Junior and Senior High Schools in the Arlington ISD throughout the school year. The first event was held at Shackelford Junior High in January.

"The Texas Rangers are proud to join with the Taylor Hooton Foundation on this very important project," commented Rangers Managing Partner and CEO Chuck Greenberg. "The abuse of anabolic steroids and performance enhancing drugs is a serious issue with our youth. The Hooton Foundation is one of the nation's leading advocates of the dangers of these drugs, and we look forward to helping them continue the cause."

Greenberg also said, "We are extremely proud to be working with the Rangers in educating our children about this threat. On and off the field we couldn't have a better partner," Don Hooton, President of the Hooton Foundation said. "Anabolic steroid use continues to be a growing problem among our nation's youth. The most powerful weapon that we have to fight this battle is education, and we are so very pleased that the Texas Rangers are joining forces with us to help insure that students in the Arlington ISD are exposed to the truth about these dangerous, illegal drugs."

De Villiers pleads innocence

2011-04-28T09:46:00.000-07:00

The South African-born French rugby player, Tommy Conlon Pieter de Villiers, has pleaded innocence after being accused of using drugs.

Villiers accidentally ended up with a cocktail of cocaine and ecstasy coursing through his bloodstream after he and his Stade Francais teammates went out for a feed of drink after a win over Harlequins.

From Independent.ie:

"I might have fallen into a trap," he said last week, "but I have never knowingly taken cocaine or ecstasy."

Ah yes, "knowingly." No statement by any athlete caught with his or her steroids down is complete without the knowingly protocol. And these days it is met only with knowing nods of disbelief from all but the incurably innocent.

De Villiers would have played against England next weekend but at 30, his international career may be over.

If he was playing for Australia he might have had a better chance of getting away with it. In March 2001 the Australian wing Ben Tune took the banned drug Probenecid. Tune claimed he used it for a gash on his knee that was not responding to antibiotics.

Probenecid has powerful healing properties when used in conjunction with antibiotics. It is primarily used by power athletes as a masking agent for anabolic steroids. His medical advisers claim to have prescribed it and subsequently informed the Australian Sport Drug Agency. He played two Super 12 games before ASDA contacted the Australian Rugby Union.

If his statement is any thing to believe, Pieter de Villiers probably had received an unfair deal after receiving a ban of two years after a random test.

IOC to make further sample checks

2011-04-24T09:28:00.000-07:00

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) would not hesitate carrying out further checks on samples given during doping tests in Beijing, according to an announcement.

IOC president Jacques Rogge said: "Our message is very clear. The IOC will not miss any opportunity to further analyse samples retroactively. We hope that this will work as a strong deterrent and make athletes think twice before cheating."

From Espnstar.com:

In a statement, the Olympic governing body said: "The IOC intends to further analyse the samples collected this summer during the Olympic Games in Beijing. Substances that will be analysed across all sports include EPO Cera.

"All samples are currently being repatriated to the WADA-accredited laboratory in Lausanne where Olympic samples are usually stored after the Games. The details of the procedure, such as the number of samples to be further analysed and the timeline, are currently being discussed with WADA."

EPO Cera is an enhanced version of the blood-boosting hormone EPO and is now detectable due to advances in technology.

Two competitors from this year's Tour de France, double stage winner Stefan Schumacher and Italian Leonardo Piepoli, have been caught since the advanced tests were introduced.

Despite early reports claiming every test result would be reassessed, the IOC have stopped short of making that pledge, however they have every sample in storage which means an entire review is possible.

Of the 4,770 tests carried out by WADA and Beijing Games officials during the Olympics, 3,801 were urine tests and 969 were blood tests.

Andy Parkinson, UK Sport's head of operations, appreciated the announcement.

Sports Council defends drug-testing procedures

2011-04-20T09:01:00.000-07:00

The drug testing procedures of Irish Sports Council (ISC) that have come under heavy criticism after a Kerry footballer was detained until after midnight this week in order to produce a sample have been stoutly defended by the council.

Dr Una May, director of the ISC's anti-doping unit, said, "Managers can opt to have their players tested before training starts, we have put that in writing in our agreement with the GAA last spring."

From Independent.ie:

May said she did not know if the Kerry management had been given this opportunity, because the tester was abroad and uncontactable yesterday.

"But we will certainly remind our testers to be proactive on this issue," she added.

It took the player over three hours to produce a sample when he was randomly selected for testing after training in Tralee on Tuesday night.

Being detained until after midnight once again raised the thorny issue of GAA players, who are amateur, being subjected to the same stringent anti-doping policy as professional athletes.

May said delays in giving urine samples are inevitable.

"It is a matter of letting nature take its course. Delays are regrettable, but inevitable sometimes," she said.

May remarked, "Testing traditionally takes place at the end of training sessions in order to avoid disrupting athletes, but there is no reason why such tests can't take place before they start training, or during it. Managers can decide the timing of it."

Anti-doping office recommendation means ban for Luca

2011-04-16T09:22:00.000-07:00

According to a recommendation of the Italian Olympic Committee's anti-doping office, a ban of three years will be imposed on Danilo Di Luca for two adverse test results during May's Giro d'Italia.

The rider also faces a criminal investigation by the Italian authorities.

From Espnstar.com:

The Italian Olympic Committee's anti-doping office have recommended Danilo Di Luca serve a three-year ban for two adverse test results during May's Giro d'Italia.

Di Luca finished second in the Giro to Russia's Denis Menchov, however he tested positive for the banned substance CERA - an advanced version of the blood-boosting product erythropoietin (EPO) - on May 20 and May 28.

His positive test results were first revealed on July 22, and so any ban would begin on that date.

CONI, the Italian Olympic Committee, has also recommended Di Luca’s results to be annulled and he be fined.

Guernsey States To Introduce Licensing Of Steroids

2011-04-12T09:42:00.000-07:00

The British government has made efforts to tighten the law around drugs with the 2012 London Olympics drawing closer.

People wishing to import steroids in Guernsey now must apply for a permit.

From BBC.co.uk:

People who want to import steroids into Guernsey must now apply for the appropriate licence.

With the 2012 London Olympics approaching, the UK government has tightened the law surrounding to the drugs.

The States has decided to follow suit and introduce licensing.

The parts of the government's local medicines law relating to the licensing of drugs were recently approved by the States and have now come into force.

Anabolic steroids can sometimes be abused by athletes in a bid to add muscle mass or improve their competitive performance.

The States has decided to follow suit and the licensing of launch.

I Have Never Used Steroids, Palmeiro Said

2011-04-08T09:53:00.000-07:00

Baseball slugger, Rafael Palmeiro, who is accused of using steroids, recently said that he had never used performance enhancing drugs in his astonishing career.

The former player hopes this statement will be able to change voters' minds Hall Fame and honor him for his 3020 hits and 569 homeruns.

From Boston.com:

Rafael Palmeiro is sticking to his story that a tainted vitamin shot caused his failed drug test five years ago, and hopes Hall of Fame voters will overlook the mistake and honor him for his 3,020 hits and 569 homers. A week before the Baseball Writers Association of America announces its inductees, Palmeiro told SI.com he never used performance-enhancing drugs in his 20-year career. Palmeiro again insisted the anabolic steroid was in a B-12 vial given to him by Orioles teammate Miguel Tejada. One of only four players in big league history with 500 homers and 3,000 hits, Palmeiro’s once certain election to the Hall is in jeopardy. Baseball voters have denied Mark McGwire, 10th on the career list with 583 homers, four times and his election seems unlikely.

The slugger told Sports Illustrated that he never made use of performance enhancing drugs.

Cliff Odenwald resigns as UIL director of athletics

2011-04-03T09:13:00.000-07:00

UIL has named Dr. Mark Cousins as the interim director of athletics to replace outgoing director Cliff Odenwald, who resigned Dec. 31.

The process for finding a replacement for Odenwald will be initiated in mid-March, said Dr. Charles Breithaupt, executive director of the UIL.

From Dallasnews.com:

"The timing being what it is, we've got every sport playing or about to be playing with the exception of football and volleyball," Breithaupt said. "To post the job right now just wouldn't be right, timing-wise. Mark knows the inner workings of our athletics department, as does the staff. We've got an outstanding athletic staff."

Odenwald's tenure at the UIL was marked by several sweeping changes, including a rules compliance program for coaches and central-site championships for all classes in football. He joined the league as an associate athletic director in June 2007, hired to oversee the UIL's newly created steroid program. He became the league's director of athletics in February 2009, after Breithaupt vacated the post in order to become the league's executive director.

The outgoing director worked in the North Texas area as a coach and administrator for 19 years before joining the UIL.

National Police officers disbanded drug network

2011-03-30T09:15:00.000-07:00

A drug trafficking organization based in the town of Roquetas de Mar has been disbanded by National Police officers. A total of eight people, of both Spanish and Colombian nationality, have been arrested.

During the seizure, 4.2 kilograms of cocaine, a handgun, ammunition, anabolic steroids, two cars, a night vision monitor, fifteen mobile phones, 3,000 euro in cash, and a collection of documents and materials believed to have been used by the criminal gang were recovered.

From Theleader.info:

The investigation, which began several months ago, focused initially on the ring leaders of the organization based in Almería, who would provide drugs to smaller time dealers who then sold the drugs directly to the public.

As part of the investigation, officers were able to identify two people who were at the very top of the supply chain, with contacts in Madrid, who in turn fed drugs to similar networks across Spain.

During the course of the investigation it was determined that the organization used so called “mules”, people posing as tourists who would travel to South America by air, to then return to Spain carrying the drugs.

On Christmas Eve, the gang attempted to smuggle 2.5 kilograms of cocaine into the country by this method, believing that there would be fewer checks by law enforcement agents. Officers based at Madrid-Barajas Airport intercepted the courier and arrested a Spanish citizen on a flight from Colombia, via Frankfurt, in which they seized the drugs, which were hidden in bags coated with tracing paper and foam and hidden inside a suitcase.

This operation was conducted by officers of the Drugs Unit and Organized Crime (UDYCO) from Almeria, in collaboration with the Narcotics Group of Madrid-Barajas Airport.

Illegal online pharmacies dealing in fake drugs

2011-03-26T09:52:00.000-07:00

Sixty two percent of medicines purchased over the internet are either substandard or fake, according to a new report.

The watchdog Irish Medicines Board (IMB) in 2007 seized nearly 200,000 illegally imported tablets and capsules, including anabolic steroids, anti-impotence drugs and weight loss products.

From Independent.ie:

The report, based on an analysis of more than 100 online pharmacies, examined the medicines which were delivered without need of prescription. It revealed:

- 95.6pc of online pharmacies researched are operating illegally.

- 94pc of websites do not have a named, verifiable pharmacist.

- Over 90pc of websites supply prescription-only medicines without a prescription.

- 86pc of online 'pharmacy approval' stamps are fake.

- There is a three in five chance of receiving a fake or substandard medicine if you purchase online.

- Only 38pc of the medicines received were found to be genuine, branded medicines, 16pc of these were illegal non-EU imports (genuine products, imported into the EU illegally from a non-EU country), and 33pc did not have patient information leaflets.

The findings are contained in the report of the European Alliance for Access to Safe Medicines (EAASM).

Amazon.com offering steroids for sale

2011-03-22T09:15:00.000-07:00

An investigation by Californian firm Anti-Doping Research has revealed that illegal steroids can be easily bought, with them freely available at Amazon.com.

"To me, it's absolutely an amazing story," Anti-Doping Research chief executive officer Don Catlin told The Washington Post.

From Nutraingredients-usa.com:

His firm bought about 10 products which testing confirmed contained illegal steroids that are known to have dangerous side effects such as liver toxicity.

Catlin said he had notified the Food and Drug Administration, the Drug Enforcement Administration as well as Amazon.com about the matter. Anti-Doping Research indicated there were many similar products that continued to be sold on Amazon.com.

Enforce the law

Dan Fabricant, PhD, the vice president of scientific and global government affairs at the Natural Products Association (NPA), said the situation revealed the need for the dietary supplements industry to remain vigilant and reach out more intensively to retailers on the internet, even behemoths like Amazon.com.

Catlin also said, "To just go on Amazon.com and order anabolic steroids."

Cycling chief accused WADA of being unprofessional

2011-03-18T09:30:00.000-07:00

The president of cycling's governing body, Hein Verbruggen, has accused WADA of being "unprofessional" after it leaked a confidential report on the Tour de France and claimed the agency has a hidden agenda.

"The report was leaked purposely," Verbruggen, who is also a leading member of the IOC, told the Guardian.

From Guardian.co.uk:

The International Cycling Union said yesterday that officials from WADA will no longer be able to attend cycle races as observers. Verbruggen claimed that the leak is linked to a dispute between the agency and the ICU over the use of corticosteroids by athletes with a doctor's prescription. "The leak happened exactly the day before WADA's executive meeting is to pronounce on the list of banned substances," said a statement.

The issue came to a head last July in the Tour de France when the race leader, Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano, tested positive for the asthma drug salbutamol. WADA said he would be positive under their rules but the ICU cleared him.

"The report was leaked to L'Equipe and today there is discussion about the list [of substances]," said Verbruggen. "It has been used to influence the situation; I have to come to that conclusion."

"I do not say WADA are always unprofessional but this shows an unprofessional attitude," Verbruggen added.

Kohl likely to be sacked by Silence Lotto

2011-03-14T09:11:00.000-07:00

The Silence Lotto team is expected to sack Bernhard Kohl after he tested positive for the new generation of the banned blood booster EPO, at the Tour de France, CERA.

The positive sample finding was confirmed by France's national anti-doping agency (AFLD).

From Espnstar.com:

Kohl finished third and also won the Polka Dot jersey as the best climber on this year's Tour.

The Austrian, who rode for Gerolsteiner this season, had signed a contract with Silence Lotto which was due to run until 2011.

But a statement from his new team read: "Around 1900 (on Monday) the press told us that Bernhard Kohl has been controlled positively for the use of CERA.

"We have immediately checked this information with the Gerolsteiner's manager, who has confirmed it.

"If this information is confirmed by the official authorities, the team management will start the legal steps in view of breaking immediately our future collaboration with Kohl."

Italians Riccardo Ricco and Leonardo Piepoli, plus Germany's Stefan Schumacher, have already tested positive for CERA.

Kohl's sample was found to include CERA before and during the Tour after re-tests at a laboratory in Chatenay-Malabry.

Positive CERA test for Sella

2011-03-10T09:23:00.000-08:00

Emanuele Sella, a triple stage winner in the Giro d'Italia, has tested positive for CERA, the latest form of the blood-booster erythropoietin (EPO).

CERA is the same drug that was found in a sample provided by his fellow climber Riccardo Ricco during the Tour de France.

From Guardian.co.uk:

Sella said yesterday: "I know nothing about this story. No one has said anything to me. None of it is true." But the news was confirmed by the Italian cycling federation, which had announced three other positive tests last week, including that of the women's world road race champion, Marta Bastianelli, for a stimulant found in slimming medicines.

Sella was tested on July 23, out of competition and unannounced, a week after Ricco's positive test which was the first for a substance previously considered undetectable. Sella had been targeted after his three mountain stage wins in the Giro, where the diminutive Italian finished sixth overall and also won the king of the mountains title.

Among his three victories were back-to-back wins in stages 14 and 15. Such a spectacular performance in the mountains was seen as suspicious, the more so because his CSF-Navigare team had had a rider test positive earlier in the season.

The news was confirmed by the Italian cycling federation.

International Olympic Committee to probe US gold medal

2011-03-06T09:23:00.000-08:00

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is considering an investigation that could lead to another US relay team being stripped of an Olympic gold medal for doping.

The US Anti-Doping Agency said Crystal Cox, who ran in the preliminaries for the US women's 4x400 relay team at the 2004 Athens Olympics, admitted making use of anabolic steroids.

From Heraldsun.com.au:

The fate of Cox's gold medal and the medals held by the rest of the team is up to the International Olympic Committee.

"The IOC is looking into the file and considering setting up a disciplinary commission," IOC spokesman Mark Adams said on Monday.

The IOC has previously stripped national relay teams of medals retroactively for any doping admission or drug suspension - including three US teams from the 2000 Sydney Games.

The Athens case also involves the International Association of Athletics Federations, which determines official results and placings.

IAAF spokesman Nick Davies said the issue would be examined by the IAAF's ruling council at its meeting in Doha, Qatar, in March during the world indoor championships.

An entire relay team can be disqualified because of the doping of one member, even an alternate, as per international rules.

American hammer thrower banned

2011-03-02T09:19:00.000-08:00

Scott Boothby, the American hammer thrower, has been suspended for eight years after he tested steroids and a masking agent, according to the US Anti-Doping Agency.

The 33-year-old Boothby has stopped competing but remained in the random drug-testing program since he had not filed proper retirement paperwork.

From Foxsports.com.au:

Boothby tested positive for finasteride in an out-of-competition test on June 25. The substance is permissable if part of a prescribed medication, but Boothby had no such exemption filed.

Finasteride is common in hair restoration products and Boothby said he tested positive because he was using one of them.

US skeleton slider Zach Lund was yanked from the Torino Winter Olympics in February, just hours before the opening ceremony, for using finasteride. Lund also blamed a hair-restoration medication.

Boothby revealed last August he had been caught for the masking agent, telling the Oregonian newspaper, "I'm not a doper. I've been drug-free my whole life."

But, less than a month later, Boothby was hit with a second doping violation. Following a random test on September 6, he tested positive for anabolic agents 6-oxo-androstenedione and its metabolite 6a-hydroxyandrostenehione.

A reduction in the usual lifetime ban was proper for the second offence, says the USADA.

Odesnik banned for two years by ITF

2011-02-26T05:29:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-22T00:32:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-18T09:37:00.000-08:00

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.

2011-02-17T09:15:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-14T09:24:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-10T09:14:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-06T09:21:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-02T09:50:00.000-08:00

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.

2011-01-29T09:45:00.000-08:00

The former Great Britain hooker, Terry Newton, had traces of anabolic steroids, cocaine, and amphetamines in his system when he killed himself in September.

Newton became the first professional sportsman to test positive for human growth hormone in February and was serving a suspension of two years when he took his life at the age of 31.

From Guardian.co.uk:

"We have a picture where steroid abuse may well have led on to behavioural changes. We can say that is virtually certain. Subsequently they have rendered Mr Newton, on the balance of probabilities, unable to form an appropriate judgment as to the nature and quality of his actions."

Newton's wife Stacey attended the hearing at Bolton coroner's court with other close family members. She was too upset to give evidence. Newton was discovered by police in the loft of his home in Orrell, Wigan, on 26 September, after Stacey had told a friend she was concerned for his safety. He had left notes around the house expressing a desire to end his life.

Toxicology reports showed he had taken the steroid nandrolone within the week of his death and traces of cocaine and amphetamine were in his urine, along with alcohol and anti-depressants. Human growth hormone cannot be tested for in post-mortem samples. None of the banned drugs were a direct factor in the cause of death but all could have lowered a person's mood, the inquest was told.

Some experts are of the view that Newton's death could have delivered a macabre warning to others about the dangers of taking performance enhancing drugs.

McGwire's name added to cheat list of MLB

2011-01-25T09:59:00.000-08:00

Mark McGwire, the former St Louis Cardinals slugger, has now decided to come clean after years of rumor that he used steroids.

The one-time "home-run king" recently became the latest confessed steroid users of baseball and remarked, "It was absolutely the most ridiculously stupid thing I've ever done in my life. I regret it totally”.

From Guardian.co.uk:

McGwire's confession was carefully filtered out through a press release and a series of brief interviews, but the centrepiece was an one-hour live, sit-down with Bob Costas of the Major League Baseball network, which was intended to address every conceivable question raised by the revelation that the man who broke the home-run record in 1998, and who in doing so was credited with reviving baseball's image after a damaging players' strike earlier in the decade, was in fact a cheat.

Costas is many things but he is certainly no mug and he did a brilliant job in getting McGwire to tell his (obviously rehearsed) story, as well as exposing the contradictions therein.

The reviews have landed and they can be best described as mixed. Those inclined to feel sympathetic towards the slugger credit him with offering a more "complete" and "believable" confession than the likes of Rodriguez, who tried to pass off his drug use as actions of a stupid youth, or Giambi, who apologised but declined to say what he was apologising for.

It appears that baseball players who had became drug cheats to gain recognition are now making attempts to rewrite a history that they had already rewritten before with mendacious intent by their use of performance enhancing drugs.

Australian surf lifesaving athlete banned

2011-01-21T09:55:00.000-08:00

A surf lifesaving athlete from Australia, Peter Atkins, has been handed over a ban from sport for a period of two years after making using a banned substance.

Atkins was banned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after he tested positive for the steroid stanozolol in an in-competition test in March.

From Dailytelegraph.com.au:

AUSTRALIAN surf lifesaving athlete Peter Atkins has been banned from the sport for two years for using a banned substance.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) imposed the sanction on the Currumbin Barbarians surf boat crew member after he tested positive for the steroid stanozolol in an in-competition test in March.

Currumbin won the men's open boat event at the 2009 Australian Surf Life Saving championships but Atkins will forfeit any medals, points and prizes awarded to him.

Stanozolol is a synthetic anabolic steroid derived from testosterone and a prohibited substance under the World Anti-Doping Code. Atkins will be ineligible to compete until May 4, 2011. The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority has welcomed the decision.

The Currumbin Barbarians surf boat crew member will be ineligible to compete until May 4, 2011.

Miami Heat forward feels the heat of NBA

2011-01-17T09:48:00.000-08:00

Don MacLean, the Miami Heat forward, has become the first NBA player to be suspended for steroid use.

MacLean was suspended for a period of five games without pay after violating the policy on using steroids of the NBA and Players' Association.

From News.bbc.co.uk:

Neither the Heat, the NBA nor the Players Association is permitted to disclose information regarding the testing or treatment of a player.

MacLean was signed by the Heat as a free agent after stints with Washington (1992-95), Denver (1995-96), Philadelphia (1996-97), New Jersey (1997-98), Seattle (1998-99) and Phoenix (1999-2000).

He has played just 42 games over the past three seasons due to injuries, and is averaging 7.3 points and 4.0 rebounds this season.

The NBA's Most Improved Player for the 1993-94 season, he has a career average of 11.1 points and 3.8 rebounds.

The NBA player was scheduled to miss at least a month after undergoing surgery on his right foot on 15 November.