Archive for December, 2009

There is no evidence to suggest that humid air can relieve patients suffering from croup symptoms such as noisy croup breathing and barking cough, as per a recently concluded medical review.

Michael Moore, a family doctor at Three Swans Surgery in Salisbury, England, said that though it is common for families of croup patients to make them stay near the hot water or have a hot-water bath, there is no conclusive evidence to find the related benefits.

Moore further remarked that studies in the past have not been able to suggest that there are any advantages associated with humid air or usage of moisturized air in an emergency department but there can be a possibility that there may be some “hidden or unexplored” benefits of humid air inhalation, which need to be supported by further studies on this subject in community settings.

From News-Medical.Net:

Croup is a set of symptoms that causes swelling in the upper part of the airway and affects the voice box. The condition usually is caused by a viral infection. Young children are especially susceptible to croup because the infants and toddlers have narrower airways than older children and adults.

Physicians rate the severity of croup by noting signs of labored breathing and poor oxygen intake. The croup score and health outcomes for the children treated with moist air were not significantly different than the scores for the patients who received no treatment, the review found.

“I think that probably the successes that were attributed to humidity in the past were due to the calming effect of the parent believing that they were doing something, the child taking deeper breaths, the child getting over the spasmodic element of the croup, and then just getting better,” said Dennis Scolnik, an emergency room pediatrician at The Hospital for Sick Children/Toronto in Ontario, Canada.

It was remarked by Scolnik that certain calming methods can be tried at patients’ homes for providing relief in cases of mild croup. It is worth noting here that steroids are often prescribed for reducing vocal chord inflammation and physicians make use of nebulized (given by mist) adrenaline for moderately severe croup for relieving a patient from symptoms.

Most of us think that anabolic steroids are just used by strong-built bodybuilders and athletes but you would be amazed to know that steroids have been, still being used, and will be used in the world of medication.

In the world of medicines, anabolic steroids have endless benefits. They are used to treat severe health complications when other treatment options fail to deliver any results. Some of the ailments for which steroids are used these days are severe asthma and Crohn’s disease; steroids are also used for treating health complications such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, airway inflammation, Alzheimer’s disease, flu, and Kawasaki’s disease.

Apart from all these uses, steroids are also used to treat sexual disorders such as ovulation, infertility, low sperm count, and sexual dysfunction besides treating males with testicular cancer by promoting testosterone after testes removal.

It is imperative to note that only a registered medical practitioner is qualified enough to prescribe anabolic steroids for medical purposes and self-prescription can prove fatal. In the absence of qualified knowledge or steroid abuse, side effects such as acne, insomnia, depression, breast development in men, and menstrual irregularities in women can happen and thus self-prescribed use of steroids must be best avoided.

In short, anabolic steroids are life-saving drugs that are primarily meant for legitimate purposes such as research and medications. Their unique properties and benefits make them first and obvious choice of medical practitioners and general physicians all over the world and for genuine reasons.

Children with asthma and being administered with steroids in the younger age but discontinuing the usage after some time may not experience the same benefits as with steroid usage, according to results from a comprehensive childhood asthma study.

This study finding came from the Childhood Asthma Management Program (CAMP) clinical trial that involved more than 1,000 children with mild-to-moderate asthma. These children were divided into three groups of which one received placebo, second one received nedocromil (an inhaled non-steroid medication), and the third one received twice-daily budesonide and an inhaled corticosteroid. All the participating groups also received albuterol, a bronchodilator, and oral corticosteroids for treating asthma symptoms.

From News-Medical.Net:

Inhaled corticosteroids such as budesonide have been shown to be the most effective form of anti-inflammatory treatment for asthma by controlling symptoms and improving pulmonary function. Results from the original CAMP trial showed that using budesonide twice daily led to fewer hospitalizations and urgent care visits, fewer days in which additional asthma medications were needed and a reduced need for albuterol, a fast-acting drug for relief of acute asthma symptoms. Using nedocromil twice daily reduced urgent care visits and courses of oral steroids for severe symptoms, but did not affect the number of hospitalizations, symptoms or airway responsiveness.

Although the patients had fewer symptoms five years after stopping the daily medication, Strunk cautions that doesn’t mean that they can stop using asthma medications altogether or that their asthma is cured.

The study findings are considered to provide new insights to members of the medical fraternity when it comes to formulation of new asthma treatment plans.

Primobolan - Effective Oral Anabolic Steroid Primobolan is one of those anabolic steroids that need no introduction at all. This is simply because this oral steroid has helped millions of people think and act beyond the normal without coming in close proximity with steroid side effects.

Primobolan or Primo is an oral anabolic steroid that has been admired by bodybuilders, athletes, and celebrities for achieving new and solid muscles. It redefines health and fitness and this is what makes it unique and effective at the same time. This oral steroid drug is not 17-alkylated and does not result in liver toxicity. It stimulates the body to produce more of active and total testosterone via promotion of LH (luteinizing hormone) and reduction of SHBG. This anabolic product is also effective in reducing female estrogen and androgenic DHT levels to a significant extent.

The chemical name of Primobolan is 17ß-hydroxy-1-methyl-5a-androst-1-en-3-one acetate and it offers an active life of around 4-6 hours. It has an incredible anabolic/androgenic ratio of 88:44-57 and comes under A. 21.6 Anabolic steroids. Its molecular weight at base is 244.488 g/mol and its chemical formula is C₂₂H₃₂O₃.

Primobolan has to be used for a minimum period of three months at a dose of 2-3 mg per kg of body weight but is not meant for female use. For addition of muscle mass pertaining to bodybuilding purposes, Primobolan can be stacked with Testosterone, Dianabol, or Anadrol. It can be stacked with Clenbuterol, T3, Deca-Durabolin, or Proviron for pre-contest needs and anabolics such as Trenbolone or Halotestin for a cutting or dieting phase.

Mohammad Asif, Pakistan fast bowler, has claimed that his case of positive steroid testing was unfairly treated.

The Courier Mail quoted Asif, ““I had a very strong case, but they didn’t actually listen. Nobody was with me, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was on the back foot. I was just alone and had to handle the whole thing. I will tell everything when the time comes. It’s not the right time … It was a very difficult time for me,”

From Dawn.com:

He vowed to “tell everything” about his drug dramas. Banned for a year for testing positive to steroid nandrolone during the inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008, Asif has only just returned to Test cricket.

The lanky paceman began his Test career against Australia at Sydney in January 2005. Before returning to the Test fold against New Zealand last month after playing against South Africa at Lahore in October 2007, Asif had claimed 51 wickets in 11 Tests.

People and sporting stalwarts knowing Asif are of the view that this pace bowler can be a real menace for the Australian batsmen when Pakistan meets Australia in an upcoming series.

Asif vowed that he is at his peak fitness level and would trouble the Oz batsmen with his sheer pace and variations.

Letrozole or Femara is an effective medication when it comes to treating infertility for ovulation induction. The miracle drug, as it is termed by some doctors, is nowadays also used by bodybuilders and strength athletes to reduce or inhibit the formation of estrogens.

Letrozole has the unique ability to block estrogen to a significant extent. This means individuals using it run a significantly reduced risk of acne, gynecomastia, and water retention than individuals on other products. Moreover, it increases the levels of LH (Luteinizing hormone), FSH (Follicle-stimulating hormone), and SHBG (Sex hormone-binding globulin) to a significant extent. These are just a few reasons why all bodybuilders engaging themselves in bulking or cutting cycles prefer it.

It is also used in the world of medications for reversing the severity of breast cancer after Tamoxifen therapy is found or rendered ineffective.

The inactive ingredients of Letrozole tablets are sodium starch glycolate, talc, colloidal silicon dioxide, ferric oxide, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, magnesium stearate, maize starch, microcrystalline cellulose, polyethylene glycol, lactose monohydrate, and titanium dioxide.

Tablets of Letrozole need to be kept at a controlled room temperature of 25°C (77°F) with excursions permitted up to 15-30°C (59-86°F). They need to be kept away from unauthorized usage, pets, children, heat, moisture, and sunlight.

Potential users intending to make use of Letrozole-Femara must initiate use only after a qualified medical advice to rule out the possibility of existing allergies and stay closer to benefits without coming in close proximity to side effects.

If you want to add a new touch and appeal to your skin texture, shine, and color, you need to make sure that you take reasonable amount of Vitamin E. Read on!

In the world of vitamins, Vitamin E is one vitamin that has been long admired for its skin-beautification abilities of damaging the effects of free radicals. It not only gives a new, improved definition to skin but also prevents aging to a considerable extent. This is the reason why celebrities are always seen popping up Vitamin E pills to look younger and get rid of wrinkles.

This vitamin is available in eight forms (naturally): (alpha-, beta-, gamma-, and delta-tocopherol and alpha-, beta-, gamma-, and delta-tocotrienol).

In medical words, Vitamin E can be described as the collective name given to a number of fat-soluble compounds that come with distinctive antioxidant properties. This vitamin is best known for its unique ability to inhibit production of reactive oxygen species during the stage of oxidation.

Vitamin E can treat severe health complications such as breast and prostate cancer when taken in high dosages under medical guidance.

Some of the popular sources of Vitamin E are egg, avocado, asparagus, milk, seeds, spinach and leafy vegetables.

So if you want to look young and give your skin a new meaning, intake of Vitamin E is not a luxury but a necessity for you. However, do make sure that the intake is guided and regulated by a qualified medical practitioner.

We hope that this blog on Vitamin E helped you understand the most effective of all vitamins, Vitamin E.

CH-1504, a potential oral drug for treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA), has the potential to encourage women for treating their condition earlier as it is less arduous than presently available treatment options.

It is worth noting here that an early treatment becomes all that necessary as rheumatoid arthritis usually develops between the ages of 35-50 years and is believed to affect women more than men.

The potential therapy was initiated by Dr. M. Gopal Nair, a professor and vice-chairman at the department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of South Alabama.

From News-Medical.Net:

Current treatment options for RA include over-the-counter oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and other pain relievers; oral steroids; but the gold standard for treatment is still methotrexate, a drug that been used for nearly 30 years. Newly available compounds known as biologic response modifiers, such as etanercept and infliximab are used when the disease progresses (mostly in combination with methotrexate) but have to be injected and are very expensive.

While methotrexate is often effective, long-term chronic doses of the drug can be toxic to the liver, kidneys and other organs. Short-term tolerability issues such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea also often limit its use.

“Given the problems that many patients have tolerating methotrexate along with its long-term safety concerns, a drug candidate that is proven to be as effective or more effective than with fewer side effects would be a major breakthrough in the treatment of RA. This may prompt patients to treat their condition earlier and continue treatment longer,” says Dr. Pedder.

Dr. Simon Pedder, CEO of Chelsea Therapeutics, said that drug candidates like CH-1504 can help women when it comes to complying with early RA treatment along with significantly improving their outlook in context to management of conditions even into their later years.

Bone loss, a common side effect of steroid treatments in adults, is not a matter of concern among children who use steroid drugs for treating nephrotic syndrome, as per a new study.

The study shed light on combined effects of steroids: these drugs frequently resulted in obesity, which seems to be protecting children against bone loss.

Childhood nephrotic syndrome affects 3 out of 100,000 children is considered to be the most common chronic kidney disease in children.

From News-Medical.Net:

“Unlike other childhood diseases treated with steroid drugs, such as inflammatory bowel disease or juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, nephrotic syndrome resolves quickly when treated,” said pediatric nephrologist Mary B. Leonard, M.D., of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, lead author of the study. “We specifically chose steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome because we are able to isolate the drug’s effects on bones, without having an underlying systemic disease simultaneously affecting the bones.”

The team led by Dr. Leonard compared 60 children and adolescents with steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome to 195 healthy children. Specialized X- ray measurements showed no signs of osteoporosis, a loss in bone mass, among the nephrotic syndrome patients. The study appeared in the August 26 New England Journal of Medicine.

The co-authors besides Drs. Leonard and Zemel were also from Children’s Hospital, and were Justine Shults, Ph.D.; Bethany J. Foster, M.D.; and Virginia A. Stallings, M.D. Harold I. Feldman, M.D., and all the co-authors were also from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Grants from the National Institute of Health supported the study.

Albuterol, which is a trusted name in the fields of medicines and bodybuilding, is an exceptional drug when it comes to treating breathing disorders and ensuring dramatic performance and muscle improvements.

Albuterol or Albuterol sulfate is considered to be an effective drug for treating breathing disorders such as bronchodilators, exercise-induced bronchospasm, breathing disorders, and asthma. In addition to that, it is also effective for facilitating promotion of new, solid muscles and on-field performance.

The molecular weight of Albuterol is 576.7 g/mol at base and its IUPAC name of Albuterol is 4-[2-(tert-butylamino)-1-hydroxyethyl]-2-(hydroxymethyl) phenol; sulfuric acid. Its empirical formula is (C13H21NO3)2•H2SO4 and this substance is soluble in water and slightly soluble in ethanol.

Recommended dose of Albuterol

The recommended dose of Albuterol is 2 puffs (inhalations) after every 4-6 hours for patients over the age of four years and suffering from breathing disorders.

It is important to note that Albuterol is not meant for individuals treated for diabetes, coronary insufficiency, cardiac arrhythmias (abnormal heartbeat), and hypertension (high blood pressure) and is not to be used by pregnant, nursing, or expecting mother. Albuterol abuse must not happen at any stage else it can lead to side effects such as dry mouth, dizziness, nervousness, tremor, or sweating.

Albuterol is required to be kept at a controlled room temperature of 15°-25°C (59°-77°F) and must be kept away from pets, children, heat, moisture, and sunlight.