Features

Pain Killer & IBD

Drug Warning !

Grain Facts !

NT-proBNP Test !

New Vaccine !

Weight & Gallstone

New Products of SQUARE Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

EDITORIAL TEAM

OMAR AKRAMUR RAB

MBBS, FCGP, FIAGP, FRSH (UK)

P G Dip. Business Management

LATIFA NISHAT, MBBS

MAHFUZUR RAHMAN, MBBS

MAHBUBUR RAHMAN, MBBS

EDITORIAL

Dear Doctor:

Welcome to this edition of 'e-SQUARE' healthcare online !

Our current issue focused on some interesting features like "Pain Killer & IBD, Drug Warning, Grain Facts, NT-proBNP Test, New Vaccine, Weight & Gallstone".

In our regular feature, we have some new products information of SQUARE Pharmaceuticals Ltd. as well.

Please send us your feedback !

Click on to reply mode.

Yours sincerely,

Editorial Team

Reply Mode      : e-square@squaregroup.com

The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of its editor or SQUARE PHARMACEUTICALS LTD.

Pain Killers Help IBD

Two different studies reveal painkillers can help ease the pain of Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD) without causing a flare-up of symptoms. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are often prescribed to this group of patients to treat associated arthritis, back pain, fractures and osteoarthritis. Physicians have considered NSAIDs for the treatment of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Now, because of these new studies, they may offer a new treatment option for patients. In the first study, researchers from England treated more than 200 IBD patients with one of a number of NSAIDs for four weeks. The patients were monitored every four to 12 months for a relapse in their condition. In the end, researchers say patients with IBD are able to tolerate short-term use of NSAIDs and less than one in three is likely to experience a flare-up in symptoms. They also discovered COX-2 inhibitors, previously believed to symptom recurrence, reduced the likelihood of a relapse. Based on these findings, researchers say, "The tolerability to the selective COX- inhibitor nimesulide and low-dose aspirin might be important when contemplating anti-inflammatory analgesic and cardiovascular prophylactic treatment, respectively, in these patients." The second study, out of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., examined the effect of COX-2 inhibitors on more than 200 ulcerative colitis patients in remission. Patients were treated with either celecoxib or a placebo for two weeks. They were observed for disease exacerbation. The study showed no significant relapse in patients on the active medication compared to those on the placebo.

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FDA Calls Strongest Warning on ADHD Drugs

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) advisory panel recommended the strongest possible label warning for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) drugs because of potential cardiac risks. The FDA advisory committee voted 8-7, with one abstention, to add a "black box" warning to the drugs, which include methylphenidates. Amphetamines are also commonly used for the disorder. In August 2004, the FDA added a warning to amphetamines, telling patients with heart conditions not to use the drug. The recommendation came after reports of the deaths of 25 people, 19 of them children, among people using both types of medications. Meeting was prompted by reports of 25 deaths and 54 cases of serious cardiovascular problems in adults and children between 1999 and 2003. An earlier FDA review found less than one death or serious injury per 1 million ADHD drug prescriptions filled. In the case of nonfatal cardiovascular or cerebrovascular problem, the number was 1.79 cases per 1 million in adults treated with amphetamines.

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Whole Grains Reduce Diabetes, Heart Disease Risk

Diets rich in whole grains can lower the risk of diabetes and heart disease, according to a recent study. "Results suggest a lower risk of diabetes and heart disease in persons who consume diets high in whole grains," said the study. Such diets would include bran, whole wheat, fruit and vegetables. The study examined the diet records and blood samples of nearly 1,000 healthy middle-aged adults and measured levels of insulin and hemoglobin A as an index of diabetes risk, as well as homocysteine and cholesterol concentration to gauge coronary heart disease. It noted that higher intake of whole grains was associated with higher levels of physical activity, greater fruit and vegetable intake, less smoking and lower consumption of alcohol and saturated and monounsaturated fats. The study's authors concluded that while there appears to be a lowered risk of diabetes and heart disease among individuals who consume higher levels of whole grains, the mechanism for how this works is unclear. However, whole grains are a rich source of fiber, minerals, vitamins and antioxidants. "These compounds all may have important biological functions, which as a whole could make an important contribution to reductions in diabetes and ischemic heart disease," the study's authors wrote, speculating that slower digestion is likely a key factor as well.

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Blood Test Predicts Death Risk

Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston who followed up on nearly 600 patients originally enrolled in another study aimed at determining if the test -- which screens for the presence of the NT-proBNP protein, a marker of heart muscle stress -- could help diagnose heart failure in patients with shortness of breath. Researchers found the NT-proBNP test was significantly useful in diagnosing people with heart failure. The current study revealed the protein was also linked to a higher risk of death even in people without a heart failure diagnosis. Forty percent of the patients who died during the next year did not have heart failure at the initial visit. These other patients were found to have a range of medical problems, such as obstructive airway disease, pneumonia, pulmonary thomboembolism, chest pain or acute coronary syndrome, bacterial sepsis, or cancer. Researchers concluded that regardless of whether the patient had been diagnosed with heart failure, elevated levels of this protein were strongly prognostic for death at one year, and low-levels identified those at the lowest risk and based on these results researchers also recommend that every patient coming to a hospital with shortness of breath be tested for NT-proBNP.

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New Vaccine Prevents Otitis Media in Children

A new Research reveals a new vaccine could help prevent the condition in children under 2 years old. Researchers from the Czech Republic tested a vaccine containing 11 different strains of S. pneumoniae attached to a protein derived from H. influenzae. More than 4,000 infants received either the pneumococcal protein D vaccine (intervention group) or hepatitis A vaccine (control group) at ages 3, 4, 5, and 12-15 months. At the end of their second year of life, the study revealed 333 cases of otitis media in the pneumococcal protein D vaccine group and 499 in the control group. Results reveal the vaccine not only protects against pneumoccal otitis media, but also against the infection when it's caused by H. influenzae. Overall, the vaccine reduced the number of middle ear infections by about a third. This is a significant amount, especially considering the condition accounts for nearly 20 million pediatrician visits every year in the United States.

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Abdominal Weight and Gallstones 

New research reveals women with extra weight around their middles have nearly double the risk of developing gallstones and the need for surgery to remove them. Researchers examined 42,000 women who are part of the ongoing Nurses Health Study. All the women were between ages 39 and 66 when the gallstone study began in 1986. None had gallstones at the time. Results reveal women whose waists were 36 inches or more were almost twice as likely to need surgery to remove gallstones as those with waists measuring 26 inches or less. Waist to hip ratio increased the risk by about 40 percent among women with a ratio of 0.88 compared with those whose ratio was 0.70 or less. The results applied even to women who were not considered overweight by body mass index standards. Researchers say there may be a biological link between gallstones and abdominal weight. They note the type of fat around the waist is more metabolically active than fat in other parts of the body.

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Calcium + Vitamin-C