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Healthcare online Keeping you up-to-date
VOL.  5     ISSUE:  7    July 31, 2007 Medical Services Department

SQUARE Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

EDITORIAL

Dear Doctor,

Welcome to this edition of 'e-SQUARE'. Hope you are enjoying this online healthcare bulletin.

Our current issue focused on some interesting features like -
"Molecular Beacon Colors Cancer !", "Deep Belly Fat Marker !",
"Old Technique Reduces Asthma !", "Early Heart Disease Indicator !",
 "Ca+2 & Vit D Stop Diabetes  !", "CTCA Raise Cancer Risk !".

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

We will appreciate 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.
 Molecular Beacon Colors Cancer !

New Fluorescent Agent Enables Surgeons To See Cancer Cells 500 Times Better Than MRI

Precision of surgical resection is directly proportional to patient prognosis in many types of cancer. However, recognition of tumor margins during operation mainly depends on surgeon’s judgment giving way to residual cancer cell or even may involve harming vital healthy tissues. As for example, >80% of brain malignancies recur at the site of surgical margins. In spite of substantial advancement in imaging techniques and intra-operative monitoring, removal of tumor is not 100% successful due to lack of tools to distinguish tumor cells from healthy tissues during surgery. Recent advances in molecular biology, genomic and proteomics yielded information regarding molecules that are predominantly expressed in malignant cells. By targeting these molecules with chemical beacons now tumor cells can specifically illuminated. One such beacon is bio-conjugation composed of chlorotoxin (CTX), a 36 amino acid peptide and Cy5.5. Cy5.5. is a fluorescent molecular beacon that emits photons in near infra red (NIR) spectrum. While MRI scans can detect tumors if more than 1 million cancer cells are present, CTX:Cy5.5 can illuminate if only 2000 malignant cells are present in a tumor, making it 500 times efficient than MRI. Not only that, CTX:Cy5.5 signals last for 14 days whereas contrast agent washes away in minutes. The combination works well in many other tissues, but is especially helpful in brain. By allowing surgeons to see cancer that would be undetectable by other means, surgical removal of tumor will give cancer patients better outcomes.
SOURCE: EurekAlert July 15, 2007

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 Deep Belly Fat Marker !

Serum Retinol-Binding Protein Effectively Indicate Levels Of Intra-Abdominal Fat

Amount of fat surrounding abdominal organs, known as visceral fat, has already been linked to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Researchers have previously found serum retinol binding protein (RBP), a transport protein that carries vitamin A in the blood, has close relations with waist circumference and intra-abdominal fat mass. Another study suggests that, increased RBP4 means less insulin sensitivity and increased chances of developing diabetes mellitus type 2. Recently they have revealed that RBP4 is preferentially produced in the deep fat than subcutaneous fat. In fact, RBP4 gene activity in the visceral fat is 60 fold and subcutaneous fat 12 fold comparing with lean persons. In response to gene activity blood levels of RBP4 may rise two to three times higher than lean patients. Regardless of whether lean or obese, higher blood levels of RBP4 means more visceral fat and more insulin resistance. Unlike subcutaneous fat, visceral fat is situated deep into the abdomen and evaluating the amount of visceral fat is not very easy. By means of determining serum RBP4, not only exact amount of deep belly fat can be measured, but also diabetes and cardiovascular diseases and prediabetic states can easily be predicted.

SOURCE: HealthDay, July 12, 2007.

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 Old Technique Reduces Asthma !

Asthma Symptoms And Quality Of Life Improved Using Old Breathing Technique

Papworth method is an integrated breathing and relaxation technique implemented by physiotherapists for patients with asthma and dysfunctional breathing since 1960s. The method is a sequence of breathing and relaxation exercises developed at Papworth Hospital, UK. Although the technique was being used for so long time, there had been no randomized trial that examined the efficacy of the Papworth method. Recently 85 asthma patients were randomly assigned to receive usual care (Control Group) or five sessions of the Papworth method. The technique teaches asthma patients how to reduce rapid shallow breathing during times of stress in favour of more relaxed deep breathing. Respiratory symptoms and mood were evaluated using standard tests at the beginning of the study and at 6 and 12 months time. According to the study the intervention group experienced significant improvement regarding respiratory symptoms than the control group. .Moreover, the method was capable to reduce anxiety and depression as well as dysfunctional breathing in asthma patients. However objective measures of respiratory function did not differ much between the two groups. The study was first to evaluate the year old method and findings suggests that it can be used in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases as well.
SOURCE: Ivanhoe Newswire, July 2, 2007.

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 Early Heart Disease Indicator !

Blood Levels Of Myeloperoxidase Can Predict Development Of Heart Disease

Decades ago myeloperoxidase (MPO) was linked to tissue damage and inflammation. Further research and genetic studies showed that it is involved in development of heart diseases. First commercially available test for MPO detection in blood is more than a year old. Even there are researches targeted to develop drugs to inhibit MPO. There is nothing new to this enzyme, secreted from white blood cells in response to inflammation, except one. The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study included 1,138 apparently healthy people who eventually developed coronary artery disease (CAD) and another 2,237 control subjects who remained free from CAD and then followed up for 8 years. According to the study incidence of heart disease was 49 percent higher in persons having higher MPO levels than those who had lower values. In fact people having high MPO levels are at risk of developing heart disease even if they have other biomarkers normal. This finding is potentially important because increased serum MPO levels now can predict heart disease in apparently healthy people so that proper measures can be taken before CAD can develop.
SOURCE: HealthDay, July 2, 2007.

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 Ca+2 & Vit D Stop Diabetes  !

Supplementation With Vitamin D And Calcium May Improve Blood Sugar And Insulin Levels

Recent studies suggest that vitamin D and calcium homeostasis is not only important for bone mineralization but also involved in other non-skeletal outcomes including neuromuscular function, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis and colorectal and prostate cancer. Based on animal studies vitamin D and calcium have also been suspected as modifiers of diabetes risk. More recently, evidences are building up to suggest that alteration in vitamin D and calcium homeostasis may play a role in development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Combining results from multiple studies, linking type 2 diabetes with calcium and vitamin D intake, suggests that people those who take highest amount of vitamin D and calcium has 18 percent less risks of diabetes than those with the lowest intakes. A clear patho-physiology is not known yet. But it is true that vitamin D has role in pancreatic b cell function. Insulin response to glucose appears to be affected exclusively by vitamin D. On the other hand, as insulin secretion is a calcium-dependant process, calcium metabolism must have an indirect effect on b cell functions. Calcium is also essential for insulin-mediated intracellular processes in insulin-responsive tissues such as skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. However, not enough evidence is gathered to conclusively link deficiency of calcium and vitamin D in developing diabetes mellitus. But rising incidence of diabetes in American population who are recently taking less dietary intake of calcium and vitamins may suggest another clue.
SOURCE: Reuters Health, July 16, 2007.

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 CTCA Raise Cancer Risk !

Radiation From CT Coronary Angiography May Give Rise To Cancer In Young And Women

Cardiac patients, those who are chosen for a computer tomography (CT) scan for coronary angiography, should now be aware that the levels of radiation which comes out during the process may give rise to cancer later in life. This is particularly more common in younger patients and women. Researchers found that 1 in every 686 young patient aged 20 years will eventually develop some kind of cancer. In women of same age the number is 1 out of every 143. One out of every 284 woman of 40s will suffer from breast, lung or other cancer. The study also showed that women below 32 years are more likely to develop breast cancer. Those who are above 32 years are prone to develop lung cancer. The number of male sufferers reduces with age. One in every 1,241 men above 60 years would develop cancer during their life. For those who are more than 80 years old, the frequency is 1 out of 3,261. Age related decrease in cancer development may be logical because it takes about 12 years after radiation to develop cancer. So by the time old people, those who had CT scan at the age of 80 or so, would develop cancer they are probably dead due to old age or other diseases. Eventually, it in the hand of the physicians to decide - who requires CT angiography and who does not, by evaluating the risk-benefit ratio for their patients.
SOURCE: HealthDay, July 17, 2007.

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New Products of SQUARE Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
  Product Vanprox® Forte Powder For Suspension
  Generic Name Cefpodoxime Proxetil
  Strength 80 mg/5 ml
  Dosage form Powder for suspension
  Therapeutic Category Cephalosporins and Combinations
  Product Loratin® Plus
Generic Name

Loratadine USP and Pseudoephedrine Sulfate USP
Strength Loratadine USP 10 mg and Pseudoephedrine Sulfate USP 240 mg
Dosage form Bi-layer Tablet
Therapeutic Category Anti-Histamine and Systemic nasal decongestant combination
  Product Carbizol®
  Generic Name Carbimazole
  Strength 5 mg Tablet
  Dosage form Tablet
  Therapeutic Category Anti-thyroid preparation

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