e-SQUARE, April 2009




SQUARE

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SQUARE

Healthcare online	Keeping you up-to-date
VOL. 7 ISSUE: 4 April 29, 2009	Medical Services Department **SQUARE Pharmaceuticals Ltd.**

Features

Pancreatic Cancer Alert !

Better Imaging !

New Weapon !

Helping Autistic !

Depression And Heart Failure !

Diabetes Prevention !

New Products of SQUARE Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

EDITORIAL TEAM

OMAR AKRAMUR RAB

MBBS, FCGP, FIAGP,

P G Dip. Business Management

MAHFUZUR RAHMAN, MBBS

EDITORIAL

Dear Doctor,

Welcome to this edition of 'e-SQUARE'.

Our current issue focused on some interesting features like -

"Pancreatia Cancer Alert !", "Better Imaging !", "New Weapon !", "Helping Autistic", "Depression And Heart Failure !", "Diabetes Prevention !".

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.

Pancreatic Cancer Alert !
Well-Done Meat Linked To Pancreatic Cancer
A new study finds people who eat meat cooked at high temperatures to the point of burning and charring could be at an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Those who prefer their meat cooked this way were almost 60 percent more likely to get pancreatic cancer than those who ate steak less well done or did not eat steak at all. When researchers estimated the meat-derived carcinogen intake using overall consumption and doneness preferences, those with the highest intake had 70 percent higher risk than those with the lowest risk. The link was associated with people who consumed well and very well done meats cooked by frying, grilling or barbecuing. These cooking methods form carcinogens, which do not form when meat is baked or stewed. Researchers suggested people who like to eat fried or barbecued meat should consider turning down the heat or cutting off burned portions when it's finished. "The precursors of cancer-causing compounds can be reduced by microwaving the meat for a few minutes and pouring off the juices before cooking it on the grill," according to an associate professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.
SOURCE: Ivanhoe Newswire, April 2009	Return to top

Better Imaging !
Better Imaging For Tumors
Stanford researchers developed a specially designed dye containing nanoparticles – tiny particles between 1 and 100 nanometers in diameter. The new technology picks up Raman signals that molecules emit in response to light, which occur when energy levels of electrons are modified by weak interactions within a molecule. Current imaging technology, known as single-cell flow cytometry, can produce as many as 17 simultaneous visualizations. The new nanoparticle imaging could simultaneously image as many as 100 features within a single cell. Using the technology, scientists may be able to better diagnose cancers by determining how aggressive the tumor’s cells are and identifying a tumor cell’s stage of progression and resistance to chemotherapy drugs, helping them test cancer treatments more quickly. Further research is needed to fully develop the new technology.
SOURCE: Ivanhoe Newswire, April 2009	Return to top

New Weapon !
New Weapon To Fight Pancreatic Cancer
Researchers may have found a new weapon to wield in the fight against one of the deadliest forms of cancer. A therapy combining “tigatuzumab” and “gemcitabine” demonstrated the ability to cause remission of pancreatic cancer tumors in a recent study. The combined therapies reduced the number of pancreatic cancer stem cells, caused tumor remission, and significantly increased time-to-tumor progression in 50 percent of mice treated ith the drugs. The drug tigatuzumab targets a receptor called DR-5 that is enriched in cancer stem cells, and gemcitabine reduces tumor size. Treatment with gemcitabine alone was shown to reduce tumor size but leave behind tumor cells that were full of cancer stem cells. The tigatuzumab worked by attacking those stem cells. "Clinically, this discovery could transform the way in which pancreatic cancer is treated and contribute towards making pancreatic cancer a more manageable disease, according to a faculty member at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Most pancreatic cancer patients die within the first year of diagnosis since few effective treatments exist for the disease once it sets in.
SOURCE: Ivanhoe Newswire, April 2009	Return to top

Helping Autistic !
Helping Autistic Kids Sleep
As many as 89 percent of children with autism spectrum disorder (ADS) and 77 percent of children with Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) -- the most common form of inherited mental impairment and a known cause of autism -- report sleep problems. Researchers believe sleep disorders are more common in these children due to abnormal levels of melatonin, a natural hormone believed to promote sleep at night. In a study of 12 children with ADS or FXS between the ages of 12 and 15.25, children who used “melatonin” for two weeks increased their sleep duration by an average of 21 minutes compared to placebo. They also shortened the length of time it took them to begin to feel tired by 28 minutes, and the time to fall asleep was faster by 42 minutes. Study authors say in addition to melatonin, behavior therapies and sleep hygiene practices should be used in children with ADS and FXS.
SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2009	Return to top

Depression And Heart Failure !
Depression Increases Risk Of Heart Failure
Heart disease patients diagnosed with depression could be in double trouble. New research shows these patients are at an increased risk of heart failure after a diagnosis of depression. In a recent study, researchers found depression diagnosis following coronary artery disease (CAD) was associated with a two-fold increased risk for the incidence of heart failure. "Interestingly, when patients with depression were stratified by whether they received antidepressant medication or not, the incidence of heart failure didn't change,” according to an epidemiologist at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah. “This finding may indicate that antidepressants may not be able to alter the physical or behavioral risks associated with depression and heart failure, despite a potential improvement in depressive symptoms," the researcher added. Researchers note there are overlapping risk factors between depression and heart failure, including smoking, hypertension, diabetes and being overweight. Other studies have also linked depression to neglecting good health habits and adhering to medical treatment, all of which could contribute to the results of this new study. The researchers say their findings suggest careful screening for depression among CAD patients.
SOURCE: Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2009	Return to top

Diabetes Prevention !
Drug Found Useful In Preventing Diabetes
A drug used to reduce sugar levels in diabetics appears to be useful in delaying or even preventing the disease in people predisposed to developing diabetes, a study in Japan has found. The study found that fewer people who were given the generic drug “voglibose” went on to develop diabetes compared to those who received placebo. While the study was supposed to last three years, researchers found that “voglibose” was much better than placebo before the end of the first year, and an independent monitoring panel terminated the study early. "Long term prophylaxis with this (drug) in high-risk individuals with impaired glucose tolerance could provide a pharmacological option, along with lifestyle modification, to help reduce the burden of type 2 diabetes," the researchers added. The trial, conducted at Juntendo University School of Medicine in Tokyo, involved 1,780 patients who were assessed to be at high risk of developing diabetes. Among them, 897 took “voglibose” three times a day, while 883 were given placebos. Fifty of the “voglibose” patients went on to develop diabetes, compared to 106 in the placebo group -- which meant that those treated with “voglibose” had a 40 percent lower risk of progression to type 2 diabetes than those receiving placebo. Furthermore, patients on “voglibose” were 54 percent more likely to achieve normal blood sugar levels than those given placebo. "This study showed that, if best efforts to educate individuals do not work, treatment with “voglibose” could be an important way forward," as per the scientist of the division of diabetes at Belgium's University of Liege.
SOURCE: Reuters Health, April 2009	Return to top

New Products of SQUARE Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

	Product	Fexo^® Suspension
	Generic Name	Fexofenadine Hydrochloride USP
	Strength	30 mg/5 ml
	Dosage form	Suspension
	Therapeutic Category	Systemic antihistamine
	Product	Cadnyl^® 4 Tablet
	Generic Name	Perindopril Erbumine BP
	Strength	4 mg
	Dosage form	Film Coated Tablet
	Therapeutic Category	ACE inhibitor
	Product	Flugal^® 200 Capsule
	Generic Name	Fluconazole USP
	Strength	200 mg
	Dosage form	Capsule
	Therapeutic Category	Systemic antifungal

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