Features

Coffee & Cancer !

Creatine & Parkinson's !

  Methamphetamine  Alert !

      Preterm Delivery Risk !

    Sleep Alert !

Vit-D Linked DM !

New Products of SQUARE Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

EDITORIAL TEAM

OMAR AKRAMUR RAB

MBBS, FCGP, FIAGP,

P G Dip. Business Management

MAHFUZUR RAHMAN

 MBBS, MBA

EDITORIAL

Dear Doctor:

Welcome to online bulletin 'e-SQUARE' .

Our current issue focused on some interesting features like

"Coffee & Cancer !", "Creatine & Parkinson's !", "Methamphetamine Alert !", "Preterm Delivery Risk !", "Sleep Alert !", "Vit-D Linked DM !".

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.

                                                              Methamphetamine May Be More Harmful To Teen Brains

Long-term use of methamphetamine causes more brain damage in teens than adults, a new study finds. Researchers conducted MRI brain scans of 51 teen and 54 adult chronic methamphetamine abusers. They compared those scans to those of 60 teens and 60 adults who didn't use the drug. The study participants were all from South Korea. Compared to the adult methamphetamine users, the teen methamphetamine users had greater and more widespread changes in their brains. The damage was especially evident in the frontal cortex, an area believed to be involved in people's ability to organize, reason and remember things (cognitive ability). "It's particularly unfortunate that meth appears to damage that part of the brain, which is still developing in young people and is critical for cognitive ability," study author said. "Damage to that part of the brain is especially problematic because adolescents' ability to control risky behavior is less mature than that of adults. The findings may help explain the severe behavioral issues and relapses that are common in adolescent drug addiction," author added. "There is a critical period of brain development for specific functions, and it appears that adolescents who abuse methamphetamine are at great risk for derailing that process," study senior author said. Teens typically use smaller amounts of methamphetamine than adults, so these findings suggest that it takes much less methamphetamine to cause greater damage in teens' brains than it would in adults, according to the authors of the study. Results were published recently in the journal Molecular Psychiatry. "I think the results show it is hugely important to keep kids off drugs," study author said.

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                                                                                               Long Sleep Time, Higher Stroke Risk

Adults who sleep more than eight hours a night may face a higher risk of stroke, a new analysis suggests. These so-called "long sleepers" were 46 percent more likely to have a stroke than those who got only six to eight hours of sleep a night, the researchers found. However, the researchers don't know if the long sleep is a cause, consequence or early warning sign of declining brain health. After reviewing previous research on the possible link between sleep and stroke risk, they said they only found an association that they can't explain. "Previous studies have already suggested a possible association between sleep and risk of stroke," lead researcher said. But the new analysis also looked at the relationship between a change in sleeping duration over time and how that affected stroke risk. While the possible link needs more research, lead author said the message is definitely not to cut sleep to reduce stroke risk. Adequate sleep is crucial for good health. In the study, the researchers followed nearly 9,700 people participating in a European study, tracking their sleep patterns and any incidence of stroke for nearly 10 years. The men and women, average age 62 when the study started, reported their sleep duration once between 1998 and 2000, and again four years later. They told how many hours they slept a night and how well they slept. About 70 percent said they slept six to eight hours a night. One in 10 said they slept more than eight hours. Those who slept less than six hours or more than eight were likely to be older, female and not physically active. Over the follow-up period, 346 people had strokes. Those who slept longer than eight hours had a 46 percent increased stroke risk, and those who slept less than six hours had an 18 percent higher risk. But the number in the group reporting less than six hours of sleep a night was too small to call that link statistically solid, researcher said. Those who reported being long sleepers in both of the two surveys faced double the risk of stroke when compared to those who reported average sleep times, according to the study. And people whose sleep pattern changed -- from sleeping less than six hours a night to more than eight hours a night -- had about four times the risk of stroke as those who consistently got an average amount of sleep, researcher found. Lack of sleep can lead to higher stress hormone levels, in turn raising blood pressure and stroke risk. But after lead researcher took factors such as high blood pressure into account, the relationship between long sleep and stroke risk persisted.

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                                                               Low Levels Of Vitamin D Linked To Type 2 Diabetes Risk

People with low levels of vitamin D appear to have an increased risk for type 2 diabetes, even if they aren't overweight or obese, a new study suggests. The study included almost 150 people in Spain. Their vitamin D levels were checked, as was their body mass index. They also had tests for diabetes, prediabetes or other blood sugar metabolism disorders. Obese people who didn't have diabetes or related disorders had higher vitamin D levels than those with diabetes. Lean people with diabetes or related disorders were more likely to have low vitamin D levels than those without such disorders. The results show that vitamin D levels were more closely linked to blood sugar levels than BMI, according to the study. What the study wasn't able to tease out, however, was whether or not vitamin D played a role in causing diabetes or other disorders that affect the metabolism of glucose. The study was only designed to find an association between these factors. The findings were published recently in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. "Our findings indicate that vitamin D is associated more closely with glucose metabolism than obesity," study author said. He said the study suggests that vitamin D deficiency and obesity may work together to heighten the risk of diabetes. "The average person may be able to reduce their risk by maintaining a healthy diet and getting enough outdoor activity," he said. Previous research has found that people with low vitamin D levels are more likely to be obese and to have diabetes, prediabetes and related disorders. Exposure to sunlight triggers the body to produce vitamin D, which is also found in certain foods. The researchers say more than 1 billion people worldwide have low vitamin D levels due to limited exposure to sunlight.

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