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Healthcare online Keeping you up-to-date
VOL.  10     ISSUE:  5   May 2012 Medical Services Department

SQUARE Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

Features

EDITORIAL TEAM

OMAR AKRAMUR RAB

MBBS, FCGP, FIAGP,

P G Dip. Business Management

A.S.M. Shawkat Ali

MBBS, M. Phil

MAHFUZUR RAHMAN

MBBS, MBA

 

EDITORIAL

Dear Doctor,

We hope that you are enjoying this online healthcare bulletin.

Our current issue focused on some interesting features like -

"Teens & Migraine !", "Angioplasty Risk !", "Childhood Cancer !", "Supplement Alert !",  "Curable Cancer !", "Male Contraceptive !".

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.

 Teens & Migraine !

Two-Drug Combo Helps Teens With Migraines

A two-drug combination that relieves migraines in adults also works well in adolescents, new research indicates. Migraines in children and adolescents are physiologically no different from migraines in adults. Although treatments are similar to those used in adults, not many trials have formally tested their effectiveness in children and adolescents. The class of drugs known as triptans are the most studied, but none of those trials have shown a great benefit, possibly because of a large placebo response, the study authors noted. Some 8 percent to 23 percent of children aged 11 and older experience migraines, the researchers stated. For this study, the authors randomly assigned almost 600 teens and preteens 12 to 17 years old to either a placebo or one of three doses of the sumatriptan/naproxen combination over a period of 12 weeks. The doses were 10 milligrams (mg) sumatriptan and 60 mg naproxen, 30/180 mg and 85/500 mg, respectively. Between 23 percent and 29 percent of those who took one of the doses of sumatriptan/naproxen reported being pain-free within two hours of taking the drug, vs. 10 percent in the placebo group. This is a significant amount of people to be pain-free. The 85/500 mg version of the drug showed greater benefit when taking into account pain relief and sensitivity to light and sound. Side effects were minimal and the same in all groups. The authors did state that the 10/60 mg combination may be the best choice for lower-weight adolescents with shorter-duration migraines. Although the combination of sumatriptan and naproxen sodium  isn't approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for this age group, doctors must prescribe it "off label" to adolescents.

SOURCE: HealthDay News, May 2012

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 Angioplasty Risk !

 Angioplasty May Be Risky for Those With Poor Leg Circulation

People with peripheral artery disease have an increased short- and long-term risk of death after undergoing a procedure to open clogged heart arteries, a new study finds. Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a build-up of plaque in the blood vessels of the legs and organs of the body. These cholesterol blockages can interfere with blood flow and cause pain and cramping in the legs, sores that don't heal properly, abdominal pain, high blood pressure and other health problems. For the study, researchers looked at data from nearly 2,500 heart disease patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (which includes both angioplasty and stenting) to open clogged heart arteries. Of those patients, 7 percent also had peripheral artery disease. The death rate while patients were in hospital immediately after the procedure was much higher for those with peripheral artery disease than those without the disease 1.7 percent vs. 0.1 percent. There was not a significant difference between the two groups in their rates of heart attack, stroke and other major complications. Over an average follow-up of 4.4 years, the patients with peripheral artery disease also had a much higher death rate than those without the disease 23.8 percent vs. 10.8 percent. But after the researchers took into account other medical conditions and factors that might influence patients' health, long-term death rates were similar for patients with and without peripheral artery disease. This finding highlights the importance of ongoing preventive measures (healthy diet, adequate exercise). Manage cholesterol levels, diabetes and high blood pressure in patients with peripheral artery disease properly who undergo angioplasty and stenting, according to the researchers.

SOURCE: HealthDay News, May 2012

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 Childhood Cancer !

Birth Defects Linked to Childhood Cancer: study

A new study suggests children born with a range of birth defects are at an increased risk of developing certain childhood cancers, especially during their first year of life. The cancers however are generally rare and the study cannot say one condition causes the other, just that there is a link. Researcher linked several databases from Texas to identify the number of children born in the state between 1996 and 2005, the number born with birth defects and those who developed cancer. There were over three million births in Texas during that 10 year period and about four percent approximately 116,000 of those babies had at least one birth defect, such as Down syndrome and cleft palates. Of all the kids about 2,350 or .08 percent developed cancer during the study period. Of those, 239 had been born with a birth defect. The researchers calculated that children born with birth defects were three times more likely to develop a childhood cancer than those without birth defects. Leukemias, eye and soft-tissue cancers and cancers of the ovaries and testis all seemed to be more common in kids who had birth defects, except those with a musculoskeletal deformity. When the researchers took into account the already well-established link between leukemia and Down syndrome, the association between birth defects and other childhood cancers still remained. The investigators also found that among children with birth defects, those not yet one year old had the highest chance of being diagnosed with cancer. There could be a number of explanations why the link exists said the investigators. Kids' genetics and environment may play a role, along with changes in how a person's internal organs are structured or lifestyle differences in children who were or weren't born with birth defects.

SOURCE: Reuters Health, May 2012

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 Supplement Alert !

Body Building, Diet Supplements Linked to Liver Damage: Study

Body-building and weight-loss products are the types of dietary supplements most likely to cause liver injury, according to a small new study. Liver injury from medication is the main reason drugs are taken off the market. Dietary and herbal supplements which do not require a prescription and can be bought over the counter or online are used by up to 40 percent of people in the United States, but their potential side effects are not well-known. In this study, researchers looked at 109 cases of patients who appeared to have suffered liver injury because of dietary supplements. Most of the patients were male, white and overweight. The study found that supplements for body building and weight loss were most likely to cause liver injury. There is so little regulation of the many products on the market.  Body-building and weight-loss supplements are the most common causes of dietary-supplement-induced liver injury, so these products should target for regulatory efforts. The researchers also noted for further investigation.

SOURCE: HealthDay News, May 2012

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 Curable Cancer !

Colonoscopy May Detect Curable Cancer in Elderly: Study

Colonoscopies help to detect a high rate of curable cancer in elderly people who had the screening for the first time, a new study indicates. For the study, the investigators examined information on 903 outpatient colonoscopies among elderly patients. Specifically, they investigated why these people, aged 76 to 85, underwent a colonoscopy and analyzed the results of the screenings. The study revealed that patients who had never had a colonoscopy before had a cancer rate of 9.4 percent, much higher than those who had had the procedure before.  All of the patients diagnosed with colon cancer underwent successful surgery. In each of these cases the cancers had not yet spread throughout the patients' bodies. The study authors said their findings underscore the importance of colonoscopies. However, they noted, the use of routine screening colonoscopy in the elderly has become controversial since the risks of the procedure outweigh the benefits in people aged 76 and older. The screening facility should be made available and it is worthwhile to offer a screening colonoscopy for elderly patients in good health and functional status who have never previously undergone the test.

SOURCE: HealthDay News, May 2012

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 Male Contraceptive !

Discovery of Gene May Lead to New Male Contraceptive

The discovery of a key gene involved in sperm development could eventually lead to the creation of a new type of non-hormonal birth control for men, a study involving mice suggests. Researchers found that a gene called Katnal1 is critical to enable sperm to mature in the testes. Finding a way to regulate this gene could prevent sperm from maturing, making them incapable of fertilizing eggs. This finding also could lead to new treatments for cases of male infertility in which the Katnal1 gene malfunctions and hampers sperm development, according to the study. The researchers found that male mice modified to lack the Katnal1 gene were infertile. Further investigation revealed that the gene was essential for sperm development and maturation. Successful trials in mice do not necessarily mean the success will translate to humans, however. The important thing is that the effects of such a drug would be reversible because Katnal1 only affects sperm cells in the later stages of development, so it would not hinder the early stages of sperm production and the overall ability to produce sperm, said the researcher. Although other research is being carried out into non-hormonal male contraceptives, identification of a gene that controls sperm production in the way Katnal1 does is a unique and significant step forward in understanding of testis biology, researcher concluded.

SOURCE: HealthDay News, May 2012

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New Products of SQUARE Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

  Product Siglimet®
  Generic Name Sitagliptin Metformin
  Strength

50 mg 1000 mg, 50 mg 500 mg

  Dosage form Tablet
  Therapeutic Category Oral Antidiabetic Drugs
  Product Barif®
Generic Name

Febuxostat

Strength 40 mg, 80 mg
Dosage form Tablet
Therapeutic Category Anti-Gout Preparation
  Product Sulprex HFA®
  Generic Name Salbutamol Ipratropium
  Strength (100 mcg 20 mcg)/puff
  Dosage form Inhaler
  Therapeutic Category Inhalant Antiasthmatic - Metered Dose Inhaler

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