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Healthcare online Keeping you up-to-date
VOL.  10     ISSUE:  11  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 SIKDER

MBBS, MBA

 

EDITORIAL

Dear Doctor,

Welcome to this edition of 'e-SQUARE'.

Our current issue focused on some interesting features like -

"Depression & Gender !", "Heart Failure Risk !", "Nonsmokers Gene !",       "Childhood Anxiety !",  "Kidney & Mental Skill !", "Men's Fertility !".

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.
 Depression & Gender !

Study Reveals Gender Gap in Spotting Depression

People are more likely to be able to identify symptoms of depression in women than men, according to a study that looked at how gender influences public perceptions of people with depression. Study participants were given descriptions of identical symptoms of depression in a fictitious man and woman and asked whether they had depression and whether they should seek professional help. Based on the information both men and women were likely to conclude that women had depression, but men were less likely than women to suggest had depression, according to study author. All of the study participants and especially men, found women’s case significantly more distressing, hard to treat and worthy of sympathy than men's case. In addition, men were more likely than women to suggest that women seek professional mental health help, while both men and women were equally likely to make this suggestion for men. Investigator also found that skepticism about psychiatry and anti-scientific attitudes influenced people's views about depression. The findings, could prove helpful in efforts to improve public awareness and knowledge about mental health issues, said the researcher.
SOURCE: HealthDay News, November 2012

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 Heart Failure Risk !

 Heart Failure Patients May Be at Higher Risk for Cancer: Study

People suffering from heart failure may have a nearly 60 percent higher risk of developing cancer, a preliminary study suggests. Moreover, cancer appeared to increase the risk of death in heart failure patients by 46 percent. Heart failure occurs when the heart can't pump enough blood to keep the body supplied with oxygen and nutrients. Since patients with heart failure are at greater risk of dying anyway, the question is whether developing cancer made death even more likely. In patients with heart failure, death often occurs from other causes, such as cancer. More emphasis should be put on cancer surveillance and prevention in this population. For the study, researchers collected data on 961 people recently diagnosed with heart failure, comparing them to similar people without the condition. At the time of diagnosis, heart failure patients had similar rates of cancer to those without heart failure. During over six years of follow-up, the researchers found that the risk for cancer among heart failure patients was significantly higher than among those without heart failure. Cancer rates in heart failure patients were similar for men and women, but people under 75 were more likely to develop cancer. One expert says that heart failure patients may be at risk for cancer because their bodies are already compromised-making another disease more probable or the finding could be just an association rather than a direct cause-and-effect relationship. Certain risk factors for heart failure including older age, diabetes, obesity and smoking are also well-established risk factors for cancer. This new analysis of heart failure patients from a single community suggests that patients with heart failure may be at increased risk for developing cancer independent of these established risk factors, said the investigator. Heart failure activates a variety of pro-inflammatory pathways which may in turn increase cancer risk. However, these findings may instead reflect confounding rather than a true causal relationship. Further studies are needed to corroborate these findings.

SOURCE: HealthDay News, November 2012

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 Nonsmokers Gene !

Scientists Find Gene Differences in Nonsmokers With Lung Cancer

Three genetic regions associated with increased lung cancer risk in Asian women who have never smoked have been identified by an international team of scientists. They said their findings provide further proof that the risk of lung cancer among people who never smoked, especially Asian women, may be associated with specific genetic characteristics that distinguish it from lung cancer in smokers. The researchers analyzed data from 14 studies that included a total of about 14,000 Asian women (6,600 with lung cancer and 7,500 without the disease). The team found that variations at three locations in the genome-two on chromosome 6 and one on chromosome 10 were associated with lung cancer in Asian women who never smoked. The discovery on chromosome 10 was especially important because it has not been found in previous research, according to the study. The study provides strong evidence that common inherited genetic variants contribute to an increased risk of lung cancer among Asian women who have never smoked. These variants may also increase lung cancer risk associated with environmental factors, such as environmental tobacco smoke, study co-author added. The researchers did not find an association between lung cancer risk in Asian women who had never smoked and variations at a location on chromosome 15 that has been linked with lung cancer risk in smokers. This provides further proof that the genetic variation on chromosome 15 may be smoking related, the investigator said. The research team also found some evidence that Asian women with one of the newly identified genetic variants may be more vulnerable to the effects of secondhand smoke. But more research is needed to confirm this. Lung cancer among people who have never smoked is the seventh leading cause of cancer death worldwide, according to the release. The three genetic variations identified in this study have not been associated with lung cancer risk in other populations.
SOURCE: HealthDay News, November 2012

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 Childhood Anxiety !

Parents' Social Anxiety May Raise Kids' Risk for Anxiety Disorder

Parental social anxiety should be considered a risk factor for childhood anxiety, according to researchers. In a new study, researchers from Johns Hopkins Children's Center found that kids with parents who have social anxiety disorder-the most common form of anxiety-are at greater risk for developing an anxiety disorder than kids whose parents have other forms of anxiety. The study revealed that the parental behaviors that contributed to children's anxiety included a lack of warmth and affection as well as high levels of criticism and doubt. In conducting the study, researchers examined the interactions between 66 anxious parents and their children, whose ages ranged from 7 to 12 years. Of the parents, 21 had social anxiety; the rest were diagnosed with another form of anxiety, such as panic disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Each parent-child team was videotaped while working together to write speeches about themselves and also to copy designs on an Etch-a-Sketch. They were given five minutes to complete each task. On a scale of one to five, the researchers rated the affection and criticism the parents showed their children. The study authors found that parents with social anxiety were less warm and affectionate toward their children. These parents also criticized their children more and tended to doubt their child's ability to complete each task. Investigator added that doctors treating parents with social anxiety should discuss the risk their condition poses to their children. They also noted that controlling environmental factors that contribute to anxiety can help prevent these children from developing the disorder. The study authors mentioned that anxiety disorder affects one in five children in the United States. If left untreated, the condition can lead to depression, substance abuse and poor performance in school. 
SOURCE: HealthDay News, November 2012

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 Kidney & Mental Skill !

Reduced Kidney Function Tied to Mental Decline

Decreased kidney function leads to declines in thinking and memory, a new study says. Researchers looked at changes in kidney function and mental skills for five years in nearly 600 people. The greater the decrease in a person's kidney function during that time, the greater their decline in overall intellectual abilities, particularly abstract reasoning and verbal memory. The brain and kidney are both organs that are affected by the cardiovascular systems. They are both affected by things like blood pressure and hypertension, so it is natural to expect that changes in one organ are going to be linked with changes in another, said the researcher. The findings highlight the importance of diagnosing and managing chronic kidney disease. Kidney function tends to decrease naturally as people get older. So if there's an extra issue involved in renal function like chronic kidney disease, it should be identified as soon as possible and needs to be managed, just like managing hypertension. Researcher noted that the decrease in intellectual skills caused by reduced kidney function is not so significant that it would interfere with patients being able to participate in the treatment of their kidney disease. Patients are still going to be able to take their medicine on time and without assistance, as well as understand the information that their physician is sharing with them about their disease, investigator said. Although the study found an association between decreased kidney function and a decline in mental skills, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.
SOURCE: HealthDay News, November 2012

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 Men's Fertility !

Sperms' Length Linked to Men's Fertility

Men with wide variation in the length of their sperm, particularly in the tail, have lower concentrations of sperm that are good swimmers, a new study indicates. The finding could provide doctors with a new marker for fertility problems in men, the researchers suggest. In the study, the investigators analyzed sperm from 103 men and found that those with sperm having longer overall length, longer tail length and higher tail-to-head length ratios had higher concentrations of sperm that are good swimmers. They also found that the greater the variation in sperm length, particularly tail length, the lower a man's concentration of sperm that could swim well. The finding could give clinicians new insight into the diagnosis and treatment of male fertility problems which accounts for up to 50 percent of the cases where couples struggle to conceive, lead author said. The results suggest that measurable variation in sperm length may be an indication of trouble with the process of making sperm and that this trouble results in a lower concentration of sperm that swim well, researcher noted. It's not known what might cause sperm production problems that would result in inconsistent lengths of sperm or low concentrations of sperm that are good swimmers. There are so many factors that govern sperm production, including environmental factors, genetic factors and their interaction, investigator said.
SOURCE: HealthDay News, November 2012

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New Products of SQUARE Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
  Product Viglimet®
  Generic Name Vildagliptin+Metformin
  Strength

50 mg + 500 mg, 50 mg + 850 mg
  Dosage form Tablet
  Therapeutic Category Oral Antidiabetic
  Product Ofran® Suppository
Generic Name

Ondansetron
Strength 16 mg
Dosage form Suppository
Therapeutic Category Antiemetic
  Product Truxil®
  Generic Name Almitrine+Raubasine
  Strength 30 mg + 10 mg
  Dosage form Tablet
  Therapeutic Category Cerebral Vasodilator

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