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Healthcare online Keeping you up-to-date
VOL.  10     ISSUE:  10    October  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,

Welcome to this edition of 'e-SQUARE'.

Our current issue focused on some interesting features like -"Better Transplants !", "Lung Cancer Test !", "HDL Boost !",  "Hypnosis Secrets !",  "New MRI !", "HRT & Heart Risks !".

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

We always value 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.

 Better Transplants !

 Portable Device Points to Better Lung Transplants

Scientists have successfully tested a portable device to prepare lungs for transplant, potentially boosting the number of organs available and reducing the risk the operation will fail. The Organ Care System (OCS), which has been tested on 12 patients, allows donor lungs to be prepared and preserved for transplant at body temperature, keeping them in better condition than the usual practice of cooling them down, according to results of a study. Around 330 lung transplants are performed each year in Germany, for instance, but at the same time there are almost 1,200 liver transplants, which means in excess of 800 lungs that, for a variety of reasons, are not used. This is the potential that researcher intend to look out for in future using the OCS, investigator said. Even researchers do not believe that all these 800 donors per year in Germany really could be used as lung donors, certainly a significant proportion could be harvested, connected to the OCS, and evaluated for potential transplantibility. Donor lungs are usually flushed and preserved at cold temperatures before they are transplanted. Cooling reduces decomposition of lung tissue but can degrade the organ in other ways and makes for a longer transplant operation. The process of normothermic perfusion - where donor lungs are kept around normal body temperature and flushed with a mixture of anti-rejection drugs, vitamins and hormones - keeps the organs in better condition and can actually improve their quality. There are some machines that perform normothermic perfusion on transplant lungs but they are not portable, so lungs removed from donors cannot always reach them in time. The small-scale study is being followed up with a larger trial. 

SOURCE: Reuters Health, October 2012

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 Lung Cancer Test !

Blood Test May Spot Rare Lung Cancer

A blood test may identify the often difficult to diagnose cancer called mesothelioma, new research suggests. The blood test, along with a lung fluid test, looks for a protein in plasma called fibulin-3 that indicates whether a person has mesothelioma, which is often triggered by asbestos exposure, or was simply exposed to asbestos. The author said that in the mesothelioma patients, fibulin-3 was four to five times higher than in asbestos-exposed individuals. Mesothelioma develops in the linings of the lungs, chest, abdomen and heart. A major risk factor for the disease is working or living in areas where asbestos is present, according to the investigators. That risk is made worse if someone smokes. Asbestos, a fibrous material resistant to heat and many chemicals, was used in many construction and plumbing products. It's also found in brake parts on cars and trucks. Mesothelioma may develop years, often decades after exposure to asbestos. Symptoms of the disease include shortness of breath, cough, chest pain, weight loss and night sweats. By the time people are diagnosed with mesothelioma, the survival time is often about 12 months. That's why investigators have been trying to identify a so-called ‘biomarker,’ such as fibulin-3, that could lead to earlier detection and probably more effective treatment of mesothelioma. The researchers tested for fibulin-3 in 92 people with mesothelioma, 136 people who were exposed to asbestos but didn't have cancer, 93 patients with fluid in their lungs that wasn't caused by mesothelioma and 43 healthy people with no asbestos exposure. They also tested lung fluid in 74 people with mesothelioma, 39 with fluid in their lungs but no cancer and 54 with fluid in their lungs and a cancer other than mesothelioma. Plasma levels of fibulin-3 were significantly higher when mesothelioma was present, the study found. And when lung fluid was tested, the researchers had similar results. Overall, the investigators found that measuring fibulin-3 levels result in 96.7 sensitivity and a specificity of 95.5 percent. Researcher noted that, the current work needs to be validated and needed a large trial of people who were exposed to asbestos but don't have symptoms to see if fibulin-3 can pick up mesothelioma well before symptoms appear. Additional tests need to confirm that the test works, and if it makes a difference.

SOURCE:  HealthDay News, October 2012

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 HDL Boost !

 Diet, Exercise May Boost 'Good' Cholesterol, Study Suggests

For overweight people with diabetes, intensive exercise and dieting not only aids weight loss, it can also help train their fat cells to produce a hormone believed to boost production of "good" cholesterol, according to a new study. This so-called "good" cholesterol, or HDL cholesterol, has been linked to positive effects for cardiovascular health. The researchers included data on overweight and obese people with type 2 diabetes who were taking part in a multicenter clinical trial examining how increased physical activity and reduced calorie intake affected their risk for cardiovascular disease. The participants were randomly assigned to either an intensive diet and exercise program (the "lifestyle intervention" group) or a program that offered only diabetes support and education and no lifestyle changes (the "control" group). After one year, the lifestyle intervention group had achieved significant improvements in a measure of total fat called "adiposity," fitness, blood sugar levels and fat levels, the investigators found. In addition, while levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol did not change, levels of the fat hormone adiponectin and HDL cholesterol did increase. Total adiponectin produced by fat cells increased about 12 percent and HDL cholesterol increased nearly 10 percent in the people who made lifestyle changes, compared to those in the control group, the research showed. It's well established that adiponectin plays a role in fat burning and sugar storage. This study suggests that the hormone also encourages the liver to produce HDL cholesterol. Even overweight people who are physically active and eating a healthy diet are getting benefits from the lifestyle change. Exercise and diet, improve the function of adipose tissue, heart and vascular systems and even muscle performance, investigators noted.

SOURCE: HealthDay News, October 2012

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 Hypnosis Secrets !

Science Reveals Secrets of Hypnosis

The brains of people who can't be hypnotized differ from those who are easily put into a trance, a new study finds. Researchers used MRI scans to examine activity of three different brain networks in 12 adults who were easily hypnotized and 12 others who weren't. The brain networks were: the default-mode network, used when the brain is idle; the executive-control network, used in making decisions; and the salience network, used when deciding if something is more important than something else. The brain scans showed that both groups had an active default-mode network, but the highly hypnotizable people had greater co-activation between parts of the executive-control network and the salience network, the researchers found. Hypnosis, which has been shown to help with brain control over sensation and behavior, can be used to help treat pain, phobias, stress and anxiety, the investigators noted. There's never been a brain signature of being hypnotized, and we're on the verge of identifying one, study author said. Such a finding would shed light on how hypnosis works, and how it can most effectively be used to treat patients. About 25 percent of the patients cannot be hypnotized, there's got to be something going on in the brain, researcher concluded.

SOURCE: HealthDay News, October 2012

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 New MRI !

New MRI Might Help Spot Heart Disease Early: Study

A new MRI technique is showing "practical promise" in identifying thickening of the coronary artery wall, an early stage of coronary heart disease, researchers say. The findings suggest that this technique could be used to screen people at risk for coronary artery disease and to monitor the effects of treatment. Currently there is no reliable way to noninvasively image coronary artery disease in its early stages, when the disease can be treated with lifestyle changes and medications to lower cholesterol. The researchers used both single-frame MRI and time-resolved multiframe acquisition MRI to measure the wall thickness of the coronary arteries in 26 people with at least one risk factor for coronary artery disease and 12 healthy people. Time-resolved multiframe acquisition MRI captures five continuous images to increase the success rate of obtaining an image without any blurring. The success rate for providing a usable image was 90 percent for this new technique, compared with 76 percent for the single-frame method, the investigators reported. The researchers found that the new technique was also better able to detect differences in coronary artery wall thickness between people with coronary artery disease risk factors and healthy people. Imaging the coronary arteries is extremely difficult because they are very small and constantly in motion. Obtaining a reliable and accurate image of these vessels is very important because thickening of the vessel wall is an early indicator of atherosclerosis. Further research is needed to confirm the value of the new MRI technique in identifying thickening of coronary artery walls, the study authors pointed out. 

SOURCE: HealthDay News, October 2012

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 HRT & Heart Risks !

New Research Suggests HRT May Lower Heart Risks

New research suggests that women who take hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in the early stages of menopause may have a reduced risk of heart attack, heart failure or dying. This apparent benefit comes without a heightened risk of cancer or blood clots, researchers said.  These health risks have long been a concern of menopausal women and their doctors when considering HRT. The new study comes on the heels of two other studies, one finding that HRT was safe for the heart and the other concluding that it did not worsen memory in younger women taking it. Women have shied away from hormone therapy since the landmark Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study  found elevated risks of breast cancer, heart disease and other health problems among women taking estrogen plus progestin, a synthetic form of progesterone. That study was halted early because of the results, published in 2002. For this latest study, about 1,000 women aged 45 to 58 who were recently menopausal or had perimenopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes and irregular periods, were randomly selected to receive either HRT or an inactive placebo. This study differs from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) in several important ways. The women in this study were much younger than in the WHI (an average age of 50 versus 64) and were given a differently formulated estrogen. The difference in age and time since menopause were probably the main reasons for the differences in the studies, the author said. HRT has been shown to lower cholesterol levels, improve blood vessel function and keep body weight down, all of which might contribute to a reduction in heart disease. But other researchers are not convinced enough to prescribe HRT to prevent heart disease based on these results. International societies are currently weighing the risks and benefits of hormone replacement therapy, to be able to issue future recommendations. Longer follow-up research is needed to verify the breast cancer results, investigator added.

SOURCE: HealthDay News, October 2012

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New Products of SQUARE Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

  Product Rabeca®
  Generic Name Rabeprazole
  Strength 20 mg
  Dosage form Tablet
  Therapeutic Category Antiulcerant
  Product Viglita®
Generic Name

Vildagliptin

Strength

50 mg

Dosage form Tablet
Therapeutic Category Oral Antidiabetic
  Product Lido® 10% Spray
  Generic Name Lidocaine
  Strength 10 mg/Spray
  Dosage form Topical Spray
  Therapeutic Category Anesthetic

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