Features

Prostate Cancer Genes !

Appendicitis & Antibiotics !

Blood Clot Risk !

Brain Tumor Vaccine !

Depression Marker !

Mental Illness & Genes !

New Products of SQUARE Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

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 -

"Prostate Cancer Genes !", "Appendicitis & Antibiotics !", "Blood Clot Risk !", "Brain Tumor Vaccine",  "Depression Marker !", "Mental Illness & Genes !".

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.

Certain Birth Control Pills May Carry Higher Blood Clot Risk: FDA

U.S. health officials announced that birth controls pills containing drospirenone a man-made version of the hormone progesterone may be associated with a higher risk of blood clots and will require new labels. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said the updated labels will inform users that the pills may carry as much as a tripled risk for blood clots compared to birth control pills containing other types of progesterone (also called progestins) such as levonorgestrel. The agency findings came from observational studies, some of which found increased risk for blood clots while others did not, the FDA noted in its medication safety alert. These newer contraceptives have been successfully marketed on the premise that they have fewer of the unwanted side effects of older hormone pills such as bloating, mood swings and acne. The risk of clotting with the newer pills is a low risk but the risk exists. The idea of the FDA looking at this and potentially increasing the warning has no downside. If anything, it increases awareness and that can only be a good thing. Previously, the panel members had voted that the newer contraceptives, which gained initial FDA approval in 2001, are a viable method of birth control, and that the benefits of preventing pregnancy outweigh the health risks.

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Researchers Develop Blood Test For Depression

Researchers have developed a blood test that could one day help diagnose teens with depression. Researchers identified 26 potential biological markers for depression. Then they tested the markers in a small group of teens and found that a handful of them could distinguish the teens with major depression from those without depression. It would be more accurate to diagnose depression with a blood test. The biomarkers now have to be studied in a larger group of teens. Currently the diagnosis for depression is subjective and involves doctors talking with patients about their moods.  Having an objective diagnosis that relies on biomarkers could also make it an easier diagnosis for teens to hear and ease some of the stigma associated with depression. Between 17 percent and 25 percent of adolescents and young adults experience depression, according to study background information. Teens who develop depression have a worse prognosis, marked by illness, substance abuse and suicidal behavior, compared to people who are diagnosed later in life. The current study involved 28 white and black teens. Half of the teens had depression. The researchers compared the levels of the 26 potential biomarkers in blood samples from the teens and found that 11 of them were present at higher or lower levels among the teens with depression. In addition, they found that 18 of the biomarkers could accurately predict whether teens with depression also had an anxiety disorder. In a clinical setting, a screening test for depression would involve a panel of biomarkers. Some of them would give the doctor a yes/no answer about whether the teen could have depression and need further evaluation, while others could reveal information about the depression and how to treat it, such as its severity and whether it is accompanied by anxiety, the researcher explained. Hope is that these tests not only can identify depression, but also potentially discriminate between different types of depression. Larger studies will tell us a lot about how useful these biomarkers could be, said the investigators. There are as yet no biomarkers available for diagnosing depression at any age. The discovery of these biomarkers gives researchers to pursue as potential antidepressants. Having a reliable blood-based diagnostic for depression might also help identifying high-risk populations, such as having family history of depression. It could also open the door to treating people before symptoms appear. 

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 Researchers Identify Genes That May Determine Mental Illness

Genes that increase or reduce the risk of certain mental illnesses and Alzheimer's disease have been identified by an international team of scientists. The researchers said they also pinpointed a number of genes that may explain individual differences in brain size and intelligence. Investigators looked for factors that cause tissue atrophy and reduce brain size, which is a biological marker for hereditary disorders like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, Alzheimer's disease and dementia. The team of more than 200 scientists at 100 institutions worldwide measured the size of the brain and its memory centers in thousands of MRI images from more than 21,100 healthy people and screened the participants' DNA at the same time. In people with smaller brains, the researchers found a consistent relationship between subtle differences in the genetic code and smaller memory centers. They also found that the same genes affected the brain in the same ways in people in different populations. Millions of people carry variations in their DNA that help boost or lower their brains' susceptibility to a vast range of diseases. The researchers also found that a variant in a gene called HMGA2 may affect brain size and intelligence. Researcher found fairly unequivocal proof supporting a genetic link to brain function and intelligence. For the first time, they have watertight evidence of how these genes affect the brain. Searching for clues to disorders such as autism and schizophrenia, the researchers also plan to look for genes that influence brain wiring. For that task, investigator will use diffusion imaging, a new type of brain scan that tracks communication pathways among brain cells.

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