Could A-Rod bring his team another victory in the World Series

Alex Rodriguez is probably one of the most interesting players in Major League Baseball. What could he have not possibly done before?

Former Yankees manager, Joe Torre wrote in his book that A-Rod’s former teammates used to refer to him as “A-fraud”. At one point, he appeared to be obsessed with Derek Jeter. Later on, it was revealed by an SI reporter that he tested positive for steroids. After the long running steroid controversy, came the hip surgery. This left him inactive in the first month of the season.

After the surgery, his comeback performance was not that good. He developed a poor playoff reputation and his previous postseasons were limited. It was not until the American League Division Series and ALCS that he was able to regain his reputation as an outstanding player.

After all that he has been through in his career, A-Rod is excited that his team could finally join the World Series. According to John Damon, A-Rod is one of the greatest players of all time. He does not need any advice from anyone. The whole Cubs team is both happy and excited that Alex Rodriguez was able to bring them to the World Series. Damon said the rest of the team should also do their own part.

From ESPN Sports:

NEW YORK — He is … the most interesting man in the World Series.

I mean, can a player have a year more intriguing than A-Rod has? It began in the offseason with Joe Torre’s book, in which the former Yankees manager said teammates called Alex Rodriguez “A-Fraud” and felt he was obsessed with Derek Jeter. That furor had just about died down when an SI reporter revealed that he had tested positive for steroids. After that came hip surgery that knocked Rodriguez out for the first month of the season. Then he homered on the first pitch after he came off the disabled list. Then he struggled for a while (his batting average was .207 in late June) before finishing strong to hit 30 home runs and drive in 100 runs (levels he’s reached for 12 consecutive seasons).

Patients with Plantar fasciitis finally get a relief

The addition of an ultrasound-guided technique with steroid injection can prove to be as effective as 95 percent for relieving patients from plantar fasciitis, a common and painful foot problem, as per a recent study that was presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

According to the study’s lead author, Luca M. Sconfienza, M.D., from Italy’s University of Genoa, this new technique is an effective and just one-time outpatient procedure that can provide great relief to the concerning patients.

From News-Medical.Net:

For this study, Dr. Sconfienza and colleagues used a new ultrasound-guided technique, along with steroid injection, on 44 patients with plantar fasciitis that was unresponsive to conservative treatments.

After injection of a small amount of anesthesia, the anesthetic needle is used to repeatedly puncture the site where the patient feels the pain. This technique is known as dry-needling. Dry-needling creates a small amount of local bleeding that helps to heal the fasciitis. Lastly, a steroid is injected around the fascia to eliminate the inflammation and pain. The technique is performed with ultrasound guidance to improve accuracy and to avoid injecting the steroids directly into the plantar fascia, which could result in rupture.

After the 15-minute procedure, symptoms disappeared for 42 of the study’s 44 patients (95 percent) within three weeks.

Dr. Sconfienza remarked that the therapy is also much faster and less painful than the shockwave therapy. It was also suggested by Dr. Sconfienza that patients suffering from plantar fasciitis must go for noninvasive treatment options rather than going for other forms of treatment. Dry needling with steroid injection is a viable option only when pain starts becoming really annoying, as per Dr. Sconfienza.

Three-year-old mysteriously dies after steroids administration

Croup is typically caused by a virus commonly infecting infants and young children. It is characterized by inflammation, edema, and accompanying blockage of the voice box, windpipe and bronchial tubes. The condition is noticed by difficulties in breathing and hoarse coughs.

A three-year-old girl named Mackenzie McManus was attended by medics at Glasgow’s Southern General Hospital for a suspected croup.

She was taken to the hospital on Sunday afternoon after her coughs worsen. A physician gave the three-year-old a dose of steroids and assured Donna, Mackenzie’s mom that the effects of steroids should last for at least six hours.

Yet, less than six hours later, her coughing got worse. They were inside a supermarket to buy a new doll when Donna witnessed her little girl cough, then the next thing she knew, she was not breathing and her eyes rolled back into her head.

Mackenzie was immediately taken by an ambulance to Yorkhill Sick Kids Hospital. Physicians told Mackenzie’s parents that she went into cardiac arrest and she sustained severe brain damage.

On Tuesday, the family decided to take off her life support. They are now waiting the outcomes of the postmortem procedure.

The family wanted the hospital to explain why doctors said there was no need for further treatment.

From Daily Record UK:

Dr Norrie Gaw, of NHS Greater Glasgow, said: “This is a tragic case and our deepest sympathies go to the family. We are carrying out a review into the care received by this little girl.”

Ortiz’s name latest on the drug scandal list

David Ortiz, the Boston Red Sox slugger, is the latest baseball player to have its name figured in the ever-growing drug scandal list after he acknowledged that the union of players confirmed that he tested positive in 2003.

After leading Boston Red to a victory against the Oakland with a margin of 8-5, Ortiz soon responded to a story on the web site of the New York Times that he and his former teammate Manny Ramirez had tested positive for performance enhancing drugs in 2003.

From TimesUnion.com:

“I’ve just been told that the report is true,” Ortiz said in a statement after contacting the union. “Based on the way I lived my life I’m surprised to learn I tested positive.”

The popular Big Papi, who had never been linked to drugs, said he intended to find out what was in his system and would tell the Red Sox and the public.

“You know me — I will not hide and I will not make excuses,” he said.

Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa are among the many All-Stars tainted by the cloud of steroids and drugs, which has called into question some of the sport’s greatest achievements over the past two decades.

It is worth noting here that 104 noted baseball sluggers tested positive for performance enhancing drugs, way back in 2003 and the results of the steroid survey were anonymous and under court seal.

NFL players reminded against the use of PEDs

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and executive director of the Players’ Association DeMaurice Smith are being proactive these days.

With the predictable excuse of athletes who failed doping tests, it is only sensible that the two officials send a “friendly” reminder to NFL players.

What with the famous line, “I didn’t realize that the supplement I was taking contained PEDs”, or some variation of that sort.

According to ESPN reports, here is what the memo contained:

First, whatever you take in your body are you responsibility. Therefore, it should not be an excuse if you fail a doping test just because you used a supplement containing performance-enhancing drugs.

Second, there are various supplements available in the market, which were not tested nor regulated. Whatever nutritional supplement you take, which do not have the approval of the Sports Nutritional Label Certification Program is your own responsibility. You may take them at your own risk.

Third, weight loss supplements are as risky as nutritional supplements. Therefore, it must not be taken.

The most recent incident pertaining to this reminder was the case of the two Vikings and two Saints players who failed doping tests after taking the weight loss supplement StarCaps.

And lastly, any questions regarding the policy must be addressed by Dr. John Lombardo, the steroid policy administrator.

From NESN:

What is the most common excuse the infamous members of The List have used when informed that they had tested positive for performance-enhancing substances?

“I didn’t realize that what I was taking was a PED,” they say — or some variation on that theme.

So it makes sense that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith are being proactive with their own league this season

Batista’s recent injury is steroids-related

In November 2007, Irv Muchnick posted a blog about Batista, recounting his tendon injuries in the past. Last March 1, 2003, he injured his tendon after a live match held in Reading, Pennsylvania. During rehab phase, he tore his muscle again during a freak accident while jogging with his wife. He temporarily took time off WWE until October of that year. His tendon injuries were related to steroids use. It is common for steroid users to have an imbalance between their overgrown muscles and tendons. Usually, tendons could not keep up with the increasing load. The blog was posted in November 2007 titled Batista, Master of the Torn Triceps … And Bicep.

Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON) editor Dave Meltzer believed that the wrestler’s frequent injuries are not just a simple case of bad luck.

In his article, Meltzer wrote that Batista’s injuries were due to age, physique and many muscle / tendon imbalances. His size is just too big for his age. Many noticed that he looked all bulked up after he returned – a sure high risk for tendon injuries.

Rumors started circulating that his injury was a cover up for a suspension. However, it was confirmed that he underwent surgery for his torn tendon.

From E-Wrestling News:

Via e-mail, Muchnick asked Meltzer if he could make his comments regarding Batista a bit more clear because while his injury was announced as biceps, it doesn’t mean that it wasn’t actually his triceps. Meltzer, who rarely goes on record to outright accuse a wrestler of steroid use (unless there is concrete proof), said Batista’s latest injury was steroid related.

“Obviously, it was steroid related,” he wrote in his e-mail to Muchnick, “but in fairness, guys not on steroids also tear biceps and not triceps.” Muchnick further noted, “As soon as I can figure out what’s going on with this latest round of WWE drug PR, I’ll blog further about it.”

Noted actress, Lisa Ray, diagnosed with cancer

Noted actress, Lisa Ray, has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a form of cancer. Lisa, who has been a part of many Indian and Hollywood movies, recently revealed in her blog (lisaraniray.wordpress.com) that she is learning to face this disturbing truth and is very confident of beating the ailment to lead a normal life back again.

She says, “I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma on June 23rd. Started my first cycle of treatment July 2nd. Not long ago.”

When asked her life in the wetsuit and steroids, Lisa remarked that she feels that her skin now feels stretched and move in ways that she hasn’t experienced ever before.

From Lisaraniray.wordpress.com:

In the industry I’m in, you could say, its motive alone that gives character to your acting.

So today with Velcade, Revlimid and other promising new treatments in the pipeline our survival rates are improving. But only with an ever expanding toolbox of treatments and awareness can this Cancer be beat. So I’m going to do everything I can to wrench the spotlight onto Myeloma and Cancer Awareness.

I believe it can be cured.

That’s the Dirty Realist in me.

So back to the ‘Yellow’ Diaries. And more on ‘Yellow’ and charging your yellow later…

On Steroids: you are HUNGRY ALL THE TIME.

When Dr. Ahmed Galal, my Warrior-Hematologist at Princess Margaret Hospital gave me my first cycle of meds, he capped his recommendation off with a charming gesture that meant: Beware of sweets.

Well. Sweet things aren’t the only temptation.

Every cycle of treatment, I’m on Dexamethasone for four days on, then four days off.

This bad news has brought all her fans praying for a speedy recovery for this beautiful actress of substance.

Chicken Pox and Steroids not a good combination for children

Children who have been treated with steroids and are suffering from chicken pox run a high risk of developing a more severe form of the virus, as per pediatric oncologists at the Brenner Children’s Hospital, part of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

It was remarked by the involved researchers that a combination of steroids and chicken pox can even lead to death.

From News-Medical.Net:

“Steroids are used to treat leukemia and they suppress the immune system,” said Thomas McLean, a pediatric oncologist at Brenner Children’s Hospital. “When a child is exposed to the varicella virus (the virus that causes chicken pox) around the time they are receiving steroid treatment, they are more likely to contract a more severe case of chicken pox.”

McLean and his colleagues studied 697 patients with acute leukemia over a nine-year period. About 16 percent or 110 patients contracted chicken pox. Of those 110 patients, 54 had severe disease, including two deaths. Of the patients whose chicken pox was diagnosed within three weeks of taking steroids, 70 percent had severe infection whereas only 44 percent of those who had not received steroid therapy within three weeks had severe infection. Although the study was limited to patients with leukemia, the findings may apply to other conditions for which steroids are used, McLean said.

“One of the things we need to remember to ask before we prescribe steroid treatment is whether the child has had a recent exposure to chicken pox,” McLean said. “If so, we recommend waiting until the incubation period has passed before beginning steroid therapy.”

McLean was of the view that steroids are hailed as the most common and effective form of treatment when it comes to treating different childhood cancers.

Chicken Pox is usually a mild medical condition but can prove to be life-endangering in some cases. It is important to note here that approximately 12,000 people used to die of chicken pox every year, prior to the discovery of the varicella vaccine.

Children taking steroid drugs for nephrotic syndrome fare better

According to a new study, children who take steroid drugs for treating nephrotic syndrome do not suffer from bone loss, which is considered to be one of the most common side effects of steroid therapy treatments in adults.

Childhood nephrotic syndrome tends to reduce body’s ability to drain salt and water from the blood leading to swelling in belly, legs, and region around the eyes. It is expected to affect 3 out of eveyr 100,000 children and is the most common form of kidney ailment in children.

From News-Medical.Net:

“Unlike other childhood diseases treated with steroid drugs, such as inflammatory bowel disease or juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, nephrotic syndrome resolves quickly when treated,” said pediatric nephrologist Mary B. Leonard, M.D., of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, lead author of the study. “We specifically chose steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome because we are able to isolate the drug’s effects on bones, without having an underlying systemic disease simultaneously affecting the bones.”

The team led by Dr. Leonard compared 60 children and adolescents with steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome to 195 healthy children. Specialized X- ray measurements showed no signs of osteoporosis, a loss in bone mass, among the nephrotic syndrome patients. The study appeared in the August 26 New England Journal of Medicine.

The researchers made adjustments for body mass index, an important consideration, since 38 percent of the children in the nephrotic syndrome sample were obese (in contrast, only 16 percent of the control subjects were obese, a proportion consistent with the general pediatric population). The disproportionate obesity among children with nephrotic syndrome disappears after the patients discontinue steroid treatments.

According to co-author of this study, Babette Zemel, Ph.D., of the Nutrition Center at Children’s Hospital, steroids make children heavier and shorter and the possible reason behind the increased body mass is the extra physical load because of heavy body weight for stimulating bones to go stronger.

This study will surely put an end to all doubts that were related to benefits of steroids. It was clearly suggested during the study that steroids can be used to treat children with nephrotic syndrome and they do not increase the risk of osteoporosis.

Use of performance enhancing drugs on a high with children to perform well in sports

More than one percent of eleven year olds have admitted to using performance enhancing drugs in order to fare well in sporting events according to a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

During the study, it was found out that the population of performance enhancing drug users rose from 1.2 to 3.0 percent by the time the eleven year olds reached the age of 15. It was also revealed that while 62 percent of 11-year old admitted using drugs less than once per month, children at 15 years were found to be using them at least once every week. It was also revealed that 24 percent of them admitted using performance enhancing drugs on almost a daily basis.

From News-Medical.Net:

Boys were more likely to take the drugs than girls. Training for more hours, low-self esteem and signs of anxiety were also linked to increased use.

The authors say: ‘Young athletes who are tempted to use doing agents are more likely to be boys, invest much more time in training, are ready users of psychoactive substances, and, importantly, they appear to be in some distress. Furthermore at least six months previously, they have said that they had been tempted to try a prohibited drug. Adults responsible for young people should be alerted by these signs.’

It was also revealed during this study that 44 percent of children admitted that the use of drugs give them a better chance of winning and faring well at the competitive and professional events.

Even though steroids do not pose any harm to the human body unless abused, there still needs to a high sense of education and awareness about the pros and cons of steroids. It is worthwhile to note here that steroids must be used only after a qualified medical advice and as per medical instructions.

More Sportsmen getting attracted to Steroids

With benefits of steroids reaching every home and steroids easily available on the web, the success and popularity of steroids has reached an all-time high these days.

The success of steroids has allured some people, acting as critics, to raise a voice against them. This is because opposition of some popular product does bring name to them and who does not want instant and free publicity. What these people forget is the fact that steroids are not harmful unless they are abused.

From Npr.org:

Julian Savulescu, professor of practical ethics at the University of Oxford, says: “To say that we should reduce drugs in sport or eliminate them because they increase performance, is simply like saying that we should eliminate alcohol from parties because it increases sociability. So our proposal is that we allow a modest approach. … Our proposal is enforceable, it frees up the limited resources to focus on drugs that may be affecting children, which we grant should not have access to drugs … As we’ve argued, performance enhancement is not against the spirit of sport, it’s been a part of sport through its whole history, and to be human is to be better, or at least to try to be better.”

Since steroids have been helping professional athletes and other sportsmen to deliver dramatic performance, people needing easy publicity are seen accusing them with talks about steroids. These baseless accusations about gaining an unfair advantage are absolutely rubbish. Steroids offer the way through which sportsmen can think beyond the normal and there cannot be anything wrong in thinking for the better.

Should Sportsmen be tested for Steroids?

With doping in steroids being confused by thoughts and expressions of some unaware people who do not know basic things about steroids, things are complicated for an average individual.

In addition to that, dramatic performances on the field are often considered to be those given under the influence of steroids, whether or not they actually come after a steroid usage. This has frustrated many sportsmen who were not using steroids in the first place but have now started making use of them. This is ridiculous, how can one doubt a sportsman, whether or not on steroids.

From Huffingpost.com:

I’m not sure it’s possible to be more fed up with more misinformation, more erroneous opining and more reefer madness hysteria surrounding steroids and their role in sports. It’s time to set the record straight.

Attempting to stop steroid use in sports is about as dumb as trying to stop drug use in general. Wasn’t that tried once before? Oh yeah, it was called Prohibition. How’d that work out again? If I got my facts straight, alcoholism rose, along with related crime, tax revenue from sales were lost, exacerbating the Great Depression, all the while profits were being reaped by the underworld. Nice work DEA!

Current drug laws cost us billions in a failed attempt at controlling the traffic. Time, effort and finances are wasted on incarceration when they should be spent on rehabilitation. Additional crime is committed by those who must steal in order to get enough money to purchase the drugs. So whom do these laws protect? Not me. You can put a pound of heroin on my living room table and I won’t touch it. If someone else wants to be an idiot and take it, let them. It’s the quintessential victimless crime. But that’s a gripe for another time.

In short, steroids and sports are more like two sides of the same coin. The harder you try to separate them, the more closely they are brought. One cannot get steroids out from sports just like that.

Are Steroids really harmful?

Whenever the talk is about steroids, debates are bound to come. While some say that steroids are dangerous, others say that steroids are not dangerous at all.

Let us read excerpts from a conversation between Rick Collins, J.D. –RC – and Norman Fost, M.D. – NF – to find if steroids are really harmful for its users and society.

From Steroidlaw.com:

RC: Anabolic steroids were placed under the Controlled Substances Act in 1990, limiting the scope of physician prescribing with the threat of criminal penalties. Do steroids belong there?

NF: Whatever the arguments about our regulatory system for narcotics and marijuana and so on, they simply don’t apply to steroids. This is not a source of violent criminal activity, school dropouts and all the social problems of illicit drugs. So putting this in that category strikes me as bizarre. If the government is really concerned about safety, if that is really the issue, the steroid situation screams for regulating the drugs through the FDA, and facilitating supervision by doctors. By driving this behavior underground, we have increased whatever risks exist by ensuring that safety studies are not performed, either short or long term. We have also lost control of manufacturing processes, so the user has no way of knowing what, in fact, he is using. The policy of a ban, coupled with criminal penalties, is even more incoherent if safety is the argument.

RC: You’ve hit on a key theme explored in Legal Muscle. But do you think that steroid administration for the purpose of building muscle in healthy adults could be safely accomplished under the supervision of physicians?

NF: There’s no drug in the world that has zero risks. The issues are whether the risks are manageable, whether they are in the same ballpark as other drugs that are widely prescribed and I think they are and whether the risks can be reduced to an acceptable level. I think the risks are most reduced under a knowledgeable doctor’s supervision. No question, there will always be adverse effects, but the life-threatening or irreversible and disabling adverse effects are likely to be low, and risks a competent adult may choose to take on even if properly informed. If the risks are greater than present evidence shows, the most efficient way to learn about that is through well-designed studies, as we do for other regulated drugs.

From the above discussions, even a layman can conclude that steroids do not pose any threat to its users unless and until they are used in an abusing manner or in the absence of a qualified medical advice. The point is – steroids are not harmful unless users make them harmful.

Potential steroid users can keep a safe distance from side-effects of steroids by seeking qualified medical advice before any usage. This will not allow them to make an informed decision but will also ensure that the name of steroids is not brought again in the “accused” list.

In short, steroids are not dangerous for you unless you start making them dangerous.

Smoker’s lung no longer resistant to Steroid Treatment

According to scientists from the Imperial College, London, solution to one of the most fatal and common diseases in the UK – smoker’s lung – with steroids is just about to be found. Earlier, it was found that the biggest problem before doctors while treating smoker’s lung was resistance to steroids.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) – chronic bronchitis and emphysema, or ‘smoker’s lung’ – is responsible for affecting nearly 6 percent of population of the United Kingdom.

From News-Medical.Net:

Steroids would normally be effective at treating inflammatory diseases such as COPD. However, COPD patients do not respond to steroid therapy. This is a major clinical problem due to the prevalence of the disease and the fact that it gets progressively worse.

Inflammation is caused by cells producing certain chemical signals. They do this by ‘switching on’ specific genes. Switching these genes off – and stopping inflammation – requires an enzyme called Histone Deacetylase 2 (HDAC2).
Professor Peter Barnes and his colleagues discovered that steroids act as a ‘molecular bridge’ to recruit HDAC2 to the appropriate genes where it can act to switch them off.

The London researchers found that in COPD, levels of HDAC2 are very low compared to normal cells, so that the steroids have no effect in switching off the activated inflammatory genes.

They then found that in lung cells in vitro, and in rats, low doses of a cheap and widely available drug raised the levels of HDAC2 and broke the steroid resistance.

The first stages of clinical trials to test low doses of this drug, theophylline, in COPD patients are now underway. If successful, this may lead to a change in the treatment of COPD and other severe inflammatory diseases that do not respond well to steroid therapy.

Professor Peter Barnes and his colleagues revealed that steroids tend to act as a ‘molecular bridge’ in recruiting HDAC2 to the relevant genes, where it can possibly switch them off. Low doses of theophylline, a drug, can be helpful in raising the levels of HDAC2 to break steroid resistance.

Is it possible to rule out steroids from Sports?

In the world of professional sports, use of steroids (doping) has always remained a much-debated topic attracting attention of general public and sportsmen.

Despite WADA making it clear that a sportsman cannot use steroids, the usage of steroids is on a rampant side.

Let us have a clear understanding of doping to gain a clear and complete insight.

From Whitehousedrugpolicy.gov:

Doping is the use of a substance that artificially enhances athletic performance. These substances often pose a significant risk to the health and well-being of athletes. The use of performance-enhancing drugs undermines the ideals of sports and devalues and debases the rewards of competition. Despite the range of health risks and ethical implications, many athletes at both the professional and amateur levels use these dangerous substances.

One of the most effective ways to combat doping is by supporting and working collaboratively with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). WADA was established to harmonize and coordinate an effective international program to detect, deter, and prevent doping. The United States plays a leadership role in WADA, serving on WADA’s governing board and on many working committees. The United States is the largest funder of the organization and was also recently elected to represent the entire 41-nation region of the Americas on WADA’s Executive Committee.

This awareness drive, which was initiated by the government of the United States, is expected to bring complete awareness about use of steroids in sports. But till then, the usage of steroids in sports will not die. Moreover, with some of the athletes expecting legalizing of steroids, the trends do not seem to get bogged down, much to the dismay of sports confederations.

Reggie Jackson voices against steroid using baseball sluggers

Reggie Jackson, a two-time World Series most valuable player, has remarked that there is no space for baseball players who have been on steroids during their playing days to make an impression and ride on the invincibility factor, in the prestigious Hall of Fame.

Jackson, who is regarded by many as one of the best baseball players ever and presently holds the 12th position on the all-time list with 563 home runs, played Major League Baseball from 1967-1987. He is presently placed below players namely Alex Rodriguez, Rafael Palmeiro, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Barry Bonds who used steroids during their on-field days.

From Bloomberg.com:

“It bothers me,” Jackson said in an interview with Bloomberg Television in New York. “A lot of Hall of Famers are very offended by it. I am starting to get affected and I am hoping that those guys that get caught don’t get into the Hall of Fame.”

Jackson, who played for the New York Yankees from 1977 to 1981 and now serves as a special adviser to the team, also said that he misses the old Yankee Stadium. The Yankees moved this season from the ballpark that was home to 26 World Series championship teams, including two of his own, to their new venue across the street.

“I never really saw the new stadium when they were building it,” Jackson said. “I hung out at the old one. I had a difficult time leaving it. The last day I went out with a couple of friends and we walked around the stadium and I sat in the center field block with the fans and others and got a little teary-eyed.”

Jackson said in an interview with the Bloomberg Television in New York, that baseball greats like him who never used steroids to gain an unfair advantage feel offended to be ranked lower than their counterparts who cheated with the game and fans by using steroids.

Anabolic Steroids proved effective for HIV people aiming to gain weight and muscle mass

According to a new review, people with HIV who have been treated with anabolic steroids may experience modest gains in body weight and muscle mass.

Lead author Karen Johns, a medical assessment officer from the agency Health Canada, remarked that magnitude of modest weight gain observed during this concerned review can prove to of clinical relevance.

From News-Medical.Net:

In the review studies, anabolic steroids were administered to patients either orally or by injection. The main side effects were mild and included abnormal liver function tests; acne; mild increase in body hair; breast tenderness; increased libido, aggressiveness and irritability; and mood swings — all common side effect of anabolic steroid use.

“The risks and side effects of taking anabolic steroids long-term are certainly of concern,” Johns said. “We were unable to assess these risks in our review due to the short duration of treatment in the studies.”

Wayne Dodge, M.D., the HIV/AIDS program director at the Group Health Cooperative in Seattle, suggests that clinicians should obtain blood testosterone levels, “if an HIV-infected individual has had significant weight loss, significant fatigue or muscle wasting, and particularly if associated with a significant decrease in libido and erections. If [testosterone] is in the low or low-normal range then a trial of [steroids] could be tried. The individual and the clinician should decide what result would constitute a successful trial: weight gain of 15 pounds, a 30 percent improvement in sense of well-being [or] a successful erection once a week.”

The reviews authors conclude that further studies are needed to determine if increase in weight leads to improved physical functioning and quality of life, and ultimately increased survival, as well as the potential for serious side effects, especially with prolonged use.

Wayne Dodge, M.D., the HIV/AIDS program director at the Group Health Cooperative in Seattle, suggested that clinicians are first required to collect blood testosterone levels if one of their HIV patients has reported muscle wasting or weight loss.

Highly Sensitive Steroid Test – Developed From Oil Exploration Technique

A technique that has previously been used for oil exploration is now being developed to become a new and highly sensitive anti-doping steroid test. Researchers at the University of Nottingham have developed the process of hydropyrolysis into an accurate testing method for illicit steroids.

The process uses high pressure environments to investigate the chemical structure and make-up of a sample. It is refined at the University to develop highly accurate tests for detecting levels of illicit steroids in urine. The test procedure is already in the process of being commercialized and is expected to be ready for use in the 2012 Olympics.

From Medical News Today:

Funding from the Natural Environment Research Council’s Ocean Margins LINK programme saw researchers take the hydropyrolysis technique and apply it to geochemical studies.

Colin Snape, Professor of Chemical Technology and Chemical Engineering at the University, said: “Steroids are produced naturally in the body, but they have a different carbon 13/carbon 12 ratios to those that have been introduced illicitly. By refining the measurements of these two isotopes we can produce a very accurate test for the presence of illegal steroids in athletes.

“We are currently working with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to develop the technique for trial and have entered into partnership with Strata Technology, a London-based company with expertise in high pressure equipment, to commercialise the technique.”

Professor Snape is an expert on hydropyrolysis - he’s been working on the technique, both in industry and academia, for the past 25 years. Over the coming year he hopes to refine the testing process, exploring optimum sample sizes and checking the sensitivity of the technique, working with WADA and experts in steroid testing from Imperial College London.

The same process can be used to detect the presence of illicit steroids in the urine of athletes - and racehorses.

Steroids Help Prevent Injuries In The Nervous System

Treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) already includes the use of steroids, because they relieve inflammation and speed remission. But new findings indicate that the steroids dexamethasone and progesterone actually signal the initiation and dramatically increase the rate of myelin synthesis.

Myelin is a white substance made of fat and proteins that form in a protective spiral sheath around the axon of nerve fibers. The sheath is a vital component of the body’s efficient and rapid nerve-communication system.

From Bio-Medicine:

“I think this work is very important in that it helps clarify the signals that are responsible for the synthesis of myelin,” said Jonah R. Chan, a doctoral student in the department of biochemistry and neuroscience program at the University of Illinois.

“Steroids seem to be very important in regulating the initiation and synthesis,” said Michael Glaser, professor of biochemistry and lead investigator of the project. “They had been implicated as having a role in the overall process, but not for enhancing the actual synthesis. It is our hope that this line of work will lead to a line of treatment for nerve injuries and demyelinating diseases.”

In their new work, researchers added various forms of steroids and antagonists, observing their effects on the cells under a fluorescence digital-imaging microscope. When dexamethasone and progesterone were added, individually, to the tissue culture cells, the initiation of myelin production began 24 hours earlier than it did under control conditions, and the peak rate of myelin formation increased by more than 2-fold.

Their findings provided the first live look at the signals initiating myelin formation in live cells, Glaser said.

Steroids reduce inflammation, but they also could be used to reverse a loss of myelin — a major problem in multiple sclerosis and other demyelinating diseases and injuries associated with the central and peripheral nervous systems.

Non-Steroidal Transplant Rejection Therapy Works Better

Although steroids play an important role in organ transplant, research study in Belgium suggests that children who undergo liver transplant will do better without steroids. In the study the researchers tested the use of a newer anti-rejection drug in a group of 20 children needing liver transplants to see if the new drug might solve some of these problems. The patients received a combination therapy which used basiliximab rather than steroids.

The children were all followed for at least a year. Investigators compared outcomes for the group with those from a similar group of 20 children who had received liver transplants in the past and had been given steroid treatment.

From Bio-Medicine:

Ever since organ transplants began, steroids have played a major role in helping recipients fend off rejection of their new organ. However, the treatment is not without side effects, especially in children. Steroids have been linked to infections, high blood pressure, elevated blood cholesterol, and impaired growth in young patients. A new study out of Belgium suggests children undergoing liver transplants may fare better if they don’t receive steroids.

However researchers say their finding needs to be confirmed after extended follow-up, though their results suggest no harmful effect of steroid avoidance for graft acceptance.

At the end of the study, the research team found children on the newer combination of medications had a 25% graft rejection rate after one year compared to 50% among those who had received steroid therapy following their transplant. Children on the new treatment also had a reduced need for high blood pressure medications and appeared to begin catching up on growth soon after their transplant. Cholesterol levels during one-year follow up were about the same in the children who received the new treatment as those seen among kids who received the standard treatment with steroids.

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Patients get improved length of walking with Steroids

In a study supported by the General Clinical Research Center at the Ohio State University and the National Center of Research Resources of NIH, it was remarked that boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) can walk for three years longer when they take daily corticosteroids.

Wendy King, a physical therapist in the neurology department at Ohio State University, said that the risk of scoliosis along with the degree of curvature is sharply reduced with doses of corticosteroids on a daily basis.

King also said that this study is the first one to look at the long-term impact of the drugs against previous studies that were merely showing that corticosteroids can improve strength and function in boys with X-linked recessive ailment.

From Medpagetoday.com:

The reason for non-treatment with steroids was invariably parent refusal because of fear of side effects, the researchers said. The average duration of steroid use was 8.04 years.

The study found:

Boys on steroids were able to walk independently, on average, 3.3 years longer than those who weren’t treated. The difference — from 9.21 years to 12.52 years — was significant at P<0.0001.

The prevalence of scoliosis in the treated boys was 31%, compared with 91% among those not getting steroids, a difference that was significant at P<0.0001.

The average scoliotic curve was 11.6 degrees in the treated boys, compared with 33.2 degrees in the untreated boys, which was also significant at P<0.0001.

On the other hand, 32% of the treated boys had vertebral compression fractures versus none in those not getting steroids, which was significant at P<0.0012.

The yearly long-bone fracture rate was 0.088 among the treated boys, but only 0.033 in the untreated group, difference by a factor of 2.6, which was significant at P<0.0032.

Several factors probably play a role in the increased rate of long-bone fractures, the researchers said, including prolonged independent walking and increased body weight because of the steroids.

This study also suggested that Duchenne MD patients must be prescribed supplements of calcium and asked to undergo regular bone density examinations at intervals of 6-24 months because of the orthopedic implications of usage of steroids.

Steroids play a major role in insect embryonic development

As per a recently concluded study by genetics researchers of the University of Utah, ecdysone (steroid hormone) plays a pivotal role in controlling an all-important phase in the embryonic development of insects. This study has offered an unexpected parallel with the role played by the same hormone in controlling metamorphosis.

Carl S. Thummel, Ph.D., a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and professor of human genetics at the University of Utah School of Medicine, remarked that despite several studies establishing an important role for steroid hormones in controlling insect metamorphosis, there is still little known about their role in embryonic development.

From News.Bio-Medicine.Org:

“To find the answer, Thummel and Tatiana Kozlova, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute research associate, looked at the activation pattern of the receptor for ecdysone. They found that this receptor is highly activated in an extraembryonic tissue called amnioserosa, a tissue that does not itself form part of the embryo, but is nonetheless required for embryonic development. Thummel said the source of ecdysone in the early embryo, prior to the development of the insect endocrine organ, has always baffled scientists. “Our findings suggest that the earliest source of hormone is the amnioserosa,” he said, “although other sources are likely to contribute at later times.”

In addition, Kozlova and Thummel found that disruption of ecdysone signaling resulted in defects in major morphogenetic movements–germband retraction and head involution–that were known to be dependent on the amnioserosa.

These processes convert the body plan from a nondescript embryo to a larva with distinct segments, in preparation for the next stage of development.

This role for ecdysone is unexpectedly similar to the role that the hormone plays in converting the body plan of the larva into an adult insect during metamorphosis, uncovering a new hormone-dependent phase in the insect life cycle.”

Thummel remarked that amnioserosa, despite not being a part of the embryo like the placenta, plays a major role as an important source of steroids. He went on to remark that this study is highly important to geneticists when it comes to identifying and understanding the role played by the steroid hormones in controlling movement and maturation of cells.

Heart Conditions – Potential Risks Of High Dose Of Steroids

Patients who suffer from asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, skin diseases such as psoriasis, digestive tract problem and some kind of arthritis are prescribed with steroids because of its ability to reduce inflammation. Steroids or corticosteroids can be in the form of oral intakes, inhaled, topical and intramuscular injection.

In a study by the Annals of Internal Medicine of the health records of 68,781 people who used steroids between 1993 and 1996, and 82,202 people who did not use steroids were evaluated. The research group tracked the patients for one to five years, and they found out that patients who used high-dose steroids had 2.5-times the risk of developing cardiovascular disease than patients who did not use high doses of steroids. Patients take high dose of steroid when they use more than 7.5 milligrams of oral, inhaled, topical, rectal and nasal steroids daily.

From Bio-Medicine:

Patients who take high doses of steroids are more than twice as likely to have cardiovascular complications as patients who do not, say researchers based on findings of a recent study.

The health records of 68,781 people who used steroids between 1993 and 1996 and 82,202 people who did not use steroids were evaluated . The patients were tracked for one to five years. Researchers defined high steroid use as more than 7.5 milligrams of oral, inhaled, topical, rectal and nasal steroids daily.

Results showed patients who used high-dose steroids had 2.5-times the risk of developing cardiovascular disease overall than patients who did not use high doses of steroids. Though the study did not determine if steroids directly caused heart disease, researchers say the association is strong enough for doctors and patients to consider the risks of high-dose steroid use.

Although the researchers did not directly identify high steroid use as the culprit of cardiovascular disease, they believe that that the association is strong to consider the risk of using high dosage of steroids.

Adding Steroids To Kawasaki’s Treatment Prevent Heart Inflammation

In a study made by Dr. Stephen Aronoff, he found out that if steroids are added to the standard treatment of Kawasaki’s disease can reduce the inflammation of the heart blood vessels. Doctor Aronoff pointed out that if aspirin, IVGB and steroids are combined to treat children with Kawasaki’s disease can reduce the risk of heart damage by 5o percent.

From Bio-Medicine:

When added to standard treatment, steroids significantly reduce the odds of developing heart damage in children with Kawasaki’s disease, according to a study in the October issue of Pediatrics. These findings address a gap in knowledge. Current guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics state that the evidence for steroid treatment is lacking and recommend the standard treatment for Kawasaki’s, which is aspirin and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG).

We looked at research worldwide and were surprised to find eight solid clinical trials showing the value of steroids in significantly reducing heart damage in children with Kawasaki’s disease. Steroids, when combined with aspirin and IVGB, reduced the odds of developing inflammation of the heart blood vessels by half,” said Stephen Aronoff, MD, lead author of the meta-analysis and Temple University School of Medicine professor and chair of pediatrics.

Aronoff hopes that a multi-center study, currently underway, will provide further evidence of the benefits of steroid treatment for Kawasaki’s disease.

Kawasaki’s disease, one of the leading causes of acquired heart disease in children. It inflames the blood vessels leading to the heart. The cause of Kawasaki’s is unknown. However, signs of the disease include fever lasting longer than 5 days, skin rash, red eyes, palms and foot soles and swollen lymph nodes. If not treated within five to ten days, it can lead to serious, sometimes life-threatening, complications. Good thing, Kawasaki’s disease is curable and most children recover fully from the disease.

Plant Steroids to be new model for hormone functioning

In a study undertaken by Zhi-Yong Wang and Wenqinag Tang of the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Plant Biology with seven co-authors that found a place in the Science Magazine, it was revealed that isolation of low-abundance signaling proteins can be caused after the separation of membranes from a part of the cell material.

This study was centered primarily on kinases, which is a class of proteins, which helps in transmission of signals by facilitating an exchange of phosphate ions.

From Bio-Medicine.Org:

Plant steroids, called brassinosteroids, are key hormones throughout the plant kingdom. They regulate many aspects of growth and development, and mutants deficient in brassinosteroids are often extremely stunted and infertile. Brassinosteroids are similar in many respects to animal steroids, but appear to function very differently at the cellular level. Animal cells respond to steroids using internal receptor molecules within the cells nucleus, whereas in plants the receptors are anchored to the outside surface of the cell membranes. A challenge for researchers has been to piece together the steps by which the hormonal signal is transmitted from the cell surface receptor to its action in the nucleus, where genes are the targets of regulation. Traditionally, genetic methods have been used to identify several components of the BR signaling pathway. However, genetic approach cannot identify all the components of a signaling pathway largely because of genetic redundancy (many genes play the same role in the cell).

To identify the links in the signal transduction chain, the researchers used the techniques of proteomics. “Proteomics is analogous to genomics,” says Wang.

The study further revealed that an identification of a group of kinases was conducted to respond to the presence of brassinosteroids through electrophoresis. The kinases (proteins) were given the name of brassinosteroid signaling kinases (BSKs) by the involved researchers.

It is believed that the study will help many studies evolved on signal transduction pathways.

Extra doses of steroids can help Preemies

A recently conducted study has proven that extra doses of steroids, when administered to babies, can reduce the post-birth respiratory ailments to a significant extent.

The study that was published in the March edition of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology revealed that babies administered with a second dose of steroids did not require medical ventilation and showed no signs of respiratory distress syndrome.

From Bio-Medicine.Org:

Giving a second dose of steroids to babies still in the womb can reduce their post-birth respiratory problems and does not seem to affect their growth the way multiple courses can, new research shows.

In babies born before 34 weeks, about 43 percent of those given a second dose of steroids in utero had complications, compared with about 63 percent of the babies given a placebo.

“We saw a 31 percent reduction in overall composite neonatal morbidity. That’s highly significant,” said study author Dr. James Kurtzman, an associate clinical professor in the division of maternal-fetal medicine in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California, Irvine.

The real advantage, he added, came from the reduction in respiratory problems. Fewer babies had respiratory distress syndrome, and fewer babies needed mechanical ventilation.

The study also claimed that babies administered with an extra dose of steroids showed no signs of growth restrictions or smaller head circumferences.

Dr. Peter Bernstein, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, said that these findings will help the medical fraternity to reduce the counts of premature births and neonatal mortality in the United States.

Steroid-Resistant Eczema Can Be Treated By Oral Alitretinoin

A recent study of Dr. Uwe Hillen of the University Clinic in Essen, Germany, showed that oral vitamin D alitretinoin can effectively treat steroid-resistant eczema. This option can be administered to patients when the combination of emollients and topical steroids fails to control the disease.

The experiment was composed of three trials. The first trail was participated by 1,032 patients, while the second had 249 patients. The third study was participated by 117 patients who initially responded to alitretinoin but relapsed within 24 weeks and 243 patients who previously had not responded to initial treatment.

From medpage today:

Almost half of patients with steroid-resistant hand eczema had complete or near-complete clearance when treated with the oral vitamin D analog alitretinoin, according to data from two randomized clinical trials.

Standard therapy for chronic hand eczema is topical corticosteroids, but patients have had few alternatives if the combination of emollients and topical steroids fails to control the disease.

All patients were advised to avoid known irritants and allergens that could trigger or exacerbate eczema.

Dr. Hillen reported that 48% of patients treated with the higher dose of alitretinoin had complete responses, as did 28% of patients treated with the lower dose.

The second study involved 249 patients from 37 centers in Europe and Canada. All had chronic hand eczema unresponsive to topical steroids, and they received open-label alitretinoin 30 mg daily for as long as 24 weeks.

Patients retreated with alitretinoin 10 mg had a response rate of 47.6% compared with 10% in the placebo patients.

In conclusion, Dr. Hillen found out that patients who were given 30mg of oral alitretinoin has higher positive response, compared to those given with lower dose, and to those treated with placebo. He confirmed that patients who relapse after their initial treatment can be retreated with alitretinoin. Dr. Hillen also claimed that this medication can be used for long-term treatment of hand eczema.

Prednisone Stops Protein Loss Caused By Nephrotic Syndrome

Both children and adult may acquire nephrotic syndrome although it usually occur on children between ages of two and six. This disease is characterized by the following syndrome: loss of large amounts of protein in the urine; a decrease in blood protein; swelling; and a rise in blood cholesterol and triglycerides.

Doctors claim that cortisone drug called prednisone remains the best cure for this condition. Children with nephrotic syndrome can be treated at home; however, hospitalization is advised for severe cases.

From Stltoday.com:

“Nephro” words indicate the kidneys. The nephrotic syndrome’s four signs are: loss of large amounts of protein in the urine; a decrease in blood protein; swelling; and a rise in blood cholesterol and triglycerides. All these signs are somewhat intertwined.

The spillage of protein into the urine drops blood protein. A decrease of blood protein, which holds fluid in arteries and veins, causes fluid to leak out of the circulation and into tissues, resulting in the swelling your granddaughter experienced. The rise in cholesterol and triglycerides requires a more lengthy explanation.

Most often, nephrotic syndrome happens to children between the ages of 2 and 6, but adults are not immune to it. Nine times out of 10, a cause cannot be found.

Prednisone — one of the cortisone drugs (steroids, but not the kind of steroids that build muscles) — seals the leaky kidneys and stops the protein loss. It’s the best treatment for this condition. If children are not feeling too bad, as is often the case, they can be treated at home, attend school and engage in any activities they can tolerate. With more severe involvement, hospitalization is necessary.

Prednisone helps cure this disease since it seals the leaky kidneys and stops the protein loss. If the child does not respond positively on prednisone, other medication such as cyclosporine can be prescribed.

Portable Method To Detect Steroid-Treated Cattle

Because of the rampant abuse of growth-promoting steroids in the beef industry in Europe, a new steroid-testing method was developed to eradicate the problem.

The team of Rodat Cunningham claimed that the new method is more cost-efficient and convenient than typical doping tests which use mass spectrometry and gas chromatography.

From ScienceDaily:

In an effort to curb the illegal use of steroids in the European beef industry, scientists in the United Kingdom are reporting the development of a new test that can identify steroids with higher accuracy, more convenience, and less cost than conventional doping tests.

In the new study, Rodat Cunningham and colleagues note that the European Union banned use of growth-promoting agents in cattle. However, widespread abuse of steroids continues and remains difficult to detect, they say. The standard methods for detecting steroid abuse —mass spectrometry and gas chromatography — involve directly measuring these substances in cattle. But the tests are expensive and can’t detect some of the newer steroid hormones.

The scientists describe a new test that measures steroids indirectly based on chemical changes associated with growth and muscle development in steroid-treated cattle. Using a commercial blood analyzer commonly found in hospitals, the researchers measured 20 chemical markers, including proteins and cholesterol, in cattle treated with and without commonly used steroids over a 42-day study period.

The new test detected the steroids with accuracy between 91 and 96 percent. The study opens the door to on-site steroid testing with portable instrumentation, the researchers say.

Rodat Cunningham and his colleagues developed the method that measures steroids indirectly based on chemical changes associated with growth and muscle development in steroid-treated cattle. The researchers used commercial blood analyzers commonly found in hospitals to measure 20 chemical markers in cattle treated with and without commonly used steroids over a 42-day period. The tests produced 91-96% accurate results.

Steroid Therapy Prolongs Survival Rate Of Hepatitis Patients

The anti-inflammatory property of corticosteroids has a great advantage for alcoholic hepatitis patients in prolonging their survival rate. This is supported by the study conducted by Dr. Philippe Mathurin of the Hôpital Claude Huriez, Lille, France. In the 44th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver, Dr. Mathurin discussed the results of the meta-analysis which shows that steroid therapy can be advantageous for patients who are considered to have a poor prognosis for survival.

From Doctor’s Guide Channel:

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Use of corticosteroids in patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis, although controversial, may improve survival rates by as much as a month, according to a study presented here at the 44th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL).

In addition, by using 2 scales that have been developed to rate the severity of the patient’s disease, it could be possible to predict which patients might respond best to steroid therapy.

Philippe Mathurin, MD, Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Hôpital Claude Huriez, Lille, France, discussed on April 23 the results of a meta-analysis showing that steroid therapy may be beneficial for patients who are deemed to have a poor prognosis for survival.

Dr. Mathurin concluded that the analysis helps to address the controversy of whether corticosteroids should be used in patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis, and demonstrates that among a subset of patients who have better Lille scores at baseline, steroid use could actually extend 28-day survival.

Corticosteroids can be synthesized from the cholesterol in the adrenal cortex. This is responsible for the body’s immunity and in the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. This steroid hormone used in the steroid therapy of the alcoholic hepatitis patients can stimulate their survival rate since this compound controls the inflammation mechanism of the body parts.