Rash means cancer drug Tarceva is working

The development of a skin rash in patients with pancreatic cancer or lung cancer treated with Tarceva is a strong indication that the drug is working, report researchers from OSI Pharmaceuticals, the drug's developer.

Dr. Bret Wacker and colleagues analyzed data from two clinical trials testing Tarceva in advanced lung cancer and advanced pancreatic cancer. These studies led to the approval of this drug for treating both types of cancer.

In both studies, overall survival was better in Tarceva-treated patients who developed a rash, the investigators report in the journal Clinical Cancer Research. In fact, the more severe the rash, the longer patients survived.

Some patients are stopping treatment because of the rash, yet those are the ones most likely to benefit. This is a critical problem; Wacker said in a statement from the American Association for Cancer Research.

Physicians and patients should view rash development as a positive event indicative of greater likelihood of clinical benefit," he and his colleagues conclude. "Developing strategies to manage rash while continuing (Tarceva) therapy is important,they add.

Source: www.epsdrugstore.com

Ways to help prevent acne

Acne is caused by factors including hormonal changes, certain medications, and the use of certain products.

Acne is a term that’s used to describe whiteheads, blackheads, and pimples. (You may well recognize slang terms like spots, or zits). Most teenagers get the type of acne called acne vulgaris, which can show up on the face, neck, shoulders, back, and chest. Skin pores contain oil glands which naturally lubricate your skin and hair. But sometimes if a pore gets clogged beneath the skin with excess oil and bacteria, the dreaded acne is caused...

Whiteheads happen when a pore gets clogged, closes, and then bulges out. If a pore gets clogged but stays open, the top may darken and you've got a blackhead. A pimple happens when dead skin and bacteria work their way under live skin. This leads to a small infection that makes your skin look red. Get glowing!

Although everyone is different, acne is usually caused by the build up of oil and dead skin in a pore.
This build up of oil and dead skin is caused because of:

• Natural hormones. These are particularly active in your teens.
• Plugged skin. Lots of skin cells can close the oil glands or pores, creating blackheads or whiteheads, (as mentioned earlier).
• Bacteria. Bacteria can easily infect oil glands and pores and grow very quickly.
• Family background. If you have acne, your kids are more likely to have it too.

Here are skin-care suggestions to help reduce acne, courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine:

• Wash your face once or twice a day with a gentle, mild soap or cleanser that won't dry the skin. Always wash your face after sweating or exercising, but don't wash excessively or more than a few times a day.
• Wash your hair with shampoo each day, particularly if you have oily hair
• Keep oily hair pulled back and away from your face
• Don't touch your face with your hands or fingers.
• Don't pick at, scratch or pop any blemishes, as this can cause infection and scarring.
  Avoid any makeup or face creams that are greasy or oily.

Source: www.medical-health-care-information.com

Give your child a smoke-free pregnancy

While most women in the United States understand the importance of prenatal check-ups, limited stress and good nutrition during pregnancy, the American Cancer Society reports that only 39 percent of women smokers quit smoking while pregnant. According to the Office of the Surgeon General, smoking is the most important modifiable cause of poor pregnancy outcomes among women in the United States. The effects of tobacco can do irreparable and lasting damage to the lungs, brain and blood of an unborn child and can cause dangerous conditions for the mother.

Smoking during pregnancy essentially starves a growing child of the food, oxygen and nutrients needed for healthy development – both physical and mental. Cigarette smoke carries toxins such as carbon monoxide, nicotine and cyanide into the baby’s blood stream, hindering the supply of blood to the fetus’ body and brain and the supply of oxygen and nutrients through the placenta. This lack of nourishment slows the baby’s growth and more than doubles the risk of serious complications for both mother and child.

Risks for the mother include:

• miscarriage
• required caesarean delivery
• bleeding
• premature delivery
• ectopic pregnancy (in which the fetus grows inside a fallopian tube instead of the uterus)
  

Risks at birth for the child include:

• polycythemia (abnormal elevated red blood cell count).
• low birth weight - On average, babies of smokers are almost half a pound lighter than babies of non-smokers.
• cleft lip or palate.
  But the health risks for the child only multiply after birth. Because the nicotine is directly ingested by the child while in the womb, its effects are far more severe than those of environmental second-hand smoke. Smoking during pregnancy is one of the leading causes of illness, disability and death for infants.

As infants, children and later as adults, this group of children is more vulnerable to a variety of conditions:

• Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
• Asthma - Exposure to tobacco compromises the development of the fetus’ lungs, leading to an increased risk of asthma.
• Significant behavior problems including hyperactivity, anxiety, depression and antisocial behavior.
• Lung cancer - Research has also found that NNK, a chemical found in nicotine that is linked to lung cancer, is able to cross the placenta and reach the fetus.

According to the American Cancer Society, even quitting the habit in mid-pregnancy can reduce the chances of tobacco-related illness in children by 17 to 26 percent. If you are pregnant and have unsuccessfully tried to quit or have considered quitting, consider the health of your child – and consider your reasons for quitting doubled.

Source: www.medical-health-care-information.com

Protein interaction is a drug target for blood clot prevention

After a blood vessel in injured, platelets cluster together to plug the site of injury in the form of a blood clot (thrombus). In arterial disease, altered platelet aggregation can block blood vessels and cause heart attack or stroke.

Platelet aggregation involves the binding of many molecules to platelet integrin alpha-IIb beta 3, and blockade of this binding is effective in the prevention of blood clots.

However, chronic use of oral drugs that block alpha-IIb beta 3 activation have not proved beneficial in preventing recurrent blood clots.

In a study appearing online on July 12 in advance of publication in the August print issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Mark Ginsberg and colleagues from the University of California San Diego show that the binding of the protein talin to alpha-IIb beta 3 is critical for integrin activation in mice, and that selective disruption of the talin–alpha-IIb beta 3 interaction protects mice from pulmonary thromboembolism – the formation of blood clots in the vessel that carries blood from the heart to the lungs.

Furthermore, this blockade results in very little pathological bleeding, which can often occur when the clotting process is disrupted.

The results suggest that modulation of the interaction between talin and alpha-IIb beta 3 could be an attractive strategy for the development of future anti-thrombotic drugs, with a reduced risk of pathological bleeding.

Source: www.epsdrugstore.com

Anti-obesity drug might also lower cholesterol

A study in rats suggests that the anti-obesity drug rimonabant may also reduce liver damage and improve cholesterol levels.

Rimonabant is available in Europe under the brand name Acomplia but is not approved for use in the United States.

French researchers at Sanofi-Aventis, the drug company that makes the drug, gave rimonabant to obese male rats every day for eight weeks.

At the end of the treatment, the researchers observed a reduction in the rodents' liver enlargement, level of fat in the liver and markers in the blood indicating liver damage. There was also a reduction of an inflammation-related protein thought to cause insulin resistance in the liver as well as cirrhosis.

Writing in the July issue of Hepatology, the researchers also noted healthier cholesterol and triglyceride levels after treatment. They attributed the improvement to the improved health of the liver.

According data from the American College of Gastroenterology, two out of three obese adults also have what's known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, an accumulation of fat in the liver. At its most severe, this condition can lead to liver inflammation, tissue scarring and cirrhosis.

Source: www.medical-health-care-information.com

The Fastest Way to Build Muscle

The body building industry has millions of practitioners all over the world and each of them has a claim to know the fastest way to build muscle. We are of course talking about building muscle without the use of steroids. That is to say we are talking about natural body building.

Whilst there are many ways to build muscle the most important thing one needs to understand is how muscle is built in the first place.

The process of building muscle is in fact quite simple and is a well trodden road. Muscles grow in response to being placed under extreme stress by picking up heavy weights. By picking up heavy weights small tears appear in the muscle fibers The body then sets about rebuilding these tears. The body builds stronger muscle fibers just in case you are crazy enough to try picking up those heavy weights again. This is all part of the bodies defense mechanism. It thinks it is under attack so it builds stronger muscles to try and survive.

Now we know the basic process of how the body builds muscle we needs to apply a few general guidelines in order to achieve the fastest way to build muscle.

Firstly we want to apply the greatest stress to the muscles in the shortest possible time. The most optimum way to do this is to pick up the heaviest weight possible for the fewest repetitions. Thus the goal is to get to the point where you cannot pick up the weights more than 5 to 7 times. If you do loads of repetitions then you will get to stage of self defeating as the body will then start to break down muscle for energy to support your efforts.

The next important thing is to never exercise more than one hour otherwise again you will cause your body to change to a state where it will break down muscle for energy, thus giving you no muscle gains for your efforts.

You must eat properly. The ideal is to eat loads of proteins such as chicken, fish and meat with good complex carbohydrates. You need to eat at least five to six times per day. You need your sleep so your body can recover from all the stress you just put it under.

Source: http://www.medical-health-care-information.com

Air travel during pregnancy

Commercial air travel poses no special risks to a healthy pregnant woman or her fetus. However, certain conditions in pregnancy — such as severe anemia, sickle cell disease, clotting disorders and placental insufficiency — can put you at increased risk of problems. So check with your doctor.

Some women worry about the effect of decreased air pressure on the fetus during air travel. During the flight, air pressure is adjusted to approximately that of between 5,000 and 8,000 feet above sea level. Although you and your baby will both have slightly less oxygen in your blood than you would at sea level, your bodies will adjust to this.

Another concern about air travel during pregnancy is exposure to electromagnetic radiation from the sun at high altitudes. The effects of radiation exposure in pregnancy are very well understood. Although the exposure increases at higher altitudes, the level of exposure for the occasional traveler is not a concern. However, pregnant women who fly very frequently — such as pilots, flight attendants, air marshals and couriers — may receive radiation exposure that exceeds current recommendations. If you must fly frequently during your pregnancy, discuss this with your doctor.

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the safest time for a pregnant woman to travel is during the second trimester (18 through 24 weeks). This is when a pregnant woman has the lowest risk of miscarriage or premature labor. Many doctors recommend that women avoid flying after 36 weeks of pregnancy or if they're at risk of preterm delivery. Some tips for pregnant women who plan to fly:

• Ask for an aisle seat or a seat at the bulkhead — which offers the most space and comfort — or over the wings — which offers the smoothest ride.
  
• Fasten the safety belt under your abdomen across the tops of your thighs.
  
• Get up and walk every half-hour or, if the seat belt sign is on, flex and extend your ankles vigorously and frequently to prevent blood clots.
  
• Drink plenty of fluids. Low humidity in the cabin has a dehydrating effect.

All airlines have policies regarding pregnancy and flying. So check with the airline before booking a flight.

Source: www.medical-health-care-information.com