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Some foods don't mix with drugs and supplements

Posted: Published on March 19th, 2012

Think of your stomach as one big test tube. Maybe you drop in a vitamin or herbal supplement each morning. Maybe a cholesterol-lowering statin or a blood-pressure drug. Perhaps an infection-fighting antibiotic or allergy-relieving antihistamine. And you wash it down with fruit juice or milk or coffee. That may not always be a good thing because some foods and beverages from chocolate and caffeine to dairy and alcohol as well as dietary supplements (vitamins, herbals, etc.) and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs can interact with prescription drugs when they land in your gut. Those interactions may affect the ability of the drug to work as it should. Or that mix may cause unwanted side effects. With some tetracyclines, for example, you may need to avoid dairy products at the time you take the drug. If you take digoxin for your heart, you may need to steer clear of St. John's wort and large amounts of black licorice (that contains glycyrrhizin). Take ACE Inhibitors to lower your blood pressure? Go easy on high potassium foods such as bananas, oranges and green leafy vegetables. And depending on the statin you're taking there are many different types in this class you may need to avoid … Continue reading →

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2 Big Reasons for This Drug's Second Look

Posted: Published on March 19th, 2012

The Food and Drug Administration doesn't make a habit of giving drugs that once showed serious side effects another shot at approval, but it did so this past Monday. The case in point is not just one medication, but a class of drugs meant to manage the chronic pain of arthritis and other diseases. After a hearing at which drug company representatives argued on behalf of their prospective treatments, an FDA drug advisory panel unanimously voted in favor of recommending that the drugs called anti-nerve growth factors be allowed to continue testing, despite problems encountered two years ago. This was a clear win for Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) , whose drug trial of tanezumab was stopped in 2010 when some trial participants were found to have worsening joint deterioration. Other drug companies have their own versions of anti-NGFs, including Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) , Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: REGN) , which is working in partnership with Sanofi on its entry, and AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN) . Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) also has an anti-NGF drug under study, ABT-110, which has finished its phase 1 testing. The company did not attend the hearing. Pfizer's tanezumab seemed like a winner back in 2010, until … Continue reading →

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Doctor rapped over drugs prescriptions

Posted: Published on March 19th, 2012

RACHEL YOUNG A Christchurch doctor who admitted professional misconduct relating to prescribing controlled drugs will undergo psychological treatment to help him learn to say no to patients. The doctor, who has name suppression, appeared before the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal in Christchurch yesterday. In 2010, the doctor, known as Dr S, went on leave leaving a locum to oversee his practice. The locum became concerned about Dr S's pattern of prescribing drugs, in particular opiates and benzodiazepines, to his patients. The locum's concerns were raised with Dr S and in April 2011 a professional conduct committee (PCC) was established. The PCC recommended that a charge of professional misconduct be brought against Dr S for prescribing a controlled drug to a patient who he had to reason to believe was dependent on it and/or for prescribing opioids, benzodiazepines and facilitating self-injections in a way that "deviated significantly from the practice of his medical peers". Five patients were given as examples in the summary of facts. In the summary, Dr S acknowledged his prescribing of self-injecting opioids was not standard practice and his prescribing of benzodiazepines was outside the normal range. In a statement, Dr S accepted his prescribing was "inappropriate" and … Continue reading →

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War on drugs full of holes

Posted: Published on March 19th, 2012

EDITORIAL The Pheu Thai government came to power as a populist movement, and seems determined to prove it at every opportunity. The slowly developing plans to manage water and prevent floods include the provision to pay farmers for irrigation and fish ponds. The rising price of food has resulted in orders for the Blue Flag lorries to begin selling lower-priced items. And there is that one reliable issue certain to please the population, yet another campaign in the war against illegal drugs. It's too bad, then, that the government is lapping up public support instead of attending to the business of a true and effective campaign against drugs. There are few political actions by any government so reliably supported as a war on illegal drugs. As a whole, the country remains strongly in favour of harsh drug laws, and has little if any sympathy for drug peddlers. The Thaksin Shinawatra government of 2003 urged and supported what turned into a virtual massacre of 2,500 petty drug dealers and completely innocent bystanders. Yet, because it targeted drug peddlers, that government-supported action has never been properly investigated or made accountable. The visceral dislike of illegal drugs and dealers probably explains the almost … Continue reading →

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Kidney transplant patients seek life without drugs

Posted: Published on March 19th, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) Lindsay Porter's kidneys were failing rapidly when a friend offered to donate one of his. Then she made an unusual request: Would he donate part of his immune system, too? Every day for the rest of their lives, transplant recipients must swallow handfuls of pills to keep their bodies from rejecting a donated organ. The Chicago woman hoped to avoid those problematic drugs, enrolling in a study to try to trick her own immune system into accepting a foreign kidney. It's one of a series of small, high-stakes experiments around the country that has researchers hopeful that they're finally closing in on how to help at least some transplant patients go drug-free. The key: Create a sort of twin immunity, by transplanting some of the kidney donor's immune-producing cells along with the new organ. "I'm so lucky," says the 47-year-old Porter, who stumbled across the research at Chicago's Northwestern University. Porter was able to quit her pills last summer, a year after her transplant, and says, "I feel amazing." These experiments are a big gamble. If the technique fails, patients could lose their new kidney, possibly their lives. Doctors stress that no one should try quitting anti-rejection drugs … Continue reading →

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Pharmacy burglar awaits sentence

Posted: Published on March 19th, 2012

ALBURY man Joel Allan James Baskett was adamant during a bail application last year that police had the wrong man for breaking into a pharmacy to steal drugs. It was suggested by his solicitor that police should overlook the same modus operandi for three such offences along with closed circuit footage showing a distinctive crucifix tattoo on the back of his neck. That was combined with officers finding a large cache of prescription drugs at his East Albury residence when they went to arrest him. Baskett served 14 months in jail for the first two offences and committed the third just four days after his release. Solicitor Chris Murnane told Albury Local Court yesterday that Baskett was pleading guilty to the latest offence committed in September last year. Magistrate Tony Murray committed Baskett, 26, for sentence in the District Court sittings starting on April 30 and ordered a pre-sentence report with no application made for bail. Baskett was captured on closed circuit footage inside Fifields Pharmacy in Dean Street, Albury, about 2.17pm on September 14. He left after a short time and returned when it was closed about 9.27pm wearing a grey hooded top. Baskett used a metal rod to … Continue reading →

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California's stem cell agency ponders a future without taxpayer support

Posted: Published on March 19th, 2012

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The creation of California's stem cell agency in 2004 was greeted by scientists and patients as a turning point in a field mired in debates about the destruction of embryos and hampered by federal research restrictions. The taxpayer-funded institute wielded the extraordinary power to dole out $3 billion in bond proceeds to fund embryonic stem cell work with an eye toward treatments for a host of crippling diseases. Midway through its mission, with several high-tech labs constructed, but little to show on the medicine front beyond basic research, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine faces an uncertain future. Is it still relevant nearly eight years later? And will it still exist when the money dries up? The answers could depend once again on voters and whether they're willing to extend the life of the agency. Several camps that support stem cell research think taxpayers should not pay another cent given the state's budget woes. "It would be so wrong to ask Californians to pony up more money," said Marcy Darnovsky of the Center for Genetics and Society, a pro-stem cell research group that opposed Proposition 71, the state ballot initiative that formed CIRM. Last December, CIRM's … Continue reading →

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Biostem U.S., Corporation Continues Building Its Scientific and Medical Board of Advisors With Appointment of Leading …

Posted: Published on March 19th, 2012

CLEARWATER, FL--(Marketwire -03/19/12)- Biostem U.S., Corporation (OTCQB: BOSM.PK - News) (Pinksheets: BOSM.PK - News) (Biostem, the Company), a fully reporting public company in the stem cell regenerative medicine sciences sector, announced today the addition of Perinatologist Sanford M. Lederman, MD to its Scientific and Medical Board of Advisors (SAMBA). As Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at New York Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn, Dr. Lederman is consistently recognized by New Yorker Magazine's list of "Top Doctors" in New York. A specialist in high-risk pregnancy issues, Dr. Lederman has authored a number of scientific papers and is a highly regarded public speaker. He adds a very important dimension to the Biostem Scientific and Medical Board of Advisors by bringing specialized knowledge regarding the potential use of stem cell applications for the health of women and children. Biostem President Dwight Brunoehler said, "Dr. Lederman is one of the most highly respected Obstetric and Gynecological physicians in the country. Sandy and I have worked together very actively on stem cell projects for over 18 years, including setting up a cord blood stem cell national donation system where all expectant moms have a chance to donate their baby's cord blood to benefit … Continue reading →

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Stem cell therapy banned in Kuwait

Posted: Published on March 19th, 2012

(MENAFN - Arab Times) Ministry of Health (MoH) employees holding PhD degrees announced that they will participate in the sit-in demonstration carried out by the Labor Union of Health Ministry, reports Al-Seyassah daily. In the press release, they said they are protesting against the fact that they are receiving the same salary scale and benefits as any other ministry employee with lower qualifications and if necessary, they are ready to even burn their PhD certificates at the sit-in to get the benefits they deserve according to their qualifications. The sit-in will be carried out in front of Health Ministry headquarters in Sulaibikhat at 10 am on Tuesday, March 20, 2012. The number of PhD holders has exceeded 100 considering the participation of PhD holders from other ministries as well. Meanwhile, the MoH has banned stem cell therapy in the country until the committee tasked to set the standards for the treatment completes its work, reports Al-Anba daily quoting Director of Health License Department Dr Marzouq Al-Bader. Al-Bader disclosed the ministry had earlier formed the committee to ensure the stem cell procedures are carried out in an appropriate manner to protect the patients. He added the ministry will also issue a … Continue reading →

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RBCC and n3D Aim to Help Bring Stem Cell Treatments to Market Faster

Posted: Published on March 19th, 2012

NOKOMIS, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- As global demand for innovative new stem-cell therapies grows by the day, Rainbow BioSciences (OTCBB:RBCC.OB - News) new agreement with n3D Biosciences could help to bring these therapies to market faster than ever before. Stem cell therapies are becoming increasingly important to healthcare advancement around the world. Rising care delivery costs, worldwide population aging, and potential physician shortages are only three of the issues facing world healthcare providers. The cost to bring a new drug to market has soared to $1.3 billion, and there are now half as many drugs seeking approval as there were 15 years ago. Rising costs and potential shortages have led to a boom in demand for stem cell therapies. These advanced treatments could soon help to ease costs and provide effective disease treatment, potentially improving patient outcomes and reducing health care costs. For that to happen, however, real challenges must be overcome. Translation of these therapies from the lab to the clinic is slow, and widespread implementation could be a decade away or more. Thanks to n3Ds Bio-Assembler technology, however, the development timeline for many stem cell therapies could potentially be shortened significantly. The Bio-Assembler enables researchers to culture cells in three … Continue reading →

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