Combo of Paxil, Pravachol may raise the sugar in the blood

 taken in combination, two drugs commonly prescribed antidepressant Paxil and the cholesterol-lowering Pravachol drugs seem increases significantly the blood glucose, a new study concludes.

The increase is more apparent - and for - in the diabetic whose blood sugar is already too high, the researchers noted.

"This interaction may affect up to 1 million Americans who would be on these two drugs and who get a bump in their blood glucose may be unnecessary," said researcher principal Dr. Russ Altman, Professor of biological, genetic engineering and medicine at Stanford University.

It is possible that the blood sugar spike triggered a diagnosis of diabetes type 2 patients, Altman said, "and we could avoid this diagnosis if they had not been on these drugs", he said. "This is speculative, but it is possible."

No single drug raises sugar in the blood and the researchers said they cannot yet explain the effect of the combination. Also, combinations of other antidepressants and cholesterol not stimulate glucose levels. "This is not what we would call a"class"effect", Altman explained.

Paxil (paroxetine) is in a class of drugs known as inhibitors of the reuptake of serotonin (SSRIS) and Pravachol (Pravastatin) belongs to a group of drugs called statins. "We looked at all the other pairs of SSRIS and Statins and there were a couple who has shown a small bump in glucose, but there is nothing to do with the humpback seen Paxil and Pravachol," Altman said.

For the study, published online may 25 in clinical and therapeutic Pharmacology, researchers have used a technique called data mining, analysis of large databases in the hope of finding information which, although not immediately obviousis gleaned by combining the data in a new way.

In this case, team Altman used the data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System, more data from the universities of Harvard, Stanford and Vanderbilt to identify the associations would not apparent doctors dealing with individual patients.

Using this method, researchers have identified 135 non-diabetic patients taking both drugs whose blood sugar increased of 19 milligrams per deciliter after the start of treatment. They have also identified 104 diabetic whose blood sugar increased an average of 48 mg/dl while taking the two drugs.

With levels of sugar in the blood of 126 mg/dl or two tests are considered diabetic. Levels of 100 mg/dl to 125 mg/dl are considered prédiabétiques.

By extrapolating these results to the whole of the population of the United States, the Altman team believes that of 33 million people taking Paxil or Pravachol, 500 000 to 1 million hold together.

To verify whether their conclusions were simply associations which could be explained by other factors, researchers have experimented with drugs in mice.

The mice were exposed to two drugs after receiving a diet rich in fat, high calorie to pre-diabetic. No single drug has increased sugar in the blood, together they have increased sugar in the blood of about 128 mg/dl to 193 mg/dl, the researchers found.

"It was just like humans in our data base, said Altman." So, this seems to be a real biological effect. "This could give us an overview of the mechanisms of diabetes."

Altman warns that people taking this drug combination should not respond.

He has said "people on an antidepressant should not mess with because depression is a very serious illness". It would be reasonable to see a doctor and see if your blood glucose have been difficult to control, he said. He said "if it was, then I think the thing to change would be the Statin,".

Dr. Ronald b. Goldberg, Professor of medicine at the Institute for research of diabetes at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, said that it was "" an interesting conclusion and could be clinically important. ""

"People with diabetes have an increased risk of depression." they are all recommended to be on Statins, "said Goldberg. "Then, it can worsen glycemic control in diabetic people."

But Goldberg thinks that it is too early to change clinical practice based on this study only. "This must be confirmed in a clinical trial," he said.

Combo of Paxil, Pravachol may raise the sugar in the blood (HealthDay)

 taken in combination, two drugs commonly prescribed antidepressant Paxil and the cholesterol-lowering Pravachol drugs seem increases significantly the blood glucose, a new study concludes.

The increase is more apparent - and for - in the diabetic whose blood sugar is already too high, the researchers noted.

"This interaction may affect up to 1 million Americans who would be on these two drugs and who get a bump in their blood glucose may be unnecessary," said researcher principal Dr. Russ Altman, Professor of biological, genetic engineering and medicine at Stanford University.

It is possible that the blood sugar spike triggered a diagnosis of diabetes type 2 patients, Altman said, "and we could avoid this diagnosis if they had not been on these drugs", he said. "This is speculative, but it is possible."

No single drug raises sugar in the blood and the researchers said they cannot yet explain the effect of the combination. Also, combinations of other antidepressants and cholesterol not stimulate glucose levels. "This is not what we would call a"class"effect", Altman explained.

Paxil (paroxetine) is in a class of drugs known as inhibitors of the reuptake of serotonin (SSRIS) and Pravachol (Pravastatin) belongs to a group of drugs called statins. "We looked at all the other pairs of SSRIS and Statins and there were a couple who has shown a small bump in glucose, but there is nothing to do with the humpback seen Paxil and Pravachol," Altman said.

For the study, published online may 25 in clinical and therapeutic Pharmacology, researchers have used a technique called data mining, analysis of large databases in the hope of finding information which, although not immediately obviousis gleaned by combining the data in a new way.

In this case, team Altman used the data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System, more data from the universities of Harvard, Stanford and Vanderbilt to identify the associations would not apparent doctors dealing with individual patients.

Using this method, researchers have identified 135 non-diabetic patients taking both drugs whose blood sugar increased of 19 milligrams per deciliter after the start of treatment. They have also identified 104 diabetic whose blood sugar increased an average of 48 mg/dl while taking the two drugs.

With levels of sugar in the blood of 126 mg/dl or two tests are considered diabetic. Levels of 100 mg/dl to 125 mg/dl are considered prédiabétiques.

By extrapolating these results to the whole of the population of the United States, the Altman team believes that of 33 million people taking Paxil or Pravachol, 500 000 to 1 million hold together.

To verify whether their conclusions were simply associations which could be explained by other factors, researchers have experimented with drugs in mice.

The mice were exposed to two drugs after receiving a diet rich in fat, high calorie to pre-diabetic. No single drug has increased sugar in the blood, together they have increased sugar in the blood of about 128 mg/dl to 193 mg/dl, the researchers found.

"It was just like humans in our data base, said Altman." So, this seems to be a real biological effect. "This could give us an overview of the mechanisms of diabetes."

Altman warns that people taking this drug combination should not respond.

He has said "people on an antidepressant should not mess with because depression is a very serious illness". It would be reasonable to see a doctor and see if your blood glucose have been difficult to control, he said. He said "if it was, then I think the thing to change would be the Statin,".

Dr. Ronald b. Goldberg, Professor of medicine at the Institute for research of diabetes at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, said that it was "" an interesting conclusion and could be clinically important. ""

"People with diabetes have an increased risk of depression." they are all recommended to be on Statins, "said Goldberg. "Then, it can worsen glycemic control in diabetic people."

But Goldberg thinks that it is too early to change clinical practice based on this study only. "This must be confirmed in a clinical trial," he said.

Smoking may raise ratings for the return of Cancer of the Prostate

for men who have had their surgical resection due to prostate prostate cancer, smoking seems linked to an increase in blood levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA) - a measure of the risk of cancer recurrence.

Detects if a new study to be presented Monday at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA), Washington D.C.

The study involved 321 smokers and 309-smokers who underwent radical prostatectomy (removal of the prostate) from 1989 to 2005. Smokers have a higher volume and a higher volume of cancer high quality than non-smokers, according to researchers at Stanford University medical school.

Smokers has also tended to draw a steep rise in PSA blood levels, signaling a greater risk of "biochemical recurrence" cancer of the prostate. The PSA level increased approximately one per cent per pack-year smoked, the team discovered.

"These data suggest that the history of smoking could provide valuable information and should be included in prostate cancer risk assessment models," study presenter Dr. Joseph c. Presti, said in a press release AAU.

"The study also presents a strong message to men: smoking cessation now could affect your ability to survive to the prostate cancer later,"he added."".

Fever during pregnancy, diabetes and obesity may raise risk of autism

have the flu during pregnancy not associated with a risk of autism or delay of development in children, although having a fever during pregnancy can be.

And delivery by caesarean section is not associated with autism in the progeny, but having diabetes or high blood pressure or being obese, while speakers seem to be.

Those are the results of several new studies that sought to discover what factors during pregnancy can affect the risk of autism in children. The research was presented Wednesday at a press conference at the international meeting for autism (IMFAR) in San Diego research.

About one in 110 U.S. children have an autism spectrum disorder, a condition of neurological development characterized by problems of language, communication and social functioning, as well as repetitive or restrictive behaviour. Many children with autism have also other conditions including epilepsy, anxiety disorders and gastrointestinal disorders.

Recent research has found that the diagnosis of autism is increasing, some of which may be due to greater awareness and increased availability of services for autism, said experts. Still other research suggests that the actual incidence of autism is also rising.

"Autism is a disorder of incredibly complex that now affects about 1% of the children," said the President IMFAR David Amaral.

The cause of autism is unknown, although some research, including the papers presented at IMFAR, referring to maternal factors which could contribute to a child to develop the disease.

In the first study, researchers examined data from research on 1,000 children taking part to the risk of autism from childhood focused on population genetics and the study of the environment (support), 462 included with a spectrum autism disorder136 with other development disorders and 265 typically developing children between 2 and 5. The researchers also examined the reports of the mother of flu or fever during pregnancy.

Researchers found no link between autism and other development and delay the flu in a trimester of pregnancy.

But in a weighted analysis, mothers of children with an autism spectrum disorder were almost twice as likely to report having a fever during pregnancy than mothers of children without autism, co-author of the study Irva Hertz-Picciotto, Deputy Director of the University of Californie.Davis MIND Institute (medical investigation of neurological development).

The risks were particularly high when mothers reported having had a fever during the 2nd quarter.

Prior research has suggested an association between viral infections during pregnancy and autism. Yet researchers believe the mother inflammatory response to the virus, rather than any particular virus itself, influence the development of the brain of the child.

"These results add to a growing number of evidence that inflammation maternally mediated by could be part of the mechanistic pathway leading to Autism", said Hertz-Picciotto.

However, the researchers noted that the findings were preliminary and that the association did not reach statistical significance in an analysis where they did not apply the sampling weights.

Along the same vein, another study to be presented at the meeting by researchers at the Denmark analyzed amniotic fluid collected samples of pregnant women in Copenhagen since 1982. Later, some children from women were diagnosed with autism.

The study found no difference in hospitalization for infections during pregnancy, but they found that mothers of autistic children were more likely to have high level of some inflammatory markers — in particular, a cytokine called TNFa. For reasons not well understood, inflammatory markers were particularly high among mothers of girls with autism.

"Overall, the results of our study not only to support the idea that immune dysfunction plays a role in autism, but also confirm that this happens effectively before birth,"wrote the authors."."

In a third study, mothers who were with diabetes (Type 2 and gestational), which also draws data from the study of the charge, researchers have studied chronic hypertension and obesity before pregnancy.

The study found that children of mothers with these conditions were much more likely to have autism or other developmental delays.

"For mothers with at least one of the three conditions, their children were at risk increased by 60% of autism and delays in development, there was a risk of 150 per cent have increased," Hertz-Picciotto said.

Researchers have also noted that the children of diabetic mothers has also tended to have more poor expressive language skills whether children had autism.

A fourth study, which looked at caesarean section and autism, also used data on approximately 500 children with autism and 300 without autism of the study of the charge.

The study found no link between autism and the delivery method.

However, having a profile in c of emergency after a difficult birth - including prolonged labour, rupture of the membranes or infection of the amniotic cavity - was related to an increased risk of autism in the offspring.

But when the researchers controlled for other factors, such as the age of the mother, pre-eclampsia and diabetes, which are associated with increased risk of autism, the mode of delivery was more statistically significant.

The good news is that many of the factors described in the three studies are "updateable," which means that if they are confirmed to be the Autism risk factors, it would be possible to modify their, Hertz-Picciotto said.

"We would like to able to intervene and potentially avoid autism in the future," she said.

They note that research presented at meetings has not been submitted to the same type of scrutiny given to research published in medical journals and should be regarded as provisional.

Thyroid drugs may raise risk of Fracture in elderly (HealthDay)

many seniors may be at increased risk of fractures because they are "excessive" doses of drugs used to treat thyroid gland problems, a new study said.

The results suggest that the objectives of the treatment must be modified in elderly patients with thyroid gland problems and that it is essential in the advanced age of regular dose of thyroid medication monitoring, researchers said.

Reports in the online edition of April 28 of the BMJ, they examined the connection between fractures and levothyroxine, a synthetic form of thyroid hormone, which is widely used to treat a lazy of the thyroid gland (hypothyroidism).

Many patients with hypothyroidism is diagnosed in early or middle adulthood. Even if their processing requirements change with age, many patients still on the same dose of drug. This can lead to excess of thyroid hormone, which increases the risk of fractures, especially among older women, said the authors of the study.

They analyzed data more from 213,500 patients aged 70 years or more, in the province of Ontario, the Canada, who completed at least a levothyroxine order between April 1, 2002 and March 31, 2007. During the study period, more than 22,000 (10.4%) patients suffered at least a fracture.

Past and current users (who had arrested drug 15 to 180 days before the start of the study) had a significantly higher than the "remote" users risk of fracture (which had ceased the use of the drug more than 180 days before the start of the study).

Among current users, those who have high or average drug doses were much more likely to suffer fractures than those taking a low dose.

"Our results provide evidence that levothyroxine treatment may increase the risk of fractures of frailty in the elderly even at conventional doses, suggesting that closer monitoring and modification of the objectives of the treatment may be justified in this vulnerable population""," concluded Lorraine Lipscombe, researcher at the Institute for research of College Torontoet women colleagues.

An expert was not surprised by the findings.

"It has long been known that high or excessive use of levothyroxine dose predispose [persons] to an increase of osteoporosis and fracture risk," said Dr. Irwin Klein, Director of the unit of the thyroid and Associate Chairman of the Department of medicine at North Shore-LIJ to ManhassetN.Y health system. "more, this study confirms this conclusion in a population of women who are inherently at risk for this occurrence."

Klein also noted that the study highlights the need for preventive action.

"As the authors conclude, it is important to monitor the blood tests of thyroid - especially the levels of TSH - to prevent this potential undesirable burden," he said.

Thyroid drugs may raise risk of Fracture in elderly (HealthDay)

many seniors may be at increased risk of fractures because they are "excessive" doses of drugs used to treat thyroid gland problems, a new study said.

The results suggest that the objectives of the treatment must be modified in elderly patients with thyroid gland problems and that it is essential in the advanced age of regular dose of thyroid medication monitoring, researchers said.

Reports in the online edition of April 28 of the BMJ, they examined the connection between fractures and levothyroxine, a synthetic form of thyroid hormone, which is widely used to treat a lazy of the thyroid gland (hypothyroidism).

Many patients with hypothyroidism is diagnosed in early or middle adulthood. Even if their processing requirements change with age, many patients still on the same dose of drug. This can lead to excess of thyroid hormone, which increases the risk of fractures, especially among older women, said the authors of the study.

They analyzed data more from 213,500 patients aged 70 years or more, in the province of Ontario, the Canada, who completed at least a levothyroxine order between April 1, 2002 and March 31, 2007. During the study period, more than 22,000 (10.4%) patients suffered at least a fracture.

Past and current users (who had arrested drug 15 to 180 days before the start of the study) had a significantly higher than the "remote" users risk of fracture (which had ceased the use of the drug more than 180 days before the start of the study).

Among current users, those who have high or average drug doses were much more likely to suffer fractures than those taking a low dose.

"Our results provide evidence that levothyroxine treatment may increase the risk of fractures of frailty in the elderly even at conventional doses, suggesting that closer monitoring and modification of the objectives of the treatment may be justified in this vulnerable population""," concluded Lorraine Lipscombe, researcher at the Institute for research of College Torontoet women colleagues.

An expert was not surprised by the findings.

"It has long been known that high or excessive use of levothyroxine dose predispose [persons] to an increase of osteoporosis and fracture risk," said Dr. Irwin Klein, Director of the unit of the thyroid and Associate Chairman of the Department of medicine at North Shore-LIJ to ManhassetN.Y health system. "more, this study confirms this conclusion in a population of women who are inherently at risk for this occurrence."

Klein also noted that the study highlights the need for preventive action.

"As the authors conclude, it is important to monitor the blood tests of thyroid - especially the levels of TSH - to prevent this potential undesirable burden," he said.