Sports N Health

According to a new review of recently concluded studies comparing inhaled corticosteroids and the medicine cromolyn, asthmatic children and adults can breathe deeper and exercise a better control over their asthma with corticosteroids.

It was remarked by James Guevara, M.D., of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and colleagues that asthmatic patients using steroids also have the unique advantage of scoring considerably higher when it comes to lung function tests. It was also remarked that patients using inhaled corticosteroids use their inhalers often less than those using cromolyn for treating asthma.

From News-Medical.Net:

“To our knowledge, this is the first systematic review comparing the effects of cromolyn to the gold standard, inhaled steroids,” Guevara said.

The review appears in the current issue of The Cochrane Library, a publication of The Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research. Systematic reviews draw evidence-based conclusions about medical practice after considering both the content and quality of existing medical trials on a topic.

The consensus still leaves room for cromolyn treatment, according to William Storms, M.D., an allergist at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and director of the William Storms Allergy Clinic in Colorado Springs.

“Any expert would agree that inhaled corticosteroids are preferred first-line therapy for treatment of persistent asthma, which requires daily therapy. But we also will agree with the NIH [National Institutes of Health] asthma guidelines, which state that cromolyn and other drugs are alternative therapies,” Storms said.

Cromolyn, or sodium cromoglycate, and inhaled corticosteroids both block the action of certain inflammatory cells in the lungs. Physicians recommend both types of medication for persistent asthma, but individual studies disagree about which type of medication works best, the reviewers found.

It was concluded by Guevara and colleagues that inhaled corticosteroids prove to be superior to cromolyn despite severity of asthma. It was also concluded that the experienced results were so much decisive that there is need to warrant any further studies on this matter.

Researchers at the Michigan State University have found out that leptin, a hormone produced by fat cells and considered as an appetite-controlling hormone, has the ability to affect the immune system where natural versions of some steroids fail to deliver.

This study was reported in an online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It was revealed by Pamela Fraker, MSU professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and lead scientist that the neuroendocrine system plays an all-important role in both the immune system and obesity.

From News-Medical.Net:

To further study leptin’s effect on the immune system, Fraker and her colleagues are planning a study on morbidly obese people who will be having gastric bypass surgery. While the outcome of the surgery is highly successful for most people, mortality rates can range from 2 percent to 10 percent, which is significant.

“Infection from poor wound healing, which is the result of reduced immune function, is one reason people die from the surgery,” Fraker said. “We’re going to measure people’s immune function before and after surgery to see how much it improves, as well as how fast it improves.”

Other members of this research team are MSU scientists Louis King, research assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, and Kate Claycombe, assistant professor of food science and human nutrition.

While corticosteroids, such as prednisone, reduce inflammation, they also inhibit the body’s immune system – a person taking prescription steroids is more susceptible to infection. Another MSU research team found that corticosteroids produced naturally in the body don’t have this same immunosuppressive effect.

It was remarked by Fraker and his team that the naturally-produced versions of steroids do not affect the immune system like the pharmacological versions and pharmaceutical companies need to aim for synthesizing natural versions of the steroids.

Norditropin (somatropin[rDNA origin] injection) has been approved by FDA for treating short stature in children with Noonan syndrome, according to a recent statement by Novo Nordisk.

Noonan syndrome is classified as an autosomal dominant genetic syndrome that is commonly featured by congenital heart defects, short stature, and unique facial characteristics. It is believed that 80 percent of children suffering from Noonan syndrome tend to also suffer from considerable short stature.

From News.medical.net:

“When you see a child who has Noonan syndrome, it may not always be obvious to the naked eye, but the complications associated with the condition are quite serious and can affect both physical development and other systems” said Martin Soeters, president of Novo Nordisk Inc. “There are few treatment options available to help the physical development, and this approval marks an exciting advancement for children with this rare condition.”

Noonan syndrome is classified as a rare condition with a population of less than 200,000. To encourage the development of treatments for rare disorders — that may not otherwise be commercially viable for development — the FDA designates drugs that treat fewer than 200,000 patients with an “orphan drug” designation. Norditropin has received orphan drug designation for the treatment of short stature associated with Noonan syndrome.

It was remarked that careful monitoring is highly recommended when somatropin is administered in combination with other drugs that are known to be metabolized by CP450 liver enzymes such as sex steroids, corticosteroids, cyclosporine, and anticonvulsants.