Disposal by Flushing of Certain Unused Medicines: What You Should Know
It is important to note that disposal by flushing is not recommended for a large number of medicines. Unused or expired medicines that do not have flushing directions in the label can be disposed of safely in the household trash by:
1. Mixing the with something that will hide the medicine or make it unappealing, such as kitty litter or used coffee grounds.
2. Placing the mixture in a container such as a sealed plastic bag.
3. Throwing the container in your household trash.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Outdated Meds Pose Problems If Kept or Tossed
FRIDAY, June 25 -- It's a common find in medicine cabinets and bathroom drawers: a prescription vial containing years-old medication or an over-the-counter cold remedy that's embarrassingly past its sell-by date.
But unless they're spring-cleaning, many people don't bother throwing away these items. And when they do, people often turn to the toilet and flush the products away.
Both behaviors are big mistakes.
Keeping out-of-date medications in the house poses dangers to everyone in the family. And flushing old medications down the toilet can be harmful to the environment.
Read More:
But unless they're spring-cleaning, many people don't bother throwing away these items. And when they do, people often turn to the toilet and flush the products away.
Both behaviors are big mistakes.
Keeping out-of-date medications in the house poses dangers to everyone in the family. And flushing old medications down the toilet can be harmful to the environment.
Read More:
Friday, July 2, 2010
FDA Approved Vimovo for Arthritis Patients At Risk of Developing NSAID-Associated Gastric Ulcers
WILMINGTON, Del., April 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AstraZeneca and Pozen Inc. today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Vimovo (naproxen and esomeprazole magnesium) delayed-release tablets for the relief of signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis, and to decrease the risk of developing gastric ulcers in patients at risk of developing NSAID-associated gastric ulcers.(1) Vimovo, co-developed by Pozen Inc. and AstraZeneca, is a fixed-dose combination of enteric-coated naproxen, a pain-relieving non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), and immediate-release esomeprazole, a proton pump inhibitor (PPI). The FDA approval was supported by data from a clinical development program, including results from the pivotal PN400-301 and PN400-302 studies, which showed patients taking Vimovo experienced significantly fewer endoscopic gastric ulcers, compared to patients receiving enteric-coated naproxen.(2
http://www.drugs.com/newdrugs/fda-approved-vimovo-arthritis-patients-risk-developing-nsaid-associated-gastric-ulcers-2134.html#ixzz0s9i81000
http://www.drugs.com/newdrugs/fda-approved-vimovo-arthritis-patients-risk-developing-nsaid-associated-gastric-ulcers-2134.html#ixzz0s9i81000
New Drug for Acute Pain
MENLO PARK, Calif., May 17, 2010 -- Roxro Pharma, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Sprix (ketorolac tromethamine) Nasal Spray, for the short-term (up to 5 days) management of acute moderate to moderately severe pain that requires analgesia at the opioid level. Sprix is a prescription intranasal formulation of the analgesic ketorolac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), designed to provide ambulatory patients with a convenient, potent, and fast-acting option for acute moderate to moderately severe pain relief. Ketorolac tromethamine is a frequently administered non-narcotic injectable analgesic for moderately severe pain in U.S. hospitals today. The approval of Sprix provides acute pain outpatients with a non-narcotic and easy-to-administer alternative to commonly prescribed opioids.
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Thursday, July 1, 2010
63 percent of RA patients suffer psychiatric disorders, with depressive spectrum conditions most likely
Over half (63%) of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) also suffer from psychiatric disorders, with the majority of these (87%) occurring in the depressive spectrum, according to the results of a new study. Interestingly, over half (52%) of the patients studied indicated that they had experienced stress events before the onset of their RA.
Over half (63%) of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) also suffer from psychiatric disorders, with the majority of these (87%) occurring in the depressive spectrum, according to the results of a new study. Interestingly, over half (52%) of the patients studied indicated that they had experienced stress events before the onset of their RA.
Fibromyalgia can no longer be called the 'invisible' syndrome
Using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), researchers in France were able to detect functional abnormalities in certain regions in the brains of patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia, reinforcing the idea that symptoms of the disorder are related to a dysfunction in those parts of the brain where pain is processed.
Using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), researchers in France were able to detect functional abnormalities in certain regions in the brains of patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia, reinforcing the idea that symptoms of the disorder are related to a dysfunction in those parts of the brain where pain is processed.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
New criteria proposed for diagnosing fibromyalgia
The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) is proposing a new set of diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia that includes common symptoms such as fatigue, sleep disturbances, and cognitive problems, as well as pain. The new criteria are published in the May issue of the ACR journal Arthritis Care & Research.
The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) is proposing a new set of diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia that includes common symptoms such as fatigue, sleep disturbances, and cognitive problems, as well as pain. The new criteria are published in the May issue of the ACR journal Arthritis Care & Research.
Aerobic exercise safe and effective for rheumatoid arthritis patients
Researchers from the University of Grenoble Medical School in France determined that cardio-respiratory aerobic exercise is safe for patients with stable rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The team found that RA patients who exercised regularly had improved function, less joint pain, and greater quality of life. Full findings of the study are now available online and will publish in the July print issue of Arthritis Care & Research, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology.
Researchers from the University of Grenoble Medical School in France determined that cardio-respiratory aerobic exercise is safe for patients with stable rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The team found that RA patients who exercised regularly had improved function, less joint pain, and greater quality of life. Full findings of the study are now available online and will publish in the July print issue of Arthritis Care & Research, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Defects In Immune System Enzyme May Increase Risk of Autoimmune Disorders
June 16, 2010 A multi-institutional research team has found that rare variants in the gene coding an enzyme that controls the activity of a key immune cell occur more frequently in individuals with autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes. Their report, which will appear in the journal Nature and is receiving early online release, identifies a pathway that could be a therapeutic target and may present a model for future investigations of the role of rare gene variants in common disorders.
June 16, 2010 A multi-institutional research team has found that rare variants in the gene coding an enzyme that controls the activity of a key immune cell occur more frequently in individuals with autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes. Their report, which will appear in the journal Nature and is receiving early online release, identifies a pathway that could be a therapeutic target and may present a model for future investigations of the role of rare gene variants in common disorders.
"Pathways that involve rare disease-associated variants may point the way to therapies," explains Shiv Pillai, MD, PhD, of the MGH Center for Cancer Research, senior author of the Nature paper. "Our approach of identifying rare variants by detailed examination of the gene sequence, followed by in vitro functional studies and analysis of effects in patients, could be a template for future full-genome studies."
Earlier research conducted by Pillai's team, in collaboration with investigators at the University of California at San Diego, found that mice in which the gene for an enzyme called sialic acid acetylesterase (SIAE) was knocked out developed a condition similar to the autoimmune disease lupus. SIAE normally controls the activity of B cells, which produce antibodies after encountering and recognizing foreign antigens. Without the inhibiting action of SIAE, B cells that react against an individual's own "self" tissues could be released into circulation, possibly resulting in an autoimmune disease. The current study was designed to investigate whether SIAE defects have a role in human autoimmune disease.
Most studies searching for genetic contributions to common diseases have been genome-wide association studies (GWAS), which scan key markers across participants' genomes to find variations that are more frequent in those affected by a particular disorder. These scans have identified some common variants associated with conditions such as heart disease, cholesterol levels, type 2 diabetes, and some autoimmune disorders; but in general the contribution of these variants to disease susceptibility has been very small. GWAS approaches have not linked any variants in SIAE to human autoimmunity; however, since such studies do not scan each base pair in every gene, they cannot find variants that occur rarely in the general population but more frequently in affected individuals.
To more fully investigate the possible contribution of rare SIAE variants to human autoimmunity, the researchers completely scanned the protein-coding portions of the SIAE gene in blood samples from a total of 923 individuals with common autoimmune disorders and 648 control participants. Variants that interfered with either the activity or the secretion of the enzyme were found in 24 autoimmune participants and 2 of the controls, indicating that these changes were almost nine times more common in patients with autoimmune disease than in controls. One variant only prevented the secretion of SIAE if inherited from both parents, but the other 11 identified variants interfered with the enzyme's activity when only a single gene copy was altered.
"While loss-of-function variants in SIAE itself account for only about 2 or 3 percent of autoimmune cases, Pillai explains, "we are actively investigating other genes in this pathway that may be defective in a larger percentage of patients. We're also identifying subsets of patients with SIAE defects who may be candidates for several approaches to alleviate or even correct the defects." Pillai is an associate professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Provided by Massachusetts General Hospital (news : web)
http://www.physorg.com/news195911215.html
June 16, 2010 A multi-institutional research team has found that rare variants in the gene coding an enzyme that controls the activity of a key immune cell occur more frequently in individuals with autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes. Their report, which will appear in the journal Nature and is receiving early online release, identifies a pathway that could be a therapeutic target and may present a model for future investigations of the role of rare gene variants in common disorders.
"Pathways that involve rare disease-associated variants may point the way to therapies," explains Shiv Pillai, MD, PhD, of the MGH Center for Cancer Research, senior author of the Nature paper. "Our approach of identifying rare variants by detailed examination of the gene sequence, followed by in vitro functional studies and analysis of effects in patients, could be a template for future full-genome studies."
Earlier research conducted by Pillai's team, in collaboration with investigators at the University of California at San Diego, found that mice in which the gene for an enzyme called sialic acid acetylesterase (SIAE) was knocked out developed a condition similar to the autoimmune disease lupus. SIAE normally controls the activity of B cells, which produce antibodies after encountering and recognizing foreign antigens. Without the inhibiting action of SIAE, B cells that react against an individual's own "self" tissues could be released into circulation, possibly resulting in an autoimmune disease. The current study was designed to investigate whether SIAE defects have a role in human autoimmune disease.
Most studies searching for genetic contributions to common diseases have been genome-wide association studies (GWAS), which scan key markers across participants' genomes to find variations that are more frequent in those affected by a particular disorder. These scans have identified some common variants associated with conditions such as heart disease, cholesterol levels, type 2 diabetes, and some autoimmune disorders; but in general the contribution of these variants to disease susceptibility has been very small. GWAS approaches have not linked any variants in SIAE to human autoimmunity; however, since such studies do not scan each base pair in every gene, they cannot find variants that occur rarely in the general population but more frequently in affected individuals.
To more fully investigate the possible contribution of rare SIAE variants to human autoimmunity, the researchers completely scanned the protein-coding portions of the SIAE gene in blood samples from a total of 923 individuals with common autoimmune disorders and 648 control participants. Variants that interfered with either the activity or the secretion of the enzyme were found in 24 autoimmune participants and 2 of the controls, indicating that these changes were almost nine times more common in patients with autoimmune disease than in controls. One variant only prevented the secretion of SIAE if inherited from both parents, but the other 11 identified variants interfered with the enzyme's activity when only a single gene copy was altered.
"While loss-of-function variants in SIAE itself account for only about 2 or 3 percent of autoimmune cases, Pillai explains, "we are actively investigating other genes in this pathway that may be defective in a larger percentage of patients. We're also identifying subsets of patients with SIAE defects who may be candidates for several approaches to alleviate or even correct the defects." Pillai is an associate professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Provided by Massachusetts General Hospital (news : web)
http://www.physorg.com/news195911215.html
Women who consume large amounts of tea have increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis
Women who drink tea have an increased risk of developing Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) compared with those who drink none (p=0.04), according to results presented today at EULAR 2010, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism in Rome, Italy. Further results from the same study showed no correlation between the amount of coffee consumption and RA incidence (p=0.16).
Monday, June 28, 2010
Partners Grieve RA Diagnosis As Much As Patients
Partners grieve rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis as much as patients
June 18, 2010 Partners of patients newly diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are equally emotionally affected by the diagnosis and go through the same grieving process as the patients themselves, according to the results of a study presented today at EULAR 2010, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism in Rome, Italy.
In a discrete UK study, investigators interviewed the partners of RA patients to assess their thoughts and feelings at the time of their partners RA diagnosis and the ways that they adapted to the diagnosis, over time. Analysing the transcripts of in-depth interviews, researchers reported that all partners of RA patients
reported common issues, grouped into the following areas:
•Emotions: Partners commonly expressed feelings of immense sadness for a perceived loss of the future, sadness for their experiences of their spouse, but also for themselves.
•Adaptation: Several of the partners interviewed hoped for a "cure" for RA with one saying "medicine can do anything nowadays, yes it's a problem but they'll give her a tablet and it will go away." Over time however, the interviews showed that partners came to terms with the permanency of the condition.
•Coping Strategies: Some partners reported experiencing feelings of denial, helplessness, and concealment of both the condition and its impact on their relationship.
•Support and Information: Whilst all partners interviewed were reluctant to attend patient support groups, they acknowledged their importance, with one participant stating "I think it would be really helpful to people who are newly diagnosed but I would have to have my arm twisted to go there".
"The results of our research have shown that partners of patients are as emotionally affected as the patient by the diagnosis," said Julie Taylor, University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom and lead author of the study. "We recommend that, if clinicians and health care professional are able to offer support to the partners of patients at the time they require it, then this will create a foundation of greater support for the patients, resulting in improved emotional outcomes for both parties."
"Diagnosis with rheumatic conditions can have a devastating impact on family life," said Neil Betteridge, Vice President, PARE and Chief Executive Officer of Arthritis Care in the UK. "Many respondents to a recent survey conducted by Arthritis Care* tell us of a grieving process they've been through - for the loss of a world which so recently had been their biggest source of security. We encourage healthcare professionals to offer support and guidance to partners of those diagnosed with rheumatic conditions, in addition to the patient, in the hope of minimising the impact of diagnosis on patient's closest relationships."
Six spouses of patients diagnosed with RA at the North Bristol Health Care Trust with a minimum of three years since diagnosis were interviewed on a range of topics. Transcripts were subject to thematic analysis using the Hermaneutic phenomenological approach, a technique designed to give a descriptive interpretation of interview responses.
Provided by European League Against Rheumatism
June 18, 2010 Partners of patients newly diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are equally emotionally affected by the diagnosis and go through the same grieving process as the patients themselves, according to the results of a study presented today at EULAR 2010, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism in Rome, Italy.
In a discrete UK study, investigators interviewed the partners of RA patients to assess their thoughts and feelings at the time of their partners RA diagnosis and the ways that they adapted to the diagnosis, over time. Analysing the transcripts of in-depth interviews, researchers reported that all partners of RA patients
reported common issues, grouped into the following areas:
•Emotions: Partners commonly expressed feelings of immense sadness for a perceived loss of the future, sadness for their experiences of their spouse, but also for themselves.
•Adaptation: Several of the partners interviewed hoped for a "cure" for RA with one saying "medicine can do anything nowadays, yes it's a problem but they'll give her a tablet and it will go away." Over time however, the interviews showed that partners came to terms with the permanency of the condition.
•Coping Strategies: Some partners reported experiencing feelings of denial, helplessness, and concealment of both the condition and its impact on their relationship.
•Support and Information: Whilst all partners interviewed were reluctant to attend patient support groups, they acknowledged their importance, with one participant stating "I think it would be really helpful to people who are newly diagnosed but I would have to have my arm twisted to go there".
"The results of our research have shown that partners of patients are as emotionally affected as the patient by the diagnosis," said Julie Taylor, University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom and lead author of the study. "We recommend that, if clinicians and health care professional are able to offer support to the partners of patients at the time they require it, then this will create a foundation of greater support for the patients, resulting in improved emotional outcomes for both parties."
"Diagnosis with rheumatic conditions can have a devastating impact on family life," said Neil Betteridge, Vice President, PARE and Chief Executive Officer of Arthritis Care in the UK. "Many respondents to a recent survey conducted by Arthritis Care* tell us of a grieving process they've been through - for the loss of a world which so recently had been their biggest source of security. We encourage healthcare professionals to offer support and guidance to partners of those diagnosed with rheumatic conditions, in addition to the patient, in the hope of minimising the impact of diagnosis on patient's closest relationships."
Six spouses of patients diagnosed with RA at the North Bristol Health Care Trust with a minimum of three years since diagnosis were interviewed on a range of topics. Transcripts were subject to thematic analysis using the Hermaneutic phenomenological approach, a technique designed to give a descriptive interpretation of interview responses.
Provided by European League Against Rheumatism
Gabapentin May Treat Fibromyalgia Pain
U.S. scientists say the anticonvulsant medication gabapentin might be effective in treating pain and other symptoms arising from fibromyalgia.
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