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Drug Interactions of Quinolone ( fluoroquinolones) - Antibiotics and Antibacterials

Theophylline, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and corticosteroids enhance the toxicity of fluoroquinolones.

Products containing multivalent cations, such as aluminum- or magnesium-containing antacids and products containing calcium, iron, or zinc, invariably result in marked reduction of oral absorption of fluoroquinolones.

Other drugs that interact with fluoroquinolones include Antacids, Sucralfate, Probenecid, Cimetidine, Warfarin, Antiviral agents, Phenytoin, Cyclosporine, Rifampin, Pyrazinamide, and Cycloserine.

Many fluoroquinolones, especially ciprofloxacin, inhibit the cytochrome P450 isoform CYP1A2.This inhibition causes an increased level of, for example, antidepressants such as amitriptyline and imipramine, Clozapine (an atypical antipsychotic), Caffeine, Olanzapine (an atypical antipsychotic), Ropivacaine (a local anaesthetic), Theophylline (a xanthine) and Zolmitriptan (a Serotonin receptor agonist).

Mechanism of action of Quinolone ( fluoroquinolones) - Antibiotics and Antibacterials

Quinolones and fluoroquinolones are chemotherapeutic bactericidal drugs, eradicating bacteria by interfering with DNA replication. The other antibiotics used today, (e.g., tetracyclines, lincomycin, erythromycin, and chloramphenicol) do not interact with components of eukaryotic ribosomal particle and thus have proven not to be toxic to eukaryotes, as opposed to the fluoroquinolone class of drugs. Safer drugs used to treat bacterial infections, such as penicillins and cephalosporins, inhibit cell wall biosynthesis, thereby causing bacterial cell death, as opposed to the interference with DNA replication as seen within the fluoroquinolone class of drugs.

Quinolones are synthetic chemotherapeutic agents which have a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity as well as a unique mechanism of action resulting in inhibition of bacterial DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV. Quinolones inhibit the bacterial DNA gyrase or the topoisomerase IV enzyme, thereby inhibiting DNA replication and transcription. Quinolones can enter cells easily via porins and therefore are often used to treat intracellular pathogens such as Legionella pneumophila and Mycoplasma pneumoniae. For many gram-negative bacteria DNA gyrase is the target, whereas topoisomerase IV is the target for many gram-positive bacteria. It is believed that eukaryotic cells do not contain DNA gyrase or topoisomerase IV.

However, there is debate concerning whether the quinolones still have such an adverse effect on the DNA of healthy cells, in the manner described above, hence contributing to their adverse safety profile. This class has been shown to damage mitochondrial DNA.

Pharmacology of Quinolone ( fluoroquinolones) - Antibiotics and Antibacterials

The basic pharmacophore, or active structure, of the fluoroquinolone class is based upon the quinoline ring system. The addition of the fluorine atom at C6 is what distinguishes the successive generations, fluoroquinolones, from the first generation, quinolones. It has since been demonstrated that the addition of the C6 fluorine atom is not a necessary requirement for the antibacterial activity of this class (circa 1997).

Various substitutions made to the quinoline ring resulted in the development of numerous fluoroquinolone drugs that we see today. Each substitution is associated with a number of specific adverse reactions, as well as increased activity against bacterial infections, where as the quinoline ring, in and of itself, has been associated with severe and even fatal adverse reactions.

Contraindications of Quinolone ( fluoroquinolones) - Antibiotics and Antibacterials

Quinolones are contraindicated if a patient has epilepsy, QT Prolongation, pre-existing CNS lesions, central nervous system inflammation or those who have suffered a stroke. There are safety concerns of fluoroquinolone use during pregnancy and as a result are contraindicated except for when no other safe alternative antibiotic exists.

They are also contraindicated in children due to the risks of damage to the muscoskeletal system.[ Their use in children is not absolutely contraindicated however. For certain severe infections where other antibiotics are not an option their use can be justified. Quinolone should also not be given to people with a known hypersensitivity to the drug.

Adverse effects of Quinolone ( fluoroquinolones) - Antibiotics and Antibacterials

Fluoroquinolones are generally well tolerated with most side effects being mild to moderate. Occasionally serious adverse effects occur.

Some of the serious adverse effects which occur more commonly with fluoroquinolones than with other antibiotic drug classes include CNS and tendon toxicity.

The currently marketed quinolones have safety profiles similar to that of other antimicrobial classes. Fluoroquinolones are sometimes associated with an QTc interval prolongation and cardiac arrhythmias, convulsions, tendon rupture, torsade de pointes and hypoglycemia.

These adverse reactions are a class effect of all quinolones, however, certain quinolones are more strongly associated with increased toxicity to certain organs. For example, moxifloxacin carries a higher risk of QTc prolongation, and gatofloxacin has been most frequently linked to disturbed blood sugar levels, although all quinolones carry these risks.

Some quinolones were withdrawn from the market because of these adverse events (for example, sparfloxacin was associated with phototoxicity and QTc prolongation, thrombocytopenia and nephritis were seen with tosufloxacin and hepatotoxicity with trovafloxacin).

Simultaneous use of corticosteroids is present in almost one-third of quinolone-associated tendon rupture.The risk of adverse events is further increased if the dosage is not properly adjusted, for example if there is renal insufficiency.

The serious events may occur during therapeutic use at therapeutic dose levels or with acute overdose. At therapeutic doses they include: central nervous system toxicity, cardiovascular toxicity, tendon / articular toxicity, and rarely hepatic toxicity.

Caution is required in patients with liver disease.Events that may occur in acute overdose are rare and include: renal failure and seizure.Susceptible groups of patients such as children and the elderly are at greater risk of adverse reactions during therapeutic use. Adverse reactions may manifest during, as well as after fluoroquinolone therapy has been completed.

Fluoroquinolones are considered high risk antibiotics for the development of C Difficile and MRSA infections. A previoualy rare strain of C Difficile which produces a more severe disease with increased levels of C Difficile toxins is becoming epidemic, may be connected to the use of fluoroquinolones.

Fluoroquinolones are more strongly associated with C difficile infections than other antibiotics including clindamycin, 3rd generation cephalosporins beta lactamase inhibitors. One study found that fluoroquinolones were responsible for 55% of C difficile infections.

The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control recommend that fluoroquinolones and the antibiotic clindamycin are avoided in clinical practice due to their high association with clostridium difficile, a potentially life-threatening super-infection.

The central nervous system is an important target for fluoroquinolone mediated neurotoxicity. Adverse event reporting in Italy by doctors showed fluoroquinolones among the top 3 prescribed drugs for causing adverse neurological and psychiatric adverse effects. These neuropsychiatric effects included tremor, confusion, anxiety, insomnia, agitation and in severe cases psychosis. Moxifloxacin came out worst amongst the quinolones for causing CNS toxicity.

Some support and patient advocacy groups refer to these adverse events as "fluoroquinolone toxicity". Some people from these groups claim to have suffered serious long term harm to their health from using fluoroquinolones. This has led to a class action lawsuit by people harmed by the use of fluoroquinolones as well as action by the consumer advocate group Public Citizen.

Partly as a result of the efforts of Public Citizen the FDA ordered a black box warnings on all fluoroquinolones advising consumers of the possible toxic effects of fluoroquinolones on tendons.

Indications of Quinolone ( fluoroquinolones) - Antibiotics and Antibacterials

It continues to be debatable as to whether or not the effectiveness of fluoroquinolones for the treatment of respiratory disorders is similar to other antibiotic classes.

Fluoroquinolone use for pneumonia is increasing and with it so is bacterial resistance to fluoroquinolones. The majority of the prescribing of fluoroquinolones is inappropriate with less than 4 percent of people prescribed quinolones being appropriate according to clinical guidelines. Clinical guidelines in Canada only recommend fluoroquinolones for outpatient treatment of pneumonia in a small number of patients such as those with certain co-morbid conditions such as patients with a history of COPD, or recent use of antibiotics.

For severe forms of community-acquired pneumonia the fluoroquinolones are associated with improved treatment rates, but with no differences found in mortality between other antibiotic classes.

Fluoroquinolones are not recommended as first line antibiotics for acute sinusitis as this condition is usually self-limiting and the risks outweigh the benefits in comparison to other antibiotic classes.

Antibiotics including fluoroquinolones can be effective in some cases of bronchitis. However, only about 5-10% of bronchitis cases are caused by a bacterial infection; most cases of bronchitis are caused by a viral infection and are self-limiting and resolve themselves in a few weeks. It has been recommended that antibiotics are limited in most cases to those whose symptoms fail to resolve on their own.

Fluoroquinolones are often used for genitourinary infections; in general they are recommended only after other antibiotic regimes have failed. However, for serious acute cases of pyelonephritis or bacterial prostatitis where the patient may need to be hospitalised fluoroquinolones are recommended as first line therapy.

Prostatitis has been termed "the waste basket of clinical ignorance" by prominent Stanford University Urologist Dr. Thomas Stamey. Campbell's Urology, the urologist's most authoritative reference text, identifies only about 5% of all patients with prostatitis as having bacterial prostatitis which can be "cured" at least in the short term by antibiotics. In other words, 95% of men with prostatitis have little hope for a cure with antibiotics alone since they don't actually have any identifiable bacterial infection.

The American Thoracic Society recommends that fluoroquinolones are not used as a first line agent, instead recommending macrolide or doxycycline as first line agents. The Drug-Resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae Working Group recommends fluoroquinolones are only used after other antibiotic classes have been tried and failed or in those with demonstrated drug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae. The Center for Disease Control are concerned that fluoroquinolones are being used as a "one-size-fits-all" treatment unnecessarily by doctors without considering suitability and differences due to age and other risk factors. Effective interventions have been recommended to reduce the excessive fluoroquinolone prescribing in the United States.

History of Quinolone ( fluoroquinolones) antibiotics

Nalidixic acid is considered to be the predecessor of all members of the quinolone family, including the second, third and fourth generations commonly known as fluoroquinolones. This first generation also included other quinolone drugs such as pipemidic acid, oxolinic acid and cinoxacin, which were introduced in the 1970s.

They proved to be only marginal improvements over nalidixic acid. Though it is generally accepted that nalidixic acid is to be considered the first quinolone drug, this has been disputed over the years by a few researchers who believe that chloroquine, from which nalidixic acid is derived, is to be considered the first quinolone drug rather than nalidixic acid.

Since the introduction of nalidixic acid in 1962, more than 10,000 analogs have been synthesized, but only a handful have found their way into clinical practice.[11]The Fluoroquinolone drugs are the most toxic and dangerous antibiotics in clinical practice today.[

Quinolone ( fluoroquinolones) family antibiotics

The quinolones also referred to as fluoroquinolones are a family of synthetic broad-spectrum antibiotics. The term Quinolone(s) refers to potent synthetic chemotherapeutic antibacterials the first generation of which was derived from an attempt to create a synthetic form of chloroquine, which was used to treat malaria during World War II. Hans Andersag discovered chloroquine in 1934, at Bayer I.G. Farbenindustrie A.G. laboratories in Eberfeld, Germany. The first generation of the quinolones begins with the introduction of nalidixic acid in 1962 for treatment of urinary tract infections in humans. Nalidixic acid was discovered by George Lesher and coworkers in a distillate during an attempt at chloroquine synthesis.

They prevent bacterial DNA from unwinding and duplicating. Recent evidence has shown that topoisomerase II is also a target for a variety of quinolone-based drugs. Thus far, most of the compounds that show high activity against the eukaryotic type II enzyme contain aromatic substituents at their C-7 positions.

Quinolones in comparison to other antibiotic classes have the highest risk of causing colonisation with MRSA and C Difficile. A general avoidance of fluoroquinolones is recommended based on the available evidence and clinical guidelines. The parent of the quinolone (aka fluoroquinolone) class is nalidixic acid. The majority of quinolones in clinical use belong to the subset of fluoroquinolones, which have a fluorine atom attached to the central ring system, typically at the 6-position or C-7 position.

Non-cardiac chest pain is closely related to gastroesophageal reflux diseases

It is well known that non-cardiac chest pain is closely related to gastroesophageal reflux diseases (GERD). Chest pain of esophageal origin can be difficult to distinguish from that caused by cardiac ischemia because the distal esophagus and the heart share a common afferent vagal supply, and GERD can cause episodes of non-cardiac chest pain that resemble ischemic cardiac pain.

A research team led by Dr. Yoshihisa Urita from Toho University School of Medicine investigated the association between gastroesophageal reflux diseases (GERD) and coronary heart diseases. Their study was published on April 14, 2009 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology.

One thousand nine hundred and seventy consecutive patients were enrolled in this study. All of the patients who first attend their hospital were asked to respond to the F-scale questionnaire regardless of their chief complaints. All patients had a careful history taken, and resting echocardiography (ECG) was performed by physicians if the diagnostic necessity arose. Patients with ECG signs of coronary artery ischemia were defined as ST segment depression based on the Minnesota code.

Among 712 patients (36%) with GERD, ECG was performed in 171 (24%), and ischemic changes were detected in eight (5%). Four (50%) of these patients with abnormal findings upon ECG had no chest symptoms such as chest pain, chest oppression, or palpitations. These patients (0.6%; 4/712) were thought to have non-GERD heartburn, which may be related to ischemic heart disease. Of the 281 patients who underwent ECG and did not have GERD symptoms, 20 (7%) had abnormal findings upon ECG. In patients with GERD symptoms and ECG signs of coronary artery ischemia, the prevalence of linked angina was considered to be 0.4% (8/1970 patients).

The study results suggest that an extra-esophageal condition causes GERD symptoms and that angina may be misclassified as GERD. Since patients with GERD have an increased risk of angina pectoris in the year after GERD diagnosis, physicians have to be concerned about missing clinically important CAD while evaluating patients for GERD symptoms.

GERD Nighttime Symptoms Are Prevalent, Have Negative Effects on Sleep Quality

There has been much debate about the relationship between gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and sleep. Three new studies in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology explore GERD's effect on sleep quality and the health-care system as well as how a widely prescribed sleeping pill may mask the disease. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology is the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute.

GERD is a commonly occurring condition in the U.S., with more than 40 percent of the population experiencing the disease. It develops when the reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus causes troublesome symptoms and/or complications. Heartburn and acid regurgitation are characteristic symptoms of this disease. Published literature estimates that approximately 75 percent of patients with heartburn experience nighttime GERD symptoms. Nocturnal acid reflux may be especially damaging because acid exposure is of longer duration and has been associated with complications of esophagitis, including Barrett's esophagus and cancer.

Study Suggests Sleeping Pill May Worsen Reflux Symptoms

The widely prescribed sleep-inducing hypnotic zolpidem (Ambien®) suppressed nocturnal arousals and awakenings in response to acid reflux events and increased the duration of each esophageal acid reflux event in healthy individuals and patients with GERD.

"As many as 15 percent to 30 percent of patients with disturbed sleep may have undiagnosed GERD. If the effect of blunted arousals or awakenings by sleep aids is substantiated, this would suggest caution in the use of sleep aids without first considering GERD as a cause in patients with complaints of disturbed sleep," said Anthony J. DiMarino Jr., MD, of Thomas Jefferson University and lead author of the study.

A total of eight controls and 16 GERD patients were enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. They were given zolpidem or placebo on separate nights; the number of reflux events and reflux-associated arousals or awakenings was recorded.

"The drug had the effect of enabling subjects to 'sleep through' reflux events, thereby increasing nocturnal acid exposure. This suggests that hypnotic use by GERD patients could lead to increased risk for complicated disease. In fact, nocturnal reflux is the leading cause of Barrett's esophagus, a recognized cause of esophageal cancer," added Dr. DiMarino.

Researchers found that acid refluxing at night resulted in sleep arousal 89 percent of the time in participants (with and without GERD) given placebo but only 40 percent in those given zolpidem. In controls given placebo, acid reflux events lasted approximately one to two seconds; in controls given zolpidem, they lasted roughly three to 30 seconds. In GERD patients given placebo, the acid reflux events lasted about 20 to 55 seconds as compared to about four to eight minutes with zolpidem. With zolpidem, reflux events lasted approximately seven to 15 minutes when no arousal occurred and 30 to 68 seconds when an arousal was recorded.

GERD Nighttime Symptoms Are Prevalent, Have Negative Effects on Sleep Quality

Nighttime GERD symptoms interfere with patients falling and staying asleep, and result in considerable economic burden and reduction in health-related quality of life (HRQOL).

"These sleep difficulties result in substantial costs to the health-care system by increasing provider visits. There is a greater loss of productivity to the employer and poorer HRQOL to the patient," said Susan C. Bolge, PhD, of Consumer Health Sciences and corresponding author of the study. "Appropriate management of GERD must include treatment of nighttime symptoms, which affect both difficulty initiating and maintaining sleep."

Researchers obtained data from a patient-reported survey conducted in 2006 among the general U.S. population. Respondents who experienced GERD symptoms at least twice in the past month were categorized as GERD patients and were sub-classified into groups based on nighttime symptoms and sleep difficulties.

Of 11,685 survey respondents with GERD, 88.9 percent experienced nighttime symptoms, 68.3 percent sleep difficulties, 49.1 percent difficulty falling asleep and 58.3 percent difficulty staying asleep. These sleep difficulties were associated with a poorer HRQOL.

Sleep difficulties were also associated with greater use of health-care resources (0.9 additional provider visits), loss of work productivity (5.5 percent decrease) and increased impairment of daily activities (10.9 percent increase). This increased use of health-care resources and loss of work productivity contributes to increased economic burden of GERD.

Data Indicate Association between GERD and Sleep Problems

This large, population-based, cross-sectional, case-control study indicates a dose-response link between sleep problems and GERD that might be bi-directional, i.e. sleep problems may influence the development or increase the severity of GERD and GERD may influence the development or increase the severity of sleep problems.

"The interplay between sleep problems and GERD seems complex, but our finding of a link between the two cannot be dismissed. This finding may be of clinical relevance since a separate randomized controlled trial showed that sleep problems were improved after GERD therapy," said Catarina Jansson, PhD, of the Karolinska Institutet and lead author of the study. "Our finding may also explain the reduced work productivity associated with GERD."

The study was based on two large health surveys performed in the Norwegian county Nord-Trondelag from 1984 to 1986 and 1995 to 1997. GERD was assessed in the second survey, which included 65,333 participants (70 percent of the county's adult population). The 3,153 individuals who reported severe reflux symptoms constituted the cases, and the 40,210 individuals without reflux symptoms constituted the controls.

In models adjusted for age, sex, tobacco smoking, obesity and socioeconomic status, positive associations were observed between presence of insomnia, sleeplessness, problems falling asleep and risk of GERD. These associations were attenuated after further adjustments for anxiety, depression, myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, stroke and gastrointestinal symptoms, but remained statistically significant.

Nifedipine, a calcium-channel blocker increase esophageal acid exposure time

Nifedipine, a calcium-channel blocker, was shown to decrease lower esophageal sphincter pressure and increase esophageal acid exposure time, while atenolol, a b1 blocker, was shown to inhibit relaxation of the smooth muscle of the esophagus. However, the influence of these anti-hypertensive drugs on the segment of esophageal body contraction using high-resolution manometry was not fully investigated.

A research team from Japan observed esophageal body contraction using high-resolution manometry with 36 intraruminal transducers. Their study was published on February 28, 2010 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology.

Their research demonstrated that atenolol increased lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure and the amplitude of peristaltic contractions, in the middle and lower segments of the esophageal body. On the other hand, nifedipine decreased LES pressure and the amplitude of peristaltic contractions in the esophageal body.

Their results suggested that a regular administration of nifedipine for treatment of hypertension might be a risk factor for the future occurrence of gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD). Atenolol-induced alterations of esophageal motor activity might prevent the development of GERD.

More pronounced improvement in acid reflux symptoms shortly after surgery than with drug treatment

Stomach wrap operations may be more effective than acid suppression tablets in the treatment of severe acid reflux, according to a new Cochrane Systematic Review. The study shows a more pronounced improvement in symptoms shortly after surgery than with drug treatment.

Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is a common chronic disease in which acid reflux causes heartburn, acid regurgitation, vomiting and difficulty swallowing. GORD can be treated by changes to diet and acid suppression tablets, but in the most severe cases a surgical operation called a fundoplication can be carried out. This involves wrapping part of the stomach around the lower part of the gullet. However, it is not certain whether this procedure is more effective than medication.

The authors reviewed data from four trials, which together involved 1232 participants. Their conclusions relate to findings from follow-up up to one year after treatment. They found that fundoplication operations performed by keyhole surgery were more effective at reducing the symptoms of GORD over this timescale, but that there was little data available to indicate potential benefits over longer timescales.

"There is evidence to suggest that, at least in the short to medium term, surgery is more effective than tablets for treatment of GORD," says lead researcher Samantha Wileman of the Health Services Research Unit at the University of Aberdeen in the UK. "But surgery does carry a risk and whether this is outweighed by the benefits in the long term is still not certain."

"Previous research, prior to the development of keyhole surgery for GORD, has suggested that the benefits of surgery for GORD are not sustained over time, highlighting the importance for future keyhole fundoplication studies to include longer term follow-up," says Wileman. "We also need to know more about the clinical and cost implications of long term medication versus surgery."

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A vaccine designed to prevent cervical cancer also may protect females from post-surgical recurrence

A vaccine designed to prevent cervical cancer also may protect females from post-surgical recurrence of the disease, according to researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

A new study shows that the Gardasil vaccine reduces the likelihood of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related disease recurring after teen and adult women already have had surgery to remove cancer or certain pre-cancerous changes, said Warner Huh, M.D., an associate professor in the UAB Division of Gynecologic Oncology and lead presenter on the study.

The findings were announced March 15 at the annual meeting of the Society of Gynecological Oncologists in Chicago.

The study shows that Gardasil reduces by approximately 40 percent the chances that more cancer or pre-cancerous changes will occur in the cervix, vagina and vulva up to 3.8 years after a female has surgery for one of those conditions.

Huh said the findings are important because they answer a question many women and their doctors have been asking - does an HPV vaccine help treat virus-related changes in the body after women have surgery to treat similar changes?

"Based on this study, the data is compelling and suggests it does help to treat virus-related changes," Huh said. "Knowing that Gardasil also may offer postoperative protection from recurrent disease will be crucial in follow-up care and overall health planning for teens and women."

The vaccine is approved to fight the four HPV strains believed to cause 70 percent of cervical cancers and more than 90 percent of genital warts

The study involved 17,622 women ages 15 to 26 from two clinical trials, some who were vaccinated and some who were not. Hundreds of study participants had surgery to remove cancer or certain pre-cancerous changes of the cervix, vagina and vulva and to remove genital warts.

Huh said the results are encouraging because patients treated for HPV-related disease are known to be at higher risk for contracting the same disease post-operatively. Reducing the risk and need of a secondary procedure is an important step in improving women's care, he said.

The birth control pill reduced the women's risk of death from bowel cancer by 38%

Women who take the birth control pill are more likely to live longer than women who have never taken the pill, according to a study published Friday in the British medical journal BMJ, the AP/Boston Globe reports. 

Researchers in the United Kingdom followed more than 46,000 women who took the pill and then compared the mortality rate of those women with women who did not take birth control pills. The women in the study generally took the pill for almost four years. Researchers followed the women for about 40 years, beginning in 1968.

The study found that the pill reduced the women's risk of death from bowel cancer by 38% and from other diseases by about 12%. Although the death rate among women on the pill under age 30 was slightly higher compared with the other women, the trend began to reverse by age 50. The researchers noted that they could not offer any theories about cause and effect because they only observed and compared women who took the pill with women who did not.

According to the AP/Globe, past research has found that the pill does not increase the risk of dying, and while it has the potential to protect against ovarian and endometrial cancer, it may raise the chances of breast and cervical cancer.

Indigestion tablets may trigger food allergies

Indigestion tablets may trigger food allergies, according to a study by scientists in Austria.

They carried out tests on around 300 people and found that those who took anti-acid pills were more likely to suffer an allergic reaction.

Speaking at the World Allergy Organisation congress, they said the pills may interfere with digestion.

This may cause food to enter the intestines before it is fully broken down, triggering an attack.

Allergic reaction

Professor Erika Jensen-Jarolim and colleagues at the University of Vienna gave half of the people in their study a drug call ranitidine, which acts in the same way as indigestion tablets. The remaining volunteers were given a dummy or placebo pill.

None of these people had reported any food allergies in the past.

They found that people taking the drug developed or showed signs of food allergy symptoms. None of those in the placebo group showed any such signs. Tests on mice have shown similar results.

The scientists said indigestion pills may reduce levels of gastric acid in the stomach. This acid helps the stomach to break down food before it enters the intestines.

They believe low levels of this acid may result in food entering the intestines before it is broken down.

They believe the body's immune system then tries to attack the food, triggering an allergic reaction.

The scientists said eating new types of food seemed to be particularly risky. This is because the body builds up a tolerance to food that is commonly consumed. However, problems may occur when people eat foods that they haven't had before.

'Stick to the diet you know and don't try exotic foods and don't make experiments,' said Professor Jensen-Jarolim.

Allergies to food can range from mild rashes to potentially life-threatening anaphylactic shocks.

'These findings are significant for those people at risk for a food allergy,' said Professor Jensen-Jarolim, 'since 10% of the adult population today is on antacids.'

Surprised

GlaxoSmithKline, which manufactures many leading indigestion remedies, said it would examine the findings.

However, a spokeswoman said the company did not believe there were any risks associated with taking its products.

'Our products have been through very extensive clinical trials and have been approved by all the government regulatory bodies,' she told BBC News Online.

'We are always alert to new research that comes into the market place and if that poses any potential threat to consumers, then we will look very closely at the research and act very quickly if we think we need to.

'However, many of our products have been in on the market for 20 odd years and this isn't something we have ever come across. We are very surprised by these findings.'

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Increasing temperature and concentration of greenhouse gases have made people more susceptible to allergies

Suffering from cold, watery eyes and sinus? You may be a victim of global warming. According to Indian College of Allergy, Asthma and Applied Immunology Secretary Dr A B Singh, increasing temperature and concentration of greenhouse gases have made people more susceptible to allergies. He was speaking at a symposium held at Panjab University on Friday.

Explaining the correlation between climatic changes and allergies, Dr A B Singh said factors like depletion of the Ozone layer and erratic rainfall have led to increase in temperature. “High temperature promotes plant growth and hence concentration of pollen increases in the air,” he said. Pollen is one of the chief allergy-causing substances. According to Singh, there has been a 30 per cent increase in the number of people suffering from allergies in the last few years.

Apart from pollen, other common allergy-causing substances (allergens) are fungi, mould, mites and dust. Pollen of crops like jowar, bajra, congress grass, acacia (keekar), too, have emerged as common allergens. “Humidity levels are also rising with global warming, which has subsequently increased allergic reaction among people,” said Singh. The cases increase April-May and September-October, the harvesting period of various crops.

“Cases of severe asthma and prolonged asthma, too, have increased, with environment products being the common factor. Family history and genetic make-up are the two key factors that determine a person’s resistance level to allergens. The best cure to any allergy is to avoid exposure to the allergen,” said Singh. “Vaccines for allergies are also being devised world over. The first step to use these is to identify the real source of allergy. For instance, if someone is allergic to pollen, he needs to know pollen of which flower or crop he is allergic to,” he added.

In the three-day 35th annual conference of Environment Mutagen Society of India (EMSI) and International Symposium on Mutagens and Genetic Diversity for Health and Agriculture, the keynote address was delivered by Prof P K Seth, Chief Executive Officer, Biotech Park, Lucknow. Prof Emeritus A B Prasad of the Centre for Bioinformatics, Ranchi, lectured on the impact of environmental toxicants on human health.

kissing and making up with your partner before going to bed really does improve your mood the next day

Kissing and making up with your partner before sleeping really does improve your mood the next day, a new study has suggested.

After fighting, couples with high activity in a certain outer brain region are less likely to be upset the next day, while those with low activity are more likely to be in a bad mood, continue to mull over the argument in their heads, and turn to alcohol or drugs, the study found.

The lateral prefrontal cortex is thought to be involved in the way people control their emotions, with more activity linked to more emotional resilience, reports The Daily Express .

The study was conducted by Harvard and California University psychologists and is published in the Biological Psychiatry journal. Lead author Professor Christine Hooker said: "What we found, as you might expect, was that everybody felt badly on the day of the conflict with their partners. But the day after, people who had high lateral prefrontal cortex activity felt better and the people who had low lateral prefrontal cortex activity continued to feel bad."

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Having two cups of tea a day can help cut down risk of developing ovarian cancer in women

If you are a tea lover there is good news for you! You have less chances of having ovarian cancer suggest couple of recently conducted researches. Two studies, one carried out by The University of Washington and the other by National Institute of Environmental Medicine in Stockholm, hint towards this fact.

Ovarian Cancer is the eighth most common cancer found in women. Also, it ranks fifth when it comes to be a major of cause of cancer deaths. Lung and bronchus, breast, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers, are the only ones that cause more cancer deaths than ovarian cancer.

The University of Washington performed the study on 2,000 women. Its findings suggest that Women who have at least one cup of green tea intake in a day, have 54% less chances of the cancer formation. The National Institute of Environmental Medicine in Stockholm showed similar results. It was conducted on 61, 057 women, falling between the age group of 40 to 76 years of age.

The results show that women consuming two cups of black tea daily reduce the chances of ovarian cancer by 50%. It's the impact of Antioxidants found in tea that actually leads to preventing a critical illness like cancer. And earlier researches confirm that tea has many other health benefits too, besides being a good cancer preventing agent. Reducing risks of heart attacks, enhanced blood vessel function, better dental health are the major ones among others.

Wanted a PCD or Franchise for Pharma Company - Maharashtra

Activa Lifesciences is a Pharmaceutical Company with range of quality branded products.

Activa Lifesciences have pharmaceutical ethically promoted products includes Tablets, Capsules, Ointments, Syrups, and Injections Etc.

We need PCD or Franchise stockiest and distributors to cater all parts of India on monopoly basis.

Activa Lifesciences provides excellent services to their PCD or franchise distributors in terms of promotional inputs and marketing assistance.

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Consumption of coffee reduces the risk of diabetes especially type 2 diabetes

While previous studies had reported controversial results regarding the link between drinking coffee and diabetes, a new study reveals the protective effects of the beverage.

According to the study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, individuals drinking at least a cup of coffee per day are one-third less likely to develop type 2 diabetes in the long run.

Only coffee taken during lunchtime regardless of being decaf or caffeinated, with or without sugar influences the risk of diabetes, the study found.

Black coffee was also reported to be more effective than coffee with milk; the significance of this finding, however, was unclear.

The high content of magnesium and chlorogenic acid in coffee is believed to be responsible for the protective effect of the beverage against diabetes due to their antioxidant properties.

Required PCD and Franchise from Maharashtra and Gujarat

Activa Lifesciences is a Pharmaceutical Company with range of quality branded products.

Activa Lifesciences have pharmaceutical ethically promoted products includes Tablets, Capsules, Ointments, Syrups, and Injections Etc.

We need PCD or Franchise stockiest and distributors to cater all parts of India on monopoly basis.

Activa Lifesciences provides excellent services to their PCD or franchise distributors in terms of promotional inputs and marketing assistance.

Please contact us for further inquiry

Mumbai base pharma company requires PCD stockist and distributors

Activa Lifesciences is a Pharmaceutical Company with range of quality branded products.

Activa Lifesciences have pharmaceutical ethically promoted products includes Tablets, Capsules, Ointments, Syrups, and Injections Etc.

We need PCD or Franchise stockiest and distributors to cater all parts of India on monopoly basis.

Activa Lifesciences provides excellent services to their PCD or franchise distributors in terms of promotional inputs and marketing assistance.

For further inquiry contact us

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