Steroids Blog

According to a study by the University of Michigan Substance Abuse Research Center, approximately ten percent of college students were found to use stimulants such as Ritalin on illegal basis at some point in their college years to boost concentration levels.

It was found during the study that undergraduates as well as SAT-takers are turning to prescription stimulants these days to stay ahead of other students.

From News-Medical.Net:

“When you look at the students that use illicit (stimulants), their performance at school is worse,” Teitelbaum said. “And that’s probably because the need to use the drug reflects them being behind, and needing to cram and catch up.”

Ritalin revs up the central nervous system, creating feelings of alertness that fall somewhere between those produced by caffeine and cocaine.

“If you look at Ritalin structurally, it’s the closest relative to cocaine,” said Teitelbaum. “I think it depends on the dose one is taking, and why they’re taking it. Some people take stimulants solely for the effect on concentration. Other people are taking it for the buzz.”

Pharmaceutical abuse is on the rise among teens, surpassing the combined rates of crack/cocaine, Ecstasy, heroin and methamphetamine abuse, according to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. Experts predict the trend will continue because the pills are inexpensive and widely available.

“Unlike cocaine, you can get Ritalin very cheaply from your friends because all they need is their co-pay,” Teitelbaum said. “There’s a great availability.”

The fact that Ritalin is very affordable makes it an easy prey by teenagers who want to deliver dramatic educational results by boosting their concentration levels in illegal ways.

Coating DNA with a topical steroid can prove itself to be an effective option when it comes to the formulation of therapeutic gene delivery, as per bioengineers at the University of Pennsylvania.

It was remarked by the involved team that a common anti-inflammatory steroid, when wrapped around a DNA strand, can prove its worth for prevention of immune responses that are associated with techniques of gene transfer.

Scott Diamond, Senior Author and Professor of bioengineering at Pennsylvania and Associate Director of Penn’s Institute for Medicine and Engineering, said that steroid coating not only prove worthy for allowing genes to be taken up into a cell but also facilitate prevention of anti-inflammatory response that is visible in gene transfer therapy.

From Eurekalert.org:

Currently there are two basic approaches to delivering therapeutic genes: nonviral and viral. Injecting a subject with pure DNA is possible, but a DNA molecule, by itself, has inherent trouble in entering cells. Viral carriers can serve as delivery vehicles for DNA, literally infecting cells with new genes. Both methods, however, are associated with the creation of inflammatory immune responses that reduces the action of the therapeutic gene.

DNA is a large and negatively charged molecule, which is the source of the stumbling point in getting cells to take up DNA. To counter the negative charge of DNA, Diamond and his colleagues took a common steroid, dexamethasone, and made it “sticky” by adding a nitrogen-rich, postively charged tail. This tail provides the glue that attaches the steroid to the naked DNA.

“The steroid is a fatty lipid so, in essense, we have greased up DNA for cellular uptake,” Diamond said, “plus the cells get a big dose of steroid.”

According to Diamond, the chemistry involved in manufacturing this new steroid vehicle is a fairly straightforward, one-step process that is simple compared to creating viral gene-therapy vectors. “But this is more than just ‘gene therapy on steroids,’” Diamond said. “The dexmethasone not only eased inflammation in an animal model, but, as our study showed, actually allowed the cells to use the foreign DNA more effectively.”

It was also remarked by Diamond that steroid coating can be useful in enhancing the chances of successful gene transfer in humans.

According to a study published in an issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology, boys suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy can now walk on their own for longer periods of time along with reducing the risk of scoliosis with daily steroid treatment for an ongoing duration.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy that occurs in one in every 3,500 boys is known to exhibit its symptoms in the early childhood. However, there is no cure for this deadly disease till date.

From News-Medical.Net:

For the study, researchers reviewed records of 143 boys seen at the Ohio State University Muscular Dystrophy Clinic in Columbus. Of the group, 75 had been treated with corticosteroids for an average of eight years and the rest of the boys had never been treated or had received a brief dose of steroids.

The study found boys who were treated with daily steroids walked by themselves 3.3 years longer than the untreated boys and had a lower rate of scoliosis, 31 percent compared to 91 percent.

“Previous studies have shown steroids improve strength and function in Duchenne muscular dystrophy, but this is the first study to show the long-term impact and how treated boys are able to walk longer on their own,” said study author Wendy King, PT, with the Department of Neurology at Ohio State University Medical Center, and member of the American Academy of Neurology.

However, the study found those boys being treated with daily steroids had an increased risk of vertebral and leg fractures. Vertebral fractures occurred in 32 percent of the boys treated with steroids, whereas there were no fractures reported in the untreated group. Leg fractures were 2.6 times more common in the steroid-treated group. King said this may be due to increased body weight and that the treated boys walked longer than the untreated group.

King was of the view that the benefits of steroids may come at the cost of some side-effects and young patients and their parents must weight the pros and cons of steroid treatments before finalizing a decision on the same.

As per a review published in the Archives of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, there is little evidence that can actually support the present-day guidelines concerning the usefulness of steroids as an effective form of treating sudden hearing loss.

Sudden Hearing Loss or sudden sensorineural hearing loss is considered to affect five to 20 of every 100,000 individuals yearly and the different treatment methods for this ailment include vitamins, herbs, minerals, antiviral medications, hyperbaric oxygen, and agents capable of diluting the blood.

From News-Medical.Net:

Anne Elizabeth Conlin, B.A. & Sc., M.D., of the University of Ottawa, Ontario, and Lorne S. Parnes, M.D., F.R.C.S.C., of the University of Western Ontario, London, Canada, searched for all randomized clinical trials evaluating treatments for sudden hearing loss published between 1966 and 2006.

For the systematic review, 21 trials were identified and evaluated, all of which used measures from hearing tests to define treatment outcomes. “Only two studies used identical criteria to define sudden sensorineural hearing loss,” the authors write. “The method of randomization was described in two studies. Validity scores ranged from two to eight (of nine). Positive results were reported favoring systemic steroids, intratympanic [inside the inner ear] steroids, batroxobin, magnesium, vitamin E and hyperbaric oxygen, although there were serious limitations in each study with a positive finding.”

The treatment of sudden hearing loss is believed to be a difficult task as the cause of the loss is almost unascertainable in most of the cases as per the authors. The authors were of the view that sudden hearing loss can be classified as a medical emergency without a scientific understanding of its cause or a rational treatment approach.

Capsaicin, which is commonly known to the world as the pepper component used in turning up heat in jalapeqos, has one more function than just burning the tongue. It can also prove effective to drive and kill prostate cancer cells as per studies published in an issue of Cancer Research.

It was found out during the study that Capsaicin has an ability to cause the prostate carcinoma cells to undergo programmed cell death or apoptosis. The study was conduced by a team of researchers from the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in collaboration with colleagues from UCLA.

From News-Medical.Net:

Capsaicin induced approximately 80 percent of prostate cancer cells growing in mice to follow the molecular pathways leading to apoptosis. Prostate cancer tumors treated with capsaicin were about one-fifth the size of tumors in non-treated mice.

“Capsaicin had a profound anti-proliferative effect on human prostate cancer cells in culture,” said Svren Lehmann, M.D., Ph.D., visiting scientist at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the UCLA School of Medicine. “It also dramatically slowed the development of prostate tumors formed by those human cell lines grown in mouse models.”

Lehmann estimated that the dose of pepper extract fed orally to the mice was equivalent to giving 400 milligrams of capsaicin three times a week to a 200 pound man, roughly equivalent to between three and eight fresh habaqera peppers - depending on the pepper’s capsaicin content. Habaqeras are the highest rated pepper for capsaicin content according to the Scoville heat index. Habaqero peppers, which are native to the Yucatan, typically contain up to 300,000 Scoville units. The more popular Jalapeqo variety from Oaxaca, Mexico, and the southwest United States, contains 2,500 to 5,000 Scoville units.

It was also found out during the study that Capsaicin helps in the inhibition of the NF-kappa Beta that is a molecular mechanism participating in the pathways leading to apoptosis in many cell types. The study also revealed that the pepper component can also prove to be effective in curbing the growth of prostate cancer by regulation of androgen receptors that are steroid activated proteins for controlling the expression of certain growth relating genes.

Present steroid (testosterone) doping tests in international sports must be scrapped at they are ignoring variations in hormonal activities, as per a research published ahead of print in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

It is regarded that testosterone and various other hormones propelling the levels of testosterone in the human body such as growth hormone are some of the most commonly abused performance enhancing drugs in sport.

From News-Medical.Net:

They included 57 men of Black African origin; 32 of Asian origin; 32 of Hispanic origin; and 50 of white (Caucasian) origin in their research. All the men were aged between 18 and 36.

The results revealed the genetic variation in almost one in four (22%) of the African footballers; in eight out 10 (81%) of the Asian players; one in 10 of the white men, and in 7% of the Hispanic players.

Based on these findings, the Swiss researchers “recalibrated” the thresholds for each ethnic group.

The new T:E ratios were: 5.6 for men of African origin; 5.7 for white men, and 5.8 for men of Hispanic origin. For men of Asian origin, the ratio was 3.8.

A single indiscriminate threshold to pick up steroid abuse in international sport is “not fit for purpose,” the authors conclude. Instead, the reference ranges should be tailored to an athlete’s individual endocrinological (hormonal) passport, they suggest.

“[Such a] passport may detect modifications induced by abuse of testosterone and its precursors, but also alterations in the steroid profile caused by indirect androgen doping products,” they conclude.

The study comprised of tests that were conducted on steroid profiles of many football players from different ethnicities after steroids were deliberately added to their urine samples.

Testosterone is a natural male hormone that is responsible for the development of sexual characteristics in males. It also contributes to increase in muscle growth, increased strength, and it boosts overall performance. The action of this hormone is very similar to that of anabolic steroids. Anabolic steroids were recently discovered to contain in several dietary supplements. FDA already started the recall of dietary supplements found with steroids or steroid-like substances.

Steroids use is not new to professional baseball and football. However, this is quite a first time for NBA to record a steroid problem.

Orlando Magic forward Rashard Lewis was recently reported to fail a steroid test and was suspended for the first ten games of the new season of National Basketball Association. According to a news release, he will begin suspension with the first game of the 2009-10 season for which he is physically able to play.

Lewis explained that the elevated testosterone level was a result of an over-the-counter supplement which he took towards the end of last season. He was not aware that the supplement contained a substance prohibited by the NBA. The supplement, however, was not named by the NBA star. He further advised his fellow athletes to always consult a physician before taking any form of nutritional supplement because they might not be as innocent as they seem to be. He also hopes that they could learn from his mistake. He took full responsibility for the failed test and willingly accepted the penalty imposed on him.

According to Bloomberg:

Aug. 6 (Bloomberg) — Orlando Magic forward Rashard Lewis was suspended for the first 10 games of the National Basketball Association season after tests found an elevated testosterone level.

Lewis, an All-Star last season, will begin the suspension with the first game of the 2009-10 season for which he’s eligible and physically able to play, the league said in a news release.

As per results of an animal study presented at the Endocrine Society’s 90th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, potential biomarkers for the growth hormone have been identified by researchers. These biomarkers are believed to serve the sports community in more than just one way by facilitating the detection of an abuse of the growth hormone.

From News-Medical.Net:

Many athletes are misusing recombinant human growth hormone, a drug intended for people who are growth hormone deficient, because of its supposed ability to decrease fat and increase muscle. However, detection remains a challenge. The growth hormone drug appears only briefly in blood and is identical to the growth hormone that the body naturally makes, said study coauthor John Kopchick, PhD, of Ohio University.

“Variability is a problem with current testing for growth hormone doping,” Kopchick said. “It is gender and age-sensitive. We’re looking for a test that will give standard results for everyone.”

The authors are attempting to identify proteins in the blood that could be biomarkers for growth hormone action. A biomarker is a substance that can be detected in higher-than-normal amounts in the blood, urine, or body tissues and thus could be used for screening.

Extensions of these results are believed to be of great importance to humans as per Kopchick.

It is noteworthy to remember that steroids have gained greater and unmatched heights of success and popularity among sportsmen because of their amazing benefits, affordability, and easy availability. These are the reasons why more and more sportsmen are using steroids for creating a ‘new invincible space and aura’ for themselves by delivering new levels of aggressive and dramatic on-field performance to keep them interested for long.

The effect of growth hormones in increasing muscle mass is a controversial topic. Growth hormones became a popular doping agent way back in the 80s. However, steroids users consider this agent as an expensive one. Most growth hormones users were elite athletes. It does not cause episodes of male aggression unlike anabolic steroids. Growth hormones, however, can cause heart and blood vessel damage.

In a recent study conducted by Christer Ehrnborg and colleagues from the Sahlgrenska Academy at Goterborg University in Sweden, growth hormones were found to have no effect on muscle mass and physical performance.

Thirty well-trained people were observed. Twenty had growth hormone injections while ten only had placebo injections containing saline solution. They were injected every day for a month. Participants were then subjected to an exercise cycle to assess their performance. Results showed that those who received growth hormone injections did not actually have an advantage over those who only received saline solution.

Furthermore, body compositions of the participants were measured. Body fats were found to be significantly lower in those who received steroid injections but they were also observed to have increased water retention.

Doping with growth hormone is difficult to detect since natural growth hormones in the body vary for each person. A new test, however, is being developed based on this study conducted. This is to determine accurately growth hormone doping in athletes.

From The Medical News:

Anyone who injects growth hormone with the intention of gaining muscle mass and improving performance should think again.

The hormone improves neither muscle mass nor physical performance. This is shown in a new dissertation from the Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University in Sweden.

The use of steroids may be one of the most concerning things before sporting confederations but professional sportsmen are not leaving any opportunity to use steroids in sports for obvious reasons. While steroids help them gain dramatic muscle gains and experience a sense of new confidence, the usage of steroids is on an all-time high these days.

The fact that steroids have gained much popularity in team sports such as baseball is more than enough to justify its usefulness and positive effect for its users.

From Npr.org:

Radley Balko, a senior editor and investigative journalist for Reason magazine, says: “So what is this debate really all about? I’d suggest it’s about paternalism, and it’s about control. We have a full-blown moral panic on our hands here, and it’s over a set of substances that, for whatever reason, has attracted the ire of the people who have made it their job to tell us what is and isn’t good for us. Our society has an oddly schizophrenic relationship with pharmaceuticals and medical technology. If something could be said to be natural, we tend to be OK with it. If it’s lab-made or synthetic, we tend to be leery. But even synthetic drugs and man-made technology seem to be OK if the aim is to make sick people better or broken people whole again.”

Some members of the society may have their reservations but this fact is not influencing the decision of those who almost swear by steroids. After all, they gain what is not achievable by other forms of products and this is probably the reason why steroids are such a rage among modern day sportsmen.