Newsletter - October 15, 2015
Herbal Supplements Linked to Thousands of ER Visits Each Year
One more survey makes bold claims regarding the risks of dietary supplements, particularly those of herbal origins. In a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine this week, researchers from CDC and FDA estimated that more than 23000 visits to the emergency rooms each year are linked to consumption of dietary supplements about 10% of which lead to hospitalization. Most of the ER visits are by children and young adults for consuming weight loss or energy supplements. Most of the hospitalizations are for elderly people choking on large vitamin pills among others. Read More..
My Girl likes Pink and My Boy Likes Blue: Study of Gender Differences in Clinical Trials
I have always wondered why my daughter and son have different preferences even though we have consciously tried to keep our home gender neutral. Both share similar toys, wear similar clothes, eat similar food and are provided similar nurture. Still my girl prefers pink clothes and stuffed animals while my son loves blue and cars. Male and females vary not just in behavioral patterns but their susceptibility to diseases and responses to medication. In the early years of clinical research, FDA practically banned participation of women in clinical trials. Hence all new drugs developed were tested only in male subjects and women were prescribed drugs off-label. Read More..
Most Cell lines Used in Testing May Be Incorrectly Identified
Recently several reports have raised the question of authenticity of the cell lines used in research and development activities. Most testing labs and academic centers do not validate cell lines before use. Rather it follows the honor code of trusting the label given by the provider. But cell-line misidentification has been a major concern for a few years. Over the last 50 plus years, cell lines have been extensively shared among researchers, cloned, banked, and distributed. In the process, it is suspected that many common cell lines got contaminated with other cell types, exchanged genetic elements, or simply transformed. Read More..
Herbal Supplements Linked to Thousands of ER Visits Each Year
One more survey makes bold claims regarding the risks of dietary supplements, particularly those of herbal origins. In a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine this week, researchers from CDC and FDA estimated that more than 23000 visits to the emergency rooms each year are linked to consumption of dietary supplements about 10% of which lead to hospitalization. Most of the ER visits are by children and young adults for consuming weight loss or energy supplements. Most of the hospitalizations are for elderly people choking on large vitamin pills among others. Read More..
My Girl likes Pink and My Boy Likes Blue: Study of Gender Differences in Clinical Trials
I have always wondered why my daughter and son have different preferences even though we have consciously tried to keep our home gender neutral. Both share similar toys, wear similar clothes, eat similar food and are provided similar nurture. Still my girl prefers pink clothes and stuffed animals while my son loves blue and cars. Male and females vary not just in behavioral patterns but their susceptibility to diseases and responses to medication. In the early years of clinical research, FDA practically banned participation of women in clinical trials. Hence all new drugs developed were tested only in male subjects and women were prescribed drugs off-label. Read More..
Most Cell lines Used in Testing May Be Incorrectly Identified
Recently several reports have raised the question of authenticity of the cell lines used in research and development activities. Most testing labs and academic centers do not validate cell lines before use. Rather it follows the honor code of trusting the label given by the provider. But cell-line misidentification has been a major concern for a few years. Over the last 50 plus years, cell lines have been extensively shared among researchers, cloned, banked, and distributed. In the process, it is suspected that many common cell lines got contaminated with other cell types, exchanged genetic elements, or simply transformed. Read More..
