The black market is full of non-steroidal and tissue-selective anabolic agents such as Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs) that are used for their performance enhancing qualities, according to researchers from the German Sport University Cologne in Germany.

The detection of Andarine, a drug candidate, in a product sold via the Internet was recently demonstrated for the first time suggesting easy availability of authentic SARMs.

From Sciencedaily.com:

SARMs represent a promising class of therapeutics for the treatment of various diseases such as sarcopenia, osteoporosis, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and cancer cachexia. While none of these agents have yet been approved for therapeutic use, SARMs are gaining popularity in the sports doping community because they are believed to provide the benefits of traditional anabolic/androgenic steroids such as testosterone with fewer unwanted side effects.

In 2008, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) prohibited the use of SARMs in sports due to their potential for misuse. WADA closely cooperates with pharmaceutical and biotechnological companies, as well as medicine agencies and drug evaluation bodies on the issue of therapeutics being misused in sports. WADA’s preventive approach was validated with the recent finding of a commercially available, non-approved arylpropionamide-derived SARM termed Andarine. This product, declared as green tea extracts and face moisturizer to pass customs, was available on the Internet at a discount price of $100 USD.

The issue of pharmaceutical agents emerging as sports doping products was recently addressed at the Conference of Parties to the International Convention against Doping in Sport, held October 26-28, 2009 at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) headquarters in Paris.

Tags: Andarine, doping, performance enhancing, steroids, testosterone

Posted in buy steroids, Steroid Cycles, steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in Sports | No Comments/Questions

A new mechanism has been identified by Walter Wahli and colleagues, at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland underlying the differential expression of proteins in male and female mice.

Expression of liver proteins controls a varying number of whole-body processes like energy generation, and lipid and steroid hormone production and turnover.

The research appeared in September 1, 2009 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

From Sciencedaily.com:

The protein PPAR-alpha is able to enter the nucleus, where it acts to control the expression of a large number of genes. In the study, PPAR-alpha was found to repress the expression of many liver genes responsible for making proteins involved in immunity and steroid production and turnover only in female mice. One of the genes most strongly repressed in female mice by PPAR-alpha was Cyp7b1, which generates a protein involved in drug breakdown and the generation of cholesterol, steroids, and other fats. Detailed analysis revealed the mechanism by which PPAR-alpha repressed Cyp7b1 expression, it was modified by a process known as sumoylation.

It was suggested by the authors that PPAR-alpha agonists might provide a new approach to prevent estrogen-induced intrahepatic cholestasis, the most common liver disease during pregnancy.

Tags: cholesterol, liver proteins, steroid, steroids

Posted in buy steroids, Steroid Cycles, steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids | No Comments/Questions

According to a review in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal), asthma is the commonest of all chronic diseases in children besides being a prime reason for hospital admissions yet there is lack of asthma control in 26 to 45 percent of children.

The review offered key insights to differentiate between transient asthma and chronic asthma in preschoolers and information on managing both types.

From Sciencedaily.com:

For children with intermittent asthma, using inhaled corticosteroids only during attacks does not appear to be effective. Regular therapy with inhaled steroids should be used for children with more severe intermittent or persistent symptoms. Treatment with leukotriene receptor antagonists during the viral season may help to reduce symptoms and visits to health care providers. The possibility of another condition should be considered if children do not respond to optimal therapy.

More research is required to examine the effectiveness of treatments in young children, as per the study authors.

Tags: Asthma, asthma control, chronic asthma, chronic diseases, corticosteroids, steroids, transient asthma

Posted in buy steroids, Steroid Cycles, steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids | No Comments/Questions

A new survey of 500 steroid users has revealed that most of the users belong to the non-athlete category and their purpose of using steroids is to improve their physical appearance. It was also revealed that steroid users are administering themselves with larger doses than previously recorded and health concerns related to use of steroids are not enough to deter their steroid use.

The survey results were released at the 52nd American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee.

From News-Medical.Net:

Of the 500 AAS users who participated in the survey, 78.4 percent (392/500) were non-competitive bodybuilders and non-athletes. Nearly 60 percent (298/500) reported using at least 1000mg of testosterone or its equivalent per week. The majority (99.2 percent or 496/500) of AAS users self-administer their injections, and up to 13 percent (65/500) report unsafe injection practices, such as re-using needles, sharing needles, and sharing multi-dose vials. In addition to using AAS, 25 percent of users admitted to also using growth hormone and insulin  for anabolic effect. Finally, 99.2 percent (496/500) of users reported subjective side effects from AAS use.

“Clearly, the alarm is not ringing for the users who responded to our survey,” said Nick A. Evans, M.D., lead author for the study and physician at UCLA-Orthopaedic Hospital, Los Angeles. “They are not sensing or seeing the extremely dangerous game they are playing with these drugs. There are severe health risks associated with steroid use and abuse, but four out of five of our respondents report a greater desire to improve their physical appearance than to protect their health. Creating awareness among influencers like parents, coaches, trainers and health professionals may be a way to reach users and help them guide them back to safe health and fitness habits.”

This survey was conducted with an aim to ascertain the present-day trends among steroid users.

Tags: steroid, steroid use, steroids

Posted in buy steroids, Steroid Cycles, steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids | No Comments/Questions

A new treatment option was recently found by researchers to treat the common problem of muscle atrophy, as per results of an animal study that were presented at The Endocrine Society’s 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Some of the presently recommended options for treating muscle atrophy are anabolic steroids (testosterone) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IFG-1) but there have been some concerns about their usage due to safety and effectiveness, as per study co-author Andrea Graziani, PhD. and molecular biologist with the Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine and the Biotechnology Center for Applied Medical Research, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy.

From Sciencedaily.com:

In this new study, the researchers discovered that des-acyl ghrelin has a direct anti-atrophic activity on the skeletal muscle of mice with muscular atrophy caused by either denervation (nerve injury) or fasting. Mice that were genetically altered to have increased levels of des-acyl ghrelin had less skeletal muscle loss than the untreated control mice. This held true for both causes of muscular atrophy.

The mechanism by which des-acyl ghrelin protects muscle against atrophy is not yet known, the authors reported. However, it is distinct from the action of anabolic steroids and IGF-1.

The review was supported by Italian agencies: Telethon, Regione Piemonte, and Italian Ministry for University and Research. The study findings were presented by Nicoletta Filigheddu, a researcher at the University of Piemonte Orientale’s Biotechnology Center.

Tags: anabolic steroids, des-acyl ghrelin, muscle atrophy, steroids, testosterone

Posted in buy steroids, Steroid Cycles, steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids | No Comments/Questions

According to a small study in Thorax, blocking a powerful immune system chemical that is present in large quantities in patients with the severe form of the disease can help in curing severe asthma.

It is believed that around one in ten asthmatics suffers from this severe form of asthma that usually requires progressively higher doses of steroids for controlling the disease symptoms.

From News-Medical.Net:

Included in the study were 26 healthy people, 67 mild asthmatics, and 51 severe asthmatics. Bronchial fluid and lung tissue samples were taken from the participants to discover their levels of TNF alpha.

Levels were significantly higher in those with severe disease and concentrated in one particular type of immune cell (mast cells) which are recognised components of the inflammatory reaction in asthma.

TNF alpha levels were low and similar in those with no asthma or who only had mild symptoms.

This suggests that the high levels of TNF alpha in severe disease are characteristic of more chronic disease that is resistant to steroid treatment, rather than a feature of the disease itself, say the authors.

Seventeen people with severe asthma who still had symptoms, despite being treated with a range of drugs, were also given 25 mg of a drug that blocks TNF alpha production (etanercept) twice weekly, injected below the skin for 12 weeks. Fifteen completed the course.

At the end of the study period, these patients experienced a significant improvement in symptoms and lung function. Two patients were able to discontinue one of their drugs.

The authors noted that this form of treatment can be seen as a potentially new avenue of treatment for severe asthma though further research will be required before this approach can be recommended.

Tags: Asthma, etanercept, severe asthma, steroids

Posted in buy steroids, Steroid Cycles, steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids | No Comments/Questions

People who suffer from injuries to the distal biceps tendon can expect relief from earlier surgical intervention and new surgical techniques, as per a review article published in the March 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (JAAOS).

Karen Sutton, MD, assistant professor at Yale Medical School and attending orthopaedic surgeon at Yale New Haven Hospital, said that latest techniques allow for smaller incisions and tendon strength can be restored to within 90 percent to 95 percent of its original strength.

From Sciencedaily.com:

“Early diagnosis and treatment of these injuries make surgical repair more straightforward,” Sutton added. “The ability to locate the end of the tendon in surgery is easier within the first two weeks, and if the tendon is repaired during this two-week period, the patient should regain the majority of his or her elbow flexion and forearm supination strength. After two weeks, the tendon tends to scar, making it more difficult to bring the tendon back to its original attachment.”

Injuries to the distal biceps tendon most often occur as the result of a single trauma involving lifting or moving heavy weights, and may occur more frequently in patients over the age of 30 years, as well as those who smoke and individuals who take anabolic steroids, Sutton noted.

It was also revealed by the study that surgery is the most effective of all options and even simpler when performed within two weeks of the initial injury.

Tags: anabolic steroids, biceps, steroids, surgical repair

Posted in buy steroids, Steroid Cycles, steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids | No Comments/Questions

The introduction of HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy) may have improved the survival and quality of life for people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) but this improved prognosis has also resulted in long term negative disorders, namely osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is a multifactorial disease characterized by reductions in bone mass leading to an increased propensity to bone fractures.

A study published in the Spanish review Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología Clínica [Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology] revealed that the prevalence of osteoporosis in HIV-1 infected patients.

From News-Medical.Net:

As far as Olmos is concerned, “recognition that osteoporosis is one of the late consequences of HIV-1 infection compels us to give an early diagnosis of this disease in these patients, in order to take the necessary preventive and therapeutic measures.

For this reason the study emphasises the need to take a detailed clinical history from HIV-1 infected people, and this should include the classic risk factors for osteoporosis, paying particular attention to treatment that has been received (corticosteroid medicines, HAART, etc) and the pattern of the disease.

In addition to the routine laboratory tests, the authors maintain that in order to optimise the prognosis of the patients, “a bone densitometry scan must be performed wherever there are data relating to hypogonadism, treatment with steroids for chronic disease or a previous history of fractures caused by osteoporosis“.

There is also a scientific consensus as to the recommended preventive measures to take: physical exercise, sufficient ingestion of calcium and Vitamin D, and elimination of risk factors such as alcohol, tobacco and poor diet.

The authors said that clinical trial results are awaited with a hope to bring new evidence about the possible effectiveness of anti-osteoporotic treatment in these patients.

Tags: corticosteroid, osteoporosis, steroids

Posted in buy steroids, Steroid Cycles, steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids | No Comments/Questions

A new treatment option may help people with chronic asthma to manage their condition with a single prescribed inhaler that contains two medicines, as per a review.

Lead reviewer Christopher Cates, M.D., at the Community Health Sciences of St. George’s at the University of London, said that most asthma patients default on inhaled corticosteroids as inhaled steroids do not bring immediate difference to asthma symptoms.

From Sciencedaily.com:

The Cochrane reviewers found no significant reduction in the number of asthma exacerbations that required hospitalization among the patients who used single inhaler therapy.

However, the reviewers did find that fewer adults on single inhaler therapy had exacerbations needing a course of oral corticosteroids. Compared with 18 people of 100 in the control inhaled corticosteroid group who had an exacerbation treated with oral steroids over 11 months, there were 11 of 100 for the single inhaler therapy group.

“One attraction of the combined inhalers is that the inhaled corticosteroid is automatically taken with the beta-agonist, which does relieve symptoms,” said Cates. “Single-inhaler therapy takes this one stage further, as the inhaled corticosteroid is automatically increased, with the beta-agonist, if the asthma symptoms worsen. This approach shows clear advantages in comparison to taking inhaled corticosteroids alone, but is less convincing when compared to current best practice.”

Carlos Camargo, M.D., an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, specializes in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, remarked that this single-inhaler therapy is an interesting approach to treat chronic asthma.

Tags: Asthma, chronic asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, corticosteroids, Inhaled steroids, steroids

Posted in buy steroids, Steroid Cycles, steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids | No Comments/Questions

The advent of innovative surgical techniques, novel immunosuppressive protocols, and better post-operative management has improved the survival rate of patients facing multivisceral transplant.

This finding was disclosed by researchers at the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute in a study published in the October 2009 issue of Annals of Surgery in what was the largest single-center experience of adult and pediatric intestinal and multivisceral transplantation.

From Sciencedaily.com:

During what the researchers dubbed Era I (1990 to 1994), transplant recipients were treated with the immunosuppressive drug tacrolimus and steroids. In 1994, this protocol was discontinued due to high mortality and morbidity rates. The five-year survival rate for these patients was 40 percent.

Era II (1995 to 2001) introduced the use of donor bone marrow to encourage organ acceptance. The five-year survival rate for these patients was 56 percent.

During Era III (2001 to 2008), patients were given a pre-conditioning protocol with agents that deplete recipients’ own immune calls. Their post-transplant drug regimen was minimal and was initiated with tacrolimus, followed by steroids when necessary. Tacrolimus doses were subsequently spaced to a single dose twice to three times per week with a careful weaning process that started three to six months after transplant. Through the use of new immunosuppressive and management strategies, the five-year survival rate for these patients increased to 68 percent, which is similar to any other abdominal and thoracic organ transplant procedure.

The study was led by Kareem Abu-Elmagd, M.D., Ph.D., director, Intestinal Rehabilitation and Transplantation Center, Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, and professor of surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Tags: multivisceral transplant, steroids, tacrolimus

Posted in buy steroids, Steroid Cycles, steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids | No Comments/Questions