Beta blockers

Some people usually take beta blockers to lower the blood pressure. So here are a few things you may like to know about these drugs. Examples of oral beta blockers:
Acebutolol
Atenolol
Bisoprolol
Metoprolol
Nadolol
Nebivolol
Propranolol
Uses for beta blockers
Doctors prescribe beta blockers to prevent, treat or improve symptoms in a variety of conditions, such as:
High blood pressure
Irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia)
Heart failure
Chest pain (angina)
Heart attacks
Migraine
Certain types of tremors
Side effects and cautions

Side effects may occur in people taking beta blockers. However, many people who take beta blockers won't have any side effects.

Common side effects of beta blockers include:

Fatigue
Cold hands or feet
Weight gain
Less common side effects include:

Shortness of breath
Trouble sleeping
Depression
Beta blockers generally aren't used in people with asthma because of concerns that the medication may trigger severe asthma attacks. In people who have diabetes, beta blockers may block signs of low blood sugar, such as rapid heartbeat. It's important to monitor your blood sugar regularly.

Beta blockers can also affect your cholesterol and triglyceride levels, causing a slight increase in triglycerides and a modest decrease in high-density lipoprotein, the "good" cholesterol. These changes often are temporary. You shouldn't abruptly stop taking a beta blocker because doing so could increase your risk of a heart attack or other heart problems.
(Source: Internet/Mayo Clinic)

Tea consumption cause epigenetic changes in women

Tea consumption cause epigenetic changes......story on sciencedaily.com 31/May/2017
" Epigenetic changes are chemical modifications that turn our genes off or on. In a new study from Uppsala University, researchers show that tea consumption in women leads to epigenetic changes in genes that are known to interact with cancer and estrogen metabolism. The results are published in the journal Human Molecular Genetics.
It is well known that our environment and lifestyle factors, such as food choices, smoking and exposure to chemicals, can lead to epigenetic changes. In the current study, researchers from Uppsala University in collaboration with research groups around Europe, investigated if coffee and tea consumption may lead to epigenetic changes. Previous studies have suggested that both coffee and tea play an important role in modulating disease-risk in humans by suppressing tumour progression, decreasing inflammation and influencing estrogen metabolism, mechanisms that may be mediated by epigenetic changes.

The results show that there are epigenetic changes in women consuming tea, but not in men. Interestingly, many of these epigenetic changes were found in genes involved in cancer and estrogen metabolism. "Previous studies have shown that tea consumption reduces estrogen levels which highlights a potential difference between the biological response to tea in men and women. Women also drink higher amounts of tea compared to men, which increases our power to find association in women," says Weronica Ek, researcher at the Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, who led the study. The study did not find any epigenetic changes in individuals drinking coffee.

Results from this study highlight the role of pharmacologically active components in tea being involved in cancer and estrogen metabolism, which can reflect that health effects related to tea consumption might be due to epigenetic changes. However, this study does not show if it is healthy or not to drink tea and further research is needed to understand how epigenetic changes found in this study affects our health. It has previously been demonstrated that tea catechins lead to epigenetic changes in vitro and in cultured cancer cells, arguing that some of the health effects of tea may be mediated by epigenetics.

Story Source:

Materials provided by Uppsala Universitet. Note: Content may be edited for style and length."

Effect of Inhalers on children

This research article was published in online magazine "Science daily" on 16th july 2014
  Corticosteroid drugs that are given by inhalers to children with asthma may suppress their growth, evidence suggests. Two new systematic reviews published in The Cochrane Library focus on the effects of inhaled corticosteroid drugs (ICS) on growth rates. The authors found children's growth slowed in the first year of treatment, although the effects were minimised by using lower doses.
Inhaled corticosteroids are prescribed as first-line treatments for adults and children with persistent asthma. They are the most effective drugs for controlling
asthma and clearly reduce asthma deaths, hospital visits and the number and severity of exacerbations, and
improve quality of life. Yet, their potential effect on the growth of children is a source of worry for parents and
doctors. Worldwide, seven ICS drugs are currently available: beclomethasone, budesonide, ciclesonide, flunisolide, fluticasone, mometasone and triamcinolone. Ciclesonide, fluticasone and mometasone are newer and
supposedly safer drugs. The first systematic review focused on 25 trials involving 8,471 children up to 18 years old with mild to moderate persistent asthma. These trials tested all available
inhaled corticosteroids except triamcinolone and showed that, as a group, they suppressed growth rates when compared to placebos or non-steroidal drugs. 14 of the trials, involving
5,717 children, reported growth over a year. The average growth rate, which was around 6-9 cm per year in control groups, was reduced by about 0.5 cm in treatment groups. "The evidence we reviewed suggests that children treated daily with inhaled corticosteroids
may grow approximately half a centimetre less during the first year of treatment," said lead
author of the review, Linjie Zhang, who is based at the Faculty of Medicine at the Federal University of Rio Grande in Rio Grande, Brazil. "But this effect is less pronounced in subsequent years, is not cumulative, and seems minor compared to the known benefits of the drugs for controlling asthma and ensuring full lung growth."
In the second review, the same authors, working with two others, reviewed data from 22 trials in which children were treated with low or medium doses of inhaled corticosteroids. These trials tested different doses of all drugs except triamcinolone and flunisolide. Only
three trials followed 728 children for a year or more, with one of these trials testing three different dosing regimens. In the three trials, using lower doses of the inhaled corticosteroids, by about one puff per day, improved growth by a quarter of a centimetre at one year.
The researchers found that growth suppression varied across studies, and so they looked at
the relationship between a variety of factors and their effects on growth. Some of the
variation could be explained by the drugs used, although since this was an indirect
comparison the authors say more evidence is needed. "Conclusions about the superiority of
one drug over another should be confirmed by further trials that directly compare the drugs,"
said Zhang.
More long-term trials and trials comparing different doses are also needed, particularly in
children with more severe asthma requiring higher doses of inhaled corticosteroids, the
researchers conclude. "Only 14% of the trials we looked at monitored growth in a systematic
way for over a year. This is a matter of major concern given the importance of this topic,"
said Francine Ducharme, one of the authors of both reviews and senior author of the second
review, based at the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Montreal in Montreal,
Canada. "We recommend that the minimal effective dose be used in children with asthma
until further data on doses becomes available. Growth should be carefully documented in all
children treated with inhaled corticosteroids, as well in all future trials testing inhaled
corticosteroids in children."