Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0015672 (fatigue)
 51,768 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The ergogenic potential of drugs used by athletes to enhance performance is reviewed, and areas of involvement for pharmacists interested in the problem of drug abuse in athletics are described. Athletes use drugs for therapeutic and recreational purposes, as supposed ergogenic aids, and to mask the presence of other drugs during testing. Because many athletes train for competition and not for health, they may view the risk-to-benefit ratio of ergogenic drugs as favorable and may begin using them at an early age. Alcohol is the drug most commonly used by student athletes. Although alcohol has no ergogenic benefit, it is viewed as a caloric source and an anxiolytic. Amphetamines do not prevent exhaustion but may mask fatigue, which can have dangerous consequences. Anabolic steroids appear to increase strength but frequently cause adverse reactions, primarily involving the hepatic and endocrine systems. Beta-blocking agents have been shown to reduce anxiety, hand tremor, and heart rate in precision sports like archery, but susceptible persons may experience serious adverse effects. Caffeine improves the efficiency of fuel use and reduces fatigue; its use has been banned by several athletic organizations. Neither cocaine nor marijuana causes any increase in strength. Secretion of human growth hormone may be stimulated by a variety of agents, but evidence that any subsequent increases in size and weight occur is lacking. Other substances tried by athletes include vitamins and minerals, naloxone, albuterol, and human recombinant erythropoietin. Opportunities in sports pharmacy exists in the areas of information retrieval and interpretation, drug testing, legislation to reclassify drugs, education, and research.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Abuse of drugs used to enhance athletic performance. 268 62

Astronauts have a reduction in their red cell mass when exposed to microgravity. This is probably mainly due to a physiological response to decreased energy requirements. Further studies of erythropoiesis were carried out in microgravity on rats flown on Soviet Biosatellite 2044 and in hypergravity by centrifugation at 2G. Studies included: bone marrow cell differential counts, clonal studies of RBC colony formation, and plasma erythropoietin determinations. In the bone marrow of Cosmos flight animals there was a slight increase in granulocytic cells and in centrifuged animals, a slight decrease in the percentage of erythroid cells which led to an increased M:E ratio. The bone marrow cells of flight and centrifuged rats responded to erythropoietin. Cosmos flight animals' cells formed fewer CFU-E than the controls but this was reversed in the centrifuge studies. There were no essential differences in the erythropoietin levels of test groups as compared to control groups.
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PMID:Effects of microgravity and increased gravity on bone marrow of rats. 798 Mar 33

Anemia is an inevitable and potentially serious complication of chronic renal failure and one of the most important limiting factors in patient rehabilitation. Although adequate dialysis can control many of the symptoms of uremia, dialysis does not reverse anemia-associated fatigue, and thus, many patients are not rehabilitated. Human recombinant erythropoietin (epoetin) therapy has proven to be effective in reversing anemia and increasing hematocrit levels in the majority of patients with chronic renal failure. Among this patient population, increases in hematocrit level have resulted in improvements in the symptomatology of organ hypoxia, neurobehavioral indices, anorexia, insomnia, depression, and sexual disinterest and dysfunction, as well as a reduction in cardiomegaly. However, despite the availability of epoetin and the dramatic improvements in the complications associated with the anemic state observed following therapy, it appears that patient rehabilitation remains a challenge. One aspect of the continuing problem of rehabilitation appears to be the reluctance of the medical community to increase hematocrit levels above 30%, despite the fact that higher hematocrit levels are associated with greater improvements and that potential adverse events related to hemodynamic adaptation are manageable. Indeed, a comparison of the results from two Epoetin alfa clinical trials, one in which hematocrit levels were maintained at 35% and a large phase IV study in which the target hematocrit level appears to have been approximately 30%, clearly demonstrate the benefits of optimizing hematocrit levels and thus improving the potential for rehabilitation.
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PMID:In search of an optimal hematocrit level in dialysis patients: rehabilitation and quality-of-life implications. 802 33

To evaluate the effect of recombinant human erythropoietin on anemia and health-related quality of life in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), we initiated an observational study with an open-label multicenter treatment protocol that involved multiple academic and community physicians in the United States. Our subjects comprised 251 anemic (i.e., hematocrit < 30%) patients with a clinical diagnosis of AIDS using 1987 CDC criteria, age > or = 12 years, and serum erythropoietin level < or = 500 IU/L. The initial dosage of recombinant human erythropoietin was 4,000 units subcutaneously for 6 days each week. Based on the patient's response to therapy, the dosage was increased sequentially to 8,000 units subcutaneously for 6 days per week. Our measurements included changes in mean hematocrit and health-related quality of life. The interview included measures of energy/fatigue; physical, social, role and cognitive function; depression; health perceptions; and life satisfaction. Adverse experiences were also documented to assess safety. Changes in mean hematocrit level from a baseline of 27.9% to 33.6% at week 12 (p < .0001) and 34.5% at week 24 (p < .0001) were observed in patients treated with recombinant human erythropoietin. Adverse experiences, not clearly associated with AIDS, were reported by 10% of patients. Increases in energy (p < .05) were observed after 12 and 24 weeks of drug therapy, and increases in health perceptions were seen after 24 weeks (p < .05). No statistically significant increases or decreases were observed on measures of physical functioning, cognitive functioning, depression, social functioning, or home management activities over the 24-week follow-up. Anemia correctors (defined as hematocrit > or = 38%) showed greater improvement in energy, health perceptions, home management, and role function than noncorrectors. Study dropouts and those who died had significantly worse scores for health-related quality of life at baseline compared to study completers. Thus, the AIDS patients with anemia and serum erythropoietin levels < or = 500 IU/L treated with recombinant human erythropoietin showed increased mean hematocrit and improved health perceptions and energy levels. The drug therapy was associated with increased feelings of energy, but it was not associated with other changes in health status and well-being in the AIDS patients completing the study. These observations need to be confirmed in randomized clinical trials.
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PMID:Recombinant human erythropoietin and health-related quality of life of AIDS patients with anemia. 815 42

A 32-year-old man visited Kanto Teishin Hospital complaining of general fatigue in May, 1992. He had been diagnosed as having paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria since 1980, because of brownish urine in the morning. He received blood transfusion in 1980. In 1983, he was treated with medication. There was no remarkable improvement, however, and he stopped coming to the hospital. When he was admitted to our hospital, hemolytic anemia and hemosiderinuria were noticed. Sucrose hemolysis test and acidified-serum lysis test (Ham test) were both positive. Positive rates of decay accelerating factor and CD59 were 38.8% (control 100%) and 45.4% (control 100%), respectively. His diagnosis was thus confirmed. Bone marrow was slightly hypocellular, and erythroid cells were relatively hyperplastic (M/E ratio 0.68). The oral administration of iron and oxymetholone was not effective for anemia. He was treated with daily subcutaneous administration of recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO, 3,000U/body/day). His hemoglobin level increased from 7.5g/dl to 12.0g/dl in 4 weeks, and general fatigue disappeared. Since he had concurrent chronic hepatitis C, alpha-interferon was also administered and his hemoglobin level is now controlled between 10 and 11g/dl. This case suggests that EPO can be useful for treating hemolytic anemia, even though erythroid cells in the bone marrow are hyperplastic.
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PMID:[Improvement of anemia by recombinant human erythropoietin in paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria]. 823 Jul 45

In hemodialysis patients, erythropoietin increases hemoglobin, but often the corresponding increase in peak oxygen uptake is low. The disproportionality may be caused by impaired energy metabolism. 31P-magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to study muscle energy metabolism in 11 hemodialysis patients, 11 renal transplant recipients, and 9 controls. Measurements were obtained during rest, static hand-grip, and rhythmic hand-grip; recoveries were followed to baseline. During static hand-grip, there were no between-group differences in phosphocreatine (PCr), inorganic phosphate (Pi), or PCr/(PCr + Pi), although intracellular pH was higher in hemodialysis patients than transplant recipients. During rhythmic hand-grip, hemodialysis patients exhibited greater fatigue than transplant recipients or controls, and more reduction in PCr/(PCr + Pi) than transplant recipients. Intracellular pH was higher in controls than either hemodialysis patients or transplant recipients. Recoveries from both exercises were similar in all groups, indicating that subnormal oxidative metabolism was not caused by inability to make ATP. The rhythmic data suggest transplantation normalizes PCr/(PCr + Pi), but not pH. In hemodialysis patients, subnormal oxidative metabolism is apparently caused by limited exchange of metabolites between blood and muscle, rather than intrinsic oxidative defects in skeletal muscle.
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PMID:31P-magnetic resonance spectroscopy assessment of subnormal oxidative metabolism in skeletal muscle of renal failure patients. 843 50

A 54-year-old man was admitted with fatigue. The peripheral blood count showed leukocytosis (9, 600/microliters), including 76% granular lymphocytes (GLs), which expressed CD2, 3, 8, 16 and HLA-DR, and anemia (hemoglobin 8.1 g/dl). He was diagnosed as having T cell type-granular lymphocyte proliferative disorder with anemia. Bone marrow examination revealed the involvement of 4.6% of GL and erythroblastopenia. A clonogenic assay of bone marrow cells revealed the decrease in erythroid colony formation in both CFU-E and BFU-E, but the number of erythroid colonies increased when CD8-positive cells were depleted from bone marrow cells and the number of erythroid colonies decreased again when CD8-positive GLs were added. The supernatant of cultured CD8-positive GLs had no inhibitory effect on CFU-E and BFU-E colony formation. These suggested that CD8-positive GLs suppressed the erythroid colony formation in this case. Treatment with 6,000 U/body of recombinant human erythropoietin (rh-Epo) subcutaneously three times a week was started and increased dose of 12,000 U/body of rh-Epo led to an increase in the hemoglobin level to 10.5 g/dl two months later. He has been treated with rh-Epo only.
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PMID:[The successful use of recombinant human erythropoietin therapy to anemia of granular lymphocyte proliferative disorder]. 853 30

A 67-year-old female was admitted with fatigue. Peripheral blood examination showed severe pancytopenia. Bone marrow biopsy revealed hypoplastic marrow. She was diagnosed as having aplastic anemia. Steroid pulse therapy was not effective. After treatment with erythropoietin (EPO) and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), blasts which were positive for CD13, CD33, CD34 and HLA-DR and negative for myeloperoxidase appeared in the peripheral blood. At this time, bone marrow biopsy revealed myelofibrosis with increased blasts. Chromosome analysis showed 46XX, add (1) (p36), add (1) (q44), -2, -5, del (7) (q11), -12, +3mar. She died of pneumonia despite chemotherapy with etoposide. Administration of EPO and G-CSF may have led to the rapid development of leukemia and myelofibrosis.
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PMID:[Transformation of aplastic anemia to acute myeloid leukemia with myelofibrosis following treatment with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and erythropoietin]. 877 84

High-dose chemotherapy is increasingly accepted as a treatment approach in a number of tumour types. However, there are controversies surrounding its efficacy and there is a need to consider its safety. In view of this, much effort has been directed towards the provision of adequate supportive care strategies to prevent toxicities and to ameliorate myelosuppression. Severe anaemia and its associated symptoms, for example, fatigue can have a debilitating effect on a patient's quality of life and often necessitates red blood cell transfusions. Erythropoietin, a glycoprotein hormone which stimulates red blood cell production, has been established for the treatment of anaemia in patients with chronic renal insufficiency. It is currently approved in most countries for treating anaemia associated with cancer, and its role is emerging especially in patients undergoing high-dose chemotherapy. This paper gives an overview of the studies conducted to date with epoetin alfa (recombinant human erythropoietin) in patients receiving allogeneic and autologous bone marrow transplants or peripheral blood stem cells in conjunction with high-dose chemotherapy. In addition, there are some novel clinical applications for epoetin alfa: for example, in delayed anaemia, as a supportive strategy prior to high-dose chemotherapy and as a synergistic enhancer of blood progenitor cell mobilisation in combination with granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF).
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PMID:Haematological toxicities associated with dose-intensive chemotherapy, the role for and use of recombinant growth factors. 934 59

Anemia is the most common hematologic abnormality in patients with chronic renal failure. The reasons for anemia in chronic renal failure are many and include erythropoietin and iron deficiencies, inflammation, infection, aluminum toxicity, and hyperparathyroidism. Iron deficiency alone affects more than 50% of patients on dialysis, and the estimated iron loss for these patients is 1.5 to 3 grams per year. The use of erythropoietin has also uncovered iron deficiency in a multitude of patients. Iron and erythropoietin supplementation has often restored normal or near-normal levels of hematocrit in these patients and has therefore improved some of the symptoms classically connected with chronic renal failure, such as fatigue, cold intolerance, and mental sluggishness, among others. Resistance to erythropoietin is frequently observed in the maintenance care for dialysis patients, and the most common reason is iron deficiency. It is important to understand the physiology of renal anemia, erythropoiesis and iron metabolism in order to avoid mistakes and misconceptions in the management of iron in chronic dialysis patients. In this article, we review several mistakes, misconceptions, practices, and guidelines in iron supplementation therapy. We also review the physiology of anemia in renal disease and the importance of erythropoietin and iron in causing anemia and discuss recent Dialysis Outcomes Quality Initiative (DOQI) guidelines on the topic.
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PMID:The use of iron in patients on chronic dialysis: mistake and misconceptions. 956 79


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