Dec 12, 2019 08:23 PM
Why do bodybuilders often get protruding veins? (physiology)
https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-b...ing-veins/
Prominent veins – known as ‘vascularity’ – is an aesthetic that’s prized by many bodybuilders, but it has nothing to do with muscle size. Most of the effect is down to the dramatic reduction in subcutaneous fat, which makes the skin appear paper-thin and almost transparent. Just before a competition, many bodybuilders also dehydrate themselves to shrink the tissues just under the skin, making the veins pop out even more.
Generic prescription drugs are not as identical & safe as you think (pharmacology)
https://www.sciencealert.com/why-your-ge...-they-seem
EXCERPT: . . . Are generics safe? If drug manufacturers followed the FDA's strict regulations, the answer would be a resounding yes. Unfortunately for those who turn to generics to save money, the FDA relies heavily on the honor system with foreign manufacturers, and US consumers get burned. Eighty percent of the active ingredients and 40 percent of the finished generic drugs used in the US are manufactured overseas. As a pharmacist, I know that the safety of prescription medications is vital. My research, recently published in the Annals of Pharmacotherapy, raises alarming concerns about our vulnerabilities.
Generic drug manufacturers either make bulk powders with the active ingredient in them or buy those active ingredients from other companies and turn them into pills, ointments or injectable products. In 2010, 64 percent of foreign manufacturing plants, predominantly in India and China, had never been inspected by the FDA. By 2015, 33 percent remained uninspected.
[...] As I detail in my paper, when announced foreign FDA inspections began to occur in earnest between 2010 and 2015, numerous manufacturing plants were subsequently barred from shipping drugs to the US after the inspections uncovered shady activities or serious quality defects. Unscrupulous foreign producers shredded documents shortly before FDA visits, hid documents offsite, altered or manipulated safety or quality data or utilized unsanitary manufacturing conditions.
These quality and safety issues can be deadly. In 2008, 100 patients in the US died after receiving generic heparin products from foreign manufacturers. [...] These issues continue to this day. Dozens of blood-pressure and anti-ulcer drugs were recalled in 2018 and 2019 due to contamination with the potentially carcinogenic compounds N-nitrosodimethylamine or N-nitrosodiethylamine. ... Relatively speaking, the number of drugs proved to be tainted or substandard has been small, and the FDA has made some progress since 2010. But the potential for harm is still great.
[...] How safe should US residents feel when 80 percent of the active ingredients in our drugs are made overseas? Evidence shows that the FDA can't trust the documents that foreign manufacturers produce to ensure that their products meet quality standards. The widespread willingness of foreign manufacturers to falsify, manipulate or shred documents in order to sell lower-quality or unsafe drugs to US citizens shows that only frequent unannounced FDA inspections or FDA testing of batches of medications when they reach the US will compel them to follow the rules. (MORE - details)
https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-b...ing-veins/
Prominent veins – known as ‘vascularity’ – is an aesthetic that’s prized by many bodybuilders, but it has nothing to do with muscle size. Most of the effect is down to the dramatic reduction in subcutaneous fat, which makes the skin appear paper-thin and almost transparent. Just before a competition, many bodybuilders also dehydrate themselves to shrink the tissues just under the skin, making the veins pop out even more.
Generic prescription drugs are not as identical & safe as you think (pharmacology)
https://www.sciencealert.com/why-your-ge...-they-seem
EXCERPT: . . . Are generics safe? If drug manufacturers followed the FDA's strict regulations, the answer would be a resounding yes. Unfortunately for those who turn to generics to save money, the FDA relies heavily on the honor system with foreign manufacturers, and US consumers get burned. Eighty percent of the active ingredients and 40 percent of the finished generic drugs used in the US are manufactured overseas. As a pharmacist, I know that the safety of prescription medications is vital. My research, recently published in the Annals of Pharmacotherapy, raises alarming concerns about our vulnerabilities.
Generic drug manufacturers either make bulk powders with the active ingredient in them or buy those active ingredients from other companies and turn them into pills, ointments or injectable products. In 2010, 64 percent of foreign manufacturing plants, predominantly in India and China, had never been inspected by the FDA. By 2015, 33 percent remained uninspected.
[...] As I detail in my paper, when announced foreign FDA inspections began to occur in earnest between 2010 and 2015, numerous manufacturing plants were subsequently barred from shipping drugs to the US after the inspections uncovered shady activities or serious quality defects. Unscrupulous foreign producers shredded documents shortly before FDA visits, hid documents offsite, altered or manipulated safety or quality data or utilized unsanitary manufacturing conditions.
These quality and safety issues can be deadly. In 2008, 100 patients in the US died after receiving generic heparin products from foreign manufacturers. [...] These issues continue to this day. Dozens of blood-pressure and anti-ulcer drugs were recalled in 2018 and 2019 due to contamination with the potentially carcinogenic compounds N-nitrosodimethylamine or N-nitrosodiethylamine. ... Relatively speaking, the number of drugs proved to be tainted or substandard has been small, and the FDA has made some progress since 2010. But the potential for harm is still great.
[...] How safe should US residents feel when 80 percent of the active ingredients in our drugs are made overseas? Evidence shows that the FDA can't trust the documents that foreign manufacturers produce to ensure that their products meet quality standards. The widespread willingness of foreign manufacturers to falsify, manipulate or shred documents in order to sell lower-quality or unsafe drugs to US citizens shows that only frequent unannounced FDA inspections or FDA testing of batches of medications when they reach the US will compel them to follow the rules. (MORE - details)
