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HGH testing part of new CBA; testing expected to begin this season

CnD, what are your thoughts of players using HGH to recover from injuries? I forsee this stuff is going to make 5 and 6 month recoveries from ACL injuries a thing of the past.
 
Is it wrong to be concerned about Cushing and Brown at this point?

Seeing they are the only two current players on the rest who have been suspended for violating the banned substance policy.
 
Hoth-Boy said:
Is it wrong to be concerned about Cushing and Brown at this point?

Seeing they are the only two current players on the rest who have been suspended for violating the banned substance policy.
Click to expand...

Almost every player in the NFL uses HGH. Do you think it's natural for 300lb people to be able to run a 4.5 or 4.6 40 yard dash?
 
b0ng said:
CnD, what are your thoughts of players using HGH to recover from injuries? I forsee this stuff is going to make 5 and 6 month recoveries from ACL injuries a thing of the past.
Click to expand...

HGH does seem to help healing of damaged tissue. One mechanism is explained by HGH binding to injured cells and stimulating them to multiply faster than normal. Next, it stimulates the body’s release of a substance known as IGF-1 which in turn stimulates synthesis of individual amino acids as well as protein, both mandatory for tissues to grow and heal. Furthermore, it positively regulates the transport of amino acids so that more enters the cells than exits. This then leads to faster protein synthesis and quicker healing. Then again, this same process is hastened even more since HGH drives the body to increase and optimize glucose utilization which is necessary for protein synthesis.

The same Igf-1 that was mentioned above also increases the stimulation of collagen, which is the raw material for connective tissue. With increased collagen, wounds increase in tensile strength and cause them to hold together and heal faster. With this mechanism, bone healing in fractures is positively affected, as well as tendons and ligaments

Keep in mind that most of these findings have been shown in laboratory animals rather than humans. Unfortunately, all too often they do not transfer to the human model or in significant effect.

To date, the only truly accepted confirmation of benefit in humans has come from studies on the brain following head trauma, and in the case of the healing of burns and skin grafts.

Studies on HGH have revealed that, indeed, there is substantial increase in muscle mass, but surprisingly there has been no evidence of increase in muscle strength.

HGH deficiency as may be expected has been linked to athletes’ slower healing following injury.

Keep in mind that some studies such as one coming out of Stanford demonstrated no benefit in sports injuries when compared to athletes taking a placebo.

For those interested in HGH, you may find this sports article interesting.:
The Case For HGH
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
HGH does seem to help healing of damaged tissue. One mechanism is explained by HGH binding to injured cells and stimulating them to multiply faster than normal. Next, it stimulates the body’s release of a substance known as IGF-1 which in turn stimulates synthesis of individual amino acids as well as protein, both mandatory for tissues to grow and heal. Furthermore, it positively regulates the transport of amino acids so that more enters the cells than exits. This then leads to faster protein synthesis and quicker healing. Then again, this same process is hastened even more since HGH drives the body to increase and optimize glucose utilization which is necessary for protein synthesis.

The same Igf-1 that was mentioned above also increases the stimulation of collagen, which is the raw material for connective tissue. With increased collagen, wounds increase in tensile strength and cause them to hold together and heal faster. With this mechanism, bone healing in fractures is positively affected, as well as tendons and ligaments

Keep in mind that most of these findings have been shown in laboratory animals rather than humans. Unfortunately, all too often they do not transfer to the human model or in significant effect.

To date, the only truly accepted confirmation of benefit in humans has come from studies on the brain following head trauma, and in the case of the healing of burns and skin grafts.

Studies on HGH have revealed that, indeed, there is substantial increase in muscle mass, but surprisingly there has been no evidence of increase in muscle strength.

HGH deficiency as may be expected has been linked to athletes’ slower healing following injury.

Keep in mind that some studies such as one coming out of Stanford demonstrated no benefit in sports injuries when compared to athletes taking a placebo.

For those interested in HGH, you may find this sports article interesting.:
The Case For HGH
Click to expand...

If an athlete uses HGH and comes off of it to avoid problems with the testing, How long does it take to get out of the system and not be detected and what are the downside issues associated with getting off of it? Can't tell you how much I/we the fans appreciate you medical insights on this sort of thing.
 
edo783 said:
If an athlete uses HGH and comes off of it to avoid problems with the testing, How long does it take to get out of the system and not be detected and what are the downside issues associated with getting off of it? Can't tell you how much I/we the fans appreciate you medical insights on this sort of thing.
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The advantage of HGH urine testing is that it is cheaper and less invasive, compared to the blood testing option. A recent and promising HGH urine test is being developed at the George Mason University, which uses nanotechnology that binds and amplifies HGH in urine. This technology will allow detection of urinary levels of HGH up to a two-week range ( unlike the present blood screening which can detect HGH taken within 24 to 48 hours prior to the test). Unfortunately, the HGH level in the urine is very small (less than 1 % of the level in blood) making it difficult to detect the hormone. Experts are very skeptical about this test in the end will ever being as accurate and reliable as blood testing.

An HGH blood test can detect the presence of the synthetic hormone only within 48 hours of its administration. However, a new test method has been developed that can detect the hormone levels, even ten to fourteen days after its administration. This new technique of monitoring the presence of the bio-synthetic hormone is already used today for detecting bone and breast cancer. The laboratory sample is taken, and after centrifugation, specific chemicals are added. The intensity of luminosity observed in the blood is determined by an instrument. This measure of light intensity, reveals when the hormone was administered. This technique is called the Biomarker’s test. It detects certain chemicals in the body which tend to increase when the synthetic growth hormone levels increase. The WADA (The World Anti-Doping Association) which controls this testing says that the addition of this testing on the blood samples will come soon. Dilutional and other strategies attempting to avoid detection will prove fruitless with this combination of testing.

As to the question of discontinuing the use of HGH, you can only extrapolate through the known and hypothetical examples of recovery from injury I’ve posted above..........then reverse it.

Studies state that the use of the bio-synthetic HGH hormone in the high doses that athlete commonly use, causes the pituitary to become lethargic and diminish the release of natural HGH, since, it is artificially provided to the body. Sudden cessation will leave the player with less than normal HGH levels (and its implications) with inability to boost them back to normal for prolonged periods of time as pituitary function slowly returns.

With all that said, I’d be more concerned over the effects that external supplementation of HGH has on one’s body long term than how it may help the healing process in the short term.
 
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From the L.A. Times:

NFL to have game-day testing for performance-enhancing drugs this season
The random tests, part of the new collective bargaining agreement, will respect the 'game-day process,' says a league senior vice president.
Associated Press

August 9, 2011, 5:53 p.m.

The NFL is adding game-day testing for performance-enhancing substances — but not recreational drugs — this season under the new collective bargaining agreement.

The league's senior vice president of law and labor policy, Adolpho Birch, said Tuesday on a conference call with reporters that tests weren't conducted in the past on days there were games "because of logistical issues involved, much more so than any philosophical issues."

Birch, who oversees the NFL's drug program, added that the league had developed a way to test that "is not overly disruptive to the clubs and that respects the game-day process."

Birch would not say where talks between the NFL and the players' union stand — or even if they have started — about details that need to be worked out before the league can introduce random, year-round blood testing for human growth hormone.

The NFL and union agreed last week that HGH testing can become part of the sport's drug program under the new, 10-year collective bargaining agreement that was ratified by players Thursday. But first, issues such as the appeals process and how tests are taken have to be negotiated.

"The key to this testing is the randomness of it, and that every player is subject to and eligible for testing on a year-round basis, with no notice," Birch said.

The only limitation on the number of tests is that a player may be tested a maximum of six times each off-season, from February until the start of training camp.

"I would certainly expect players will be tested in an amount that will be meaningful. But more important, the idea is not so much the number of tests performed, but it is the constant threat of testing that provides the key to deterrence under this particular program," Birch said.
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Is the level of "normal" HGH constant from person to person? If not, what will the league use as a baseline? In order to determine if a person's hormone level is elevated don't you need to know what's normal for that person?
 
ObsiWan said:
Is the level of "normal" HGH constant from person to person? If not, what will the league use as a baseline? In order to determine if a person's hormone level is elevated don't you need to know what's normal for that person?
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There can definitely be variation in normal values. But that won't make any difference. With the test which will be in place for the season (used by the World Doping Association since 2008), blood is put in a centrifuge and processed before testing, which takes about eight hours. The samples are then placed into "the box" -- the generic name used for a chemiluminescent assay, a piece of lab equipment that costs tens of thousands of dollars. The extracted HGH is then analyzed to determine if the sample shows signs of synthetic HGH by the structure, also known as isoforms. If the sample contains the synthetic isoform, along with a drop in the ratio of a naturally occurring HGH isoform, an "adverse analytical finding" -- or failed test -- will result. Testing is sensitive to ~24-36 hours since last injection.

The new biomarker test will be used not in lieu of, but in addition to the old test. This test will find HGH five to seven days from when it was most recently used. The new test uses biomarkers that measure chemical changes in the body -- not synthetic HGH specifically -- to determine a positive. Furthermore, it will identify quite accurately WHEN the HGH was injected. This new test is scheduled to be in effect within the next 6 months. The two tests will be complementary.

Hope this gives you some better understanding.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
There can definitely be variation in normal values. But that won't make any difference. With the test which will be in place for the season (used by the World Doping Association since 2008), blood is put in a centrifuge and processed before testing, which takes about eight hours. The samples are then placed into "the box" -- the generic name used for a chemiluminescent assay, a piece of lab equipment that costs tens of thousands of dollars. The extracted HGH is then analyzed to determine if the sample shows signs of synthetic HGH by the structure, also known as isoforms. If the sample contains the synthetic isoform, along with a drop in the ratio of a naturally occurring HGH isoform, an "adverse analytical finding" -- or failed test -- will result. Testing is sensitive to ~24-36 hours since last injection.

The new biomarker test will be used not in lieu of, but in addition to the old test. This test will find HGH five to seven days from when it was most recently used. The new test uses biomarkers that measure chemical changes in the body -- not synthetic HGH specifically -- to determine a positive. Furthermore, it will identify quite accurately WHEN the HGH was injected. This new test is scheduled to be in effect within the next 6 months. The two tests will be complementary.

Hope this gives you some better understanding.
Click to expand...

Still seems like a flawed test to me at least without a dependable baseline. When you take a breathalizer test, the baseline for alcohol content in the body is zero since there is neglible naturally occuring alcohol in the body (Thorn not withstanding). So any significant detectable amount of alcohol means you've been drinking.

A couple more curiousity questions: You say they use "the box" to conduct a chemiluminescent assay. Chemiluminescence sounds similar to the way lightning bugs or deep sea creatures give off light (I know, that's BIOluminescence). Is it a certain frequency (color) or intensity (brightness) that differenciates natural from synthetic HGH? Or is it that they mix the sample with a certain luminol and if there's synthetic HGH present it gives off a little light (like the CSI guys do to detect traces of blood)....?

(its the engineer in me wants to know how it works)
 
ObsiWan said:
Still seems like a flawed test to me at least without a dependable baseline. When you take a breathalizer test, the baseline for alcohol content in the body is zero since there is neglible naturally occuring alcohol in the body (Thorn not withstanding). So any significant detectable amount of alcohol means you've been drinking.

A couple more curiousity questions: You say they use "the box" to conduct a chemiluminescent assay. Chemiluminescence sounds similar to the way lightning bugs or deep sea creatures give off light (I know, that's BIOluminescence). Is it a certain frequency (color) or intensity (brightness) that differenciates natural from synthetic HGH? Or is it that they mix the sample with a certain luminol and if there's synthetic HGH present it gives off a little light (like the CSI guys do to detect traces of blood)....?

(its the engineer in me wants to know how it works)
Click to expand...

To begin with "0" is the baseline for SYNTHETIC HGH since it cannot be found in the body (not even negligible) without injection.

Although some players may test out as a "false negative" (when they have in fact received injections of HGH) with test specificity around 85%, there will be NO "false positive" as the test has a 100% specificity.

**************************

Obsiwan, I know you know what is meant by "sensitivity" and "specificity." But for those who don't:

Sensitivity= true positives/(true positive + false negative); Put into words, if a person has a condition, how often will the test be positive?

Specificity= true negatives/(true negative + false positives); Put into words, if a person does not have the disease how often will the test be negative?

******************************

Although, I have a good basic understanding of the chemiluminescent assay technique, especially as applied to tumor cells, I cannot claim expertise in its minutia aspects.

So I am presenting you will a medical article that should detail at least most of the answers to the questions you may have. Knock yourself out!:)

CHEMILUMINESCENT ASSAY
 
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