McGuire, Mark

Hepatic Effects. Carbon tetrachloride has been known for many years to be a powerful hepatotoxic agent in humans and in animals. The principal clinical signs of liver injury in humans who inhale carbon tetrachloride are a swollen and tender liver, elevated levels of hepatic enzyme (aspartate aminotransferase) in the serum, elevated serum bilirubin levels and the appearance of jaundice, and decreased serum levels of proteins such as albumin and fibrinogen (Ashe and Sailer 1942 McGuire 1932 New et al. 1962 Norwood et al. 1950 Straus 1954). In cases of acute lethal exposures, autopsy generally reveals marked liver necrosis with pronounced steatosis (Jennings 1955 Markham 1967 Smetana 1939), and repeated or chronic exposures leads in some cases to fibrosis or cirrhosis (McDermott and Hardy 1963). 

Dermal/Ocular Effects. Very few reports mention any effect of carbon tetrachloride inhalation on the skin. Inhalation exposure to carbon tetrachloride for several days in the workplace caused a blotchy, macular rash in one man (but not in six others) (McGuire 1932). Similarly, a hemorrhagic rash occurred in a woman exposed to carbon tetrachloride fumes for several days in the workplace (Gordon 1944), and black and blue marks were seen in a patient exposed intermittently to carbon tetrachloride vapors for several years (Straus 1954). Because observations of dermal effects are so sporadic, it is difficult to judge whether these effects are related to carbon tetrachloride exposure, or are incidental. Conceivably, they may have been secondary to reduced synthesis of blood coagulation factors resulting from carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity. No studies were located regarding ocular effects in humans or animals after inhalation exposure to carbon tetrachloride. 

Another issue is the dietary supplements commonly referred to as prohormones, which are touted as muscle builders and available legally at health food stores. In 1998 during the homerun race between baseball stars Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa these supplements were propelled into the media spotlight. Mark McGuire announced he was quitting his use of the most popular prohormone, androstenedione (or andro ) to help boost his performance. DHEA is another popular one. Now under scrutiny by the DEA, FDA, and Federal Trade Commission, these prohormones are intermediates in the synthesis of testosterone, and can be converted to testosterone and other hormones in the body. 

Mark McGuire, the former major league baseball player who holds the record for home runs in a season, is a famous user of DHEA, although he did not use it for its antidepressant abilities, instead hoping the multi-tasking hormone would improve his game. However, there is no proof that this substance is what improved his batting power. Nor is there substantial proof that DHEA reduces depression. In any case, the population that would probably receive the most benefit from this hormone is older people, who have depleted levels of DHEA. 

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