From the Editor
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Ahmad Husari
Editor, Middle-East Journal of Internal Medicine
Director, American University of Beirut Sleep Disorders Center
Director, American University of Beirut outpatient clinical care services
Assistant Professor
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
American University of Beirut Medical Center
Beirut Lebanon
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This is the second issue this year with a number of topics from the region.

The biological markers study of acute and chronic myloid leukemia were studied using twenty two acute myelgeneous leukemia (AML) and 20 chronic myelgeneous leukemia (CML) patients , who were admitted to Medical City Hospital, in addition to 35 healthy individual as control group. Vitamin C and vitamin D ,trace and essential elements cobalt, and Nickel magnesium were evaluated in the sera of all above individuals, using high performance liquid chromatography and atomic absorption spectrophotometry for evaluating vitamins and elements. The results revealed a significant decrease in vitamin C, vitamin D and Mg levels in both patients groups compared to control and a significant difference in CO and Ni levels in sera of AML and CML were found. The authors concluded that vitamins, trace and essential elements abnormalities occur in both patients groups compared to Control.

Another study compared levels of specific divalent trace elements in hyperlipidemia and hepatitis sera patients. Sera of both hepatitis (40) and hyperlipidemia (40) were collected from the central lab of Sulaimaniyah-Kurdistan region/ Iraq. Age, sex, duration of infection, medication used and lipid profile using computerized database program, as characteristics information of patients were done. The levels of Cr, Cu, Zn, Mn, V and Se were determined in sera of both patients and compared with healthy controlled (n=30), using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES). Hepatitis samples yielded concentration in ppb of (7.34±0.01) Cr, (171.7±2.51) Cu, (138±3.41) Zn, (1.309±0.99) Mn, (184.7±6.12) V and (218.9±3.14) Se respectively, while hyperlipidemia samples yielded concentration (ppb) of (5.22±0.45) Cr, (197.01±2.34) Cu, (160.3±4.01) Zn, (0.068±1.91) Mn, (247.01±0.65) V and (185.5±3.11) Se respectively. Controlled samples reflects the following concentrations (ppm), (5.324±1.34) Cr, (131.2±4.34) Cu, (216.6±0.83) Zn, (0.024±1.75) Mn, (235.3±0.18) V and (223.2±3.15) Se respectively.

A prospective longitudinal randomized controlled study was designed in rat tibia to test the effects of various types of bisphosphonates on fracture healing. The Bisphosphonates are unique class of drugs that inhibit bone resorption, however recent studies also suggest their stimulatory effect on osteoblast formation.. 48 skeletally mature female Wistar rats with a mean weight of 340 (316-351) g were used. Rats were allocated into four syudy groups, 12 animals in each group. Right tibial diaphysis was then fractured and fracture was stabilized with long leg cast. No other treatment was given to the control group, other groups received; risedronate 0.2 mg/kg/day, raloxifene 1.0 mg/kg/day, alendronate 0.2 mg/kg/day separately. Animals were sacrified week four of experiment. Fractured tibia was evaluated radiologically and mechanically and histologically. Radiographic study showed that bony callus was present in all the fractures and bisphosphonates led not to a larger callus as in the other studies. Mechanical testing revealed that ultimate load of alendronete group was significantly higher than other groups. The result suggest that systemic alendronat treatment induces stronger callus formation in rats.

A paper from KSA investigated the role of beneficial effect of L-carnitine in healthy and streptozotocin (STZ) N?-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) induced diabetes mellitus and hypertension in rats. The authors stressed that Diabetes mellitus and hypertension are a global health problem due to its serious complications, along with oxidative stress were shown to contribute to endothelial dysfunction. Results showed that diabetic hypertensive (DH) rats had significant increase in the level of plasma glucose, malondialdhyde (MAD), cholesterol (CH), triglycerides (TG), urea, creatinine, and the activity of serum liver enzymes (AST, ALT) as to normal control rats. While, blood glutathione (GSH) content and erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and nitric oxide level (NO), were significantly lowered. Supplementation of L- carnitine for 6 weeks improve plasma glucose, lipids, liver and kidney functions, In addition, both normal healthy rats and DH rats treated with L- carnitine showed increase in blood GSH and SOD activity and serum nitrate level (stable product of nitric oxide NO) as compared with healthy control and DH respectively. Histopathological and immunochemical study of heart confirm the biochemical results. The authors concluded that it was concluded that administration of L-carnitine reduces or delays oxidative stress in diabetic hypertensive rats.