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The level and the quality of papers in the
journal has improved greatly. In addition
we are receiving contributions from most countries
in the region and from all over the world.
In this issue the papers deal with various
topics from mental health to HIV infection
to surgical management.
An intervention study
was carried out in Saudi Arabia to measure
the effect of mental health training program
on the ability of PHC physicians to detect
and manage mental illnesses. The authors
structured a course which ran over 4 days.
A follow up was arranged to see the effect
of training. The authors noted that a shorter-term
mental health-training program didn't enable
PHC physicians to detect minor mental health
problems. Therefore they recommend an advanced
and long-term mental health-training course
focusing on the practical application of
identifying mental illness among PHC patients.
A paper from Kuwait reported
on local experience in the surgical management
of post carbuncle soft tissue defect in
diabetic patients. The author analyzed results
of the treatment of 27 patients with a carbuncle
of various locations. It was shown that
both skin grafts and local flaps are good
alternatives in the coverage of such defects.
However skin flaps provide better cosmetic
appearance than skin grafts.
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A paper from Iraq looked
at the impact of therapeutic doses of paracetamol
on serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC)
and malodialdehyde (MDA) levels were studied
in asthmatic patients. A total of 43 asthmatic
patients were enrolled in the study. Acetaminophen
usage led to a significant reduction in
FEV1 in asthmatic patients more than in
the control group and asthmatic patients
not receiving acetaminophen. The authors
concluded, that acetaminophen usage leads
to reduction in serum TAC and increase in
lipid peroxidation and consequently this
oxidative stress contributes to asthma progression
and decrease in lung function. N-acetylcystine
administration may restore these changes.
A review paper
from Canada reports on the pre-participation
evaluation of the athlete. The authors presented
a synthesized pre-participation evaluation
that identifies medical conditions that
may limit participation, predispose to injury
or illness, evaluate risky behaviors, counsel
on health-related issues, and ideally evaluate
fitness level and performance.
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