From the Editor
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Abdul Abyad, MD, MPH, MBA, AGSF, AFCHSE (Chief Editor)

Address correspondence to:
Abdul Abyad, MD, MPH, MBA, AGSF, AFCHSE (Editor)
Abyad Medical Center & Middle East Longevity Institute
Azmi Street, Abdo Center, 2nd Floor
PO BOX 618, Tripoli LEBANON
Tel & Fax: 961 6 443684/5/6
Email: aabyad@cyberia.net.lb
Web: www.amc-lb.com

A cross sectional study from Saudi Arabia looked at the current prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress among primary health care (PHC) physicians in Aseer Region, Saudi Arabia. A total of 304 PHC physicians took part in the study with a 88.4% response rate. The authors concluded that PHC physicians in Aseer experience variable forms of negative emotional states (i.e., depression, anxiety and stress). System-level interventions to improve workplace environments and, hopefully, reduce their contribution to mental disorder are suggested.

A paper from Jordan attempted to characterize the clinical features, investigations, and prognosis of women referred with chest pain who subsequently underwent coronary angiography. The authors did a retrospective study on 500 women. The authors concluded that in women referred with chest pain, a diagnosis of normal coronary arteries was common. Risk factor analysis and exercise stress testing were of limited value in predicting coronary artery disease in women. A diagnosis of non-cardiac chest pain in patients with normal coronaries is of little benefit regarding morbidity.

A paper from Iraq looked at the effect of intake of carbonated beverages on = increased urinary calcium excretion and fracture risk in observational studies. The study was done on eighteen randomly selected male volunteers of average 24.05 years age; each were given 500 ml of Coca Cola a day, for six successive days. Their pre and post- Coca Cola consumption urine samples were collected and analyzed for calcium excretion levels. The author concluded that the excess calciuria is confined to normal males who are habitual consumers of Coca Cola. This findings suggests that excess consumption of carbonated beverages in general, and particularly Coca Cola, which mostly replaced milk, must be discouraged in order to prevent bone resorption and hence early osteoporosis.

A paper from India looked at the the magnitude and pattern of acute suicidal poisoning in the turmoil affected Kashmir valley and compared the same with the retrospective (pre-turmoil) data. The authors concluded that turmoil in Kashmir valley has lead to increased suicidal poisoning and is likely to increase further if proper measures are not instituted. Prompt peaceful, political intervention is suggested.

A number of papers in this issue dealt with various obstetric problems. A study from Yemen looked at persistent Khat chewing habits during pregnancy. The authors stressed that there are a significant number of Yemeni people who have been chewing Khat daily. The habit represents a major part of their cultural and social traditions, and plays an important role in their life-styles. In the recent years, it is observed that Khat-chewing among women is increasing, and persisting during pregnancy. The authors evaluated 1554 pregnant women. The authors concluded that many women continue their khat chewing habits during pregnancy which leads to delivery of neonates with reduced birth weight in a large proportion of such births.

A paper from Iran looked at Risk of fetal loss due to chorionic villous sampling in Iran. The authors pointed that when earlier diagnosis for detection of chromosomal abnormality is required, transabdominal CVS could be a safe method with minimum fetal loss.

A Hospital Based Enquiry looked at Maternal and Umbilical Cord Blood Lead Levels and pregnancy outcomes. Environmental lead exposure is a public health problem on a global level. The population most sensitive to lead exposure from various sources are pregnant women and children. The study population consisted of 350 mother-infant pairs. The study revealed that high maternal blood lead value is significantly associated with the development of hypertension during pregnancy (p=0.000) giving a low birth weight baby (p=0.000), with a small head circumference (p=0.013). The authors concluded that the results needed to be transferred to decision makers to implement measures to effectively eliminate lead from the environment and protect future generations from its deleterious effects.

A paper from Bangladesh looked at Anti-Natal Care Service Uptake in Slum Areas of Dhaka City. This study examined the socio-economic and cultural determinants of ante natal care received by women in slum areas of Dhaka city. The authors concluded that as socio-economic characteristics of women play an important role in determining the differential use of ANC service, it may be suggested that such characteristics should be considered accordingly in order to increase the uptake of the number of ANC recommended by World Health Organization.