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From
the Editor
..........................................................................................................................
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
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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.
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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