Obesity and selected co-morbidities in an urban Palestinian population.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of obesity and central obesity in an urban Palestinian population and their associations with selected co-morbidities, including diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidaemia. DESIGN: A population-based cross-sectional survey in an urban Palestinian community. SUBJECTS: Men and women aged 30-65 y residing in the urban community, excluding pregnant women. MEASUREMENTS: According to WHO guidelines, obesity for men and women was defined as BMI> or =30 kg x m(-2), while pre-obesity was defined as BMI 25-29.9 kg x m(-2). Central obesity was defined as a waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) of >0.90 in men and >0.85 in women. RESULTS: The prevalence of obesity in this population was high at 41% (49% and 30% in women and men, respectively). Central obesity was more prevalent among men (59% compared to 25% in women). After adjusting for the effects of age, sex, smoking and each other, obesity and central obesity were found to be significantly associated with diabetes, low HDL-cholesterol and elevated triglycerides in separate logistic regression analyses. Central obesity was also significantly associated with hypertension (OR 2.26, 95% CI 1.30-3.91). CONCLUSION: Obesity and central obesity are prevalent in the urban Palestinian population. Their associations with diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidaemia point to a potential rise in cardiovascular disease (CVD). An understanding of the reasons behind the high prevalence of obesity is essential for its prevention as well as for the prevention of the morbidities to which it may lead.     

Evidence that liposome incorporation of cyclosporine reduces its toxicity and potentiates its ability to prolong survival of cardiac allografts in mice

Using liposomes, multilamellar lipid vesicles (MLV), we have found that liposome-incorporated cyclosporine is not only less toxic but also more effective in prolonging survival of cardiac allografts in mice. Following intravenous injection of liposome-incorporated drug, cyclosporine levels in blood were shown to decrease rapidly, while concentrations in spleen were higher (when compared with concentration following administration of commercial preparation). In this context, possible mechanisms of the beneficial effect of liposome-incorporated cyclosporine are discussed.     

Leukemia- and lymphoma-associated flow cytometric, cytogenetic, and molecular genetic aberrations in healthy individuals

Most leukemia and lymphoma cases are characterized by specific flow cytometric, cytogenetic and molecular genetic aberrations, which can also be detected in healthy individuals in some cases. The authors review the literature concerning monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis, and the occurrence of chromosomal translocations t(14;18) and t(11;14), NPM-ALK fusion gene, JAK2 V617F mutation, BCR-ABL1 fusion gene, ETV6-RUNX1(TEL-AML1), MLL-AF4 and PML-RARA fusion gene in healthy individuals. At present, we do not know the importance of these aberrations. From the authors review it is evident that this phenomenon has both theoretical and practical (diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic) significance.     

Improvement in the range of joint motion in seven patients with mucopolysaccharidosis type II during experimental gene expression-targeted isoflavone therapy (GET IT)

Mucopolysaccharidosis type II (MPS II, Hunter disease) is an X chromosome‐linked inherited metabolic disease caused by mutations resulting in deficiency of activity of iduronate‐2‐sulfatase (IDS) and accumulation of undegraded glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), heparan sulfate, and dermatan sulfate. Previous experiments with cell cultures and studies on animal model of MPS II suggested that gene expression‐targeted isoflavone therapy (GET IT), based on genistein‐mediated reduction of efficiency of GAG synthesis, might be a suitable therapy for this disease. In this report, we demonstrate efficacy of GET IT in connective tissue elasticity, particularly in improving the range of joint motion in seven patients with MPS II after 26 weeks of treatment with an isoflavone extract at the dose corresponding to 5 mg/kg/day of genistein. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Papilledema as a diagnostic challenge — report of three cases

We present three different cases of patients with papilledema: one case with a primary tumour of the optic nerve, and two cases with secondary involvement of the optic nerve (breast carcinoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma). The visual acuity varies from sudden, painless, decrease of vision, to blurred vision and proptosis on the affected eye. A characteristic ophthalmoscopic examination shows a swollen optic disc and promonence with tortuosity of blood vessels. A fluorescein angiography shows dilated capillaries of the optic disc with leakage in the early phase and diffuse hyperfluorescence during the late phase. A ultrasonography B-scan of the affected eye shows prominent optic nerves with widened optic nerve sheath. An exhaustive history and complete ophthalmological examination are essential for the diagnosis, to which fluorescein angiography, B-scan ultrasonography, ocular coherent tomography, computerized tomography, and magnetic resonance can be used as useful additional tests. Treatment and prognosis depend on the primary process. We emphasize the crucial role of ophthalmologist in the early diagnosis of CNS neoplasia.