Bone mineral density (BMD) measurements of the anterio-posterior lumbar spine and the proximal femur using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, as well as relevant clinical and biochemical parameters, were determined in 321 healthy Saudi females in order to establish reference values and to study the effects of physical and lifestyle factors on BMD. Mean +/- SD of age, body mass index (BMI), number of pregnancies, and total duration of lactation were 35.4 +/- 11.3 years, 26.5 +/- 5.2 kg/m2, 3.1 +/- 3.1, and 23.7 +/- 42.4 months, respectively. Mean +/- SD of serum calcium, 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD), and PTH levels were 2.37 +/- 0.09 mmol/liter, 24.5 +/- 17.2 nmol/liter, and 52.0 +/- 30.8 pg/ml, respectively. Peak BMD values were observed around age 35 years at the spine and earlier at the femur. Compared with USA females, Saudi females had lower weight-matched Z scores at the spine (-0.126 +/- 1. 078, P = 0.04), femoral neck (-0.234 +/- 0.846, P < 0.0001), and Ward's triangle (-0.269 +/- 1.015, P < 0.0001). Further, the prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis in subjects >/=31 years old were 18-41% and 0-7%, respectively, depending on the site examined. Severe hypovitaminosis D (25OHD level

The dried sap of the aloe plant (aloes) is one of several traditional remedies used for diabetes in the Arabian peninsula. Its ability to lower the blood glucose was studied in 5 patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes and in Swiss albino mice made diabetic using alloxan. During the ingestion of aloes, half a teaspoonful daily for 4–14 weeks, the fasting serum glucose level fell in every patient from a mean of 273 ± 25 (SE) to 151 ± 23 mg/dl (p < 0.05) with no change in body weight. In normal mice, both glibenclamide (10 mg/kg twice daily) and aloes (500 mg/kg twice daily) induced hypoglycaemia after 5 days, 71 ± 6.2 and 91 ± 7.6 mg/dl, respectively, versus 130 ± 7 mg/dl in control animals (p < 0.01); only glibenclamide was effective after 3 days. In the diabetic mice, fasting plasma glucose was significantly reduced by glibenclamide and aloes after 3 days. Thereafter only aloes was effective and by day 7 the plasma glucose was 394 ± 22.0 versus 646 ± 35.9 mg/dl, in the controls and 726 ± 30.9 mg/dl in the glibenclamide treated group (p < 0.01). We conclude that aloes contains a hypoglycaemic agent which lowers the blood glucose by as yet unknown mechanisms.

A 41-year-old male with primary hypothyroidism and a huge TSH-secreting pituitary tumor presented with a bleeding nasal mass that was initially misdiagnosed as a paraganglioma. Other unique features of the case include lack of complaints related to hypothyroidism, an extremely elevated TSH level of 3474 mU/l, and a low prolactin level. The presence of primary hypothyroidism made differentiating TSH-secreting pituitary adenoma from secondary thyrotroph hyperplasia difficult. A low molar ratio of alpha-subunit to TSH on presentation, together with normalization of TSH level and a 50% reduction in the size of the tumor after 6 weeks of thyroxine replacement therapy, suggested the presence of thyrotroph hyperplasia. However, the lack of further decrease in the size of the tumor that was associated with increased metabolic activity on 18-FDG PET scan, intense uptake on octreotide scan, and an elevated alpha-subunit to TSH molar ratio despite the normalization of free T4 and TSH levels for 16 months suggested the coexistence of thyrotroph adenoma. Together, the findings support the view that thyrotroph adenoma/irreversible hyperplasia can result from long standing primary hypothyroidism.

Table of contents O1 Regulation of genes by telomere length over long distances Jerry W. Shay O2 The microtubule destabilizer KIF2A regulates the postnatal establishment of neuronal circuits in addition to prenatal cell survival, cell migration, and axon elongation, and its loss leading to malformation of cortical development and severe epilepsy Noriko Homma, Ruyun Zhou, Muhammad Imran Naseer, Adeel G. Chaudhary, Mohammed Al-Qahtani, Nobutaka Hirokawa O3 Integration of metagenomics and metabolomics in gut microbiome research Maryam Goudarzi, Albert J. Fornace Jr. O4 A unique integrated system to discern pathogenesis of central nervous system tumors Saleh Baeesa, Deema Hussain, Mohammed Bangash, Fahad Alghamdi, Hans-Juergen Schulten, Angel Carracedo, Ishaq Khan, Hanadi Qashqari, Nawal Madkhali, Mohamad Saka, Kulvinder S. Saini, Awatif Jamal, Jaudah Al-Maghrabi, Adel Abuzenadah, Adeel Chaudhary, Mohammed Al Qahtani, Ghazi Damanhouri O5 RPL27A is a target of miR-595 and deficiency contributes to ribosomal dysgenesis Heba Alkhatabi O6 Next generation DNA sequencing panels for haemostatic and platelet disorders and for Fanconi anaemia in routine diagnostic service Anne Goodeve, Laura Crookes, Nikolas Niksic, Nicholas Beauchamp O7 Targeted sequencing panels and their utilization in personalized medicine Adel M. Abuzenadah O8 International biobanking in the era of precision medicine Jim Vaught O9 Biobank and biodata for clinical and forensic applications Bruce Budowle, Mourad Assidi, Abdelbaset Buhmeida O10 Tissue microarray technique: a powerful adjunct tool for molecular profiling of solid tumors Jaudah Al-Maghrabi O11 The CEGMR biobanking unit: achievements, challenges and future plans Abdelbaset Buhmeida, Mourad Assidi, Leena Merdad O12 Phylomedicine of tumors Sudhir Kumar, Sayaka Miura, Karen Gomez O13 Clinical implementation of pharmacogenomics for colorectal cancer treatment Angel Carracedo, Mahmood Rasool O14 From association to causality: translation of GWAS findings for genomic medicine Ahmed Rebai O15 E-GRASP: an interactive database and web application for efficient analysis of disease-associated genetic information Sajjad Karim, Hend F Nour Eldin, Heba Abusamra, Elham M Alhathli, Nada Salem, Mohammed H Al-Qahtani, Sudhir Kumar O16 The supercomputer facility “AZIZ” at KAU: utility and future prospects Hossam Faheem O17 New research into the causes of male infertility Ashok Agarwa O18 The Klinefelter syndrome: recent progress in pathophysiology and management Eberhard Nieschlag, Joachim Wistuba, Oliver S. Damm, Mohd A. Beg, Taha A. Abdel-Meguid, Hisham A. Mosli, Osama S. Bajouh, Adel M. Abuzenadah, Mohammed H. Al-Q...

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