Effects of rosiglitazone (PPAR γ agonist) on the myocardium in non-hypertensive diabetic rats (PPAR γ).

Background: There is ongoing controversy regarding the safety of rosiglitazone and its effects on the myocardium, in some cases causing severe cardiac pathology and even in some instances mortality. In this study we aimed at examining the effects of pharmacologic doses of rosiglitazone on cardiomyocytes in diabetic non-cardiac rats receiving sub-optimal doses of insulin.

Methods: Animals were distributed into six groups: normal, diabetic, and diabetic receiving insulin, each subdivided into a control group and an experimental group receiving pharmacologic doses of rosiglitazone.

Atypical systemic leishmaniasis to be considered in the differential of patients presenting with depressed immunity.

Background: Systemic leishmaniasis has been known to present with prolonged fever, hepatosplenomegaly and wasting. Beside this classical form, a sub-clinical form has been identified. It is described with either one or two of the above symptoms missing; other findings have been reported instead, such as lymphadenopathy and anemia.

Detection of Leishmania parasites in the blood of patients with isolated cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Background: The consequences of the spread of Leishmania parasites to the blood from lesions in patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis are numerous. To assess the magnitude of this invasion we conducted the present study on patients referred to the American University of Beirut Medical Center for cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Methods: Patients referred for the management of cutaneous leishmaniasis were included in the study.

Role of glucagon-like peptide-1 and its agonists on early prevention of cardiac remodeling in type 1 diabetic rat hearts.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is an incretin hormone secreted from intestinal L cells upon nutrients ingestion, and is currently used for treating diabetes mellitus. It plays an important role in receptor modulation and cross talk with insulin at the coronary endothelium (CE) and cardiomyocytes (CM) in diabetic type 1 rat heart model. We studied the effects of insulin, GLP-1 analogues (exendin-4), and dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) inhibitor on GLP-1 cardiac receptor modulation.

Leishmaniasis of the auricle mimicking carcinoma.

Leishmaniasis of the auricle has been rarely reported in our region of the world, where it is labeled as "Old World Leishmaniasis." It may mimic other pathologies, such as malignancies or other infectious processes. We present a case of an auricular Leishmania lesion which was first suspected to be a carcinoma.