This is the first issue this year and the journal has gained momentum in the region.
As a result a decision was taken to increase the frequency of the journal to six issues per year. Additionally, the journal will start this year to be regularly issued in hard copy, available for subscription. The journal has been approved as well for indexing in the WHO -EMERO regional index this year. This is one step toward medical index application and it will provide further help for authors in the region who are looking to use their papers for the purpose of academic advancement.

A review from Australia, discusses bridging the gap with the integration of conventional and complementary medicine. The author stressed that the cost of traditional medicine has escalated yet , according to integrative doctors such as Professor Avni Sali, there appear to be justifiable concerns about whether these burgeoning health care costs are actually delivering better health outcomes for the community. The author added that evidence is mounting that a more wholistic approach to primary care, integrating complementary medicine with conventional practice, has great potential to reduce both these problems.

Another review from the UAE reviewed Rational Prescribing in the Elderly. The author stressed that iatrogenic disease is one of the major problems of geriatric medicine and is of primary concern to physicians caring for elderly. The authors added that the drugs most often implicated are diuretics, digoxin, antidepressants, antiparkinsonian drugs, and hypotensives and anti-diabetic agents.

Dr Tekin N discussed a novel model of a comprehensive geriatric care center in Turkey . The author pointed out that Turkey has an aging society, and an increased demand for service for the elderly will rise proportionally.

Izmir Narlidere Geriatric Care Center and Residential Home is the largest of those organizations serving the elderly since 2001. The mentioned nursing home has a capacity of 1100 elderly, and have currently 850 geriatric residents, 670 of those capable of self-care, and 180 incapable of self care. In this large center the care is provided by a large multidisciplinary team, however lacking a geriatrician.

A study from Jordan evaluated the effect of aspheric intraocular lenses on visual function in patients undergoing cataract phacoemulsification surgery. In this study thirty consecutive patients underwent cataract phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implantation. The authors concluded that aspheric intraocular lenses were associated with improvement of mesopic contrast sensitivity, better image quality and less glare.

A paper from Turkey compared comprehensive geriatric assessment between nursing home and community dwelling elderly. One hundred and one elderly living in Aydin Nursing Home and 77 registered patients of Family Medicine out-patient clinics were included in the study. The assessment included Katz Activities of daily living (ADL), Lawton Instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) and a questionnaire regarding to demographic and medical data , in addition to Tinetti balance and gait evaluation (TBG) and mini mental state examination of the elderly. The authors concluded that nursing home residents show lower performance on all four domains - ADL, IADL, MMSE and TBG - of comprehensive geriatric assessment, than elderly living in the community.