Objectives: The objective of this study is to help identify the hematological profile of patients with diabetes Settings: The study was conducted at El-Beida Hospital, El-Beida City, Libya. Subjects and Methods: The study subjects selected for this study consist of 103 Libyan type 2 diabetic patients (79 males + 24 females) and 39 healthy non-diabetic subjects (29 males and 10 females) acted as controls. They were matched for age (56.1 ± 7.8 years vs. 55.0 ± 6.3 years. The hematocrit value (HCT), hemoglobin content, red blood cells count (RBCs) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) concentration with increased white blood cells counts (WBCs), mean erythrocyte hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), lymphocytes and neutrophils levels were performed. Results: Hematological studies in the diabetic patients showed significantly lower HCT values, hemoglobin content, RBCs count and MCV concentration than in the controls. Greater total WBC counts, MCHC concentrations, MCH, lymphocytes and neutrophils counts were observed in the patients than in the controls. No differences were found between platelets counts in the diabetic patients and the control. Conclusions: Significant aberrations in some hematological parameters associated with carbohydrate, protein and lipid metabolisms was identified in this selected group of people with diabetes.

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Tobacco smoking use is widely spread throughout the world. Tobacco smoking has been claimed to cause a wide variety of health problems such as atherosclerosis, mutagenesis of exposed cells and cancer. The effects of smoking on human health are serious and in many cases, deadly. The present study was done to investigate the effect of cigarette smoking on some hematological parameters in male smokers. The study is carried out on thirty Libyan male smokers, who smoked at least 10 cigarettes per day for at least15 years. Their age ranged between 30-60 years. Control (non-smokers) group was collected with the same range of age for statistical comparison. The results of the study revealed a significant increase of hematological parameters (Hb: Hemoglobin; PCV: Packed cells volume; RBC: Red blood cell and WBC: White blood cell) in smoker group when compared with the control. No significant difference of the platelet count was recorded in smoker group when compared with control. Furthermore the level of malondialdehyde (MDA), which is an indicator of lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress significantly increased in cigarette smokers group when compared with control group. To conclude, cigarette smoking leads to oxidative stress by free radical generation (Reactive oxygen species-ROS) by the mechanism of lipid peroxidation. Smoking exerts negative influence on the hematological parameters and these are the contributing factors that lead to cardiovascular and atherosclerosis that usually occur in cigarette smokers and cause of death.

Aldehyde oxidase (AO) and xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) are molybdo-flavoenzymes (MFEs) involved in the oxidation of hundreds of many xenobiotic compounds of which are drugs and environmental pollutants. Mutations in the XOR and molybdenum cofactor sulfurase (MCS) genes result in a deficiency of XOR or dual AO/XOR deficiency respectively. At present despite AO and XOR being classed as detoxification enzymes the definitive experimental proof of this has not been assessed in any animal thus far. The aim of this project was to evaluate ry and ma-l strains of Drosophila melanogaster as experimental models for XOR and dual AO/XOR deficiencies respectively and to determine if MFEs have a role in the protection against chemicals. In order to test the role of the enzymes in chemoprotection, MFE substrates were administered to Drosophila in media and survivorship was monitored. It was demonstrated that several methylated xanthines were toxic to XOR-deficient strains. In addition a range of AO substrates including N-heterocyclic pollutants and drugs were significantly more toxic to ma-l AO-null strains. This study therefore provides definitive proof that both AO and XOR are involved in detoxification.

Tobacco consumption alters many biological parameters, including α-amylase activity. This study reports the effect of cigarette smoking on salivary α-amylase activities of some male heavy smokers (100) in apparent good health compared with (40) male non-smokers as control. The salivary α-amylase activity was assayed using the standard colorimetric method. The α-amylase enzyme was characterized from the saliva samples collected from healthy adult smokers and non-smokers (control) to determine the effects of temperature, pH, and substrate concentration on the kinetic parameters of the enzyme. The analysis of the saliva samples showed that there were significant increases (P<0.05) in the α-amylase activity values in the saliva of cigarette smokers when compared with non-smokers at optimum conditions (2.74±0.37 nmol/min/mg-protein and 2.01±0.16 nmol/min/mg-protein, respectively). The Michaelis constant (Km) values of 0.5±0.02 mM and 1.12±0.08 mM observed for non-smokers and smokers were obtained from the double reciprocal plot of initial velocity (1/V) and substrate concentration (1/[S]). The maximum activities obtained at an optimum temperature of 37ºC, and an apparent pH of 7.0 for both subjects were 31.25±8.24 nmol/min/mg protein and 18.10±4.06 nmol/min/mg protein for non-smokers and smokers respectively. Measurements of salivary α-amylase activity could be useful in the early detection and diagnosis of parotitis. Subsequent studies are required to specify the mechanisms responsible for such a risk.

The comparative stabilizing effects of storage time and the anticoagulants; fluoride oxalate, EDTA, sodium citrate, and serum on ice slurry; on fasting blood glucose level were determined using the spectrophotometry method. Fasting blood samples were taken from 75 non-diabetic male people, and the blood glucose levels determined at 30 min intervals for a maximum time of 3 hours. Our results showed that the rate at which plasma glucose changes with time varies with specific anticoagulants. From the results, it was observed that the rate at which the blood glucose decreases with time vary with specific anticoagulants. It was noticed that random blood glucose in sodium citrate, EDTA, fluoride oxalate and serum on ice slurry decreased at a mean value of 28.4mg/dl, 58mg/dl, 15.4mg/dl and 60.2mg/dl dl after 3 hours respectively. With respect to the concentration of glucose before storage, this suggests that storage of blood using fluoride oxalate as an anticoagulant tends to better preserve the glucose level over a long period of time. Transport on ice slurry and rapid separation of serum within 30 min can inhibit glycolysis without the addition any anticoagulants (% reduction 1.3). Thus, from our findings, it is obvious that irrespective of the specimen type, time of collection or type of anticoagulant, the concentration of blood glucose remained unstable during storage. It is therefore suggested that analysis of blood glucose should be carried out immediately after collection of specimen or within the shortest possible time after storage in an anticoagulant to obtain a reliable result.

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