Faculty of Medicine Newsletter 69 (December 2022)

PDF for easier reading here.

Hanuka at the Faculty

Hanuka is always a fun, light (sorry for the pun!) holiday. The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine students and staff celebrated in several ways – with affiliate hospitals, high school medical cadets, Bnei Menashe local residents, and of course, with our own family lighting at the Faculty.

Below are a few pictures from the midday lighting ritual assembly in the main lobby on December 19, 2022, attended by students and faculty alike – our family.

We would also like to take this opportunity to wish a Merry Christmas to our friends and their families, our colleagues, who celebrate. xmas

Pictured here - Dr. Nael Elias (General Director of the Saint Vincent (“French”) Hospital in Nazareth), Head Nurse Sister Maha Sansour, and Prof. Johnny Younis - at Christmas toast in Nazareth.

FIFA World Cup Qatar at the Faculty

Timed perfectly to coincide with the lighting of the first Hanuka candle, the Faculty arranged a festive viewing of the Mondial final playoff (Argentina v France) on the evening of December 18, 2022.

Seminars

Please note: All upcoming Faculty Seminars for the 2022-23 academic year can be seen here.

Faculty Seminar: Epigenetics: From Pluripotent Stem Cells to Ancient DNA (Prof. Eran Meshorer, Hebrew University, pictured)
Faculty Seminar: Beyond mapping of the human brain: characterizing the causal role of large-scale network interactions in supporting complex cognition (Dr. Michal Ramot, Weizmann Institute)
Faculty Seminar: Integrated microfluidic tools for improving biological research and medical diagnostics (Prof. Doron Gerber, BIU)
Departmental Seminars: Understanding health system enablers to childhood vaccination among the Arab minority in Israel: An Empowering example (Dr. Jumanah Essa-Hadad); One year since launching the diabetes SPHERE initiative (Dr. Sivan Spitzer)

Awards, Grants, Congratulations Etc.

Congratulations to Prof. Johnny S. Younis on his appointment as Associate Editor at the Journal of Ovarian Research (BMC Springer Nature).
Congratulations to students Orly Weissberg (Prof. Evan Elliott) and Aviv Masika (Prof. Tzipora C. Falik‐Zaccai) on winning a Teva Bio-Innovation Fellowship & Mentorship Program.
Congratulations to Prof. Omry Koren on being identified as "Highly Cited Researcher" by Clarivate…yet again this year!

Conferences

Israel Diabetes Association in cooperation with The Russell Berrie Galilee Diabetes SPHERE 39th Annual Scientific Conference, December 15-17, 2022, Nazareth. For more details (in Hebrew), see here.
Calcalist Predictions Conference 2023 – Dr. Hanin Shibli, public health researcher (Prof. Michael Edelstein’s team research manager) presented on “What I learned about the connection between Arab women’s health and the state of society in Israel,” December 28, 2022 (as pictured on Calcalist website page)

Student MD Application Season

It’s application season!

We wish the best of luck to our three-year track MD applicants (last day to apply January 1, 2023) and four-year track MD applicants (applications accepted January 22 – February 15, 2023).

Applications for the PhD program are accepted throughout the year.

Condolences

Condolences to the Leir Foundation on the sudden passing of former President and Board Member, Margot A. Gibis.
Condolences to Shlomit Yosef on the passing of her sister.

Russell Berrie Galilee Diabetes SPHERE

For latest SPHERE activity, with complete details, please see their Facebook page here.

A few “teasers”: sphere

SPHERE collaborated in and presented at the 39^th annual Israel Diabetes Association scientific conference in Nazareth (December 15-17, 2022)
First SPHERE Shafaraam Steering Committee meeting (December 21, 2022)
Martin Duifhuizen represented SPHERE in Denmark as part of Israeli Healthcare system delegation (mid December 2022)
Nof Hagalil officially joined SPHERE (December 7, 2022), pictured
SPHERE and Baruch Padeh Medical Center in Poriya participated in HealthIL 2022-Innovating Beyond Borders Conference

Meet our Doctoral Students

This month we would like to introduce you to one of our many talented doctoral students – Rabbi Lior Segev. Rabbi Segev is supervised by Dr. Avraham Samson.

My name is Lior Segev, married with seven children.

I am pursuing my doctorate in medical sciences – public health – under the supervision of Dr. Avraham Samson.

For the past 14 years I have been a rabbi at the Puah Institute. The organization assists couples grappling with fertility issues, advising them on related matters regarding halacha and medicine. The Puah Institute also deals with other gynecology and halacha issues such as use of contraception, pregnancy and birth, and pregnancy termination due to fetal abnormalities.

I am also a pulpit rabbi in Hadera.

My field of interest is contraception. My master's thesis at Bar-Ilan University dealt with the bleeding problem that exists with progesterone-only pills (POP). We conducted a study (led by Prof. Simcha Yagel and Dr. Hila Hochler) on solutions to this problem that bothers many women. We discovered that the addition of norethisterone acetate helps to reduce and stop the bleeding. The findings were published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine.

My PhD research studies the effect of combined estrogen pills (CHC) during breastfeeding. We recently published a letter to the editor of Breastfeeding Medicine journal about a survey we did among doctors. In addition, for my PhD I am interested in exploring the halachic significance of the risk of VTE (venous thromboembolism) while using combined pills.

I have also published several articles on ethics and halacha.

I see combining the halachic and Torah world, where I come from, with the world of science, as a mission. The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine gives me the opportunity to carry out research of the highest level.

Call for Participants: Bodily Autonomy and Identities Workshop (GIF)

July 2023. For more information, see here.

Azrieli Alumni Please Note

Please help us spread the word to Azrieli alumni that we want to keep in touch. We want to hear from them, from you. Go to our “Request for Information” page, here.

Note that currently we are expending special efforts to build the MD graduate alumni organization.

All graduates are encouraged to take advantage of the Bar-Ilan University Alumni Association, here.

Website: What’s New?

Publications

Reminder that publications by Azrieli faculty are generally posted in chronological order based on publication date, per PubMed listings. If you have published an article recently that appears on PubMed but that was not listed in a Newsletter, I apologize, and please do let me know.

PLEASE NOTE: ALL PUBLICATIONS BY RESEARCHERS AT AZRIELI OR ITS AFFILIATE RESEARCH CENTERS MUST PROPERLY CITE THIS AFFILIATION: Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel. IF YOU ARE UNSURE OR NEED GUIDANCE, PLEASE CONTACT US.

Edo Y Birati: Trends in Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Life Support With and Without an Impella or Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump for Cardiogenic Shock (J Am Heart Assoc . )
Johnny S Younis: Endometriosis-Associated Ovarian Cancer: What Are the Implications for Women with Intact Endometrioma Planning for a Future Pregnancy? A Reproductive Clinical Outlook (Biomolecules . )
David Azoulay, Galia Stemer: Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) Is Associated with Platelet Activity and Bleeding Tendency in Patients with Gaucher Disease (Int J Mol Sci . )
•   Alon Rubinstein, Eilam Palzur: Long-term effects of prophylactic MgSO4 in maternal immune activation rodent model at adolescence and adulthood (J Neurosci Res .)
•   Maamoun Basheer, Elias Saad, Faris Milhem, Dmitry Budman, Nimer Assy: Regen-COV-2 Antibody Cocktail Mediated Clearance of SARS-COV-2 in an Immunocompromised Patient (Isr Med Assoc J .)
•   Raymond Farah, Nicola Makhoul, Alexander Samohvalov, William Nseir: Plasma Glycated Hemoglobin A1c Could Predict 30-Day All-cause Mortality of Intensive Care Unit Patients with Hyperglycemia (Isr Med Assoc J .)
•   William Nseir, Lior Masika, Raymond Farah: Impact of Prior Statin Therapy on 1-year Recurrence and Length of Hospitalization for Acute Idiopathic Pericarditis (Isr Med Assoc J .)
•   Khalaf Kridin: Autoimmune pre-disease (Autoimmun Rev)
•   Ohad Ronen: Pathogenesis, diagnosis and therapy of facial synkinesis: A systematic review and clinical practice recommendations by the international head and neck scientific group (Front Neurol . )
•   Johnny S Younis: What is the recommended management of a young woman with an intact endometrioma desiring future fertility? (Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) . )
•   Nasser Sakran, Kim Soifer, Sharon Soued: Long-term Reported Outcomes Following Primary Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy (Obes Surg .)
•   Gal Reches, Netta R Blondheim Shraga, Assaf Malka, Natalia Saleev, Yehuda Gubbay, Offir Ertracht, Ron Piran: Resolving the conflicts around Par2 opposing roles in regeneration by comparing immune-mediated and toxic-induced injuries (Inflamm Regen . )
•   Hadas Shasha-Lavsky, Aviv Avni, Ziv Paz, Limor Kalfon, Amiel A Dror, Orly Yakir, Tzipora Falik Zaccai, Irith Weissman: Long-term outcomes after pre-emptive liver transplantation in primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (Pediatr Nephrol . )
•   Khalaf Kridin, Noor Mruwat: Association of Rituximab With Risk of Long-term Cardiovascular and Metabolic Outcomes in Patients With Pemphigus (JAMA Dermatol . )
•   Khalaf Kridin, Batsheva Ingram, Avi Peretz: Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Northern Israel: Insights From a Large Referral Laboratory ( Low Genit Tract Dis . )
•   Avi Benov: Combat Injury Profile in Urban Warfare (Mil Med . )
•   Dana Cohen, Ronen Sloma, Ayalla Fedida, Limor Kalfon, Relli Ovadia, Zvi Segal, Yanir Kassif, Tzippi Falik Zaccai : Long term ophthalmic complications of distal arthrogryposis type 5D (Ophthalmic Genet .)
•   Yaseen Awad-Igbaria, Eilam Palzur: Blocking the ErbB pathway during adolescence affects the induction of anxiety-like behavior in young adult maternal immune activation offspring (Pharmacol Biochem Behav .)
•   Liron Rozenkrantz: Association of pessimism with cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality (Prog Cardiovasc Dis .)
•   Raneen Abu Shqara, Shay Bussidan, Daniel Glikman, Hagai Rechnitzer, Lior Lowenstein, Maya Frank Wolf: Clinical implications of uterine cultures obtained during urgent caesarean section (Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol . )
•   Michael Rechter, Sivan Saraph, Hector Cohen, Ohad Ronen: Nondiagnostic Test Result Rates Following Thyroid Extra-Fine-Needle Aspiration (Am J Clin Pathol. )
•   Jacob Bornstein: High-risk HPV testing vs liquid-based cytology for cervical cancer screening among 25- to 30-year-old women: A historical cohort study (Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand .)
•   Khalaf Kridin: Management and treatment outcome of DRESS patients in Europe: an international multicentre retrospective study of 141 cases (J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol . )
•   Shams Twafra , Tal Sneh, Kolluru D Srikanth, Tomer Meirson, Alessandro Genna, Hava Gil-Henn: Correction: A novel Pyk2-derived peptide inhibits invadopodia-mediated breast cancer metastasis (Oncogene . )
•   Raneen Abu Shqara, Shany Or, Yara Nakhleh Francis, Lior Lowenstein, Maya Frank Wolf: Third trimester re-screening for gestational diabetes in morbidly obese women despite earlier negative test can reveal risks for obstetrical complications (J Obstet Gynaecol Res . )
•   Shemy Carasso, Offer Amir: The Battle against Cardiogenic Shock (J Clin Med . )
•   Khalaf Kridin: Faster IgG4 Depletion Kinetics Observed for Anti-Desmoglein 3 Autoantibodies Following Rituximab Treatment in Patients with Pemphigus Vulgaris (Acta Derm Venereol .)
•   Hanna Keren: Emotion-related impulsivity and risky decision-making: A systematic review and meta-regression (Clin Psychol Rev . )
•   Edo Y Birati: Left Ventricular Assist Devices: A Primer For the General Cardiologist (J Am Heart Assoc .)
•   Hanna Mandel, Tzipora C Falik-Zaccai: Genetic defects in peroxisome morphogenesis (Pex11β, dynamin-like protein 1, and nucleoside diphosphate kinase 3) affect docosahexaenoic acid-phospholipid metabolism (J Inherit Metab Dis .)
•   Tomer Meirson: Systemic review of the robustness of randomized controlled trials for the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma in three domains: survival-inferred fragility index, restricted mean survival time, and the spin effect (Hepatobiliary Surg Nutr .)
•   Avi Benov: Pressure Points Technique for Traumatic Proximal Axillary Artery Hemorrhage: A Case Report (Prehosp Disaster Med . )
•   Khalaf Kridin: Isotretinoin and the risk of inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome- A large-scale global study (J Am Acad Dermatol)
•   Jumanah Essa-Hadad, Mary Cj Rudolf, Noah Mani, Lilach Malatskey: Mapping lifestyle medicine in undergraduate medical education: a lever for enhancing the curriculum (BMC Med Educ . )
•   Raneen Abu Shqara, Yara Nakhleh Francis, Shany Or, Lior Lowenstein, Maya Frank Wolf: Obstetrical Outcome following Diagnosis of Gestational Diabetes in the Third Trimester (>29 Weeks) versus Second Trimester (24-28 Weeks): A Retrospective Comparative Study (Am J Perinatol .)
•   Ben Oren: The Effect of Preemptive Local Infiltration on Postoperative Pain Following Vaginal Hysterectomy: a Retrospective Study (Am J Perinatol .)
•   Khalaf Kridin, Noor Mruwat: The cardiometabolic safety of interleukin 23 versus interleukin 17 inhibitors in psoriasis: A large-scale global cohort study (J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol . )
•   Gassan Moady, Otman Aliת Rania Sweid, Shaul Atar: The Role of Stress in Stable Patients with Takotsubo Syndrome-Does the Trigger Matter? (J Clin Med . )
•   Shemy Carasso: Impact of Short-Acting Disopyramide on Left Ventricular Mechanics Evaluated by Strain Analysis in Patients with Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy (J Clin Med . )
•   Ohad Ronen: Emerging Concepts Impacting Head and Neck Cancer Surgery Morbidity Oncol Ther .)