Recent Publications

Deep sternal wound infection (DSWI) is a serious complication following cardiac surgery, and demands early intervention as any delay in diagnosis and management may lead to increased morbidity and mortality. DSWI is associated with increased length of hospitalization (LOH) and economic burden in this patient population. The aim of this study was to determine predictors for increased length of hospitalization in patients who underwent the Modified Sternoplasty technique for deep sternal wound infection following cardiac surgery.

Failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) is a leading tool for risk management in health care. The term "blanket" approach FMEA describes a comprehensive simultaneous look at the variety of interrelated factors that may directly and indirectly affect patient safety. Applying FMEA with the "blanket" approach is not common, due to FMEA's limitations. Algorithmic prediction of failure modes in health care (APFMH) is leaner and enables the application of the "blanket" approach, but, like FMEA, it lacks formal validation. The authors set out to validate the APFMH method while applying a "blanket" approach. 

We examined ectopic pregnancy (EP) incidence, presentation and management, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and following initiation of vaccination against COVID-19.

Musculoskeletal injuries dominate warfare-related trauma and differ from civilian settings in higher hospitalization costs, morbidity, and mortality. Partly due to introduction of personal protective equipment in the Israel Defence Force (IDF) to minimize head and torso injuries while the extremities remained unprotected. This study describes military extremity injury patterns, prehospital treatment and injury sequela regarding return-to-duty and disability compensation.

The Ultra-Orthodox Jewish population has behaviors that can influence the risk for osteoporotic fractures. We investigated whether this population is more prone to osteoporotic fractures than non-Orthodox Jewish. We did not find a significant difference in osteoporotic fracture rates between the two populations despite major differences in exposure to potential risk factors.

Parathyroid cystic adenomas (PCA) are a rare (0.5-1%) subclass of parathyroid adenomas. Due to their cystic component, imaging modalities known to be efficient for diagnosing solid adenomas might fail in localizing PCAs. We reviewed diagnostic imaging modalities for PCA.

The risk of gout amid patients with acne keloidalis nuchae (AKN) has not been investigated in the past. Objective: To assess the risk of developing gout among patients with AKN relative to control subjects.

Migration is one of the most physical and energetically demanding periods in an individual bird's life. The composition of the bird's gut or cloacal microbiota can temporarily change during migration, likely due to differences in diets, habitats and other environmental conditions experienced en route. However, how physiological condition, migratory patterns, and other drivers interact to affect microbiota composition of migratory birds is still unclear. We sampled the cloacal bacterial microbiota of a long-distance migrant, the steppe buzzard (Buteo buteo vulpinus), at an important spring stopover bottleneck in Eilat, Israel, after crossing the ca. 1800 km Sahara Desert. 

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease worldwide, with a continuously growing prevalence. The pathophysiology of the disease is complex and includes several mechanisms, with metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance playing a major role. It is crucial to diagnose NAFLD before it advances ...

This study examined the prevalence and risk factors of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E) colonization among women who delivered preterm and at term.

Disorders of gastrointestinal (GI) tract motility and function are prevalent in the general population and negatively affect quality of life [1]. The principle aim of this editorial is to serve as an introduction for this Special Issue, which presents the latest advances in the diagnostics of GI motility and function.

Objective: To examine the association between chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) and interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS).

The epidemiological relationship of vitiligo with systemic sclerosis (SSc) remains to be precisely evaluated. Objective: To investigate the bidirectional association between vitiligo and SSc.

An umbilical vein varix is defined as focal dilatation of the umbilical vein....We present  the  case of a 39-year-old  woman  with  her  sixth  pregnancy  who was admitted to our department  at 35 weeks plus 5 days...

T cells are critical in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in that they secrete inflammatory cytokines, help autoantibody production, and form autoreactive memory T cells. Although the contribution of T cells to several forms of organ-mediated damage in SLE has been previously demonstrated, the role of T cells in neuropsychiatric SLE (NPSLE), which involves diffuse central nervous system manifestations and is observed in 20-40% of SLE patients, is not known. Therefore, we conducted this study to evaluate how behavioral deficits are altered after depletion or transfer of T cells, to directly assess the role of T cells in NPSLE.