Recent Publications
Ohad Ronen: Management of Older Patients with Head and Neck Cancer: A Comprehensive Review (Adv Ther .)
The projected increase in life expectancy over the next few decades is expected to result in a rise in age-related diseases, including cancer. Head and neck cancer (HNC) is a worldwide health problem with high rates of morbidity and mortality. In this report, we have critically reviewed the literature reporting the management of older patients with HNC.
David Karasik: A variability in response of osteoclasts to zoledronic acid is mediated by smoking-associated modification in the DNA methylome (Clin Epigenetics . )
Clinical trials have shown zoledronic acid as a potent bisphosphonate in preventing bone loss, but with varying potency between patients. Human osteoclasts ex vivo reportedly displayed a variable sensitivity to zoledronic acid > 200-fold, determined by the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50), with cigarette smoking as one of the reported contributors to this variation. To reveal the molecular basis of the smoking-mediated variation on treatment sensitivity, we performed a DNA methylome profiling on whole blood cells from 34 healthy female blood donors. Multiple regression models were fitted to associate DNA methylation with ex vivo determined IC50 values, smoking, and their interaction adjusting for age and cell compositions.
Rola Khamisy-Farah, Maher Endrawis, Marwan Odeh, Ruba Tuma: Knowledge of Human Papillomavirus (HPV), Attitudes, and Practices Towards Anti-HPV Vaccination Among Israeli Nurses (J Cancer Educ .)
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a small, non-enveloped, double-stranded DNA virus, belonging to the family of Papillomaviridae. It is a highly common infectious agent, which causes one of the most widespread sexually transmitted infections (STIs), involving approximately 20% of sexually active female adolescents and up to 80% of female adults aged 50 years. There exist two major preventative strategies: namely, anti-HPV vaccination and cervical screening. Healthcare providers, including nurses, can play a crucial role in HPV immunization campaigns, counteracting vaccine hesitancy and doing advocacy and counseling...This study has important implications for policy- and decision-makers in that they should be aware of the overall poor and unsatisfactory level of HPV-related knowledge among Israeli nurses and implement multipronged HPV vaccine promotion programs, taking into account the challenges of a multicultural and diverse society like Israel.
Alaa Abu-Saleh, Lior Feintuch, Adi Shani, Nimrod Rahamimov: Insertion of a urinary catheter on admission lowers acute kidney injury incidence in patients with hip fractures (Int Orthop . )
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common adverse event in patients undergoing hip fracture repair surgery, increasing morbidity and mortality. Our study hypothesis was that routine insertion of a urinary catheter, on admission to the hospital or immediately before surgery, will reduce AKI incidence in hip fracture patients.
David Karasik: Proceedings of the Post-Genome Analysis for Musculoskeletal Biology Workshop (Curr Osteoporos Rep .)
Herein, we report on the proceedings of the workshop entitled "Post-Genome analysis for musculoskeletal biology" that was held in July of 2022 in Safed, Galilee, Israel. Supported by the Israel Science Foundation, the goal of this workshop was to bring together established investigators and their trainees who were interested in understanding the etiology of musculoskeletal disease, from Israel and from around the world.
D Krupik: Willingness to vaccinate children against COVID-19 declined during the pandemic (Vaccine .)
Objectives: To document the level of vaccine hesitancy in caregivers' of children younger than 12 years of age over the course of the pandemic in Pediatric Emergency Departments (ED).
Hanna Keren: A highly replicable decline in mood during rest and simple tasks (Nat Hum Behav .)
Does our mood change as time passes? This question is central to behavioural and affective science, yet it remains largely unexamined. To investigate, we intermixed subjective momentary mood ratings into repetitive psychology paradigms.
Khalaf Kridin: Reply to: "Interpreting with Caution the Lack of Association between Isotretinoin, Depression, and Suicide" (J Am Acad Dermatol . )
Refers to: "Interpreting with Caution the Lack of Association between Isotretinoin, Depression and Suicide"
Arnon Blum: Gender differences in vascular ageing and in coronary artery disease pathophysiology (QJM .)
Women have a clinical advantage over men in relation with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease [CVD] (morbidity and mortality). This advantage disappears once women become older, and on their 7th decade the risk to develop CVD equals men at that age. There have been several theories about this gender difference that were related to hormones, and the different morphology and physiology that characterize the cardiovascular system in women. In this review the different mechanisms will be reviewed and discussed.
Michael Edelstein: Linked poliovirus incidents in the UK, USA and Israel: Silent transmission or missed warnings of vaccine inequity? (Vaccine .)
Several poliovirus incidents were reported in high-income countries (HIC) in 2022, which have required large-scale public health responses. Strategies to address persistent disparities in childhood vaccination coverage will be crucial to prevent and control circulation, and sustain elimination in HIC.
Tamar Hareuveni-Blum, Nakhoul Nakhoul: Ocular Behçet Disease-Clinical Manifestations, Treatments and Outcomes According to Age at Disease Onset (Biomedicines .)
Behçet disease (BD) is a multisystemic disease that commonly involves the eyes. Although it affects patients in all age groups, data on ocular disease by age of onset are limited. This retrospective, multicenter study aimed to compare epidemiology, systemic and ocular manifestations, treatments and outcomes between three age groups: juvenile (<18 years), adult (18-39 years) and late (≥40 years) disease onset.
Gewa Saad, Maya Azrad, Meral Aias, Tamar Leshem, Zohar Hamo, Layan Abu Rahmoun, Avi Peretz: The effect of different C. difficile MLST strains on viability and activity of macrophages (Heliyon . )
Clostridioides difficile is the most common infectious agent of nosocomial diarrhea. C. difficile infection (CDI) pathogenesis and disease severity depend on its toxins (toxins A, B and binary) and on the host's immune response, especially the innate immune system. The current study examined the efficacy of macrophage activity, macrophages viability and cytokine secretion levelsin response to different sequence type (ST) strains of C. difficile.
Ohad Ronen: Neck Surgery for Non-Well Differentiated Thyroid Malignancies: Variations in Strategy According to Histopathology (Cancers (Basel) . )
Lymph node metastases in non-well differentiated thyroid cancer (non-WDTC) are common, both in the central compartment (levels VI and VII) and in the lateral neck (Levels II to V). Nodal metastases negatively affect prognosis and should be treated to maximize locoregional control while minimizing morbidity. In non-WDTC, the rate of nodal involvement is variable and depends on the histology of the tumor. For medullary thyroid carcinomas, poorly differentiated thyroid carcinomas, and anaplastic thyroid carcinomas, the high frequency of lymph node metastases makes central compartment dissection generally necessary. In mucoepidermoid carcinomas, malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors, sarcomas, and malignant thyroid teratomas or thyroblastomas, central compartment dissection is less often necessary, as clinical lymphnode involvement is less common. We aim to summarize the medical literature and the opinions of several experts from different parts of the world on the current philosophy for managing the neck in less common types of thyroid cancer.
Hashem Bishara, Amer Saffouri: Latent Tuberculosis Treatment among Hard-to-Reach Ethiopian Immigrants: Nurse-Managed Directly Observed versus Self-Administered Isoniazid Therapy (Trop Med Infect Dis . )
The treatment of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) among high-risk populations is an essential component of Tuberculosis (TB) elimination. However, non-compliance with LTBI treatment remains a major obstacle hindering TB elimination efforts. We have previously reported high treatment compliance with nurse-managed, twice-weekly, directly observed Isoniazid treatment (DOT) for LTBI among hard-to-reach Ethiopian immigrants (EI's). Objectives: to compare rate of completion of treatment, cost, and major adverse drug events with daily self-administered Isoniazid treatment (SAT) to nurse-managed Isoniazid DOT among hard-to-reach EIs.
Samih Badarny: Tardive Syndrome Is a Mysterious Phenomenon with Different Clinical Manifestations-Review (J Clin Med .)
Tardive syndrome (TS) refers to persistent hyperkinetic, hypokinetic, and sensory complaints appearing after chronic neuroleptics and other dopamine receptor-blocking agents (DRBAs). It is defined as involuntary movements, often rhythmic, choreiform, or athetoid, involving the tongue, face, extremities, and sensory urges such as akathisia and lasts for a few weeks. TS develops in association with neuroleptic medication usage for a few months at least. There is usually a delay between the initiation of the causative drug and the onset of abnormal movements. However, it was soon noted that TS can also develop early, even days or weeks after DRBAs begin. However, the longer the exposure, the greater the risk of developing TS. Tardive dyskinesia, dystonia, akathisia, tremor, and parkinsonism are frequent phenomenologies of this syndrome.