Recent Publications
Michael Edelstein: Long COVID in low-income and middle-income countries: the hidden public health crisis (Lancet . )
Comment
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed crucial fault lines in society both within and between different societies. Over the past 3 years, inequity has been highlighted in several areas including research capacity, surveillance, and availability of COVID-19 therapeutics and vaccines. These disparities are particularly pronounced when comparing high-income countries (HICs) and low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Wide disparities also exist between countries with respect to research and coordinated national responses towards the long-term effects of COVID-19, often referred to as long COVID or post-COVID-19 condition....
Jawad Abed, Iris Slutzky-Goldberg: The consequences of orthodontic extrusion on previously intruded permanent incisors-A retrospective study (Dent Traumatol .)
The aim of this study is to compare the adverse effects that occur after orthodontic extrusion of teeth that have been traumatically intruded with those of similar teeth that have not experienced any trauma.
Amir Mari, Vincenzo Savarino: Encouraging appropriate use of proton pump inhibitors: existing initiatives and proposals for the future (Expert Rev Clin Pharmacol . )
Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) have revolutionized the management of acid-related disorders, representing today the mainstay treatment of these conditions. However, despite their large range of indications and usefulness, the remarkable expansion of their use in the last two decades cannot be explained by the increasing prevalence of acid-related diseases only. An inappropriate prescription for clinical conditions in which the pathogenetic role of acid has not been documented has been described, with the natural consequence of increasing the costs and the potential risk of iatrogenic harm due to adverse events and complications recently emerged.
Amir Mari, Loay Ghantous, Helal Said Ahmad, Tawfik Khoury: Quality of life and severity of symptoms among patients with various degrees of reflux esophagitis: a prospective study (Sci Rep .)
Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) can cause erosive esophagitis (EE) and compromise the quality of life (QoL). We examined differences in symptom severity and QoL according to EE severity grade.
Rola Khamisy-Farah: Probing the genomic landscape of human sexuality: a critical systematic review of the literature (Front Genet . )
Whether human sexuality is the result of nature or nurture (or their complex interplay) represents a hot, often ideologically driven, and highly polarized debate with political and social ramifications, and with varying, conflicting findings reported in the literature. A number of heritability and behavioral genetics studies, including pedigree-based investigations, have hypothesized inheritance patterns of human sexual behaviors. On the other hand, in most twin, adoption, and nuclear family studies, it was not possible to disentangle between underlying genetic and shared environmental sources. Furthermore, these studies were not able to estimate the precise extent of genetic loading and to shed light both on the number and nature of the putative inherited factors, which remained largely unknown. Molecular genetic studies offer an unprecedented opportunity to overcome these drawbacks, by dissecting the molecular basis of human sexuality and allowing a better understanding of its biological roots if any. However, there exists no systematic review of the molecular genetics of human sexuality. Therefore, we undertook this critical systematic review and appraisal of the literature, with the ambitious aims of filling in these gaps of knowledge, especially from the methodological standpoint, and providing guidance to future studies.
Rotem Kahalon: Effects of attachment security priming on women's math performance (Front Psychol .)
Activating people's sense of attachment security can buffer against psychological threats. Here we tested whether security priming can also buffer the adverse effects of stereotype threat among women.
Moran Yadid: Inducing Mechanical Stimuli to Tissues Grown on a Magnetic Gel Allows Deconvoluting the Forces Leading to Traumatic Brain Injury (Neurotrauma Rep . )
Traumatic brain injury (TBI), which is characterized by damage to the brain resulting from a sudden traumatic event, is a major cause of death and disability worldwide. It has short- and long-term effects, including neuroinflammation, cognitive deficits, and depression. TBI consists of multiple steps that may sometimes have opposing effects or mechanisms, making it challenging to investigate and translate new knowledge into effective therapies. In order to better understand and address the underlying mechanisms of TBI, we have developed an in vitro platform that allows dynamic simulation of TBI conditions by applying external magnetic forces to induce acceleration and deceleration injury, which is often observed in human TBI.
Sondra Turjeman, Efrat Sharon, Gila Gamliel, Omry Koren: Signs of aging in midlife: physical function and sex differences in microbiota (Geroscience .)
Microbiota composition has been linked to physical activity, health measures, and biological age, but a shared profile has yet to be shown. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between microbiota composition and measures of function, such as a composite measure of physical capacity, and biological age in midlife, prior to onset of age-related diseases.
Gassan Moady, Offir Ertracht, Efrat Shuster-Biton, Elias Daud, Shaul Atar: The Role of Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase Pathways in Different Models of Cardiac Hypertrophy in Rats (Biomedicines . )
Cardiac hypertrophy develops following different triggers of pressure or volume overload. In several previous studies, different hypertrophy types were demonstrated following alterations in extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway activation. In the current study, we studied two types of cardiac hypertrophy models in rats: eccentric and concentric hypertrophy.
Elon Glassberg: Are intelligent people more likely to get vaccinated? The association between COVID-19 vaccine adherence and cognitive profiles (Vaccine .)
Since vaccination adherence is crucial in reducing morbidity and mortality during a pandemic, we characterized the association between demographic, intelligence, and personal attributes and COVID-19 vaccination adherence among young adults.
Hava Gil-Henn: PYK2, a hub of signaling networks in breast cancer progression (Trends Cell Biol . )
Breast cancer (BC) involves complex signaling networks characterized by extensive cross-communication and feedback loops between and within multiple signaling cascades. Many of these signaling pathways are driven by genetic alterations of oncogene and/or tumor-suppressor genes and are influenced by various environmental cues. We describe unique roles of the non-receptor tyrosine kinase (NRTK) PYK2 in signaling integration and feedback looping in BC. PYK2 functions as a signaling hub in various cascades, and its involvement in positive and negative feedback loops enhances signaling robustness, modulates signaling dynamics, and contributes to BC growth, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), stemness, migration, invasion, and metastasis. We also discuss the potential of PYK2 as a therapeutic target in various BC subtypes.
Yaseen Awad-Igbaria, Ali Keadan, Reem Sakas, Jean Francous-Soustiel, Eilam Palzur: HBO treatment enhances motor function and modulates pain development after sciatic nerve injury via protection the mitochondrial function (J Transl Med .)
Peripheral nerve injury can cause neuroinflammation and neuromodulation that lead to mitochondrial dysfunction and neuronal apoptosis in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and spinal cord, contributing to neuropathic pain and motor dysfunction. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been suggested as a potential therapeutic tool for neuropathic pain and nerve injury. However, the specific cellular and molecular mechanism by which HBOT modulates the development of neuropathic pain and motor dysfunction through mitochondrial protection is still unclear.
Shahar Telpaz, Shai Bel: Autophagy in intestinal epithelial cells prevents gut inflammation (Trends Cell Biol . )
Intestinal epithelial cells form the largest barrier in the body, separating us from the outside world. Here, we review recent findings that highlight the role of autophagy in the cell-intrinsic response of the epithelial cells to the harsh intestinal environment and how they shape host physiology.
Sondra Turjeman, Alona Riumin: Recipient-independent, high-accuracy FMT-response prediction and optimization in mice and humans (Microbiome . )
Some microbiota compositions are associated with negative outcomes, including among others, obesity, allergies, and the failure to respond to treatment. Microbiota manipulation or supplementation can restore a community associated with a healthy condition. Such interventions are typically probiotics or fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). FMT donor selection is currently based on donor phenotype, rather than the anticipated microbiota composition in the recipient and associated health benefits. However, the donor and post-transplant recipient conditions differ drastically. We here propose an algorithm to identify ideal donors and predict the expected outcome of FMT based on donor microbiome alone. We also demonstrate how to optimize FMT for different required outcomes.
Elon Glassberg: Survival following Prehospital Traumatic Cardiac Arrest Resuscitation in the Israel Defense Forces: A Retrospective Study (Prehosp Emerg Care . )
Prehospital traumatic cardiac arrest (TCA) is associated with a poor prognosis and requires urgent interventions to address its potentially reversible causes. Resuscitative efforts of TCA in the prehospital setting may entail significant resource allocation and impose added tolls on caregivers. The Israel Defense Forces Medical Corps (IDF-MC) instructs clinicians to perform a set protocol in the case of TCA, providing prompt oxygenation, chest decompression and volume resuscitation. This study investigates the settings, interventions, and outcomes of TCA resuscitation by IDF-MC teams over 25 years in both combat and civilian settings.