Recent Publications
Elias Daud: Multi-site comparison of parametric T1 and T2 mapping: healthy travelling volunteers in the Berlin research network for cardiovascular magnetic resonance (BER-CMR) (J Cardiovasc Magn Reson . )
Parametric mapping sequences in cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) allow for non-invasive myocardial tissue characterization. However quantitative myocardial mapping is still limited by the need for local reference values. Confounders, such as field strength, vendors and sequences, make intersite comparisons challenging. This exploratory study aims to assess whether multi-site studies that control confounding factors provide first insights whether parametric mapping values are within pre-defined tolerance ranges across scanners and sites.
Helal Said Ahmad, Tawfik Khoury, Riad Tome, Haitam Zeibak, Wisam Abboud, Amir Mari: Gas Embolism After a Patient's Ninth ERCP Procedure (ACG Case Rep J . )
Gas embolism is a rare and potentially fatal complication of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). We present a 66-year-old man who developed gas embolism after undergoing therapeutic ERCP for cholangitis. Some risk factors of gas embolism in this patient included stones in the common bile duct with cholangitis and a history of multiple ERCP procedures. Early diagnosis and rapid treatment of this potentially fatal complication resulted in our patient's full recovery.
Omry Koren: Early-life sensitive periods for antibiotic-induced shifts in neuro-immune developmental trajectories and vulnerability to brain disorders (Brain Behav Immun .)
A rapidly expanding body of research has identified the gut microbiota — the trillions of microorganisms inhabiting the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, including bacteria, yeast, and viruses— as a key regulator of host immunity, brain development and behavior....
Sondra Turjeman, Omry Koren: Celiac-the lone horse? An autoimmune condition without signals of microbiota dysbiosis (Microbiol Spectr .)
Accumulating evidence supports the role of microbiota in autoimmune processes, but research regarding the role of the gut microbiota in celiac disease (CD) is still emerging, and a consistent CD-associated dysbiosis pattern has not yet been defined. Here, we characterized the microbiota of children newly diagnosed with CD, with their unaffected family members as a healthy control group to reduce confounding factors including genetic background, hygiene, dietary habits, and environment, and followed children with CD over 1 year of dietary intervention (exclusion of gluten) to understand if the microbiota is associated with CD and its mediation
Vaccine-induced and hybrid immunity to SARS-CoV-2 after three or four doses of BNT162b2 - results from 22 months follow-up of a healthcare workers cohort, Israel, 2020-2022 (Int J Infect Dis .)
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) remains a global health concern three years after its emergence. Safe and effective vaccines mitigate the pandemic impact but the optimal schedule remains unclear especially in a context where a high proportion of the population was infected.
(Michael Edelstein, Karine Wiegler Beiruti, Hila Ben-Amram, Netta Beer, Christian Sussan, Perachel Batya, Salman Zarka, Kamal Abu Jabal)
Hadas Sibony-Benyamini, Emil Aamar, David Enshell-Seijffers: Hdac1 and Hdac2 regulate the quiescent state and survival of hair-follicle mesenchymal niche (Nat Commun .)
While cell division is essential for self-renewal and differentiation of stem cells and progenitors, dormancy is required to maintain the structure and function of the stem-cell niche. Here we use the hair follicle to show that during growth, the mesenchymal niche of the hair follicle, the dermal papilla (DP), is maintained quiescent by the activity of Hdac1 and Hdac2 in the DP that suppresses the expression of cell-cycle genes.
Amir Mari: Technical Success in Performing Esophageal High-Resolution Manometry in Patients with an Epiphrenic Diverticulum (Dysphagia . )
High-resolution manometry (HRM) is the gold standard for diagnosing esophageal motility disorders, yet it can be poorly tolerated and technically challenging.
Ahmad Kadriya, Mizied Falah: Nanoscale Phytosomes as an Emerging Modality for Cancer Therapy (Cells . )
This review will narrate the anti-cancer activity and characteristics of phytosomes derived from edible plants as well as describe studies which have utilized phytosomes as drug delivery vehicles for cancer with the ultimate objective of significantly reducing the adverse effects associated with conventional therapeutic approaches.
Kamal Abu Jabal: Apoptotic cells for treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome associated with COVID-19 (Front Immunol .)
Hyper-inflammatory immune response, a hallmark of severe COVID-19, is associated with increased mortality. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a common manifestation. We undertook two phase I/II studies in five and then 16 subjects with severe/critical COVID-19 to assess the safety and preliminary efficacy of apoptotic cells (Allocetra™-OTS, Enlivex Therapeutics), a cellular immunomodulatory therapy that reprograms macrophages to reduce hyper-inflammatory response severity.
Amiel A Dror: Spontaneous Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak of the Temporal Bone (Harefuah)
Spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak into the temporal air spaces is a prominent risk factor for meningitis, often leading to debilitating neurological morbidities and even death. CSF leaks may arise due to trauma, congenital malformation, or surgery, but in most cases, they develop spontaneously. In spontaneous CSF leaks, no obvious triggering event is apparent in the patient's clinical history that points to this diagnosis, in contrast to some of the other etiologies. The clinical presentation of spontaneous CSF leaks is not unique and is characterized by patients' complaints, such as hearing loss and aural fullness. These symptoms are commonly associated with prevalent conditions, such as serous otitis media. For these reasons, a typical diagnostic delay of spontaneous CSF leaks, which can last for years in some cases, leaves the patients exposed to meningeal infection without being offered an efficient surgical treatment to keep them safe and protected.
Nabil Faranesh: The Video Head Impulse Test (VHIT) (Harefuah .)
The video head impulse test (vHIT) is a new tool in the vestibular tests' arsenal. It is based on the clinical Head Impulse Test, where the integrity of the vestibulo-ocular reflex is tested by high frequency excitation of the semi-circular canals. The vHIT system is composed of an accelerometer measuring the head movements, and a high frequency infra-red camera for eye tracking mounted on a light-weighted goggles. The main measures obtained are the vestibulo-ocular reflex gain - the ratio between the head and eye velocities, and the recording of corrective saccades taking place during the head movement (covered saccades) or following it (overt saccades).
Khaldon Abo-Saleh, Nabil Faranesh: The Video Head Impulse Test (Vhit): Can We Rely on the Gain Parameter Alone? (Harefuah . )
While the bedside head impulse test evaluates the presence of refixation saccades (RS) as a measure of failing vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) the VOR gain calculated by the video head-impulse test (vHIT) is considered the primary measure for semicircular canal function while the role RS is still under evaluation. Aims: To evaluate the benefit of various RS characteristics towards the diagnosis of the left horizontal semicircular function by vHIT.