Recent Publications

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) enables tumor cell invasion and metastasis. Many studies have demonstrated the critical role of EMT in lymph node metastasis in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). During EMT, epithelial cancer cells lose intercellular adhesion and apical-basal polarity and acquire mesenchymal properties such as motility and invasiveness. A significant feature of EMT is cadherin switching, involving the downregulation of E-cadherin and upregulation of N-cadherin. The TGF-β/SMAD pathway can also induce EMT. We aimed to evaluate EMT markers as predictors of lymph node metastasis in OSCC.

The surge of online scams is taking a considerable financial and emotional toll. This is partially because humans are poor at detecting lies. In a series of three online experiments (N_exp1 = 102, N_exp2 = 108, N_exp3 = 100) where participants are given the opportunity to lie as well as to assess the potential lies of others, we show that poor lie detection is related to the suboptimal computations people engage in when assessing lies. 

This review evaluates the current evidence on the safety and efficacy of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) fasting during Ramadan.

Medical students can assist in reducing healthcare disparities and promote health equity by engaging with rural communities and gaining insights into their unique healthcare needs. A two-arm student-delivered program was designed and implemented during COVID-19 in a social-geographic peripheral area to assist clinics with complex chronic and/or socially disadvantaged patients and improve preventive behavior in townships through home visits delivering community kits.

(Nosaiba Rayan-Gharra, Lilach Malatskey, Marganit Ofir-Gutler, Rizan Sakhnini, Awni Yousef, Karl Skorecki, Sivan Spitzer)

Our understanding of DNA G-quadruplexes (G4s) from in vitro studies has been complemented by genome-wide G4 landscapes from cultured cells. Conventionally, the formation of G4s is accepted to depend on G-repeats such that they form tetrads. However, genome-wide G4s characterized through high-throughput sequencing suggest that these structures form at a large number of regions with no such canonical G4-forming signatures. Many G4-binding proteins have been described with no evidence for any protein that binds to and stabilizes G4s. It remains unknown what fraction of G4s formed in human cells are protein-bound. 

The goal of this study is to quantify the assumptions associated with the Wasserman-Hansen (WH) and Fitness Registry and the Importance of Exercise: A National Database (FRIEND) predictive peak oxygen consumption (pVO₂ ) equations across body mass index (BMI).

Objective: To examine whether the addition of latency antibiotics in late preterm rupture of membranes (ROM) decreases neonatal infection and increases latency. 

Laparoscopic one anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB) is gaining ground over the surgical approach for class 3 obesity due to its recognized safety and effectiveness.

Situs inversus (SI), a condition affecting approximately 0.01% of the population, is characterized by an autosomal recessive genetic anomaly leading to a mirror-image arrangement of organs and vasculature in the chest and abdomen. It is called situs inversus totalis (SIT) when accompanied by dextrocardia.

To date, only two documented cases of OAGB in patients with SIT have been reported. Notably, the primary challenge in these cases was the execution of a mirrored OAGB procedure.

The use of opioids has increased dramatically over the past several years in Israel. The aim of this study was to explore the trends of opioid consumption in Israel over a decade (2010-2020) stratified by socioeconomic status (SES), residence in the periphery, and ethnic background.

Annual heart transplant (HT) volumes have increased, as have post-HT outpatient care needs. Data on HT-related emergency department (ED) visits are limited.

Absent contractility (AC), a motility disorder characterized by the absence of esophageal contractions while maintaining normal lower esophageal sphincter relaxation, is recognized as a distinctive major disorder of peristalsis on esophageal high-resolution manometry that warrants comprehensive understanding. This unique motility disorder often co-occurs with connective tissue, rheumatologic or autoimmune diseases, with scleroderma being the classic example. Symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux are common. AC can profoundly impact patients' lives and result in a spectrum of complications, including erosive esophagitis, esophageal candidiasis, Barrett's esophagus, and malnutrition. To address the intricate complexities of AC and its multifaceted complications, a multidisciplinary approach is paramount. 

Vitiligo, an acquired deficiency of melanocyte function and number, is linked to autoimmunity. The association of osteoporosis with vitiligo has never been investigated in a clinical study. Numerous studies reported lower serum vitamin D levels in individuals with vitiligo. As low vitamin D is associated with osteoporosis, in the current study, we investigated if patients with vitiligo are at increased risk of developing osteoporosis in the large Clalit Health Services (CHS) database.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) accounts for more than 90% of oral malignancies. Despite numerous advancements in understanding its biology, the mean five-year survival rate of OSCC is still very poor at about 50%, with even lower rates when the disease is detected at later stages. We investigate the use of clinical photographic images taken by common smartphones for the automated detection of OSCC cases and for the identification of suspicious cases mimicking cancer that require an urgent biopsy.

Infection is a concern in hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), being leading cause of morbidity and mortality (Gudiol et al., 2014). Consequently, guidelines recommend the pre-HCT elimination of oral infectious sites, known as dental clearance, in order to mitigate systemic dissemination (Rankin et al., 2008; Yamagata et al., 2006) and avert fatalities (Elad et al., 2008). Nevertheless, certain studies have reported no discernible improvement following pre-HCT dental clearance (Hong et al., 2018), doubts its necessity.

More than a decade ago, apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) risk alleles designated G1 and G2, were discovered to be causally associated with markedly increased risk for progressive kidney disease in individuals of recent African ancestry. Gratifying progress has been made during the intervening years, extending to the development and clinical testing of genomically precise small molecule therapy accompanied by emergence of RNA medicine platforms and clinical testing within just over a decade.