Recent Publications
Reema Fadoul, Tharwat Haj Khalil, Idan Redenski, Daniel Oren, Asaf Zigron, Avishalom Sharon, Amiel A Dror, Mizied Falah, Samer Srouji:The Modulatory Effect of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells on Endometrial Polyp Fibroblasts (Stem Cells Dev .)
Endometrial polyps (EPs) are benign overgrowths of the endometrium, with the potential to cause severe complications, ranging from discomfort to inflammation and infertility. Dysfunction of endometrial fibroblasts may be a critical component leading to the development of polyps. While surgical intervention is the common remedy for severe cases, it comes with drawbacks, including infection, bleeding, and risk of damage to the cervix and adjacent tissues. Adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (ASCs) are at the focus of modern medicine, as key modulators of tissue homeostasis, inflammation and tissue repair, rendering them prime candidate agents for tissue regeneration and cell-based therapies. In the current work, endometrial polyps were isolated from patients admitted to the OB/GYN department at the Galilee Medical Center and extracted fibroblasts (EPFs) were isolated and characterized...
Idan Segal, Nadra Nasser Samra:De novo variants of CSNK2B cause a new intellectual disability-craniodigital syndrome by disrupting the canonical Wnt signaling pathway (HGG Adv . )
CSNK2B encodes for casein kinase II subunit beta (CK2β), the regulatory subunit of casein kinase II (CK2), which is known to mediate diverse cellular pathways. Variants in this gene have been recently identified as a cause of Poirier-Bienvenu neurodevelopmental syndrome (POBINDS), but functional evidence is sparse. Here, we report five unrelated individuals: two of them manifesting POBINDS, while three are identified to segregate a new intellectual disability-craniodigital syndrome (IDCS), distinct from POBINDS.
Boris Fichtman, Amnon Harel: High-Resolution Imaging and Analysis of Individual Nuclear Pore Complexes (Methods Mol Biol .)
Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) is a well-established technique for acquiring three-dimensional surface images of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs). We present an optimized protocol for the exposure of mammalian cell nuclei and direct surface imaging of nuclear envelopes by FESEM, allowing for a detailed morphological comparison of individual NPCs, without the need for averaging techniques.
Vertical transmission and humoral immune response following maternal infection with SARS-CoV-2 - A prospective multicenter cohort study (Clin Microbiol Infect .)
Explores maternal humoral immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection and the rate of vertical transmission.
(Manal Massalha, Enav Yefet, Orit Rozenberg, Sofia Soltsman, Jamal Hasanein, Tatiana Smolkin, Adi Alter, Yuri Perlitz, Zohar Nachum)
Trishna Saha Detroja, Hava Gil-Henn, Abraham O Samson: Text-Mining Approach to Identify Hub Genes of Cancer Metastasis and Potential Drug Repurposing to Target Them (J Clin Med . )
Metastasis accounts for the majority of cancer-related deaths. Despite decades of research, the prevention and suppression of metastasis remain an elusive goal, and to date, only a few metastasis-related genes have been targeted therapeutically. Thus, there is a strong need to find potential genes involved in key driver traits of metastasis and their available drugs. In this study, we identified genes associated with metastasis and repurposable drugs that potentially target them.
Naaem Simaan: Effects in Israel of Arab and Jewish Ethnicity on Intracerebral Hemorrhage (J Clin Med . )
Intracerebral hemorrhages (ICH) characteristics reportedly differ between different ethnic groups. We aimed to compare the characteristics of Jewish and Arab ICH patients in Israel.
Rola Khamisy-Farah: How to Integrate Sex and Gender Medicine into Medical and Allied Health Profession Undergraduate, Graduate, and Post-Graduate Education: Insights from a Rapid Systematic Literature Review and a Thematic Meta-Synthesis (J Pers Med . )
Sex and gender are concepts that are often misunderstood and misused, being utilized in a biased, preconceived, interchangeable way. Sex and gender medicine is generally overlooked, despite the profound impact of sex and gender on health outcomes. The aims of the present rapid systematic literature review were (i) to assess the extent to which sex- and gender-sensitive topics are covered in medical courses; (ii) to assess the need for and willingness toward integrating/incorporating sex and gender medicine into health-related education; (iii) to identify barriers and facilitators of the process of implementation of sex and gender medicine in medical teaching, mentoring, and training; and (iv) to evaluate the effectiveness of interventional projects targeting curriculum building and improvement for future gender-sensitive physicians.
Ligat Shalev, Anthony Luder, Sivan Spitzer, Danna Krupik, Jumanah Essa-Hadad, Mary C J Rudolf: Keeping our children safe: piloting a hospital-based home-visitation program in Israel (Isr J Health Policy Res)
Unintentional childhood injuries are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Attempts to prevent child home injuries have rarely been implemented in hospital settings which present an important opportunity for intervention. The SHABI ('Keeping our Children Safe; SHomrim Al BetIchut Yeladenu') program recruits at-risk families presenting with child injury to the Emergency Department. Medical/nursing students conduct two home visits and provide safety equipment and guidance. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of SHABI on participating families' home-safety.
The E3 ubiquitin ligase SMURF2 stabilizes RNA editase ADAR1p110 and promotes its adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) editing function (Cell Mol Life Sci . )
pitranscriptomic changes in RNA catalyzed by the RNA-editing enzyme ADAR1 play an essential role in the regulation of diverse molecular and cellular processes, both under physiological conditions and in disease states, including cancer. Yet, despite a growing body of evidence pointing to ADAR1 as a potential therapeutic target, the mechanisms regulating its cellular abundance and activity, particularly of its constitutively expressed and ubiquitous form, ADAR1p110, are poorly understood. Here, we report the HECT-type E3 ubiquitin ligase SMURF2 as a pivotal regulator of ADAR1p110.
(Praveen Koganti, Venkata Narasimha Kadali, Dhanoop Manikoth Ayyathan, Andrea Emanuelli, Gal Levy-Cohen, Michael Blank)
Kamal Abu Jabal, Michael Edelstein: Using SARS-CoV-2 anti-S IgG levels as a marker of previous infection: Example from an Israeli Healthcare worker cohort (Int J Infect Dis .)
Determining COVID19 status is important for global epidemiology and individual-level vaccination decision-making. SARS CoV-2 Infection can generally only be detected during a 7-10 days period using PCR or rapid antigen testing, and infection specific anti nucleocapsid IgG assays are not universally available. We determined whether SARS-CoV-2 anti spike (anti-S) IgG levels could discriminate between vaccination and past infection when interpreted alongside vaccination timing.
Inbar Ben Shachar, Ilan Atlas: Does sentinel lymph node biopsy in endometrial cancer surgery have an impact on the rate of adjuvant post operative pelvic radiation? An Israeli Gynecologic Oncology Group Study (Gynecol Oncol Rep. )
Compares the rates of post-operative radiotherapy between two methods of lymph nodes assessment during surgical staging for endometrial cancer (EC).
Rawan Mahamid, Helal Said Ahmad, Narjes Azzam, Ali Omari, Amir Mari: The yield of solid swallows in high resolution esophageal manometry among patients with dysphagia and gastro-esophageal reflux symptoms (Minerva Gastroenterol (Torino) .)
Swallowing disorders are frequently reported esophageal symptoms and represent a common cause for referrals to gastroenterology consultations. Esophageal high-resolution manometry (HRM) is considered the gold standard modality for the evaluation of esophageal peristalsis and esophageal sphincter. The standard protocol of HRM includes water swallows only, that may not assess appropriately esophageal function and symptoms. Hence, we investigated the diagnostic yield of combining solid food swallows (SFS) to standard HRM.
Paul Kuodi, Yanay Gorelik, Michael Edelstein: Characterisation of the long-term physical and mental health consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection: A systematic review and meta-analysis protocol (PLoS One . )
As of July 2021, there has been more than 185 million documented cases of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infections and more than 4 million deaths globally. Despite more than 90% of documented cases being classified as "recovered" from SARS-CoV-2 infection, a proportion of patients reported a wide variety of persisting symptoms after the initial onset or acute phase of the infection, often referred to as "Long Covid". As data on the symptomatology of post-acute SARS-CoV-2 infection gradually becomes available, there is an urgent need to organise and synthesise the data in order to define what constitutes Long Covid and assist with its management in clinical and community settings.
Liron Davis, Dmitriy Getselter, Evan Elliott: CTCF in parvalbumin-expressing neurons regulates motor, anxiety and social behavior and neuronal identity (Mol Brain . )
CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) is a regulator of chromatin organization and has direct effects on gene transcription. Mutations in CTCF have been identified in individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions. There are wide range of behaviors associated with these mutations, including intellectual disabilities, changes in temperament, and autism. Previous mice-model studies have identified roles for CTCF in excitatory neurons in specific behaviors, particularly in regards to learning and memory. However, the role of CTCF in inhibitory neurons is less well defined.
Hagar Mizrachi: Cuffing Prisoners and Detainees in Israeli Hospitals - a Multi-center Study (Harefuah .)
Describes the extent of prisoner/detainee cuffing and characterize cuffing methods.