Recent Publications

There is no consensus as to which patients should undergo Non-Contrast Chest Computerized Tomography (NCCCT) and carotid arteries Doppler (CD) prior to cardiac surgery. The objective of this study was to examine whether preoperative imaging modalities provide clinical benefits and a change in surgical strategy.

Background: High bleeding risk is associated with adverse outcomes in ACS patients. We aimed to evaluate temporal trends in treatment and outcomes of ACS patients according to bleeding risk.

Concerns have been raised recently regarding the efficacy and safety of Botulinum toxin type A (BTA) injections following COVID-19 vaccination. Assesses the influence of BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine on the safety and efficacy of BTA injections performed for aesthetic indications.

A seasonal trend of patients with idiopathic sudden-sensorineural-hearing-loss (ISSNHL) can direct research to possible etiology. We reviewed data from medical records of patients from 2005 to 2019 diagnosed with new-onset ISSNHL. Seasonal pattern was assessed using Chi-square and Rayleigh tests, and further confirmed by Monte Carlo simulation

Onychomycosis (OM) and tinea pedis (TP) are common fungal infections. Currently, diagnosis is based on direct microscopy and culture that have a low to moderate sensitivity and/or require up to 3-4 weeks until results are obtained. PCR techniques have emerged for the diagnosis of fungal infections, but little is known about their sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing. Here, we compared the diagnostic value of a DNA-chip technology, that detects 56 fungal pathogens, in a single-center prospective diagnostic study with microscopy and culture in suspected OM/TP.

Biliary colic is a common cause of emergency department (ED) visits; however, the natural history of the disease and thus the indications for urgent or scheduled surgery remain unclear. Limitations of previous attempts to elucidate this natural history at a population level are based on the reliance on the identification of biliary colic via administrative codes in isolation. The purpose of our study was to validate the use of International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems codes, 10th Revision, Canadian modification (ICD-10-CA) from ED visits in adequately differentiating patients with biliary colic from those with other biliary diagnoses such as cholecystitis or common bile duct stones.

A rapid and accurate diagnosis of meningitis/encephalitis (ME) is required for early and effective intervention or adjustment of empirical treatment. This study retrospectively analyzed 485 records of patients hospitalized at the Padeh Poriya Medical Center during 2016-2020, due to a suspicion of ME.

(Shon Dahan Nassy, Maya Azrad, Said Abozaid, Daniel Glikman, Hiba Zayyad, Adi Zaidman-Shimshovitz, Avi Peretz)

Hemodialysis (HD) triggers recurrent and cumulative ischemic insults to the brain and the heart. Cooled dialysate may have a protective effect on major organs and improve hemodynamic tolerability of dialysis. The aim of the study was to compare HD with cooled dialysate with routine dialysis in terms of hemodynamic stability and levels of high-sensitivity Troponin I (hs-TnI) and N-terminal pro b-type natriuretic peptide (NTproBNP) pre and postdialysis.

(Younes Bathish, Karine Beiruti, Hussein Safadi, Adi Sharabi Nov, Elena Bukovetzky, Michael Edelstein, Majdi Halabi, Zeev Israeli)

During the Syrian civil war, patients were initially treated on-site in Syria and later transferred to medical centers in Israel. Relevant details concerning the exact nature of injury and medical/surgical care received in Syria were unavailable to clinicians in Israel. Many of these patients required abdominal re-exploration for obvious or suspected problems related to their injury. Our aim is to present our approach to abdominal trauma patients who survived initial on-site surgery and needed subsequent abdominal re-exploration abroad, in our medical center.

(Amitai Bickel, Konstantin Akinichev, Michael Weiss, Samer Ganam, Seema Biswas, Igor Waksman, Eli Kakiashvilli)

Early right heart failure (RHF) remains a major source of morbidity and mortality after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation, yet efforts to predict early RHF have proven only modestly successful. Pharmacologic unloading of the left ventricle may be a risk stratification approach allowing for assessment of right ventricular and hemodynamic reserve. We performed a multicenter, retrospective analysis of patients who had undergone continuous-flow LVAD implantation from October 2011 to April 2020.

Initial clinical trials and surveillance data have shown that the most commonly administered BNT162b2 COVID-19 mRNA vaccine is effective and safe. However, several cases of mRNA vaccine-induced mild to moderate adverse events were recently reported. Here, we report a rare case of myositis after injection of the first dose of BNT162b2 COVID-19 mRNA vaccine into the left deltoid muscle of a 34-year-old, previously healthy woman who presented progressive proximal muscle weakness, progressive dysphagia, and dyspnea with respiratory failure. 

(Sumit Mukherjee, Mahua Bhattacharya, Rajesh Detroja, Gideon Baum, Milana Frenkel-Morgenstern)

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), ranges from asymptomatic to severe infection. We aimed to compare the prevalence of COVID-19 in asymptomatic pregnant vs. non-pregnant women in order to establish recommendations for a COVID-19 screening strategy.

(Enav Yefet, Manal Massalha, Adi Alter, Amit Gal Harnik, Sally Hosari Mahamed, Lia Novick, Malak Wattad, Jawad Sakas, Shira Baram, Amir Weiss, Rula Iskander, Avi Peretz, Johnny S Younis, Yuri Perlitz, Zohar Nachum)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical symptomatology of discopathies before and 7 days after treatment with one of the following: intravenous dexamethasone, selective nerve root block (SNRB), and systemic treatment with different nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). 

Lumasiran reduces urinary and plasma oxalate (POx) in patients with primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (PH1) and relatively preserved kidney function. ILLUMINATE-C evaluates the efficacy, safety, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of lumasiran in patients with PH1 and advanced kidney disease.

Provoked vulvodynia (PV) is the main cause of vulvar pain and dyspareunia. The etiology of PV has not yet been elucidated. However, PV is associated with a history of recurrent inflammation, and its often accompanied by increases in the numbers of mast cells (MCs) and sensory hyperinnervation in the vulva. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the role of MCs and the early inflammatory events in the development of chronic vulvar pain in a rat model of PV.