Recent Publications
Helal Said-Ahmad, Amir Mari: Severe autoimmune hepatitis following recovery from COVID-19 - a novel mode of liver injury triggered by SARS-COV-2? (Minerva Gastroenterol (Torino) . )
Severe autoimmune hepatitis following recovery from COVID-19 - a novel mode of liver injury triggered by SARS-COV-2?
Amir Mari, William Nseir: Diarrhea due to parasites: a short updated point of view from the clinical setting (Minerva Gastroenterol (Torino) .)
The aim of the current review is to provide an update, from a clinician's point of view, of the main parasites causing diarrhea, with a focus on their diagnosis and management in the clinical setting.
Nasser Sakran: The many faces of diabetes. Is there a need for re-classification? A narrative review (BMC Endocr Disord . )
This review aims to examine the physiological mechanisms in diabetes, risks for complications, the effects of bariatric and metabolic surgery and will shed light on whether diabetes should be reclassified.
Alessandro Gorohovski, Milana Frenkel-Morgenstern: The Association of Previous Vaccination with Live-Attenuated Varicella Zoster Vaccine and COVID-19 Positivity: An Israeli Population-Based Study (Vaccines (Basel) .)
The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine affords indirect protection against COVID-19, which is presumably due to priming of the innate immune system. It was hypothesized that the live attenuated Varicella Zoster (LAVZ) vaccine, recommended for the elderly population, would also protect against COVID-19 infection.
Chaim Putterman: The CD6/ALCAM pathway promotes lupus nephritis via T cell-mediated responses (J Clin Invest . )
T cells are central to the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis (LN), a common complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). CD6 and its ligand, activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule (ALCAM), are involved in T cell activation and trafficking. Previously, we showed that soluble ALCAM is increased in urine (uALCAM) of patients with LN, suggesting that this pathway contributes to disease. To investigate, uALCAM was examined in 1038 patients with SLE and LN from 5 ethnically diverse cohorts; CD6 and ALCAM expression was assessed in LN kidney cells; and disease contribution was tested via antibody blockade of CD6 in murine models of SLE and acute glomerulonephritis.
Chaim Putterman: Membrane attack complex (MAC) deposition in renal tubules is associated with interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy: a pilot study (Lupus Sci Med .)
Treatment failures for lupus nephritis (LN) are high with 10%-30% of patients progressing to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) within 10 years. Interstitial fibrosis/tubular atrophy (IFTA) is a predictor of progression to ESRD. Prior studies suggest that tubulointerstitial injury secondary to proteinuria in LN is mediated by complement activation in the tubules, specifically through the membrane attack complex (MAC). This study aimed to investigate the associations between tubular MAC deposition with IFTA and proteinuria.
Offer Amir: Remote Speech Analysis in the Evaluation of Hospitalized Patients With Acute Decompensated Heart Failure (JACC Heart Fail .)
This study assessed the performance of an automated speech analysis technology in detecting pulmonary fluid overload in patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF).
Limor Kalfon, Meirav Baydany, Nadra Samra, Nawaf Heno, Zvi Segal, Alon Yulevich, Hanna Mandel, Tzipora C Falik-Zaccai: Congenital Hypotonia: Cracking a SAGA of consanguineous kindred harboring four genetic variants (Mol Genet Genomic Med .)
We aimed to determine the molecular and biochemical basis of an extended highly consanguineous family with multiple children presenting severe congenital hypotonia.
Michal Sagiv, Mohammad Adawi: Response to a letter by M. Slouma et al (Int J Rheum Dis .)
...We completely agree with Slouma et al that the presence of some chronic systemic disorders can cause a bias in the interpretation of the test. ...
Edo Y Birati: Characteristics and Outcomes of Candidemia in Patients with Durable Left Ventricular Assist Device Support (ASAIO J . )
There are limited data on the characteristics and clinical course of fungal infections in patients on durable left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support. We sought to further characterize the epidemiology and outcomes of LVAD patients with fungemia.
Maayan Katz, Maya Azrad, Daniel Glikman, Avi Peretz: COVID-19 Vaccination Compliance and Associated Factors among Medical Students during an Early Phase of Vaccination Rollout-A Survey from Israe (Vaccines (Basel) . )
COVID-19 is "a once-in-a-century" pandemic, bringing with it unparalleled health, social, and economic ramifications. As part of the world's efforts to restrain the pandemic, vaccine development has been expedited. This population-representative survey in Israel aimed to investigate whether the knowledge, attitudes, and vaccination status of medical students affect their intention to recommend COVID-19 vaccination (as well as reasons for refusal and acceptance of the vaccine).
Wisam Sbeit, Moeen Sbeit, Amir Mari, Tawfik Khoury: The Possible Association of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease with Acute Cholangitis: A Retrospective Multicenter Cohort Study (Life (Basel) . )
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasingly encountered. It is associated with several comorbid diseases. However, its association with infectious biliary diseases is still unknown. We aimed to assess whether NAFLD is a risk factor for the development of acute cholangitis among patients with common bile duct (CBD) stones.
Ohad Ronen: Revisiting the role of surgery in the treatment of Graves' disease (Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) . )
Graves' disease (GD) can be managed by antithyroid drugs (ATD), radioactive iodine (RAI) and surgery....The aim of this review is to discuss possible reasons for the low proportion of surgery in the treatment of GD, emphasizing an evidence-based approach to the clinicians' preferences for surgical referrals, surgical indications and confronting traditional reasons and concerns relating to the low referral rate with up-to-date data.
Amer Saffoury, Ameer Elemy, Munir Hamze, Mohamad Elhaj, Maha Zaher, Loai Matanis, Zaher Anis Armaly: Waning Humoral Response 3 to 6 Months after Vaccination with the SARS-COV-2 BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccine in Dialysis Patients (J Clin Med .)
The short-term reported antibody response to SARS-COV-2 vaccination in dialysis patients is high, with a seroconversion response rate up to 97%. Data on the long-term durability of this response are scarce. Our objective was to characterize the long-term anti-spike antibody level in dialysis patients.
Michael Edelstein: Impact of an accelerated measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine schedule on vaccine coverage: An ecological study among London children, 2012-2018 (Vaccine . )
Vaccination coverage of dose two of MMR (MMR2) at 5th birthday has been consistently low in London and measured 76.3% in 2018/19. Since the early 2000s seven boroughs in London started offering dose two earlier, from 15 to 18 months onwards instead of the recommended 3 years 4 months. In this study we investigate whether the accelerated schedule of MMR2 leads to a change in coverage of MMR2 and other childhood vaccines with an ecological study using childhood immunisation data from 2009 to 2018 in London.