Recent Publications
E Glassberg, A Benov: Ten-year reduction in thoracic injury-related mortality among Israel Defense Forces soldiers (BMJ Mil Health .)
This study aims to describe injury patterns, prehospital interventions and mortality rates of combat-related thoracic injuries during the past decade among Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers before and after implementation of the 2012 IDF-Military Corps 'My Brother's Keeper' plan which included the publication of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for thoracic injuries, emphasis on adequate torso protection, introduction of modern life-saving procedures and encouragement of rapid evacuation.
Bodhisattwa Banerjee, Iryna Khrystoforova, Baruh Polis, Inbar Ben Zvi, David Karasik: Acute hypoxia elevates arginase 2 and induces polyamine stress response in zebrafish via evolutionarily conserved mechanism (Cell Mol Life Sci . )
Living organisms repeatedly encounter stressful events and apply various strategies to survive.... We designed a study to investigate the levels of the urea cycle and polyamine synthesis-related enzymes in a fish model of acute hypoxia.
Tawfik Khoury, Amir Mari, Wisam Sbeit: A Novel Clinical Score Predicting the Presence of Fatty Pancreas (J Clin Med . )
Fatty pancreas (FP) has become an increasingly encountered entity in recent years. Several studies have shown an association with several disease states. We aimed to generate a simple non-invasive scoring model to predict the presence of FP.
Joel Alter, Michal Werbner, Moshe Dessau, Meital Gal-Tanamy: Rapid electrochemical immunodetection of SARS-CoV-2 using a pseudo-typed vesicular stomatitis virus model (Talanta . )
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for reliable and accurate diagnostic tools that provide quantitative results at the point of care. Real-time RT-PCR requires large laboratories, a skilled workforce, complex and costly equipment, and labor-intensive sample processing. Despite tremendous efforts, scaling up RT-PCR tests is seemingly unattainable. To date, hundreds of millions of COVID-19 tests have been performed globally, but the demand for timely, accurate testing continues to outstrip supply. Antigen-based rapid diagnostic testing is emerging as an alternative to RT-PCR. However, the performance of these tests, namely their sensitivity, is still inadequate. To overcome the limitations of currently employed diagnostic tests, new tools that are both sensitive and scalable are urgently needed. We have developed a miniaturized electrochemical biosensor based on the integration of specific monoclonal antibodies with a biochip and a measurement platform, and applied it in the detection of Spike S1 protein, the binding protein of SARS-CoV-2.
Eric S Shinwell: Effect of Minimally Invasive Surfactant Therapy vs Sham Treatment on Death or Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in Preterm Infants With Respiratory Distress Syndrome: The OPTIMIST-A Randomized Clinical Trial (JAMA .)
The benefits of surfactant administration via a thin catheter (minimally invasive surfactant therapy [MIST]) in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome are uncertain. Examines the effect of selective application of MIST at a low fraction of inspired oxygen threshold on survival without bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).
Hadas Shasha-Lavsky: Randomized Clinical Trial on the Long-Term Efficacy and Safety of Lumasiran in Patients With Primary Hyperoxaluria Type 1 (Kidney Int Rep . )
Primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (PH1) is a rare genetic disease caused by hepatic overproduction of oxalate, leading to kidney stones, nephrocalcinosis, kidney failure, and systemic oxalosis. In the 6-month double-blind period (DBP) of ILLUMINATE-A, a phase 3, randomized, placebo-controlled trial in patients with PH1 ≥6 years old, treatment with lumasiran, an RNA interference therapeutic, led to substantial reductions in urinary oxalate (UOx) levels. We report data to month 12 in the extension period (EP) of ILLUMINATE-A, including patients who continued lumasiran (lumasiran/lumasiran) or crossed over from placebo to lumasiran (placebo/lumasiran).
High Mitral Annulus Calcium Score in Pre-Operative Chest Computerized Tomography and Adverse Outcomes in Mitral Valve Surgery (Vasc Health Risk Manag . )
Severe mitral annulus calcification (MAC) is believed to bear high operative and post-operative risk during mitral valve replacement (MVR) surgery, including longer surgery time, post-surgical valvular leaks and increased rate of embolic phenomena. We hypothesized that quantification of mitral calcium in pre-operative chest computerized tomography (CCT), performed to assess aortic root before cross-clamping may help in risk assessment of adverse intraoperative and postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing MVR. (Alexandra Kasim, Amjad Shalabi, Erez Kachel, Liza Grosman-Rimon, Michael Jerdev, Offer Amir, Shemy Carasso)
Nour Ibrahim: Venous thromboembolism rates and risk factors following endoscopic skull base surgery (Int Forum Allergy Rhinol .)
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a potentially fatal perioperative complication. The objective of this study was to assess the rate and risk factors for VTE in endoscopic skull base surgery (ESBS).
Haneen Jabaly-Habib: Sixth Nerve Palsy in Children Etiology, Long-Term Course, and a Diagnostic Algorithm (J Child Neurol . )
Acute onset strabismus is worrisome for parents and physicians. This condition is sometimes attributed to sixth cranial nerve palsy, which may be secondary to various etiologies. Debate still exists about the appropriate diagnostic approach. The objective of this study was to describe the common etiologies of sixth nerve palsy in our pediatric population and to suggest a clear, implementable diagnostic algorithm.
Amir Mari, Helal Said Ahmad, Ali Omari, Yazed Jawabreh, Rand Abboud, Amir Shahin, Wisam Sbeit, Tawfik Khoury: The Yield of Endoscopy and Histology in the Evaluation of Esophageal Dysphagia: Two Referral Centers' Experiences (Medicina (Kaunas) .)
The initial diagnostic test required to evaluate esophageal dysphagia is upper endoscopy (EGD) to assess the structure of the esophagus and the esophageo-gastric junction (EGJ). Taking biopsies during EGD has become a common practice in patients with dysphagia to rule out eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). The aims of this study were to evaluate the endoscopic findings of patients who underwent EGD for esophageal dysphagia, to assess the rate of biopsy taking from the esophagus to diagnose/exclude EoE, and to report histology outcomes of these biopsies.
Kolluru D Srikanth, Hava Gil-Henn: Pyk2 Stabilizes Striatal Medium Spiny Neuron Structure and Striatal-Dependent Action (Cells . )
In day-to-day life, we often choose between pursuing familiar behaviors that have been rewarded in the past or adjusting behaviors when new strategies might be more fruitful. The dorsomedial striatum (DMS) is indispensable for flexibly arbitrating between old and new behavioral strategies. The way in which DMS neurons host stable connections necessary for sustained flexibility is still being defined. An entry point to addressing this question may be the structural scaffolds on DMS neurons that house synaptic connections. We find that the non-receptor tyrosine kinase Proline-rich tyrosine kinase 2 (Pyk2) stabilizes both dendrites and spines on striatal medium spiny neurons, such that Pyk2 loss causes dendrite arbor and spine loss.
Detection of gene mutations and gene-gene fusions in circulating cell-free DNA of glioblastoma patients: an avenue for clinically relevant diagnostic analysis (Mol Oncol .)
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common type of glioma and is uniformly fatal. Currently, tumour heterogeneity and mutation acquisition are major impedances for tailoring personalized therapy. We collected blood and tumour tissue samples from 25 GBM patients, and 25 blood samples from healthy controls....our study suggests that integrated analysis of cfDNA plasma concentration, gene mutations and gene-gene fusions can serve as a diagnostic modality for distinguishing GBM patients who may benefit from targeted therapy.
(Vikrant Palande, Rajesh Detroja, Alessandro Gorohovski, Marcela Viviana Karpuj, Marina Kurtz, Shira Perez, Dorith Raviv Shay, Milana Frenkel-Morgenstern)
Yair Heskiau Shteinberg, Netanel Eisenbach, Maayan Gruber, Ohad Ronen: Impact of Tonsillectomy on the Life Quality of Parents to Children With Obstructive Sleep-Disordered Breathing (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg .)
Parents of children with any chronic illness may experience increased anxiety and reduced health-related quality of life (QoL). Our objective was to evaluate the change in parental QoL before vs after tonsillectomy. Our hypothesis was that pediatric tonsil surgery with or without adenoidectomy would improve parental QoL.
Haggai Suisa, Jean Francois Soustiel, Yuval Grober: IgG4-related pachymeningitis masquerading as foramen magnum meningioma: illustrative case (J Neurosurg Case Lessons . )
Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is an immune-mediated inflammatory condition with potential multiorgan involvement. Common manifestations include autoimmune pancreatitis and retroperitoneal fibrosis. Pathological analysis reveals lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate rich in IgG4-positive cells and characteristic storiform fibrosis. Early treatment with glucocorticoids may prevent progression to poorly responsive fibrotic disease.