Recent Publications
Yaakov Maman: Ig Enhancers Increase RNA Polymerase II Stalling at Somatic Hypermutation Target Sequences (J Immunol . )
Somatic hypermutation (SHM) drives the genetic diversity of Ig genes in activated B cells and supports the generation of Abs with increased affinity for Ag. SHM is targeted to Ig genes by their enhancers (diversification activators [DIVACs]), but how the enhancers mediate this activity is unknown. We show using chicken DT40 B cells that highly active DIVACs increase the phosphorylation of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) and Pol II occupancy in the mutating gene with little or no accompanying increase in elongation-competent Pol II or production of full-length transcripts, indicating accumulation of stalled Pol II.
Maayan Gruber: Ventilation-induced epithelial injury drives biological onset of lung trauma in vitro and is mitigated with prophylactic anti-inflammatory therapeutics (Bioeng Transl Med . )
Mortality rates among patients suffering from acute respiratory failure remain perplexingly high despite the maintenance of blood oxygen homeostasis during ventilatory support. The biotrauma hypothesis advocates that mechanical forces from invasive ventilation trigger immunological mediators that spread systemically. Yet, how these forces elicit an immune response remains unclear. Here, a biomimetic in vitro three-dimensional (3D) upper airways model allows to recapitulate lung injury and immune responses induced during invasive mechanical ventilation in neonates.
Hadas Shasha-Lavsky, Pierre Awadia, Vered Sheffer, Irith Weissman: Rasburicase Treatment for Neonatal Acute Kidney Injury - A Case Report (Harefuah .)
Hyperuricemia can cause renal damage and acute kidney injury or be secondary to renal failure and reduced excretion. Rasburicase, a recombinant urate oxidase, is a common treatment for hyperuricemia from different etiologies. There are scarce reports on rasburicase treatment for neonatal Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) with hyperuricemia to prevent renal damage secondary to hyperuricemia. Herein we report a case of neonatal AKI with hyperuricemia that was treated with a single dose of rasburicase.
Rola Khamisy-Farah, Eliyahu Fund, Mohammed Adawi: Inflammatory Markers in the Diagnosis of Fibromyalgia (Isr Med Assoc J . )
Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by various additional symptoms. The prevalence of FMS ranges between 2-8% of the population. The exact pathophysiology of the disease remains unknown, and under certain circumstances it is difficult for the physician to diagnose. Previous studies have shown a correlation between inflammatory biomarkers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and FMS activity, suggesting that an inflammatory component may play a role in this disease pathogenesis. Investigates the role of certain new inflammatory biomarkers in the diagnosis of patients with FMS.
Noam Asna, Noa Efrat Ben-Baruch, Ayelet Shai, Jamal Zidan: Oncology Treatments during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Israel: the ONCOR Study (Isr Med Assoc J . )
The increased susceptibility of cancer patients to coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) infections and complications calls for special precautions while treating cancer patients during COVID-19 pandemics. Thus, oncology departments have had to implement a wide array of prevention measures. This study addresses issues associated with cancer care during the COVID-19 pandemic and to assess the implementation of measures aimed at containment of COVID-19 diffusion while allowing continuation of quality cancer care.
Uri Yatzkar: Paternal Feelings and Child's Anxiety: The Mediating Role of Father-Child Insecure Attachment and Child's Emotional Regulation (Am J Mens Health . )
The study introduces a path model that links between paternal feelings and child's anxiety symptoms, aiming to test the mediational role of father-child insecure attachment and the child's difficulties in emotional regulation in the occurrence of anxiety disorders among a sample of 148 fathers and their children (65 boys and 83 girls aged 8-18) attending the child psychiatric center of a public hospital.
David Karasik: Bone Phenotyping Approaches in Human, Mice and Zebrafish - Expert Overview of the EU Cost Action GEMSTONE ("GEnomics of MusculoSkeletal traits TranslatiOnal NEtwork") (Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) .)
A synoptic overview of scientific methods applied in bone and associated research fields across species has yet to be published. Experts from the EU Cost Action GEMSTONE ("GEnomics of MusculoSkeletal Traits translational Network") Working Group 2 present an overview of the routine techniques as well as clinical and research approaches employed to characterize bone phenotypes in humans and selected animal models (mice and zebrafish) of health and disease.
Nadim H Nasser, Nadra G Samra: Hypoadrenalism as the Single Presentation of Autoimmune Polyglandular Syndrome Type 1 (J Endocr Soc . )
Type 1 autoimmune polyglandular syndrome (APS1) is a rare hereditary disease affecting nearly 600 patients worldwide....Theoretically, exceptions from the protocol of APS1 diagnostic criteria would be recognized as acceptable for diagnosis in the future, when similar case reports of only 1 component of APS1 appear.
Bodhisattwa Banerjee, David Karasik: Perspective of the GEMSTONE Consortium on Current and Future Approaches to Functional Validation for Skeletal Genetic Disease Using Cellular, Molecular and Animal-Modeling Techniques (Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) . )
The availability of large human datasets for genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and the advancement of sequencing technologies have boosted the identification of genetic variants in complex and rare diseases in the skeletal field. Yet, interpreting results from human association studies remains a challenge. To bridge the gap between genetic association and causality, a systematic functional investigation is necessary.... In this mission statement, we review the current available resources and as a group propose a consensus to facilitate resource sharing using existing and future resources. Such coordination efforts will maximize the acquisition of knowledge from different approaches and thus reduce redundancy and duplication of resources. These measures will help to understand the pathogenesis of osteoporosis and other skeletal diseases towards defining new and more efficient therapeutic targets.
Eilam Palzur, Doron Edelman, Reem Sakas, Jean Francois Soustiel: Etifoxine Restores Mitochondrial Oxidative Phosphorylation and Improves Cognitive Recovery Following Traumatic Brain Injury (Int J Mol Sci . )
The opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) has emerged as a pivotal event following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Evidence showing the impact of the translocator protein (TSPO) over mPTP activity has prompted several studies exploring the effect of TSPO ligands, including etifoxine, on the outcome of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Mitochondrial respiration was assessed by respirometry in isolated rat brain mitochondria (RBM) by measurements of oxidative phosphorylation capacity (OXPHOS).
Amir Mari, Wisam Sbeit, Wisam Abboud, Tawfik Khoury: Achalasia in the Elderly: Diagnostic Approach and a Proposed Treatment Algorithm Based on a Comprehensive Literature Review (J Clin Med . )
Achalasia is not uncommonly diagnosed in elderly patients and its incidence and prevalence are growing in this population. However, a scarcity of studies has assessed the typical pathophysiological and clinical features of the disease as well as the effectiveness and safety of the various therapeutic options in elderly populations.... In the current review we present the current literature on this topic with a focus on the clinical presentation of achalasia in the elderly and manometric features thereof, as well as summarize the effectiveness and safety of the various therapeutic options. Furthermore, we propose a practical management algorithm as a means to guide the treatment of future cases.
Rajesh Detroja, Alessandro Gorohovski, Olawumi Giwa, Gideon Baum, Milana Frenkel-Morgenstern: ChiTaH: a fast and accurate tool for identifying known human chimeric sequences from high-throughput sequencing data (NAR Genom Bioinform . )
Fusion genes or chimeras typically comprise sequences from two different genes. The chimeric RNAs of such joined sequences often serve as cancer drivers. Identifying such driver fusions in a given cancer or complex disease is important for diagnosis and treatment.