Recent Publications
Rate of hourly change in serum beta-human chorionic gonadotropin levels in ectopic pregnancy can predict the success of treatment with single-dose methotrexate: A retrospective observational study (Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol .)
To determine whether the success of treatment with single-dose methotrexate (SD MTX) for ectopic pregnancy can be predicted using the rate of change in serum β-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) level. (G Lavie, M Kais, R Tendler, O Marwan, J Bornstein, A Sharon)
Trishna Saha, Jonathan Solomon, Abraham O Samson, Hava Gil-Henn: Invasion and Metastasis as a Central Hallmark of Breast Cancer (J Clin Med . )
Hanahan and Weinberg introduced the "hallmarks of cancer" and typified essential biological abilities acquired by human cancer. Since then, a growing understanding of hallmark principles associated with breast cancer has assisted knowledge-based therapeutics development; however, despite the rapidly increasing number of targeted therapeutics, enduring disease-free responses for most forms of breast cancer is rare. Invasion and metastasis are the most defining feature of breast cancer malignancy and the leading cause of patient mortality. Hence, we propose a modified hallmarks model adapted to breast cancer, in which invasion and metastasis are shifted to the center of attention, thereby emphasizing it as a potentially superior therapeutic target.
Tzipora C Falik-Zaccai: Expert opinion on diagnosing, treating and managing patients with cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (CTX): a modified Delphi study (Orphanet J Rare Dis .)
Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (CTX) is a rare, chronic, progressive, neurodegenerative disorder requiring life-long care. Patients with CTX often experience a diagnostic delay. Although early diagnosis and treatment initiation can improve symptoms and prognosis, a standardised approach to diagnosis, treatment and management of patients is not yet established. Aim: To assess expert opinion on best care practices for patients with CTX using a modified Delphi method.
Erez Kachel, Keren Constantini, Shemy Carasso: A Pilot Study of Blood Pressure Monitoring After Cardiac Surgery Using a Wearable, Non-invasive Sensor (Front Med (Lausanne) .)
Continuous blood pressure (BP) measurement in intensive care units is based on arterial line (AL) transducers, sometimes associated with clinical complications. Our objective was to evaluate continuous BP measurements obtained from a non-invasive, wireless photoplethysmography (PPG)-based device using two distinct configurations (wristwatch and chest-patch monitors) compared to an AL.
Khalaf Kridin: COVID-19 hospitalisation, mortality, vaccination, and postvaccination trends among people with schizophrenia in Israel: a longitudinal cohort study (Lancet Psychiatry .)
Individuals with schizophrenia have an increased risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes, nonetheless, no previous study has provided a year-long account of this risk, or assessed postvaccination trends in this population. This study assessed temporal trends in COVID-19 hospitalisation and mortality among people with schizophrenia during the first year of the pandemic, the predictors for COVID-19 vaccination, postvaccination infection, admission to hospital, and mortality.
Layan Abu Rahmoun, Maya Azrad, Avi Peretz: Antibiotic Resistance and Biofilm Production Capacity in Clostridioides difficile (Front Cell Infect Microbiol .)
Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) is one of the primary pathogens responsible for infectious diarrhea. Antibiotic treatment failure, occurring in about 30% of patients, and elevated rates of antibiotic resistance pose a major challenge for therapy. Reinfection often occurs by isolates that produce biofilm, a protective barrier impermeable to antibiotics. We explored the association between antibiotic resistance (in planktonic form) and biofilm-production in 123 C. difficile clinical isolates.
Esther Levi, Ohad Ronen: Physician adherence to acute rhinosinusitis antibiotic treatment guidelines (J Investig Med . )
Antibiotic treatment guidelines promote proper diagnosis and treatment and optimize antibiotic treatment, minimizing both antimicrobial resistance to antibiotics and financial expenditure. This study aimed to investigate whether community physicians and emergency department (ED) physicians diagnose and treat acute rhinosinusitis according to accepted guidelines.
C Peles, M C J Rudolf: "Over-preoccupation with healthy food is perceived as worship of the body": Food, culture and beliefs in Ultra-Orthodox Jewish families (Appetite .)
Eating behaviours vary by culture and religion, and an understanding of attitudes and practices are essential for providing culturally competent nutritional guidance. The Ultra-orthodox Jewish community is characterized by poor diet, high rates of obesity, anemia and diabetes. This study aimed to acquire insights that could influence the promotion of healthier eating in the Ultra-orthodox and other closed religious communities, particularly regarding children's eating habits and the food they consume.
Ayelet Shai: Feminism, gender medicine and beyond: a feminist analysis of "gender medicine" (Int J Equity Health .)
The feminist women's health movement empowered women's knowledge regarding their health and battled against paternalistic and oppressive practices within healthcare systems. Gender Medicine (GM) is a new discipline that studies the effect of sex/gender on general health. The international society for gender medicine (IGM) was embraced by the FDA and granted funds by the European Union to formulate policies for medical practice and research.We conducted a review of IGM publications and policy statements in scientific journals and popular media.
Tamar Hareuveni-Blum: Uveitis following the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 infection: a possible association (Retina .)
Describes uveitis cases following the BNT162b2 mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.
Nimrod Rahamimov, Elite Arnon-Sheleg: Identifying Multi-Level Vertebral Compression Fractures Following a Convulsive Seizure (Isr Med Assoc J . )
...Our patient presented with multi-level VCFs following a hyponatremic seizure and the diagnostic challenges encountered. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first description of 12 contiguous vertebral fractures after a single convulsion episode that was histologically proven and successfully treated by multilevel vertebroplasties.
Serum Albumin to Creatinine Ratio as Predictor for 30-Day All-Cause Mortality in Patients with Clostridium Dificile- Associated Diarrhea (Ann Clin Lab Sci .)
Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) is a significant cause of mortality and morbidity in hospitalized patients. Several scores have developed in order to assess the severity of CDAD. Determines the role of the serum albumin to creatinine ratio (sACR) in predicting the 30-day all-cause mortality of patients with CDAD in comparison with other known severity scores of CDAD.
(William Nseir, Jihad Njidat, Amir Amara, Avi Peretz, Hazem Kahatib, Amir Mari, Mahmud Mahamid, Raymond Farah)
Wisam Sbeit, Amir Mari, Tawfik Khoury: Gastroenterologists attitude in various clinical settings in the era of COVID-19 pandemic: An online Uni-National Israeli Survey (Medicine (Baltimore) . )
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted our clinical practice. Many gastroenterologists have changed their attitudes toward various gastroenterological clinical settings. The aim of the present study is to explore the gastroenterologist's attitudes in several clinical settings encountered in the clinical practice.
Chaim Putterman: TWEAKing the Hippocampus: The Effects of TWEAK on the Genomic Fabric of the Hippocampus in a Neuropsychiatric Lupus Mouse Model (Genes (Basel) .)
Neuropsychiatric manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), specifically cognitive dysfunction and mood disorders, are widely prevalent in SLE patients, and yet poorly understood. TNF-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) has previously been implicated in the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric lupus (NPSLE), and we have recently shown its effects on the transcriptome of the cortex of the lupus-prone mice model MRL/lpr. As the hippocampus is thought to be an important focus of NPSLE processes, we explored the TWEAK-induced transcriptional changes that occur in the hippocampus, and isolated several genes (Dnajc28, Syne2, transthyretin) and pathways (PI3K-AKT, as well as chemokine-signaling and neurotransmission pathways) that are most differentially affected by TWEAK activation.
David Azoulay:Brain-derived neurotrophic factor in hematological malignancies: From detrimental to potentially beneficial (Blood Rev .)
Emerging studies have highlighted brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a neuronal growth factor abundant in the peripheral blood, and its tyrosine kinase receptor TRKB, as onco-genes and proteins that support the survival of malignant hematological cells. In contrast, other researchers reported on a favorable association between BDNF blood levels and prognosis, chemotherapy response and neurological side effects in patients with hematological malignancies. Here, we review the accumulated data regarding the expression of BDNF and its receptors in normal hematopoietic and lymphatic cells and tissue.