Recent Publications
Amiel A Dror, Amani Daoud, Eli Layous, Netanel Eisenbach, Matti Mizrachi, Doaa Rayan, Ahmad Badeer, Shawky Francis, Edward Kaykov, Masad Barhoum, Eyal Sela: Vaccine hesitancy due to vaccine country of origin, vaccine technology, and certification Eur J E
Vaccine hesitancy is a global health threat which may hinder the widespread acceptance of several COVID-19 vaccines. Following the collection of 2470 responses from an anonymous questionnaire distributed between October and November 2020 across Israel, we analyzed the responses of physicians, life science graduates (biology, virology, chemistry, etc.), and the general public to whether they would obtain a COVID-19 vaccine with particular vaccine characteristics such as vaccine country of origin, technology, side effect profile, efficacy, and other attributes.
Eur J Epidemiol
Left atrial minimal volume: association with diastolic dysfunction and heart failure in patients in sinus rhythm or atrial fibrillation with preserved ejection fraction (BMC Med Imaging . )
Evidence of diastolic dysfunction (DD) required for the diagnosis of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is elusive in atrial fibrillation (AF). Left ventricular (LV) and left atrial (LA) speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) may provide rhythm independent indications of DD. We aimed to find common LV/LA myocardial mechanics parameters to demonstrate DD, using STE in patients with AF. (Assaf Ben-Arzi, Evgeni Hazanov, Diab Ghanim, Guy Rozen, Ibrahim Marai, Liza Grosman-Rimon, Erez Kachel, Offer Amir, Shemy Carasso)
Chen Shochat, David Karasik: Lrp5 mutant and crispant zebrafish faithfully model human osteoporosis, establishing the zebrafish as a platform for CRISPR-based functional screening of osteoporosis candidate genes (J Bone Miner Res . )
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have improved our understanding of the genetic architecture of common, complex diseases such as osteoporosis. Nevertheless, to attribute functional skeletal contributions of candidate genes to osteoporosis-related traits there is a need for efficient and cost-effective in vivo functional testing. This can be achieved through CRISPR-based reverse genetic screens, where phenotyping is traditionally performed in stable germline KO mutants. Recently it was shown that first-generation (F0) mosaic mutant zebrafish (so-called crispants) recapitulate the phenotype of germline KOs. To demonstrate feasibility of functional validation of osteoporosis candidate genes through crispant screening, we compared a crispant to a stable KO zebrafish model for the lrp5 gene.
Offer Amir: Feasibility of remote speech analysis in evaluation of dynamic fluid overload in heart failure patients undergoing haemodialysis treatment (ESC Heart Fail .)
This study aimed to assess the ability of a voice analysis application to discriminate between wet and dry states in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients undergoing regular scheduled haemodialysis treatment due to volume overload as a result of their chronic renal failure.
Eric Shinwell, Bella Lurye-Marcu: The Yield of Targeted Examination for the Detection of Symptomatic Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection (Isr Med Assoc J .)
The incidence of congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in Israel is 0.7%. Only 10-15% are symptomatic. Valganciclovir has been shown to improve hearing and neurodevelopmental outcomes in neonates with symptomatic congenital CMV infection. Targeted examination of infants who fail routine neonatal hearing screening or have clinical or laboratory findings suggestive of symptomatic congenital CMV infection may be a cost-effective approach.
Albert Gorski, Marwa Nahas, Lior Feintuch, Nimrod Rahamimov: Treatment of Peripheral Nerve Injuries in Syria's War Victims: Experience from a Northern Israeli Hospital (Isr Med Assoc J)
The collapse of the Syrian healthcare system during the civil war led numerous citizens to cross the Syrian-Israeli border to seek medical care. Describes the epidemiology of peripheral nerve injuries (PNIs) sustained in war, their management, and short-term outcomes.
Tomer Meirson: Comparison of non-myeloablative lymphodepleting preconditioning regimens in patients undergoing adoptive T cell therapy (J Immunother Cancer . )
Adoptive cell therapy with T cells genetically engineered to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR-T) or tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes (TIL) demonstrates impressive clinical results in patients with cancer. Lymphodepleting preconditioning prior to cell infusion is an integral part of all adoptive T cell therapies. However, to date, there is no standardization and no data comparing different non-myeloablative (NMA) regimens.
Menachem Alcalay: A dynamic prediction score for obstetric anal sphincter injury among nulliparous women delivering vaginally (Int J Gynaecol Obstet .)
Develops a risk score for obstetric anal sphincter injury (OASI) occurrence among nulliparous women delivering vaginally, based on data available at admission for delivery and as labor progresses.
Mohammad E Naffaa: Immune-Mediated Disease Flares or New-Onset Disease in 27 Subjects Following mRNA/DNA SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination (Vaccines (Basel) . )
Infectious diseases and vaccines can occasionally cause new-onset or flare of immune-mediated diseases (IMDs). The adjuvanticity of the available SARS-CoV-2 vaccines is based on either TLR-7/8 or TLR-9 agonism, which is distinct from previous vaccines and is a common pathogenic mechanism in IMDs.
We evaluated IMD flares or new disease onset within 28-days of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination at five large tertiary centres in countries with early vaccination adoption, three in Israel, one in UK, and one in USA. We assessed the pattern of disease expression in terms of autoimmune, autoinflammatory, or mixed disease phenotype and organ system affected. We also evaluated outcomes.
Wisam Sbeit, Anas Kadah, Matta Simaan, Amir Shahin, Tawfik Khoury: Predictors of recurrent bile duct stone after clearance by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography: A case-control study (Hepatobiliary Pancreat Dis Int .)
Recurrent common bile duct (CBD) stone are a long-term sequalae among patients who underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) with CBD stone extraction. Data regarding risk factors for recurrent CBD stone are scarce. We aimed to identify predictors of recurrent CBD stone.
