Publications by authors named "RAPHAEL A"

Article Synopsis
  • Allergic rhinitis (AR) affects 5% to 50% of the population worldwide, but specific studies on sensitization in Israeli patients have been limited.* -
  • A study of 1,308 AR patients in Israel revealed an 86% overall positive skin prick test rate, with indoor allergens affecting 76% of participants; the most common allergens identified were mites, olive tree pollen, grass pollen, and cat dander.* -
  • The findings can help allergists customize skin prick test panels and improve immunotherapy by focusing on the most prevalent aeroallergens in different climate zones.*
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to assess how general practitioners (GPs) and pediatricians diagnose and manage facial nerve palsy in children suspected of having Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB).
  • A national survey conducted from September 2018 to January 2020 yielded 598 responses, revealing that many practitioners felt uncomfortable with diagnosing LNB and often required specialist consultations or hospital admissions.
  • Antibiotic treatment varied slightly between age groups, with amoxicillin and ceftriaxone being the most common choices, but overall, there was little difference in management practices between GPs and pediatricians.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study attempted to discriminate the population of in Nigeria using their morphological characteristics. Therefore, 60 sexually mature wild samples of (1:1 for the male and female ratio) of relatively similar size (40 cm) were collected from three eco-regions namely, Guinea Savanna (Benue River, Makurdi), Rainforest Savanna (Niger River, Onitsha) and Sahel Savanna (Rima River, Sokoto). They were transported to the hatchery unit of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, Joseph Sarwan Tarka University Makurdi where the morphometric data was collected.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Body composition has emerged as an important prognostic factor in patients treated with cancer. Severe depletion of skeletal muscle, sarcopenia, has been associated with poor performance status and worse oncological outcomes. We studied patients with metastatic breast cancer receiving alpelisib, to determine if sarcopenia and additional body composition measures accounting for muscle and adiposity are associated with toxicity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The management of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic depends amongst other factors on disease prevalence in the general population. The gap between the true rate of infection and the detected rate of infection may vary, especially between sub-groups of the population. Identifying subpopulations with high rates of undetected infection can guide authorities to direct resource distribution in order to improve health equity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Patients with X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) are characterized by humoral impairment and are routinely treated with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). In this study, we aimed to investigate the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies in IVIG preparations harvested globally and evaluate the transfer of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies to the XLA patient.

Methods: A single-center, prospective cohort study was conducted in the period of November 2020 to November 2022.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The allelopathic effect of Moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam.) leaves applied as organic manure in tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus L.) production on associated weeds was investigated in the guinea savanna of South West Nigeria, during the 2014 (September - November) and 2015 (June - August) wet seasons.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: DFUs remain a cause of significant morbidity.

Objective: This is the third of 3 planned articles reporting on a prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial evaluating the use of omega-3-rich acellular FSG compared with CAT in the management of DFUs.

Materials And Methods: A total of 102 patients with a DFU (n = 51 FSG, n = 51 CAT) participated in the trial as ITT candidates, with 77 of those patients included in the PP analysis (n = 43 FSG, n = 34 CAT).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Cardiotoxicity, defined mainly as left ventricle (LV) dysfunction, is a significant side effect of anthracyclines (ANT) therapy. The need for an early simple marker to identify patients at risk is crucial. A high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been associated with poor prognosis in cancer patients; however, its role as a predictor for cardiotoxicity development is unknown.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This real-world cohort analysis assessed the efficacy of alpelisib and endocrine treatment (ET) combinations in a post-everolimus setting. Thirteen women who started alpelisib and ET at standard doses between 2018 and 2022 for advanced breast cancer (ABC), after undergoing CDK4/6i and everolimus treatment, were eligible for the study entry. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS), and the secondary endpoints were the objective response rate (ORR) and clinical benefit rate (CBR), with different molecular profiling.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The association between anthracycline (ANT) and left ventricle (LV) dysfunction is well known; however, data regarding its direct effect on cardiac valve function is limited. We aimed to evaluate how ANT therapy affected valvular function in patients diagnosed with breast cancer. Data were prospectively collected as part of the Israel Cardio-Oncology Registry (ICOR).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: This is the second of 3 planned articles reporting on a prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial assessing the efficacy of fish skin graft in the management of diabetic foot ulcers in comparison with the standard of care (collagen alginate dressing).

Materials And Methods: The primary end point of this prospective randomized trial is the number of closed wounds at 12 weeks.

Results: As of the time of this writing, 94 patients had completed the protocol.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The use of CGP in guiding treatment decisions in aNSCLC with acquired resistance to ALK TKIs is questionable.

Methods: We prospectively assessed the impact of CGP on the decision-making process in ALK-rearranged aNSCLC patients following progression on 2/3-generation ALK TKIs. Physician's choice of the most recommended next-line systemic treatment (NLST) was captured before and after receival of CGP results; the percentage of cases in which the NLST recommendation has changed was assessed along with the CGP turnaround time (TAT).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: fusions have been reported infrequently in aNSCLC, including as a rare, acquired resistance mechanism following treatment with EGFR TKIs. Data regarding their prevalence and therapeutic implications are limited.

Methods: The Guardant Health (GH) electronic database (ED) was evaluated for cases of aNSCLC and fusions; fusion prevalence with and without a co-existing mutation was assessed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Genomic profiling of breast cancer, with the use of microarrays shows that breast cancer is a group of different diseases. For example, estrogen receptor (ER) positive breast cancer is composed of two different subtypes (luminal A and luminal B) with different biologic processes and distinct prognosis. Based on this profiling, five commercial assays were developed (Oncotype Dx, Mamaprint, Prosigna, Endopredict and Breast Cancer Index) and are currently in clinical use, helping the oncologist and the patient to better understand the chances of recurrence of the disease, the expected benefit from complementary chemotherapy treatments and at the bottom line - who can omit chemotherapy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Clinical trials are an essential source for advances in oncologic care, yet the enrollment rate is only 2-4%. Patients' reluctance to participate is an important barrier. This study evaluates patients' level of understanding and attitudes towards clinical trials.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aim: We evaluated the prevalence of paediatric severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections using antibody testing and characterised antibody titres by time from exposure.

Methods: This was a single-centre, prospective, cross-sectional cohort study. Patients under 18 years old were eligible to participate if they attended the paediatric emergency department at the tertiary Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel, from 18 October 2020 to 12 January 2021 and required blood tests or intravenous access.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Omega-3-rich fish skin grafts have been shown to accelerate wound healing in full-thickness wounds.

Objective: The goal of this study was to compare the fish skin graft with standard of care (SOC) using collagen alginate dressing in the management of treatment-resistant diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), defined as superficial ulcers not involving tendon capsule or bone.

Materials And Methods: Patients with DFUs who were first treated with SOC (offloading, appropriate debridement, and moist wound care) for a 2-week screening period were then randomized to either receiving SOC alone or SOC plus fish skin graft applied weekly for up to 12 weeks.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aims: To investigate the seasonal variations of HbA1c values in a semi-arid climate among type 2 diabetic patients throughout 11 years of care.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study of 2860 patients with 61,187 HbA1c measures. We calculated the averages of HbA1c values of all patients and sub-groups defined by age, gender, BMI, ethnicity, insulin use, smoking status and region of residence, matched to the mean temperature and diurnal range over the 30 and 60 days prior to the HbA1c test date.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: To report the clinical results of lens capsular flap (LCF) transplantation in a patient with refractory medium macular hole (MH).

Methods: Case report.

Results: A 66-year-old female myopic patient with a history of medium macular hole (MH) was previously unsuccessfully treated by vitrectomy surgery, internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling and air-fluid exchange followed by 12% C2F6 tamponade into the vitreous cavity and face-down positioning.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

It is now known that thrombotic disorders such as venous thromboembolism, ischemic stroke, and myocardial infarction contribute significantly to global morbidity and mortality. Anticoagulation service must respond to this new development. Warfarin has continued to provide the backbone for anticoagulation service for decades but with considerable drawbacks.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the clinical effectiveness of surgically implanted cryopreserved human umbilical cord allograft in treating hard-to-heal wounds with and without osteomyelitis.

Method: In this single-centre, retrospective investigation, wounds (average size 6.9±10.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We describe the application of the computerized deep learning methodology to the recognition of corals in a shallow reef in the Gulf of Eilat, Red Sea. This project is aimed at applying deep neural network analysis, based on thousands of underwater images, to the automatic recognition of some common species among the 100 species reported to be found in the Eilat coral reefs. This is a challenging task, since even in the same colony, corals exhibit significant within-species morphological variability, in terms of age, depth, current, light, geographic location, and inter-specific competition.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: This proof-of-concept study demonstrated that using minimally invasive skin microsampling could enable significantly higher throughput of cosmetic testing in volunteers than conventional biopsy. Nanoparticle sunscreen was used as a model to test toxicity based on oxidative stress using microbiopsy and confocal imaging.

Methods: Six volunteers were recruited for this study (3 males and 3 females).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF