Publications by authors named "Shenker M"

Background: Despite all the technological advances in treatment of patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D), glucose control remains suboptimal in most patients. In addition, a relatively high percentage of patients with T1D, including children, have obesity. Therefore, new interventions are required that focus their effects on weight loss, in order to help with associated insulin resistance and improve glycemic control.

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Treated wastewater is an important source of water for irrigation. As a result, irrigated crops are chronically exposed to wastewater-derived pharmaceuticals, such as the anticonvulsant drug lamotrigine. Lamotrigine is known to be taken up by plants, but its plant-derived metabolites and their distribution in different plant organs are unknown.

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Aims: Study aims: (1) developing and validating a novel questionnaire for measuring fear of hyperglycaemia among parents of children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) - the Hyperglycaemia Fear Survey - Parent version (FoHyper-P); (2) investigating correlations between parental fear of hyperglycaemia and objective measures of glycaemic control.

Methods: A multi-centre, multinational study of 152 parents of children with T1D was conducted in three large diabetes clinics from Israel, Poland, and Greece. Inclusion criteria were parents of children aged 6-16 years, at least 6 months from diagnosis, at least 3 months of CGM use and parental involvement in care.

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Current and continuing climate change in the Anthropocene epoch requires sustainable agricultural practices. Additionally, due to changing consumer preferences, organic approaches to cultivation are gaining popularity. The global market for organic grapes, grape products, and wine is growing.

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This study continues the series of experiments that demonstrate the high antibacterial properties of monovalent copper ions (Cu). While in previous study we examined different metals (copper and silver) and their metal states (mono- and divalent), showing that monovalent copper is best for controlling bacterial growth, the current study focuses on finding conditions which further enhance the antibacterial effect of monovalent copper. This approach may also shed light on mechanisms of Cu ions which still remain unknown.

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Carbamazepine and lamotrigine prescribed antiepileptic drugs are highly persistent in the environment and were detected in crops irrigated with reclaimed wastewater. This study reports pharmacokinetics of the two drugs and their metabolites in cucumber plants under hydroponic culture, testing their uptake, translocation, and transformation over 96 h in single and bisolute systems at varying pH. Ruling out root adsorption and transformations in the nutrient solution, we demonstrate that carbamazepine root uptake is largely affected by the concentration gradient across the membrane.

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Irrigation with treated wastewater (TWW) and application of biosolids to arable land expose the agro-environment to pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) which can be taken up by crops. In this project, we studied the effect of a carrier medium (e.g.

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To meet mounting water demands, treated wastewater has become an important source of irrigation. Thus, contamination of treated wastewater by pharmaceutical compounds (PCs) and the fate of these compounds in the agricultural environment are of increasing concern. This field study aimed to quantify PC uptake by treated wastewater-irrigated root crops (carrots and sweet potatoes) grown in lysimeters and to evaluate potential risks.

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We studied breeding sites of Phlebotomus orientalis (Diptera: Psychodidae) the vector of visceral leishmaniasis in northern Ethiopia. Although numbers were rather small, 165 sand flies were captured emerging from vertisol cracks. The most productive breeding sites were cracked vertisols, dry river banks and close to trees.

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An increasing number of reports on plant uptake of pharmaceutical compounds (PCs) have been recently published, raising concerns of human exposure through dietary intake. In this study, PC uptake and translocation were evaluated in cucumber and tomato plants to elucidate the effects of PC physicochemical properties, soil type, and irrigation-water quality. Nonionic PCs were taken up and accumulated at higher levels in plants grown in soils of lower organic matter and clay content.

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Large flocks of Eurasian crane (Grus grus, >35,000) have begun wintering in an altered wetland agro-ecosystem located in Northern Israel, a phenomenon that attracts more than 400,000 eco-tourists a year. A 100-ha plot has been used to feed the cranes in order to protect nearby fields. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of this bird's feeding practice on the P status of the altered wetland soils and waterways.

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Reclaimed wastewater is an important source of irrigation in semiarid and arid zones. Here we report data on carbamazepine (CBZ) uptake by cucumber plants in hydroponic culture and greenhouse experiments using different soil types irrigated with fresh water or reclaimed wastewater. Data obtained from the hydroponic culture experiments suggest that CBZ is mainly translocated by water mass flow, and thus it is concentrated and accumulated to the largest extent in the mature/older leaves.

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Three chemicals-ferrous sulfate (FeSul), calcium oxide (CaO), and aluminum sulfate (alum)-were applied at different rates to stabilize P in fresh, anaerobically digested biosolids (FBS) obtained from an activated sewage treatment plant. A modified Hedley fractionation procedure was used to assess P forms in these sludge-borne materials and in a biosolids compost (BSC) prepared from the same FBS. Each biosolids material exhibited a unique pattern of P distribution among fractions.

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Stabilization of phosphorus (P) in sewage sludge (biosolids) to reduce water-soluble P concentrations is essential for minimizing P loss from amended soils and maximizing the capacity of the soil to safely serve as an outlet for this waste material. The chemical form at which P is retained in biosolids stabilized by Al(2)(SO(4))(3) x 18H(2)O (alum) or FeSO(4) x 7H(2)O (FeSul) was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray elemental spectrometry (EDXS) and by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Both treatments resulted in the formation of a Ca-P phase, probably brushite.

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Three chemicals, ferrous sulfate (Fe-sul), calcium oxide (CaO), and aluminum sulfate (alum), were used to stabilize phosphorus (P) in fresh, anaerobically digested sewage sludge (FSS). The chemically stabilized sludge materials and biosolids compost (BSC) were compared with the FSS with respect to water-soluble phosphorus (WSP) content in its inorganic (WSP(i)) and organic (WSP(o)) forms as well as water-soluble organic carbon (DOC). Solid-state P speciation was further probed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray elemental spectrometry (EDXS).

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The effects of Mn nutrition of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) seedlings on Mn-, Fe- and CuZn-superoxide dismutase (SOD, EC 1.15.

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The observed increase in phosphorus (P) loading into the Jordan River could increase eutrophication processes in Lake Kinneret, the only freshwater lake in Israel, which provides 25% of the country's drinking water. The P may originate from the peat soils of the highly altered Hula Valley's semiarid wetland ecosystem through which the Jordan River runs. The objectives of this research were to ascertain the sorption capacity of these soils and to identify areas with high potential for P release from soils to ground water.

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A constant anthropogenic release of cadmium to the environment has resulted in a continuous buildup of Cd in soils. Uptake and accumulation of Cd in plant tissue and in grains may lead to food chain transfer to humans. Application of synthetic chelates was suggested to increase metal mobilization and facilitate phytoextraction as a means for the remediation of metal-polluted soils.

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Root exudates released into soil have important functions in mobilizing metal micronutrients and for causing selective enrichment of plant beneficial soil micro-organisms that colonize the rhizosphere. Analysis of plant root exudates typically has involved chromatographic methods that rely on a priori knowledge of which compounds might be present. In the research reported here, the combination of multinuclear and 2-D NMR with GC-MS and high-resolution MS provided de novo identification of a number of components directly in crude root exudates of different plant types.

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The siderophore rhizoferrin, produced by the fungus Rhizopus arrhizus, was previously found to be as an efficient Fe source as Fe-ethylenediamine-di(o-hydroxphenylacetic acid) to strategy I plants. The role of this microbial siderophore in Fe uptake by strategy II plants is the focus of this research. Fe-rhizoferrin was found to be an efficient Fe source for barley (Hordeum vulgare L.

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To estimate the prevalence of dermatitis and risk factors for skin disease in California farm workers, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among grape, citrus, and tomato workers. The prevalence of contact dermatitis was 2% and lichenified hand dermatitis was 13%. Grape workers were more likely to report rashes in the last 12 months than were tomato workers or citrus workers.

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