BBS genes are involved in accelerated proliferation and early differentiation of BBS-related tissues.

Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is an inherited disorder primarily ciliopathy with pleiotropic multi-systemic phenotypic involvement, including adipose, nerve, retinal, kidney, Etc. Consequently, it is characterized by obesity, cognitive impairment and retinal, kidney and cutaneous abnormalities. Initial studies, including ours have shown that BBS genes play a role in the early developmental stages of adipocytes and β-cells.

Structural and Functional Disturbances of the Thoracic Aorta in Atherosclerosis of Various Gradations.

Aim      To study global aortic circumferential strain in normal conditions and in atherosclerosis of various grades and to determine its role in prediction of structural and functional disorders of the thoracic aorta (TA) and coronary atherosclerosis using 2D speckle-tracking transesophageal echocardiography.Material and methods  182 patients with typical or probable angina were examined. The control group consisted of 11 healthy volunteers.

Implementation of French AmbUlatory Cesarean Section (FAUCS): Establishment of a Learning Curve and Short-term Outcomes.

Background: The French AmbUlatory Cesarean Section (FAUCS) technique was introduced to the Galilee Medical Center in September 2021. FAUCS was performed electively for interested women who meet the criteria.

Objectives: To evaluate the learning curve of senior surgeons performing FAUCS, the procedure short-term outcomes, and complications.

The association between acute lower abdominal pain over a previous caesarean scar and uterine rupture.

Pregnant women with previous caesarean delivery might suffer from acute lower abdominal pain located at the site of previous caesarean scar (CS). The association between this complaint and uterine rupture (UR) is not fully understood. Therefore, we aimed to examine the risk of UR in women with acute persistent abdominal pain (APAP) over a previous CS and to investigate all the women with UR, with or without APAP and with or without previous CS, in order to determine risk factors, clinical presentation and management.

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy - prevalence and ethnic distribution in northern Israel.

Objectives: Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is charachterized by pruritis and elevated serum bile acids (BA) and is associated with adverse obstetrical outcomes. ICP etiology is poorly understood and its incidence varies with ethnicity and geographical distribution.

Objectives: Explore the prevalence and characteristics of ICP in the different Northern Israeli ethnic groups and compare maternal and perinatal outcomes according to disease severity.

The Hormonal Milieu by Different Labor Induction Methods in Women with Previous Cesarean Section: a Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial.

The physiological pattern of hormonal and signaling molecules associated with labor induction is not fully clear. We conducted a preliminary study in order to investigate hormonal changes during labor induction in women with previous cesarean section. Eighty-seven women at term, with previous cesarean section, were randomized to undergo induction of labor by breast stimulation or intracervical balloon and compared with spontaneous labor (controls).

Optimal continuous support accompanying labor - the midwives' and laboring women's point of view.

Background: Women who have continuous intrapartum support are more likely to have a shorter labor and spontaneous vaginal birth, and are less likely to need intrapartum analgesia than women who receive usual care without support. We aimed to determine what women in labor and midwives regard as the optimal number of labor supporters and whether they should be present during medical interventions.

Methods: A questionnaire was distributed to midwives participating in a national midwifery conference in June 2015.

Two approaches for placenta accreta spectrum: B-lynch suture versus pelvic artery endovascular balloon.

Management of patients with placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) varies widely, and scarce data exist concerning its management. The current study compared two different surgical approaches in the management of PAS: the B-lynch approach (Group A) compared to the endovascular balloon catheters (Group B) A retrospective cohort study in two tertiary university-affiliated hospitals between the years 2004 and 2015. Elective cesarean section was planned at 35-37 weeks of gestation.

The use of pre-caesarean prophylactic intra-arterial balloon catheters for suspected placenta accreta.

Introduction: The incidence of placenta accreta (PA) has markedly increased in the United States, from 1/30 000 in 1950 to 1/731 deliveries in 2011. Although placenta praevia after prior caesarean sections (CS) is the most important risk factor for PA, other risk factors make up 1-5% of PA occurrences. At our referral hospital, we use the pre-caesarean prophylactic balloon catheter with or without post-surgery embolisation in a hybrid room.

Colposcopy in Evaluating Bleeding During the Second and Third Trimesters: Short-Term and Postpartum Implications.

Background: The etiology of vaginal bleeding during pregnancy may be obstetric or non-obstetric. Though colposcopy is generally not part of the routine evaluation of 2nd- or 3rd-trimester vaginal bleeding without obvious obstetrical cause, our department does perform colposcopy and cervical cytology testing in these patients. This study assessed the need and possible contribution of colposcopy in diagnosing the etiology of 2nd- and 3rd-trimester bleeding.

Labor progress indices and dynamics of the individual uterine contraction during the active stage of labor.

Aim: To obtain and study new data on the dynamics of the labor process and to develop a contraction-based index of labor progress.

Methods: This study was carried out at the Delivery Room, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Western Galilee Hospital, Nahariya, Israel, using a new device (Birth Track). We continuously monitored cervical dilatation (CD) and head descent (HD) in 30 nulliparaous women during active labor with (augmented group) and without (study group) oxytocin augmentation.

Effectiveness of a novel home-based testing device for the detection of rupture of membranes.

We evaluated the ability of a testing panty liner (TPL) embedded with a pH/ammonia indicator polymer to differentiate amniotic fluid leakage from urine. A multicenter, open-label study in which 339 pregnant women (age 18 to 45 years, minimum 16 weeks' gestation, presenting with unexplained vaginal wetness) were enrolled. The TPL was worn and the results read by the subject and a health care provider (HCP) who was blinded to the subject's reading.

Peripheral polymorphonuclear leukocyte priming contributes to oxidative stress in early pregnancy.

Objective: The cause of elevated blood leukocyte count in pregnancy is unknown. We hypothesized that priming of peripheral polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL) caused this elevation.

Methods: Eleven women in the first trimester of pregnancy were included in this prospective study.

Cord blood lipids concentrations and their relation to body size at birth: possible link between intrauterine life and adult diseases.

Umbilical plasma levels of lipoproteins-cholesterol were measured in 480 normal newborns delivered by spontaneous vaginal delivery at 39 to 40 weeks of gestation. Plasma concentrations of lipids were related to fetal weight, abdominal and head circumference, and ponderal index at birth. Plasma concentration of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) correlated negatively with abdominal circumference (AC), birth weight, and head circumference of newborns (p < 0.