Impact of COVID-19 infection on lung function and nutritional status amongst individuals with cystic fibrosis: A global cohort study.

Background: Factors associated with severe COVID-19 infection have been identified; however, the impact of infection on longer-term outcomes is unclear. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of COVID-19 infection on the trajectory of lung function and nutritional status in people with cystic fibrosis (pwCF).

Methods: This is a retrospective global cohort study of pwCF who had confirmed COVID-19 infection diagnosed between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021.

Baseline characteristics and predictors for early implantation of vagus nerve stimulation therapy in people with drug-resistant epilepsy: Observations from an international prospective outcomes registry (CORE-VNS).

Objective: Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) Therapy is routinely indicated for people with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). We analyzed the baseline characteristics of individuals receiving the recently released VNS models and identified factors associated with early or late implantation.

Methods: The Comprehensive Outcomes Registry of subjects with Epilepsy (CORE-VNS), a prospective observational study evaluating the clinical and psychosocial outcomes of VNS Therapy®, is following participants for up to 60 months after VNS implantation.

Daratumumab in pediatric relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia or lymphoblastic lymphoma: the DELPHINUS study.

Patients with relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) or lymphoblastic lymphoma (LL) have poor outcomes compared with newly diagnosed, treatment-naïve patients. The phase 2, open-label DELPHINUS study evaluated daratumumab (16 mg/kg IV) plus backbone chemotherapy in children with relapsed/refractory B-cell ALL (n = 7) after ≥2 relapses, and children and young adults with T-cell ALL (children, n = 24; young adults, n = 5) or LL (n = 10) after first relapse. The primary end point was complete response (CR) in the B-cell ALL (end of cycle 2) and T-cell ALL (end of cycle 1) cohorts, after which patients could proceed off study to allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT).

Regions of Homozygocity size patterns among diverse ethnic groups in Israel: Toward tailored diagnostic reporting thresholds.

Long contiguous stretches of homozygosity or regions of homozygosity (ROH) are frequently detected via microarray and sequencing technologies. However, consensus on the establishment of specific size cutoffs for reporting ROH remains elusive. This study aims to assess the Total ROH Percentages (TRPS) and size of ROH segments across different ethnic origins, exploring potential disparities and proposing tailored diagnostic thresholds.

Pediatric chest radiograph interpretation in a real-life setting.

Unlabelled: Chest radiography is a frequently used imaging modality in children. However, only fair to moderate inter-observer agreement has been reported between chest radiograph interpreters. Most studies were not performed in real-world clinical settings.

A spatial expression atlas of the adult human proximal small intestine.

The mouse small intestine shows profound variability in gene expression along the crypt-villus axis. Whether similar spatial heterogeneity exists in the adult human gut remains unclear. Here we use spatial transcriptomics, spatial proteomics and single-molecule fluorescence in situ hybridization to reconstruct a comprehensive spatial expression atlas of the adult human proximal small intestine.

Medical perspectives on Israeli children after their release from captivity - A retrospective study.

Aim: Following the Hamas terror attack on Israeli towns on October 2023, 250 individuals were taken into captivity. On November-December 2023, during the cease-fire deal, 26 women and children were released. This study is the first to describe the physical and behavioural findings in children and their mothers in the immediate phase of returning home from captivity.

Urine dipstick blood and acute kidney injury in infants undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass.

Background: Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is associated with hemolysis and acute kidney injury (AKI). The study aim was to determine if urine dipstick blood in infants after CPB was associated with AKI and urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL).

Methods: Infants who underwent CPB at a single center were enrolled prospectively between October 2017 and June 2019.

National study reveals gram negative bacteremia on contemporary pediatric AML protocol.

Since bacteremia complicates childhood Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients, we assessed bacteremia rates in Israeli children with AML. All chemotherapy courses of patients enrolled in NOPHO-DBH-2012 AML protocol were included. Down syndrome, acute promyelocytic leukemia were excluded.

The natural history of dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase deficiency in Israel.

Dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (DLD) deficiency is an ultra-rare autosomal-recessive inborn error of metabolism, affecting no less than five mitochondrial multienzyme complexes. With approximately 30 patients reported to date, DLD deficiency was associated with three major clinical presentations: an early-onset encephalopathic phenotype with metabolic acidosis, a predominantly hepatic presentation with liver failure, and a rare myopathic phenotype. To elucidate the demographic, phenotypic, and molecular characteristics of patients with DLD deficiency within the Israeli population, data were collected from metabolic disease specialists in four large tertiary medical centers in the center and south of Israel.

The association between infantile microcytic anemia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, a case-control study.

Background: Microcytic anemia due to iron deficiency is the most common type of anemia in children in Israel and many parts of the world, and has been shown to have negative consequences for the cognitive performance. We aimed to examine the association between microcytic anemia at age 9-18 months and ADHD during childhood.

Methods: This case-control study included healthy children aged 6-18 years at data collection (April 2020), insured by Clalit-Health-Services, and aged 9-18 months between June 2004 and December 2013, when a blood-count was performed.

Infantile and Very Early Onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Multicenter Study.

Objectives: This study described disease characteristics and long-term outcomes in patients diagnosed with very early onset inflammatory bowel disease (VEOIBD) (diagnosed before 6 years of age) and infantile-IBD (before 2 years).

Methods: Cases from 21 centers worldwide diagnosed with VEOIBD (2008-2018), with minimum 2 years of follow-up, were retrospectively reviewed.

Results: The cohort included 243 patients (52% males, median follow-up of 5.

Insights into Central Congenital Hypothyroidism: A Multicenter Retrospective Analysis.

Context: Central congenital hypothyroidism (CCH) is a thyroid hormone deficiency at birth caused by inadequate pituitary stimulation of the thyroid gland. Although primary CH has been studied extensively, studies on CCH are sparse.

Objectives: To assess the prevalence of CCH in Israel and describe its clinical features, neonatal screening results, and outcomes.

Evolving Approach to Antibiotic Treatment of Pediatric Spondylodiscitis.

Objective: To describe for intervertebral spondylodiscitis (IS) its clinical characteristics, treatment approaches with intravenous (IV) antibiotics, and clinical implications of changes in treatment approach.

Study Design: This retrospective study included all children aged 0-18 years diagnosed with imaging-confirmed thoracic and lumbar IS from 2000 to 2022 at a tertiary pediatric hospital. Patients with longer IV treatment regimen were compared with those with a shorter clinically directed IV to oral regimen.

Differential Serum Phosphate Levels in Pediatric Febrile Syndromes and Their Clinical Significance.

Background: The potential of hypophosphatemia (HP) to differentiate between febrile syndromes and its clinical significance in children without sepsis were not previously described.

Methods: Data were retrospectively collected of febrile children 3 months to 18 years of age, hospitalized at general pediatric wards during 2010-2019. Phosphate levels were compared between bacterial infection (BI), viral infection (VI), and Kawasaki disease (KD).

Pediatric anesthesia training in Israel and Palestine: Realities versus expectations.

Israel is a young country with a rather young system of medical education. This educational review serves to illuminate the similarities and differences in the training of a pediatric Anesthesiologist in both Israel and Palestine.

Eosinophils in hidradenitis suppurativa patients exhibit pro-inflammatory traits, implicating a potential pathogenic role in the disease.

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is an inflammatory skin disease characterized by painful nodules, abscesses and purulent secretions in intertriginous regions. Intense pruritus frequently accompanies HS lesions, adding further discomfort for patients. While Th17 pathway activation is implicated in HS pathogenesis, disease mechanisms are still not fully understood, and therapeutics are lacking.

Different infliximab induction dosing regimens do not affect remission rates up to 1 year in children with Crohn's disease.

Objectives: Multiple studies in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha agents have shown that proactive therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) during the maintenance phase leads to improved outcomes. We aimed to assess whether accelerated (IFX) administration during induction resulted in improved outcomes.

Methods: This retrospective study included CD patients aged 5-17.