Israel Active

A pregnant teacher was “clinically dead” when she suffered cardiac arrest at her school in Beit Shemesh. Two students performed CPR and a medic arrived seconds later. Her brother had a similar event 4 years ago. See link to article about Hadassah hospital’s Cardio-Genetic clinic.

11-year-old Gamal Allaham of Bethlehem suffered from a benign tumor in the hypothalamus that caused him severe seizures. Surgeons at Tel Aviv’s Sourasky (Ichilov) hospital used advanced laser brain surgery and an optic fiber to cure him and Gamal is now back at school.

There have been some amazing stories of Israelis donating a kidney to a total stranger while a relative of that stranger donates a kidney to the Israeli’s relative. Thanks to an agreement with the Czech Republic, this recently led to a six-kidney transplant exchange.

Researchers from Israel and the US have developed technology to allow children suffering from bronchiolitis, asthma, cystic fibrosis (CF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), to breathe freely. Air pressure and acoustic pulses remove mucus from airways.

Assistant Professor Yaron Fuchs of Israel’s Technion Institute is one of 27 global scientists to receive a “Young Investigators” award from the European Molecular Biology Organization. Yaron harnesses stem cell apoptosis (cell death due to injury) for driving tissue regeneration.

Israel’s BiondVax has 12,400 participants from 83 hospitals in the Phase 3 double-blind placebo-controlled trials of its Universal Flu vaccine. If successful, the new vaccine could reach pharmacies in 2023. BiondVax’s new Jerusalem facility can produce 20-40 million doses per year.

Another molecular diagnostic test has been developed by doctors at Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem. It can early-diagnose thyroid cancer accurately from biopsies of small nodules that often develop on the thyroid. Previous alternatives were inaccurate or expensive.

A 10-year study of 1,365 Israelis indicates that chemotherapy can be avoided for most women who have early diagnosis and biopsy of the most common types of breast cancer. In 97.4% of those passing a Oncotype DX molecular checkup post-surgery, the cancer never returned.

Israeli scientists and doctors have induced the self-destruction of pancreatic cancer cells in mice. A small molecule, PJ34, normally used to treat stroke victims, reduced cancer cells by up to 90 percent a month. There were no adverse effects. Normal cells were unaffected.

Over a thousand participants gathered in Tel Aviv for the second annual Digital.Health.Now conference. It focused on showcasing advanced Israeli innovations in telemedicine, digital healthcare, and general wellness aided by technology.