Israel Active

Scientists at Tel Aviv University, Sheba Medical Center and Haifa University have discovered the first objective system for diagnosing ADHD. Involuntary eye movements accurately reflect the presence of ADHD. The test is affordable and accessible.

Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem has hosted an international conference focusing on inherited pancreatic diseases. It included physicians from Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Norway, Spain, and the US specializing in identifying genes related to chronic diseases of the pancreas.

(Thanks to Hazel and Israel21c) Israel’s Amit Goffer invented ReWalk to help paraplegics to walk. But Amit is a quadriplegic and cannot use ReWalk. So he has invented the UPnRIDE, which allows almost every wheelchair user to stand upright – even on sloping ground.

A joint study by Israeli and Swedish researchers has found that a plain whey protein drink one half hour before breakfast could help diabetics, or pre-diabetics, prevent blood sugar spikes and better manage the disease. Blood glucose levels were reduced, insulin levels were higher and the response was earlier.

More lives can be saved now that Israel has adopted technology to allow transplants from donors whose hearts have stopped beating. Previously, some religious authorities rejected brain-stem death, whilst cardiac death damaged vital organs making them unusable.

Soldiers wounded in Operation Protective Edge are benefiting from a brand-new Israeli technology to close open wounds quickly. TopClosure acts like a medical zip to protect wounds immediately when they are inflicted, allowing them to be fully treated later.

Electronic Medical Records transformed Israel’s health system and convinced the USA to implement them. Sensing technology is the next big advance. Jerusalem’s symposium “Connected Health and Vulnerable Populations” showed how Israel is a prototype for global better health.

ALS sufferers live longer in Israel.  In global terms, between 5 and 10 percent of ALS sufferers survive more than 10 years after being diagnosed. But in Israel, 20 percent of ALS patients survive longer.  The high survival rate is thought to be due to family support systems, the Israeli health care system and early diagnosis.  (link expired) (link should work)  

Israel’s BrainStorm, together with Canadian company Octane Biotech, has built a bioreactor for commercial production of the stem cells used as a basis for the company's treatment for ALCS. The ability to multiply stem cells is critical for the treatment's success.

Virologist Dr. Leslie Lobel from Ben Gurion University is developing a vaccine to defeat the Ebola virus by studying the immune systems of the disease’s survivors. He has spent 12 years studying the disease in Uganda.