Israel Active

(Thanks to Nevet www.broadview.org) Dr. Itai Amir of Israel’s Maayanei Hayeshua hospital discovered a new strain of bacteria when examining a patient’s blood culture. Eisenbergiella Tayi assists in digestion and has tremendous scientific importance, according to hospital experts.

CerOx from Israel’s Ornim is the only non-invasive device on the market monitoring blood flow to the brain in patients with severe brain trauma. The CerOx device uses ultrasound and near-infrared light to measure oxygen saturation and prevent brain damage. It has just raised $10 million.

Israel’s Brainsway has installed its Deep Brain Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) systems at Stockholm's Karolinska University Hospital where they will be used immediately to treat patients with depression. Sweden has one of the highest rates of depression in the world.

(Thanks to Atid-EDI) Israel’s BioControl Medical has developed the first medical device to treat chronic heart failure using neuro-stimulation. It operates by stimulating the vagus nerve on the right side of the neck. Trials are being conducted at 80 centers in the US, Europe and Israel.

(Thanks to Hazel) Israel’s BioImage is using diffusion MRI to analyze the brain’s white fatty tissue, called myelin. It explains why some people excel at math, others have better memories and others can “think outside of the box”. It could even prevent deterioration due to aging.

Israel’s Medigus is launching its flexible endoscope for the treatment of acid reflux. The simple outpatient procedure can benefit over 16 million people with acid reflux who do not respond to medication.

Professor Yair Reisner of the Weizmann Institute won a Rappaport prize for his leukemia treatment using stem cells from incompatible donors. Dr. Yaakov Nahmias of Jerusalem’s Hebrew University won his award for the grapefruit molecule naringenin that can block viruses.

Scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute have identified how the HIV virus suppresses the T-cell immune response. It has helped them develop a peptide (small protein) that reduces the severity of Multiple Sclerosis - a disease characterized by an undesirable autoimmune T-cell response.

While most of the world was bringing in the civil New Year, doctors at Schneider Children’s Medical Center were giving new life to 4 children. 10-year-old Miran received a new heart and lungs; a four-year-old was given a new liver and two girls (5 and 11) received a kidney each.

Researchers at Tel Aviv’s Sourasky Medical Center have discovered why most patients with estrogen receptor–positive metastatic breast cancer, who initially respond to endocrine treatments like tamoxifen, will eventually develop resistance to them. The finding can help develop new treatments.