Israel Active

The 16-year-old from Baka al-Gharbiya was adjusting her headscarf and had put the 3.5cm hatpin in her mouth temporarily. Unfortunately, something made her laugh and she swallowed the pin. Doctors at Hadera hospital pulled the pin out of her vocal cords. Ouch!

Teva is the first company to produce generic Zemplar (paricalcitol) tablets in the US. The treatment is for patients with Stage 3 or Stage 4 chronic kidney disease and in Stage 5 patients on dialysis.

Israel’s MediSafe has just raised $1million to expand its medication management solutions. MediSafe’s smartphone app keeps track of medication taken and sends alerts to relatives or monitoring organizations if any treatment is missed.

(Thanks to Israel21c) October 10th was “World Sight Day”. Here are 10 products from the “Light to the Nations” that will transform the field of vision. They include implants, keyboards, a smartphone for the blind, electronic spectacles and cameras.

The media is reporting the discovery by Dr Regina Golan-Gerstl, of Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical School, of hnRNP A2/B1. The protein gene is key to the most common and aggressive adult brain cancer - glioblastoma. Great news, as reported it in my 14th Aug 2011 newsletter.

In Phase III trials, Israel’s Teva reported that its Laquinimod oral treatment for multiple sclerosis reduced neuro-degeneration, slowing the progression of locomotor disability in multiple sclerosis patients. Laquinimod might also help treat Crohn's disease, lupus nephritis, Huntington’s disease and Alzheimer’s.

1.5 million Americans, including many Jews, suffer from Parkinson’s disease. The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle highlights some of the many Israeli treatments.

(Thanks to NoCamels.com) Israel’s Elfi Tech monitors your pulse rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, blood flow and much more, non-invasively at any time with the help of a sensor smaller than a dime. It has just been selected as a finalist of the Nokia Sensing XChallenge.

Tel Aviv University scientists have manufactured cardiac tissue from spring-shaped fibers. The elastic tissue mimics the expanding and contracting heart and is more suitable for transplants than tissue made from straight fibers.

Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science has launched The Personalized Nutrition Project. Over the course of ten days, local volunteers will have their glucose intake and absorption monitored. Using the data, scientists profile each individual’s response to foods and tailor a personal nutritionally balanced diet.