Israel Active

All nine varieties of dates grown in Israel are better than other varieties at helping protect those who consume them against cardiovascular diseases. Researchers from Haifa’s Rambam hospital and Israel’s Technion have proved this in a study published in the prestigious Journal of Agriculture Food Chemistry. Three dates a day reduce triglycerides and improve cholesterol.

World ORT Kadima Mada in Israel now provides educational facilities in all 35 Israeli hospitals with children’s units. The Swiss-based SASA Setton Foundation has just made a $3.2 million investment to cover youngsters at psychiatric hospitals and mental health units.

Israel marked “International Week for Encouraging Vaccinations” by announcing that the Prevnar vaccination introduced in 2009 had reduced annual cases of pneumonia by 70%. The rotavirus vaccine, added in 2010, has reduced gastrointestinal illness in children by 60%.

A group of researchers from the Hadassah Medical Organization has located a gene that explains the reason for recurrent life threatening infections and the bone marrow failure in children.

Israeli hospitals have imposed a strict set of procedures to prevent the spread of the super-bug MRSA. Isolation wards, dedicated staff, mandatory hand-washing and daily reports have cut the incidence of the bacteria by over 70 per cent.

Ten percent of babies are born with vascular defects, of which most are incorrectly diagnosed and can be life threatening. With the opening of a new unit in Jerusalem at Hadassah Medical Center, these children no longer need to be sent abroad for this type of surgery.

Israel’s Elad Systems has developed a smart-phone app to enable doctors at Tel Hashomer’s Sheba Medical Center to view the medical files of patients in real time. It will show data on hospitalization, operations, clinic visits, medical tests, prescriptions and sensitivities to help speed diagnosis.

Three Israelis invented the science of Biogerontology (the study of longevity and the aging process) some 40 years ago. Recently, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev hosted the eighth European Congress of Biogerontology — the first time this event was held in Israel.

Doctors at Haifa’s Rambam hospital performed one of the most difficult surgical procedures possible. Although one twin was not viable and was stillborn, the other is now fighting for its life. There have been only 150 cases of similarly conjoined twins in the last 126 years.

(Thanks to Israel21c) Although nearly all babies are vaccinated against HBV, the virus still kills 1.2 million people every year – mainly immune-suppressed, gluten intolerant and diabetics. Israeli biotech SciGen’s Sci-B-Vac is the only third-generation HBV vaccine, given to almost all Israelis and has reduced HBV deaths in Israel significantly. It will soon be available in most countries.