Israeli cardiologists improve rapid heartbeat treatment
For the first time in Israel, Shaare Zedek Medical Center cardiologists have used a tiny balloon filled with helium to destroy cardiac tissue that caused three patients’ heartbeats to go haywire and endanger their lives.
Yad Sarah is on call
Now every Israeli can sign up for Yad Sarah’s immediate communication service for a nominal, one-time fee. When contacted, volunteers see the caller’s health details and can provide advice, deal with emergencies or just engage in a comforting chat.
And there is light
Weizmann scientists have developed a method to refocus scattered light. It can lead to medical lasers performing operations on organs deep inside the body, without cutting intervening skin or tissue.
“It’s not a product – it’s an industry”
Israeli biotech Medgenics’ CEO said its Biopump technology has the potential to “start a whole new pharmaceutical industry”. Medgenics’ technology manipulates patients’ own tissue to produce proteins to fight diseases, eliminating the need for hundreds of vaccines.
A deal to fight cancer
Israeli biotech BioView’s cancer scanning systems will be integrated with French company ScreenCell’s technology to isolate rare tumour cells. The combined solution will improve diagnosis and speed up medical decisions about the best treatment options.
Smoking restricted
Israel has introduced an extensive expansion of laws to prohibit smoking in public spaces in Israel, including central bus stations, covered bus stops, train platforms, government offices, hospital entrances and doorways, places of worship, swimming pools, theatres, restaurants and cafes.
New heart valve centre
US biotech ValCare is to open a centre in Israel to develop a heart valve repair device. The mitral annuloplasty device is implanted using a catheter, thus avoiding open-heart surgery. It prevents mitral valve regurgitation (blood flowing backwards into the heart) affecting 4 million US citizens.
PillCam gets approval in Japan
Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has issued reimbursement codes for Israel’s Given Imaging internal camera, so that it can be used as a first line tool in diagnoses.
Advanced medical clowning
(Thanks to Israel21c) Some of the world’s leading experts participated in the first Advanced Medical Clowning International Summer Seminar at the University of Haifa. Israel is a leader in professionalizing the field of medical clowning and providing scientific evidence for its effectiveness.
The fifties are the most productive
A study by University of Haifa researchers has shown that white-collar workers show their “highest level of professional vitality” between the ages of 50 and 60. That’s really good news for one 55-year-old newsletter editor.