Effects of the COVID-19 Lockdown on HbA1c Levels of Ethnic Minorities and Low-income Groups with Type 2 Diabetes in Israel.

Aims: To investigate the impact of low socioeconomic status (SES) and/or membership in ethnic minority has on HbA1c before and during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted between March 2019 and March 2021, based on data from electronic medical records of 17,072 patients with type-2 diabetes, collected by Clalit (Israel's largest health maintenance organization). Low SES was compared to high and ethnic minorities (Arabs and ultra-Orthodox Jews) were compared to the general Israeli population of mostly Jewish, but not ultra-Orthodox, Israeli citizens.

Factors Associated with Exclusive Breastfeeding at Hospital Discharge among Native-Born, Immigrant, and Refugee Women.

Background: Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended through six months as it supports infant growth and development. Yet, many mothers do not exclusively breastfeed in early postpartum.

Objectives: To examine factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding at hospital discharge among culturally diverse women.

The outcomes of treatment for homebound adults with complex medical conditions in a hospital-at-home unit in the southern district of Israel.

Background: A model of hospital-at-home services called the Home Care Unit ("the unit") has been implemented in the southern region of the Clalit Healthcare Services in Israel. The aim of the present study was to characterize this service model.

Methods: A retrospective cross-over study.

Motivating school communities towards behavior change and local ownership: a gamification intervention to prevent trachoma at primary schools in southern Ethiopia.

Background: Ethiopia alone carries 49% of the global burden of trachoma, associated with a lack of safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and poor health practices. The aim of this study was to examine whether gamification among schoolchildren and promotion of local ownership of school WASH is associated with healthy behaviors and WASH infrastructure improvements.

Methods: Application of the Accelerate gamification intervention for elimination of trachoma, with an emphasis on gamification among schoolchildren and community involvement in motivating face-washing, handwashing and functional use of latrines, was undertaken.

High prevalence of soil-transmitted helminths and schistosomiasis among primary schoolchildren in Southwest Ethiopia: the need for health strategies alongside mass drug administration.

Background: Soil-transmitted helminths (STH) and schistosomiasis remain widely prevalent in Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of STH and schistosomiasis among schoolchildren in Gidi Bench district (Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Republic, Southwest Ethiopia) and the association with knowledge and health-related behaviors.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted.

Downstream Imaging Studies Do Not Significantly Improve Outcome in Most Patients with Chest Pain Who Did Not Reach Their Target Heart Rate on a Stress ECHO Study.

Echocardiographic stress tests are often used to evaluate patients who complain of chest pain. However, some patients fail to reach the target heart rate required for the test to be conclusive (usually defined as 85% of the predicted maximal heart rate based on the patient's age) and are often sent for additional imaging tests, such as myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) or cardiac computed tomography angiography (CTA). Few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of these additional tests in patients who present with chest pain but did not meet the heart rate requirements for a stress test.

Maternal exposure to particulate matter early in pregnancy and congenital anomalies in offspring: Analysis of concentration-response relationships in a population-based cohort with follow-up throughout childhood.

Studies have suggested an association between particulate matter (PM) air pollution and certain congenital anomalies (CAs). However, most studies assumed a linear concentration-response relation and were based on anomalies that were ascertained at birth or up to 1 year of age. We investigated associations between exposures to PM during the first trimester of pregnancy and CAs in 9 organ systems using birth and childhood follow-up data from a leading health care provider in Israel.

Simplifying carb counting: A randomized controlled study - Feasibility and efficacy of an individualized, simple, patient-centred carb counting tool.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to introduce and test a simple, individualized carbohydrate counting tool designed for persons with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) in order to determine whether the tool improved A1C levels for participants with age, education or language barriers.

Methods: In a randomized controlled trial, 85 participants were offered six diabetes instructional sessions free of charge over a six-month period. Forty-one received guidance using the regular carbohydrate counting (RCC) method.

Schistosomiasis Control in Ethiopia: The Role of Snail Mapping in Endemic Communities.

Introduction: Schistosomiasis, a neglected tropical disease (NTD), remains a public health problem in Ethiopia. Freshwater snails, acting as intermediate hosts, release cercariae, the infectious parasite, into the water, which penetrate human skin that encounters infested waters. The objective of this study was to map snail abundance along rivers and study its association with schistosomiasis infection in communities using these rivers.

Sustainable Elimination of Schistosomiasis in Ethiopia-A Five-Year Follow-Up Study.

In 2009, Mekele, the capital of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia, presented a mean prevalence of 44.7% of schistosomiasis (S. mansoni) in school children.

Mother-level random effect in the association between PM and fetal growth: A population-based pregnancy cohort.

Background: A growing body of literature reports associations between exposure to particulate matter with diameter ≤2.5 μm (PM) during pregnancy and birth outcomes. However, findings are inconsistent across studies.

The SHED Index: a tool for assessing a Sustainable HEalthy Diet.

Purpose: Promoting sustainable diets through sustainable food choices is essential for achieving the sustainable development goals set by the United Nations. Establishing a practical tool that can measure and score sustainable and healthy eating is highly important.

Methods: We established a 30-item questionnaire to evaluate sustainable-dietary consumption.

A Time Frame for Testing Negative for SARS-COV2 in People with Obesity.

Objective: Obesity is a major risk factor for becoming seriously ill with the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19). One difficulty faced by clinicians and by patients is the unknown time frame of hospitalization until discharge of symptomatic patients.

Methods: We followed 34 patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection who recovered fromthe infection.

A TRAIL-TL1A Paracrine Network Involving Adipocytes, Macrophages, and Lymphocytes Induces Adipose Tissue Dysfunction Downstream of E2F1 in Human Obesity.

Elevated expression of E2F1 in adipocyte fraction of human visceral adipose tissue (hVAT) associates with a poor cardiometabolic profile. We hypothesized that beyond directly activating autophagy and MAP3K5 (ASK)-MAP kinase signaling, E2F1 governs a distinct transcriptome that contributes to adipose tissue and metabolic dysfunction in obesity. We performed RNA sequencing of hVAT samples from age-, sex-, and BMI-matched patients, all obese, whose visceral E2F1 protein expression was either high (E2F1) or low (E2F1).

Obesity and COVID-19: The Two Sides of the Coin.

The World Health Organization declared COVID-19, the infectious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, a pandemic on March 12, 2020. COVID-19 is causing massive health problems and economic suffering around the world. The European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO) promptly recognised the impact that the outbreak could have on people with obesity.

Evaluating a multipollutant metric for use in characterizing traffic-related air pollution exposures within near-road environments.

Accurately characterizing human exposures to traffic-related air pollutants (TRAPs) is critical to public health protection. However, quantifying exposure to this single source is challenging, given its extremely heterogeneous chemical composition. Efforts using single-species tracers of TRAP are, thus, lacking in their ability to accurately reflect exposures to this complex mixture.

Near-road Vehicle Emissions Air Quality Monitoring for Exposure Modeling.

Exposure to vehicular emissions has been linked to numerous adverse health effects. In response to the arising concerns, near-road monitoring is conducted to better characterize the impact of mobile source emissions on air quality and exposure in the near-road environment. An intensive measurement campaign measured traffic-related air pollutants (TRAPs) and related data (e.

Distinct trajectories in HbA1c are associated with different all-cause mortality and morbidity in newly diagnosed patients with type 2 diabetes.

Aims: To identify trajectories of long-term HbA1c levels and examine associations with subsequent risk for morbidity and mortality.

Methods: We conducted a longitudinal follow-up among 27,724 patients, newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, in a large healthcare organization. We identified trajectories of long-term HbA1c levels during the first 5 years post diabetes onset to examine associations with subsequent risk for morbidity and all-cause mortality.

Measurement of Oxidatively Induced DNA Damage in with High-Salt DNA Extraction and Isotope-Dilution Mass Spectrometry.

is used extensively as a medical and toxicological model organism. However, little is known about background levels of oxidatively induced DNA damage in the nematode or how culturing methods affect DNA damage levels. The tough cuticle makes it challenging to extract genomic DNA without harsh procedures that can artifactually increase DNA damage.

Conversion from Prediabetes to Diabetes in Individuals with Obesity, 5-Years Post-Band, Sleeve, and Gastric Bypass Surgeries.

Background: Identifying risk factors for conversion to diabetes among individuals with obesity and prediabetes is important for preventing diabetes.

Purpose: We assessed conversion rates to diabetes 5 years after three types of metabolic surgery and examined predictors of diabetes development.

Methods: We accessed data of individuals with prediabetes, defined as fasting glucose (FG) 100-125 mg/dL (5.

Perturbations of the arginine metabolome following exposures to traffic-related air pollution in a panel of commuters with and without asthma.

Background: Mechanisms underlying the effects of traffic-related air pollution on people with asthma remain largely unknown, despite the abundance of observational and controlled studies reporting associations between traffic sources and asthma exacerbation and hospitalizations.

Objectives: To identify molecular pathways perturbed following traffic pollution exposures, we analyzed data as part of the Atlanta Commuters Exposure (ACE-2) study, a crossover panel of commuters with and without asthma.

Methods: We measured 27 air pollutants and conducted high-resolution metabolomics profiling on blood samples from 45 commuters before and after each exposure session.

Wine and Health-New Evidence.

Health benefits of moderate wine consumption have been studied during the past decades, first in observational studies and more recently, in experimental settings and randomized controlled studies. Suggested biological pathways include antioxidant, lipid regulating, and anti-inflammatory effects. Both the alcoholic and polyphenolic components of wine are believed to contribute to these beneficial effects.