Rambam Maimonides Medical Journal

Late-onset nasolacrimal duct obstruction (NLDO) as a result of inflammatory processes causing dacryo-stenosis is a common entity affecting mostly women. While a few mechanisms have been suggested as contributors to the expression of NLDO, the trigger for the inflammation remains mostly unknown. Familial predilection for this condition has not been previously reported. We present two families with multiple individuals affected with congenital or late-onset NLDO, describe the signs and symptoms of the affected individuals, and explore their medical history for any contributing factors...

This case study describes the successful short-term outcome of staged minimally invasive pectus excavatum correction and endoscopic mitral valve repair in a patient with severe mitral valve regurgitation and pectus excavatum.

The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were elaborated to allow authors of such papers to identify quality articles for inclusion in their scholarly work. However, we have identified several issues that point to an over-reliance on the PRISMA guidelines. Firstly, we question the rigor of implementation by authors and the rigor of verification by peer reviewers and editors, and whether they have screened papers to ensure adherence to the PRISMA guidelines. Secondly, we have identified cases where the PRISMA criteria led to as much as 99...

There is a rich history of surgery for cardiac arrhythmias, spanning from atrial fibrillation and Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome to inappropriate sinus tachycardia and ventricular tachycardia. This review describes the history of these operations, their evolution over time, and the current state of practice. We devote considerable time to the discussion of atrial fibrillation, the most common cardiac arrhythmia addressed by surgeons. We discuss ablation of atrial fibrillation as a stand-alone operation and as a concomitant operation performed at the time of cardiac surgery...

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is the most commonly performed and studied major cardiac operation worldwide. An understanding of the evolution of CABG, including the early days of cardiac surgery, the first bypass operation, continuous improvements in techniques, and streamlining of the operation, is important to inform current trends and future innovations. This article will examine how CABG evolved (from techniques to conduits), describe current trends in the field, and explore what lies on the horizon for the future of CABG...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is considered to be responsible for 95% of virus-related cancers in many organs. Oropharyngeal carcinoma (OC) is distinguished by the transformation of the healthy epithelium into precancerous cells. AIM: The current study sought to examine the uneven gene expression of 20 genes among those scanned by microarray for oropharyngeal cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The GSE56142 dataset was extracted from the Gene Expression Omnibus of the National Center for Biotechnology Information; 24 specimens were evaluated...

Movement disorders associated with donepezil have been only rarely reported. Herein, we describe an older woman who developed myoclonus secondary to donepezil. A 61-year-old female presented with brief involuntary twitching. The patient reported that she consulted a general practitioner about 1 month before due to memory complaints. A diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment was made. Donepezil was started. After 4 weeks, she presented to our emergency department due to significant twitching. Multifocal myoclonus was observed...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Xenotransplantation represents a viable solution to meet the great need to provide organ donors at a time when there are not enough human organ donors. A lot of clinical studies have focused on using genetically engineered pigs as the prime source for organ transplantation. However, several religions, such as Judaism and Islam, have restrictions on the use of pigs for food or in business. In this article, we review the Jewish perspectives on xenotransplantation. Overall, the preservation of human life trumps most of the potential religious concerns associated with xenotransplantation...

Rheumatoid diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and fibromyalgia, are characterized by progressive inflammation in the musculoskeletal system, predominantly affecting the joints and leading to cartilage and bone damage. The resulting pain and ongoing degradation of the musculoskeletal system contribute to reduced physical activity, ultimately impacting quality of life and imposing a substantial socioeconomic burden. Unfortunately, current therapeutics have limited efficacy in slowing disease progression and managing pain...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Major improvements in medical diagnostics and treatments in Dutch hospital care during the second half of the 19th century led to a shift from a nearly exclusive focus on indigent patients to an increasing proportion of hospital beds dedicated to paying middle-class patients. To accommodate this change, three private non-sectarian hospitals for middle-class patients were established in Amsterdam between 1857 and 1902. However, the two Jewish hospitals in the Dutch capital, the Dutch Jewish Ashkenazi hospital (NIZ), and the Portuguese Jewish hospital (PIZ), initially established exclusively for poor Jews, were much slower to respond to the trend of increasing hospital care for the middle class...

OBJECTIVES: This review aimed to critically appraise the evidence for biomarkers in blood serum, gingival crevicular fluid (GCF), saliva, and urine in comparison with standard radiographic indices for skeletal maturation assessment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A thorough literature search in multiple databases was conducted for biomarkers in body fluids for skeletal maturation assessed with cervical vertebrae in lateral cephalograms or on hand-wrist radiographs. Different combinations including free text, MeSH terms, and Boolean operators were used...

INTRODUCTION: When authorship disputes arise in academic publishing, research institutions may be asked to investigate the circumstances. We evaluated the association between the prevalence of misattributed authorship and trust in the institution involved. METHODS: We measured trust using a newly validated Opinion on the Institution's Research and Publication Values (OIRPV) scale (range 1-4). Mayer and Davies' Organizational Trust for Management Instrument served as control...

Meir Dvorjetski was a Holocaust survivor, teacher, and historian. He is best remembered for his descriptions of the medicine practiced by the Nazis during World War II, as well as the diseases, disorders, syndromes, and deaths resulting from such practice-particularly, though not solely, on the Jewish race. Dvorjetski's contributions to Holocaust research at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, his underground partisan work, his contributions to society, and his testimony at the Eichmann trial have all been well documented...

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic immune-mediated disease characterized by microangiopathy, immune dysregulation, and progressive fibrosis of the skin and internal organs. Though not fully understood, the pathogenesis of SSc is dominated by microvascular injury, endothelial dysregulation, and immune response that are thought to be associated with fibroblast activation and related fibrogenesis. Among the main clinical subsets, diffuse SSc (dSSc) is a progressive form with rapid and disseminated skin thickening accompanied by internal organ fibrosis and dysfunction...

BACKGROUND: Avoiding rectal thermometry is recommended in patients with neutropenic fever. Permeability of the anal mucosa may result in a higher risk of bacteremia in these patients. Still, this recommendation is based on only a few studies. METHODS: This retrospective study included all individuals admitted to our emergency department during 2014-2017 with afebrile (body temperature <38.3°C) neutropenia (neutrophil count <500 cells/microL) who were over the age of 18...

The coronavirus 2019 (COVID) pandemic has highlighted the ways in which municipal, state, and Federal agencies in the USA have failed to address the inequities of present-day health systems. As alternative organizing centers outside these agencies, local communities are potentially situated to redress the inequities of present-day health systems in a collaborative manner that demonstrates solidarity by supplementing a purely scientific model of medicine and healthcare. In the mid-twentieth century, the Black Panthers, a revolutionary African American nationalist organization that focused on socialism and self-defense, introduced highly influential free clinics, which sought to bring expertise to the Black community on their own terms...

Increasing evidence points towards mitochondria as crucial players in the initiation and progression of auto-immune and degenerative disorders, to which impaired cell metabolism is but a facet of the subjacent etiopathogenesis. This review aims to introduce the reader to essential concepts of mitochondrial abnormalities in idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM), underscoring inclusion-body myositis and dermatomyositis. Far surpassing the initial simplistic view of being responsible for energy generation, mitochondria have gathered attention regarding their role in inflammatory processes, being able to fuel autoimmunity, as shown by the presence of anti-mitochondrial antibodies (AMAs) in up to 10% of IIM patients...