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עמוד בית
Fri, 06.12.24

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January 2021
Mathilda Mandel MD, Michael Gurevich PhD, Michal Mandelboim PhD, Howard Amital MD, and Anat Achiron MD PhD

Background: During the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak our blood bank developed protocols to guarantee accurate blood components to COVID-19 patients.

Objectives: To provide convalescent whole blood donor screening strategies for patients recovering from COVID-19.

Methods: We recruited COVID-19 recovering patients who met our defined inclusion criteria for whole blood donation. All blood units were screened for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA by real time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and SARS-COV-2 immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies against the S1 domain.

Results: We screened 180 blood units from patients recovering from COVID-19. All results were negative for SARS-CoV-2 RNA and 87.2% were positive for SARS-COV-2 IgG antibodies in the plasma.

Conclusions: Blood component units from recovering COVID-19 patients are safe. Plasma units with positive IgG antibodies could serve as an efficient passive immunization for COVID-19 patients. Moreover, in the face of increased transfusion demand for treatment of anemia and coagulation dysfunction in critical ill COVID-19 patients, red blood cells units and random platelets units from convalescent donors can be safely transfused.

March 2014
Avraham Unterman, Anat Achiron, Itai Gat, Oren Tavor and Amitai Ziv
 Background: Physicians are often insufficiently trained in bedside teaching and mentoring skills. Objectives: To develop, implement and assess a simulation-based training program designed to improve clinical teaching among physicians.

Methods: We developed a one-day tutor training program based on six simulated scenarios with video-based debriefing. The program's efficacy was assessed using questionnaires completed by the participating physicians and their students. Main outcome measures were self-perceived teaching skills at baseline, after participation in the program, and following completion of the tutor role. Secondary outcome measures were the students' perceptions regarding their tutor skills.

Results: Thirty-two physicians (mean age 35.5, 56% females) participated in the program. Self-assessment questionnaires indicated statistically significant improvement following the program in 13 of 20 measures of teaching skills. Additional improvement was observed upon completion of the tutor role, leading to significant improvement in 19 of the 20 measures. Questionnaires completed by their students indicated higher scores in all parameters as compared to a matched control group of tutors who did not participate in the program, though not statistically significant. Most participants stated that the program enhanced their teaching skills (88%), they implement program-acquired skills when teaching students (79%), and they would recommend it to their peers (100%). Satisfaction was similar among participants with and without previous teaching experience.

Conclusions: A novel one-day simulation-based tutor training program was developed and implemented with encouraging results regarding its potential to improve clinical teaching and mentoring skills. 

April 2012
A. Achiron, B.-Z. Garty, S. Menascu, D. Magalashvili, M. Dolev, B. Ben-Zeev and O. Pinhas-Hamiel
Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) occurs in young adults and infrequently appears in childhood.

Objectives: To determine the incidence of MS and describe the clinical, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings at onset MS in children in Israel.

Methods: Incidence and case-specific data were obtained through the MS Center Database and Israeli Health Statistics Census Data over 15 years, from 1995 to 2009, and compared between patients with childhood (< 12 years), juvenile (> 12 years, < 18 years) and adult (> 18 years) onset MS.

Results: Of 1129 eligible MS patients, we identified 10 (0.89%) with childhood-onset MS, 74 (6.55%) with juvenile-onset MS, and 1045 (92.56%) with adult-onset MS. There were 0 to 3 incident childhood cases/year, leading to an annual incidence of 0.1/100,000 among Israeli children the incidence of juvenile and adult MS was 2.6 and 5.4/100,000, respectively. Neurological presentation among children with MS was optic neuritis, motor weakness or brainstem involvement. CSF oligoclonal immunoglobulin (IgG) were positive in 62.5%. The most frequent MRI finding was the occurrence of ¡Ý 3 periventricular white matter lesions followed by corpus callosum lesions, with 71% co-occurrence. Cervical and thoracic lesions occurred in 33% and 43%, respectively. Time to second neurological event ranged from 0.3 to 4.2 years and none of the patients with childhood MS reached EDSS=6.0 within a mean follow-up period of 8.4 years.

Conclusions: Childhood-onset MS is rare, with an incidence of 0.1/100,000 Israeli children. Childhood MS does not differ significantly from juvenile and adult-onset MS in terms of clinical, laboratory and imaging findings.
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