Social workers play a key role in supporting the labour market inclusion of disabled people. Nevertheless, we know little about how they perceive the barriers that disabled people face and their role in addressing them. In particular, we need to know more about the extent to which they adopt an individualised versus a social model of disability. To address this gap, semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-three Israeli social workers providing employment-related services via public and non-profit organisations. A thematic analysis revealed that the participants tended to view their clients’ barriers as related to individual characteristics, including their impairment, level of functioning and soft skills. Whereas social barriers were acknowledged as well, these were usually framed as related to employers’ attitudes, including ignorance, stigma, fear and distrust. In addition, recognition of these social barriers was usually detached from the social workers’ daily, individualised practices.
This study examined differences between Arab and Jewish undergraduate students in their perceived academic challenges, COVID-19-related concerns, perceived social support and trust in the university and the government. It also examined factors associated with perceived academic challenges and the moderating role of trust in the university in the associations between COVID-19-related concerns and perceived academic challenges. The sample consisted of 2751 students: 2291 (83%) Jewish, 398 (15%) Arab and 61 (2%) ?other?. Arab students reported higher COVID-19-related concerns and perceived academic challenges, and lower levels of perceived social support and trust in university and government than did Jewish students. Both Jewish and Arab students identified COVID-19-related concerns as a stress-vulnerability factor for perceived academic challenges, whereas perceived social support and trust in the university were identified as resources for perceived academic challenges. No support was found for the role of trust in government in the face of perceived academic challenges nor for the moderating role of trust in the university in the associations between COVID-19-related concerns and perceived academic challenges. In conclusion, the need of Arab students for emotional and academic support needs to be acknowledged as part of the efforts to promote academic success during the pandemic.
Periodontal disease is a complex and progressive chronic inflammatory condition that leads to the loss of alveolar bone and teeth. It has been associated with various systemic diseases, including diabetes mellitus and obesity, among others. Some of these conditions are part of the metabolic syndrome cluster, a group of interconnected systemic diseases that significantly raise the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, and stroke. The metabolic syndrome cluster encompasses central obesity, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and hypertension. In this review, our objective is to investigate the correlation between periodontal disease and the components and outcomes of the metabolic syndrome cluster. By doing so, we aim to gain insights into the fundamental mechanisms that link each systemic condition with the metabolic syndrome. This deeper understanding of the interplay between these conditions and periodontal disease can pave the way for more effective treatments that take into account the broader impact of managing periodontal disease on the comprehensive treatment of systemic diseases, and vice versa.
Konstantina Kourou, Manikis, Georgios , Mylona, Eugenia , Poikonen-Saksela, Paula , Mazzocco, Ketti , Pat-Horenczyk, Ruth , Sousa, Berta , Oliveira-Maia, Albino J, Mattson, Johanna , Roziner, Ilan , ו others, . 2023.
“Personalized Prediction Of One-Year Mental Health Deterioration Using Adaptive Learning Algorithms: A Multicenter Breast Cancer Prospective Study”. Scientific Reports, 13, Pp. 7059.
Georgios C Manikis, Simos, Nicholas J, Kourou, Konstantina , Kondylakis, Haridimos , Poikonen-Saksela, Paula , Mazzocco, Ketti , Pat-Horenczyk, Ruth , Sousa, Berta , Oliveira-Maia, Albino J, Mattson, Johanna , ו others, . 2023.
“Personalized Risk Analysis To Improve The Psychological Resilience Of Women Undergoing Treatment For Breast Cancer: Development Of A Machine Learning–Driven Clinical Decision Support Tool”. Journal Of Medical Internet Research, 25, Pp. e43838.
Background: Parents’ promotion of autonomous decision-making (PADM) is essential for adolescents with disabilities and constitutes the basis for maturation of self-determination (SD). SD develops based on adolescents’ capacities and the opportunities offered to them at home and at school, to make personal decisions regarding their life. Aim: Examine the associations between the PADM and SD of adolescents with disabilities from their own perspective and that of their parents. Method: Sixty-nine adolescents with disabilities and one of their parents completed a self-report questionnaire including PADM and SD scales. Outcomes: The findings showed associations between parents’ and adolescents’ reports of PADM, and opportunities for SD at home. PADM was associated with capacities for SD among adolescents. Gender differences were also apparent, with both adolescent girls and their parents reporting higher ratings of SD than adolescent boys. Conclusions: Parents who promote autonomous decision-making among their adolescent children with disabilities start a virtuous circle by offering greater opportunities for SD within the home. In turn, these adolescents rate their SD as higher, and communicate this perspective to their parents. Consequently, their parents offer them more opportunities for autonomous decision-making at home, thus enhancing their SD.
Natalia Erenburg, Hamed, Roa'a , Shaul, Chanan , Barasch, Dinorah , Perucca, Emilio , ו Bialer, Meir . 2023.
“Pharmacokinetics Of D- And L-Norfenfluramine Following Their Administration As Individual Enantiomers In Rats”. Epilepsia. doi:10.1111/epi.17846.
תקציר The effect of fenfluramine and norfenfluramine enantiomers in rodent seizure models and their correlation with the pharmacokinetics of d- and l-fenfluramine in rats have been reported recently. To complement these findings, we investigated the pharmacokinetics of d- and l- norfenfluramine in rat plasma and brain. Sprague-Dawley rats were injected intraperitoneally with 20 mg/kg and 1 mg/kg l- norfenfluramine. A 1 mg/kg dose of d-norfenfluramine was used because higher doses caused severe toxicity. The concentration of each enantiomer in plasma and brain was determined at different time points by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. Pharmacokinetic parameters were compared between norfenfluramine enantiomers, and with those reported previously for fenfluramine enantiomers after a 20 mg/kg, i.p., dose. All enantiomers were absorbed rapidly and eliminated, with half-lives ranging from 0.9 h (l-fenfluramine) to 6.1 h (l- norfenfluramine, 20 mg/kg) in plasma, and from 3.6 h (d-fenfluramine) to 8.0 h (l-fenfluramine) in brain. Brain-to-plasma concentration ratios ranged from 15.4 (d-fenfluramine) to 27.6 (d-norfenfluramine), indicating extensive brain penetration. The fraction of d- and l-fenfluramine metabolized to norfenfluramine was estimated to be close to unity. This work is part of ongoing investigations to determine the potential value of developing enantiomerically pure l-fenfluramine or l-norfenfluramine as follow-up compounds to the marketed racemic fenfluramine.
Moran Madmon, Zvuluni, Yifat , Mordehay, Vered , Hindi, Ariel , Malchi, Tomer , Drug, Eyal , Shenker, Moshe , Weissberg, Avi , ו Chefetz, Benny . 2023.
“Pharmacokinetics Of The Recalcitrant Drug Lamotrigine: Identification And Distribution Of Metabolites In Cucumber Plants”. Environmental Science & Technology, XXXX, XXX, Pp. XXX-XXX. .
Publisher's Version תקציר Treated wastewater is an important source of water for irrigation. As a result, irrigated crops are chronically exposed to wastewater-derived pharmaceuticals, such as the anticonvulsant drug lamotrigine. Lamotrigine is known to be taken up by plants, but its plant-derived metabolites and their distribution in different plant organs are unknown. This study aimed to detect and identify metabolites of lamotrigine in cucumber plants grown for 35 days in a hydroponic solution by using LC-MS/MS (Orbitrap) analysis. Our data showed that 96% of the lamotrigine taken up was metabolized. Sixteen metabolites possessing a lamotrigine core structure were detected. Reference standards confirmed two; five were tentatively identified, and nine molecular formulas were assigned. The data suggest that lamotrigine is metabolized via N-carbamylation, N-glucosidation, N-alkylation, N-formylation, N-oxidation, and amidine hydrolysis. The metabolites LTG-N2-oxide, M284, M312, and M370 were most likely produced in the roots and were translocated to the leaves. Metabolites M272, M312, M314, M354, M368, M370, and M418 were dominant in leaves. Only a few metabolites were detected in the fruits. With an increasing exposure time, lamotrigine leaf concentrations decreased because of continuous metabolism. Our data showed that the metabolism of lamotrigine in a plant is fast and that a majority of metabolites are concentrated in the roots and leaves.
Judaeo-Spanish is a dialectal continuum in which three phonological systems with partial similarities are subsumed under a diasystem. Although Judaeo-Spanish shows some of the phonetic and phonological features that characterize the Ibero-Romance languages, including Peninsular and Latin American Spanish, other phenomena, resulting mostly from isolation, testify to the independent development of Judaeo-Spanish, which makes it difficult to describe Judaeo-Spanish within the Modern Spanish diasystem. This is not so much due to the expected development of inherited elements, but rather to the preservation of features that no longer exist in Spanish and the impact of lexical borrowing from the contact languages on the consonant system, leading to the development of an independent phonological diasystem. This chapter describes the phonemes of Judaeo-Spanish – paying particular attention to their distribution – and their main phonological processes, focusing on the varieties of Thessaloniki and Istanbul.
Judaeo-Spanish is a dialectal continuum in which three phonological systems with partial similarities are subsumed under a diasystem. Although Judaeo-Spanish shows some of the phonetic and phonological features that characterize the Ibero-Romance languages including Peninsular and Latin American Spanish, other phenomena, resulting mostly from isolation, testify to the independent development of Judaeo-Spanish, which makes it difficult to describe Judaeo-Spanish within the Modern Spanish diasystem. This is not so much due to the expected development of inherited elements, but rather to the preservation of features that no longer exist in Spanish and the impact of lexical borrowing from the contact languages on the consonant system, leading to the development of an independent phonological diasystem. This chapter describes the phonemes of Judaeo-Spanish – paying particular attention to their distribution – and their main phonological processes, focusing on the varieties of Thessaloniki and Istanbul.
Rapid access to accurate equation-of-state (EOS) data is crucial in the warm-dense matter (WDM) regime, as it is employed in various applications, such as providing input for hydrodynamic codes to model inertial confinement fusion processes. In this study, we develop neural network models for predicting the EOS based on first-principles data. The first model utilises basic physical properties, while the second model incorporates more sophisticated physical information, using output from average-atom (AA) calculations as features. AA models are often noted for providing a reasonable balance of accuracy and speed; however, our comparison of AA models and higher-fidelity calculations shows that more accurate models are required in the WDM regime. Both the neural network models we propose, particularly the physics-enhanced one, demonstrate significant potential as accurate and efficient methods for computing EOS data in WDM.
Publisher's Version arXiv version
Intestinal inflammation is mediated by a subset of cells populating the intestine, such as enteric glial cells (EGC) and macrophages. Different studies indicate that phytocannabinoids could play a possible role in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) by relieving the symptoms involved in the disease. Phytocannabinoids act through the endocannabinoid system, which is distributed throughout the mammalian body in the cells of the immune system and in the intestinal cells. Our in vitro study analyzed the putative anti-inflammatory effect of nine selected pure cannabinoids in J774A1 macrophage cells and EGCs triggered to undergo inflammation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The anti-inflammatory effect of several phytocannabinoids was measured by their ability to reduce TNFα transcription and translation in J774A1 macrophages and to diminish S100B and GFAP secretion and transcription in EGCs. Our results demonstrate that THC at the lower concentrations tested exerted the most effective anti-inflammatory effect in both J774A1 macrophages and EGCs compared to the other phytocannabinoids tested herein. We then performed RNA-seq analysis of EGCs exposed to LPS in the presence or absence of THC or THC-COOH. Transcriptomic analysis of these EGCs revealed 23 differentially expressed genes (DEG) compared to the treatment with only LPS. Pretreatment with THC resulted in 26 DEG, and pretreatment with THC-COOH resulted in 25 DEG. To evaluate which biological pathways were affected by the different phytocannabinoid treatments, we used the Ingenuity platform. We show that THC treatment affects the mTOR and RAR signaling pathway, while THC-COOH mainly affects the IL6 signaling pathway.
Botvinik-Nezer Rotem, Petre, Bogdan , Ceko, Marta , Lindquist, Martin A, Friedman, Naomi P, ו Wager, Tor D. 2023.
“Placebo Treatment Affects Brain Systems Related To Affective And Cognitive Processes, But Not Nociceptive Pain”. Biorxiv. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Pp. 2023-09. .
Publisher's Version תקציר 
