Using a process involving virtual reality, the clinic offers patients 3-D goggles that gradually expose them to their fear. The goggles come complete with sound for real effect and make the patient feel as though they were facing the object of their phobia. It really works, according to deputy chief of psychiatry Dr. Yehuda Sasson from Sheba Medical Center, who claims his “Fearless” clinic is the only place in the country offering virtual reality treatment for phobias.

And, you gotta love their website, www.fearless.org.il

His [Professor Noam Sobel's] team tested how experimental subjects assessed 50 odors they had never smelled before for pleasantness. They found that the ratings of their test subjects fit closely with the ranking shown by their model. In other words, they were able to predict the level of pleasantness quite well, even for unfamiliar smells. They noted that, although preferences for smells are commonly supposed to be culturally learned, their study showed that the responses of American subjects, Jewish Israelis and Muslim-Arab Israelis all fit the model’s predictions to the same extent. Sobel: ‘Our findings show that the way we perceive smells is at least partially hard-wired in the brain. Although there is a certain amount of flexibility, and our life experience certainly influences our perception of smell, a large part of our sense of whether an odor is pleasant or unpleasant is due to a real order in the physical world. Thus, we can now use chemistry to predict the perception of the smells of new substances.’ Click here to read more details from the study.

Click here for more about the Israeli astrophysicist’s discovery on the oldest known planet outside the solar system. Click here for the Fark thread about the discovery.

Since we started using cellphones, I’ve wondered if they are in fact harmless or maybe less than harmless to our health. There have been other theories around their possible negative effect on our brain cells, including that mobile phones cause the brain to overheat. But manufacturers are careful to ensure their phones don’t overheat users’ brains. And the frequencies are too low to damage DNA directly.

So maybe this is a key in understanding the real health implications of cellphone use. I know so many people who use their cells a lot – for some it is their only phone. Because of this it is so important that research of this kind continues.

And meanwhile, most newer cellphones have a speaker. It might be a good idea to use that whenever possible.

Angus Howarth, “Radiation clue to brain-cell damage by mobiles”, NEWS.scotsman.com, August 30, 2007.

Infigo Diagnostics

Right now biotechnology rules this part of medicine. Scientists figured out how to use genetically engineered cells (like bacteria) to create antibodies for almost any antigen.

Explanation: It is the lock and key theory. Antigens are the bad guys (the keys in the theory) attacking our bodies. Our immune systems create a specific antibody (lock) for any antigen that has ever attacked thereby disabling its ability to succeed in attacking us in the future.

So, using biotechnology, scientists create their antibody (lock) of choice. They also mark it so that afterwards they are able to measure how much of the antigen (key) exists in the body being tested.

This is an extremely precise science and a big money-maker. But now chemistry is making a comeback using…

Molecular Integrated Polymer (MIP)

I know you have every idea of where I’m going with this.

MIP pretty much means that you take plastic, wrap it around the molecule of choice and, voila, you have the exact negative shape, in plastic, of the molecule. This is actually not new but only lately has it been taken a step further in order to make it useful in the world of diagnostics.

Infigo Diagnostics has developed the MIP technology so that specific substances can be easily counted.

Explanation: Dr. Raphael Levi, the founder of Infigo Diagnostics, found the following (using the lock-key analogy): Take a key tagged with color. Attach it to the plastic mold (lock). Place it in the sample of liquid (for example, a blood sample) with the molecule (key without the color tagging) you want to count. Because of the added color, the tagged molecule does not stick as strongly to the mold as the original molecule would. So when the mold comes in contact with the “real” molecule, the colored one detaches and the “real” one attaches. Then, you count how much of the color-tagged molecules are in the sample. Because they switched places in the MIP with the “real” molecule, we know that the number of colored molecules in the sample is the number of originals that were in the sample. And once you know the amount of the molecule in the sample, you can calculate the concentration in the body.

Got it? (Thank God I studied sciences in university.)

So what makes it better than the existing diagnostic methodologies? Ido Margalit, CEO of the company says a few things. MIPs, as opposed to antibodies, can detect not only big molecules (like proteins) but small ones too. Because it is synthetic, it is quick and cheap. It will also broaden the market which, according to Margalit, is currently controlled by a relatively small number of companies.

And an example of the importance of this new technology?

Vitamin B12

Right now diagnosing a vitamin B12 deficiency is, well, deficient. Currently the amount of B12 in the blood is measured. Problem is that only some of the B12 is actually active. So the total amount is measured and then, “The doctor makes an educated guess based on the approximate quantity of B-12 in the body and the patient’s symptoms,” says Margalit.

Because the MIPs can work with very small molecules, Infigo Technologies has developed an MIP that measures MMA, a tiny molecule in the blood that is a biological marker of active B12. In other words, measure the amount of MMA in the blood and you know how much active B12 is there.

But Infigo believes that in the end their technology will be helpful in many settings like testing pollutants in water, or checking fruit for pesticides at home.

Gali Weinreb and Hanan Lifshitz, “Plastic antibody”, Globes online, August 13, 2007.

Click here to view the embedded video.

SACH has brought 1700 children from 27 countries in the past 12 years for heart surgery so far. Rwanda is the 28th country.

30 percent of the children being treated come from Africa. “But whether it’s the refugees of Sudan, the poor from Palestine, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia or any other nation worldwide we are here and ready to save lives,” said Simon Fisher, executive director of SACH.

SACH began when an Ethiopian doctor contacted Dr. Ami Cohen in Israel requesting his help with pediactric heart disease cases in 1995. Dr. Cohen since passed away in 2001 but the organization has continued to grow into over 70 Israeli medical professionals and has, since its establishment, operated on hundreds of children.

“Rwanda: Children Arrive in Israel for Heart Treatment”, allAfrica.com, August 15, 2007.

On August 6th I wrote about the Israeli Chemistry Nobel laureate and cancer research specialist Prof. Aaron Ciechanover being invited to join the advisory board of Protalix BioTherapeutics. Now Aurora Imaging Technology, Inc., manufacturer of the Aurora® 1.5Tesla Dedicated Breast MRI System is happy to have Prof. Ciechanover join its technology advisory board. Aurora is a company based in North Andover, Massachusetts.

Prof. Ciechanover in turn is pleased to be able to take this new step in the fight against breast cancer. He said, “…having the opportunity to collaborate with Aurora, developer of one of the most technologically advanced breast imaging systems available, is an exciting opportunity and I am happy to participate.”

To learn more about his other new position and about his chemistry research which won him the Nobel prize, click here.

“Chemistry Nobel Laureate and Cancer Research Specialist Aaron Ciechanover JOINS AURORA IMAGING TECHNOLOGY’S ADVISORY BOARD”, Yahoo Finance, August 13, 2007.

As I type, I’m starting to wonder if I could be on the verge of this disease. Another symptom is experiencing sleep problems. Although embarrassing to admit, I didn’t want to go to sleep the other night because I was watching the numbers of diggs on my previous story rise and rise. And, I’m starting to notice that I’d rather facebook, skype, chat, email, comment, etc. than have a ‘real’ conversation. Is that so wrong?

Here’s what the Jerusalem Post has to say about it:

Researchers have found that overuse of the Internet activates specific parts of the brain, such as the ventricular tegmental area and the prefrontal lobe, which have been connected with other addictions, and have identified correlations between Internet overuse and aberrant levels of neurotransmitters such as seratonin and dopamine.

Pathological obsession about the Internet, the article continues, is a syndrome that can lead to refusal to cut down on surfing, a feeling of loss of control, irritability, aggression, and the need to surf more, because the same amount of hours provide a declining amount of pleasure. Addicts also tend to develop a diminished sense of self-esteem and impoverished social skills, as well as sleep problems and, sometimes, financial problems – if they invest money in superfluous gadgets or online gambling. Continue…

I hope I never reach that level of IAD. This whole IAD thing reminds me of ADD and the ridiculous amounts of ritalin given to kids who can’t concentrate because they have a lousy teacher. I hope psychiatrists don’t abuse this study and start handing out drugs left and right.

Are you debating whether or not you should comment? C’mon…

Ruth Brinkley was among the group of 12 from the Women Business Leaders of the U.S. Health Care Industry Foundation.

“Israel guarantees healthcare coverage for all. Its success in implementing universal coverage demonstrates that it can be done,” writes Brinkley in an article which outlines the main ideas which impressed her about the Israeli system.

She especially took note of the ongoing technological innovations in regards to health care. She writes how noticeable it is that the Israeli healthcare system encourages and the economy thrives on technological innovation.

Brinkley writes, “Israel’s scientific community seems to have particular passion, talent and creativity to advance healthcare technology and deploy that technology to the patient-care setting.

“There is palpable excitement around healthcare research and technological innovations,” she continues. “These technologies promise more advances and less invasive treatments and interventions that result in shorter recuperations and, ultimately, improved productivity. In some cases, the technology is relatively inexpensive. There is also great promise for success in earlier detection and management of chronic illnesses.”

“Israelis understand that health benefits, education, innovation and entrepreneurship are requirements, not options.”

For most of the participants, the trip provided them the first opportunity to learn about how this small country manages to cover all of its residents.

Ruth Brinkley, “Inspired by Israel”, Modern Healthcare Online, August 7, 2007.