Balanced Measures on Compact Median Algebras

We initiate a systematic investigation of group actions on compact medain algebras via the corresponding dynamics on their spaces of measures. We show that a probability measure which is invariant under a natural push forward operation must be a uniform measure on a cube and use this to show that every amenable group action on a locally convex compact median algebra fixed a sub-cube.Comment: 11 page

Perturbed actin cap as a new personalized biomarker in primary fibroblasts of Huntington’s disease patients

Primary fibroblasts from patient’s skin biopsies are directly isolated without any alteration in the genome, retaining in culture conditions their endogenous cellular characteristics and biochemical properties. The aim of this study was to identify a distinctive cell phenotype for potential drug evaluation in fibroblasts from Huntington’s Disease (HD) patients, using image-based high content analysis. We show that HD fibroblasts have a distinctive nuclear morphology associated with a nuclear actin cap deficiency. This in turn affects cell motility in a similar manner to fibroblasts from Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) patients used as known actin cap deficient cells. Moreover, treatment of the HD cells with either Latrunculin B, used to disrupt actin cap formation, or the antioxidant agent Mitoquinone, used to improve mitochondrial activity, show expected opposite effects on actin cap associated morphological features and cell motility. Deep data analysis allows strong cluster classification within HD cells according to patients’ disease severity score which is distinct from HGPS and matching controls supporting that actin cap is a biomarker in HD patients’ cells correlated with HD severity status that could be modulated by pharmacological agents as tool for personalized drug evaluation

Standardization of burn patients transfer: Implementation of a transfer request form to Israel\u27s national burn center

Background: Burn injuries are an extreme form of traumatic injury and are a global health issue. The Israeli National Burn Unit at the Sheba Medical Center, a tertiary level 1 trauma center and hence the national referral center, treats burn patients admitted both directly and referred from other medical centers. The transfer and handover of patients is acritical step in patient care. In Israel, to date, there is no standardized and accepted transfer request form for burn patients from one medical facility to another. Objectives: To construct a transfer request form to be used in all future burn patient referrals. Methods: After reviewing publicly available international transfer forms and comparing them to the admission checklist used at our unit, a structured transfer request form was constructed. Results: After a pilot study period, testing the form in various scenarios and adapting it, the first standardized transfer form for burn patients in Israel in both English and Hebrew was implemented beginning May 2020. Conclusions: Implementation of a standardized transfer process will improve communication between healthcare professionals to help maintain a continuum of care. We believe that implementation of a burn transfer form in all future referrals can standardize and assure better care for burn patients, thus improving overall patient care. IMAJ 2020; 22: 700-70

A retrospective review of an off-label bromelain-based selective enzymatic debridement (Nexobrid®) in the treatment of deep, partial, and full thickness burns and hard to heal wounds

Background: Rapid and selective bromelain-based enzymatic debridement provides a non-surgical alternative for the eschar removal in deep burns, which allows for early debridement of large surface areas, accurate evaluation of burn and wound depth, and the need for skin grafting. Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of application of a bromelain-based selective enzymatic debridement (Nexobrid®) beyond the manufacturer’s guidelines for use in burns \u3e 48 hours as well as chemical, electrical, and pediatric burns, land chronic wounds. Methods: This retrospective review included records collected between January 2017 and April 2019, from male and female patients aged 8 months to 99 years with deep burns or wounds treated with bromelain-based selective enzymatic debridement. Results: Of the 33 patients who received the bromelain-based selective enzymatic debridement agent beyond the manufacturer’s guidelines, 25 (76%) were observed to have successful debridement of the eschar, 8 (24%) were observed to have little effect on the burn eschar. Sixteen required further surgery after debridement. Clinical data on the use of bromelain-based selective enzymatic debridement agents are limited, but these results suggest the capacity to effectively debride burns \u3e 48 hours (late presentation burns), use for paediatrics and for chemical and electrical burns, and apply to hard to heal full thickness chronic wounds. Conclusions: Bromelain-based selective enzymatic debridement was found to be an effective treatment modality beyond the recommended guidelines including late presentation burns and chronic wounds. This debridement method warrants further consideration when making clinical decisions concerning burn and wound care. IMAJ 2020, 22: 83-8

Wornell, “Decode-and-forward for the Gaussian relay channel via standard AWGN coding and decoding

Ahstract-This work considers practical implementation of the decode-and-forward relaying protocol for the full-duplex Gaussian relay channel. Unlike previous works which developed coding techniques tailored to this protocol, it is shown that standard codes which are good for the Gaussian scalar channel of fixed signal-to-noise ratio suffice to approach the theoretical performance promised by this protocol. The proposed technique employs only linear operations and successive interference cance lation in conjunction with fixed signal-to-noise ratio base codes, and the achievable rate is solely dictated by the performance of these base codes. The same approach and results carry over to the multiple-antenna case as well