February 3, 2023

Long COVID: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Offers Hope for Understanding and Treating Symptoms

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in a randomized placebo-controlled trial resulted in improved global cognitive function, energy, sleep, and pain interference in long COVID patients.

Millions of Americans of all ages suffer from post-COVID-19 condition, or long COVID. In fact, recent datashow that the condition is affecting more than 16 million working-age Americans and is keeping between two and four million of them out of work completely.

According to the World Health Organization, long COVID occurs when an individual continues to suffer from prolonged symptoms of the virus at least 3 months after initial onset. Common symptoms include difficulty thinking or concentrating, sleep trouble, dizziness, headaches, fatigue, brain fog and more. In many cases, these symptoms prove to be debilitating and result in significant health and quality of life issues.

Health care professionals around the globe are working tirelessly to understand, diagnose. and treat long COVID. While there is no single treatment that has been approved to completely rid those with long COVID of their symptoms, a growing body of clinical research supports the potential of a specific hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) protocol to become part of the standard of care for the condition. A breakthrough randomized controlled trial on use of the protocol for symptom management was published in Scientific Reports in July.

The study was conducted by the Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Research at Shamir Medical Center in Israel, known for its pioneering research on novel indications of hyperbaric medicine for cognitive and physical rehabilitation. The cohort was comprised of 73 participants with reported long COVID cognitive symptoms. To study the effectiveness of the HBOT protocol in treating these individuals, patients were randomly assigned to either a treatment or placebo (sham) group. The unique treatment protocol was comprised of 40 daily HBOT sessions, 5 sessions per week.

The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial demonstrated that HBOT, when used in a specific protocol was effective at improving symptoms of long COVID. Participants showed significant improvement in global cognitive function, energy, sleep, psychiatric symptoms, and pain interference. Participants in the control group did not exhibit these same improvements.

The study revealed that HBOT can induce structural and functional repair of damaged regions of the brain and improve cognitive, behavioral, and emotional function of patients with long COVID conditions.

Further analysis of the brain network activity of those patients was published in the journal Neuroimage: Clinical and shed additionallight on how COVID can disrupt the normal functionality of the brain. Moreover, the study shows that in post-COVID-19 patients, HBOT improves disruptions observed in white matter tracts (neuronal fibers) and alters the functional connectivity organization of neural pathways attributed to cognitive and emotional recovery.

While HBOT has been used for centuries, this new study indicates that utilizing a specific protocol involving oxygen fluctuation in a multiplace chamber can induce neurogenesis, neuronal stem cell proliferation, increased blood flow, and neuroplasticity. HBOT involves breathing 100% pure oxygen while in a controlled hyperbaric chamber. The air pressure inside is elevated above normal to help the lungs collect more oxygen and more effectively deliver that oxygen to damaged tissues, thus expediting the healing process. Deliberate fluctuations of oxygen levels during each HBOT session work to induce the hypoxia inducible factor, increasing vascularization and promoting angiogenesis in damaged brain tissues.

The specific HBOT protocol studied here is in use for treatment of the symptoms of long COVID at Aviv Clinics through an exclusive partnership with the Sagol Center. The partnership allows Aviv clinics in Florida and Dubai to use the protocols, evaluation methods, and treatments used in the Scientific Reports study. Patient assessment includes high resolution brain imaging to identify damage in the brain caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. When combined with the results of intensive cognitive, physical, and nutritional assessments, these scans allow a multidisciplinary team of clinicians to develop a customized treatment program to help each patient.

Shai Efrati, MD, is founder and director of the Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Research at Shamir Medical Center, Be’er Ya’akov, Israel, where he also serves as director of research and development and head of nephrology. Efrati’s research focuses on novel aspects of hyperbaric medicine and brain rehabilitation. He is a professor at the Sackler School of Medicine and the Sagol School of Neuroscience in Tel Aviv University. Since 2008, he has served as Chairman of the Israeli Society for Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine.

By Shai Efrati, MD

View original article in Patient Care

Image: Times of Israel

February 2, 2023

COVID-19 vaccine provides effective protection against Omicron pregnancy risks

Thanks to a study by University of Oxford and Hadassah researchers, a COVID-19 booster gives increased protection against increased risk of pregnancy complications due to the COVID-19 Omicron variant.

Protection against an increased risk of pregnancy complications is provided by the COVID-19 Omicron booster vaccine, according to a new study at the University of Oxford in the UK and the Hadassah-University Medical Center in Jerusalem.

The main researcher from Israel, Dr. Michal Lifshitz – a nurse researcher in the obstetrics and gynecology division at the Hadassah’s Faculty of Medicine – said that “Israel was the pioneer in calling on pregnant women to vaccinate against the pandemic, and the rate of women vaccinated with a third vaccination is among the highest in the world. We are witnessing that the rate of pregnant women in Israel who were severely ill is among the lowest in the world.”

The findings of an international collaboration led by the Oxford Maternal and Perinatal Health Institute (OMPHI) at the University of Oxford, together with researchers from Hadassah and other leading international centers, published research findings that aroused great interest in the leading journal, The Lancet. It has just been published under the title “Pregnancy outcomes and vaccine effectiveness during the period of omicron as the variant of concern, INTERCOVID-2022: a multinational, observational study.”

Researchers at 41 medical centers in 18 countries assessed the Omicron COVID-19 variant on mothers and newborns by studying 1,545 pregnant women diagnosed with the variant and 3,073 pregnant women who were not diagnosed with the infection as controls.

The study was conducted between November 27, 2021, and June 30, 2022, when Omicron was the most common strain. Vaccine effectiveness against the variant was also assessed.

The study found that infection with the Omicron variant during pregnancy is connected with increased risks of maternal illness, severe pregnancy complications, and admission to the hospital, especially among symptomatic and unvaccinated women.

Also rising is the risk of preeclampsia – a serious medical condition that usually occurs about midway through pregnancy (after 20 weeks) causing high blood pressure, protein in their urine, swelling, headaches and blurred vision. Obese/overweight women with severe symptoms were at the highest risk for maternal morbidity and severe complications.

It was also found that vaccinated women were better protected against severe COVID-19 symptoms and complications and had a low risk of admission to an intensive care unit. To prevent severe COVID-19 symptoms and complications, women should be encouraged to fully vaccinate, preferably with a booster dose as well

Preventing severe symptoms In the study, mRNA vaccines were most effective in preventing severe COVID-19 symptoms and complications, although viral-vector vaccines also provided adequate protection – for at least 10 months after the last dose – for both types of vaccine.

“We have presented robust, evidence-based information on the increased risk of the COVID-19 Omicron variant during pregnancy for severe maternal complications among symptomatic and unvaccinated women,” according to Perinatal Medicine Prof. José Villar at Oxford, who co-led INTERCOVID 2022.

“Of concern is that severe symptoms of the disease occurred in four percent to seven percent of unvaccinated women diagnosed with the COVID-19 Omicron variant during pregnancy,” he said. “The study clearly indicates the need for a full vaccination course during pregnancy, preferably with a booster, to provide protection for at least 10 months following the last dose. Antenatal services worldwide should strive to include vaccination against COVID-19 in the routine care of pregnant women.”

Oxford Fetal medicine Prof. Aris Papageorghiou, who also co-led INTERCOVID 2022, concluded: “Although the Omicron variant may be less harmful than previous variants in the general population, the large proportion of unvaccinated pregnant women worldwide are still at major risk for severe illness. As it is impossible to predict who will develop severe symptoms or complications, universal full vaccination is required. Unfortunately, full vaccination coverage among pregnant women is still inadequate, even in developed countries.”

By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH Published: JANUARY 31, 2023 View the original article

January 3, 2023

Hadassah Hospital’s First Babies Of 2023

The celebration of new life is a momentous moment at the dawn of a new year. Hadassah Hospital is delighted to welcome its firstborn of 2023.

At the stroke of midnight at Hadassah Mount Scopus, a sweet baby girl was born to Reut and Harel, adding to their ever-growing family of three children – all born at Hadassah.

“We want to thank our wonderful midwife, Shiri Wind Keren. Shiri, thank you very much for your care, and great dedication for staying with me until the end of the birth. And, a big thank you to all the professional and warm staff at Hadassah Mount Scopus,” said Reut.

“I wish lots of good luck and success to all the mothers and new mothers and a successful civil year to all of them,” added Reut.

Photo: the baby born at Hadassah Mount Scopus, with mother Reut and midwife Shiri Wind Keren.

Across at Hadassah Ein Kerem, the first birth for 2023 also took place. It was a baby boy and the first birth for happy parents, Ataret and Ben.

“A big thank you for the attentive, supportive, and professional team at Hadassah Hospital. I wish everyone a happy and healthy 2023, ” said Ataret excitedly.

Photo: the baby born at Hadassah Ein Kerem, hugged by a teddy bear.

December 15, 2022

Technology helping Israel cure cancer in children

The survival rate of children with cancer in Israel is at 85-90 percent thanks to technology.

Speaking to journalists from Kenya, Rwanda and Zambia, Dr. Gal Goldstein, Director of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem, attributes the success rate to improved genomics.

According to him, genomics allowed doctors to better understand the interactions between genes and the environment, and provide a more precise diagnosis.

“Other than genomics, the other reason why the survival rate is high is due to better diagnostic tools that allow doctors to get a better view into how patients are responding to treatments and improve their ability to provide personalized care,” said Dr. Goldstein.

In Kenya, the survival rate among children with cancer is below 30 percent with the country losing eight in every 10 children under cancer treatment.

The low rate has been attributed to the challenges in the local medical field including the high cost of drugs, poor infrastructure, shortage of skilled personnel, lack of proper community awareness and late diagnosis.

In Israel, the plan is to increase the survival rate to 100 percent by 2040 through the development of several new drugs and drug combinations.

With the success rate high, the country is now working on how to lower the toxicity of treatments and make them more precise.

Several recent studies have shown that while the cancer is cured, childhood cancer survivors are not necessarily healthy.

One study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that a large percentage of 1,700 people ages 18 to 60 who were treated with chemotherapy, radiation or both, had problems later on.

These included hearing loss (62 percent), abnormal cholesterol levels (61 percent), male infertility (66 percent), hormonal dysfunction (61 percent) and abnormal lung function (65 percent), among other complications.

Read the full story.

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Long COVID: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Offers Hope for Understanding and Treating Symptoms

COVID-19 vaccine provides effective protection against Omicron pregnancy risks

Hadassah Hospital’s First Babies Of 2023

Technology helping Israel cure cancer in children

Technology helping Israel cure cancer in children

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