Isr Med Assoc J
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Multicenter Study
The Importance of an Early Diagnosis in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease with a high degree of variability at onset, making it difficult to reach a correct and prompt diagnosis. ⋯ Data from the literature confirm that the diagnosis of SLE is challenging, and that SLE is a severe disease even at onset when a prompt diagnosis is necessary for initiating the appropriate therapy.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
The familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) 50 score: does it work in a controlled clinical trial? Re-analysis of the trial of rilonacept for patients with colchicine-resistant or intolerant FMF.
The familial Mediterranean fever 50 score (FMF50) score was recently devised to define response to treatment and as an outcome measure for clinical trials of FMF. ⋯ The proposed FMF50 score did not differentiate well between responders and non-responders compared to the a priori defined primary outcome measure in this successful controlled study.
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Multicenter Study
The Israeli retrospective multicenter open-label study evaluating vagus nerve stimulation efficacy in children and adults.
The management of intractable epilepsy in children and adults is challenging. For patients who do not respond to anti-epileptic drugs and are not suitable candidates for epilepsy surgery, vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) is a viable alternative for reducing seizure frequency. ⋯ VNS is a relatively effective and safe palliative method for treating refractory epilepsy in both adults and children. It is an alternative treatment for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy, even after a relatively long disease duration, who are not candidates for localized epilepsy surgery.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Pulmonary resection for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis: the Israeli experience (1998-2011).
Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-1B) presents a difficult therapeutic problem due to the failure of medical treatment. Pulmonary resection is an important adjunctive therapy for selected patients with MDR-TB. ⋯ Pulmonary resection for MDR-TB patients is an effective adjunctive treatment with acceptable morbidity and mortality.
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Multicenter Study
Burns in Israel: demographic, etiologic and clinical trends, 1997-2003.
Burns are a major public health problem, with long hospitalization stay in both intensive care units and general wards. In Israel about 5% of all hospitalized injuries are burn injuries. There are no long-term epidemiological studies on burn injuries in adults in Israel. ⋯ The groups at highest risk were children 0-1 years old, males and non-Jews (the incidence rate among non-Jews was 1.5 times higher than their share in the general population). Those with the highest mortality rate were victims of burns > 90% TBSA and patients older than 70. Most burns occurred at home.