Uncovering Resilience Disparities among Religious Groups in Israel's Mass COVID-19 Vaccination Drive: Lessons Learned to the Post-COVID Era.

The aim of the current study was to examine the emotional resilience, satisfaction with life, social support, and anxiety during the vaccination process of the Israeli population after the end of the third lockdown, according to religiosity degree. We hypothesized that a higher degree of religiosity (ultra-Orthodox and religious participants) would be associated with higher levels of resilience and with lower levels of anxiety than in secular individuals. In addition, it was hypothesized that satisfaction with life, social support, anxiety, and religiosity will predict resilience and anxiety. Nine hundred and ninety-three native Jewish Hebrew-speaking respondents representing ultra-Orthodox, religious, observant, and secular Jews participated in this study. Ultra-Orthodox participants showed higher resilience and satisfaction with life than other groups, and lower levels of anxiety. Satisfaction with life and social support predicted higher resilience. It is suggested that religious faith as well as satisfaction with life may provide a source of strength and resilience in stressful life events.

The cumulative effect of socioeconomic status and dyslexia on linguistic, cognitive and reading skills among Arabic-speaking children.

Research has shown that children with dyslexia and children with a low socioeconomic status (SES) fall behind in terms of literacy acquisition, but a question remains regarding the cumulative effect of dyslexia and SES on linguistic, cognitive and reading skills. To examine the impact of cognition and environment on literacy development, we returned to the data set of 1,441 elementary school children (223 dyslexic readers and 1,241 typical readers) from low and medium-high SES backgrounds within Palestinian society in Israel who had participated in the development study of a comprehensive battery of tests in oral and written Arabic. The findings of this retrospective study reveal that, across grade levels, dyslexic readers from a low SES background showed similar performance to those from a medium-high SES background on most linguistic, cognitive and reading measures. As for typical readers, SES contributed to individual differences in all linguistic, cognitive and reading indices, with the exception of RAN. Finally, a cumulative effect of dyslexia and SES was found in relation to morphology, vocabulary, listening comprehension and text-reading accuracy.

Clinical Efficacy of Topical Nasal Pomegranate Fruit Extract for Chronic Rhinitis and Chronic Rhinosinusitis.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of topical nasal Pomegranate Fruit Extract (PFE) for Chronic Rhinitis (CR), Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyposis (CRSwNP), and Chronic Rhinosinusitis without Nasal Polyposis (CRSsNP). Methods: Prospective, double-blinded, randomized study including 111 consecutive patients, between April 2012 and January 2017, afflicted by CRSwNP, CRSsNP, and CR. Patients from each group were randomly assigned to either PFE treatment or placebo twice daily for 30 days. Therapeutic efficacy was assessed by Ear Nose and Throat, blood and tomographic examinations, and the SNOT-20 questionnaire. Results: CR patients treated with PFE suffered significantly less from thick nasal discharge, difficulty falling asleep, reduced productivity, reduced concentration, and sadness (P = .004, P = .02, P = .03, P = .007 and P = .02, respectively). Conclusions: Topical nasal PFE was found to have some benefits for CR patients, however, not for CRS with or without Nasal Polyposis.

Weight Loss, Dietary Preferences, and Reduction in the Sense of Smell with the Use of a Novel Nasal Device.

INTRODUCTION: Exposure to food odors are known to increase food intake. Olfaction declines from age 50 years. OBJECTIVE: We examined changes in the sense of smell, body weight, food preferences, and parameters of metabolic status, following the use of a specially designed nasal device. METHODS: This is a randomized, placebo-controlled study. Participants wore a nasal device (soft silicone insert) for 5-12 h daily (device group) or inserted 2 drops of normal saline into each nostril daily (control group). Follow-up visits occurred every 2 weeks. All participants were given a 500 kcal/day reduced diet and instructed not to change their regular physical activity. Weight, food preferences, olfactory sensitivity, and blood tests were performed at baseline and after 12 weeks. RESULTS: Of 156 participants, 65 (42%) completed the study. Sense of smell decreased in the device group (from 6.4 ± 0.9 to 4.4 ± 1.5, on a scale of 0-7, p < 0.001), and did not change in the control group. Weight loss decreased by 6.6 ± 3.7% (p = 0.001) and by 5.7 ± 3.5% (p = 0.001) in the respective groups (between-group difference, p > 0.05). Among participants aged ≤50 years, weight loss was greater in the device than in the control group (7.7 ± 4.2% vs. 4.1 ± 2.9%, p = 0.02). Insulin level and the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were significantly reduced in the device group (p = 0.02 and p = 0.01, respectively), but not in the control group. Food preferences for sugar (p < 0.02), sweet beverages (p < 0.001), and artificial sweeteners (p < 0.02) were significantly reduced in the device group compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The use of a novel self-administrated nasal device led to reduced olfactory sensitivity, improved insulin sensitivity, weight loss, and lesser preference for sweets in adults aged ≤50 years.

Efficacy of an early intervention program for at-risk preschool boys: a two-group control study.

OBJECTIVE: We report the results of a preschool-based multidisciplinary intervention program. METHOD: This study took place in two educational settings and included 81 preschool boys from unique cultural backgrounds and of low social economic status (SES). The settings were randomly assigned to an intervention or control group. In the intervention group, boys identified as at risk for or with developmental delays received 8 mo. of intervention through a monitoring model. Additionally, a collaborative consultation model was used with all participants. Performance skills (visual-motor integration, motor, and cognitive) and performance and participation in preschool activities were evaluated at pretest and posttest. RESULTS: At termination of intervention, all children in the intervention group scored significantly better than control children on most performance skills and more fully participated in preschool activities. CONCLUSION: A multidisciplinary preschool early intervention program appears to assist children of low SES with improving their performance skills, and participation in preschool activities.

The influence of environmental factors on the development of ultra-orthodox preschool boys in Israel.

The study objectives were: (a) to compare the prevalence of children at risk and/or with developmental delay (at risk/delayed) among the Ultra-Orthodox community with the prevalence reported in the literature and (b) to compare the performance of Ultra-Orthodox children in kindergarten versus that of children in preschool. To this end, motor, visual-motor integration and cognitive performance of 203 Ultra-Orthodox boys from low socio-economic status were assessed. We found a higher percentage of children who were at risk/delayed in gross motor and motor-cognitive skills as compared with the percentage reported in the literature. However, as opposed to expected, the results did not show that there was a higher percent of at-risk/delayed children among the kindergarten group as compared with those among the preschool group. Our findings are consistent with the research literature suggesting that children's cultural background and economic constraints can affect their motor and cognitive development. Thus, occupational therapists and other health professionals should be more culturally competent and more aware of the specific values and practices of families of children with whom they work, which can impact their development. However, in this study, it is difficult to distinguish between the influence of the cultural factors and the influence of socio-economic factors. Therefore, it is recommended to repeat this study among children from either low socio-economic status or other cultural backgrounds.

Influence of intense multidisciplinary follow-up and orlistat on weight reduction in a primary care setting.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is the most common health problem in developed countries. Recently, several physicians' organizations have issued recommendations for treating obesity to family physicians, including instructions in nutrition, physical activity and medications. The aim of this study was to examine if effective weight-reducing treatment can be given by a family physician. It compares regular treatment with intensive treatment that include close follow-up and orlistat treatment. METHODS: The study was conducted in three primary care clinics. 225 patients were divided into three groups according to their choice. Group A received a personal diet with fortnightly meetings with the family physician and dietitian and orlistat treatment. Group B received a general diet, monthly meetings with the family physician only and orlistat treatment. Group C received a personal diet, monthly meetings with the dietitian only and no drug treatment. The primary endpoint was reduction of at least 5% of the initial weight during the study period. RESULTS: A greater percentage of patients in group A achieved their weight reduction goals than in other groups (51%, 13% and 9% in groups A, B and C, respectively, p < 0.001). There was a significant reduction in triglycerides in all groups, a significant reduction of low density lipids (LDL) in groups A and B and no significant difference in high density lipids (HDL) in any group. CONCLUSIONS: Significant weight reduction was obtained in a family physician setting. Further research is needed to evaluate if, by providing the family physician with the proper tools, similar success can be achieved in more clinics.