About
Lecture
In October 2022, I successfully completed my PhD thesis at Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, and commenced my postdoctoral training in April 2023 at Adelson School of Medicine, Ariel University, both under supervision of Prof. Gregory Livshits.
My PhD project (as well as my previous Master degree project) was focused on the comprehensive analysis of low back pain (LBP) and associated disorders in an ethnically homogeneous Israeli Arab population sample comprising 1104 individuals, the members of 98 nuclear and more complex three-generation families. In this project, extensive clinical data, blood samples, comprehensive pain questionnaires, comorbidities (such as diabetes, atherosclerosis, mental disorders, etc.), anthropometric measurements, computer tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans have been collected. The main aim of this project was the analysis of the associations between LBP and soluble factors related to inflammation, metabolic and musculoskeletal disorders (plasma levels of 14 factors have been assessed by ELISA), body composition parameters (assessed by bioimpedance analysis), comorbidities, and genetics (assessed by sophisticated methods of the genetic epidemiological analysis) in the study sample. Importantly, we keep a bank of plasma, serum and separated blood cells (buffy coat) samples obtained from all individuals kept at – 800C, thus ready for future biochemical and genetic analyses.
In collaboration with the colleagues in the group, I have prepared and published (as first author) five papers in the peer reviewed professional journals in the field.
During my postdoctoral position in Ariel University, I intend to study the role of chronic inflammation in the development of other musculoskeletal diseases. Analysis of our Arab population revealed relatively high prevalence of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis in a strong and independent association with plasma levels of several adipokines, myokines and pro-inflammatory molecules. These novel findings are the basis of two published papers.
During my work on the PhD project and Postdoctoral, I learned and acquired techniques of the biochemical analysis of the circulating levels of various blood factors, and in collaboration with the staff of the lab conducted ELISA assays of 14 cytokines and growth factors in the entire sample, as well as conducted genetic epidemiological analyses of the data.