Alena Kirzhner

Dr. Alena Kirzhner

orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

6Years (2021-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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TZTaiba Zornitzki
Taiba Zornitzki
SMSorcha Mildiner
Sorcha Mildiner
TSTal Schiller
Tal Schiller
AKAlena Kirzhner
Alena Kirzhner
VOviviana ostrovsky
viviana ostrovsky
HKHilla knobler
Hilla knobler
Background: Subacute thyroiditis (SAT) is a relatively common cause of thyroid disease. However, only a few studies evaluating SAT have been published in recent years with varying diagnostic criteria. We evaluate the clinical presentation and long-term outcome of isotope scan-confirmed SAT. Methods: A retrospective study of 38 patients with isotope scan-confirmed SAT was performed at a single isotope department. All patients were contacted for long-term follow-up. Results: The female/male ratio was 1.4:1, and mean age was 47 ± 14 years and 62 ± 12 years in women and men, respectively (p = 0.002). Almost half of the cases (42%) occurred during the summer. The most common symptoms were neck pain (74%) and weakness (61%). Palpitations, weight loss, heat intolerance, and sweating appeared in 50%, 42%, 21%, and 21%, respectively. Only half of the patients reported fever. TSH level was low in all patients, and mean FT4 and FT3 level were about twice the upper limit of normal range. Elevated CRP and ESR occurred in the majority (88%) of patients. The mean time period between the first clinic visit and performing thyroid function tests was 8 ± 7 days. One-third of the patients initially received a diagnosis of upper respiratory tract infection (URI). NSAIDs and steroids were prescribed to 47% and 8% of patients, respectively. Long-term follow-up of 33.5 months (range 9–52) revealed that 25% remained with subclinical or overt hypothyroidism. Conclusions: These data demonstrate that although SAT is a common entity, there is still a significant delay in diagnosis, and in a third of our patients, the initial diagnosis was URI, with 25% developing long-term hypothyroidism.

24 February 2023 in Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
VOviviana ostrovsky
viviana ostrovsky
HKHilla knobler
Hilla knobler
LLLi Or Lazar
Li Or Lazar
GPGuy Pines
Guy Pines
TKTamila Kuniavsky
Tamila Kuniavsky
TZTaiba Zornitzki
Taiba Zornitzki
Background and aim: Post-bariatric-surgery hypoglycemia (PBH) is a serious compli-cation of bariatric surgery (BS). In our previous study about three quarters of the patients devel-oped PBH. However long-term follow-up data is lacking to determine whether this condition improves with time. The aim of the current study was to re-assess post-BS patients who partic-ipated in our previous study and determine whether there are changes in the frequency and/or severity of hypoglycemic events. Methods and results: Twenty-four post-BS, post Roux-en-Y gastric-bypass (RYGB = 10), post omega-loop gastric-bypass (OLGB = 9) and post sleeve-gastrectomy (SG = 5) individuals were reevaluated in a follow-up study 34.4 & PLUSMN; 4 months after their previous assessment and 67 & PLUSMN; 17 months since surgery. The evaluation included: a dietitian assessment, a questionnaire, meal-tolerance test (MTT) and a one-week masked continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). Hypoglyce-mia and severe hypoglycemia were defined by glucose levels & LE;54 mg/dl and & LE;40 mg/dl, respec-tively. Thirteen patients reported questionnaire meal-related complaints, mainly non-specific. During MTT, hypoglycemia occurred in 75% of the patients, and severe hypoglycemia in a third, but none was associated with specific complaints. During CGM, 66% of patients developed hypoglycemia and 37% had severe hypoglycemia. We did not observe significant improvements in hypoglyce-mic events compared to the previous assessment. Despite the high frequency of hypoglycemia, it did not necessitate hospitalizations or lead to death. Conclusions: PBH did not resolve within long-term follow-up. Intriguingly, most patient were un-aware of these events which can lead to underestimation by the medical staff. Further studies are needed to determine possible long term sequela of repeated hypoglycemia. & COPY; 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of The Italian Diabetes Society, the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis, the Italian Society of Human Nutrition and the Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

TSTal Schiller
Tal Schiller
TZTaiba Zornitzki
Taiba Zornitzki
VOviviana ostrovsky
viviana ostrovsky
DSDanielle Sapojnik
Danielle Sapojnik
LCLee Cohen
Lee Cohen
AKAlena Kirzhner
Alena Kirzhner
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light both challenges and unique opportunities regarding type 1 diabetes (T1D) management, including the usage of telemedicine platforms. Methods: This study was conducted in a tertiary hospital diabetes clinic. All consecutive T1D patients during March and June 2021 were asked to fill out a structured anonymous questionnaire that aimed to determine their preference regarding continuous use of a virtual platform. Results: In total, 126 T1D patients answered the questionnaire, of whom 51% were under the age of 40, half were men, half used insulin pumps, and 69% used continuous glucose monitoring. During the pandemic, the exposure of patients to virtual visits has grown about twofold, from 29% to 53%. Of the respondents, 49% expressed an interest in future usage of a virtual platform, but most of them preferred use in a hybrid manner. We found an association between preference to use telemedicine in the future and younger age, previous virtual platform experience, and confidence in being able to download data. Conclusions: Our data demonstrate that the COVID-19 experience has led to a growing interest of T1D patients in using the hybrid format of telemedicine. However, we still need to better understand who will benefit most from this platform and assess its cost-effectiveness and organization.

AKAlena Kirzhner
Alena Kirzhner
OBOren Barak
Oren Barak
EVEdi Vaisbuch
Edi Vaisbuch
TZTaiba Zornitzki
Taiba Zornitzki
TSTal Schiller
Tal Schiller
Background: The optimal treatment strategy for the follow-up and management of women with glucokinase maturity-onset diabetes of the young (GCK−MODY)during pregnancy remains unknown. Data regarding maternal and fetal outcomes are lacking. Aim: This paper summarizes the existing literature regarding the maternal and fetal outcomes of women with glucokinase MODY to guide future treatment strategy. Methods: A literature search was conducted in Pubmed, Embace, and Cochrane library with citation follow-up using the terms: glucokinase, MODY, diabetes, pregnancy, gestation, and outcomes. We searched for articles with known fetal mutational status. Relevant outcomes included: birthweight, large for gestational age (LGA), small for gestational age (SGA), macrosomia, cesarean delivery (CD), shoulder dystocia, congenital anomalies, miscarriages, preterm births, and long-term outcomes. Results: Fourteen relevant manuscripts were identified describing maternal and fetal outcomes. The percentage of LGA and macrosomia in 102 glucokinase -unaffected offspring (GCK−) was significantly higher than in the glucokinase -affected offspring (GCK+) (44% vs. 10%, p < 0.001 and 22% vs. 2%, p < 0.001, respectively). Among the 173 GCK(+) offspring, only 5% were SGA, which can be expected according to the normal distribution. We observed higher rates of CD and shoulder dystocia in the GCK(−) offspring. Conclusions: GCK(−) offspring have significantly higher birthweights and more birth complications. The optimal treatment strategy to guide management should take into consideration multiple variables other than fetal mutational status.

21 March 2023 in The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
TSTal Schiller
Tal Schiller
OBOren Barak
Oren Barak
YSYael Winter Shafran
Yael Winter Shafran
MSMiri Barak Sacagiu
Miri Barak Sacagiu
LCLee Cohen
Lee Cohen
AKAlena Kirzhner
Alena Kirzhner
There are limited data on follow-up, treatment, and maternal and fetal outcomes in women with prediabetes before or at the beginning of pregnancy. The aim of this study was to comprehensively chara...

22 October 2024 in Journal of Clinical Medicine
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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AKAlena Kirzhner
Alena Kirzhner
ARAnton Rossels
Anton Rossels
DSDanielle Sapojnik
Danielle Sapojnik
HZHilla Zaharoni
Hilla Zaharoni
RCRamon Cohen
Ramon Cohen
TSTal Schiller
Tal Schiller
Background: Early prognostication of acute pancreatitis (AP) patients for those at high risk of complications during hospitalization can facilitate clinical decision-making. Sarcopenia has been proven to be a risk factor for poor prognosis in patients with AP. We aimed to evaluate the association between the muscle parameters measured in computed tomography (CT) and the clinical outcomes of hospitalized patients with AP. Methods: A total of 132 consecutive patients hospitalized between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2021 for AP with a valid CT scan were analyzed. The first CT conducted during hospitalization was analyzed for psoas muscle area (PMA), index (PMI), and density (PMD) at the L3 vertebral level. The main adverse outcomes indicating a worse prognosis were the development of extrapancreatic complications, infections, ICU transfer, in-hospital mortality, and hospitalization length. Results: The lowest tertile of PMI, as a surrogate for sarcopenia, was significantly correlated with increased rates of extrapancreatic complications, infections, and longer hospitalizations. It was additionally correlated with a worse CT severity index. The results for PMA and PMD also showed worse outcomes, largely mirroring the results for PMI. Although in-hospital mortality was relatively low, none of the patients died in the highest tertile of PMI. A clear cutoff with sufficient predictive capability could not be found. Conclusions: A low psoas muscle index can serve as an additional potential predictive marker for more severe disease and worse outcomes in hospitalized acute pancreatitis patients. More studies are needed to determine its combination with existing prediction tools.