Objective: We aimed to investigate the likelihood of vaginal colonization with Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in pregnant and non-pregnant women with Coronavrus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Materials and Methods: Vaginal swabs were taken from women diagnosed with mild to moderately acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, at Wolfson Medical Center, Israel, from March 2020 through October 2020. COVID-19 was diagnosed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) performed on nasopharyngeal swabs. Vaginal swabs were tested for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results: In total, 51 women diagnosed with COVID-19 were included in the study. Of the 51 women with COVID-19 enrolled in this study, 16 (31.4%) were pregnant at enrollment and 35 (68.6%) were non-pregnant. Mean age was 43.5 ± 15.3 years (range 21–74 years). Compared to the non-pregnant group, the pregnant group was characterized by a higher white blood cell and absolute neutrophil count (p = 0.02 and p = 0.027, respectively). The non-pregnant patients were more likely to have chronic diseases (p = 0.035) and to be hospitalized (p < 0.001). Only one patient (1.9%) aged 60 years tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in vaginal secretions. Mean gestational age at the diagnosis of COVID-19 of the pregnant group was 32.3 ± 7.8 weeks. Thirteen patients delivered during the study period; all delivered at term without obstetric complications and all neonates were healthy. Conclusions: Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in the vaginal secretions of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 is rare. Vaginal colonization may occur during the viremia phase of the disease, although infectivity from vaginal colonization needs to be proven.

Background. The Moringa oleifera (Moringa) nutritional supplement is often used for medicinal purposes due to its acclaimed healing abilities. Indeed, research indicates that Moringa possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and has the potential of being an ergogenic substance by enhancing energy metabolism. Yet, despite numerous manufacturers producing Moringa-based supplements, little scientific research has been conducted on humans. Aims. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the effects of Moringa as an ergogenic aid in improving aerobic and anaerobic exercise performance in healthy young fit subjects. Methods. A randomized, double-blind controlled study was performed to evaluate Moringa supplement compared to placebo. The study included 16 healthy young male and female, age 26.6 ± 3.0 years physical education college students. Participants were evaluated before and after six weeks of intervention of Moringa (310 mg x 2) or placebo capsules. Participants were measured for body composition, resting blood pressure (BP), resting heart rate (HR), graded cardiopulmonary test on a treadmill until reaching maximal oxygen consumption (VO₂max) and maximal anaerobic Wingate bicycle test. Results. There were no differences in physiological or physical performances between the two groups before and after the intervention. Conclusions. Despite promising indications of positive effects of Moringa plant on physiological processes, there was no effect on physical activity performance. As such, the administering of Moringa for improving athletic performance should be taken with caution. Further studies should be conducted to examine the effects of the Moringa plant on human performance in other populations.

Objective: On 7 October 2023, Hamas-led militants attacked Israeli communities bordering the Gaza Strip, abducting 251 people, including 201 civilians. Wolfson Medical Center was chosen by Israel’s Ministry of Health to care for repatriated civilians following a hostage release deal. We describe the development and implementation of a multidisciplinary care framework and report the clinical characteristics and short-term hospital outcomes of the repatriated civilians treated within it. Methods: A multidisciplinary framework was developed and implemented to address acute and chronic medical conditions, physical trauma, sexual assault, psychosocial support, and nutritional rehabilitation. Clinical characteristics and short-term hospital outcomes were retrospectively extracted from the electronic medical records. Results: Between 24 November and 1 December 2023, we treated 10 repatriated female hostages (median age 67 years, range 29–85 years) held captive for 48–55 days. They suffered physical trauma and loss of family members during the 7 October events. Captivity was associated with inadequate nutrition, poor hygiene, physical injuries, psychological distress, and insufficient management of chronic medical conditions. Acute conditions on arrival included rapid atrial fibrillation, heart failure, deep vein thrombosis, endocrine abnormalities, gastrointestinal symptoms and dermatologic conditions. Care required individualized planning, flexibility, and close coordination with national authorities, community health providers, and social services. Conclusions: Our experience highlights the need for comprehensive, coordinated care frameworks that not only address the medical, psychological, and social complexities of early recovery and reintegration but also ensure effective oversight and training of the medical teams involved.

Introduction: Prolonged missile-related conflicts may generate evolving civilian injury patterns and continuing war-related presentations to emergency departments. Although mass casualty incidents receive substantial attention in the disaster medicine literature, less is known regarding how civilian injury profiles and war-related emergency department presentations evolve during recurrent and prolonged conflict conditions. Understanding these changes is important for healthcare preparedness and continuity of emergency services. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study of civilian presentations to a large urban emergency department documented as occurring in the context of 2 conflicts involving attacks by the same regional adversary: June 13-25, 2025, and February 28-April 19, 2026. Demographic characteristics, injury severity, patient disposition, and diagnosis categories were analyzed. Because 4 nearby mass casualty incidents occurred during the first conflict period, an adjusted analysis excluding casualties presenting on mass casualty incident dates was performed to evaluate underlying wartime injury patterns. The second conflict period was additionally divided into early and later phases to assess temporal changes during prolonged conflict exposure. Daily presentation rates were calculated to account for differences in conflict duration. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Edith Wolfson Medical Center (approval no. 0084-26-WOMC, 2026). The requirement for informed consent was waived due to the retrospective nature of the study. Results: A total of 1,018 war-related civilian ED presentations were included. Period 1 included 418 presentations over 13 days, corresponding to 32.2 presentations per day. After excluding the 4 mass casualty incident dates, 127 presentations occurred over 9 days, corresponding to 14.1 presentations per day. Period 2 included 600 presentations over 51 days, corresponding to 11.8 presentations per day. Initial analyses demonstrated lower injury severity during Period 2; however, after exclusion of mass casualty incident-associated casualties, severity distributions were similar, with mild injuries accounting for 96.1% and 97.0% of presentations, respectively. Diagnosis distributions differed significantly between periods (P < .001). Extremity injuries increased from 31.9% to 44.2% and peaked during the early phase of Period 2 at 48.2%, before declining to 34.8% during the later phase. Psychological/anxiety-related presentations decreased from 11.8% to 0.8%, while multiregion trauma reached 9.9% during the later phase of Period 2. War-related presentations continued throughout the prolonged second conflict period despite the absence of nearby missile impacts or formal mass casualty incident activation. Conclusions: Civilian wartime injury profiles evolved across recurrent missile-related conflicts despite relatively stable injury severity after adjustment for local mass casualty incidents. Preparedness strategies should consider both acute mass casualty events and the continuing occurrence of predominantly low-acuity war-related emergency department presentations during prolonged conflict conditions.