On the other hand
The signs of the approaching Festival of Chanukah are everywhere, from sufganiyot (doughnuts) in a myriad of flavours and colours in shops, the aroma of latkes in the shuk to candles and menorot in supermarkets.
Bus signs proclaim Chag Chanukah and people already wish you a joyous holiday. That is what makes living in Israel so special.
It also heralds a week-long vacation for school pupils, always a joyous event.
MORE MEDICAL MILESTONES
Research to combat diseases afflicting humanity continues unabated and once again Israeli experts are leading pioneering developments in improving the health of all no matter where they live.
Among this week’s achievements:
* Scientists say they have observed exactly how the brain can make the body sick — and believe tweaks in the behaviour of grey matter could stop inflammation in the bowel, colon and elsewhere.
Researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology activated certain combinations of neurons in healthy mice, which had no physical problems at all, and watched inflammation suddenly appear. This illustrates the power of the brain to initiate physical illness and shows how it happens, they say.
* Geriatricians watched with dismay as pandemic blues stopped many patients from eating — and decided to reach for the ice cream machine and serve nutritional supplements as treats
Israeli medical teams have started making nutrition-rich ice cream for the elderly, after watching with dismay in recent weeks as many patients stopped eating because of pandemic blues and refused dietary supplements.
* The American Food and Drug Administration has approved a groundbreaking, complex, generic drug indicated for the treatment of ovarian cancer, multiple myeloma and Kaposi’s Sarcoma.
The drug is a modified chemotherapy treatment that targets cancer cells directly, thereby reducing side effects.
The drug, and the company that makes it, are located in Jerusalem.
ENVIRONMENTAL INNOVATION
Israeli expertise and innovation also extend to improving the environment and making an impact in the challenge of climate change.
COVID AND CARDIAC RESEARCH
Israeli researchers make some vital and important discoveries relating to cardiac problems caused by the coronavirus.
DETERMINATION
Here is the heartwarming story of how a young man, having recovered from childhood leukemia, overcame obstacles in order to become a combat soldier in the IDF.
