Bar-Ilan University

About: Bar-Ilan University is a education organization based out in Ramat Gan, Israel. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 12835 authors who have published 34964 publications receiving 995648 citations. The organization is also known as: Bar Ilan University & BIU.

Radiation induces proinflammatory dysbiosis: transmission of inflammatory susceptibility by host cytokine induction

Abstract: Objective Radiation proctitis (RP) is a complication of pelvic radiotherapy which affects both the host and microbiota. Herein we assessed the radiation effect on microbiota and its relationship to tissue damage using a rectal radiation mouse model. Design We evaluated luminal and mucosa-associated dysbiosis in irradiated and control mice at two postradiation time points and correlated it with clinical and immunological parameters. Epithelial cytokine response was evaluated using bacterial–epithelial co-cultures. Subsequently, germ-free (GF) mice were colonised with postradiation microbiota and controls and exposed to radiation, or dextran sulfate-sodium (DSS). Interleukin (IL)-1β correlated with tissue damage and was induced by dysbiosis. Therefore, we tested its direct role in radiation-induced damage by IL-1 receptor antagonist administration to irradiated mice. Results A postradiation shift in microbiota was observed. A unique microbial signature correlated with histopathology. Increased colonic tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α, IL-1β and IL-6 expression was observed at two different time points. Adherent microbiota from RP differed from those in uninvolved segments and was associated with tissue damage. Using bacterial–epithelial co-cultures, postradiation microbiota enhanced IL-1β and TNFα expression compared with naive microbiota. GF mice colonisation by irradiated microbiota versus controls predisposed mice to both radiation injury and DSS-induced colitis. IL-1 receptor antagonist administration ameliorated intestinal radiation injury. Conclusions The results demonstrate that rectal radiation induces dysbiosis, which transmits radiation and inflammatory susceptibility and provide evidence that microbial-induced radiation tissue damage is at least in part mediated by IL-1β. Environmental factors may affect the host via modifications of the microbiome and potentially allow for novel interventional approaches via its manipulation.

Phasing: private set intersection using permutation-based hashing

Abstract: Private Set Intersection (PSI) allows two parties to compute the intersection of private sets while revealing nothing more than the intersection itself. PSI needs to be applied to large data sets in scenarios such as measurement of ad conversion rates, data sharing, or contact discovery. Existing PSI protocols do not scale up well, and therefore some applications use insecure solutions instead. We describe a new approach for designing PSI protocols based on permutation-based hashing, which enables to reduce the length of items mapped to bins while ensuring that no collisions occur. We denote this approach as Phasing, for Permutation-based Hashing Set Intersection. Phasing can dramatically improve the performance of PSI protocols whose overhead depends on the length of the representations of input items. We apply Phasing to design a new approach for circuit-based PSI protocols. The resulting protocol is up to 5 times faster than the previously best Sort-Compare-Shuffle circuit of Huang et al. (NDSS 2012). We also apply Phasing to the OT-based PSI protocol of Pinkas et al. (USENIX Security 2014), which is the fastest PSI protocol to date. Together with additional improvements that reduce the computation complexity by a logarithmic factor, the resulting protocol improves run-time by a factor of up to 20 and can also have similar communication overhead as the previously best PSI protocol in that respect. The new protocol is only moderately less efficient than an insecure PSI protocol that is currently used by real-world applications, and is therefore the first secure PSI protocol that is scalable to the demands and the constraints of current real-world settings.

Critical thickness for ferromagnetism in LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures

Abstract: The interface within heterostructures consisting of LaAlO3 and SrTiO3 has been reported to give rise to magnetism, in addition to a two-dimensional electron gas. Kalisky et al. observe that magnetism can occur only above a critical thickness, and that it occurs in heterogeneous patches.

Glucose-Responsive Metal–Organic-Framework Nanoparticles Act as “Smart” Sense-and-Treat Carriers

Abstract: Zeolitic Zn2+-imidazolate cross-linked framework nanoparticles, ZIF-8 NMOFs, are used as “smart” glucose-responsive carriers for the controlled release of drugs. The ZIF-8 NMOFs are loaded with the respective drug and glucose oxidase (GOx), and the GOx-mediated aerobic oxidation of glucose yields gluconic acid and H2O2. The acidification of the NMOFs’ microenvironment leads to the degradation of the nanoparticles and the release of the loaded drugs. In one sense-and-treat system, GOx and insulin are loaded in the NMOFs. In the presence of glucose, the nanoparticles are unlocked, resulting in the release of insulin. The release of insulin is controlled by the concentration of glucose. In the second sense-and-treat system, the NMOFs are loaded with the antivascular endothelial growth factor aptamer (VEGF aptamer) and GOx. In the presence of glucose, the ZIF-8 NMOFs are degraded, leading to the release of the VEGF aptamer, which acts as a potential inhibitor of the angiogenetic regeneration of blood vessels ...

Germination, genetics, and growth of an ancient date seed

Abstract: An ancient date seed (Phoenix dactylifera L.) excavated from Masada and radiocarbon-dated to the first century Common Era was germinated. Climatic conditions at the Dead Sea may have contributed to the longevity of this oldest, directly dated, viable seed. Growth and development of the seedling over 26 months was compatible with normal date seedlings propagated from modern seeds. Preliminary molecular characterization demonstrated high levels of genetic variation in comparison to modern, elite date cultivars currently growing in Israel. As a representative of an extinct date palm population, this seedling can provide insights into the historic date culture of the Dead Sea region. It also has importance for seed banking and conservation and may be of relevance to modern date palm cultivation.