Adding Pomegranate Juice to Statin Treatment May Delay Heart Disease
Combining low-dose statin therapy with pomegranate concentrate (which contains polyphenolic antioxidants and phytosterols) in patients with hypercholesterolemia (high blood cholesterol), may significantly reduce cholesterol levels and hinder oxidation of cholesterol in blood and cells. This is what Professor Michael Aviram and his research team from the Technion’s Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and the Rambam Health Care Campus discovered. Their research was published in January 2014 in the scientific journal Atherosclerosis, and its findings show that the combination of statin and pomegranate concentrate helps delay risk factors affecting the onset of atherosclerosis and its consequences – heart attack or stroke.
The leading risk factors for the development of atherosclerosis (the formation of cholesterol deposits in artery walls that can block blood flowing to the heart and brain) and its outcome – heart attack or stroke, involve both the quantity and the quality of blood cholesterol. “As LDL (low-density lipoprotein or “bad cholesterol”) rises in the blood, and as the quality of cholesterol in the blood decreases (increased cholesterol oxidation), the quicker the development of atherosclerosis.
“Our job is to provide treatment to lower blood cholesterol levels and to delay cholesterol oxidation,” explains Professor Aviram. “Drugs are used to treat high levels of cholesterol in the blood – mainly with statins, which hinders the production of cholesterol in the body and lowers its levels in the blood. Antioxidants, sourced mainly in plants (in fruit and vegetable peels) are used to treat cholesterol oxidation. Although statin therapy effectively lowers cholesterol levels in patients diagnosed with heart and cardiovascular diseases, it has only modest effect on curbing oxidation. Moreover, high doses of statins can lead to side-effects – involving primarily significant muscle pain. We are looking to find a treatment without unwanted side-effects” Aviram said.
“Low doses of statins may prevent side-effects,” adds Professor Aviram, “but low statin doses also decrease its effectiveness at lowering cholesterol levels in the blood. In another study, we found that the addition of phytosterols (cholesterol-like molecules found in fruits and vegetables) can lower blood cholesterol through a natural mechanism different from that of statins – one which naturally hinders cholesterol absorption, thus reducing blood cholesterol levels. However, we observed that phytosterols catalyzes the oxidation of cholesterol, and hence phytosterols should be administered together with effective antioxidants. The pomegranate fruit addresses both the levels of cholesterol and its oxidation rate because it contains both phytosterols (beta sitosterol) , and a most potent antioxidants (punicalagin). Therefore, concentrates of pomegranate juice can delay the oxidation of cholesterol, and in addition, it lowers cholesterol levels (because of the phytosterols it contains), without causing unwanted side-effects reported by patients taking high statin doses.”
10 Faculty Members were awarded the Yanai Prize for Excellence in Academic Education
Additionally, the Faculty of Mathematics received the Outstanding Faculty Award, a new prize awarded for the first time this year
The Yanai Prize for Excellence in Academic Education was awarded to ten Technion faculty members and to the Faculty of Mathematics. The awards ceremony was attended by the Yanai family, who endowed the prize, award recipients and their families, and Technion lecturers and students. This is the third year in a row that the prestigious prize has been awarded, “in appreciation of faculty members, who set an example through their endless contributions to teaching and learning and for their efforts to improve student involvement and sense of belonging to the Technion.”
Additionally, a new prize awarded for the first time this year was given for Outstanding Faculty. The prize was awarded to the Faculty of Mathematics in recognition of championing teaching excellence and academic services to all Technion students. The Awards Committee emphasized that, “the Faculty’s activities are characterized by a high level of attention to the quality of teaching, excellent service, as well as for its demonstrated empathy to student needs and introduction of educational and technological initiatives.”
“This is a festive day for education at Technion,” remarked Technion President, Prof. Peretz Lavie at the awards ceremony. “We recognize today the award recipients who set an example to all lecturers on campus. It can be said that the ‘Yanai Prize’ has far-reaching effects on academic education at the Technion and even beyond.” The President referred to the consent of the Senate to approve the recommendations of the “Cohen Committee” to ease the academic workload: “All of the Committee’s recommendations were intended to lighten the pressure on our students without compromising academic excellence, which is our guiding principle.”
“We view our award winners as a unit of high quality dignitaries that influence teaching standards on campus,” remarked Technion’s Vice President for Research and Chairperson of the Prize Committee, Prof. Gadi Schuster. “Last year we announced that lecturers who do not meet good teaching standards will not teach core courses and it gives me great pleasure to report today that we have nearly achieved our goal. Today only 5% out of 800 core courses taught at Technion are not taught up to standard, and we are working hard to improve this figure.”
Merav Proyam, Chairperson of the Student’s Association’s Academic Committee who was party to the selection process of the award winners said that, “This is a period of blossoming and growth for Technion students. Over the past two years the Technion is has been putting the needs of students as one of its top priorities and has significantly improved teaching and learning conditions at the university. I thank the Yanai family, which gave us students, the opportunity to honor are most highly esteemed lecturers.”
Moshe Yanai, a global pioneer in the field of information storage, in his making his contribution sought to give back to the Technion in gratitude for the life skills that the institute bestowed to him during his studies here 40 years ago. Since he recalls the years of study at the university with hardship and periods of difficulty, he decided together with Technion President, Prof. Peretz Lavie, to contribute 12 million dollars to award lecturers who have demonstrated teaching excellence, a gift that will also greatly benefit Technion students. The prize, which awards 100 thousand Shekels to each recipient, will be given over a period of ten years. In Moshe Yanai’s closing remarks he thanked the Technion for enabling him to give back to the academic community in a way that is both noteworthy and beneficial. “To sign the check is the easy part,” he said. “The difficulty is in achieving the desired return. In the academic world, success is a product of research and the publication of academic literature, and I really appreciate those of you who also invest in teaching, because this isn’t always self-evident.”
The ten faculty members awarded the 2013 Yanai Prize for Excellence in Academic Education are:
Prof. Moshe Baruch, from the Faculty of Mathematics
Prof. Baruch is a marvelous lecturer who can teach difficult material in a clear and understandable manner and who advances each of his students according to his/her abilities, all while creating a pleasant atmosphere in the classroom. Over the years he has received many teaching awards, including the Salomon Simon Mani Award for Excellence in Teaching and Outstanding Technion Lecturer. In addition to teaching, Prof. Baruch has invested many hours in developing and updating course materials, and as an active member of the academic committee that periodically reviews the Calculus courses (differential and integral calculus). Prof. Baruch has given numerous public lectures, including the keynote speech at the exhibition about Jewish mathematicians in German-speaking countries, held in conjunction with the Science Museum last year, which attracted a large audience and received very positive feedback. The highlight of his work in recent years has been his efforts in mobilizing of the Faculty’s youth activities, especially the management and organization of the summer camp “Thumba” on number theory, which is the first of its kind in the country. Many of the camp’s participants, in operation since 2007, continue to keep in touch with him and some are now Technion students.
Prof. Dafna Fisher-Gewirtzman, from the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning
Prof. Fisher-Gewirtzmanis the course facilitator of the “Architecture Studio” consisting of bi-weekly meetings with student groups. The course is markedly different from the method of frontal teaching practiced in other courses. Prof. Fisher-Gewirtzman is much adored by her students, for the high quality content that she teaches and for her delivery in the classroom. Students strongly recommended her for the award and commented favorably on her positive and laid-back personality. According to Prof. Fisher-Gewirtzman, her goal as a lecturer is to instill in her students both knowledge and enthusiasm in the subject matter at the same time, in order to develop their required skill sets, provide them with the tools necessary for life-long learning, and encourage them to love learning and research as a way of life, which will enrich their life and improve their chances of becoming better Architects.
Prof. Moris Eisen, from the Faculty of Chemistry
Prof. Eisen is highly committed and dedicated to teaching and to its promotion within the Technion and beyond. He has served for several years as the Vice Dean in matters pertaining to instruction, and within the framework of this position, he managed to advance various aspects in matters pertaining to teaching within the Faculty and beyond it in the best possible manner. The Faculty of Chemistry provides instructional services to over 3,500 students from various faculties at Technion. As Dean of the Faculty, Prof. Eisen promotes issues involving teaching chemistry and facilitates support for undergraduate students through the establishment of a student club and the development and improvement of teaching methods at the Faculty of Chemistry. Prof. Eisen is best known for his successful chemistry courses designed for first-year students, exemplified as being a ‘complex teaching challenge.’
Prof. Alon Wolf, from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
Prof. Wolf serves as the Coordinator for Undergraduate Studies at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, and performs his duties faithfully and high efficiency. He is always ready to lend a sympathetic ear to students who find themselves in academic distress, and does his upmost to help them cope successfully with the university’s faculty. Prof. Wolf teaches the course “Introduction to the Creative Design” and coordinates all of the activities in this subject at the Faculty level and at the Technion, within the framework of the “Techno-Rosh” competition. He is in charge of proposing projects to challenge the student population, who have yet to learn the full range of basic engineering courses, to think like an engineer in a creative, original and independent way. Prof. Wolf is a natural leader with very high deductive abilities. He is a commendable citizen and outstanding lecturer who inspires his students with the best engineering studies has to offer.
Prof. Idit Keidar, from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering
Prof. Keidaris an excellent lecturer engaged in education in the broadest sense of the word. She has a rare ability to consolidate and summarize learning materials and presenting content in a concise and clear manner. This is evident both in her frontal lessons, in her mentoring meetings with graduate students and in her writing for the professional community. Prof. Keidar maintains a fair and transparent attitude toward all her students, out of a clear perception of her role as an educator; she invests a great amount of time and effort into providing each of her students with equal and fair treatment. She demands high level work from her students along with a heavy workload, but her attitude and the interest she arouses in her students makes them appreciative of the high level academics they are given.
Prof. Oren Kurland, from the Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management
Prof. Kurlandis a true asset to the Faculty. He has contributed greatly to the improvement of course instruction, and to mentoring activities for graduate students at the business intelligence laboratory that he initiated and developed, and which is led by the Faculty’s top students. His ability to integrate relevant research insights within the framework of different courses at all levels, and successfully stimulate his students with intellectual challenges, is what drives students to come to his lectures and sign up in droves for all the elective courses he teaches. Prof. Kurland gives his students his all by making himself available to them 24 hours a day, and giving them a sense that there are no barriers stopping them from meeting with him. Despite the lack of clearly defined barriers, Prof. Kurland is highly respected by his students, supports and nurtures the students under his guidance, and serves as a model of excellence.
Prof. Liron Yedidsion, from the Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management
Prof. Yedidsionis a faculty member in the field of industrial engineering. Already from the first course he delivered, he set new standards to the concept of teaching excellence. He developed an innovative and unique teaching method, which encourages students to get highly involved in the course study material and deepen their knowledge of the learning material. He allows students take an active role in the management of the course, by letting them experience writing and testing out exercises, and prepare lesson plans and summaries. Despite the high demanding and uncompromising level of his courses, students take on the responsibility and own up to it from a standpoint of genuine curiosity and desire to be challenged and not out of obligation. Prof. Yedidsion builds warm and personal relationship with his students. In his students he looks for those with high potential and encourages them to excel and continue onto graduate studies. Prof. Yedidsion is a relatively new faculty member, and yet he managed from the start, to set a higher standard of excellence in teaching.
Prof. Havazelet Bianco-Peled, from the Faculty of Chemical Engineering
Prof. Bianco-Peledis an exceptional lecturer at the Faculty of Chemical Engineering, teaching various subjects. She coordinates the biochemical aspects of the faculty and teaches a number of courses. Prof. Bianco-Peled is known for her in-depth knowledge in the subject area, her desire to teach, her patience with students’ endless questions, her willingness to explain again and again, and her great investment in her students. She also serves as the Graduate Coordinator at the Faculty, and is very attentive to listening to students who come to her with their problems. Her positive attitude has made a lot of “fans” among the student population, and she from her point of view, attempts to maintain a warm relationship with her students in the classroom and beyond, in order to test her teaching effectiveness. Prof. Bianco-Peled truly cares about her students and it shows. However, she does not make concessions and demands a high academic level from her students. Prof. Bianco-Peled is an exemplary professor for her building commendable relationships with her students and for her achievements, without compromising high academic level.
Prof. Amir Shpilka, from the Faculty of Computer Science
The course entitled “Database Systems” is a very difficult course to teach, and one which consistently receives low teaching scores. However, for the past decade, Prof. Shpilka has received the highest overall score for teaching this course. In addition, he has received the highest scores in interest, active learning, and general assessment of this course over the past decade. Owing to his excellent performance and the outstanding treatment of students, two years ago Prof. Shpilka was appointed the Coordinator of Graduate Studies at the Faculty and Head of the Excellence Program. His activities within the framework of these positions have been extensive and important. He has invested a lot of his time and helped a large number of students.
Prof. Uri Shavit, from the Faculty of Civil Engineering
Prof. Shavitlectures in the field of water engineering. According to him, thinking like an engineer “through equations” is the basis for analyzing and dealing with unsolved scientific and engineering problems. The challenge for him as a teacher is to find the right balance between the teaching of the classical tools (which are indispensable) and the study of the processes and mechanisms through fundamental laws and equations that describe them. “Teaching students properly is challenging,” says Prof. Shavit. “When a hall full of students understand something they did not previously comprehend it becomes an extremely exciting moment for me from which I gain a great feeling of satisfaction.”
