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Biomedical subjects

N Zilber

Publications and source records attributed to N Zilber.

44 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Inheritance of idiopathic torsion dystonia among Jews.

Idiopathic torsion dystonia (ITD) has long been considered to be genetically determined, but the pattern of inheritance has been unclear. It has been suggested that inheritance may differ in Jews and non-Jews. In the present study, data gathered in a nationwide survey of ITD in Israel were analysed. Between 1969 and 1980, 47 patients were collected, of whom 40 were of European origin. In these European Jews, the ITD frequency was about 1:23 000 live births, which was five-fold greater than in Jews of Afro-Asian origin. Assuming that all cases fit the same genetic model, an X linked or a simple autosomal recessive model of inheritance did not agree well with our data. An autosomal dominant model with low penetrance could have accounted for our observations and would yield an ITD gene frequency in European Jews of 3 to 4:100 000. In view of the increased ages of their fathers, the isolated cases may have included some new mutations. Multifactorial inheritance was also possible. However, it may be inappropriate to assume that all cases have the same genetic basis, or even that all are inherited.

Dystonia Musculorum Deformans↗
PubMed1984

Incidence of tuberculosis among children born in Israel--1956 to 1979.

The incidence of tuberculosis (TB) among Israeli-born children was studied. The incidence rates for Jews and non-Jews were compared at various ages and in different years. Non-Jews had higher rates of TB than had Jews at all ages. The difference between the two groups was largest at age 5 to 9 years (rate ratio, non-Jews to Jews, 4.0). Among Jews, the highest rates of TB were found in the youngest age-group, while among the non-Jews rates continued to be high until the age of 14. The annual incidence of TB showed a general decline for all age-groups among the Jews, while among the non-Jews only children aged 0 to 4 demonstrated a similar trend. The largest reductions in the incidence of TB occurred in children of this age in both groups. During the last years of the study, the annual incidence of TB among Israeli-born persons reached particularly low levels, with only 14 new cases being diagnosed during 1979, 5 among Jews and 9 among non-Jews. The respective incidence rates were 0.3 and 2.6 per 100,000 population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Effect of mass BCG vaccination at birth on the incidence of tuberculosis among Jewish children in Israel.

This report evaluates the effect of BCG vaccination at birth on the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) among Jewish children born in Israel between 1956 and 1979 and aged 0 to 12 years. In the years 1956-79, 299 new cases of TB were diagnosed; 164 of these patients had been vaccinated at birth (an incidence rate of 1.9/100,000 person-years at risk), and 106 had not (a rate of 3.1 significantly higher than among the vaccinated children). Nevertheless, because of the low incidence of TB among Jewish children born in Israel, the number of cases that were prevented by vaccination was relatively small (mean of 4.2/year). The protective efficacy of vaccination was 38%: 24% for pulmonary and 64% for extrapulmonary TB.

BCG Vaccine↗
PubMed1983

Measles, measles vaccination, and risk of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE).

Between the years 1968 and 1979, 87 cases of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) appeared among the Israeli-born population. The incidence of SSPE dropped sharply in 1977, 10 years (the median age at onset of SSPE) after introduction of mass antimeasles vaccination, and remained low in 1978 and 1979. Most of the SSPE cases reported measles at an age significantly younger than that of the general population. This pattern did not change after introduction of antimeasles vaccination. Incidence was significantly lower (p less than 10(-9) in the vaccinated population than in the unvaccinated population. Occurrence of SSPE in some children who were vaccinated against measles could be explained by incomplete vaccine efficacy, or by older age at vaccination, which allows the possibility of prior exposure to measles. There was no indication that measles vaccine can induce SSPE.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Acute transverse myelitis: incidence and etiologic considerations.

There have been few population-based studies of acute transverse myelitis (ATM). Therefore, incidence and population selectivity of this disorder in different regions is not well known. Data on all Jewish patients with ATM throughout Israel were collected for the period 1955 through 1975. Based on 62 patients who satisfied rigid diagnostic criteria, the average annual incidence rate was 1.34 per million population. No significant difference in incidence was noted between European/American-born and Afro/Asian-born populations. There was no significant seasonal or annual fluctuation in frequency. In 37% of the patients, a history of infection prior to ATM was reported, more commonly among younger patients. ATM rarely evolved into multiple sclerosis. More than one-third of the patients with ATM made a good recovery; in another one-third recovery was only fair; 14 patients failed to improve and 3 died. If other population-based studies of ATM were undertaken, comparison with our results might shed further light on the causes of this disorder.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1980

Torsion dystonia in Israel.

A country-wide search for idiopathic torsion dystonia (ITD) in Israel between 1969 and 1975 revealed 42 patients (41 Jewish and 1 Druze Arab). Prevalence of ITD per million population, age-adjusted to the United States population in 1970, was 10.8 in the total Jewish population (22.0 among Jews of European extraction contrasted with 1.5 among Jews with Afro-Asian forebears). Among Europeans, the highest prevalence was among Jews from Eastern Europe. The average age-adjusted annual incidence rates per million population were 0.43 in the total Jewish population, 0.98 in the Europeans, and 0.11 in the Afro-Asians. Among the 40 patients for whom familial data were available, the majority of cases (26) were sporadic. The other 14 belonged to four unrelated European families, all of Russian-Polish origin. The pattern of inheritance in these four families fits an autosomal dominant model with incomplete penetrance.

Adolescent↗