Druze Population Research Articles

Bibliography of Periodical Literature on the Druze in 2023

This article lists peer-reviewed books, book chapters, and articles published in English in 2023 relevant to Druze Studies. The classification of entries occurs under the following headings: Biology & Health; Education; History; Language & Literature; Politics; Religious Studies; Socioeconomics; and Women, Gender, & Sexuality. The survey included 67 entries in 2023. Through this investigation and the organization of the literature along with the categorization, a few patterns emerged, revealing trends and gaps in the academic literature on the Druze community. The relative lack of coverage on education, language and literature, and religious studies reveals a general gap in the literature on these subjects. However, in several of the other, more robust categories, such as biology & health, politics, socioeconomics, and women, gender, & sexuality, a disproportionate regional focus began to emerge. In these categories and in 2023 literature on the Druze as a whole, a majority of work focused explicitly or in large part on the Israeli Druze community, despite Israeli Druze constituting less than ten percent of the overall Druze population.

Land market segmentation along ethnic lines: Four urban localities in Israel as a case study

Land market in Israel is formed by several submarkets stratified by ethnicity of local residents – Jews, Arabs and Druze. However, no study, carried out to date, investigated the magnitude of land price differences between these submarkets and factors affecting them. The present study attempts to fill this gap by comparing residential land prices in four towns of comparable size, one of which (Daliyat al-Karmel-Isfiya) has predominantly Druze population; the second town (Afula) is mostly populated by Jews; the third town (Shefa-'Amr) has a mixed Arab and Druze population, and the fourth town (Baqa al Gharbiyye-Jatt) has a homogeneous Arab population. The analysis covers the period between 2000 and 2016 and uses transaction records obtained from the Israel Tax Authority. The study reveals significant land price differences between the Jewish town of Afula, in which land prices are relatively high, and the rest of urban localities under analysis, where land prices are relatively low. Concurrently, there appears to be no significant differences in land prices between Arab and Druze localities under study. As the study also shows, market fundamentals (such as population income and natural population growth) appear to affect land prices in Afula only, while there is no evidence of any significant effect of these factors on land prices in Arab and Druze localities under analysis. We attribute these differences to the fact that land market in the Arab and Druze sectors in Israel is a distinctively different submarket, which appears to be heavily shaped by "informal" land transactions within the family, and unregulated property rights that effectively prevent mortgaging and land sales outside the community. The study highlights the extent to which land market restrictions and inefficiencies can alter land price trends.

Attitudes Towards the Position of Israel Regarding the Provision of Aid to Druze in Syria During the Civil War in Syria

"This article examines the perceptions and attitudes towards the position of the State of Israel and Israeli Druze regarding the provision of aid to Druze in Syria during the civil war in Syria that took place between the years 2011 and 2017. The main goal of this article is to examine the perceptions and attitudes of senior officials in the Druze community and in Israel regarding the aid provided to Druze in Syria and its impact on the national and Druze identity among the Druze population in Israel. Keywords: Druze, civil war, Israel, Syria."

Factors Involved in the Outbreak of the Civil War in Syria in March 2011

"This article was written as part of my doctoral research on the topic of Conflict of Loyalties: Relationships between Druze in Israel and Druze in Syria during the Syrian Civil War between 2011-2017. In this article I will analyze the factors involved in the outbreak of the civil war in the context of the conflict of loyalties among the Druze population living in Syria. The article will show the political and geopolitical background to the civil war outbreak. Keywords: Druze, Civil war, Israel, Syria, Syrian war. "

MO046: Exome sequencing of Israeli Druze individuals on dialysis reveals common as well as population- specific monogenic etiologies in ∼30%

Abstract BACKGROUND AND AIMS Genetic etiologies are estimated to affect ∼10% of adults with advanced CKD. However, significant population disparities in genetic kidney disease exist and population-based screening are lacking especially among minority groups. The Druze population is a middle-eastern minority with high rates of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and consanguinity, which suggests high rates of population-specific monogenic CKD etiologies. We therefore hypothesized that by exome sequencing we will identify a unique distribution of monogenic ESRD causes as compared with prior studies and that important ramifications for clinical practice may ensue. METHOD We initiated a national multicenter study of all Israeli dialysis units in order to provide comprehensive evidence for ESRD's genetic basis (Israeli ESRD Genetic Consortium Cohort). Specifically, during 2020, we recruited 97% (n = 94) of Israeli Druze individuals on dialysis from 12 different hospitals and community-based units. We conducted exome sequencing and diagnostic analysis for all patients. We assessed the diagnostic yield of genetic analysis and its relation to baseline clinical phenotypes. RESULTS Overall, the cohort consists of 94 individuals from 91 different families with first-degree consanguinity rate of 28%. Participants mean age was 62 years (ranging from 18 to 88 years). Most common primary clinical diagnoses were diabetic kidney disease, nephropathy of unknown origin, glomerular or cystic kidney disease, together encompassing 90% of all cases. None had previous molecular diagnosis. Using exome sequencing, we identified a genetic etiology in 27 out of 94 (28.7%) participants. We identified WDR19 (NPHP13) homozygous mutation c.878G > A (p.C293Y) as the most common genetic diagnosis (5.3%). Follow-up clinical characterization revealed that all affected individuals exhibited non-syndromic adulthood-onset ESRD, supporting a profound mutation-dependent phenotypic heterogeneity and weak pre-exome phenotypic specificity. Other prevalent genetic diagnoses included type IV collagen, PKD1, PKD2 and UMOD mutations as well as monogenic forms of diabetes and hyperlipidemia. Molecular diagnosis corresponded to the pre-exome clinical diagnosis in only one-third of the participants. CONCLUSION Exome sequencing in Druze with ESRD yields a genetic diagnosis in just <30% of cases with WDR19 mutation being the most prevalent single-gene etiology. These results, which remarkably inform clinical management, emphasize the importance of revealing population-specific mutations given the underutilization of genetic testing, particularly among adult minorities.

As the Druze Go, So Goes the Middle East

The Druze, despite being a small minority faith group, have long survived in a challenging region, thanks in part to a doctrine of deference to whatever state they live in. In the past few years, however, the three largest Druze populations—in Israel, Lebanon, and Syria—have each faced some of their most difficult challenges yet, from a downgrading of their citizenship status to economic collapse and civil war. An increasingly active diaspora has emerged as an important advocate for Druze interests worldwide.

Personal Well-Being, Mental Resilience and Emotional Intelligence in First- and Second-Generation Druze in the Golan Heights

This study examined personal well-being, mental resilience, and emotional intelligence in the first- and second-generation Druze population in the Golan Heights using qualitative and quantitative methods. One hundred Druze respondents completed four questionnaires (emotional intelligence, mental resilience, demographics, personal well-being), and eight participated in semi-structured interviews. One hypothesis was that the first generation (ages 40-62) who lived through the Six-Day War in 1967 when Israel occupied the Syrian-ruled Golan Heights and the annexation process in 1981, would have lower levels of personal well-being and emotional intelligence than the second generation (ages 25-40) who were born and raised in Israel and did not experience these events. Another hypothesis was that the first generation, having experienced those events, would have higher mental resilience than the second generation. The findings showed that the second generation had higher levels of personal well-being and emotional intelligence than the first generation. However, mental resilience levels were higher in the second generation than the first. The findings indicated that memories of the stressful historical events and the sense of loyalty to Syria result in an emotional burden that exposes a low level of resilience. The levels of mental resilience predicted emotional intelligence levels and personal well-being, regardless of generational affiliation. This study's findings may be expanded to describe other communities that have undergone similar political upheaval.

Discrepancies in adolescent-mother dyads' reports of core depression symptoms: Association with adolescents' help-seeking in school and their somatic complaints

ObjectiveParents of adolescents with mental problems do not always recognize the symptoms in their children, particularly regarding depression, and therefore do not seek professional help. Adolescents themselves tend to seek help from school personnel for their emotional or social difficulties. In contrast, adolescents do report somatic complaints and parents are likely to seek help for these problems. The current study explored whether the divergence between maternal and child reports of depression symptoms is associated with child's help-seeking in school and patterns of somatic complaints. MethodA sample of 9th grade students (N = 693; 56% girls; mean age = 15.1) and their mothers representing the Muslim and Druze populations in northern Israel were interviewed simultaneously and independently. Maternal reports were classified either as underestimating, matching, or overestimating their own child self-report of three core symptoms of depression (depressed mood, anhedonia, and irritability). Adolescents reported whether they had consulted school staff and were classified into clusters based on self-reported somatic complaints. ResultsMaternal misidentification of their child's depression symptoms was associated with increased help-seeking in school, particularly by boys if depressed mood or irritability were misidentified and particularly by girls if anhedonia was misidentified. Hierarchical cluster analysis indicated that the number and severity of somatic complaints was higher among adolescents whose depression symptoms were not identified, regardless of gender. ConclusionMental health professionals, educators and parents should be aware that adolescents may attempt to communicate their emotional difficulties through somatic complaints and by seeking help in school.

Allele frequency analysis of GALC gene causing Krabbe disease in human and its codon usage

Krabbe disease is one of the rarest autosomal recessive disorders in human, caused by mutation in the GALC (β-galactosylceramidase) gene, resulting in several mental and physical health issues. Due to its rarity and phenotypic heterogeneity, diagnosis rate of this disease is very low. This study generated information on the recessive allele frequency dynamics of GALC gene across 15 global populations, with the highest frequency detected in Druze (Israel) population and the lowest frequency in Turkey and the United States. The recessive allele would take more time period (about 24,975 years) to be completely removed from the population having the lowest frequency and vice versa. The codon usage patterns of four isoforms of GALC gene revealed that a few synonymous codons were used more frequently than others in the isoforms. The codon AGA (arginine) was found to be overrepresented in GALC gene, except for galactocerebrosidase isoform a precursor. Further, GALC gene showed low codon usage bias (CUB) as evident from high ENC values (55.7–58.2), with A/T ending codons more preferred to G/C ending codons. CUB analysis elucidated the dual role of mutational pressure (major role) and natural selection (minor role) in GALC gene evolution.

Identification of a novel PCNT founder pathogenic variant in the Israeli Druze population

Majewski Osteodysplastic Primordial Dwarfism type II (MOPDII) is a form of dwarfism associated with severe microcephaly, characteristic skeletal findings, distinct dysmorphic features and increased risk for cerebral infarctions. The condition is caused by bi-allelic loss-of-function variants in the gene PCNT. Here we describe the identification of a novel founder pathogenic variant c.3465-1G > A observed in carriers from multiple Druze villages in Northern Israel. RNA studies show that the variant results in activation of a cryptic splice site causing a coding frameshift. The study was triggered by the diagnosis of a single child with MOPDII and emphasizes the advantages of applying next generation sequencing technologies in community genetics and the importance of establishing population-specific sequencing databases.

She Is My Manager: Druze Adolescence Attitudes toward Druze Women in Israel

The present study examines attitudes of Druze adolescent in Israel toward Druze women. It was conducted through questionnaires containing questions and statements. Some items related to relative’s women, others to women in general. Some items expressed attitudes towards men. It tests the hypothesis that demographic variables influence attitudes toward women. Specifically, the study examined the influence of gender, parent’s education, parent’s profession, number of siblings, and religion on social status, education, and profession. The study assumed that community composition and particularly the percentage of Druze population within a community influences attitudes of Druze Adolescence toward women. The questionnaires were delivered to 100 Druze 12th graders. They hailed from three villages: “Yarka, Pqein, and Abo Snan”. The research findings indicate that there is a difference between the attitude of boys and of girls toward the status of women regarding education. Both groups, however, ranked education as more important than social status and profession. Residence influences attitude toward the women’s status regarding education. Conclusions: 1) The Druze religious leaders (men not Women) influence the status of women and attitudes toward women. Influence varies among the villages. 2) The percentage of Druze in the settlement effects women’s status. 3) Girls were more interested than boys in advancing attitudes towards women regarding social status, profession and education.

Help seeking in school by Israeli Arab minority adolescents with emotional and behavioral problems: results from the Galilee Study.

BackgroundMany distressed minority adolescents with little access to professional mental health services use teachers and school counselors as their main consultation sources. This paper presents data from the Galilee study on factors that may increase the probability of adolescents’ help-seeking in school and discusses the needed linkage between the school mental health services and those provided by other agencies, in the framework of the Mental Health Reform in Israel.MethodsThis cross-sectional survey included 1639, 9th grade students living in 5 Arab localities in the Galilee in northern Israel, representative of the Muslim and Druze populations. The study was carried out in two stages: in the screening stage, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was completed in the classroom. During the follow-up stage 704 students were selected and interviewed at home regarding service use in school and wellbeing at home. Their mothers were interviewed as well providing information on sociodemographic traits of the family. Total response rate was 69.3 % during the screening stage and 84.4 % during the follow-up. Students were categorized according to their SDQ scores and all students in the higher 25th percentile (high risk) and a simple systematic sample without replacement of those in the lower 75 % (low risk) were included in the follow-up study.ResultsSignificantly more high risk than low risk students reported having felt the need to seek professional help (14.0 and 6.5 % respectively) and more high risk than low risk consulted a school source (27.1 and 15.2 %, respectively). Bivariate analyses show that among Muslim adolescents more high risk than low risk consulted a school source (30 vs. 16.2 % respectively) and among high risk students more Muslim than Druze sought help from a school source (30 vs. 18 %). Higher consultation rates were found among adolescents who felt uncomfortable at home, than among those who felt very comfortable. Binary logistic regression showed that for high risk adolescents, only religion remained significantly associated with help-seeking in school: Muslim students were 2 times more likely to seek help than Druze students. In the low-risk group, students who do not feel comfortable at home were 3.3 times more likely to seek help than those who feel comfortable at home. The main sources of consultation for both risk groups were the school counselor and the grade teacher.ConclusionsA constellation of factors may be associated with help-seeking in school by minority Israeli Arab adolescents: they are students at higher risk for an emotional or behavioral disorder, they have more socio-economic hardship, they feel less comfortable at home and they are more likely to live in the larger Muslim cities. Adolescents with less family support and particularly those not classified as being at high risk, are more likely to seek help from school counselors and teachers. The school staff may need additional training to care for the mental health needs of students. There is a need to integrate the school mental health services with the other government agencies that provide services to children and adolescents.

Fluid Sovereignty: State–Nature Relations in the Hasbani Basin, Southern Lebanon

The concept of fluid sovereignty denotes configurations of state authority in which flows of living and nonliving things, within and across borders, render insecure claims of unconditional territorial control. Loss of monopoly control of the means of violence within a territory conventionally signals weak political sovereignty. Bordering Israel (including the occupied Golan Heights) and Syria, the Hasbani Basin in southern Lebanon seems to exemplify such sovereign failings: Over decades, rival security providers have provoked political instability and conflict in the region. Fluid sovereignty, however, brings to the fore state–nature relations neglected in scholarship on “fragile” or “failing” states. Informed by geographical work on hybrid sovereignties and vital materialism, we show how sovereign claims over the Hasbani Basin extend to (sub)terranean water sources and rainfall-dependent agricultural lands, both of which are deeply securitized. Incomplete centralization and territorialization by Lebanon of the Hasbani Basin evinces fractured state nature—the inability of the state to realize volumetric control of, and authority over, basin waters. This state nature is coproduced by the fluid materiality of the waters themselves, whose hydroclimatic circulation and contingencies are at odds with territorial designs for volumetric control. For rural communities in the Hasbani Basin economically dependent on access to agricultural water, field research reveals a practical experience of fluid sovereignty, both in adapting to water variability and also in navigating use of agricultural borderlands subject to conflict-related dangers. Recent conflict spillovers from the Syrian war have reinforced, for the majority Druze population, the low legitimacy of Lebanese state nature.

Hypotrichosis with juvenile macular dystrophy: Portuguese case

Hypotrichosis with juvenile macular dystrophy is a rare congenital disease mainly found in the Druze population of Northern Israel. This disorder is caused by the CDH3 mutation encoding P-cadherin, which is expressed in retinal pigment epithelium and hair follicles. An 11-year-old girl who was born to related Portuguese parents, had hypotrichosis since birth and macular dystrophy diagnosed at age 5. Fundus examination and fluorescein angiography revealed located macular pigmentary abnormalities. No molecular analysis was done. A fundus examination should be considered mandatory in the assessment of congenital hypotrichosis.

Brucellosis Outbreak in Children and Adults in Two Areas in Israel.

Two parallel outbreaks of Brucella melitensis infection occurred in 2014 in two geographical areas in Israel. In two medical centers in northern Israel and one medical center in Jerusalem, 102 patients (58 children, 47 adults) were diagnosed with brucellosis. Most patients (N = 76, 72%) were Muslim Arabs, 28 (27%) were Druze, and one was Jewish. The source of infection was often traced to cheese from the Palestinian Authority. Biovar-1 was evident in 98% in northern Israel but only in 42% in Jerusalem. Most common manifestations were fever (82%) and osteoarticular symptoms (49%). The major differences between the geographic areas were ethnicity and duration until diagnosis. Compared with adults, children had higher rates of hospitalization (93% versus 64%, P = 0.001), osteoarticular symptoms (60% versus 36%, P = 0.05), elevated alanine aminotransferase (12% versus 0%, P = 0.01), and lower C-reactive protein (2.28 ± 2.08 versus 5.57 ± 6.3l mg/dL, P = 0.001). Two unrelated brucellosis outbreaks occurred in 2014 in two different geographic areas of Israel and were limited to sections of the Arab and Druze populations. Most of the demographic and clinical aspects of patients were not affected by geographic variability. Clinical and laboratory differences were found between children and adults emphasizing the nonuniformity of the disease in different age groups. Effective control of unpasteurized dairy foods, health education programs, and improved regional cooperation are required to control brucellosis in Israel.

Genotyping of geographically diverse Druze trios reveals substructure and a recent bottleneck.

Druze individuals rarely marry outside their faith (often practicing consanguinity) and are thus believed to form a genetic isolate. To comprehensively characterize the genetic structure of the Druze population, we recruited and genotyped 40 parent-offspring trios from the Upper Galilee in Israel and the Golan Heights, attempting to capture different extended families (clans) across various geographical locations. Principal component (PC) and ADMIXTURE analyses demonstrated that Druze are close to, yet distinct from, other Middle-Eastern groups (Bedouins and Palestinians), supporting the Druze's Middle-Eastern origin and their recent genetic isolation. Reconstruction of the Druze demographic history using identical-by-descent (IBD) segments suggested an ≈15-fold reduction in population size taking place ≈22-47 generations ago, close to the documented time of the foundation of the Druze faith at the 11th century. Combining the Galilee and Golan Druze genotypes with previously published data on Druze from the Carmel (Israel) and Lebanon demonstrated that all four Druze communities are genetically distinct. The Lebanese group shared less IBD segments (within the group and with other groups) compared with the Israeli Druze and showed higher heterozygosity (suggesting less consanguinity), but was less diverse in PC space. These findings suggest complex recent and ancient demographic history of the Druze population.

Hypodontia: Prevalence and pattern amongst the living Druze population – A Near Eastern genetic isolate

The Druze population is a small-sized Near Eastern genetic isolate with high rates of consanguineous marriages. The present study aimed at investigating prevalence, pattern and distribution of hypodontia in the permanent dentition, excluding wisdom teeth, amongst this population. Panoramic radiographs, dental casts, and anamnestic records of 85 un-admixed Druze schoolchildren (45 males, 40 females; age range=14–18 years, mean age=16 years, SD=0.5 years) were examined for evidence of hypodontia. Those with any type of facial clefts or craniofacial syndromes were excluded. Hypodontia prevalence was 11.8% (11.1% for males, 12.5% for females) with no statistically significant difference between sexes. The average number of missing teeth per child was 1.4 (1.2 for males, 1.6 for females). The majority (90%) of affected individuals exhibited minor hypodontia (one or two teeth missing). The most commonly missing teeth were upper lateral incisors and canines, followed by lower and upper second premolars. Asymmetrical hypodontia was more prevalent. Maxillary, left side, and anterior segment predominance were observed. The distinct features of hypodontia among the Druze population are the relatively high prevalence of minor hypodontia, and the upper lateral incisors and canines being the most commonly missing teeth.

Human Diversity in Jordan: Polymorphic Alu Insertions in General Jordanian and Bedouin Groups

Human Diversity in Jordan:Polymorphic Alu Insertions in General Jordanian and Bedouin Groups Daniela Zanetti, May Sadiq, Robert Carreras-Torres, Omar Khabour, Almuthanna Alkaraki, Esther Esteban, Marc Via, and Pedro Moral abstract Jordan, located in the Levant region, is an area crucial for the investigation of human migration between Africa and Eurasia. However, the genetic history of Jordanians has yet to be clarified, including the origin of the Bedouins today resident in Jordan. Here, we provide new genetic data on autosomal independent markers in two Jordanian population samples (Bedouins and the general population) to begin to examine the genetic diversity inside this country and to provide new information about the genetic position of these populations in the context of the Mediterranean and Middle East area. The markers analyzed were 18 Alu polymorphic insertions characterized by their identity by descent, known ancestral state (lack of insertion), and apparent selective neutrality. The results indicate significant genetic differences between Bedouins and general Jordanians (p = 0.038). Whereas Bedouins show a close genetic proximity to North Africans, general Jordanians appear genetically more similar to other Middle East populations. In general, these data are consistent with the hypothesis that Bedouins had an important role in the peopling of Jordan and constitute the original substrate of the current population. However, migration into Jordan in recent years likely has contributed to the diversity among current Jordanian population groups. key words Alu Insertion Polymorphisms, Jordan, Bedouins, Population Genetics The State of Jordan emerged in 1946 as the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan when Britain and France divided the Middle East after World War II. Since 1948 it has officially been known as the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Jordan is a predominantly Arab nation, whose capital and largest city is Amman. It is located on the East Bank of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea and borders Palestine and Israel states to the west, Syria to the north, Saudi Arabia to the south and east, and Iraq to the northeast. Because of its position in the Levant region, Jordan represents one of the major pathways for human movement. Since antiquity, traders traversed this area carrying products from the lands of the Indian Ocean basin to Syria, to be distributed from there to other parts of the Mediterranean world. Jordan was a crossroads for people from all over what is known today as the Middle East. Because of its strategic position connecting Asia, Africa, and Europe in the ancient world, Jordan was a major transit zone and thus an object of [End Page 131] contention among the rival empires of ancient Persians, Macedonian Greeks, and many others (Salibi 1998). Current inhabitants of Jordan are mostly Arab descendants of Transjordan or Palestine, and Bedouins, part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arabian ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes. Historically, the inhabitants of this desert, which spreads northward into Syria, eastward into Iraq, and southward into Saudi Arabia, were Bedouin pastoralists (Salibi 1998). Today around 98% of the 7.9 million Jordanians are of Arab origin, along with other small minorities such as Circassians (1%) and Armenians (1%). Culturally, the official language is Arabic; in terms of religion, over 92% of the people are Sunni Muslims, around 6% are Christians (mostly Greek Orthodox, but some Greek and Roman Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Protestant denominations), and the remaining 2% are Shia Muslim and Druze populations (Central Intelligence Agency 2013–2014). Historically, the term “Bedouin” has denoted both a nomadic way of life and a group identity. Bedouins were the original settlers in the Middle East. From the Arabian Peninsula, their original home, they spread out and now live in desert regions of all the countries between the Arabian Gulf and the Atlantic. The Arab conquest of North Africa in the seventh century AD caused a wide dispersion, such that today the Arab culture is extended over North Africa and beyond. The availability of historical and ethnical information about Jordanian peoples (Salibi 1998) contrasts with the lack of information about the genetic background of these groups. As far as we know, previous genetic information about Jordanian populations includes two studies on uniparental markers analyzed in Bedouins and general Jordanians (Flores et...

The phenetic distances of the living Druze from other human populations suggest a major genetic drift from the Western Eurasian ancestral category

The objectives were to determine the expression frequency and sexual dimorphism of 16 non-metric crown traits on the sample of permanent dentitions of the living Druze population (a Near Eastern genetic isolate) in Jordan, and to assess the biological affinity of this sample to 21 regional groups, and to the living general Jordanian population, based on these traits. Druze schoolchildren (46 males, 40 females; mean age=16.0, sd=0.5 years) were studied in 2011. The traits were classified using the Arizona State University dental anthropology system, counted with the individual count method, and dichotomized according to the criteria of Scott and Turner for the purpose of group comparisons. Fisher's exact test for dichotomized scores was used to assess sexual dimorphism in these traits. Smith's mean measure of divergence was used to measure all pairwise distance values among the groups. Sexual dimorphism was found in five traits (i.e., UI2 interruption grooves, 3-cusped UM2, UM1 Carabelli's tubercle/cusp, 4-cusp LM1, and LM2 Y-groove pattern). This study revealed that the dental pattern of living Druze, which is similar to that of the general Jordanian population, is sufficiently distinct from the Western Eurasian pattern and all other known dental patterns to form a distinct dental pattern for the regional group or subcategory to which these two populations belong. Moreover, the relatively large distance values of the living Druze and Jordanians from the other world groups considered, including the Western Eurasian groups, suggest a similar major genetic difference of these two populations from the Western Eurasian ancestry.

A novel mutation in the albumin gene (c.1A>C) resulting in analbuminemia

Analbuminemia (OMIM # 103600) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder manifested by the absence or severe reduction of circulating serum albumin in homozygous or compound heterozygous subjects. The trait is caused by a variety of mutations within the albumin gene. We report here the clinical and molecular characterisation of two new cases of congenital analbuminemia diagnosed in two members of the Druze population living in a Galilean village (Northern Israel) on the basis of their low level of circulating albumin. The albumin gene was screened by single-strand conformation polymorphism and heteroduplex analysis, and the mutated region was submitted to DNA sequencing. Both the analbuminemic subjects resulted homozygous for a previously unreported c.1 A>C transversion, for which we suggest the name Afula from the hospital where the two cases were investigated. This mutation causes the loss of the primary start codon ATG for Met1, which is replaced by a - then untranslated - triplet CTG for Leu. (p.Met1Leu). The use of an alternative downstream ATG codon would probably give rise to a completely aberrant polypeptide chain, leading to a misrouted intracellular transport and a premature degradation. The discovery of this new ALB mutation, probably inherited from a common ancestor, sheds light on the molecular mechanism underlying the analbuminemic trait and may serve in the development of a rapid genetic test for the identification of a-symptomatic heterozygous carriers in the Druze population in the Galilee.