Ethnic Groups In Israel Research Articles

Menarche and Menstruation in Various Ethnic Groups in Israel

SUMMARYSexual development may be influenced by geographic factors (temperature, humidity, altitude, light), socioeconomic factors (nutrition, public health, family size), and genetic factors (population, familial heredity). Most of them are largely interrelated and difficult to define.An anamnestic study has been carried out in Israel on Ashkenazi, non-Ashkenazi, and Arab women aged 19 to 60. The age of menarche appeared to be significantly different for Ashkenazi vs. non-Ashkenazi, while no significant difference was found between Arabs and either of the two Jewish groups. Highly significant differences were found for the length of the menstrual cycle, although this finding should be considered with caution. No significant relationship was found between age of menarche and length of the menstrual cycle.

Tumors of the nervous system: Incidence and population selectivity

The frequency and population selectivity of primary tumors of the nervous system was determined for the entire population of Israel. A national tumor registry in the Ministry of Health included information on patients discharged from all hospitals in the country as well as data from autopsies and death certificates. During the 5-yr period 1961–1965, 1,354 cases were identified. The average annual incidence was 12.8 per 100,000 population. Histological verification of tumor was available for 69 per cent of the cases included in this study. Glioma was the most commonly verified tumor (27 per cent) and, in decreasing frequency, verified tumors included meningioma (17 per cent), neurofibroma (12 per cent), pituitary adenoma (5 per cent), neuroblastoma (3 per cent), hemangioma (2 per cent), craniopharyngioma (1per cent) and dermoid (1 per cent). The distribution of tumors by type within the nervous system was calculated: 3 out of 4 involved the brain and, of these, 50 per cent were in the cerebrum. Seven per cent occurred in the spinal cord and 12 per cent affected peripheral nerves. Most of the tumors were more common in males, with the exception of meningioma which showed a female preponderance. When ethnic groups in Israel were compared as regards frequency of primary nervous system tumors, the African born immigrants had the lowest average annual incidence (7.3 per 100,000 population) and European immigrants had the highest (15.6 per 100,000 population). The immigrants born in Asian countries had an intermediate rate closer to the African, whereas the Israeliborn had rates closer to the Europeans. The differences in incidence among the ethnic groups could not be attributed to an unusual predilection to tumor at a given site in the nervous system. Five-year survival rates were calculated and, in order of decreasing survival, the tumors were: craniopharyngioma and dermoid (100 per cent), pituitary adenoma (89 per cent),hemangioma (73 per cent), meningioma (62 per cent), medullloblastoma (58 per cent), neurofibroma (52 per cent), neuroblastoma (25 per cent) and glioma (21 per cent). Age distribution data were also calculated. Direct comparisons between the Israeli series and others in the literature were difficult because of differences in method of case collection and classification of tumors. However, studies in Rochester Minnesota, and in Sweden, which used a simliar method to that employed in Israel gave an average incidence close to that observed in Israel. Literature on ethnic and racial differences in tumor incidence was reviewed and the relatively constant frequency of various nervous system tumors over the last several decades was noted. The implications of epidemiologic information about nervous system tumors were discussed with reference to etiologic considerations.

Cultural Diversity and its Implication on Parents’ Attitudes Toward their Child Learning Disability – An Outline of a Research Study

Background: Israel is a land of immigration – a multicultural society with a mosaic of different cultures. There are four maim ethnic groups in Israel: "Sabre" (born in Israel), Arabs, Russian, and Ethiopian. The main aim of this article is to present the connection between two main issues: Culture Diversity and the Attitudes of Israeli parents to children with Learning Disability (LD). This article stems from a deep and extensive dissertation research on parents' attitudes toward their child Learning Disability in Israel and it is an outline of the research study. Family: The resilience and strength of the family depend on the social, cultural and personality of the family in general, and parents in particular. The parents play a crucial role in facilitating and maintaining wellness in children with developmental disorders. Learning Disability: Today, in the modern world, in the information era, when processing information skills are necessary in everyday life, Learning Disability turn into a widespread phenomenon. Learning disability is a general term that refers to a heterogeneous group of disorders manifested in the acquisition and operation of attention, speaking, reading, writing, or mathematical abilities. Within the Hebrew students in Israel (years 2013-2014), 10.10% are diagnosed with learning disability. In summary, due to the fact that Israel is an immigration country, it is vital to research the implication of parents' attitudes toward their child Learning Disability for the wellbeing of the family and the society.

Persistent mild hyperphenylalaninemia in various ethnic groups in Israel.

CLASSICAL PHENYLKETONURIA (PKU) may be defined as a hereditary metabolic disorder due to phenylalanine hydroxylase deficiency, leading to persistently very elevated blood phenylalanine levels (above 20 mg/100 cc) and urinary excretion of phenylpyruvic acid. Recently introduced programs for mass screening of newborn for the detection of this disease revealed that hyperphenylalaninemia may represent a sign of several distinct disorders.1-4In the present communication, we report on the occurrence of a type named persistent mild hyperphenylalaninemia4in the Israeli population. The genetic nature of this type is discussed. Methods Screening for PKU in the newborn was performed by the method of Guthrie and Susi5usually at the age of 3 to 5 days. When a presumptive positive result was observed, additional samples of blood dried on filter paper were requested and examined by the Guthrie method as well as a paper chromatographic screening procedure for amino acids.6

A study of the relationship between responses to attitude questions and personal variables of nursing students in Israel

The responses of 859 nursing students to eight attitude questions were analysed by personal variable of the respondents. In three of the questions education made a significant difference in the direction of those with higher education having the desirable attitude. Social class was not a significant factor on any question, although in half of the questions the percentage of students giving the correct answer rose with higher social class of the respondents. Ethnic group differences were significant in only one question, but the African-Asian group scored lowest in seven out of eight questions. Years in Israel made a significant difference in two questions, both with higher scores for those who were longer in the country. In seven questions there was a significant difference between the class-years in the schools of nursing with higher scores as the student was in the school longer. However, this may represent learned answers and not attitude change. Two questions were also analysed by the school of nursing in which the students were studying; on the question relating to patient-orientation there was a marked difference between the schools; in the question concerned with developing patient independence the impact of individual schools was considerably less. The question testing the student's orientation to the patient or to authority-figures showed a significant correlation of patient-orientation with higher education, and with years in the school of nursing. A disturbing finding was that the initially high patient-orientation of the students dropped at the end of the second and/or third year in the school of nursing, showing a change to less desirable values. When controlled by schools of nursing, it was seen that some schools did develop and retain a high patient-orientation among their students. Higher education and more years in the school of nursing significantly influenced a positive attitude to developing patient independence. Higher social class, Israeli and European ethnic group, and more years in Israel correlated with this attitude, but were not significant. Should nurses learn about the cultural values of their patients? Most of the students believed they should. More years in Israel and more advanced class-years in the school of nursing correlated significantly with this attitude. Two questions dealt with the family unit as a source of strength for health. Students with less education, from social class 3 and the farmer group, of European ethnic group, of the settled population and the advanced years in the school of nursing, favoured this opinion. Only the class-year in the school of nursing was statistically significant. Eligibility for public health nursing service was the focus of another question, with service available to all considered as the desirable attitude. In each variable more students gave the correct answer as the scale of the variable rose; but only years in the school of nursing made a significant difference. The desirability of permissiveness or conformity in child-rearing did not correlate with any of the variables. Is derogatory behaviour to others caused by a feeling of security or inadequacy? The belief that it was the latter reason correlated significantly with higher education European and Israeli ethnic groups, and more years in the school of nursing. The above findings on the relationship between personal variables and responses to attitude questions are to be seen only as indicators of strengths and weaknesses of groups of nursing students which deserve further investigation. It is hoped that this study will contribute to better understanding of the students, to curriculum development and as a stimulant for further study of attitudes basic to nursing practice.

Periodontal health in various ethnic groups in Israel.

The periodontal status of approximately 5,000 subjects belonging to nine ethnic groups of Oriental origin, aged four years and above and living in villages in Israel, was investigated. The severity of periodontal involvement of a group was found to be similar whether expressed as gingivitis in childhood or as destructive periodontal disease in adolescence and adult life. Gingivitis reached its peak at the age of 10 to 11 years and then tended to level off or even decline. The periodontal index (PI) and gingival recession rate (GRR) both formed straight line graphs between the ages of 17 and 55+. The incidence and prevalence of periodontal disease were almost uniformly higher in males than in females. In the populations investigated in the present study, it appears unwarranted to attribute this difference to differences in attitude to oral health and hygiene between the sexes. The possibility that habitual chewing of the leaves of Catha edulis is a causative factor in the exceptionally high rates of periodontal disease in Yemenite males is discussed. The periodontal health of the best groups was inferior to that of white Americans, and of the same order as that of American Negroes and the inhabitants of Lebanon and Chile. The most severe degree of involvement was comparable to findings in South‐East Asia, and occurred in people who had immigrated from India.

A GENETIC STUDY OF STUB THUMBS AMONG VARIOUS ETHNIC GROUPS IN ISRAEL.

A GENETIC STUDY OF STUB THUMBS AMONG VARIOUS ETHNIC GROUPS IN ISRAEL.

Streptokinase - Induced Proteolytic Activity with Respect to Age in Two Ethnic Groups in Israel

SummaryStreptokinase-induced proteolytic (caseinolytic) activity was determined in the plasma and in the euglobulin fraction of Yemenite and Ashkenazi Jews, with respect to age.In the plasma it was found, that in both groups the activity increased with age. In Ashkenasim, however, the activity levelled off at about 30 years of age, whereas, in Yemenites, it continued to increase with age. This was true for both sexes.In the euglobulin fraction, the activity was also found to increase with age, but to a lesser extent, than in the plasma. This increase was more pronounced in Yemenite than in Ashkenazi Jews, and in both groups levelled off at about 30 years of age. The possible significance of these observations apropos regulation of the fibrinolytic activity in the blood, is dicussed. It is suggested that Yemenite Jews have a more effective mechanism for handling clots with advancing years.

Thromboangiitis Obliterans in Two Brothers

To the Editor: —We are currently engaged in a study of thromboangiitis obliterans (Buerger's disease) among the various Jewish ethnic groups in Israel. Though the study is in its early stages, we have encountered two brothers with this disorder. The propositus is a 51-year-old Jewish man who was born in Russia and immigrated to Israel 32 years ago. The patient started smoking at age 15 and continues to smoke approximately 11/2 packages of cigarettes per day. His symptoms began at the age of 33 with migrating thrombophlebitis in both legs. In 1956 he had a bilateral lumbar sympathectomy followed by amputation of the left big toe. The brother is 57 years old and he started smoking at the age of 12. He continued smoking 11/2 packages of cigarettes until age 46 at which time he stopped. His symptoms began at age 25 with weakness in the left leg followed by

Ulcerative colitis among the ethnic groups in Israel.

Introduction Chronic ulcerative colitis is usually regarded as a ubiquitous disease without geographic limitations, preferences, or restriction to a particular race, age, or sex. Only very few observations seem to point to a variation in frequency in different parts of the world. It has been stated, for instance, that the disease is less common in the southern than in the northern American continent. 1 Bockus 2 reports that ulcerative colitis is more common in the northern than in the southern states of the United States, and this was confirmed by McMahon and Morton. 3 Lief, in the discussion to the latter report, 4 states that only relatively few cases of ulcerative colitis occurred among Negro patients, who amounted to more than 50% of admissions in the hospital studied. Melrose 5 found that the disease was significantly less frequent in the northern than in the southern area of Great Britain. While working in an area

Father's Brother's Daughter Marriage in Kurdistan

THE PREVALENCE of preferential father's brothers' daughter marriage in the Middle East, and its association with Islam, has frequently received reference. Yet no clear picture of the possible structural implications of this form of preferential marriage has emerged, nor of the actual distribution and frequency of the practice. The present paper attempts to analyze the relationship between the Kurdish form of segmentary lineage organization and this marriage pattern. Any chart of unilineal descent in a stable or expanding population constitutes a ramifying system where succeeding generations in many lines tend to be larger and more inclusive than the preceeding. It is this chart, generally in compressed form, which is utilized to organize a descent group in the form of a segmentary lineage organization. This organizational form was named by Gifford and later by Firth, who called it a "ramage," and first analyzed fully by Evans-Pritchard.' Recent work on this type of organization has been lucidly summarized by Fortes.2 In almost all the lineage systems described in the literature, the lineage, or the clan of which it is a part, is an exogamous group. This fact of exogamy has important implications, e.g. for the development of dispersed clans and normalizing of a "daughter's son" relationship as a mechanism for grafting foreign lineages to the dominant lineage of an area (as described for the Nuer), and it is further frequently reflected in the whole construction of kinship terminology.3 Lineage exogamy is, however, no essential feature of lineage systems. No matter what the marriage pattern in a population may be, a strict chart of unilineal descent offers an equally clear framework on which a segmentary lineage organization may be based. In a patrilineal system, matrilineal ties may be regarded as totally irrelevant to the political relations of segments and whole lineages-marriage patterns may, so to speak, be "liberated" from their role in defining the relations between political groups. This lack of association of lineage organization and exogamy is common among Semitic and Iranian tribes of the Middle East,