The prevalence of Parkinson's disease in an Arab population, Wadi Ara, Israel.

Background: The prevalence of Parkinson's disease varies among ethnic and geographic groups around the world, being very low in China and high in Argentina. While the main etiology of the disease has yet to be determined, environmental, occupational and genetic factors seem to play important roles.

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of PD in an Arab Muslim population in Israel, using the drug tracer approach.

Life prevalence of upper respiratory tract diseases and asthma among children residing in rural area near a regional industrial park: cross-sectional study.

Introduction: The study described was initiated by the Israel Ministry of Health as an effort to respond to and deal with public concern about possible health disorders related to odorous emissions (composed of a great many of organic and inorganic chemicals) from the regional industrial park (IP) in the Negev, southern Israel. Previous ecological studies found that adverse health effects in the Negev Bedouin population were associated with residential proximity to the IP. The objective of the current study was to investigate a hypothesis concerning the link between the IP proximity and life prevalence (LP) of upper respiratory tract chronic diseases (URTCD) and asthma in children aged 0-14 years living in rural Negev, Israel, in small agricultural communities.

Perinatal mortality and residential proximity to an industrial park.

The authors' objective was to determine whether residential proximity to an industrial park (IP) is associated with increased perinatal mortality (PM). This semiecological study included 63,850 delivered births with 840 cases of PM (1995-2000). The authors categorized the study populations by ethnicity (ie, Bedouin and Jewish) and type of locality.

Mortality in the bedouin population and proximity to a regional industrial complex.

Background: The study was initiated by public concern about exposure to an industrial park (IP) emission. The study examined whether mortality in the Bedouin population in the southern part of Israel is associated with the residential distance to the IP.

Material And Methods: Ecological study during 1995-2001 included the entire Bedouin population.

Respiratory morbidity in hospitalized Bedouins residing near an industrial park.

The residents' concern about exposure to a chemical industrial park (IP), which includes the national toxic industrial waste site, prompted the authors to initiate this ecological study on the association between residing near the IP and being hospitalized for respiratory ailments in the local Bedouin population. The population was stratified by sex, age, and locality type (permanent settlements and traditional tribal settlements). The distance and wind direction from the IP were used as exposure indicators.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and pesticide exposure: 25 years of research.

Over the past 40 years, a substantial rise in the incidence of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) has been observed. Epidemiologic studies aimed at understanding this rise have revealed some association with occupational exposure. NHL is common among farmers, where pesticides have been described as the culprit.

Major congenital malformations and residential proximity to a regional industrial park including a national toxic waste site: an ecological study.

Background: Public concern about exposure to emissions from the regional industrial park (IP), including 17 chemical plants and the national industrial toxic waste site, initiated this study of the possible association between major congenital malformations (MCM) and residence near the IP in Israel's Southern District.

Methods: The study was conducted during the period 1995-2000 and included 63,850 deliveries. Data on deliveries and MCM detected at births were obtained from the regional medical center, and stratified by ethnicity and type of locality.

Differential immune responses to primary measles-mumps-rubella vaccination in Israeli children.

Measles remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, primarily due to problems associated with delivery of the live attenuated vaccine to susceptible populations. In some developed countries, there is concern about the effects of immunization on the immune system. In this study, we analyzed the responses of 12-month-old Bedouin and Jewish children living in Israel to routine measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccination.

The effect of measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) immunization on the immune responses of previously immunized primary school children.

Current policies for measles control call for administration of a second dose of vaccine to immunize those who failed to respond to the initial dose and to boost the responses of those with low levels of antibody. However, there has been concern expressed publicly that reimmunization may have adverse immunologic consequences. To determine the effects of reimmunization on immune responses, primary school children (N=38, mean age=6.

Spontaneous supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage. Criteria for short-term functional outcome prediction.

Background And Purpose: To identify the significant prognostic factors, upon admission, and construct a set of criteria to predict short-term functional outcome of patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).

Methods: The records as well as the radiological findings, of 184 consecutive cases of spontaneous supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage, that were treated medically, were reviewed. The hemorrhage was graded according to size, mass effect and intraventricular extension.