Web-based question-answering service of a family physician -- the characteristics of queries in a non-commercial open forum.

The use of the Internet is growing rapidly. Up to 70% of American Internet surfers use the Web for some kind of medical purpose. Only a few studies characterized the consulting population and their inquiries.

Mutations in CYP11B1 and congenital adrenal hyperplasia in Moroccan Jews.

Context: In Jews of Moroccan descent (MJ), the prevalence of steroid 11beta-hydroxylase deficiency (11-OHD) is relatively high, with a carrier rate estimated as approximately one in 40. A single mutation in the CYP11B1 gene (encoding 11beta-hydroxylase), R448H, was suggested to account for the disease alleles in this population.

Study Subjects: We screened 236 healthy MJ for R448H.

The musculoskeletal manifestations of familial Mediterranean fever in children genetically diagnosed with the disease.

Objective: Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is characterized by recurrent episodes of peritonitis, pleuritis, and synovitis. Its most common musculoskeletal manifestation is acute recurrent monarthritis, but other manifestations have also been described. We describe the articular and musculoskeletal manifestations in a group of patients who were found by genetic screening to be homozygous for the FMF gene.