Summary: | This volume provides an authoritative, up-to-date account of the impact of molecular genetics on our understanding of genetic diseases prevalent among Jews. The extent of genetic variability among different Jewish communities is discussed in detail. After an introductory chapter on major demographic trends of world Jewry, the first part examines ethnohistorical relationships between different Jewish groups in light of nuclear and mictochondrial DNA polymorphisms. The next and largest section of the book reviews the most recent research on some 20 Mendelian disorders (among Ashkenz, Sephardi and Oriental Jews) and the implications of the astonishing molecular heterogeneity revealed in some of them. Advances in genetic aspects of common multifactorial diseases are covered in concluding chapters.
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