B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) is a heterogeneous disease that may exhibit familial clustering. We examined the cytogenetic, immunophenotypic, and VH gene usage characteristics of a family with B-CLL affecting 7 members in 3 generations. Interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization studies identified an acquired deletion of chromosome 13q14 in the leukemic cells of 6 affected memb...

Familial clustering of malignancies provides a unique opportunity to identify molecular causes of cancer. Polycythemia vera (PV) is a myeloproliferative disorder due to an unknown somatic stem cell defect that leads to clonal myeloid hyperproliferation. We studied 6 families with PV. The familial predisposition to PV appears to follow an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern with incomplete pe...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Familial aggregation has been recognized in patients with several lymphoid neoplasms, but the genetic basis for this familial clustering is not known. Germ-line mutations in the ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM) and CHK2 genes have been detected in patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), suggesting a potential role of these genes in genetic predisposition to these ...

It is now recognized that a subset of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is familial. The genetic basis of familial CLL is poorly understood, but recently germ line mutations in the Ataxia Telangiectasia (ATM) gene have been proposed to confer susceptibility to CLL. The evidence for this notion is, however, not unequivocal. To examine this proposition further we have screened the ATM gen...

Objective. To describe a unique case of familial Bell's palsy and summarize the current literature regarding possible hereditary influences. Design. Case report. Main Outcome Measures. Clinical exam, CSF analysis, and family history provided per the patient. Results. We report the case of a 58-year-old female who presented with recurrent and bilateral episodes of facial palsy. The patient under...

UNLABELLED Familial aggregation analysis is the first fundamental step to perform when assessing the extent of genetic background of a disease. However, there is a lack of software to analyze the familial clustering of complex phenotypes in very large pedigrees. Such pedigrees can be utilized to calculate measures that express trait aggregation on both the family and individual level, providing...

Familial clustering of venous thromboembolism (VTE) was described as far back as 1905 by Briggs. Although Egeberg discovered inherited deficiency of antithrombin in 1965, it was not until Dahlbäck discovered resistance to activated protein C in 1993 that it became clear that genetic factors are common risk factors of VTE. Several genes have been linked to familial aggregation of VTE and genome-...