Melricflash/CW_MedAbstractsAlt huggingface dataset:
Diagnosis and prevalence of persistent chlamydia infection in infertile women: tissue culture, direct antigen detection, and serology. Specimens for chlamydial culture, direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) test, two enzyme immunoassays (EIA) for antigen detection, and serum for chlamydial antibodies were collected from 256 infertile women. Specimens were taken from the tubes during tuboplasty and from the cervix and endometrium during laparoscopy or tuboplasty. Antibodies to Chlamydia trachomatis were found four times more often in patients with signs of prior pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) than in infertile women with normal pelvic findings. Only 48 (37%) of 131 patients with signs of prior PID had a history of PID. Ten or more C. trachomatis elementary bodies (EBs) per smear were found in 21 (8.2%) of 256 patients. Six patients had a positive culture or a positive antigen EIA test. All six had high numbers of EBs in the DFA test. We conclude that routine culture and EIA antigen tests detect only a minority of persistent chlamydia infections in this population, but subjective factors in the interpretation of DFA methods must be considered. 

Category: general pathological conditions
Prevalence of aortic regurgitation by color flow Doppler in relation to aortic root size. To determine whether there is a correlation between aortic root size and the prevalence of aortic regurgitation, we performed color flow Doppler echocardiographic studies on 1015 consecutive patients during a 3-month period. Patients were grouped according to their M-mode aortic root diameter as measured in the left parasternal position. The measured groups ranged from 2.0 to 4.5 cm, grouped at 0.1 cm intervals. As the aortic root size enlarged, the prevalence of aortic regurgitation increased linearly (p less than 0.001; correlation coefficient, r = 0.75). At an aortic root size in the "small normal" range of 2.0 to 2.4 cm, the prevalence of aortic regurgitation was 0% to 15%. In the "intermediate" and "top normal" ranges of 2.9 to 3.7 cm, the prevalence of aortic regurgitation increased linearly from 15% to 47%. With aortic root dilation, the prevalence of aortic root regurgitation was generally more than 50%. The severity of aortic regurgitation was semiquantified. Aortic root size was not a good indicator for the severity of aortic regurgitation. Patients with moderate and severe aortic regurgitation had variable aortic root sizes. Throughout the range of aortic root sizes, mild aortic regurgitation predominated. We conclude that aortic regurgitation is a common finding in patients with aortic roots that are dilated or are in the "top normal" size range, that the prevalence of aortic regurgitation increases linearly with aortic root size, and that aortic root size does not correlate with the severity of aortic regurgitation. 

Category: cardiovascular diseases
Bioactive and inactive forms of tumor necrosis factor-alpha in spinal fluid from patients with meningitis. Twenty-four patients, including 12 with meningitis, were admitted with meningeal symptoms and fever. Their serum and spinal fluid tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha) levels were determined by ELISA. TNF alpha immunoreactivity was found in spinal fluid of 10 meningitis patients and one nonmeningitis patient, whereas 7 sera, 5 from meningitis patients, contained TNF alpha. Levels were significantly higher in spinal fluids than in serum samples, and the TNF alpha bioactivity of spinal fluids and sera was considerably below predictions based on ELISA measurements. Gel filtration chromatography demonstrated the presence of both polymeric (greater than 200 kDa) and oligomeric (10-40 kDa) TNF alpha in spinal fluid. Significant bioactivity was obtained only from samples containing oligomeric cytokine. In agreement with previous in vitro findings, these results strongly indicate that bioactive TNF alpha oligomers form inactive polymers and monomers, which could contribute to the observed in vivo discrepancies between immunoreactive and bioactive protein. Finally, the data support the concept of local central nervous system production of TNF alpha in meningitis. 

Category: nervous system diseases
Traumatic intracranial aneurysms caused by missiles: their presentation and management. Only 30 cases of traumatic intracranial aneurysm (TICA) secondary to missile injury have been reported to date. To these we add 15 more cases. Missile TICAs are often seen on a secondary branch of the middle cerebral artery and are usually accompanied by a intracerebral hematoma (80%) or by an acute subdural hematoma (26%). Fourteen of our cases were secondary to shrapnel injuries and only one was secondary to a bullet. None of the injuries was through-and-through. TICAs may enlarge in time and, seemingly inoffensive, may rupture and lead to death. All seven TICAs studied histologically proved to be false aneurysms. TICAs are best treated through trapping and excision. The outcome depends on the patient's status and level of consciousness before surgery. Indications for angiography are discussed. 

Category: nervous system diseases
Sudden death in young competitive athletes: clinicopathologic correlations in 22 cases. PURPOSE: To investigate the pathologic substrates of sudden death in young competitive athletes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-two cases of sudden death in young competitive athletes occurring in the Veneto region (northern Italy) in the period January 1979 to December 1989 were studied by postmortem examination. The athletes included 19 males and three females, ranging in age from 11 to 35 years (mean, 23 years). RESULTS: In 18 cases, sudden death occurred during (16 cases) or immediately after (two cases) a competitive sport activity. In 10 subjects, sudden death was apparently the first sign of disease. Postmortem examination disclosed that this fatality was due to arrhythmic cardiac arrest in 17 cases; among these, right ventricular cardiomyopathy, also known as "right ventricular dysplasia," was the most frequently encountered cardiovascular disease (six cases), followed by atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (four cases), conduction system pathology (three cases), anomalous origin of right coronary artery from the wrong aortic sinus (two cases), and mitral valve prolapse (two cases). In two athletes, the abrupt lethal complication was "mechanical" and consisted of pulmonary embolism and rupture of the aorta; in three athletes, death was due to a cerebral cause. All athletes with right ventricular cardiomyopathy died during effort, and most had a history of palpitations and/or syncope. Whenever available, electrocardiographic (ECG) tracings showed inverted T waves in precordial leads and/or left bundle branch block ventricular arrhythmias. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicopathologic correlations indicate that in the Veneto region of Italy, right ventricular cardiomyopathy is not so rare among the cardiovascular diseases associated with the risk of arrhythmic cardiac arrest, and seems to account for the majority of cases of sudden death in young athletes; this disorder can be suspected during life on the basis of prodromal symptoms and ECG signs. 

Category: cardiovascular diseases
Antiarrhythmic efficacy of a new class III agent, UK-68,798, during chronic myocardial infarction: evaluation using three-dimensional mapping. UK-68,798 is a potent class III antiarrhythmic agent that selectively lengthens the effective refractory period (ERP) in isolated tissue without affecting conduction velocity. The present study was performed to evaluate the antiarrhythmic efficacy of UK-68,798 (30 micrograms/kg i.v.) in dogs with a previous myocardial infarction. UK-68,798 did not alter the PQ interval or QRS duration of the surface electrocardiogram but did increase the Q-Tc interval significantly. The ventricular ERP was increased significantly (P less than .01) at a basic cycle length of stimulation of either 300 ms (ERP increased 24 +/- 10 ms) or 250 ms (ERP increased 20 +/- 12 msec), indicating that the response was preserved at more rapid rates. UK-68,798 prevented the induction of sustained ventricular tachycardia in six of seven animals (86%, P = .03). However, UK-68,798 failed to prevent the induction of ventricular fibrillation (VF) in dogs where VF was the only arrhythmia induced. To evaluate the mechanisms responsible for the prevention of ventricular tachycardia and lack of efficacy against inducible VF, detailed three-dimensional activation mapping of the heart in vivo was used. Induction of ventricular tachycardia was prevented by UK-68,798 due to a lengthening of the ERP in the epicardial region surrounding the infarct with no effect on conduction velocity even in periinfarct regions bordering the infarct. In contrast, the induction of VF was dependent on a rapid nonreentrant or focal mechanism that was not altered by the lengthening of ERP with UK-68,798. Thus, UK-68,798 is a selective class III antiarrhythmic agent that is likely to be efficacious in preventing arrhythmias due to a reentrant mechanism in patients with a previous myocardial infarction. 

Category: cardiovascular diseases
Acebutolol effects on lipid profile [published erratum appears in Am J Cardiol 1990 Dec 1;66(19):A8] The relation between lipid profile and the incidence of coronary artery disease has been confirmed by the results of epidemiologic and intervention studies. Among antihypertensive agents, beta blockers, particularly those without intrinsic sympathomimetic activity (ISA), are generally reported to have negative effects on lipids, which may increase the risk of coronary artery disease. The ongoing Treatment of Mild Hypertension Study, now in its third year, has evaluated 847 patients to date with regard to lipid profile. Additional end points measured in this multicenter, randomized, controlled, double-blind study include blood pressure reduction and target organ deterioration. During the trial, all patients received nutritional and behavioral counselling to modify their diet, exercise habits and alcohol and sodium consumption to control their hypertension by nonpharmacologic means. In addition, some patients were randomized to receive low doses of 1 of the 5 classes of antihypertensive medication: acebutolol, a beta blocker with ISA (n = 124); amlodipine, a calcium channel blocker (n = 122); chlorthalidone, a diuretic (n = 125); doxazosin, an alpha blocker (n = 128); enalapril, an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (n = 127) or placebo (n = 221). At 1 year, acebutolol showed a statistically significant (p less than 0.001) decrease in total cholesterol (-12.7 mg/dl) compared with placebo (-5.2 mg/dl) and with chlorthalidone (1.0 mg/dl); a significant (p less than 0.001) decrease in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (-6.0 mg/dl) compared with placebo (+0.7 mg/dl) and with chlorthalidone (+8.0 mg/dl) and no change in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (-0.4 mg/dl). 

Category: cardiovascular diseases
Relationship among level of distraction, evoked potentials, spinal cord ischemia and integrity, and clinical status in animals. Somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) and neurogenic-motor evoked potentials (NMEPs) were recorded after overdistraction of the spinal cord at T5-T6, T12-L1, or L3-L4. Measures of spinal cord perfusion and clinical status were also administered. Results indicated that stiffer spinal segments allowed less distraction than more flexible segments. SEPs and NMEPs were lost quickly after overdistraction in stiff segments and slowly in more flexible segments. However, SEPs were less sensitive than NMEPs to effects from overdistraction. Spinal cord perfusion and integrity were consistent with reduced perfusion and structural damage after overdistraction in stiff segments; extremely reduced perfusion but no structural changes in more flexible segments. The application of these results to the clinical situation was provided. 

Category: cardiovascular diseases
Role of leukotriene B4 in granulocyte infiltration into the postischemic feline intestine. Several studies have demonstrated that granulocytes accumulate in the intestinal mucosa following ischemia/reperfusion. It has been suggested that leukotriene B4 may be released during ischemia/reperfusion and consequently may promote granulocyte infiltration into the mucosa. The objectives of this study were to determine whether (a) leukotriene B4 is produced in the gut mucosa during ischemia and reperfusion, and (b) inhibition of leukotriene B4 attenuates granulocyte infiltration into the postischemic intestinal mucosa. Isolated segments of cat intestine were subjected to 3 hours of ischemia and 1 hour of reperfusion. Mucosal samples were obtained during baseline, ischemia at 3 hours and reperfusion at 1 hour. Leukotriene B4 production was determined by radioimmunoassay. Tissue-associated myeloperoxidase activity was used to quantitate granulocyte accumulation in the mucosal samples. In untreated animals, mucosal leukotriene B4 concentration was higher at reperfusion compared with baseline levels. The reperfusion-induced increase in mucosal leukotriene B4 was entirely prevented by pretreatment with either nordihydroguaiaretic acid (Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO) or L663,536 (Merck-Frosst, Montreal, Quebec, Canada), two potent lipoxygenase inhibitors. Both lipoxygenase inhibitors, as well as leukotriene B4 antagonist (SC-41930) significantly attenuated the reperfusion-induced infiltration of granulocytes. These results indicate that leukotriene B4 plays an important role in mediating the granulocyte accumulation elicited by reperfusion of the ischemic bowel. 

Category: cardiovascular diseases
Analysis of alterations in the retinoblastoma gene and tumor grade in bone and soft-tissue sarcomas. We examined 43 sporadic bone and soft-tissue sarcomas for molecular genetic alterations affecting the retinoblastoma susceptibility gene Rb-1 (also known as RB1). The gene was altered in 6 of 14 sporadic osteosarcomas and in 5 of 29 other bone and soft-tissue sarcomas. Rb-1 messenger RNA (mRNA) transcripts were detected in normal tissues and benign lipomas, but they were absent or altered in each of the 19 sarcomas we examined. To examine the association of deletions in the Rb-1 gene with tumor grade, we correlated the DNA alterations in the Rb-1 gene with clinical data for 36 patients. The Rb-1 gene was altered in 40% of high-grade bone and soft-tissue tumors, but not in low-grade bone tumors and in only one low-grade, soft-tissue sarcoma. Overall, 10 of 25 high-grade sarcomas had detectable alterations of the Rb-1 gene compared with only 1 of 11 low-grade tumors. 

Category: neoplasms
Sensations during chest tube removal. Nurses prepare patients for chest tube removal, yet little has been written to indicate the sensations to be expected during this routine procedure. The sensations reported by patients and factors that could influence those sensations were examined in this study. The sample consisted of 36 patients after thoracic surgery (24 men and 12 women), all of whom were scheduled to have either a mediastinal or a pleural tube removed. They reported their sensations and the intensity of those sensations (using a 100 mm visual analog scale) within 15 minutes after tube removal. The most frequently reported sensation during chest tube removal was burning, followed by pain and pulling with mean intensities of 64, 62, and 45, respectively. Subjects reported having few sensations after the tube was removed with only five reporting soreness in the chest. The sensations and intensities did not differ for those who did and did not receive analgesia or for those having a pleural tube versus a mediastinal tube removed. The sensations were similar for the old and young subjects with younger subjects reporting higher intensities. Women reported pain more frequently than men, but the intensities of the sensations reported by men and women were not significantly different. The sensations reported during chest tube removal differ from those described in the literature and can be used to prepare patients more appropriately for chest tube removal. 

Category: nervous system diseases
Meningiomas involving the clivus: a six-year experience with 41 patients. A series of 41 meningiomas involving the clivus operated on from July 1983 to January 1990 is reported. The presenting symptoms and signs of these patients were similar to those reported previously. All the patients were evaluated by pre- and postoperative thin-section, high-resolution computed tomography using soft tissue and bone algorithms. Most of the patients also underwent magnetic resonance imaging. The regions of the clivus involved by tumor were divided into upper, middle, or lower regions on the basis of anatomical landmarks. The diameter of the tumor was measured in three axes, and a tumor volume and a tumor equivalent diameter were computed to categorize tumors as small, medium, large, or giant types. There were 9 medium, 27 large, and 5 giant tumors in this series. Some simple and some complex operative approaches were employed to effect tumor removal. Large and giant tumors often required more than one operative approach to remove the tumor. Intraoperative technical difficulties included tumor consistency, vascularity, dissection from the brain stem, and vascular and cranial nerve encasement. Postoperative computed tomographic scans documented total excision in 32 patients (78%). Residual tumor remained in the clival or cavernous sinus areas. These patients were either being observed, or were treated with gamma knife radiosurgery. There was one operative death due to pneumonia (2%), and three patients (7%) suffered permanent major neurological changes, presumably due to vascular occlusions in the posterior circulation. In the follow-up period, which ranged from 3 to 76 months, 2 patients (6%) with tumors that had appeared to be totally excised experienced recurrence. These patients were treated by a second operation, alone or in combination with radiation therapy. Two patients who had subtotal excisions (25%) had evidence of regrowth. In 2 patients, tumor growth continued despite gamma knife radiosurgery or external beam radiotherapy. 

Category: neoplasms
Prognosis of pregnancy-associated breast cancer. The survival of patients with pregnancy-associated (PA) breast cancer is difficult to predict for two reasons: The combination is very rare, and the natural history of breast cancer that is not associated with pregnancy is intricate and varies among individuals. Valid data collection and analysis is problematic given that studies gather patients over many years. The charts of 56 women with Stages I, II, and III breast cancer, who were pregnant or within 1 year postpartum at the time of breast cancer diagnosis between 1960 and 1980, were analyzed. Patients with PA breast cancer were compared to nonpregnant women of comparable ages, who were treated at the same hospital, by the same physicians, and during the same period. Four patients were lost before 5-year follow-up, and one patient before 10-year follow-up. These five patients had distant metastases at the time they were lost to follow-up, and are considered to have died within that time. Across stages, patients with PA breast cancer have survival not significantly different from those patients with non-pregnancy-associated (non-PA) breast cancer. 

Category: neoplasms
A comparison of surfactant as immediate prophylaxis and as rescue therapy in newborns of less than 30 weeks' gestation BACKGROUND. Exogenous pulmonary surfactants are administered into the trachea either to prevent respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants or to treat it. In a randomized, multicenter trial, we compared the results of surfactant therapy initiated as prophylaxis with the results of rescue therapy with surfactant. METHODS. Before birth, 479 infants with an estimated gestational age of less than 30 weeks were randomly assigned to receive surfactant as prophylaxis (n = 235) or rescue therapy (n = 244). The infants in the prophylaxis group received a 90-mg intratracheal dose of an exogenous calf-lung surfactant extract at the time of delivery, whereas the infants in the rescue-therapy group received 90 mg of the surfactant several hours after delivery if the fractional inspiratory oxygen concentration was at least 0.40 or if the mean airway pressure was at least 0.686 kPa (7 cm of water), or both. Infants in both groups received additional doses of surfactant at intervals of 12 to 24 hours if these criteria were met. RESULTS. The proportion of infants surviving until discharge to their homes was significantly higher in the prophylaxis group than in the rescue-therapy group (88 vs. 80 percent, P = 0.028). This difference was due primarily to the longer survival of very premature infants (less than or equal to 26 weeks' gestation) in the prophylaxis group than in the rescue-therapy group (75 vs. 54 percent, P = 0.006). According to proportional-hazards regression analysis, the distribution of survival times was better for all infants in the prophylaxis group (P = 0.007) and for the subgroup of infants in the prophylaxis group who were delivered at 26 weeks' gestation or earlier (P = 0.0048). Infants in the prophylaxis group who were delivered at 26 weeks' gestation or earlier had a lower incidence of pneumothorax than similar infants in the rescue-therapy group (7 vs. 18 percent, P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS. We found a significant advantage to the administration of the initial dose of surfactant as prophylaxis rather than as rescue therapy in very premature infants. 

Category: general pathological conditions
Occlusion of umbilical artery in acardiac, acephalic twin. In the acardiac, acephalic twin malformation the normal co-twin is put at risk because of the extra cardiac work-load. Surgical procedures may be hazardous to the mother. We describe a novel approach--the insertion of a helical metal coil to induce thrombosis in the umbilical artery of the acardiac twin--which immediately interrupted flow. The co-twin was delivered at 39 weeks and his neonatal course has been normal. 

Category: general pathological conditions
Hemiplegia in posterior cerebral artery occlusion. We report 4 patients with hemiplegia due to a posterior cerebral artery occlusion. Associated clinical signs were aphasia, alexia or a neglect syndrome, hemianopia, and hemisensory loss. Hemiplegia was due to infarction in the lateral midbrain. The level of the occlusion in the posterior cerebral artery may be located distal to the junction with the posterior communicating artery. 

Category: nervous system diseases
Short-term tamoxifen plus chemotherapy: superior results in node-positive breast cancer. Three hundred eleven patients with node-positive breast cancer were randomized to one of three adjuvant treatments: cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan), methotrexate, and 5-fluorouracil; all of the above with tamoxifen citrate; or all of the above with tamoxifen and bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccination. Local therapy for all patients was a modified radical mastectomy. Estrogen receptors were measured on all primary tumors. Patients were stratified by the number of positive nodes (one to three nodes and more than three nodes) and estrogen-receptor value (less than 3 femtomole/mg and greater than or equal to 3 femtomole/mg). Follow-up is available, with a mean of 9.1 and maximum of 14.2 years. In this study the efficacy of short-term tamoxifen is apparent over that of chemoimmunotherapy alone and continues to be significant with prolonged follow-up. The addition of tamoxifen to chemoimmunotherapy significantly prolonged disease-free survival among patients with estrogen receptor-positive tumors who were postmenopausal, who had larger tumors (greater than 3 cm), or who had more extensive axillary node involvement (more than three nodes). Tamoxifen improved overall survival for patients with estrogen receptor-positive tumors larger than 3 cm. The addition of bacillus Calmette-Guerin Cytoxan, methotrexate, 5-fluorouracil, and tamoxifen did not significantly alter disease-free or overall survival. 

Category: neoplasms