Melricflash/CW_MedAbstractsAlt huggingface dataset:
Entrapment neuropathy of the median nerve at the level of the ligament of Struthers. The presence of a supracondylar process and Struthers' ligament is a rare congenital anomaly that may cause compression of either the median nerve, the brachial artery, or both. The authors present a case in which the supracondylar process and Struthers' ligament compressed both the median nerve and the brachial artery. This case is unusual, in that the symptoms of compression of the brachial artery increased--namely, the pulse intensity decreased and the pain increased with elbow flexion. 

Category: nervous system diseases
Capabilities of supine exercise electrocardiography versus exercise radionuclide angiography in predicting coronary events. The ability of supine exercise electrocardiography and exercise radionuclide angiography to predict time to subsequent cardiac events (cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction or late coronary bypass grafting or angioplasty) were compared in 265 patients with normal resting electrocardiograms who were not taking digoxin. All patients had undergone coronary catheterization and were initially treated medically. Follow-up study was performed at a median of 51 months. Separate logistic regression models, which had been previously developed to predict 3-vessel or left main coronary artery disease (CAD), were compared using a Cox regression analysis to predict time to a subsequent cardiac event. The exercise electrocardiography model, consisting of the magnitude of ST depression, exercise heart rate and patient gender, was a powerful predictor (chi-square = 30.8, p less than 0.0001) of subsequent events. The exercise radionuclide angiography model, which included the exercise response of the pressure-volume ratio in addition to the exercise electrocardiography variables, had similar prognostic power (chi-square = 31.8, p less than 0.0001). In a separate analysis considering only cardiac death and nonfatal myocardial infarction, the exercise electrocardiography model remained a significant predictor of events (chi-square = 12.2, p less than 0.001). None of the radionuclide angiography variables added significantly to the prognostic power of the exercise electrocardiography model. Thus, in patients with a normal resting electrocardiogram who are not taking digoxin, the supine exercise electrocardiography model that predicts 3-vessel or left main CAD also predicts future cardiac events. Exercise radionuclide angiography does not provide any additional prognostic information in such patients. 

Category: cardiovascular diseases
Medulloblastoma: a population-based study of 532 cases. Five hundred thirty-two cases of medulloblastoma (males n = 327 and females n = 205), aged 0 to 86 years diagnosed between 1973 and 1986 were studied to determine the incidence in different geographic regions of the United States and to evaluate the effect of various factors on survival. The median age was 9 years and average follow-up time was 45 months. The overall incidence rate was 1.8 per one million person-years. Variables that were statistically significant (p less than 0.05) in a multivariate model determining survival in rank order were treatment group, sex, geographic region, year group and age. This observational study found that 1) age and sex were statistically significant factors in describing the incidence rates, whereas year group and geographic region were not; 2) no incidence peak in the third decade of life was observed; 3) a significant improvement in survival was observed in the combined 1978 to 1986 year groups relative to the 1973 to 1977 year group; 4) the overall 5-year survival probability was 45%; and 5) there has been an increase over time in the use of more than two modalities of treatment. 

Category: neoplasms
Impact of nonoperative therapy on the clinical management of peripheral arterial disease. Nonoperative therapy includes conservative noninterventional modalities and the endovascular interventional modalities of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and a variety of laser systems and atherectomy devices. The role and impact of all nonoperative treatments are considered in the perspectives of the natural history of lower-extremity arteriosclerosis and its present surgical (operative) treatment. Nonoperative treatments may replace and/or facilitate surgical treatment in operative candidates. Nonoperative methods may also justify treatment in patients who cannot or should not be subjected to surgery. Facts and opinions relating to these uses of nonoperative treatments are presented, and the qualifications and credentialing of individuals who should be treating patients with lower-extremity ischemia resulting from peripheral arteriosclerosis are discussed. 

Category: cardiovascular diseases
Evidence for the targeting by 2-oxo-dehydrogenase enzymes in the T cell response of primary biliary cirrhosis. Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a chronic autoimmune liver disease that includes the presence of lymphoid infiltrates in portal tracts, high titer autoantibodies against pyruvate dehydrogenase-E2 (PDH-E2) and branched chain ketoacid dehydrogenase-E2 (BCKD-E2), and biliary tract destruction. The mechanism by which the autoimmune response is induced, the specificity of damage to the biliary epithelium, and the role of T cells in PBC are still unknown. To address these issues, we have taken advantage of a mouse mAb, coined C355.1, and studied its reactivity against a panel of liver tissue from normal subjects as well as a panel of liver specimens from patients with PBC, progressive sclerosing cholangitis, and chronic active hepatitis (CAH). C355.1, much like human autoantibodies to PDH-E2, reacts exclusively by immunoblotting with PDH-E2, binds to the inner lipoyl domain of the protein, and inhibits PDH-E2 activity in vitro. In addition, we have also attempted to develop cloned T cell lines that react with PDH-E2 and/or BCKD-E2 using liver biopsies from patients with PBC, compared with CAH. Although monoclonal C355.1 produced typical mitochondrial fluorescence on sections of normal liver, pancreas, lung, heart, thyroid, and kidney, it produced a distinct and intense reactivity when used to stain the bile ducts of patients with PBC. Nine of 13 PBC liver biopsies studied herein contained bile ducts on light microscopy, all of which reacted intensely at a 1:100 culture supernatant dilution of monoclonal C355.1. In contrast, although bile ducts of liver specimens from normals, CAH, and progressive sclerosing cholangitis also reacted with C355.1, such reactivity was exclusively mitochondrial and readily detectable only at a dilution of 1:2. More importantly, we generated CD4+, CD8-, alpha beta TCR+ cloned T cell lines from patients with PBC, but not from CAH, that produced IL-2 specifically in response to PDH-E2 or BCKD-E2. 

Category: digestive system diseases
Risk for colon adenomas in patients with rectosigmoid hyperplastic polyps OBJECTIVE: To determine whether hyperplastic polyps found in the rectosigmoid area of the colon are associated with proximal adenomas, and to judge whether patients with distal hyperplastic polyps found during sigmoidoscopy might benefit from full colonoscopy. DESIGN: Data on patients having colonoscopy collected prospectively according to a set protocol. The size and location of all polyps were noted, and all polyps were biopsied. SETTING: Two university hospitals. PATIENTS: One thousand eight hundred and thirty-six consecutive patients referred for colonoscopy between 31 December 1987 and 31 August 1989. RESULTS: Of the 970 patients who met eligibility requirements, 274 (28.3%) had adenomas and 108 (11.1%) had hyperplastic polyps. The proportion of patients with distal hyperplastic polyps and proximal adenomas (31.9%) was similar to the proportion of those without distal hyperplastic polyps (23.0%) (crude odds ratio, 1.57; 95% CI, 0.77 to 3.06). After adjusting for age and sex, the results were unchanged (adjusted odds ratio, 1.53; CI, 0.82 to 2.88). Patients with distal adenomas, on the other hand, were three times more likely to have proximal adenomas than those without distal adenomas (adjusted odds ratio, 3.42; CI, 1.99 to 5.88). CONCLUSIONS: Distal hyperplastic polyps are not strong predictors of risk for proximal adenomas. Based on the magnitude of the risk difference, we do not believe that finding a hyperplastic polyp during sigmoidoscopy justifies doing a full colonoscopy to search for proximal adenomas. Because rectosigmoid adenomas are associated with proximal adenomas, however, small polyps seen during sigmoidoscopy should be biopsied to determine their type. Colonoscopy should be reserved for patients who are proved to have adenomas. 

Category: digestive system diseases
Bismuth subsalicylate in the treatment of acute diarrhea in children: a clinical study. Bismuth subsalicylate (BSS) and placebo were evaluated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study as adjunct to rehydration therapy in 123 children, aged 4 to 28 months, hospitalized with acute diarrhea. The dosing regimen was 20 mg/kg five times daily for 5 days. Significant benefits were noted in the BSS group compared with placebo as manifested by decreases in stool frequency and stool weights and an improvement in stool consistency, significant improvement in clinical well-being, and shortening of the disease duration. Patients treated with BSS had a significant reduction in duration of hospital stay (6.9 days) compared with placebo-treated patients (8.5 days). Also, intravenous fluid requirements decreased significantly more rapidly and to a greater degree in the BSS-treated group. Bismuth subsalicylate was associated with clearance of pathogenic Escherichia coli from the stools in 100% of cases but was not different from placebo in rotavirus elimination. Bismuth subsalicylate was well tolerated with no reported adverse effects. Blood bismuth and serum salicylate levels were well below levels considered toxic. In this study, BSS provided effective adjunctive therapy for acute diarrhea, allowing children to get well sooner with less demand on the nursing and hospital staff. 

Category: digestive system diseases
Ki-67 immunostaining in uveal melanoma. The effect of pre-enucleation radiotherapy. The reactivity of 33 choroidal and ciliary body melanomas with monoclonal antibody Ki-67, which recognizes a proliferation associated nuclear antigen, has been assessed and compared with clinicopathologic parameters. In 23 cases, 8 Gy irradiation was given 2 days before enucleation. Nonirradiated melanomas had a significantly higher proliferation rate as defined by staining with monoclonal antibody Ki-67 as compared with irradiated tumors (P = 0.007). Similarly, a strong relationship was found between pre-enucleation irradiation and low mitotic activity (P = 0.001). There was no significant correlation between the presence of Ki-67-positive nuclei and histologic classification, largest tumor diameter, localization of the tumor, age, sex, scleral invasion, pigmentation, and lymphocytic infiltration. The relevance of Ki-67 immunohistochemistry for the assessment of the life prognosis of patients with uveal melanoma has to be studied prospectively. 

Category: neoplasms
Etoposide. Current and future status. Etoposide (VP-16-213) is an antineoplastic agent with demonstrated efficacy against a broad spectrum of human malignancies, including testicular, germ cell, lung, and other cancers. Etoposide can be synergistic with other agents. As part of combination chemotherapy, etoposide has become a so-called standard in therapies for testicular cancer and small cell lung cancer. Its activity in tumors such as lymphoma and leukemia, as well as solid tumors, identifies etoposide as a highly important chemotherapeutic agent. Cellular and animal models have shown that the cell kill and tumor response depend on both dose and time of exposure. Recent clinical studies again show that dose and schedule of etoposide can have important effects on clinical response to the drug. Further research should now continue: (1) on the use of etoposide as part of initial therapy in several cancers, and (2) in higher doses and prolonged schedules to optimize this agent's potential. 

Category: neoplasms
Use and misuse of oral therapy for diarrhea: comparison of US practices with American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations. To determine how closely US pediatricians follow the 1985 American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition's recommendations on oral therapy for acute diarrhea, a questionnaire was administered to four groups: New England private practitioners, pediatricians from 27 states attending a postgraduate course, representatives of departments of pediatrics at US schools of medicine, and housestaff at Boston Children's and Massachusetts General hospitals. The responses from departments of pediatrics and housestaff were not significantly different from those of community practitioners in most categories. The reported rate of use of glucose-electrolyte solutions recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics was not different from the use of nonphysiologic, high-osmolar, low-salt solutions such as sodas and juices. The usage rate for glucose-electrolyte solutions meeting the American Academy of Pediatrics-recommended carbohydrate-to-sodium ratio of less than 2:1 was less than 30%. Other findings included the general lack of agreement on the use of a single type of therapy and the common use of oral therapy only for mild or no dehydration. Although the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that feeding be reintroduced in the first 24 hours of a diarrheal episode, the majority of respondents withhold feeding until the second day or later. These findings indicate that educational programs on oral therapy during acute diarrhea are needed in the United States. 

Category: general pathological conditions
Steroids induce acetylcholine receptors on cultured human muscle: implications for myasthenia gravis. Antibodies to the acetylcholine receptor (AChR), which are diagnostic of the human autoimmune disease myasthenia gravis, block AChR function and increase the rate of AChR degradation leading to impaired neuromuscular transmission. Steroids are frequently used to alleviate symptoms of muscle fatigue and weakness in patients with myasthenia gravis because of their well-documented immunosuppressive effects. We show here that the steroid dexamethasone significantly increases total surface AChRs on cultured human muscle exposed to myasthenia gravis sera. Our results suggest that the clinical improvement observed in myasthenic patients treated with steroids is due not only to an effect on the immune system but also to a direct effect on muscle. We propose that the identification and development of pharmacologic agents that augment receptors and other proteins that are reduced by human genetic or autoimmune disease will have broad therapeutic applications. 

Category: nervous system diseases
Influence of mental stress on ventricular pump function in postinfarction patients. An invasive hemodynamic investigation. To assess the influence of mental stress on ventricular pump function in coronary patients, 88 postinfarction patients (mean age, 53 +/- 10 years) performed mental arithmetic during Swan-Ganz catheterization monitoring a mean of 44 +/- 16 days after myocardial infarction. The test lasted 3 minutes in 66 patients and 10 minutes in 22 patients. Two patients suffered acute pulmonary edema a few minutes after mental arithmetic, but no others complained of symptoms. Mean heart rate increased from 76 +/- 14 to 92 +/- 17 beats/min, mean systolic blood pressure increased from 138 +/- 22 to 160 +/- 27 mm Hg, mean diastolic blood pressure increased from 89 +/- 10 to 101 +/- 15 mm Hg, mean pulmonary wedge pressure increased from 13 +/- 6 to 19 +/- 8 mm Hg (p less than 0.001), and mean stroke volume decreased from 72 +/- 18 to 65 +/- 18 ml (p less than 0.001) during mental arithmetic. The changes in central hemodynamics during mental arithmetic were not predictable from noninvasive parameters. In the 22 patients who performed 10-minute mental arithmetic, the changes persisted throughout mental exercise. Eighty-one patients underwent supine bicycle ergometry after mental arithmetic: Absolute mental arithmetic-pulmonary wedge pressure values correlated with those during exercise at the first stage (25 W) (r = 0.63, p less than 0.001) and at maximal load (77 +/- 29 W) (r = 0.49, p less than 0.001), and pulmonary wedge pressure change between stress values and baseline during mental arithmetic did not correlate with those during the first stage of exercise (r = 0.09, p = NS) or during maximal load (r = 0.11, p = NS). Twenty-nine patients repeated the study 1 year after myocardial infarction, and the same hemodynamic changes were observed during mental arithmetic. In conclusion, it appears that mental stress can cause deteriorations of central hemodynamics that can be independent of changes in heart rate and blood pressure and are not predictable from exercise-induced changes; stress-induced cardiovascular activation can last for at least 10 minutes and is stable over long time periods. 

Category: cardiovascular diseases
Blood contamination of anaesthetic and related staff The incidence of skin contamination of anaesthetic and related staff by patient's blood and saliva was studied during 270 anaesthetics in Cardiff hospitals over seven continuous days in October 1989. A survey was also made of current Hepatitis B immunisation status and glove-wearing habits of 75 anaesthetists. Blood from 35 (14%) patients caused skin contamination of 65 staff during 46 incidents. Twenty-eight (61%) of the contamination incidents occurred during vessel cannulation. Five (8%) of the 65 staff contaminated by blood already had cuts on their hands. There were nine incidents (4%) of skin contamination by saliva. Fifty-three (71%) anaesthetists were immunised against Hepatitis B. Only seven (9%) anaesthetists wear gloves for oral or nasal intubation, six (8%) for insertion of peripheral venous cannulae, 47 (63%) for insertion of arterial lines and 67 (89%) for insertion of central lines. All anaesthetic and associated staff should wear gloves on a routine basis. 

Category: digestive system diseases
Central nervous system vasculitis after chickenpox--cause or coincidence? A 7.5 year old boy, known to have a seizure disorder, presented with an infarct in the left middle cerebral artery territory, 10 weeks after severe chickenpox. Immunofluorescent antibody titre to the varicella zoster virus in the cerebrospinal fluid was 1:32. Cerebral angiography showed evidence of focal vasculitis. He presented again seven months later with an acute exacerbation of seizures. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed an old posterior extension of the infarct, but a repeated angiography demonstrated an improvement in the vasculitic process. Cerebrospinal fluid antibody titre was again 1:32. Although this may have been an unfortunate coincidence, a possible association between chickenpox and vasculitis, similar to that reported with herpes zoster, and with potentially significant clinical implications, should be considered. As a definite proof can be obtained only by a brain biopsy, however, which is generally not indicated in such cases, only additional clinical reports can lead to delineation of this association as a definite entity. 

Category: general pathological conditions
Congenital demyelinating motor and sensory neuropathy with focally folded myelin sheaths. Six patients (5 index cases and 1 sib) with a congenital motor and sensory neuropathy are described. The clinical, genetic and electrophysiological features resembled Dejerine-Sottas disease or hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy (HMSN) type III. Sural nerve biopsy of 5 patients revealed segmental demyelination and remyelination with hypertrophic changes, although onion bulbs were not as ubiquitous as in classical HMSN type III. A striking discriminating feature from HMSN type III was an abundance of focal myelin thickenings (tomacula) present in nearly all teased fibres. Possible pathogenic implications are discussed. These cases corroborate the heterogeneity of congenital motor and sensory neuropathies. 

Category: nervous system diseases
Pancreatic mucinous cystadenocarcinoma with pseudosarcomatous mural nodules. A report of a case with immunohistochemical study. A case of pancreatic mucinous cystadenocarcinoma (PMC) with two pseudosarcomatous mural nodules (PMN) is described. These nodules have not been previously described in this type of tumor. In ovarian mucinous tumors (OMT), similar nodules have been reported, the nature of which has been discussed in detail. Here the similarity between the tumor described here and ovarian tumors is stressed. The immunohistochemical study carried out disclosed in the nodules strong positive staining for vimentin and moderate positivity for keratin and epithelial membrane antigen. These findings, along with histologic details, favor the epithelial nature of the nodules. It was concluded that the nodules are foci of anaplastic carcinoma with high proliferative cell rate, which could explain the coexpression of vimentin and keratin. 

Category: neoplasms
Right-left disorientation in dementia of the Alzheimer type. We demonstrated that right-left orientation (R/L-O) on a confronting subject is more impaired in patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type than in patients with multi-infarct dementia of comparable degree of dementia. The impairment in R/L-O is independent of aphasia and spatial disorientation. 

Category: nervous system diseases
Biochemical evidence of sympathetic hyperactivity in human hypertension. Radiotracer measures of norepinephrine overflow to plasma are well suited for studying both human sympathetic nervous system responses to mental stress and sympathetic nervous pathophysiology in human hypertension. With an experimental laboratory stressor (cognitive challenge), we noted a preferential activation of the cardiac sympathetic outflow; however, in fainting reactions ("vasovagal syncope"), which occur infrequently during the course of central venous catheter placement under local anesthesia, the converse was seen--an almost total withdrawal of cardiac sympathetic activity. In primary human hypertension (particularly in younger patients), a differentiated activation of the sympathetic outflow to the heart and kidneys is present, based on measurements of norepinephrine spillover to plasma. It is uncertain whether this is attributable to behavioral factors and represents a component of the defense reaction. We previously reported overflow of norepinephrine into the cerebrovascular circulation (with high internal jugular venous sampling) in humans. Because this is resistant to ganglion blockade, brain neurons--not the cerebrovascular sympathetics--are the presumed source. In a preliminary study, we found higher rates of norepinephrine spillover into the cerebrovascular circulation in patients with essential hypertension than in healthy subjects, suggesting that an underlying increase in central nervous system norepinephrine turnover may be the basis for the increased sympathetic outflow. 

Category: cardiovascular diseases