Melricflash/CW_MedAbstractsAlt huggingface dataset:
Characterization of astrocytomas, meningiomas, and pituitary adenomas by phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Phosphorus magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy allows noninvasive measurement of phosphate-containing compounds and pH within brain cells. The authors obtained localized phosphorus MR spectra from 10 normal brains, four low-grade astrocytomas, six glioblastomas, four meningiomas, and three pituitary adenomas and found differences in the spectra of each tumor type. Compared to normal brain, the spectra from low-grade astrocytomas showed a significant reduction of the phosphodiester (PDE) peak. Glioblastomas were characterized by a significant reduction of the PDE peak, elevation of the phosphomonoester (PME) peak, and a relatively alkaline intracellular pH. The spectra from meningiomas and pituitary adenomas were markedly different from the glial tumors. Meningiomas showed significant reductions in phosphocreatine, PDE, and inorganic phosphate, as well as a relatively alkaline pH. Pituitary adenomas resembled meningiomas, but had a much higher PME peak. Although the number of tumors studied was small, there appears to be a characteristic spectrum associated with these different tumor types. The present findings can be useful in the preoperative identification of these tumors and in furthering understanding of their growth and metabolism in vivo. 

Category: neoplasms
Properties of strains of Escherichia coli O26:H11 in relation to their enteropathogenic or enterohemorrhagic classification. Thirty-seven strains of Escherichia coli O26:H11 from infants and calves with diarrhea were examined for properties associated with enteropathogenic (EPEC) or enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC). Strains were heterogeneous with respect to Vero cytotoxin (VT) production and hybridization with the EHEC plasmid-specific (CVD419) probe; 26 strains produced VT1; 1 produced VT2. Twenty-four of 27 VT+ strains and 5 of 10 VT- strains hybridized with the CVD419 probe and produced enterohemolysin; these properties are characteristic of EHEC. The strains did not hybridize with the EPEC adherence factor probe, a property characteristic of some EPEC. Nevertheless, 36 strains adhered to HEp-2 cells in a localized manner and were positive by the fluorescence actin staining (FAS) test that is considered to correlate with the ability to cause attaching and effacing lesions in vivo. EPEC and EHEC cause these lesions. Although the FAS test appeared to be the most general pathogenicity test for the O26:H11 strains, it could not be used to assign strains specifically to EPEC or EHEC groups. 

Category: general pathological conditions
Selective evaluation and management of coronary artery disease in patients undergoing repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms. A 16-year experience. Reduction of cardiac mortality associated with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair remains an important goal. Five hundred consecutive urgent or elective operations for infrarenal nonruptured AAA were reviewed. Patients were divided into three groups based on preoperative cardiac status: group I (n = 260, 52%), no clinical or electrocardiographic (ECG) evidence of coronary artery disease (CAD); group II (n = 212, 42.2%), clinical or ECG evidence of CAD considered stable after further evaluation with studies such as dipyridamole-thallium scanning, echocardiography, or coronary arteriography; group III (n = 28, 5.6%), clinical or ECG evidence of CAD considered unstable after further evaluation. Group I had no further cardiac evaluation and groups I and II underwent AAA repair without invasive treatment of CAD. Group III underwent repair of cardiac disease before (n = 21) or coincident with (n = 7) AAA repair. In all instances, perioperative fluid volume management was based on left ventricular performance curves constructed before operation. The 30-day operative mortality rate for AAA repair in all 500 patients was 1.6% (n = 8). There was one (0.4%) cardiac-related operative death in group I, which was significantly less than the five (2.4%) in group II (p less than 0.02). Total mortality for the two groups were also significantly different, with one group I death (0.4%) and seven group II deaths (3.3%), (p less than 0.02). These data support the conclusions that (1) the leading cause of perioperative mortality in AAA repair is myocardial infarction, (2) correction of severe or unstable CAD before or coincident with AAA repair is effective in preventing operative mortality, (3) patients with known CAD should be investigated more thoroughly to identify those likely to develop perioperative myocardial ischemia so that their CAD can be corrected before AAA repair, and (4) patients with no clinical or ECG evidence of CAD rarely die of perioperative myocardial infarction, and thus selective evaluation of CAD based on clinical grounds in AAA patients is justified. 

Category: general pathological conditions
Continuous electrocardiographic monitoring in hypertensive crises in pregnancy. Twenty-four patients first seen with hypertensive crises during pregnancy were studied by continuous electrocardiographic monitoring for a period of 24 hours to detect the presence of serious ventricular arrhythmias. Three patients were excluded from analysis because of low serum potassium levels. Thirteen of the remaining 21 patients had ventricular tachycardia on subsequent analysis of the electrocardiogram. These arrhythmias subsided after induction of anesthesia when blood pressure control was optimal. This finding may be implicated in the pathogenesis of pulmonary edema and sudden death in these patients. 

Category: general pathological conditions
Indium-labeled anti-colorectal carcinoma monoclonal antibody accumulation in non-tumored tissue in patients with colorectal carcinoma. Indium-111- (111In) labeled murine monoclonal antibodies ZCE 025 (against carcinoembryonic antigen) and CYT-103 MAb B72.3 (against tumor-associated glycoprotein - 72) have been used to image patients with colorectal cancers with encouraging results. The objectives of this study were to assess the frequency and causes of 111In MAb localization in tumor-free, benign tissues. Thus, scans of 75 patients who have undergone exploratory surgery following radioimmunoscintigraphy with 111In-ZCE 025 (n = 37) or 111In-CYT-103 (n = 38) were reviewed in conjunction with operative and histopathology reports. Localization in non-tumored tissues was seen in 10.8% and 13.1%, respectively, of patients receiving ZCE 025 and CYT-103. The most common sites involved were: degenerative joint disease, abdominal aneurysms, postoperative bowel adhesions, and local inflammatory changes secondary to surgery or external irradiation. Review of patients' medical history and results of concurrent diagnostic modalities is likely to lessen the false-positive rate of 111In-labeled MAb scan interpretation. 

Category: neoplasms
Sensitivity of effect variables in rheumatoid arthritis: a meta-analysis of 130 placebo controlled NSAID trials [published erratum appears in J Clin Epidemiol 1991;44(6):613] In a meta-analysis of placebo controlled NSAID trials, the sensitivity of the effect variables was calculated as the correlation coefficient and as the difference between drug and placebo, divided by the placebo group standard deviation. The patient's global evaluation was the most sensitive variable overall. Pain was more sensitive than Ritchie's index. Several variables may be omitted from clinical trials, especially if two active drugs are being compared. For example, the best maximum estimate for the difference in ESR between NSAIDs and placebo was 1.0 mm/hr (95% confidence interval -1.5 to 3.4 mm/hr), and for joint size 0.44% (-1.0 to 1.9%), corresponding to a quarter of a millimeter for each of the 10 joints usually measured. It is suggested to record only the patient's global evaluation, pain, and morning stiffness. 

Category: nervous system diseases
Tumor angiogenesis and metastasis--correlation in invasive breast carcinoma. BACKGROUND. Experimental evidence suggests that the growth of a tumor beyond a certain size requires angiogenesis, which may also permit metastasis. To investigate how tumor angiogenesis correlates with metastases in breast carcinoma, we counted microvessels (capillaries and venules) and graded the density of microvessels within the initial invasive carcinomas of 49 patients (30 with metastases and 19 without). METHODS. Using light microscopy, we highlighted the vessels by staining their endothelial cells immunocytochemically for factor VIII. The microvessels were carefully counted (per 200x field), and their density was graded (1 to 4+), in the most active areas of neovascularization, without knowledge of the outcome in the patient, the presence or absence of metastases, or any other pertinent variable. RESULTS. Both microvessel counts and density grades correlated with metastatic disease. The mean (+/- SD) count and grade in the patients with metastases were 101 +/- 49.3 and 2.95 +/- 1.00 vessels, respectively. The corresponding values in the patients without metastases were significantly lower--45 +/- 21.1 and 1.38 +/- 0.82 (P = 0.003 and P less than or equal to 0.001, respectively). For each 10-microvessel increase in the count per 200x field, there was a 1.59-fold increase in the risk of metastasis (95 percent confidence interval, 1.19 to 2.12; P = 0.003). The microvessel count and density grade also correlated with distant metastases. For each 10-microvessel increase in the vessel count per 200x field, there was a 1.17-fold increase in the risk of distant metastasis (95 percent confidence interval, 1.02 to 1.34; P = 0.029). CONCLUSIONS. The number of microvessels per 200x field in the areas of most intensive neovascularization in an invasive breast carcinoma may be an independent predictor of metastatic disease either in axillary lymph nodes or at distant sites (or both). Assessment of tumor angiogenesis may therefore prove valuable in selecting patients with early breast carcinoma for aggressive therapy. 

Category: neoplasms
Sexually transmitted causes of gastrointestinal symptoms in homosexual men. The possible etiologic agents that may cause gastrointestinal complaints in homosexually active men are multiple, and their diagnosis is complex. This article presents a logical approach to the work-up and diagnosis of gastrointestinal complaints in homosexually active men and to discuss their treatment and disease intervention. 

Category: digestive system diseases
Stools containing altered blood-plasma urea: creatinine ratio as a simple test for the source of bleeding. The plasma urea:creatinine ratio (U:C ratio) is known to be elevated in cases of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Almost all patients with haematemesis have upper gastrointestinal (or generalized) bleeding so that in this study we characterized the diagnostic power of the U:C ratio in patients with stools containing altered blood without haematemesis in the hope that this simple laboratory test (used in conjunction, perhaps, with clinical data) might reduce the number of patients subjected to an unrewarding gastroscopy or colonoscopy. Of 76 cases seen in a provincial and a metropolitan hospital, 42 and 34 patients had upper and lower gastrointestinal bleeding, respectively. Fifty-four per cent of those with upper gastrointestinal bleeding and none of those with lower gastrointestinal bleeding had U:C ratios above 110 on admission. However, a discriminating level of 90 is considered to be more suitable, judged by the quadratic uncertainty score. At this level the odds for upper gastrointestinal bleeding were 15:1. 

Category: digestive system diseases
Postoperative complications after Molteno implant surgery. We performed Molteno implant surgery in one eye each of 41 patients with uncontrolled glaucoma. Intraocular pressure was controlled (intraocular pressure less than or equal to 18 mm Hg) in 32 eyes (78%). The mean preoperative intraocular pressure was 40 +/- 13.2 mm Hg, whereas the mean postoperative intraocular pressure was 16 +/- 6.6 mm Hg. Patients were followed up for an average of 16 months after the operation. Visual acuity was unchanged in 23 eyes (56%), improved in nine eyes (22%), and poorer in nine eyes (22%). The major complications included shallow anterior chamber and hypotony in six eyes (14.6%), vitreous hemorrhage in two eyes (4.9%), retinal detachment in one eye (2.4%), and malignant glaucoma in two eyes (4.9%). Less grave complications included hyphema in four eyes (9.8%), peripheral choroidal effusion in 15 eyes (36.6%), obstruction of the tube in six eyes (14.6%), recession of the tube into the angle in two eyes (4.9%), erosion of the tube in one eye (2.4%), and Tenon's cyst formation in three eyes (7.3%). 

Category: general pathological conditions
The effect of ambulation on recovery from postoperative ileus. To determine whether ambulation hastens recovery from ileus following laparotomy, 34 patients were studied, 10 of whom followed an ambulatory regimen beginning on postoperative day 1 (group A). The other 24 patients (group C) did not become ambulatory until postoperative day 4. All patients underwent placement of seromuscular bipolar recording electrodes on the Roux limb, if present, stomach, jejunum, and colon at laparotomy. Group A was recorded before and after ambulation so comparisons could be made to determine if ambulation had an acute effect on myoelectric activity. Group A preambulation and group C recordings were compared to judge whether there was an over-all effect of ambulation on myoelectric recovery. No effect on slow wave frequency or percentage of slow waves with associated spike potentials was noted acutely or overall in the stomach, colon, or jejunum in continuity with the duodenal pacemaker. Transient increases in phase II spike activity in patients having a Roux limb and their jejunum distal to the enteroenterostomy were noted on postoperative days 1 to 2, but these differences resolved by postoperative days 3 or 4. The data suggest that ambulation as a means to help resolve postoperative ileus and its accompanying cramps and bloating may be more perceived than real. 

Category: general pathological conditions
Vascular and nonvascular expression of INCAM-110. A target for mononuclear leukocyte adhesion in normal and inflamed human tissues. Inducible cell adhesion molecule 110 (INCAM-110), is a 110-kd adhesion receptor for lymphocytes and monocytes identified on cytokine-activated endothelium. Using immunoperoxidase techniques, little or no INCAM-110 was detected on endothelium in normal human tissues. In contrast, INCAM-110 was expressed in postcapillary venules in a variety of active inflammatory processes. In acute appendicitis, INCAM-110 was found coincident with strong expression of endothelial leukocyte adhesion molecule 1 (ELAM-1), a cytokine-inducible molecule that functions in neutrophil adhesion. However, in certain chronic inflammatory processes (eg, sarcoidosis), INCAM-110 was observed without simultaneous ELAM-1 expression. Anti-INCAM-110 antibody E1/6 also marked several extravascular cell types, including lymphoid dendritic cells, some tissue macrophages, synovial lining cells, and reactive mesothelial cells. These data suggest a role for endothelial INCAM-110 in the pathophysiology of both acute and chronic inflammatory reactions. Furthermore INCAM-110 may function as an adhesion molecule for mononuclear leukocytes in a variety of extravascular sites. 

Category: general pathological conditions
DNA ploidy in the primary tumor from patients with nonseminomatous testicular germ cell tumors clinical stage I. The DNA stemline ploidy was assessed in paraffin-embedded, formalin-fixed primary tumor tissue from 68 patients with nonseminomatous germ cell cancer (NSCGT) clinical Stage I (CS I). Forty-three patients had a single aneuploid (greater than 1C) DNA stemline, whereas 24 patients had multiple aneuploid stemlines. In one tumor there was no evidence of an abnormal DNA stemline. Most DNA stemlines had DNA indices around the 3c value. In 13 patients there was a good correlation between the DNA stemline values observed in the primary tumor and in the retroperitoneal lymph node metastases. No correlation was found between the DNA index and the histologic subclassification or the metastatic behavior. The size of the S-phase fraction did not appear to be predictive of subclinical metastases. In CS I patients with NSCGT determination of DNA stemline values does not yield information of predictive or prognostic significance but may contribute to the understanding of the pathogenesis of NSCGT. 

Category: neoplasms
Progression of peripheral occlusive arterial disease in diabetes mellitus. What factors are predictive? The clinical, biochemical, and vascular laboratory measurements potentially associated with the development and/or progression of peripheral occlusive arterial disease (POAD) were assessed during a 4-year period in 110 normal control subjects, 112 patients with POAD without diabetes mellitus, 240 patients with diabetes mellitus without POAD, and 100 patients with diabetes mellitus and POAD. Age, history of hypertension or coronary heart disease, history of cigarette smoking, presence of POAD, systolic blood pressure, and beta-thromboglobulin level were associated with progression of POAD. A multivariate logistic regression model indicated that the presence of diabetes mellitus or POAD or both at baseline, decreased postexercise ankle-brachial index, increased arm systolic blood pressure, and current smoking were independently associated with progression of POAD. This study suggests that cessation of smoking and control of hypertension are essential treatment modifications to decrease the risk of progression of peripheral vascular disease in diabetic patients. 

Category: cardiovascular diseases
Fingernail deformities secondary to ganglions of the distal interphalangeal joint (mucous cysts). Twenty-six nail deformities secondary to ganglions of the distal interphalangeal joint were retrospectively reviewed to assess the important aspects of their management. The patients' ages ranged from 41 to 79 years. The long and index fingers were most commonly involved. A depression or groove was present in 23 of 26 digits reviewed. Two had gross disruption of the nail. Fifty-eight percent of the cysts had spontaneously drained or had been drained by the patient or a physician preoperatively. Degenerative arthritic changes were seen in 87 percent of those with x-rays or a radiology report available. Most underwent surgical removal of the cyst and debridement of associated osteophytes of the distal interphalangeal joint. The cyst was located above the germinal matrix in all but two digits. Osteophytes were found in all 20 digits in which the joint was explored. No recurrences were seen in those available for postoperative follow-up (22 of 25). Normal nail growth was found in 14 of 22, although follow-up was short in one. All eight postoperative nail deformities were quite mild and of little concern to the patient. There was no correlation between preoperative cyst drainage and aesthetic postoperative nail growth. Nail removal at the time of surgery appeared to be unnecessary unless the nail was grossly disrupted. 

Category: neoplasms
Intractable complex partial seizures associated with occult temporal lobe encephalocele and meningoangiomatosis: a case report. Occult congenital temporal lobe encephalocele has rarely been reported in association with medically intractable complex partial seizures. The four previously reported cases were unsuspected preoperatively. We present the case of an 18-year-old woman with intractable complex partial seizures since age 13. Seizure onset was electrically localized to the right temporal lobe. Preoperative neuroimaging studies revealed a middle fossa defect and inferior herniation of the right temporal lobe. Pathologic examination of the resected encephalocele revealed prominent features of meningoangiomatosis. We believe this to be the first case of temporal lobe encephalocele and epilepsy to be diagnosed preoperatively, and the first case also to be associated with meningoangiomatosis. The relevant literature on meningoangiomatosis and on temporal lobe encephalocele as a cause of epilepsy is reviewed. 

Category: nervous system diseases
Pulmonary artery balloon counterpulsation for intraoperative right ventricular failure. Two cases of severe low cardiac output and right ventricular failure after coronary artery bypass grafting necessitated pulmonary artery balloon counterpulsation after intraaortic balloon pumping and maximal inotropic/pressor support were unsuccessful in maintaining a satisfactory cardiac output. Hemodynamic improvement was sufficient to allow removal of the device 2 and 3 days postoperatively, with survival in 1 patient. Pulmonary artery counterpulsation is less morbid in comparison with other mechanical methods of right ventricular support and is applicable in right ventricular failure of intermediate severity. 

Category: cardiovascular diseases
Acupuncture and chronic pain: a criteria-based meta-analysis. A literature search revealed 51 controlled clinical studies on the effectiveness of acupuncture in chronic pain. These studies were reviewed using a list of 18 predefined methodological criteria. A maximum of 100 points for study design could be earned in four main categories: (a) comparability of prognosis, (b) adequate intervention, (c) adequate effect measurement and (d) data presentation. The quality of even the better studies proved to be mediocre. No study earned more than 62% of the maximum score. The results from the better studies (greater than or equal to 50% of the maximum score) are highly contradictory. The efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of chronic pain remains doubtful. 

Category: nervous system diseases
Fast short-tau inversion-recovery MR imaging. To enhance the versatility of the short-tau inversion-recovery (STIR) sequences, the authors determined a range of repetition time (TR) and inversion time (TI) combinations that suppress signal intensity from fat by study of both patient and phantom images. To make fast STIR images, variations in the following pulsing conditions were studied with use of an interactive computer program: decreasing the TR, limiting the number of excitations, and limiting the number of phase-encoding steps. The authors found that (a) STIR imaging need not be time consuming, (b) fat suppression can be accomplished at shorter TR by using shorter TI, and (c) short-TR fast STIR imaging is sensitive to enhancement with gadopentetate dimeglumine. 

Category: general pathological conditions