Melricflash/CW_MedAbstractsAlt huggingface dataset:
Impaired pressor reactivity in cirrhosis: evidence for a peripheral vascular defect. The blood pressure responses to intravenous infusions of norepinephrine and angiotensin II, sympathetic and nonsympathetic vasoconstricting agents, respectively, were measured in 20 patients with cirrhosis (10 Child-Pugh grade A and 10 Child-Pugh grades B or C) and in 20 healthy subjects. The log PD20 (dose of agonist required to raise blood pressure by 20 mm Hg) for norepinephrine was 4.78 +/- 0.36 (mean +/- S.D.) in patients with severe cirrhosis and 4.36 +/- 0.37 in controls, p less than 0.01. Log PD20 for angiotensin II was 3.16 +/- 1.06 in patients with severe cirrhosis and 1.97 +/- 0.74 in controls, p less than 0.01. Cardiovascular responses to selective sympathetic agonists were measured in 10 other cirrhotic patients (all Child-Pugh grades B or C) and in 10 healthy controls. Log PD20s for phenylephrine, an alpha-1 adrenoceptor agonist, and for alphamethylnorepinephrine; an alpha-2 adrenoceptor agonist, were increased in cirrhosis (phenylephrine = 5.35 +/- 0.49 vs. 4.95 +/- 0.35, p less than 0.05; alphamethylnorepinephrine = 4.05 +/- 0.26 vs. 3.44 +/- 0.55, p less than 0.001). In contrast, log CD20 (dose of agonist required to raise the heart rate by 20 beats/min) for isoproterenol, a beta-adrenoceptor agonist, was similar in cirrhotic patients and controls (2.81 +/- 0.38 vs. 2.94 +/- 0.45, p = 0.49). These studies demonstrate that pressor reactivity to both sympathetic and nonsympathetic agonists is impaired in severe cirrhosis, that the impaired sympathetic responses are not caused by generalized sympathetic desensitization and that the site common to the four agonists with impaired responses is the peripheral vascular smooth muscle. 

Category: digestive system diseases
Stroke in pediatric acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. In a 4 1/2-year period, 4 of 68 children in a longitudinal study of neurological complications of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection had clinical and/or neuroradiological evidence of stroke, yielding a clinical incidence of stroke in this population of 1.3% per year. During this period, 32 subjects died, and permission for autopsy was granted in 18 of the patients, including 3 of 4 who had clinical evidence of stroke. The prevalence of cerebrovascular pathological features in our consecutive autopsy series was higher than the clinical incidence. At autopsy cerebrovascular disease was documented in 6 (24%) of 25 children with HIV infection, including all 3 children who had clinical evidence of stroke. Four patients had intracerebral hemorrhages, 6 patients had nonhemorrhagic infarcts, and 3 had both. Hemorrhage was catastrophic in 1 child and clinically silent in 3 children, all of whom had immune thrombocytopenia. One child had an arteriopathy that affected meningocerebral arteries. In another child, the arteries of the circle of Willis were aneurysmally dilated. Two children had coexisting cardiomyopathy and subacute necrotizing encephalomyelopathy with vascular proliferation. These results suggest that stroke should be considered when children with HIV infection develop focal neurological signs. 

Category: nervous system diseases
Evaluating oxygen delivery and oxygen utilization with mixed venous oxygen saturation monitoring: a case study approach. Three cases studies are presented to demonstrate clinical application of mixed venous oxygen saturation (SvO2) monitoring in critical care nursing practice. Examples of critically ill patients are used to demonstrate how SvO2 monitoring can be used in clinical practice to reflect an imbalance between oxygen delivery and oxygen utilization. In the first case, the patient had a problem with oxygen delivery. Continuous SvO2 data aided nurses in guiding, adjusting, and assessing therapy. The second case demonstrates how SvO2 monitoring can provide an early sign of a life-threatening complication. The final case is one in which the patient had a problem with oxygen utilization. In all the cases, continuous SvO2 data provided important information about the balance between oxygen delivery and oxygen utilization. 

Category: general pathological conditions
Microdochectomy for discharge from a single lactiferous duct. Microdochectomy for persistent discharge from a single lactiferous duct was performed in 162 women. Invasive or in situ ductal carcinoma was diagnosed in 16 patients (10 per cent), none of whom had a palpable lump. The discharge was blood-stained in 14 of these women and in two it was clear. Mammography was performed in 15 of these 16 patients and was abnormal in only five. Three patients had atypical ductal hyperplasia, one of whom subsequently developed an invasive ductal carcinoma. Microdochectomy for persistent discharge from a single lactiferous duct is curative and gives a diagnosis of the cause. It remains the treatment of choice whether the discharge is blood-stained or clear. 

Category: neoplasms
Doxorubicin for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. A prospective study on the addition of verapamil. A prospective study was conducted to assess the safety and efficacy of the addition of oral verapamil to intravenous Adriamycin (doxorubicin) for the management of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). All 28 patients studied had histologically verified disease, and cirrhosis was present in 20 of the 21 patients with adequate tissue sampling. The overall median survival was 57 days. Chemotherapy was terminated in seven patients after one course of treatment. Partial response and complete response were noted in four patients (19%) and one patient (4.8%), respectively, among the 21 patients evaluated. Side effects related to the chemotherapy were present in all patients studied. Death from fulminating sepsis occurred in three of the 13 patients with leukopenia. Symptomatic myocardial dysfunction developed in one patient. The addition of verapamil apparently did not potentiate the tumoricidal effect of systemic Adriamycin on HCC but probably did increase its complications. 

Category: neoplasms
Flow-volume characteristics in the pulmonary circulation. Isolated ferret and canine lungs were used to validate a method for assessing determinants of vascular volume in the pulmonary circulation. With left atrial pressure (Pla) constant at 5 mmHg, flow (Q) was raised in steps over a physiological range. Changes in vascular volume (delta V) with each increment in Q were determined as the opposite of changes in perfusion system reservoir weight or from the increase in lung weight. At each level of Q, the pulmonary arterial and left atrial cannulas were simultaneously occluded, allowing all vascular pressures to equilibrate at the same static pressure (Ps), which was equal to the compliance-weighted average pressure in the circulation before occlusion. Hypoxia (inspired PO2 25 Torr) in ferret lungs, which causes intense constriction in arterial extra-alveolar vessels, had no effect on the slope of the Ps-Q relationship, interpreted to represent the resistance downstream from compliance (control 0.025 +/- 0.006 mmHg.ml-1.min, hypoxia 0.030 +/- 0.013). The Ps-axis intercept increased from 8.94 +/- 0.50 to 13.43 +/- 1.52 mmHg, indicating a modest increase in the effective back-pressure to flow downstream from compliant regions. The compliance of the circulation, obtained from the slope of the relationship between delta V and Ps, was unaffected by hypoxia (control 0.52 +/- 0.08 ml/mmHg, hypoxia 0.56 +/- 0.08). In contrast, histamine in canine lungs, which causes constriction in veins, caused the slope of the Ps-Q relationship to increase from 0.013 +/- 0.007 to 0.032 +/- 0.006 mmHg.ml-1.min (P less than 0.05) and the compliance to decrease from 3.51 +/- 0.56 to 1.68 +/- 0.37 ml/mmHg (P less than 0.05). 

Category: general pathological conditions
Abnormal hemodynamic response to Valsalva maneuver in patients with atrial septal defect evaluated by Doppler echocardiography. Hemodynamic responses to the Valsalva maneuver were studied in eight healthy subjects (group 1) and eight patients with ASD (group 2) using Doppler echocardiography. The acute changes of aortic blood flow profiles during the Valsalva maneuver were investigated on a basis of beat-to-beat estimation. During the active strain phase (phase 2), group 1 showed a significant decrease in systolic blood pressure, SV and CO with reflex tachycardia; in group 2, there was a significant decrease in SV and CO with reflex tachycardia, but not systolic blood pressure. The percentage decreases in SV and CO in group 2 were significantly less than those in group 1 (23 +/- 16 percent vs 48 +/- 10 percent for SV, p less than 0.01; 17 +/- 12 percent vs 40 +/- 13 percent for CO, p less than 0.05). After release of strain phase (phase 4), group 1 showed significant reversed changes in systolic blood pressure, SV and heart rate, indicating an overshoot effect which was, however, not observed in group 2. Thus, patients with ASD presented abnormal Valsalva response which was characterized by the absence of phase 4 overshoot and a less marked phase 2 change. The findings suggest that the decremental effect of impaired venous return on stroke output during active strain may be attenuated by the increased pulmonary blood volume due to left-to-right shunt. In patients with ASD, the lesser decrement of CO during phase 2 may not provoke sufficient sympathetic activity to induce overshoot response in phase 4. 

Category: cardiovascular diseases
Noncardiogenic pulmonary edema complicating massive diltiazem overdose. Non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema has not been previously described in calcium channel blocker overdose. We describe a case of non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema occurring during the course of therapy for massive diltiazem overdose in a young patient with anorexia nervosa. Review of the current literature suggests that major and minor pulmonary complications occur with some frequency in the setting of calcium channel blocker overdose although their exact incidence remains unclear. 

Category: nervous system diseases
Puppet-like syndrome of Angelman: a pathologic and neurochemical study. We present the first pathologic descriptions of the puppet-like syndrome of Angelman based on autopsy studies of a 21-year-old woman. The noteworthy findings were a small brain with mild cerebral atrophy but normal gyral development. There was marked cerebellar atrophy with loss of Purkinje and granule cells and extensive Bergmann's gliosis. Study of dendrite morphology using Golgi impregnations of the visual cortex revealed a prominent decrease in dendritic arborization of layer 3 and layer 5 pyramidal neurons. Quantitative Golgi analysis also revealed a significant decrease in the numbers of dendritic spines in apical layer 3 dendrites and both apical and basal layer 5 dendrites. Neurochemical studies of frozen brain tissue demonstrated markedly reduced gamma-aminobutyric acid content in the cerebellar cortex, as well as elevated glutamate content in the frontal and occipital cortices. Although there are no definite morphologic correlates of many of the clinical signs, the pronounced dendritic pathology and neurochemical abnormalities in cerebral cortex may provide a physiologic basis for mental retardation. 

Category: nervous system diseases
Gastrointestinal dysfunction and disaccharide intolerance in children infected with human immunodeficiency virus. Because gastrointestinal dysfunction is a major problem in children with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, we utilized breath hydrogen measurements to determine the relationship between disaccharide malabsorption and gastrointestinal dysfunction in HIV-infected children. We found a strong association between lactose intolerance and persistent diarrheal disease in this population (p less than 0.007, Mann-Whitney U test). We also found evidence of sucrose malabsorption and persistent diarrheal disease in three of the children. Extensive microbiologic evaluations failed to reveal an etiologic agent related to the occurrence of gastrointestinal symptoms. Our findings indicate that disaccharide intolerance is a common occurrence in HIV-infected children with persistent diarrheal disease. Careful attention to dietary intake may be required to ameliorate clinical symptoms and to maintain adequate nutrition. 

Category: digestive system diseases
Identification of transforming growth factor beta family members present in bone-inductive protein purified from bovine bone. Characterization of the polypeptides present in bone-inductive protein extracts from bovine bone has led to the cloning of seven regulatory molecules, six of which are distantly related to transforming growth factor beta. The three human bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) we describe herein, BMP-5, BMP-6, and BMP-7, show extensive sequence similarity to BMP-2, a molecule that by itself is sufficient to induce de novo bone formation in vivo. The additive or synergistic contribution of these BMP-2-related molecules to the osteogenic activity associated with demineralized bone is strongly implicated by the presence of these growth factors in the most active fractions of highly purified bone extract. 

Category: neoplasms
Effect of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor on neutropenia due to chemotherapy for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The authors administered recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) to 16 patients with advanced non-Hodgkin's lymphoma treated with combination chemotherapy. Groups of three to five patients were treated with 50, 100, 200, and 400 micrograms/m2 per day of rhG-CSF by intravenous infusion for 14 days, beginning 3 days after chemotherapy. There was a strong linear relationship between the dose and the area under the curve over this dose range. The rhG-CSF was rapidly cleared from serum, with a mean half-life of 5.97 hours for the second phase (t1/2). In patients treated with a dose of more than 100 micrograms/m2 per day, the duration of neutropenia (P less than 0.01) and the duration of fever (P less than 0.05) were significantly decreased. The rhG-CSF was well tolerated and the only clinical observation that appeared relating to rhG-CSF administration was slight bone pain. This study strongly suggests that an optimum dose of rhG-CSF in patients after chemotherapy is 100 to 200 micrograms/m2. Our study shows that rhG-CSF is a clinically useful drug for patients treated with myelosuppressive chemotherapy. 

Category: general pathological conditions
Ultrastructural evidence for differentiation in a human glioblastoma cell line treated with inhibitors of eicosanoid metabolism. Human glioblastoma cells incubated in the presence of inhibitors of eicosanoid biosynthesis show decreased cellular proliferation without cytotoxicity. We studied the ultrastructural morphology of a human glioblastoma cell line cultured with nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA), a lipoxygenase inhibitor, or 5,8,11,14-eicosatetraynoic acid, a cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase inhibitor. When glioblastoma cells were treated for 3 days with antiproliferative concentrations of either agent, they shared many morphological characteristics, including evidence for increased astrocytic differentiation with only limited signs of toxicity. The inhibited glioma cells demonstrated an increase in the number and length of astrocytic processes containing greater numbers of glial filaments, and the NDGA-treated cells also demonstrated extensive lateral pseudopod formation along the processes. The glioblastoma cell shape also became more elongated, losing the usual nuclear lobularity and nuclear inclusions, especially in NDGA-treated cells. Many cytoplasmic organelles packed the cytosol of the inhibited glioma cells, including prominent Golgi apparatus, dilated smooth endoplasmic reticulum evolving into dilated vesicles, cytoplasmic vacuoles, and numerous concentric laminations. There was limited evidence for toxicity, however, as the mitochondria were more pleomorphic with some mitochondrial distention and disruption of the cristae along with an increase in cytoplasmic vacuolization. We conclude that the inhibitors of eicosanoid biosynthesis, NDGA and 5,8,11,14-eicosatetraynoic acid, not only suppress glioblastoma cell proliferation, but also induce increased astrocytic differentiation. 

Category: neoplasms
Diagnostic value of DNA analysis in effusions by flow cytometry and image analysis. A prospective study on 102 patients as compared with cytologic examination One hundred twenty-six effusion samples from 102 patients were examined by cytology and flow cytometry (FCM). Overall, there was an 84% correlation between cytologic and FCM results. Of the 36 malignant cases determined by cytologic examination, FCM revealed an aneuploid peak in 20 (56%). Image analysis (IA) performed on the malignant cytologic cases with a diploid flow pattern detected two additional aneuploid peaks. In addition, FCM indicated three aneuploid cases in which cytologic characteristics were initially interpreted as benign (false negative). Aneuploidy was therefore detected in 64% of the malignant effusion specimens by FCM and IA. Twenty-three of the total of 24 aneuploid cases detected by FCM were associated with malignancy (predictive value = 96%). The one nonmalignant case was that of hemorrhagic pancreatitis with infected pseudocyst. FCM is an excellent tool when moderate to large numbers of tumor cells are present, whereas use of IA is advantageous for specimens containing smaller numbers of malignant cells because these can be directly analyzed. When an aneuploid peak is present, a diagnosis of malignancy must be suspected, and, if the initial cytologic screen is negative, a critical review of the cytology slides is justified. In those cases with an equivocal atypical cytology report and an abnormal cytometric histogram, additional investigation is warranted. In some malignancies the tumor cells will be diploid (in this study 36%) and neither FCM nor IA will add to tumor detection, leaving cytologic examination as the definitive technique. 

Category: neoplasms
Human atherosclerotic coronary artery xenografts: a model for investigation of transluminal recanalization. A model for testing transluminal recanalization techniques was developed. Fragments of human atherosclerotic coronary arteries were transplanted into carotid arteries of dogs and evaluated by angiographic, angioscopic, and histologic study within a three-month period. An inflammatory response was most intense within the first week. By two weeks no inflammation was noted. Total occlusion (n = 13) and stenosis (n = 11) of the carotid arteries were achieved without complications. The model is easy to produce within a short period and the arterial occlusion resembles human vascular disease. This model has been used to evaluate laser recanalization of vascular obstructions. 

Category: general pathological conditions
Restenosis after directional coronary atherectomy: differences between primary atheromatous and restenosis lesions and influence of subintimal tissue resection. Rates of restenosis were evaluated in 70 patients (74 lesions) after successful directional coronary atherectomy. The extent of vascular tissue resection was correlated with restenosis rates for coronary (n = 59) and vein bypass graft (n = 15) lesions. After 6 months, the overall restenosis rate was 50% (37 of 74 lesions); it was 42% (15 of 36 lesions) when intima alone was resected, 50% (7 of 14 lesions) when media was resected and 63% (15 of 24 lesions) when adventitia was resected. Subintimal tissue resection increased the restenosis rate for vein grafts (43% with intimal resection versus 100% with subintimal resection, p = 0.01) but not for coronary arteries (50% versus 48%). There was no overall difference in restenosis rates after atherectomy between primary lesions and restenosis lesions that occurred after balloon angioplasty (46% versus 54%). Among postballoon angioplasty restenosis lesions, a higher rate of restenosis after atherectomy was found with subintimal than with intimal resection (78% versus 32%, p = 0.01). Tissues from patients undergoing a second atherectomy for restenosis after initial atherectomy (n = 8) demonstrated neointimal hyperplasia that appeared histologically identical to restenotic tissue developing after balloon angioplasty (n = 37). These data suggest that the cellular response to directional coronary atherectomy is characterized by neointimal proliferation similar to that which may develop after balloon angioplasty. The extent of fibrous hyperplasia appears to be related to the depth of tissue resection in vein graft lesions and coronary artery restenosis lesions that occur after balloon angioplasty but not in primary atheromatous coronary artery lesions. 

Category: cardiovascular diseases
Eleven years' experience with retinopathy of prematurity: visual results and contribution of cryoablation. We report our 11 years' experience of cryotherapy for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Charts of 624 infants weighing under 1250 g who were admitted to our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit during 1977-87 were reviewed. Three hundred and eighty nine babies survived, and the total ROP prevalence was 57.5%. Cryotherapy was applied to 35%. Only one case (0.25%) of blindness was detected, and four babies (1%) had a final visual acuity of less than 20/200 in one eye. The complication rate following cryoablation was very low. 

Category: general pathological conditions
Placement of esophageal stethoscope by acoustic criteria does not consistently yield an optimal location for the monitoring of core temperature. The esophageal stethoscope has evolved into a device for both acoustic and core temperature monitoring. To test whether routine placement according to acoustic criteria results in placement of the core temperature sensor in the region of contiguity between the esophagus and the heart, we determined the depth of placement electrocardiographically. All patients were undergoing nonthoracic elective operations requiring general anesthesia and tracheal intubation. First, we established that different observers selected the same esophageal depth within +/- 1 cm electrocardiographically, using the criterion of a symmetric biphasic P wave of maximal amplitude (7 patients). Then, in 30 more patients, we compared routine acoustic placements with the depths of the maximal-amplitude biphasic P wave. Stethoscopes placed according to acoustic criteria were within +/- 3 cm of P-wave depths in 15 of 30 patients. In the remaining patients, measured discrepancies ranged up to 13.5 cm. We conclude that the prevailing stethoscope design, with a thermistor at the tip, below the acoustic window, does not ensure placement of the thermistor within the optimal region for monitoring of core temperature. A modification in design that would take advantage of the reliability of electrocardiographic positioning is suggested. 

Category: general pathological conditions