Melricflash/CW_MedAbstractsAlt huggingface dataset:
Effects of benazepril and metoprolol OROS alone and in combination on myocardial ischemia in patients with chronic stable angina The efficacy of benazepril, metoprolol OROS and their combination was evaluated in 29 patients (42 to 74 years of age) with chronic stable angina and documented coronary artery disease in a placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover trial using serial quantitated exercise testing and ambulatory electrocardiographic (ECG) monitoring. The mean (+/- SEM) exercise time was 8.5 +/- 0.7 min with placebo, 8.3 +/- 0.6 min (95% confidence interval [CI]-1.06 to 0.54) with benazepril, 9.4 +/- 0.5 min (95% CI -0.32 to 2.14) with metoprolol OROS and 9.6 +/- 0.5 min (95% CI -0.25 to 2.47) with the combination of benazepril and metoprolol OROS. The mean exercise time to the development of 1 mm ST segment depression was prolonged from 6.0 +/- 0.6 min with placebo to 6.3 +/- 0.6 min (95% CI -0.93 to 1.45) with benazepril, 7.9 +/- 0.5 min (95% CI 0.83 to 3.0) with metoprolol OROS and 8.1 +/- 0.6 min (95% CI 0.88 to 3.29) with the combination of benazepril and metoprolol OROS. Benazepril did not alter the rest or maximal heart rate, whereas metoprolol OROS alone and in combination significantly lowered the heart rate at rest and during maximal exercise. Systolic blood pressure at rest was nonsignificantly reduced, whereas diastolic blood pressure was lowered significantly by all treatments in comparison with placebo. At maximal exercise, only metoprolol OROS, whether given alone or in combination with benazepril, was able to blunt significantly systolic blood pressure and rate-pressure product. 

Category: cardiovascular diseases
Life events and low birthweight--analysis by infants preterm and small for gestational age. Social stress was assessed in 92 women with low-birthweight babies and 92 controls using the detailed LEDS measure of life events and severe chronic difficulties. The low-birthweight group was divided into preterm delivery (n = 40), small for gestational age (SGA) (n = 40) and mixed groups. Multivariate analysis was performed using a binomial-logit model to examine whether social factors were independently and significantly associated with low birthweight once the effect of demographic factors, obstetric factors and smoking/drinking were taken into account. Comparison of preterm births with controls indicated that three factors were significantly associated: a previous low-birthweight baby, severe life event/difficulty and bleeding during pregnancy. For SGA babies the factors were: previous low-birthweight baby, low social support and smoking. By using a reliable measure of life events and adequate numbers of low-birthweight babies, this study overcame the potential inaccuracies of previous studies and indicates a more specific relation between social stress and low birthweight. 

Category: general pathological conditions
Ventricular responses to mental stress testing in patients with coronary artery disease. Pathophysiological implications. Recent research examining the effects of mental stress on left ventricular wall motion and/or ejection fraction has used four techniques to measure contractile function: radionuclide ventriculography, a stationary nuclear probe, two-dimensional echocardiography, and an ambulatory radionuclide left ventricular function monitor. This research has consistently revealed that mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia occurs frequently during laboratory stress testing, particularly among patients with exercise-induced ischemia. This ischemia is usually silent, occurs at low heart rate elevations but with significant blood pressure increases compared with exercise-induced ischemia, and is frequently not detected when electrocardiographic markers are used alone. Exploration of factors underlying differences between mental stress- and exercise-induced ischemia has provided a means for studying the complex pathophysiology of myocardial ischemia. 

Category: cardiovascular diseases
Acute subdural hematoma: morbidity, mortality, and operative timing. Traumatic acute subdural hematoma remains one of the most lethal of all head injuries. Since 1981, it has been strongly held that the critical factor in overall outcome from acute subdural hematoma is timing of operative intervention for clot removal; those operated on within 4 hours of injury may have mortality rates as low as 30% with functional survival rates as high as 65%. Data were reviewed for 1150 severely head-injured patients (Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores 3 to 7) treated at a Level 1 trauma center between 1982 and 1987; 101 of these patients had acute subdural hematoma. Standard treatment protocol included aggressive prehospital resuscitation measures, rapid operative intervention, and aggressive postoperative control of intracranial pressure (ICP). The overall mortality rate was 66%, and 19% had functional recovery. The following variables statistically correlated (p less than 0.05) with outcome; motorcycle accident as a mechanism of injury, age over 65 years, admission GCS score of 3 or 4, and postoperative ICP greater than 45 mm Hg. The time from injury to operative evacuation of the acute subdural hematoma in regard to outcome morbidity and mortality was not statistically significant even when examined at hourly intervals although there were trends indicating that earlier surgery improved outcome. The findings of this study support the pathophysiological evidence that, in acute subdural hematoma, the extent of primary underlying brain injury is more important than the subdural clot itself in dictating outcome; therefore, the ability to control ICP is more critical to outcome than the absolute timing of subdural blood removal. 

Category: general pathological conditions
Peritoneal mesothelioma: an unusual cause of esophageal achalasia. Secondary esophageal achalasia due to malignancy is a rare condition; only 53 such cases have been reported to date. Sixty-two percent of the cases were due to gastric adenocarcinoma. Mesothelioma of the peritoneum is an uncommon neoplasm. The usual presenting symptoms are abdominal pain, abdominal mass, or abdominal distention. The patient we are reporting had peritoneal mesothelioma which presented with dysphagia and weight loss, in addition to the radiological and manometric picture of achalasia. Secondary achalasia was suspected clinically, and was confirmed by computed tomography and laparotomy. The diagnosis of peritoneal mesothelioma was made only by histopathological examination. We are not aware of any other report documenting the association of peritoneal mesothelioma and achalasia. 

Category: neoplasms
Long-term results after atrial correction of complete transposition of the great arteries. This study presents the late results for the first 104 consecutive patients surviving and atrial repair for transposition of the great arteries (TGA) between January 1971 and December 1978 (group 1). Mean follow-up was 12 years (range, 0.1 to 17.7 years). The actuarial survival rate at 18 years was 84.2% (70% confidence limits, 79% to 88%) for simple TGA and 93.7% (70% confidence limits, 84% to 97%) for complex TGA. Nine of the 11 deaths were sudden. Two (2.6%) of the 78 late survivors operated on for simple TGA are in New York Heart Association functional class III or IV versus 4 (26.7%) of the 15 survivors with complex TGA; the other patients are doing very well. To better assess long-term results, we report the findings for randomly obtained electrocardiograms, Holter monitor recordings, radionuclide angiographic studies, and cardiac catheterizations performed in 1987 in a larger group of 159 long-term survivors of atrial repair operated on at Ospedale Riuniti di Bergamo from January 1971 to December 1984 (group 2), which includes all of group 1. The findings confirm that the arterial switch repair is the procedure of choice for complex TGA and that there is a major incidence (approximately 10%) of systemic right ventricular dysfunction and rhythm disturbances after the atrial repair. On the other hand, our late survival rate at 18 years of 84% for simple TGA with 97.5% of the patients in functional class I is a result that should be kept in mind, especially in institutions where the arterial switch is a relatively new approach and presumably is a higher risk to cause early death. 

Category: cardiovascular diseases
Further mapping of an ataxia-telangiectasia locus to the chromosome 11q23 region. We recently mapped the gene for ataxia-telangiectasia group A (ATA) to chromosome 11q22-23 by linkage analysis, using the genetic markers THY1 and pYNB3.12 (D11S144). The most likely order was cent-AT-S144-THY1. The present paper describes further mapping of the AT locus by means of a panel of 10 markers that span approximately 60 cM in the 11q22-23 region centered around S144 and THY1. Location scores indicate that three contiguous subsegments within the [S144-THY1] segment, as well as three contiguous segments telomeric to THY1, are each unlikely to contain the AT locus, while the more centromeric [STMY-S144] segment is most likely to contain the AT locus. These data, together with recent refinements in the linkage and physical maps of 11q22-23, place the AT locus at 11q23. 

Category: cardiovascular diseases
Manual stretch: effect on finger movement control and force control in stroke subjects with spastic extrinsic finger flexor muscles. This study evaluated the effects of manual stretch of extrinsic finger flexor muscles on finger extension movement control and force control in 16 spastic hemiparetic subjects. These subjects were randomly divided into a control group and an experimental group. A group of able-bodied subjects also participated. A joint-movement tracking test (JMTT) quantified control of active finger extension movement at the metacarpophalangeal joint of the index finger within the available range of active movement, and a force tracking test (FTT) quantified control of isometric finger extension force at the same joint within the subject's available force range. Electromyographic activity was monitored in the extensor digitorum and flexor digitorum superficialis muscles during both tracking tests. Manual stretch was applied to the extrinsic finger flexor muscles of the experimental group between the pretest and posttest tracking tests. The JMTT performances of both control (p less than .025) and experimental (p less than .05) groups were significantly subnormal on the pretest as were FTT performances of controls (p less than .01) and study subjects (p less than .03). The JMTT improvement on posttest was significantly greater (p less than .05) in subjects than in controls. However, the change in FTT performance was not significantly different between the two groups. Manual stretch treatment, properly applied to extrinsic finger flexor muscles, is an effective method of temporarily improving the control of finger extension movement in spastic hemiparetic subjects. 

Category: general pathological conditions
Stroke after heavy marijuana smoking. I examined two young men who developed cerebral infarction associated with heavy marijuana smoking. Both were light tobacco smokers, but they did not drink alcohol or use other street drugs. Diagnostic work-up for nonatherosclerotic causes of stroke was unremarkable. I postulate that marijuana-associated alterations in systemic blood pressure resulted in vasospasm, leading to strokes in these patients. 

Category: nervous system diseases
Cosmetic, functional, independent: self-help aids. Self-help orthotics have been developed to assist functional activities for high-level spinal cord injured patients. The goal of rehabilitation has been to do this with as little intrusion on independence and cosmesis as possible. This paper describes devices to help a patient with C6 quadriplegia independently place his own utensils and eat with an almost normal appearance. The new self-help aids are made from standard silverware, a rivet, and two one-eighth-inch Kydex loops. The loops are riveted centrally on the utensil, allowing for free rotation. The device was evaluated on a patient with C6, complete quadriplegia. The subject demonstrated independence in donning and doffing the device and in eating with an almost normal appearance. 

Category: nervous system diseases
Geriatric diabetic nephropathy: an analysis of renal referral in patients age 60 or older. We report a series of 33 consecutive hospitalized geriatric diabetic patients who were referred for evaluation of diabetic nephropathy, defined as proteinuria greater than or equal to 1 g/d (1,000 mg/24 h) or a serum creatinine concentration greater than or equal to 177 mumol/d (greater than or equal to 2 mg/dL). The study population was 60 years old or older (mean age, 68 +/- 6 years), was comprised mainly of women (24 of 33, 72.7%), and was predominantly black (25 of 33, 75.8%). All patients had type II diabetes. A family history of diabetes in parent or sibling was elicited in 24 (72.7%) patients. There were eight patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis and 25 with less severe nephropathy (mean proteinuria, 2.7 g/d [2,700 mg/24 h]; mean creatinine clearance, 0.57 mL-s [34 mL/min]). Cardiac disorders were noted in the majority of patients: congestive failure in 20 (60.6%), myocardial infarction in eight (24.2%), and active angina in five (15.2%). Other comorbid diseases were present in both hemodialysis patients and the subset of nondialyzed azotemic-proteinuric patients, and consisted of peripheral neuropathy in 31 (93.9%), gastroparesis in 16 (48.5%), retinopathy in 28 (84.8%), and legal blindness in 11 (33%). We conclude that geriatric diabetic nephropathy in type II diabetes is similar in presentation and severity of comorbid extrarenal complications to the syndrome described in younger adults. This inference must be tempered by both the small size and the limitation imposed by the demographics of the study population, which is predominantly composed of black patients receiving treatment at inner city hospitals. 

Category: general pathological conditions
Circulating C1q-binding macromolecules and their relationship to radiographic characteristics of laryngeal cancer. Circulating macromolecules capable of binding the first component of complement (C1qBM) may represent subcellular components of tissue/tumor debris generated from rapidly proliferating invasive disease. Thirty-eight patients were randomly selected from 74 untreated patients with laryngeal cancer on the basis of disease stage and C1qBM levels. C1qBM levels were correlated with computed tomographic evidence of tumor necrosis and/or thyroid cartilage destruction. Results show that patients with stage III/IV disease with tissue necrosis and/or cartilage invasion had demonstrably higher C1qBM levels than did individuals with similarly staged disease with no evidence of these radiographically defined characteristics (120 +/- 81 micrograms/mL vs 18 +/- 15 micrograms/mL); the strongest association was reflected by the area of necrosis within regional lymph metastases. Elevated C1qBM level in patients with stage III/IV laryngeal cancer thus reflects highly aggressive disease, which is less responsive to therapeutic intervention. 

Category: neoplasms
Chronic otitis media: the significance of nasal obstruction. The nasal airway resistance of 15 patients with unilateral chronic otitis media and 15 controls was measured by anterior active rhinomanometry. Airway resistance was measured on each side before and after decongestion to differentiate resistance due to structural abnormality from that due to mucosal swelling. The nasal resistance was significantly greater (P less than 0.01) on the side of the affected ear in patients with unilateral chronic otitis media before decongestion, but following decongestion the difference was not significant. Nasal obstruction is a significant determinant in unilateral chronic otitis media and although septal displacement may be the underlying cause, the major component of the obstruction appears to be due to an associated mucosal oedema. 

Category: general pathological conditions
Coccidioidomycosis during human immunodeficiency virus infection. A review of 77 patients. Through a retrospective review, we identified 77 previously unreported cases of coccidioidomycosis during HIV infection. Patients were classified into 1 of 6 categories based on their primary clinical presentation: 20 had focal pulmonary disease (Group 1), 31 had diffuse pulmonary disease (Group 2), 4 had cutaneous coccidioidomycosis (Group 3), 9 had meningitis (Group 4), 7 had extrathoracic lymph node or liver involvement (Group 5), and 6 has positive coccidioidal serology without a clinical focus of infection (Group 6). Coccidioidal serologies were positive on initial testing in 83% of the patients in whom such serologic testing was performed. Sera from 39% of patients were positive for TP antibodies while 74% had CF antibodies. Eleven of 12 seronegative patients had pulmonary disease (Group 1 or 2). Serologic results of other patients sent to a single reference laboratory were similar, with 26% positive for immunodiffusion TP antibodies and 79% positive for immunodiffusion CF antibodies. For the 77 patients in this study, the CD4-lymphocyte count was below 0.250 X 10(9) cells/L in 46 of the 55 patients who had this test performed, and a low CD4 count was significantly associated with mortality (p less than 0.01). At the time of follow-up, 32 of the 77 patients (42%) had died. There were significantly more deaths in those with diffuse pulmonary disease (Group 2) than in other groups (p less than 0.001). Amphotericin B, ketoconazole, fluconazole, and itraconazole were all used as antifungal therapies. Outcome could not be related to the therapy used. Of note, 3 patients developed coccidioidomycosis while receiving ketoconazole for other conditions. 

Category: nervous system diseases
Sternocleidomastoid muscle transfer and superficial musculoaponeurotic system plication in the prevention of Frey's syndrome Parotidectomy may be associated with a significant depression in the retromandibular region and a significant incidence of gustatory sweating (Frey's syndrome). Superiorly and inferiorly based sternocleidomastoid flaps and posterior plication of the superficial musculoaponeurotic system were evaluated for their ability to ameliorate both consequences. Sixteen patients with sternocleidomastoid flaps and 16 patients with superficial musculoaponeurotic system plication were compared to a control group of 104 patients. The incidence of Frey's syndrome was 47.1% in the control group, 12.5% (P = 0.025) in the sternocleidomastoid flap group, and 0% (P = 0.005) in the superficial musculoaponeurotic system plication group. The surgical techniques are described. The prevalence of Frey's syndrome is discussed with respect to age, sex, radiation therapy, and the type of parotidectomy performed. The indications and contraindications of the three surgical techniques are described. 

Category: general pathological conditions
Intraoperative I-125 seed implantation for extensive recurrent head and neck carcinomas. From 1978 to 1988, 41 patients with extensive recurrent carcinomas of the head and neck were treated with surgical resection plus intraoperative iodine-125 seed implantation. Surgery was performed to resect the tumors and to expose the tumor beds for implantation. I-125 seeds were implanted intraoperatively, with a spacing of 0.75-1 cm between adjacent seeds, either into the soft tissue in the tumor bed or onto small patches of gelatin sponges to cover the bone, nerve, or blood vessel involved with disease. Reconstructive flaps were used in 18 patients. The average I-125 dose delivered by the implanted seeds was 8,263 cGy. The determinate 5-year actuarial survival rate for the entire group was 40%. The 5-year local disease control rate was 44%. Major complications were transient wound infection (32%), flap necrosis (24%), fistula formation (10%), and carotid blowout (5%). These results indicate that surgical resection plus I-125 seed implantation provides a potentially curative treatment for patients with extensive recurrent head and neck carcinomas that would be considered traditionally unresectable and that would be treated only with palliative therapy. 

Category: neoplasms
Malignant left-sided large bowel obstruction managed by subtotal/total colectomy. Of 60 patients presenting with acute obstructing carcinoma of the left colon, 49 underwent immediate resection either by radical subtotal/total colectomy (31 patients, group I) or by radical segmental resection (18 patients, group II) of whom three had immediate anastomosis after on-table bowel irrigation and 15 had a planned staged procedure. The operative mortality rate was 3 per cent in group I and 11 per cent in group II (not a statistically significant difference). However, substantial differences were found for major morbidity (6 versus 44 per cent in groups I and II respectively; P less than 0.01) and mean length of hospital stay (17 days in group I versus 35 days in group II; P less than 0.05). All three patients who had on-table lavage developed anastomotic leaks which necessitated a second operation to form a stoma. Six patients (19 per cent) in group I required antidiarrhoeal medication in the immediate postoperative period. However, subsequent improvement in stool frequency was noted in all patients. It is concluded that subtotal/total colectomy is an acceptable means of managing patients with obstructing carcinoma of the left colon in that it is associated with a low morbidity and mortality rate and good functional results. 

Category: general pathological conditions
Argon versus krypton panretinal photocoagulation side effects on the anterior segment. The modification of corneal sensitivity, accommodation, pupillary diameter and endothelial cell density after argon versus krypton panretinal photocoagulation were studied prospectively in 88 eyes of 64 diabetic patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy, randomized for one of the two laser treatments. In both groups a marked internal ophthalmoplegia and reduction of corneal sensitivity occurred after laser photocoagulation. At no time, 2, 90 and 180 days after PRP, were these parameters significantly different. Endothelial cell loss was non significantly greater in the krypton group. The results indicated that the side effects commonly observed on the anterior segment after PRP are comparable using argon or krypton lasers. 

Category: general pathological conditions
The significance of Leu 8 negative T cells in lymphoid skin infiltrates: malignant transformation, selective homing or T-cell activation? The expression of Leu 8 was studied on skin biopsies from a large group of patients with benign and malignant skin disorders and correlated with the expression of T-cell differentiation antigens and activation markers. The effect of in vitro stimulation of peripheral blood T cells and T-cell subsets on the expression of Leu 8 antigen was also determined. In all the skin diseases studied an inverse relationship was found between the proportions of cells expressing Leu 8 and HLA-DR. A deficiency of Leu 8 positive cells was not specific for mycosis fungoides, but was also found in several reactive dermatoses. Stimulation of peripheral blood cells with phytohaemagglutinin (PHA), concanavalin A (Con A), and anti-CD3-PMA resulted in a considerable decrease of Leu 8 antigen expression on day 3 in both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. These data suggest that the low proportion of Leu 8+ T cells in mycosis fungoides and several reactive skin disorders is not related to malignant transformation or selective homing of Leu 8- T cells, but probably results from local T-cell activation. 

Category: neoplasms