tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Randomized Clinical Trials in Oncology: Understanding and Attitudes Predict Willingness to Participate
Authors: Peter M. Ellis, Phyllis N. Butow, Martin H.N. Tattersall, Stewart M. Dunn, Nehmat Houssami
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2001)

PURPOSE: To explore the association at different time points in the trajectory of breast cancer care, between anxiety, knowledge, and attitudes, on women’s willingness to participate in randomized clinical trials. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was undertaken among women attending a breast clinic for screening mammography or diagnostic assessment plus women with newly diagnosed breast cancer to assess attitudes toward and willingness to participate in randomized clinical trials of breast cancer treatment. RESULTS: Five hundred forty-five women completed questionnaires assessing knowledge of and attitudes toward randomized clinical trials. The mean age of respondents was 48.9 years (SD, 11.3 years). Thirty-three percent of women would consider participating in a clinical trial if they had breast cancer. Women with breast cancer (31%) were significantly more likely to decline to participate than women attending for screening mammography (15%) or diagnostic assessment (15%, P = .0002). Women who might consider participating in a randomized clinical trial were more knowledgeable about randomized trials (mean difference, 0.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.2 to 1.2; P = .003). In a multivariate analysis, women who would consider participating in a randomized trial were younger (odds ratio [OR], 0.96; 95% CI, 0.93 to 0.99), more likely to want an active role in decision-making (OR, 3.2; 95% CI, 1.3 to 7.6), and reported a greater impact from the positive aspects of clinical trials (OR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.3 to 3.8) and less impact from the negative aspects of clinical trials (OR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.3 to 3.2). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that women who have a better understanding of issues about clinical trials have more favorable attitudes toward randomized trials and are more willing to consider participation in a clinical trial.
Indoor air quality: Presence of students in a classroom changes levels of air-borne particulate matter
Authors: Martin Balzan, David Bilocca, Christopher Zammit, Stephen Montefort
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2013)

Background:  The Respira Project is an EU funded Italia-Malta project, whose main aim is to monitor air quality and respiratory Health in schools amongst children aged 11-14.   Aim:  In this preliminary analysis, airborne or gaseous pollutants in 2 classrooms in two different schools were monitored for 48 hours during the scholastic year.   Method:  An aeroqual IQM60 was used to measure PM 1, PM2.5, PM 10 particulate levels, Ozone, Carbon Dioxide, Carbon monoxide, Nitrogen Dioxide, and Volatile organic compound levels. Levels were monitored every 2 minutes for 48 hours   Results:  Levels for Ozone, Carbon Monoxide, Volatile organic carbons and nitrogen dioxide, were all well below the maximum recommended levels of indoor air quality in both classes. In school 1, class 1, Carbon dioxide levels rose from baseline 356pp/million, rose to mean of 875pp/million with a peak of 1397 pp/million with students present from 08:00 to 10:00 AM. Similarly PM2.5 and PM10 levels rose from a baseline of 25.1 µg/m3 and 25.5 µg/m3 to a mean of 43.4 and 54.0 µg/m3 with peaks of 58.5 and 76.9 µg/m3 respectively. However mean PM1 dropped from mean 25.3 µg/m3 to mean 12.9 with a nadir of 11.37 µg/m3. School 2, Classroom 2 baselines were CO2 356ppm, PM1 30.5, PM2.5 30.7, PM10 30.0 µg/m3 Classroom values from 9.00 to 11.00 AM with students present were CO2 mean 587, peak 981 ppm, Mean PM 2.5 and PM 10 rose to 43.8 and 55.9, with peaks of 96.8 and 134.7 µg/m3 respectively. PM1dropped from mean of 30.5 µg/m3 dropped to mean 19.75 with a nadir of 11.37 µg/m3.   Conclusion:  Rreliminary results indicated that the presence of students in the classroom significantly alters airborne particulate matter concentrations.
Effect of Differential Parity Through Five Generations on the Incidence of Tumors in C3Hf Mice&lt;xref ref-type="fn" rid="FN2"&gt;2&lt;/xref&gt;
Authors: I. E. Vellisto, F. B. Bang
Journal: JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute (1968)

Age-specific rates and incidence of mammary tumors have been compared in a primiparous and a multiparous line of inbred mice bred for 5 generations from the same original brother × sister pair of mice free of the milk factor. The primiparous line developed tumors earlier and at a higher rate. First daughters of the multiparous line tended to revert to the higher rate. Virus particles of both types A and B were found. They were morphologically identical with those previously described in mammary tumors. Tumors in the families of both the multiparous and the primiparous lines were randomly distributed. Within the multiparous line, mothers without tumors at death yielded offspring with mammary tumors. The data are discussed in relation to the literature. The present evidence is interpreted to mean that a viral agent is transmitted at the time of conception through the cytoplasm of the ovary or sperm or both, a concept similar to that of the CO2 sensitivity factor in Drosophila, i.e., hereditary symbiosis.
Association between processed meat consumption and lung function: Modification by fruit and vegetable intake and smoking
Authors: Seif Shaheen, Hitomi Okubo, Georgia Ntani, Karen Jameson, Holly Syddall, Avan Aihie Sayer, Elaine Dennison, Cyrus Cooper, Sian Robinson
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2013)

Higher consumption of processed meat has been associated epidemiologically with poorer lung function. This may be because components of processed meat cause oxidative and nitrative stress. If so, the magnitude of this detrimental effect may depend on intake of antioxidant-rich fruit and vegetables and on smoking habits.

In the Hertfordshire Cohort Study we carried out cross-sectional analyses to examine the individual and combined associations of fruit and vegetable and processed meat consumption with lung function in 1551 men and 1391 women aged 59-73 years, using linear regression. Diet was assessed by administered food frequency questionnaire. Interactions between processed meat consumption, fruit and vegetable intake, and smoking were explored.

After controlling for confounders, higher consumption of processed meat was associated with lower forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC) and FEV1/FVC in men and women, with larger associations in men (difference in FEV1 comparing top versus bottom quintile of intake -0.17 litres (95% CI: -0.25 to -0.08), P trend <0.001). Fruit and vegetable intake was positively associated with FEV1 and FVC, but did not confound the relation between processed meat intake and lung function. In men, the deficit in FEV1 associated with processed meat intake was larger in those with a low intake of fruit and vegetables (P interaction 0.035); the deficit in FEV1/FVC was larger in current smokers (P interaction 0.022).

An important feature of a healthy diet for optimising respiratory health, especially in smokers, may be the relative intake of foods which influence pulmonary oxidant/antioxidant balance.
Dietary Fiber and Reduced Cough with Phlegm
Authors: Lesley M. Butler, Woon-Puay Koh, Hin-Peng Lee, Mimi C. Yu, Stephanie J. London
Journal: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (2004)

Smoking is the major risk factor for chronic respiratory symptoms, but dietary factors may also play a role. Most studies of diet and lung disease have been cross-sectional and conducted in populations with a Western-style diet. We analyzed the relation between dietary intake at baseline and new onset of cough with phlegm in a population-based cohort of 63,257 middle-aged Chinese men and women initiated in Singapore between 1993 and 1998. Beginning in 1999, we ascertained respiratory symptoms by telephone interview and have identified 571 incident cases of cough with phlegm among the 49,140 cohort members with completed follow-up. Nonstarch polysaccharides, a major component of dietary fiber, total fruit, and soy isoflavones had the strongest associations. Odds ratios comparing highest and lowest quartiles after adjustment for age, sex, dialect group, total energy intake, and smoking were 0.61 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.47, 0.78; p for trend < 0.001) for nonstarch polysaccharides, 0.67 (95% CI: 0.52, 0.87; p for trend = 0.006) for fruit, and 0.67 (95% CI: 0.53, 0.86; p for trend = 0.001) for soy isoflavones. These data suggest that a diet high in fiber from fruit and, possibly, soyfoods may reduce the incidence of chronic respiratory symptoms. Associated nutrients, such as flavonoids, may contribute to this association.
Impact of dose-escalated radiation on overall survival in men with nonmetastatic prostate cancer.
Authors: Anusha Kalbasi, Jiaqi Li, Abigail T. Berman, Samuel Swisher-McClure, Marc C. Smaldone, Dylan Small, Nandita Mitra, Justin E. Bekelman
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2015)

28 Background: Infive publishedRCTs, dose-escalated external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) for prostate cancer resulted in improved biochemical and local control. However, the question of whether dose escalation improves overall survival (OS) remains unanswered. We examined OS among men with non-metastatic prostate cancer undergoing EBRT in the modern era. Methods: Using the National Cancer Database (NCDB), we conducted non-randomized comparative effectiveness studies of dose-escalated versus standard-dose EBRT in men diagnosed from 2004-2006 in three analytic cohorts defined by NCCN risk category: low- (N=12,848), intermediate- (N=14,966) or high-risk (N=14,587) prostate cancer. We categorized patients in each risk cohort into 2 treatment groups: standard-dose (68.4 Gy to &lt;75.6 Gy) or dose-escalated (≥75.6 Gy to 90 Gy) EBRT. The primary outcome was time to death from any cause, measured from diagnosis to NCDB date of death or end of follow-up (December 31, 2011). We compared OS between treatment groups in the three analytic cohorts using Cox proportional hazard models. Inverse probability weighted propensity score methods were used to balance differences between treatment groups in age, race, year of diagnosis, AJCC T- and N-stage, PSA, Gleason score, androgen deprivation therapy, IMRT use, comorbid disease, income, insurance, urban/rural location, facility type and facility volume. In secondary analyses, we evaluated dose response for survival by categorizing dose in approximately 2 Gy increments. Results: Median follow up for survivors was between 73 and 74 months in all three risk cohorts. Dose-escalated EBRT was associated with improved survival in the intermediate-risk (adjusted HR 0.81, 95% CI 0.77 and 0.85, p&lt;0.0001) and high-risk groups (aHR 0.85, 95% CI 0.81 and 0.89, p&lt;0.0001), but not the low-risk group (aHR 0.99, 95% CI 0.92-1.06, p=0.803). For every incremental ~2Gy increase in dose, there was a 9% (95% CI 6% – 11%, p&lt;0.0001) and 7% (95% CI 3% - 10%, p=0.004) reduction in the hazard of death for intermediate- and high-risk patients, respectively. Conclusions: Dose-escalated EBRT is associated with improved survival in men with intermediate- and high-risk, but not low-risk, prostate cancer.
Abstract 14894: Strong Statin Treatment Provides Incremental Clinical Benefit In Normocholesterolemic Diabetic Patients With Coronary Heart Disease
Authors: Sunao Kojima, Tomohiro Sakamoto, Akira Kitagawa, Kunihiko Matsui, Hisao Ogawa, Musashi Investigators
Journal: Circulation (2011)

Background: Randomized trials established statin as an agent for prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD). We assessed the hypothesis that beneficial effect by statin is different according to th...
Oxygen prescribing and delivery – A need for re-education?
Authors: Laura Ballance, Emily Morris, Markos Bakalis, Sheila Farnan, Duncan Fullerton
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2014)

Background:  Oxygen is one of the most widely used drugs in secondary care. The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA), UK issued guidance 1  in conjunction with British Thoracic Society guidelines 2  ensuring safer management of oxygen delivery. This study assesses Health Care Professionals (HCPs) knowledge of the basic principles of oxygen delivery.   Method:  Nurses and junior doctors in our hospital completed a pictorial questionnaire, where commonly used oxygen delivery devices had to be identified. A panel of Respiratory Physicians evaluated the answers.   Results:  75 HCPs completed the survey (31 % nurses (n= 23), 61 % doctors (n= 46), 8% other (n=6)). With regards to oxygen prescription, 33% always prescribed it, 39% some of the time and 22% never prescribed it. However, 92% were aware of the BTS oxygen prescribing guidelines. A summary showing the percentage of correctly identified delivery devices is below.   Conclusion:  The majority of HCPs correctly identified the O2 delivery devices. However, some could not correctly name a non-rebreathing reservoir mask, despite the fact that requesting and identifying the correct oxygen delivery system is critical when managing patients. Following this study educational sessions have been introduced as well as a hospital oxygen steering group to target education and resource allocation.   References:    1. Oxygen safety in hospitals: Rapid Response Report; NPSA/2009/RRR006, Sept 2009.    2. BTS guideline for emergency oxygen use in adult patients. Thorax 2008 Oct;63 Suppl 6:vi1-68.
Late-breaking abstract: The development of a patient reported experience measure in COPD (PREM-COPD stage 2)
Authors: Matthew Hodson, Janelle Yorke, Mike Roberts, Sharon Andrew, Paul Jones
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2014)

Experience of patients with COPD & their views on the quality of their healthcare is not currently captured in patient reported measures. Aim: To develop & validate a patient reported experience measure (PREM) to assess experiences of living with COPD & perceived quality of healthcare provision. Method: Previous work with 83 COPD patients identified 38 items for potential PREM inclusion. These, together with the COPD Assessment Test (CAT) and Hospital Anxiety & Depression Scale (HADS) were administered to patients with COPD. Items demonstrating significant gender/age bias (p 15%, or high item-item correlations (r>0.8) were removed. Rasch analysis was applied to the remaining items. Results: 174 patients (Mean age 71, SD 9; 91 female; Mean FEV1% predicted 59, SD 21.9) were studied. 29 items were removed providing a 9-item unidimensional scale (chi-square p=0.33) with a wide scaling range (logits from -0.1 to +0.2). These cover experiences of living with COPD (I feel that I am in control of my condition) and health care (I am concerned that my GP will not listen to my point of view). Internal consistency was good (PSI=0.77) and correlations between the PREM-COPD, CAT & HADS were moderate (r=42 and r=30, respectively). Conclusions: The COPD-PREM demonstrated good internal reliability and showed a wide scaling range suggesting regardless of severity people with COPD can have good or bad experiences. There were low to moderate correlations with the CAT & HADS suggesting the PREM-COPD measures a different concept to health status. The COPD-PREM should provide a useful measure of quality of care that complements measures of health status and mood.
Psychological outcome of extremity sarcoma survivors undergoing amputation or limb salvage.
Authors: W W Weddington, K B Segraves, M A Simon
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (1985)

When compared to amputation, limb salvage procedures for extremity sarcomas have been advocated because of potential functional benefits and presumed psychological-outcome advantages. The purpose of this study was to compare psychological outcomes between survivors who underwent either amputation or limb salvage procedures for extremity sarcomas. Fifteen amputees and 20 patients with salvaged limbs (mean age, 37.9 years; range, 15 to 71 years) were evaluated 1 to 5 years after surgery for extremity sarcomas. Demographic and medical information was obtained and cognitive functioning, affect, mood, body image, physical functioning, global psychological adjustment to illness and surgery, and lifetime prevalence of psychiatric disorders before and after surgery were assessed. Two patients were excluded because of the presence of an incapacitating organic mental syndrome. The remaining patients, 14 amputees and 19 patients with salvaged limbs, had a variety of soft-tissue and bone sarcomas. No significant differences were found between the groups in age, sex, marital status, surgically involved extremity, chemotherapy status, and social class at the time of surgery and interviews. There were no significant differences between the groups in scores of cognitive capacity, symptoms, mood, body image changes, global physical functioning, global adjustment to illness and surgery, and lifetime prevalence of psychiatric disorders before or after surgery. Most patients revealed only mild psychological symptoms and 55% demonstrated good to excellent adjustment to their surgeries and diseases. There were no significant differences in measures of psychological outcome for patients with extremity sarcomas who underwent limb salvage procedures compared to those who underwent amputation. A psychological-outcome advantage of limb-salvage surgery compared to amputation has yet to be demonstrated.
Effects on innate immunity in swine farmers after treatment with steroids
Authors: Anna Hedelin, Britt-Marie Sundblad, Susanna Kullberg, Kjell Larsson, Lena Palmberg
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2014)

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play a key role in the innate immunity and are less expressed on monocytes/macrophages in e.g. farmers, smokers and COPD patients than in healthy non-smokers. This might contribute to the increased prevalence of chronic bronchitis and bacterial colonization amongst farmers and smokers. Lately, it has been shown  in vitro  that primary bronchial epithelial cells exposed to pro-inflammatory stimuli such as organic dust, TNF or LPS – followed by exposure to glucocorticosteroids (budesonide) – significantly increased the mRNA expression of TLR2 (von Scheele I et al, Inhal Toxicol 2010;22(6):493-499).  In this study we investigate whether there is an interaction between exposure to organic dust and glucocorticoids  in vivo.  Thus, 15 healthy pig farmers inhaled budesonide (400 mg) and placebo (twice a day for 14 days in a cross over design. Blood sampling, induced sputum and lung function measurements was performed before and after each treatment period. A questionnaire regarding general and airways specific symptoms was completed at each visit. TLR4, CD14 and TLR2 expression was measured in blood and sputum using flow cytometry.  Analysis of the first 12 farmers suggest that steroid treatment induce the immune system by increasing the CD4 + /CD8 +  ratio in blood CD3 +  lymphocytes (p=0.03), both by increasing the CD4 +  T-cells and decreasing the CD8 +  T-cells. Locally, the limited dataset also suggest that there is increase of TLR2 and CD14 expression in sputum neutrophils.  In conclusion, short-term local glucocorticosteroid treatment of swine farmers alters innate immunity systemically.
Myeloablative therapy and unpurged autologous bone marrow transplantation for poor-prognosis neuroblastoma: report of 34 cases.
Authors: G Dini, E Lanino, A Garaventa, D Rogers, S Dallorso, C Viscoli, E Castagnola, G Manno, M Brisigotti, C Rosanda
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (1991)

From October 1984 to November 1987, 34 patients aged from 1 year 1 month to 7 years 7 months with resistant or relapsed neuroblastoma (NB) (group 1, 10 patients), unselected disseminated NB (group 2, 14 patients), or selected disseminated NB (group 3, 10 patients) received myeloablative therapy (MAT) followed by unpurged autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) at the end of an intensive protocol, which included high-dose chemotherapy and surgery to the primary tumor. Median time from diagnosis to MAT and ABMT was 6 months (5 months from last relapse to MAT and ABMT in the relapsed patients). The MAT regimen included vincristine, fractionated total body irradiation (TBI), and melphalan. Seventeen patients were grafted in complete remission (CR), five in very good partial remission (VGPR), 10 in partial remission (PR), and two in progressive disease (PD). The acute toxic death rate was 2.9%. The overall progression-free survival was 29%. The median progression-free survival was 20 months for the 17 patients grafted in CR, 6 months for the five patients grafted in VGPR, and 12 months for the 10 patients grafted in PR.
Species Cross-Reacting Epithelial and Urothelial Specific Antigens in Human Fetal, Adult, and Neoplastic Bladder Epithelium
Authors: W B Nathrath, F Detheridge, L M Franks
Journal: JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute (1979)

Antiserum from a New Zealand White rabbit was raised against the saline-soluble fraction of homogenates of calf urinary bladder epithelium. After absorption, with human red blood cells, human, calf, and mouse sera, and nonepithelial organs, this antiserum was specific for all human epithelia tested. Further absorptions with nonurinary tract epithelia rendered the antiserum specific for urothelium. Species cross-reactivity was seen between the superficial cell layers of calf, human fetal, and adult bladder epithelia. The antigen appeared to be cytoplasmic and was also present (although to a lesser extent) in human bladder tumor biopsy specimens and human bladder tumor cell lines.