tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Safety and efficacy of intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guérin instillations in steroid-treated and immunocompromised patients
Authors: O. Yossepowitch, S. E. Eggener, B. H. Bochner, S. M. Donat, H. W. Herr, G. Dalbagni
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2006)

14507 Background: We assess the safety and efficacy of intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) for high-risk superficial bladder cancer in steroid-treated and immunocompromised patients. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed charts of 697 patients treated with BCG instillations from 1991 to 2004. In 24 patients (3.5%), either an underlying comorbidity directly affecting the immune system was diagnosed before BCG administration, or steroids were administered at least 6 weeks before and at the time of BCG instillations. The immunosuppressive effect of the steroids was assessed by percentage of lymphocytes. End-points were BCG response at 6 months (defined as normal cystoscopy, cytology, and biopsy when available) and treatment-related toxicity. Results: Four patients (17%) had an active lymphoma or chronic lymphocytic leukemia during administration of BCG, and 21 (88%) had a concurrent condition for which oral steroids (11 patients), inhaled steroids (14 patients), or both (4 patients) were administered. Patients treated with oral steroids had a lower percentage of lymphocytes (12.3%) compared to patients treated with inhaled steroids (17.5%) or 15 age-matched patients with high-risk superficial bladder cancer and no steroid treatment (18.6%). The overall BCG response rate at 6 months was 58%. Of the 24 patients, 10 had disease recurrence and 3 had disease progression at a median follow-up of 63.5 months (IQR 19.5, 89). One patient treated with oral steroids developed a self-limited febrile disease and worsening of myalgia 48 hours after his third BCG cycle. No other systemic adverse event following BCG therapy was recorded, and all patients completed their scheduled treatments. Conclusions: Intravesical BCG is a viable therapeutic option for patients with high-risk superficial bladder cancer and concomitant lymphoma or chronic lymphocytic leukemia, treatment with low-dose oral steroids, or treatment with inhaled steroids. The BCG response rate at 6 months and the side effects profile associated with BCG therapy in these patients are comparable to patients with no evidence of immunosuppression. Further studies are warranted to assess the safety and efficacy of BCG instillations in critically immunocompromised patients. No significant financial relationships to disclose.
Hodgkin Lymphoma, Version 2.2015
Authors: Richard T. Hoppe, Ranjana H. Advani, Weiyun Z. Ai, Richard F. Ambinder, Patricia Aoun, Celeste M. Bello, Cecil M. Benitez, Philip J. Bierman, Kristie A. Blum, Robert Chen, Bouthaina Dabaja, Andres Forero, Leo I. Gordon, Francisco J. Hernandez-Ilizaliturri, Ephraim P. Hochberg, Jiayi Huang, Patrick B. Johnston, Nadia Khan, David G. Maloney, Peter M. Mauch, Monika Metzger, Joseph O. Moore, David Morgan, Craig H. Moskowitz, Carolyn Mulroney, Matthew Poppe, Rachel Rabinovitch, Stuart Seropian, Christina Tsien, Jane N. Winter, Joachim Yahalom, Jennifer L. Burns, Hema Sundar
Journal: Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (2015)

Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is an uncommon malignancy involving lymph nodes and the lymphatic system. Classical Hodgkin lymphoma (CHL) and nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma are the 2 main types of HL. CHL accounts for most HL diagnosed in the Western countries. Chemotherapy or combined modality therapy, followed by restaging with PET/CT to assess treatment response using the Deauville criteria (5-point scale), is the standard initial treatment for patients with newly diagnosed CHL. Brentuximab vedotin, a CD30-directed antibody-drug conjugate, has produced encouraging results in the treatment of relapsed or refractory disease. The potential long-term effects of treatment remain an important consideration, and long-term follow-up is essential after completion of treatment.
Among Several Surface ECG Measurements and Clinical Indicators, Only T-peak-T-end and Cornell Voltage Predict Appropriate ICD Therapy In Patients with Ischemic Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Omar F. Shams, Joseph S. Owen, Marc A. Saad, Sammy Khatib, Joel Xue, Andres Rubiano, Jamie Yarbrough, Daniel P. Morin
Journal: Circulation (2010)
Intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guérin therapy prevents tumor progression and death from superficial bladder cancer: ten-year follow-up of a prospective randomized trial.
Authors: H W Herr, D M Schwalb, Z F Zhang, P C Sogani, W R Fair, W F Whitmore, H F Oettgen
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (1995)

PURPOSE Superficial bladder tumors (stage Ta, T1, and Tis) may progress to invade the bladder muscle and cause death from metastatic cancer. Transurethral tumor resection (TURB) is the standard therapy for such tumors, but surgery alone may not prevent tumor progression. Intravesical therapy is widely used as an adjunct to TURB. Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is the most active intravesical agent, but whether BCG prevents tumor progression and death from bladder cancer is unknown. PATIENTS AND METHODS Between 1978 and 1981, 86 high-risk patients with superficial bladder cancer were randomly assigned to receive either TURB (n = 43) or TURB plus BCG (n = 43). Adverse tumor features for progression were equally distributed between the two groups. BCG was administered weekly for 6 weeks. Patients were evaluated every 3 to 6 months thereafter for progression to muscle invasion or metastasis. Control (TURB) patients with recurrent superficial tumors were eligible for crossover to the BCG arm. All patients have been monitored until event or for a minimum of 10 years (range, 10 to 14). RESULTS The 10-year progression-free rate was 61.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 47.2% to 76.7%) for patients treated with BCG and 37% (95% CI, 22.9% to 53.1%) for control patients. The median progression-free interval was not reached for the BCG group and was 46 months for the control group (P = .0063). Of 18 control patients crossed over to BCG (median, 29 months), 15 did not show tumor progression. TURB plus BCG resulted in a 10-year disease-specific survival rate of 75%, compared with 55% with TURB alone (P = .03). CONCLUSION This study shows that intravesical therapy with BCG delays tumor progression and death from tumor in patients who present with superficial bladder cancer.
Effects of Allopurinol on 6-Mercaptopurine Therapy in Neoplastic Diseases
Authors: R. W. Rundles
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (1966)

Inthefirst patient treated withallopurinol, in whomremission inchronic granulocytic leukaemia wasbeing produced bytheadministration of6-MP asdescribed above, theprimary objective ofthestudy wNas todetermine iftheadministration ofthexanthine oxidase inhibitor wouldreduce theconversion of 6-MPtothiouric acid(TU).Inprevious studies, wehadfoundthat about 25percent. of6-MP,when given intherapeutic doses, wasordinarily oxidized to thiouric acid(Elion, Callahan, Hitchings, Rundles, andLaszlo, 1962). Inthefirst study, when150mg. 6-MPwasgiven with300mg.allopurinol, theformation ofthiouric acid wasalmost completely suppressed.Atthesametime, there wasa4-fold increase in theamountoffree 6-MPexcreted intheurine. With 75mg.allopurinol, 10percent. ofthe6-MPwas converted toTU,buttheincreased amountof6-MP intheurine remained unchanged. A similar doseresponse effect wasobtained inasecond patient with chronic granulocytic leukaemia inremission (Table). TABLE EFFECTOF ALLOPURINOL(4-HPP) ON CONVERSIONOF 6-MPTO 6-THIOURIC ACID(TU)AND EXCRETIONOF FREE 6-MPINTHE URINE
Abstract 18064: Prognostic Risk Index for One Year Morbimortality in Hospitalized Patients with Peripheral Artery Disease
Authors: Alessandra Bura, Nicolas Pros, Jean-Pierre Cambou, Victor Aboyans, Joël Constans, Philippe Lacroix
Journal: Circulation (2011)

Background. Risk stratification in peripheral arterial disease (PAD) may provide the basis for optimal management strategies in patients. This study aimed to develop a prognostic risk index for one-year morbimortality, in patients with severe PAD. Methods and results. Factors associated with morbimortality (total mortality, non-fatal MI or non-fatal stroke) were determined using data from the prospective, multicentre COPART register, including consecutive patients hospitalized for PAD in 3 university hospitals in Southwestern France. A risk score was constructed in a derivation cohort using the beta regression coefficient obtained in the final model of a descending step-by-step logistic regression analysis. The score was then tested on a validation cohort. We analyzed the data of 1,157 patients at hospital discharge: 640 in the derivation cohort and 517 in the validation cohort. At one year, morbimortality rate were respectively 19.2% and 20.3%. The index included the following factors (weight points): age ≥75&lt;85 (+2), ≥85 years (+3); previous history of myocardial infarction (+1); eGFR according to MDRD equation ≤30 (+1.5), &gt;30≤60 ml/min -1 1.73m -2 (+1); ankle-brachial index &lt;0.3 (+2), ≥0.3&lt;0.5 (+1.5) and &gt;1.3 (+2); CRP ≥69mg/l (+2); association of statins, antiplatelet agents, renin-angiotensin system inhibitors (-1.5). Morbimortality rates increased significantly with the risk index in the derivation cohort: low risk (≤0 point): 2%; medium (&gt;0≤2): 12.8%; high (&gt;2&lt;4.5): 23%; very high (≥4.5): 42.2%. The prognostic risk index appeared to be discriminating in both cohorts (C-statistic 0.76 and 0.74). Calibration was satisfying, no significant differences were found between the observed and calculated morbimortality rates in the validation cohort, using our prognostic risk index (Hosmer-Lemeshow χ2 p= 0.65). Conclusions. This prognostic risk index is a tool for risk stratification in patients with PAD and may be helpful for patient counselling and medical decision making.
The refugee crisis: what care is needed and how can doctors help?
Authors: Anne Gulland
Journal: BMJ (2015)

This was the first thought of many when the photographs of Aylan Kurdi, the Syrian boy who died trying to cross the Mediterranean, were published last week.

Social media were awash with pleas from ordinary people for essential items such as soap and blankets to send to refugee centres in Europe. However, both Doctors of the World, which is the only charity providing medical aid in Calais, and Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) are urging doctors who wish to help to donate money.

“We’ve had offers of help but for people wanting to work in our clinic in Calais, for example, we’re asking that they speak perfect French and that they have experience of working with refugees,” said Nick Harvey, spokesperson for Doctors of the World.

“If doctors want to help out they should donate to an organisation like ours and the money will go on things like bandages and medicines,” he said.

A MSF spokesperson said, “What the last week has shown is that our government follows, not leads, and that the force of public opinion makes a crucial difference. If people want to continue to help, they should let their MPs, and other local and national leaders, know they …
Neurological Complications of Cervical Spine Manipulation
Authors: Mark Cashley, John K Paterson
Journal: Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine (2001)

The article by Clare Stevinson and others (March 2000 JRSM, pp. 107-110) demonstrates why research should be undertaken only by those who understand the field they are investigating. Throughout, they trivialize the role of manipulation and quote selectively: an important omission is the review paper by Haldeman1, who as a neurologist and a trained manipulator is well qualified to comment.

Manipulation physicians have been aware of the complications of spinal manipulation therapy for more than five decades2. The real difficulty has been in identifying suspect techniques; more than fifty cervical techniques are commonly used in today's practice. Stevinson et al. refer to a survey of California neurologists. The 91 patients reported in this paper3 did not, as they claim, have neurological defects only after cervical manipulation; this was the number who had defects after manipulation in any area—cervical, thoracic or lumbar. The US authors recognized the weaknesses of their study, including inability to verify responses and lack of information on pre-existing neurological details such as myelopathy, cauda equina syndrome, anticoagulant therapy, etc. In the British study, twenty-four respondents reported remembering 35 cases of serious neurological complication but only 16 of these cases could be remembered in enough detail to give even a scant description. A further case is totally erased from the paper. In only 2 cases is the manipulating profession identified— osteopathy and chiropractic, both professions that one of the authors, Professor Ernst, has confronted in the past.

In my chiropractic clinic I regularly treat patients with serious neurological defects, including absent reflexes; these patients are always referred back to their GP for orthopaedic assessment but many of them resolve before this assessment. At present we are treating a patient who has clear upper motor neuron signs and symptoms; we suspect cervical myelopathy, and with much coaxing she has now consented to return to the hospital. When she does show up at the hospital, will she be remembered by the consultant as a cervical myelopathy who had been treated by a chiropractor or as someone who had been correctly referred back to the GP? Before assuming a causative relationship, any investigator must examine the treating practitioner's case notes.

To gain anything out of a long-term prospective study, Professor Ernst and his colleagues must recruit onto their team manipulative experts from the four main fields. Some of the offending techniques have already been identified and the manipulative schools now avoid teaching rotary techniques that include cervical extension. The Institute for Musculoskeletal Research and Clinical Implementation is planning a multidisciplinary prospective trial using Canadian Stroke Consortium data as a pilot study. I am sure that they would be happy to discuss any future research if the aim was to prevent these mostly avoidable problems.
A Conserved Histidine in the RNA Sensor RIG-I Controls Immune Tolerance to N1-2′O-Methylated Self RNA
Authors: Christine Schuberth-Wagner, Janos Ludwig, Ann Kristin Bruder, Anna-Maria Herzner, Thomas Zillinger, Marion Goldeck, Tobias Schmidt, Jonathan L. Schmid-Burgk, Romy Kerber, Steven Wolter, Jan-Philip Stümpel, Andreas Roth, Eva Bartok, Christian Drosten, Christoph Coch, Veit Hornung, Winfried Barchet, Beate M. Kümmerer, Gunther Hartmann, Martin Schlee
Journal: Immunity (2015)
Refined localization of the gene for Clouston syndrome (hidrotic ectodermal dysplasia) in a large French family
Authors: J. Lamartine, D. Laoudj, C. Blanchet-Bardon, Z. Kibar, P. Soularue, V. Ridoux, L. Dubertret, G.A. Rouleau, G. Waksman
Journal: British Journal of Dermatology (2000)

Hidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (HED) or Clouston syndrome is a rare autosomal dominant disorder characterized by nail dystrophy, alopecia and palmoplantar hyperkeratosis, which maps to chromosome 13q11–q12.1. We confirmed linkage of HED to this region in a large French family. To define the critical region for HED, detailed haplotypes were constructed with new pericentromeric polymorphic markers. A recombination event in the family indicates that the HED locus maps centromeric to D13S1832. Our French family does not share a common haplotype with other pedigrees previously published (particularly French‐Canadian), indicating that the mutations in these families are likely to be of different origin.
Troubled Aberdeen hospital is back in spotlight
Authors: B. Christie
Journal: BMJ (2015)

Management of one of Scotland’s major hospitals, which was severely criticised last year, is again under scrutiny after a campaign has begun to overturn the suspension of two surgeons.

A group of 21 senior doctors, many of them retired, have written a letter to Scotland’s health minister, Shona Robison, demanding the reinstatement of the two Aberdeen Royal Infirmary surgeons and the instigation of “a …
Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa in alcohol-dependent men and women and their relatives
Authors: M A Schuckit, J E Tipp, R M Anthenelli, K K Bucholz, V M Hesselbrock, J I Nurnberger
Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry (1996)

Many of the studies linking anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa to substance use disorders suffer from problems with small samples; some lack rigorous definitions of the syndromes, and it is difficult to determine whether eating problems were primarily temporary consequences of heavy substance use or drugs were temporarily used in an effort to control appetite. The goal of this study was to evaluate the relationship between alcohol dependence and eating disorders.Structured interviews were carried out with 2,283 women and 1,982 men as part of the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism. Data on drug abuse and dependence, psychiatric disorders, and symptoms of anorexia and bulimia were evaluated among alcohol-dependent probands, their relatives, comparison probands, and their relatives.Lifetime rates for anorexia and bulimia were 1.41% and 6.17%, respectively, for the alcohol-dependent women, and bulimia was observed in 1.35% of the alcoholic men. However, once the impact of additional primary diagnoses was controlled for, anorexia was seen in only 1.26% of the women with primary alcohol dependence and none of the alcohol-dependent men; the rates for bulimia were 3.46% and 0.72%, respectively. There was no evidence of a strong familial crossover between alcohol dependence and anorexia or bulimia.While the rate of anorexia was not elevated in alcoholics after controlling for other disorders, bulimia did occur at a greater than expected rate. However, both eating disorders were relatively rare, and much of the association with alcoholism occurred in the context of additional preexisting or secondary psychiatric disorders.
Kenneth Alfred Kingsley North
Authors: J. Bell
Journal: BMJ (2015)

Kenneth Alfred Kingsley North (“Ken”), a keen sportsman at Otago University and president of the students’ union, worked with Sir John Eccles, Nobel laureate, to obtain his BMedSc. Three years later at Oxford as a Rhodes scholar, he studied under Sir Howard Florey and obtained an athletics blue. He spent eight years in the UK, at the …
Risk to infant and mother is similar after delivery by family physician or obstetrician, Canadian study finds
Authors: Michael McCarthy
Journal: BMJ (2015)

Perinatal mortality and the risk of adverse maternal outcomes are similar whether an infant is delivered by a family practice physician or an obstetrician, a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal shows.1

Researchers analysed maternal and neonatal data from hospital deliveries in all Canadian provinces except Quebec from 2006 to 2009. They excluded infants with a birth weight …
High dose radiation induced ceramide regulators in lung cancer xenografts: impact on the regression of distant tumor and neovasculature formation
Authors: Marianna Zagurovskaya-Sultanov, Seema Gupta, Mohammed M. Shareef, Mohammed Mohiuddin, Mansoor M. Ahmed
Journal: Cancer Research (2006)

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 47, 2006

4393 

Recently, we demonstrated that treatment of patients with various types of cancer with spatially fractionated grid radiation (SFGRT) leads to an increase of ASMase activity in serum that corresponds with elevation of LDL-enriched ceramide pool (Sathishkumar et al. 2005). Positive and negative regulators of ceramide pathway play a pivotal role in dictating apoptosis. There are 2 tiers of negative regulators of ceramide pathway. In the 1st tier, increased level of ceramidase will deplete ceramide pool. In the 2nd tier, increased level of sphingosine kinase will inhibit TNF-α mediated ASMase. Therefore, we hypothesize that SFGRT will maintain ceramide pools by decreasing ceramidase whereas conventional ionizing radiation (CIR) will deplete ceramide pool by increasing ceramidase activity. To test this hypothesis, we used in-vivo model using A549 lung adenocarcinoma xenografts with tumors on both sides of the flank. Mice were randomized into 7 groups based on radiation mode/regimen treatment. Briefly, left tumor (LT) was irradiated by high dose SFGRT/CIR (Group II/V), followed by 2 Gy CIR (5 days) to the same tumor (Group III/VI) or right tumor (Group IV/VII). Tumor regression was observed in all treated groups compared to the untreated group. In particular, both the SFGRT exposed and unexposed right tumor (RT) showed diminished growth over a 90-day period post-irradiation compare to CIR therapy. Diminished growth of the un-irradiated tumor in the right test flank in the animals in which LT was exposed to high dose of SFGRT suggests that SFGRT exposed tumor may potentially release inhibitory factors systemically and these factors may exert regression of the un-irradiated tumor. In addition, induction of in-situ tumor apoptosis was observed in all groups. The tumor regression and growth delay might be due to changes on the level of positive and negative regulators of ceramide pathway. Real-time RT-PCR analysis has demonstrated enhanced induction of ceramidase with CIR (tier 1) whereas shpingosine kinase (tier 2) was induced with SFGRT treatment. Currently, we are validating these findings at the protein level by immunohistochemistry. In addition, studies assessing whether the abscopal/bystander factors induced by SFGRT and CIR treatments have effects on elimination of endothelial cells (vascular structures) of both irradiated and un-irradiated tumors and correlation of these possible changes to the level of changes in negative ceramide regulators.
Heritability of atopic dermatitis: Population study and systematic review
Authors: Vibeke Naeser, Kirsten Ohm Kyvik, Axel Skytthe, Vibeke Backer, Simon Francis Thomsen
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2011)

Aim:  We studied the relative influence of genetic and environmental factors on the variation in susceptibility to atopic dermatitis and conducted a systematic review of the related literature.   Methods:  In a population-based questionnaire study of 19,748 child and adolescent twins from the Danish Twin Registry, we calculated concordance rates and heritability of atopic dermatitis. We performed a systematic review of the literature to obtain thorough estimates of the heritability of the disease.   Results:  The overall prevalence of atopic dermatitis in the population was 17.8% among girls and 14.7% among boys, p   Conclusions:  Atopic dermatitis is a highly heritable disorder. Compared with estimates from systematically identified studies the heritability of atopic dermatitis in the Danish population is substantial.