tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Relationship between COPD assessment test (CAT) and declines of lung function in COPD patients
Authors: Hyun Jung Kwak, Ji-Yong Moon, Tae Hyung Kim, Sang-Heon Kim, Jang Won Sohn, Dong Ho Shin, Sung Soo Park, Ho Joo Yoon
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2012)

Background: COPD assessment test (CAT) is a recently developed questionnaires used for assessing and monitoring chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the relationship with CAT score and the other clinical parameters of COPD are not well determined yet. In this study, we aimed to investigate if CAT score is associated with the measures of clinical courses such as annual decline of lung function and acute exacerbation of COPD.

Methods: We enrolled the patients with COPD, who were followed for more than two years. CAT and St. George Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) were performed and information of clinical parameters of COPD was collected in a retrospective manner.

Results: A total of 77 patients with COPD were recruited. CAT score showed a fair correlation with SGRQ score ( r =0.429, P <0.001) and FEV1 ( r =-0.231, P =0.02). Higher CAT score was significantly associated with more rapid decline of FEV1 over 2 years ( P =0.02) and acute exacerbation of COPD ( P =0.002)

Conclusion: CAT score showed good relationship with various clinical parameters of COPD, including FEV1, acute exacerbation and deterioration of lung function. These findings suggest that CAT reflects various features of COPD and could be used more widely in assessing and monitoring of COPD.
Rothia dentocariosa, endocarditis and mycotic aneurysms: case report and review of the literature
Authors: M. Boudewijns, K. Magerman, J. Verhaegen, G. Debrock, W.E. Peetermans, P. Donkersloot, A. Mewis, V. Peeters, J.L. Rummens, R. Cartuyvels
Journal: Clinical Microbiology and Infection (2003)
Safety of Combined Chelation Therapy with Deferasirox and Deferoxamine in Transfusion-Dependent Thalassemia.
Authors: Ashutosh Lal, Nancy Sweeters, Vivian Ng, Drucilla Foote, Patricia Evans, Lynne Neumayr, Gregory Kurio, Paul Harmatz, John B. Porter, Elliott Vichinsky
Journal: Blood (2009)
Communicating with Patients on Treatment Options for Advanced Disease
Authors: Lillie D. Shockney, Anthony Back
Journal: Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (2013)

A diagnosis of advanced cancer is devastating to patients and their families. The cancer care team has typically been ineffective in communicating honestly but sensitively on issues of concern, including treatment options, prognosis, and factors that affect quality-of-life. In a presentation at the NCCN 18th Annual Conference, palliative care experts Dr. Anthony Back and Ms. Lillie D. Shockney discussed the challenge of communicating about advanced disease, offered a new paradigm, and described approaches that can make physicians and nurses more comfortable and more effective in this role.
Prevention of Cisplatin-Induced Emesis by the Oral Neurokinin-1 Antagonist, MK-869, in Combination With Granisetron and Dexamethasone or With Dexamethasone Alone
Authors: Daniel Campos, Jose Rodrigues Pereira, Rick R. Reinhardt, Carlos Carracedo, Sergio Poli, Conrado Vogel, Jorge Martinez-Cedillo, Aura Erazo, Johanna Wittreich, Lars-Olof Eriksson, Alexandra D. Carides, Barry J. Gertz
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2001)

PURPOSE: The NK1-receptor antagonist MK-869 (L-754,030) has demonstrated antiemetic activity in humans receiving chemotherapy. Objectives of the present trial included the first assessment of oral MK-869 plus dexamethasone compared with a 5HT 3 antagonist plus dexamethasone for prevention of acute and delayed emesis after high-dose cisplatin. Furthermore, the study sought to confirm that addition of MK-869 to a 5HT 3 antagonist plus dexamethasone was more effective than just the 5HT 3 antagonist plus dexamethasone for prevention of acute and delayed emesis. METHODS: This multicenter, double-blind, parallel-group trial in 351 cisplatin-naïve patients evaluated prevention of acute (0 to 24 hours) and delayed emesis (primary efficacy parameter; days 2 to 5) after cisplatin (≥70 mg/m 2 ). Patients were randomized to four groups (I to IV) (n = number randomized; number evaluable): granisetron (10 μg/kg intravenously) pre-cisplatin followed by placebo on days 2 to 5 (group I) (n = 90; 90); granisetron and MK-869 (400 mg PO [by mouth]) pre-cisplatin, followed by MK-869 (300 mg PO) on days 2 to 5 (group II) (n = 86; 84); MK-869 (400 mg PO) the evening before and pre-cisplatin, followed by MK-869 (300 mg PO) on days 2 to 5 (group III) (n = 89; 88); or MK-869 (400 mg PO) pre-cisplatin, followed by MK-869 (300 mg PO) on days 2 to 5 (group IV) (n = 86; 84). All patients also received dexamethasone (20 mg PO) before cisplatin. Additional medication was available to treat emesis or nausea at any time. RESULTS: In the acute period, 57%, 80%, 46%, and 43% of patients were without emesis in groups I, II, III, and IV, respectively (P &lt; .01 for group II v group I). In the delayed period, the proportion of patients without emesis in groups I, II, III, and IV was 29%, 63%, 51%, and 57%, respectively (P &lt; .01 for groups II, III, and IV v group I). The distribution of nausea scores in the delayed period was lower when comparing group II with group I (P &lt; .05 for days 1 to 5 and days 2 to 5). One serious adverse event (dizziness) was rated as possibly related to MK-869. CONCLUSION: Once daily oral administration of MK-869 was effective in reducing delayed emesis and nausea after high-dose cisplatin. However, the combination of the 5HT3 antagonist plus dexamethasone was numerically superior to MK-869 plus dexamethasone in reducing acute emesis. Confirming and extending previous findings, the triple combination of a 5HT 3 antagonist, MK-869, and dexamethasone provided the best control of acute emesis.
Bedside Index for Severity in Acute Pancreatitis (BISAP) Score Best Predicts 120-day Mortality in Patients With Acute Pancreatitis: A Study on 358 Patients From a North Indian Center
Authors: S. Anikhindi, A. Kumar, V. Singla, P. Sharma, N. Bansal, A. Arora
Journal: Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology (2015)
Orally administered colony stimulating factor 1 receptor inhibitor PLX3397 in recurrent glioblastoma: an Ivy Foundation Early Phase Clinical Trials Consortium phase II study
Authors: Nicholas Butowski, Howard Colman, John F. De Groot, Antonio M. Omuro, Lakshmi Nayak, Patrick Y. Wen, Timothy F. Cloughesy, Adhirai Marimuthu, Sam Haidar, Arie Perry, Jason Huse, Joanna Phillips, Brian L. West, Keith B. Nolop, Henry H. Hsu, Keith L. Ligon, Annette M. Molinaro, Michael Prados
Journal: Neuro-Oncology (2015)

The colony stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R) ligands, CSF1 and interleukin-34, and the KIT ligand, stem cell factor, are expressed in glioblastoma (GB). Microglia, macrophages, blood vessels, and tumor cells also express CSF1R, and depletion of the microglia reduces tumor burden and invasive capacity. PLX3397 is an oral, small molecule that selectively inhibits CSF1R and KIT, penetrates the blood–brain barrier in model systems, and represents a novel approach for clinical development. We conducted a phase II study in patients with recurrent GB. The primary endpoint was 6-month progression-free survival (PFS6). Secondary endpoints included overall survival response rate, safety, and plasma/tumor tissue pharmacokinetics. Exploratory endpoints included pharmacodynamic measures of drug effect in blood and tumor tissue. A total of 37 patients were enrolled, with 13 treated prior to a planned surgical resection (Cohort 1) and 24 treated without surgery (Cohort 2). PLX3397 was given at an oral dose of 1000 mg daily and was well tolerated. The primary efficacy endpoint of PFS6 was only 8.6%, with no objective responses. Pharmacokinetic endpoints revealed a median maximal concentration (Cmax) of 8090 ng/mL, with a time to attain Cmax of 2 hour in plasma. Tumor tissue obtained after 7 days of drug exposure revealed a median drug level of 5500 ng/g. Pharmacodynamic changes included an increase in colony stimulating factor 1 and reduced CD14dim/CD16+ monocytes in plasma compared with pretreatment baseline values. PLX3397 was well tolerated and readily crossed the blood–tumor barrier but showed no efficacy. Additional studies are ongoing, testing combination strategies and potential biomarkers to identify patients with greater likelihood of response.
Infusional CHOP Chemotherapy (CVAD) With or Without Chemosensitizers Offers No Advantage Over Standard CHOP Therapy in the Treatment of Lymphoma: A Southwest Oncology Group Study
Authors: Ellen R. Gaynor, Joseph M. Unger, Thomas P. Miller, Thomas M. Grogan, Leonard A. White, Glenn M. Mills, Stanley P. Balcerzak, Mary Varterasian, Michael LeBlanc, Richard I. Fisher
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2001)

PURPOSE: Two phase II studies were conducted to evaluate infusional cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and dexamethasone chemotherapy, termed the CVAD regimen, alone (Southwest Oncology Group [SWOG] 9240) and with the chemosensitizers verapamil and quinine (SWOG 9125) to assess effects on response, survival, and toxicity in intermediate- and high-grade advanced-stage non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). The results were compared with the historic group of patients randomized to CHOP chemotherapy on Intergroup (INT) 0067 (SWOG 8516). PATIENTS AND METHODS: All patients had biopsy-proven intermediate- or high-grade NHL (lymphoblastic histology excluded), were ambulatory and previously untreated, and had bulky stage II, III, or IV disease. One hundred twelve patients were registered on SWOG 9240 and received cyclophosphamide 750 mg/m 2 by intravenous bolus day 1, doxorubicin 12.5 mg/m 2 /d and vincristine 0.5 mg/d delivered as a continuous 96-hour infusion on days 1 through 4, and dexamethasone 40 mg/d orally on days 1 through 4 (CVAD). Cycles were repeated every 21 days for eight cycles. One hundred patients on SWOG 9125 received the same chemotherapy and the chemosensitizers verapamil 240 mg bid and quinine 40 mg tid. Chemosensitizers were begun 24 hours before chemotherapy and continued for a total of 6 days. RESULTS: Eighty-one patients were eligible for each study. The complete response (CR) rates were 39% on SWOG 9125 and 31% on SWOG 9240. With a median follow-up of 5.8 years on SWOG 9125 and 4.5 years on SWOG 9240, the 2-year failure-free survival (FFS) rate was 42% on SWOG 9125 and 41% on SWOG 9240. Two-year overall survival (OS) rate was 64% on SWOG 9125 and 58% on SWOG 9240. These results are comparable to a 44% CR rate, a 2-year FFS of 46%, and 2-year OS of 63% observed in 225 patients treated with CHOP on INT 0067 (SWOG 8516). CONCLUSION: CVAD combination chemotherapy alone or with the chemosensitizers verapamil and quinine is not promising therapy with respect to improved response or OS in intermediate- and high-grade advanced-stage NHL.
NHS must show that staff engagement work is effective, researchers say:
Authors: Matthew Limb
Journal: BMJ (2015)

The NHS should do more to assess whether its efforts to raise levels of staff engagement are effective in improving outcomes, researchers say.

Katie Bailey, a professor at the University of Sussex who has analysed studies of employee engagement, said that the dearth of research by the NHS on the topic was “disappointing.” She said, “We were really quite surprised at how little academic research had taken place in the UK in the health sector.”

Bailey, of the university’s business and management school, was lead author and principal investigator of a study evaluating the evidence on employee engagement and its potential benefits to NHS staff.1 The study was funded by the National Institute for Health Research’s (NIHR) Health Services and Delivery Research programme.

The report said that, overall, evidence showed that people who felt engaged tended to perform better, help colleagues more, and be more satisfied with their work and life in general. But most of the published academic evidence, …
A Phase 2 Study of Tofacitinib, an Oral Janus Kinase Inhibitor, in Patients With Crohn’s Disease
Authors: William J. Sandborn, Subrata Ghosh, Julian Panes, Ivana Vranic, Wenjin Wang, Wojciech Niezychowski, Severine A.R.A. Vermeire, Olivier Dewit, Harald Peeters, Jiri Stehlik, Tomas Vanasek, David Laharie, Jean Frederic Colombel, Marc-André Bigard, Marta Varga, Margit Zeher, Janos Novak, Bela Hunyady, Agnes Salamon, Istvan Racz, Paolo Gionchetti, Anna Kohn, Cosimo Prantera, P.C.F. Stokkers, Maria Slomka, Leszek Paradowski, Tomasz Arlukowicz, Ladislav Kuzela, Boris Baricky, Tibor Hlavaty, Maria Isabel Vera, Julian Panes, Jordi Guardiola, Christopher Probert, Jonathan Lionel Shaffer, Mark Fleisher, Ronald Edward Pruitt, William J. Sandborn, John Sawyer Goff, John Weber, Raymond Lloyd Bell, Andrew Harrison Zwick, Alexandra Gutierrez, Robert H. Levine, Stephen Brett Hanauer, Lori Ann Lavelle, Ravindranath K. Kottoor, Gerald Wayne Dryden, Robert Hardi, David Vaughn Glorioso, Prabhakar Swaroop, Scott D. Lee, Teressa Joan Patrick, Sheldon Scheinert, Charles A. Sninsky, Seymour Katz, Mark D. Noar, Michael Marion Gaspari, Glenn L. Gordon, Thomas A. Dalton, Douglas Edward Homoky, William Ransom Kilgore, Joel A. Levien, Herbert R. Schneider, Suleman Abdul Moola, Frederik Cornelius Kruger, John P. Wright, Nazimuddin Aboo
Journal: Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology (2014)
BRCA-associated breast cancer in young women.
Authors: M Robson, T Gilewski, B Haas, D Levin, P Borgen, P Rajan, Y Hirschaut, P Pressman, P P Rosen, M L Lesser, L Norton, K Offit
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (1998)

PURPOSE To delineate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of breast cancer that arises in the setting of a germline BRCA mutation and to compare BRCA-associated breast cancers (BABC) with those that arise in women without mutations. PATIENTS AND METHODS We reviewed the clinical records of 91 Ashkenazi Jewish women ascertained during studies of the genetics of early-onset breast cancer. All women underwent testing for the BRCA1 mutations 185delAG and 5382insC. After the discovery of BRCA2, 79 women were also tested for the BRCA2 mutation 6174delT. RESULTS Mutations were identified in 30 women (33%). BABC were less likely to present with stage I disease than cases in women without mutations (27% v 46%), more likely to have axillary nodal involvement (54% v46%), and more likely to have extensive axillary involvement (25% v 17%). These differences were not statistically significant. BABC were significantly more likely to be histologic grade III (100% v 59%, P=.04) and to be estrogen receptor-negative (70% v 34%, P=.04). In the entire cohort, there were no significant differences between BABC and non-BRCA-associated cancers in 5-year relapse-free survival (65% v 69%, P=not significant [NS]), 5-year event-free survival (57% v 68%, P=NS), or 5-year overall survival. However, among cases diagnosed within 2 years of study entry, there was a trend toward shorter event-free survival in BRCA heterozygotes, but not relapse-free survival. Women with germline BRCA mutations were significantly more likely to develop contralateral breast cancer at 5 years (31% v 4%, P=.0007). CONCLUSION BABC present with adverse clinical and histopathologic features when compared with cases not associated with BRCA mutations. However, the prognosis of BABC appears to be similar to that of nonassociated cancer. Further studies of incident cases are necessary to define the independent prognostic significance of germline BRCA mutations.
Unreliability of current screening tests for syphilis in chronic psychiatric patients
Authors: R R Reeves, H B Pinkofsky, K K Kennedy
Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry (1996)

This study examined whether psychiatrists perform adequate diagnostic screening for syphilis in patients with chronic mental illness.Two hundred patients with chronic mental illness underwent testing for syphilis with the commonly used RPR test and the microhemagglutination assay for Treponema pallidum (MHA-TP). Sensitivities of the two tests were compared.A substantial number of patients with negative results on RPR tests had reactive MHA-TPs and would have not been identified as having had syphilis with the use of RPR testing alone.Nontreponemal tests such as the RPR test are less likely than treponemal tests to detect syphilis appropriately in chronically mentally ill patients, and specific treponemal tests such as the MHA-TP should be considered.
Validation of a novel transgenic mouse model for the isolation of endothelial-specific transcripts by ribonucleoprotein (RNP) tagging
Authors: Tilanthi Jayawardena, Ashini Fernando, Kyle Mansfield, Jack Keene, Daniel Kenan
Journal: Clinical Cancer Research (2008)

B8   Angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels, is required for the progression of proliferative diseases such as cancer. The identification of angiogenesis as a “common denominator” in society’s most important diseases has lead to a widespread effort to define the molecular mechanisms that regulate the growth, remodeling, and maintenance of new blood vessels. Studying the abnormalities of the tumor vasculature will guide the development of therapeutic and diagnostic agents that directly target cancer. Additionally, selectively identifying markers of pathological angiogenesis is critical in order to avoid potential side effects caused by targeting general angiogenic processes. We have developed a novel ribonucleoprotein (RNP) technology that enables the isolation of tumor endothelium-specific mRNAs from bulk tumor and host tissues. The RNP-tag is an engineered RNA-binding protein, PABP (Poly A binding protein) that binds almost all actively translated mRNAs within a cell. The PABP is tagged with an engineered epitope to enable specific co-immunoprecipitation of all tagged PABP complexes within a tissue sample. Specific expression of the RNP-tag using the Tie2 endothelium-specific promoter in transgenic mice ensures that RNP-tag is expressed only within the vascular endothelium of any transgenic tissue. Addition of tag-specific antibodies to a total tissue extract from a tumor formed in a transgenic mouse therefore enables the robust enrichment of tumor endothelium mRNAs. The enriched mRNAs can be read out using a number of sensitive analytic methods, including RNAse protection assay, quantitative real-time PCR, microarrays, and deep sequencing approaches. We present here the construction and validation of a transgenic mouse expressing FLAG-tagged PABP under the control of the Tie2 promoter. Our preliminary data show that in our transgenic mouse model, FLAG-tagged PABP is expressed specifically in the vascular endothelium. Additionally, quantitative real-time PCR and microarray analyses indicate that mRNA recovered with this technology will enable both global and targeted gene expression studies of tumor versus normal endothelium. Since tumor endothelial cells are involved in the complex cross-talk that takes place among the varied cell types comprising a tumor, it is essential that they are investigated within the context of their native environment and that their transcriptional messages are evaluated in a robust manner. The RNP-tag platform represents a specific and efficient tool that can be used to discover changes in vascular endothelial gene expression. We anticipate use of the technology to identify novel vascular addresses that could significantly improve cancer diagnostics, therapeutics and imaging.
Skirmish over seven day working
Authors: Mark Newbold
Journal: BMJ (2015)

Would more effective leadership of the profession have avoided this debate?

Doctors have reacted with dismay and anger to the approach taken by the secretary of state for health, Jeremy Hunt, over seven day working and contract renegotiation,1 with many using social media to remind him that, actually, they regularly work at weekends.2

His challenge to the BMA on contract changes to support seven day working came during a speech that was mostly about a grand vision for the NHS.3 Indeed, it was almost an adjunct to his main message, which described the creation of a more “human” service in which power will shift from politician, doctor, and manager to the patient.

The vision he articulated includes much that will be welcomed by doctors and managers, including a move from access targets to broad quality metrics, fewer targets in return for greater transparency, and a learning culture with much more local autonomy. These all point to a cultural change that is long overdue.

Most will also support the increased use of technology to empower patients and the placing of safety and quality at the heart of the new regulator, while few will argue with his proposal to end the target based regime …
Breast Cancer Version 3.2014
Authors: William J. Gradishar, Benjamin O. Anderson, Sarah L. Blair, Harold J. Burstein, Amy Cyr, Anthony D. Elias, William B. Farrar, Andres Forero, Sharon Hermes Giordano, Lori J. Goldstein, Daniel F. Hayes, Clifford A. Hudis, Steven J. Isakoff, Britt-Marie E. Ljung, P. Kelly Marcom, Ingrid A. Mayer, Beryl McCormick, Robert S. Miller, Mark Pegram, Lori J. Pierce, Elizabeth C. Reed, Kilian E. Salerno, Lee S. Schwartzberg, Mary Lou Smith, Hatem Soliman, George Somlo, John H. Ward, Antonio C. Wolff, Richard Zellars, Dorothy A. Shead, Rashmi Kumar
Journal: Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (2014)

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women in the United States and is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer death. The overall management of breast cancer includes the treatment of local disease with surgery, radiation therapy, or both, and the treatment of systemic disease with cytotoxic chemotherapy, endocrine therapy, biologic therapy, or combinations of these. The NCCN Guidelines specific to management of large clinical stage II and III tumors are discussed in this article. These guidelines are the work of the members of the NCCN Breast Cancer Panel. Expert medical clinical judgment is required to apply these guidelines in the context of an individual patient to provide optimal care. Although not stated at every decision point of the guidelines, patient participation in prospective clinical trials is the preferred option of treatment for all stages of breast cancer.
Long-Term Outcomes of Trabeculectomy Augmented with Mitomycin C Undertaken within the First 2 Years of Life
Authors: Hari Jayaram, Richard Scawn, Francisco Pooley, Mark Chiang, Catey Bunce, Nicholas G. Strouthidis, Peng Tee Khaw, Maria Papadopoulos
Journal: Ophthalmology (2015)
Efficacy and tolerability of methotrexate in severe childhood alopecia areata
Authors: M. Royer, C. Bodemer, P. Vabres, C. Pajot, S. Barbarot, C. Paul, J. Mazereeuw
Journal: British Journal of Dermatology (2011)

Alopecia areata (AA) occurring in childhood is associated with a poorer prognosis than adult AA and may severely affect quality of life. The efficacy of methotrexate (MTX) was reported in adults with AA but there is little information about its use in children.We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of MTX in severe childhood AA.We conducted a retrospective study including children with severe AA treated with MTX in the Departments of Paediatric Dermatology in France between November 2005 and December 2009.Fourteen children (eight girls and six boys) aged between 8 and 18 years (mean 14·7) were included. AA was present for a mean duration of 5·7 years (range 2 months-11 years 8 months). The treatment was administered once weekly, the mean maximal dose was 18·9 mg weekly (range 15-25) and the mean duration of treatment was 14·2 months (range 1-31). Thirteen children were assessable. Of these 13 children, MTX was considered as successful (regrowth >50% of hair) for five of them. The remaining eight children were considered treatment failures. No serious side-effects were reported.The efficacy of MTX in children with severe AA is variable. MTX may be considered for severe childhood AA in the absence of alternative effective treatments.