tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Effects of Proximate Foreclosed Properties on Individuals’ Systolic Blood Pressure in Massachusetts, 1987 to 2008
Authors: Mariana Arcaya, M. Maria Glymour, Prabal Chakrabarti, Nicholas A. Christakis, Ichiro Kawachi, S.V. Subramanian
Journal: Circulation (2014)

Background— No studies have examined the effects of local foreclosure activity on neighbors’ blood pressure, despite the fact that spillover effects of nearby foreclosures include many known risk factors for increased blood pressure. We assessed the extent to which living near foreclosed properties is associated with subsequent systolic blood pressure (SBP) measurements. Methods and Results— We used 6590 geocoded observations collected from 1740 participants in the Framingham Offspring Cohort across 5 waves (1987–2008) of the Framingham Heart Study to create a longitudinal record of exposure to nearby foreclosure activity. We distinguished between real estate–owned foreclosures, which typically sit vacant, and foreclosures purchased by third-party buyers, which are generally put into productive use. Counts of lender-owned foreclosed properties within 100 m of participants’ homes were used to predict measured SBP and odds of being hypertensive. We assessed whether self-reported alcoholic drinks per week and measured body mass index helped to explain the relationship between foreclosure activity and SBP. Each additional real estate–owned foreclosure located within 100 m of a participant’s home was associated with an increase in SBP of 1.71 mm Hg ( P =0.03; 95% confidence interval, 0.18–3.24) after adjustment for individual- and area-level confounders but not with odds of hypertension. The presence of foreclosures purchased by third-party buyers was not associated with SBP or with hypertension. Body mass index and alcohol consumption attenuated the effect of living near real estate–owned foreclosures on SBP in fully adjusted models. Conclusions— Real estate–owned foreclosed properties may put nearby neighbors at risk for increased SBP, with higher alcohol consumption and body mass index partially mediating this relationship.
MODIFICATION OF TURNBUCKLE JOINT FOR TREATMENT OF SCOLIOSIS: SUGGESTION AS TO MANAGEMENT
Authors: Charles N. Pease
Journal: JAMA (1926)

In 1924, Lovett and Brewster<sup>1</sup>published a series of articles on the treatment of scoliosis with a turnbuckle jacket. Briefly, their principle is the application of pressure on the curved part of the spine and counterpressure on the spine above and below the apex, thus correcting lateralization and, at the same time, rotation of the spinal column. This is obtained by a jacket made from a corrected plaster torso of the patient. It is divided transversely at the level of the apex of the lateral curve, at which point a hinge is fastened. Opposite this is placed the turnbuckle and lock, which are used to separate the segments and to hold them in position, respectively. The correction obtained with this type of jacket is exceptionally good. The question is whether or not the new position can be maintained after its removal. It cannot, unless the musculature of the trunk
Correction: The Cause of Kawasaki Disease
Authors: Stanford T. Shulman
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1990)

Letters and Corrections15 June 1990Correction: The Cause of Kawasaki DiseaseStanford T. Shulman, MD, Anne H. Rowley, MDStanford T. Shulman, MD, Anne H. Rowley, MDAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-112-12-967_1 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptTo the Editor:The otherwise excellent review article by Berkman and colleagues (1) on the uses of intravenous gammaglobulin contains an astonishing misstatement regarding Kawasaki disease that is attributed to us. The authors state, "Some data suggest that Kawasaki disease is caused by a retrovirus that may be associated with ticks." The authors have apparently confused two distinct hypotheses regarding the cause of this most interesting disorder: the retroviral hypothesis (2) and the carpet shampoo-house dust mite hypothesis (3). Not even preliminary data have supported the possibility of a tick-borne agent. More recent studies have failed to confirm a retroviral...References1. Berkman S, Lee M, and Gale R. Clinical uses of intravenous immunoglobulins. Ann Intern Med. 1990;112:278-91. LinkGoogle Scholar2. Shulman S and Rowley A. Does Kawasaki disease have a retroviral etiology? Lancet. 1986;2:545-6. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Patriarca P, Rogers M, and Morens D. Kawasaki syndrome: association with the application of rug shampoo. Lancet. 1982;2:578-80. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Rowley A, Levy J, and Castro B. Failure to confirm the presence of a retrovirus in cultured lymphocytes from patients with Kawasaki syndrome. Proceedings of the Third International Kawasaki Disease Symposium. Tokyo; 1989:63. Google Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Stanford T. Shulman, MD; Anne H. Rowley, MDAffiliations: The Children's Memorial Hospital Chicago, IL 60614 PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics 15 June 1990Volume 112, Issue 12Page: 967-967KeywordsDustKawasaki diseaseMitesRetrovirusesTicks ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 15 June 1990 PDF downloadLoading ...
Managing patients with lung cancer
Authors: P. Simmonds
Journal: BMJ (1999)

Lung cancer is the commonest cancer in the United Kingdom and also the commonest cause of death from cancer, with around 37 000 deaths each year.1 Despite this, it remains the Cinderella of common solid tumours, and because most patients are elderly and eventually succumb to the disease the management of patients is often afflicted by an unjustified sense of therapeutic nihilism. Both within and between countries there is greater variation in clinical practice and outcomes for patients with lung cancer than can be justified by factors such as case mix alone,2 3 suggesting that clinicians use different information to inform treatment decisions. Evidence based clinical practice guidelines such as those recently published by the Royal College of Radiologists' clinical oncology information network (COIN) for the non-surgical management of lung cancer,4 and similar guidelines produced by other organisations,5 6 should help clinicians make better decisions, thereby reducing inappropriate variation and improving patient care.

The COIN guidelines identify the most important clinical questions in the management of patients with lung cancer and make recommendations about these as well as the process of patient care. They are not prescriptive, but should guide clinicians in making relevant interventions. The strength of the evidence for the effectiveness of given interventions is summarised, making the rationale behind recommendations understandable. The guidelines identify those patients who are most likely to benefit from a particular intervention and indicate where …
The aminopyrine breath test predicts the outcome of hepatic transplantation in pigs
Authors: Christian D. H. Oakland, Rosemary Hickman, John Terblanche
Journal: Hepatology (1989)

The aminopyrine breath test has been performed on Day 1 and Day 7 in pigs following experimental liver allografting. The results show that at 24 hr after surgery there was a significant reduction in liver function in all animals as measured by the elimination rate constant of 14 CO 2 in the breath. This was very profound in the group that died within 5 days (0.09 ± 0.01 hr −1 ) and was significantly different from the group that survived (0.16 ± 0.01 hr −1 ). There appears to be a critical value of the elimination rate constant ( = 0.12 hr −1 ) which predicts death within 5 days. These results would justify a trial of the aminopyrine breath test in patients after liver transplantation.
How inflammation signals heart trouble
Authors: Hema Bashyam
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (2007)

Liver-secreted inflammatory proteins and thickened arteries are two harbingers of heart disease. Luchtefeld et al. (page 1935) now find a cause-and-effect link between these risk factors. Their study shows that the pathway to inflammation amplifies plaque build-up in the arteries.






Figure 1

The accumulation of macrophages (red) in arterial plaques (top) is reduced by inactivating the IL-6 receptor gp130 (bottom).




Plaques are a consequence of high dietary cholesterol, which gloms onto arterial walls. Macrophages ingest the fat, die, and further harden the area into plaque. This condition, known as atherosclerosis, is associated with high levels of inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-6. Liver cells activated by these cytokines release “acute phase” proteins (APPs), which are markers of heart disease.

When released during an immune response, however, APPs have an immediate benefit. They trigger the complement cascade and recruit macrophages to the inflamed areas. These events help clean up infection and injury—situations that require a strong, swift response. But APPs can cause a lot of damage if they are perpetually present, as seen in patients suffering from arthritis or lupus. These chronically inflamed individuals also suffer from atherosclerosis and are at high risk for heart failure.

Luchtefeld and colleagues now reveal the mechanism that links chronic inflammation to heart disease: APPs seem to amplify plaques by attracting macrophages. The team inactivated the IL-6 receptor, gp130, in mice that are genetically predisposed to atherosclerosis. The mice thus had fewer APPs. Even on a high cholesterol diet, these animals had smaller plaques that contained fewer macrophages. Normally, cells in the plaque lure more macrophages by secreting the chemokine CCL2. But without APPs, this chemokine was not produced.

The continuous triggering of gp130 might also worsen cardiac health in humans. The authors tracked genetic variations in the human gp130 homologue IL-6ST in families with a history of heart disease. They found that individuals who had developed coronary plaques carried the same IL-6ST allele. Screening for IL-6ST polymorphisms might thus allow for the early identification of those who are predisposed to coronary artery disease.
Severity of Lymphocytic Bronchiolitis Predicts Long-Term Outcome after Lung Transplantation
Authors: Allan R. Glanville, Christina L. Aboyoun, Adrian Havryk, Marshall Plit, Steven Rainer, Monique A. Malouf
Journal: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (2008)

Severe and recurrent acute vascular rejection of the pulmonary allograft is an accepted major risk factor for obliterative bronchiolitis.We assessed the role of lymphocytic bronchiolitis as a risk factor for bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) and death after lung transplantation.Retrospective analysis of 341 90-day survivors of lung transplant performed in 1995-2005 who underwent 1,770 transbronchial lung biopsy procedures.Transbronchial biopsies showed grade B0 (normal) (n = 501), B1 (minimal) (n = 762), B2 (mild) (n = 176), B3 (moderate) (n = 70), B4 (severe) (n = 4) lymphocytic bronchiolitis, and Bx (no bronchiolar tissue) (n = 75). A total of 182 transbronchial biopsies were ungraded (8 inadequate, 142 cytomegalovirus, 32 other diagnoses). Lung transplant recipients were grouped by highest B grade before diagnosis of BOS: B0 (n = 12), B1 (n = 166), B2 (n = 89), and B3-B4 (n = 51). Twenty-three were unclassifiable. Cumulative incidence of BOS and death were dependent on highest B grade (Kaplan-Meier, P < 0.001, log-rank). Multivariable Cox proportional hazards analysis showed significant risks for BOS were highest B grade (relative risk [RR], 1.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.31-2.00) (P < 0.001), longer ischemic time (RR, 1.00; CI, 1.00-1.00) (P < 0.05), and recent year of transplant (RR, 0.93; CI, 0.87-1.00) (P < 0.05), whereas risks for death were BOS as a time-dependent covariable (RR, 19.10; CI, 11.07-32.96) (P < 0.001) and highest B grade (RR, 1.36; CI, 1.07-1.72) (P < 0.05). Acute vascular rejection was not a significant risk factor in either model.Severity of lymphocytic bronchiolitis is associated with increased risk of BOS and death after lung transplantation independent of acute vascular rejection.
Postmenopausal Estrogen Therapy
Authors: E. VICTOR ADLIN
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1979)

Editorial Notes1 September 1979Postmenopausal Estrogen TherapyE. VICTOR ADLIN, M.D.E. VICTOR ADLIN, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-91-3-488 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptEstrogen use in postmenopausal women began to decline 5 years ago, even before the proliferation of reports indicating an association with endometrial cancer. Does this trend accurately reflect the balance of therapeutic benefits and adverse effects? The value and potential risks of hormone treatment were discussed at a symposium, Estrogen Therapy in Clinical Medicine, at the 61st Annual Meeting of the Endocrine Society, 13 to 15 June 1979, at Anaheim, California.Proven benefits of estrogen administration after menopause are twofold: relief of symptoms caused by inadequate circulating estrogen, and diminution of the degree of bone loss that occurs commonly in... This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Temple University School of Medicine Philadelphia, Pennsylvania PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byAdverse reactions and their mechanisms from nimesulide 1 September 1979Volume 91, Issue 3Page: 488-489KeywordsBone resorptionEndocrine therapyEstrogensHormonesMenopause Issue Published: 1 September 1979 PDF downloadLoading ...
Effect of Nitroglycerin Ointment on Bone Density and Strength in Postmenopausal Women
Authors: Sophie A. Jamal, Celeste J. Hamilton, Richard Eastell, Steven R. Cummings
Journal: JAMA (2011)

Nitroglycerin stimulates bone formation and inhibits bone resorption, is inexpensive, and is widely available. Its effects on bone density, bone structure, and bone strength are unknown.To determine if nitroglycerin increases lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD) and to evaluate changes in hip BMD, bone geometry, and density at the radius and tibia, and markers of bone turnover.A single-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial conducted in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, for 24 months starting in November 2005 and completed in March 2010, of 243 postmenopausal women with lumbar spine T scores of between 0 and -2.0 who completed a 1-week run-in period taking nitroglycerin ointment. Intervention Nitroglycerin ointment (15 mg/d) or placebo applied at bedtime for 24 months.Areal BMD at the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and total hip. Secondary outcomes included indices of bone geometry and strength at the distal radius and tibia, and biomarkers of bone formation (bone-specific alkaline phosphatase) and bone resorption (urine N -telopeptide).At 2 years, women randomized to the nitroglycerin group had significant increases in areal BMD at the lumbar spine (from 1.05 to 1.14 g/cm(2) vs placebo from 1.06 to 1.08 g/cm(2); percentage change, 6.7%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 5.2%-8.2%; P < .001); total hip (from 0.92 to 0.97 g/cm(2) vs placebo from 0.93 to 0.92 g/cm(2); 6.2%; 95% CI, 5.6%-7.0%; P < .001); and femoral neck (from 0.88 to 0.93 g/cm(2) vs placebo from 0.87 to 0.86 g/cm(2); 7.0%; 95% CI, 5.5%-8.5%; P < .001). At 2 years, nitroglycerin also increased volumetric trabecular BMD (11.9% and 8.5%), cortical thickness (13.9% and 24.6%), periosteal circumference (7.4% and 2.9%), polar section modulus (10.7% and 9.8%), and polar moment of inertia (7.3% and 14.5%) at the radius and tibia, respectively (all P < .001); and increased bone-specific alkaline phosphatase by 34.8% and decreased urine N -telopeptide by 54.0% (P < .001). Incidence of serious adverse events did not differ between nitroglycerin (5 [4.2%]) and placebo (5 [4.3%]) groups. Among those women who continued treatment for 24 months, headaches were reported by 40 (35%) in nitroglycerin and 6 (5.4%) in placebo groups during the first month, decreasing substantially after 12 months.Among postmenopausal women, nitroglycerin ointment modestly increased BMD and decreased bone resorption.isrctn.org Identifier: ISRCTN94484747.
Modeling the Effects of Weather and Climate Change on Malaria Transmission
Authors: Paul Edward Parham, Edwin Michael
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (2009)

In recent years, the impact of climate change on human health has attracted considerable attention; the effects on malaria have been of particular interest because of its disease burden and its transmission sensitivity to environmental conditions.We investigated and illustrated the role that dynamic process-based mathematical models can play in providing strategic insights into the effects of climate change on malaria transmission.We evaluated a relatively simple model that permitted valuable and novel insights into the simultaneous effects of rainfall and temperature on mosquito population dynamics, malaria invasion, persistence and local seasonal extinction, and the impact of seasonality on transmission. We illustrated how large-scale climate simulations and infectious disease systems may be modeled and analyzed and how these methods may be applied to predicting changes in the basic reproduction number of malaria across Tanzania.We found extinction to be more strongly dependent on rainfall than on temperature and identified a temperature window of around 32-33 degrees C where endemic transmission and the rate of spread in disease-free regions is optimized. This window was the same for Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax, but mosquito density played a stronger role in driving the rate of malaria spread than did the Plasmodium species. The results improved our understanding of how temperature shifts affect the global distribution of at-risk regions, as well as how rapidly malaria outbreaks take off within vulnerable populations.Disease emergence, extinction, and transmission all depend strongly on climate. Mathematical models offer powerful tools for understanding geographic shifts in incidence as climate changes. Nonlinear dependences of transmission on climate necessitates consideration of both changing climate trends and variability across time scales of interest.
Landmarks in Hepatology: A postscript
Authors: Adrian Reuben
Journal: Hepatology (2006)

After 5 years of writing dozens of Landmarks in Hepatology, it is only natural to reflect on the venture. Perhaps a useful way to think about the passage of time and the achievement of goals is to liken the view of them to that seen through one end or the other of binoculars or a telescope. It's all a matter of perspective. Looking forward to the prospect of writing a frequent regular fact-based essay over 5 years is rather like looking through the telescope in the usual way. Everything is magnified out of proportion into a formidable mountain. Looking back, now, is rather like seeing the task through the opposite end of the spyglass. It really does not appear so insurmountable after all. The telescope analogy appears to break down, however, in the early hours of the morning — and there were many of these — when the struggle to complete a current offering seems insuperable. Yet even then the realization that one has been here before and succeeded, gives the motivation and stimulus to press on. I am grateful to our outgoing, and outgoing, noble editor, Andy Blei, for the risk he took in giving me the opportunity to try my hand at this task, and to Roberto Groszmann, who beguiled him into thinking that the risk was worth taking in the first place. This labor was only possible because of Andy's indulgence in allowing me to free-associate and combine my enthrallment with Hepatology with a fascination for language, humor, history, biography, ethics, literature, and the arts. There still are many landmarks that have not been covered, which perhaps can be added when the collection of articles are canonized in book form, some day soon. Writing Landmarks has also given a forum to some pet peeves about the practice of clinical hepatology, openly or by innuendo, such as the pointlessness of measuring blood ammonia levels, the linguistic ludicrousness of making a distinction between icterus and jaundice, and the unbridled use of incomprehensible acronyms in modern medical parlance. There are more peeves that are worthy of landmarks of their own, such as the coprophilic preoccupation that some physicians have with guaiac stool testing; the punitive insertion of a nasogastric tube to identify the source of gastrointestinal bleeding; and for the patient with ascites, the fondness some have for foisting furosemide when the sensible dispensing of spironolactone is superior, the undignified posturing required to demonstrate the "puddle" sign, and the inanity of eliciting a fluid wave with only two hands when the ascites is obvious even to the casual passerby. Hepatology is a burgeoning field, both clinically and scientifically, the future landmarks of which are sure to be found in the pages of HEPATOLOGY. It has been my honor to contribute, in a small way, to the lore and legend of it all.
Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase Signaling in the Heart Is Regulated by the Sarcolemmal Calcium Pump 4b
Authors: Delvac Oceandy, Elizabeth J. Cartwright, Michael Emerson, Sukhpal Prehar, Florence M. Baudoin, Min Zi, Nasser Alatwi, Luigi Venetucci, Kai Schuh, Judith C. Williams, Angel L. Armesilla, Ludwig Neyses
Journal: Circulation (2007)

Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) has recently been shown to be a major regulator of cardiac contractility. In a cellular system, we have previously shown that nNOS is regulated by the isoform 4b of plasma membrane calcium/calmodulin-dependent ATPase (PMCA4b) through direct interaction mediated by a PDZ domain (PSD 95, Drosophilia Discs large protein and Zona occludens-1) on nNOS and a cognate ligand on PMCA4b. It remains unknown, however, whether this interaction has physiological relevance in the heart in vivo.We generated 2 strains of transgenic mice overexpressing either human PMCA4b or PMCA ct120 in the heart. PMCA ct120 is a highly active mutant form of the pump that does not interact with or modulate nNOS function. Calcium was extruded normally from PMCA4b-overexpressing cardiomyocytes, but in vivo, overexpression of PMCA4b reduced the beta-adrenergic contractile response. This attenuated response was not observed in ct120 transgenic mice. Treatment with a specific nNOS inhibitor (N omega-propyl-L-arginine) reduced the beta-adrenergic response in wild-type and ct120 transgenic mice to levels comparable to those of PMCA4b transgenic animals. No differences in lusitropic response were observed in either transgenic strain compared with wild-type littermates.These data demonstrate the physiological relevance of the interaction between PMCA4b and nNOS and suggests its signaling role in the heart.