tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
A qualitative approach to understanding health-seeking behaviour in workers with occupational asthma symptoms
Authors: Gareth Walters, Andrew Soundy, Sherwood Burge, Jon Ayres
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2014)

Long delays from symptom onset to the diagnosis of occupational asthma have been reported in the UK and elsewhere, and workers are often reluctant to seek medical help or workplace solutions for their symptoms. Reducing diagnostic delay could result in avoidance of some of the societal costs of occupational asthma. We used a qualitative methodology to explore the health beliefs of workers with occupational asthma symptoms and identify barriers to diagnosis. 20 workers with occupational asthma (median age=52; 70% male; 80%White British) were identified through purposive sampling of referrals to a specialist unit, and undertook semi-structured interviews with the primary author. Four themes were identified through thematic analysis of transcribed data: (1) workers9 understanding of symptoms, (2) working relationships, (3) workers9 course of action, and (4) workers9 negotiation with healthcare professionals. Understanding varied between individuals, from a lack of insight into the onset, pattern and nature of symptoms, through to misunderstanding of what they represented, or ignorance of the existence of asthma as a disease entity. Workers described reluctance to discuss health issues with managers and peers, through fear of job loss and a perceived lack of ability to find a solution. The evolution of workers9 understanding depended upon how actively they looked to define symptoms or seek a solution. Proactive workers were motivated to seek authoritative help and negotiate inadequate healthcare encounters with GPs. Understanding workers9 motivation and beliefs will enable us to develop better health and workplace interventions for identifying occupational asthma.
Future Applications of Lasers in Surgery and Medicine: A Review
Authors: D H Sliney, M L Wolbarsht
Journal: Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine (1989)

The experimental use of lasers in surgery and medicine began only shortly after the development of the first working laser system. However, the development of practical, effective, and safe surgical lasers has been lengthy with many obstacles and delays. Today the laser is used for a wide variety of surgical operations. The fundamental limits and potential for future applications of lasers in surgery and medicine are discussed.
Mechanism of Induction of Ovarian Tumors in the Mouse by 7,12-Dimethylbenz[&lt;italic&gt;a&lt;/italic&gt;]anthracene. V. Effect of Metabolic Inhibitors&lt;xref ref-type="fn" rid="FN2"&gt;2&lt;/xref&gt;
Authors: J. W. Jull
Journal: JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute (1969)

Donor female (C3HeB/FeJ ♀ × NZY ♂)F1 mice were given intravenous injections of 100, 200, or 500 μg of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene dissolved in an oil emulsion. The ovaries were transplanted subcutaneously 10 minutes or 1 hour afterward into ovariecfomized females of the same strain. Incidences of granulosa-cell tumors between 10 and 40% were found in the grafts 22 weeks later. Those ovaries exposed to the lower concentrations retained some normal follicular and luteal differentiation. Treatment of the donor mice with actinomycin D, aflatoxin B1, cycloheximide, ethionine, or Metopirone did not influence the induction of ovarian tumors by the carcinogen.
Disaster Psychiatry: Readiness, Evaluation, and Treatmentedited by StoddardFrederick J.Jr., M.D., PandyaAnand, M.D., and KatzCraig L., M.D. Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Publishing, 2011, 418 pp., $69.00 (paper).
Authors: Linda Piwowarczyk
Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry (2012)
CagA, the<i>cag</i> pathogenicity island and<i>Helicobacter pylori</i>virulence
Authors: J C ATHERTON
Journal: Gut (1999)

See article on page 336 

Most people with stomachs colonised by Helicobacter pylori do not develop peptic ulceration, gastric adenocarcinoma or gastric lymphoma in their lifetime. Development of disease is likely to be determined by a combination of factors: the virulence of the infecting H pylori strain, the susceptibility of the host and environmental co-factors. The best studied of these disease determinants is strain virulence, and the two most studied virulence markers are expression of vacuolating cytotoxin activity and production of a non-toxigenic protein of unknown function called CagA.1 Colonisation with CagA+ strains of H pylori is easy to detect as CagA provokes a strong systemic antibody response in the human host. In Europe and the USA, more than 60% of those colonised by H pylori have antibodies to CagA: these people have more intense gastric inflammation than those colonised by CagA− H pylori alone and are more likely to develop peptic ulcers and distal gastric adenocarcinoma.1However, most people colonised by CagA+ strains do not develop these conditions and it may be more useful to regard CagA− strains as having reduced pathogenicity than to regard CagA+ strains as pathogenic. In Japan, where Maeda et al ’s study (see page 336) was conducted, not only is H pylori colonisation more prevalent than in the West, but also colonisation by CagA− strains is rare.2 …
Results of Tpex (Docetaxel, Cisplatin, Cetuximab) Regimen Use in First Line Patients with Recurrent/Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck (R/M Scchn) in a Single Institution
Authors: C. Even, B. Bobillot, L. Mayache-Badis, F.R. Ferrand, N. Lezghed, F. Bidault, A. Auperin, S. Temam, F. Janot, A. Schilf, J. Guigay
Journal: Annals of Oncology (2014)
Patterns of relapse in large-cell lymphoma patients with bulk disease: implications for the use of adjuvant radiation therapy.
Authors: M A Shipp, M M Klatt, B Yeap, M S Jochelson, P M Mauch, D S Rosenthal, A T Skarin, G P Canellos
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (1989)

In patients with large-cell lymphoma (LCL) treated with combination chemotherapy, the presence of bulk disease has consistently been associated with a poorer response rate and a shortened survival. The optimal therapy for patients with bulk disease (greater than or equal to 10 cm) will depend on whether treatment failures result from inadequate tumor eradication in prior bulk sites or from distant dissemination. To address this issue, we have evaluated patterns of relapse in patients with bulk disease who relapsed after achieving a complete remission with methotrexate, bleomycin, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and dexamethasone (M- or m-BACOD). Eighty-one II, III, or IV patients with disease greater than or equal to 10 cm were identified; 45 of the 81 patients achieved a confirmed complete response (CR) and are included in the analysis. The 45 complete responders included 21 patients with localized (stage II) disease and 24 patients with advanced (stage III/IV) disease. Six of the 21 stage II complete responders and three of the 24 stage II/IV complete responders also received adjuvant radiation therapy following completion of M- or m-BACOD. Only one of the 21 patients with stage II disease relapsed, doing so in the site of prior bulk involvement. In contrast, nine of 24 patients with stage III/IV disease relapsed, although no patient failed solely in the site of prior bulk disease. Stage III/IV patients recurred in either a new site (one patient), a new and old site (five), an old non-bulk site (two), or both old non-bulk and bulk sites (one). These results indicate that advanced-stage bulk-disease patients do not consistently relapse in sites of prior bulk disease; therefore, this group of patients is unlikely to benefit from adjuvant radiation therapy administered following completion of combination chemotherapy. Although the low relapse rate and the addition of adjuvant radiation therapy in a subgroup of the stage II bulk-disease patients precludes a definitive analysis, our results further suggest that these patients may be effectively treated with combination chemotherapy alone.
Respiratory muscle activation and action during cough
Authors: Antonella LoMauro, Andrea Aliverti
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2013)

Cough is a defensive airway reflex consisting of a modified respiratory act which involves the sequential activation of several laryngeal and respiratory muscles. The contraction of the latter results in thoraco-abdominal volume variations in order to provide enough amount of air available, the operating volume (OV), to be expelled. We hypothesized that posture and OV could influence muscular activation and thoraco-abdominal displacements during voluntary cough. In 10 healthy subjects, we measured the surface electromyography (sEMG) activity of 7 muscles (scalene, sternocleidomastoid, parasternal, intercostal, diaphragm, external abdominal oblique and rectus abdominis) in supine and seated position during cough maneuvers performed at 4 different operating volumes measured by opto-electronic plethismography: TLC, FRC and two volumes between TLC and FRC. The amplitude of sEMG signals resulted maximal at TLC (p 0.05) and by the other OV. Thoraco-abdominal volume variations during cough were unaffected by posture and OV as well, being predominantly thoracic (see figure in which only two representative muscles are shown for simplicity).  Our results suggest that voluntary cough motor mechanism activates a synergetic antagonistic contraction of inspiratory and expiratory muscles leading to a specific thoraco-abdominal pattern, in which the rib cage is the predominant compartment.
Abstract 3119: Long-term Safety of Cilostazol in Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease
Authors: William R Hiatt, Eric P Brass, Sam Money
Journal: Circulation (2007)

Cilostazol, a phosphodiesterase III inhibitor, is indicated to treat the symptoms of claudication in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). At the time of approval the FDA required an additional long-term safety study to evaluate cilostazol’s effect on mortality. Subjects (n=1899) with a clinical diagnosis of PAD and symptoms of claudication were screened for a randomized, double blinded, placebo-controlled safety study of cilostazol. The modified intent-to-treat (mITT) population (n=1435) included all randomized patients who received at least one dose of study medication and includes follow up of more than 30 days after discontinuation of study drug. A total of 717 patients received cilostazol and 718 received placebo. Cilostazol was administered at a primary dose of 100 mg twice daily. Long-term adherence to study medication was poor with over 60% of participants discontinuing therapy by 36 months. Therefore the mortality analysis focused on deaths during the period on-treatment defined as the period during which study drug was taken plus a 30-day post-dosing follow up period. Total patient-years exposure on-treatment for cilostazol was 1046 and on placebo was 1090. On-treatment there were 18 deaths on cilostazol and 19 deaths on placebo for a hazard ratio of 0.99 (95% confidence interval 0.52 to 1.88). Cardiovascular deaths on-treatment occurred in 14 patients on cilostazol and 14 on placebo. In the full mITT population at 36 months, there were 101 deaths, 49 on cilostazol and 52 on placebo with hazard ratio of 0.94 (0.64 –1.39). Thus most deaths occurred more than 30 days after study drug discontinuation. Serious bleeding events affected 18 patients on cilostazol and 22 on placebo in the on-treatment population. Bleeding events were similar in patients also taking aspirin, aspirin plus clopidogrel or anticoagulants over the course of the study. This long-term study demonstrated no safety signal for cilostazol on all cause or cardiovascular mortality. However the study was under-powered to detect a small adverse impact of cilostazol on mortality (hazard ratio upper bound of the 95% confidence interval 1.88 in the on-treatment population). Serious bleeding events appeared not to be increased by cilostazol.
Bronchoscopic local anaesthetic vocal cord biopsy: Our experience
Authors: Marianne Tinkler, Christopher Foxton, Justin Pepperell, Edward Chisholm, Stuart Wells
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2013)

Vocal cord(VC) lesions can warrant biopsy with general anaesthesia(GA) rigid laryngoscopy. GA is not suitable for all patients. Biopsy can be performed with trans-nasal flexible laryngo-oesophagoscopy(TNFLO) however availability is limited in UK

We report our experience of 4 patients not suitable for GA with hoarseness & VC abnormality

Experienced respiratory physician performed bronchoscopy in usual fashion with light sedation & local anaesthesia.

5.5mm video bronchoscope, (Pentax EB-1570k,USA) is inserted through nasal or oral route. Airways are examined to ensure no abnormality. Lesion identified & 1.9mm biopsy forceps inserted via working channel. Biopsies are taken from the lesion edge, including a piece of adjacent healthy tissue, avoiding medial cord edge. 48 hour voice rest advised. No complications resulted

![Figure][1] 



View this table:

Cases of bronchoscopic VC biopsy





Bronchoscopic VC biopsy is an alternative for those not suitable for GA where TNFLO unavailable.

 [1]: pending:yes
Survival rates with head and neck cancers vary widely, audit finds
Authors: Susan Mayor
Journal: BMJ (2015)

Death rates and quality of care among people with head and neck cancers vary widely across England and Wales, figures from the latest National Head and Neck Cancer Audit have shown.1

The audit looked at key outcomes, treatment, and quality of care among all 8429 patients in England and Wales with head and neck primary cancer diagnosed from 1 November 2013 to 31 October 2014.

Crude one year mortality rates of head and neck cancers ranged from 7.4% to 15.4% in different cancer networks and strategic …
Rapid in vitro assay for predicting response to fluorouracil in patients with metastatic breast cancer.
Authors: R M Elledge, G M Clark, J Hon, M Thant, R Belt, Y P Maguire, J Brown, P Bartels, D D Von Hoff
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (1995)

PURPOSE To determine if a rapid 3H-uridine uptake assay using breast tumor cells from biopsy specimens could predict clinical response to fluorouracil (5FU) in patients with metastatic breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS A double-blind prospective study was conducted of 60 patients with measurable, metastatic breast cancer who had failed to respond to at least one prior chemotherapy regimen. Patients received 5FU 300 mg/m2/d by continuous infusion and were monitored for response. Tumor cells from biopsy specimens were grown in microwells and exposed for 3 days to 0.1, 1.0, 10.0, and 100.00 micrograms/mL of 5FU on strips coated with drug and extracellular matrix. Cells were pulsed with 3H-uridine overnight. Incorporated radioactivity was compared for wells with and without drug. Results were available 4 days from specimen submission. RESULTS Of 45 eligible patients, 11 (24%) were not assessable in vitro. Nine patients were assessable in vitro, but not clinically. Of the remaining 25 patients, who were assessable both clinically and in vitro, there was one complete response (CR), five partial responses (PRs), five cases of stable disease, and 14 cases of progressive disease, for an objective response rate of 24%. Response in vitro was significantly correlated with clinical response (P = .002). Of six clinical responders, five also responded in vitro, for an assay sensitivity of 83%. Of 19 nonresponders, 17 were nonresponders in vitro, for a specificity of 89%. The positive predictive value of the test was 71% (five of seven), and the negative predictive value was 94% (17 of 18). CONCLUSION Results of an in vitro assay were significantly correlated with clinical response in patients with metastatic breast cancer treated with continuous infusion 5FU.
The Smad3/Smad4/CDK9 complex promotes renal fibrosis in mice with unilateral ureteral obstruction
Authors: Xinli Qu, Mengjie Jiang, Yu Bo Yang Sun, Xiaoyun Jiang, Ping Fu, Yi Ren, Die Wang, Lie Dai, Georgina Caruana, John F. Bertram, David J. Nikolic-Paterson, Jinhua Li
Journal: Kidney International (2015)
Eye versus skin phototherapy of seasonal affective disorder
Authors: T A Wehr, R G Skwerer, F M Jacobsen, D A Sack, N E Rosenthal
Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry (1987)

In winter, depressed patients with seasonal affective disorder respond to treatment with bright artificial light (phototherapy). The authors found that the antidepressant effects of phototherapy were much greater for 10 patients when light was applied to the eyes than when it was applied to the skin, suggesting that its effects may be mediated by the eyes. The identification of a probable anatomical route of entry is clinically relevant and an important clue for further investigations of the mechanism of phototherapy. However, patients' expectations nearly always predicted the outcome, leaving open the possibility that expectations were responsible for their responses.
Late-breaking abstract: Cytoreduction surgery and hypertermic intraoperative intrapleural chemotherapy for malignant pleural diseases: Initial experience
Authors: marcello migliore, damiano Calvo, alessandra Criscione, cristina Viola, mariapia Gangemi, francesco Borrata, Hector Soto Parra, Nicola Ciancio, Giuseppe Privitera, Corrado Spatola, Giuseppe Di Maria
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2014)

Introduction: Hyperthermic-intraoperative-intrapleural-chemotherapy has been reported as a promising approach for malignant-pleural-mesothelioma. To clarify the role of cytoreductive surgery for malignant pleural diseases followed by HIOC a prospective study was initiated.

Method: criteria of inclusion were good performance status, disease confined within the chest in stage-IV-lung-cancer. CT/PET-scan was always performed. A VATS-approach was used. All macroscopic disease was removed except over the SVC. Following operation cisplatin was administred for 60 min at the dose of 100mg/m2 at the temperature of 42.5 C.

Results: 8 patients, mean age 63.7 yo (54-78). Three patients with MPM were right sided TNM staging in MPM was II-III. Postoperative blood transfusion was necessary in 2 pts. One patient died at 6-months.

View this table:

Demographic data, type of surgery, survival





Mean-Hospital-stay was 8 days. Mean survival was 12.9 m.

Conclusion: our initial experience shows that cytoreduction and HIOC seems to be a feasible surgical method in the multimodality treatment of for malignant pleural disease.
Identification on a Human Sarcoma of Two New Genes with Tumor-specific Expression
Authors: Martelange, Charles De Smet, Etienne De Plaen, C. Lurquin, Thierry Boon
Journal: Cancer Research (2000)

Genes MAGE, BAGE, GAGE, and LAGE-1/NY-ESO-1 code for antigens that are recognized on melanoma cells by autologous CTLs. Because the pattern of expression of these genes results in the presence of antigens on many tumors of various histological types and not on normal tissues, these antigens qualify for cancer immunotherapy. To identify new genes with tumor-specific expression, we applied a cDNA subtraction approach, ie., representational difference analysis, to a human sarcoma cell line. We obtained two cDNA clones that appeared to be tumor specific. The corresponding genes were named SAGE and HAGE because they have the same pattern of expression as genes of the MAGE family. SAGE encodes a putative protein of 904 amino acids and shows no homology to any recorded gene. Like the MAGE-A genes, it is located in the q28 region of chromosome X. Expression of gene SAGE was observed mainly in bladder carcinoma, lung carcinoma, and head and neck carcinoma but not in normal tissues, with the exception of testis. Gene HAGE, which is located on chromosome 6, encodes a putative protein of 648 amino acids. This protein is a new member of the DEAD-box family of ATP-dependent RNA helicases. Gene HAGE is expressed in many tumors of various histological types at a level that is 100-fold higher than the level observed in normal tissues except testis. Because of this tumor-specific expression, genes SAGE and HAGE ought to encode antigens that could be useful for antitumoral therapeutic vaccination.
Air Contamination with Nitric Oxide
Authors: ANNIE THERMINARIAS, PATRICE FLORE, ANNE FAVRE-JUVIN, MARIE-FRANÇOISE ODDOU, MICHÈLE DELAIRE, FRANCIS GRIMBERT
Journal: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (1998)

This study examines the response of exhaled nitric oxide (NO) concentration (ECno) and quantity of exhaled NO over time (EVno) in 10 healthy subjects breathing into five polyethylene bags, one in which synthetic air was free of NO and four in which NO was diluted to concentrations of 20 ± 0.6, 49 ± 0.8, 98 ± 2, and 148 ± 2 ppb, respectively. Each subject was connected to each bag for 10 min at random. Minute ventilation and ECno were measured continuously, and EVno was calculated continuously. ECno and EVno values were significantly higher for an inhaled NO concentration of 20 ppb than for NO-free air. Above 20 ppb, ECno and EVno increased linearly with inhaled NO concentration. It is reasonable to assume that a share of the quantity of inspired NO over time (InspVno) because of air contamination by pollution is rejected by the ventilatory pathway. Insofar as InspVno does not affect endogenous production or the metabolic fate of NO in the airway, this share may be estimated as being approximately one third of InspVno, the remainder being taken by the endogenous pathway. Thus, air contamination by the NO resulting from pollution greatly increases the NO response in exhaled air.
Clinical value of lung clearance index (LCI) among patients with cystic fibrosis
Authors: Elpis Hatziagorou, Vasiliki Avramidou, Asterios Kampouras, Fotis Kirvasillis, John Tsanakas
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2014)

Background: 

The lung clearance index (LCI) is a promising endpoint for use in cystic fibrosis (CF) clinical trials, but correlations with validated clinical endpoints have not yet been established.

Objective: 

To assess the ability of LCI to predict a positive sputum culture and a pulmonary exacerbation among patients with CF.

Method: 

LCI, forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), sputum cultures and pulmonary exacerbations (PE) over a three-year period were prospectively recorded in 62 patients aged 5–25 years. Over the three- year period 622 measurements of LCI were recorded. Baseline LCI was assessed and was correlated with a positive sputum culture and a pulmonary exacerbation. The ability of LCI to assess a pulmonary exacerbation was assessed.

Results: 

Mean age of the study population was 9.9 years, mean baseline FEV1 was 97.8% predicted (±19), while mean LCI was 9.6 (±2.9). Patients with negative sputum cultures had significantly lower mean LCI than patients with pseudomonas aeruginosa (N=199), (ΔLCI=-2.37, p<0.001), lower LCI than patients with stenotrophomonas maltophilia (n=26), (ΔLCI=-1.45, p=0.117) and comparable mean LCI to patients with staphylococcus aureus (n=141), (ΔLCI=-0.35, p=1).

Mean LCI measured among patients being on exacerbation was significantly higher than mean baseline LCI (mean LCI= 11.13 and 9.6, respectively, p=0.013). A mean difference of 2.8 from baseline LCI was found to predict pulmonary exacerbation among the patient population (p<0.001).

Conclusions: Lung clearance index is a valuable marker to evaluate longitudinally lung disease among patients with CF.
A Modified Crossed Radioimmunoelectrophoretic Method for Determination of Allergen‐Specific IgG Antibodies
Authors: Ib Søndergaard, René Djurup, Bent Weeke
Journal: Allergy (1984)

A crossed radioimmunoelectrophoretic (CRIE) method for detection of specific IgG antibodies in patients' sera against horse hair and dander was developed. The unacceptably high non-specific binding encountered when substituting 125I-labelled antihuman IgG for 125I-labelled antihuman IgE in an ordinary CRIE was eliminated by the combined use of 125I-labelled Protein A as detector, and F(ab')2-fragments of the allergen-specific rabbit antibodies. The low background binding thus obtained makes the method useful for detection of specific IgG in sera where the ratio between specific and non-specific IgG is low. Therefore the method should also be applicable to other antigen/allergen systems.