tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Vitamin E supplements in asthma * Authors' reply
Authors: G P Currie
Journal: Thorax (2005)

Pearson et al 1 have failed to tease out any additional benefit of vitamin E supplementation in patients with mild to moderate asthma. Before concluding that this is the case, it is relevant to highlight several points in their study.

It is notable that the authors failed to measure any surrogate marker of inflammation such as exhaled nitric oxide, sputum eosinophils, or airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) to an indirect bronchoconstrictor stimulus. Indeed, non-specific AHR to methacholine is only very tenuously linked to underlying endobronchial inflammation and tends to be related to changes in …
Epithelial Cell Cultures From Normal Glandular Tissue of Mice 2
Authors: R.B. Owens, CH. S. Smith, A.J. Hackett
Journal: JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute (1974)

Journal Article Epithelial Cell Cultures From Normal Glandular Tissue of Mice Get access R.B. Owens, R.B. Owens Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar CH. S. Smith, CH. S. Smith Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar A.J. Hackett A.J. Hackett 3Cell Culture Laboratory, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Calif. 94720. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Volume 53, Issue 1, July 1974, Pages 261–269, https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/53.1.261 Published: 01 July 1974 Article history Received: 04 February 1974 Accepted: 10 April 1974 Published: 01 July 1974
Does It Matter Who Provides Psychological Interventions for Medically Unexplained Symptoms? A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Heike Gerger, Michaela Hlavica, Jens Gaab, Thomas Munder, Jürgen Barth
Journal: Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics (2015)

&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Background:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; Patients with medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) are difficult to treat and cause high health-care costs. Psychological interventions might be a beneficial option for treating patients with MUS, but evidence is inconsistent. This meta-analysis compares the effectiveness of psychological interventions for MUS - delivered either by psychotherapists (PTs) or by general practitioners (GPs) - with that of usual care. &lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Method:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis on randomised controlled trials of psychological interventions for MUS. Physical symptoms were the primary outcome, and physical functioning and psychological symptoms were the secondary outcomes. We pooled between-group effect sizes (ESs) after the treatment and at the follow-up in random-effects meta-regressions and stratified meta-analyses. We repeated these analyses with the intervention provider, intervention dose, MUS severity and methodological quality as predictors of relative intervention effects. &lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Results:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; A total of 3,225 patients in 20 studies were analysed. After the treatment, small and significant ESs were found for all 3 outcome domains (ES range: 0.13-0.19, all p &lt; 0.05). Psychological interventions were more beneficial for physical symptoms when delivered by PTs than by GPs (p = 0.02). There was no difference between PTs and GPs in terms of physical functioning and psychological symptoms. &lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Conclusion:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; Psychological interventions are effective for patients with MUS, but the effects are small and most likely of short duration. Interventions that are delivered by PTs appear to have larger effects on unexplained physical symptoms than those delivered by GPs. Whether this superiority is due to a larger number of sessions of PT interventions remains unclear from our findings.
Late-breaking abstract: Variability of inspiratory resistance: A new test for the diagnosis of asthma
Authors: Alessandro Gobbi, Carlo Gulotta, Enrico Mellano, Bela Suki, Raffaele Dellaca
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2014)

Background. An increased day-by-day variability of airway obstruction is a characteristic feature of Asthma. It is currently assessed by PEF over 2 weeks, but its value as a diagnostic tool remains questionable.  Aim. To evaluate whether the variability of inspiratory resistance (Rinsp) measured by the Forced Oscillation Technique (FOT) and expressed as its standard deviation (SDRinsp) could reliably identify patients with Asthma.  Methods. 40 mild Asthmatics (PD20  Results. The AUC of SDRinsp grew with the number of FOT tests, reaching a plateau (95% CI) at 0.97 (0.95 – 0.99) when calculated on periods of 14 days. Further addition of data points did not increase it significantly (p>0.23). Results were confirmed when using the FOT data of the other 60 participants (p>0.05) while PEF variability provided an AUC=0.63 (0.47 – 0.79) lower than FOT (p  Conclusions. Increased SDRinsp is specific for Asthma and persists with time. Compared with PEF, it improved sensitivity and specificity, providing an objective and accurate test for the diagnosis of Asthma.
Duration of Graft Cold Ischemia Does Not Affect Outcomes in Pediatric Heart Transplant Recipients
Authors: Albertus M. Scheule, Grenith J. Zimmerman, Joyce K. Johnston, Anees J. Razzouk, Steven R. Gundry, Leonard L. Bailey
Journal: Circulation (2002)

Utilizing donor hearts with prolonged graft ischemia may extend the donor pool.The medical records of 363 infants and children, aged 1 day to 17 years, transplanted at Loma Linda University between November 1985 and March 2001, were retrospectively reviewed. Fourteen children received organs with prolonged ischemic times (>8 hours)(PIT) compared with 14 with short ischemic times (< or =90 minutes)(SIT). There were no significant differences when comparing donors for gender, age, weight, cause of death, or duration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Preoperative donor shortening fraction (%), as determined by echocardiography, was significantly higher in the SIT group (44.5 versus 36.5%; P=0.006). There were no significant differences between PIT and SIT recipients when comparing age at transplant, weight at transplant, waiting time, weight mismatch, postoperative days on ventilator, duration of inotropic support, and hospital stay. Cardiopulmonary bypass time was significantly longer in the PIT group (140.5 versus 80.5 minute; P=0.001). Median length of follow-up for both groups was approximately 5 years. Five grafts were lost in the PIT group; 7 were lost in the SIT group, with 1 early graft loss in each group. Significant posttransplant coronary artery disease was diagnosed in 2 recipients in each group (PIT: 80 and 42; SIT: 84 and 67 months posttransplant). There was no significant difference between groups in actuarial graft survival. Number of rejection episodes and hospital readmissions during the first posttransplantation year did not differ significantly between groups.Late outcomes were not adversely affected by donor hearts preserved by single dose cold crystalloid cardioplegia with greater than 8 hours of cold ischemia.
Routine Use of Platelet Components Prepared with Photochemical Treatment (INTERCEPT Platelets™): Impact on Clinical Outcomes and Resources.
Authors: Jean Claude Osselaer, Chantal Doyen, Natalie Messe, Maryse Van Hooydonk, Michele Jacquet, Anne Sonnet, Andre Bosly, Jocelyne Flament, Laurence Corash
Journal: Blood (2005)
Acute vasoreactivity testing with sildenafil vs nitric oxide in patients with PAH
Authors: Katrin Milger, Henning Tiede, Janine Felix, Friedrich Grimminger, Werner Seeger, Hossein Ghofrani
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2012)

Introduction: Vasoreactivity testing with inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) is recommended in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) because of therapeutical and prognostic implications. Sildenafil is a promising agent for acute vasoreactivity testing since it is more stable and easier to handle than iNO. But it is not known if the acute responses to sildenafil and NO are equal. Objectives: The aim of this study is to compare acute vasoreactivity in response to sildenafil vs iNO in patients with PAH. Methods: In this retrospective, open-label, and single-centre study we included all patients who were admitted to our adult pulmonary hypertension unit from 2002 to 2011, met the criteria for PAH, and underwent vasoreactivity testing with iNO and sildenafil. Results: 198 patients were included. 9.6% of the patients met the responder criteria (as defined by the current guidelines) for iNO and 11.6% for sildenafil. Intra-individually, the responses in mPAP and cardiac index (CI) after sildenafil and NO administration correlated (r mPAP = 0.516, p CI =0.521, p NO =2.40±0.69l/min/m 2 ; CI sildenafil =2.56±0.76l/min/m 2 ). Applying the current response criteria, the sensitivity to detect NO-responders by sildenafil vasoreactivity was 81.3%, the specificity was 94%, the positive predicitive value was 56%. Conclusions: In PAH patients the vasoreactive response to sildenafil is stronger than to iNO. The intra-individual vasoreactive responses to both drugs correlate. The sensitivity to detect NO-responders by using sildenafil for vasoreactivity testing was moderate, but the positive predictive value was low.
Integrin alpha E beta 7 expression on BAL CD4+, CD8+, and gamma delta T-cells in bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis in mouse
Authors: RK Braun, A Sterner-Kock, PJ Kilshaw, DA Ferrick, SN Giri
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (1996)

CD4, CD8, and gamma delta T-cells located in the epithelium express the integrin alpha E beta 7 that binds to E-cadherin on the epithelium. Gamma delta T-cells mediate specific cellular immune functions and can recognize damaged cells directly. It was, therefore, of interest to analyse the presence of gamma delta T-cells and the expression of alpha E beta 7 on gamma delta T-cells in the bleomycin (BLM) model of pulmonary fibrosis. Lung fibrosis was induced by a single intratracheal instillation of BLM (0.125 U.mouse-1), and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) T-cell subpopulations were examined at various time-points for the expression of the integrin alpha E beta 7 by flow cytometry. CD4+ T-cells accounted for about 40% of the lymphocytes, compared to about 10% of CD8+ T-cells and 10-14% gamma delta T-cells. Within the CD4+ T-cell population the proportion of alpha E beta 7+ cells decreased between Days 2 and 22 from 36 to 11%. The percentage of alpha E beta 7+ CD8+ T-cells increased at the same time from 4 to 68%. However, more than 80% of the gamma delta T-cells in BAL fluid expressed alpha E beta 7 at all time-points. The surface-expression of this integrin on gamma delta T-cells was 2-3 times higher than on CD4+ or CD8+ T-cells. This predominant expression of alpha E beta 7 on gamma delta T-cells suggests a role for these cells in the pathogenesis of bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis.
Microsatellite Instability Is an Independent Indicator of Recurrence in Sporadic Stage I-II Endometrial Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Silvia Fiumicino, Alfredo Ercoli, Gabriella Ferrandina, Patricia Hess, Giuseppina Raspaglio, Maurizio Genuardi, Valentina Rovella, Alfonso Bellacosa, Lucia Cicchillitti, Salvatore Mancuso, Margherita Bignami, Giovanni Scambia
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2001)

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to define the prognostic role of microsatellite status in 65 stage I-II primary sporadic endometrioid endometrial adenocarcinoma (EEA) patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Familiarity for neoplasia was ascertained in all patients on the basis of a questionnaire. Microsatellite status was assessed by matching normal and tumoral DNA probed for five dinucleotide repeats and one mononucleotide repeat marker. Microsatellite status was analyzed in relation to clinicopathologic characteristics of the patients and length of disease-free survival (DFS). RESULTS: Eleven tumors (17%) of 65 had instability at two or more loci and were considered as unstable or microsatellite instability (MI). Tumors with no instability or instability at one locus were classified as microsatellite stable (MS). The percentage of MI was significantly higher in poorly than in well to moderately differentiated tumors (50% v 9%; P = .003). The 5-year DFS rate of MI patients was 63% (95% confidence interval [CI], 35% to 91%) versus 96% (95% CI, 91% to 101%) of MS patients (P = .0004). In multivariate analysis, only the presence of MI, stage II of disease, and depth of myometrial invasion greater than 50% retained independent prognostic roles. CONCLUSION: The assessment of microsatellite status may provide useful information for preoperative prognostic characterization of stage I-II primary sporadic EEA patients in which more individualized treatment options can be attempted.
Unusual diagnosis of exercise induced dyspnea
Authors: Sarah Müller-Stöver, Daniela Nolkemper, Thomas Rösch, Rainer Odendahl, Frank Ahrens, Frank Riedel
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2013)

We report on a preterm (34 wk) with mild respiratory distress syndrome, who developed RSV bronchiolitis at 4 mo of age. Afterwards noisy breathing was observed and tracheomalacia was diagnosed clinically. In addition recurrent bronchitis occcured, followed by tachydyspnea, cough and stridor on exercise. Asthma was diagnosed in view of positive family history and sensitisation to inhaled allergens in the patient. Therapy with fluticasone/salmeterol showed no improvement. Because of flow limitations of the large airways on lung function he was transferred to our clinic at the age of 6 years.  Flexible bronchoscopy showed a comma-shaped narrowing in the upper sections of the trachea, a single-contrast esophagogram revealed a tumor compressing also the esophagus. A chest MRI suggested a tumor originating from the thymus, no evidence for a vascular malformation was found. CT was inconclusive, but showed thickened walls of the esophagus at upper thoracic aperture, also a second lumen was suspected. Endoscopy of the esophagus and endoscopic ultrasonography showed a flat foreign body, which had grown into the esophageal wall and had led to an inflammatory response with thickening of the wall. In two sessions, the endoscopic extraction was managed after beam therapy of the endoluminal ingrown tissue. The foreign body turned out to be a plastic closure.  This case shows an unusually long persistence of a foreign body in the esophagus without significant dysphagia and reveals the importance of endoscopic examinations in case of unclear symptoms.
More day surgery and generic prescribing could increase productivity, King’s Fund report says:
Authors: Rebecca Coombes
Journal: BMJ (2015)

Clinicians can do more to deliver better health outcomes at a lower cost, a King’s Fund report has concluded.

Better Value in the NHS ,1 published by the healthcare think tank on 7 July, flagged up examples of efficiency successes, such as increases in generic prescribing and day surgery, as well as reductions in prices paid to hospitals for services. But more needed to be done, said the …
Growth of newly diagnosed, untreated metastatic gastrinomas and predictors of growth patterns.
Authors: V E Sutliff, J L Doppman, F Gibril, D J Venzon, F Yu, J Serrano, R T Jensen
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (1997)

PURPOSE The growth pattern of untreated metastatic neuroendocrine tumors is unknown. This uncertainty contributes to the disagreement regarding timing and could effect evaluation of the efficacy of antitumor treatment. The purpose of this study was to determine the growth rate of untreated hepatic metastatic gastrinoma and to identify its predictors. PATIENTS AND METHODS Nineteen patients with histologically proven metastatic gastrinoma in the liver with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome were studied. Conventional imaging studies were performed initially and at 4- to 6-month intervals before any treatment. Metastases growth rates were calculated and correlated with laboratory and clinical parameters, as well as tumor extent on initial tumor assessment. RESULTS Twenty-six percent of patients (five of 19) demonstrated no growth over a mean follow-up time of 29 months, 32% (six of 19) had slow growth (1% to 50% increase in volume per month) over a 19-month period, and 42% (eight of 19) had rapid growth (&gt; 50% volume increase per month) over an 11-month period. In patients with rapid growth, 62% died; 0% of the no-growth or slow-growth group died. No clinical or laboratory parameter correlated with growth rate, except the rate increase in fasting serum gastrin and the presence of bilobar liver or bone metastases. The growth rate was highly predictive of death from tumor. CONCLUSION The growth rate of metastatic gastrinoma varies markedly in different patients and 26% demonstrate no growth. The growth rate needs to considered in the determination of when and in whom antitumor therapy is initiated, as well as in the assessment of response to tumoricidal therapies.
Bartter's Syndrome Associated with Severe Retinopathy and Presenting as Pseudohypoaldosteronism in a Newborn
Authors: Susan Eckhardt, M J Dillon, D B Grant
Journal: Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine (1995)

Various pathophysiological explanations for Bartter's syndrome have been put forward since the condition was first described in 1962 1 . It is currently thought that reduced reabsorbtion of sodium chloride in the distal tubule of the loop of Henle and the collecting ducts leads to secondary hyperkaluria and hypokalaemic metabolic alkalosis 2 . We describe a 9½-year-old boy with Bartter's syndrome and severe retinopathy whose features may be those of a previously unrecognized disorder.
The 1978 Italian Mental Health Law – a Personal Evaluation: A Review
Authors: G B Palermo
Journal: Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine (1991)

The author discusses the sociopsychiatric consequences of the 1978 Italian mental health law. He also reviews the international scientific ideas that led up to it. The sociopolitical psychiatric views of the late Franco Basaglia, pioneer of the change in the mental health system of the Italian Republic, are described. Statistical reports and critical analyses are reported. Objective data, based on the author's personal experience as a practising psychiatrist in Rome, Italy, from 1969 to 1987, are given.
Immunohistochemical assessment of individual tumor cells in lymph nodes of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer.
Authors: B Passlick, J R Izbicki, B Kubuschok, W Nathrath, O Thetter, U Pichlmeier, L Schweiberer, G Riethmüller, K Pantel
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (1994)

PURPOSE This prospective study was designed to evaluate the prognostic relevance and biologic characteristics of a minimal lymphatic tumor load in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS Frozen-tissue sections from 391 regional lymph nodes of 72 patients with completely resected NSCLCs, who were staged as free of metastases (pT1-3, pN0,M0,R0) by clinical tumor staging procedures and histopathologic examinations, were studied. For tumor-cell detection, we applied the alkaline phosphatase-antialkaline phosphatase (APAAP) immunostaining technique with monoclonal antibody Ber-Ep4 against two glycoproteins of 34 and 49 kd present of the surface and cytoplasm of epithelial cells. RESULTS Individual Ber-Ep4-positive cells were detected in 11 of 72 (15.2%) cancer patients, while positive staining was consistently absent in all sections from control nodes of 24 noncarcinoma patients. No correlation between a positive lymph node finding and either the size or differentiation grade of the primary tumor or the presence of micrometastatic tumor cells in bone marrow assessed by immunocytochemistry with antikeratin monoclonal antibody CK2 was observed. Following a median observation time of 26.0 months (range, 15 to 39), patients with lymph node micrometastases showed a significantly shorter disease-free survival duration than node-negative patients (log-rank test, P = .005). The independence of this prognostic significance was demonstrated by a multivariate analysis (Cox regression model, P = .005). CONCLUSION Our results provide evidence that the presence of single lung carcinoma cells in lymph nodes is an independent indicator of the disseminatory capacity of an individual primary tumor. Immunohistochemical assessment of micrometastases in lymph nodes is recommended for current tumor staging in NSCLC, as it might lead to better stratification of patients for adjuvant therapy.
T-reg cells levels in smoking and non-smoking patients with asthma
Authors: Evgeny Kulikov, Natalya Kirillova, Elena Kremer, Ivan Deev, Ludmila Ogorodova, Polina Selivanova, Olga Fedorova
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2012)

Background:  Tobacco smoking is associated with severity of asthma, response to basis therapy and control achievement. Cigarette smoke reduces the pool of T-regulatory cells in healthy smokers but the role of T-regs in the development of allergic diseases still unclear.  Objective:  To assess the level of CD4 + CD25high T-reg in healthy and asthmatic with different status of smoking.  Materials and Methods:  Were enrolled 55 patients with asthma: mild asthma n=14, (34,5 (32,0:40,0) years), mean FEV1=100,9 (94,3:111,5)%, moderate asthma (n=20), (54,5 (50,5:60,5) years), FEV1=80,24 (72,4:89,5)%, severe asthma (n=21), (45,0 (41,0:45,0) years), FEV1=66,6 (48,9:70,7)%, and 17 healthy (30,0 (28,0:35,0) years), FEV1=104,0 (98, 0:111,0)%. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated in Ficoll density. To study the phenotypic characteristics of regulatory T cells was assessed variation of CD markers (CD4 +, CD25 +) by flow cytometry (FACSCalibur Becton Dickinson, USA) using appropriate monoclonal antibodies.  Results and discussion:  The levels of CD4 + CD25high peripheral blood was lower in smokers (0,84 (0,59:1,20)%) compared with nonsmokers (2,07 (1,20: 2,92)%) (p  Conclusion:  Cigarette smoke may have an independent influence on asthma course not only as trigger (irritant) but also as factor that leads to reducing the population of CD4 + CD25high T-reg and inadequate suppression of Th2-response.
Transforming growth factor-beta and matrix protein expression in acute and chronic rejection of human renal allografts.
Authors: F S Shihab, T Yamamoto, C C Nast, A H Cohen, N A Noble, L I Gold, W A Border
Journal: Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (1995)

Because the increased tissue expression of TGF-beta underlies fibrosis in many diseases, it was hypothesized that sustained elevated transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta overexpression might be responsible for fibrosis in chronic rejection of the renal allograft. To test this hypothesis, biopsies were obtained from 5 patients with acute rejection, 5 patients with chronic rejection, 10 normal individuals, and 10 patients with kidney disease. The tissues were examined by immunofluorescence for the three TGF-beta isoforms (1, 2, and 3) and the two matrix proteins induced by TGF-beta that serve as markers of fibrosis: fibronectin extradomain A positive (EDA+) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1). The tubulointerstitium from all cases of acute rejection and chronic rejection showed highly significant increases in immunostaining for the three TGF-beta isoforms (P < 0.001), fibronectin EDA+ (P < 0.005), and PAI-1 (P < 0.001). In the glomeruli, only TGF-beta 1 expression achieved statistical significance (P < 0.005) in acute rejection, whereas in chronic rejection, all three TGF-beta isoforms (p < 0.001) in addition to fibronectin EDA+ (p < 0.001) and PAI-1 (p < 0.001) were elevated. There was both cellular and matrix staining of the TGF-beta isoforms. In striking contrast, control kidney tissues were negative or only weakly positive. Because TGF-beta was present both in acute and in chronic rejection but not in control tissues and because acute rejection episodes are a good predictor for chronic rejection, these results suggest that TGF-beta may play a role in the pathogenesis of fibrosis in chronic rejection.