tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Prognostic Factors Analysis of 17,600 Melanoma Patients: Validation of the American Joint Committee on Cancer Melanoma Staging System
Authors: Charles M. Balch, Seng-Jaw Soong, Jeffrey E. Gershenwald, John F. Thompson, Douglas S. Reintgen, Natale Cascinelli, Marshall Urist, Kelly M. McMasters, Merrick I. Ross, John M. Kirkwood, Michael B. Atkins, John A. Thompson, Daniel G. Coit, David Byrd, Renee Desmond, Yuting Zhang, Ping-Yu Liu, Gary H. Lyman, Aberto Morabito
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2001)

PURPOSE: The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) recently proposed major revisions of the tumor-node-metastases (TNM) categories and stage groupings for cutaneous melanoma. Thirteen cancer centers and cancer cooperative groups contributed staging and survival data from a total of 30,450 melanoma patients from their databases in order to validate this staging proposal. PATIENTS AND METHODS: There were 17,600 melanoma patients with complete clinical, pathologic, and follow-up information. Factors predicting melanoma-specific survival rates were analyzed using the Cox proportional hazards regression model. Follow-up survival data for 5 years or longer were available for 73% of the patients. RESULTS: This analysis demonstrated that (1) in the T category, tumor thickness and ulceration were the most powerful predictors of survival, and the level of invasion had a significant impact only within the subgroup of thin (≤ 1 mm) melanomas; (2) in the N category, the following three independent factors were identified: the number of metastatic nodes, whether nodal metastases were clinically occult or clinically apparent, and the presence or absence of primary tumor ulceration; and (3) in the M category, nonvisceral metastases was associated with a better survival compared with visceral metastases. A marked diversity in the natural history of pathologic stage III melanoma was demonstrated by five-fold differences in 5-year survival rates for defined subgroups. This analysis also demonstrated that large and complex data sets could be used effectively to examine prognosis and survival outcome in melanoma patients. CONCLUSION: The results of this evidence-based methodology were incorporated into the AJCC melanoma staging as described in the companion publication.
Evaluation of inhalant allergen-specific IgE in wheezing infants as predictor for persistent symptoms
Authors: Sirma Mileva, Todor Popov, Ivanka Galeva, Milena Yankova
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2011)

The aim of this study was to assess the IgE immune response in infants who were hospitalized for wheezing and follow-up during school age.

Subjects and methods: Thirty-eight children with a mean age of 8,5 months (2–22 months), who had been hospitalized with acute wheezing episodes, were included in the study. Total IgE and specific IgE for food and inhalant allergens were assessed by FEIA, Uni CAP.

The wheezing infants were divided into three clinical groups according to the number of previous wheezing episodes: first wheeze (n = 22), second wheeze (n = 9) and children with recurrent – three or more episodes of wheezing (n = 7). After five years the children were evaluated for asthma and allergy including t IgE and skin-prick test for inhalant allergens.

Results: Neither total IgE nor allergen-specific IgE turned out to be of discriminative value for the three groups outlined on the basis of clinical criteria on the first visit, because of considerable overlap. Elevated levels of t IgE were associated with skin-test reactivity at school age. Inhalant allergen-specific IgE was found in only 6 cases, but was a good predictive value for persistent wheezing.

Conclusion: These results indicate that early detection of allergen-specific IgE to inhalant allergens in wheezing infants are predictors for persistent of wheezing and determines the necessity of their examination.
TTF-1 for prediction of response to chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced or metastatic small cell lung cancer (SCLC)
Authors: Daniel Misch, Jens Kollmeier, Torsten Blum, Sergej Griff, Christian Boch, Timo Weiss, Catharina Crolow, Wolfram Grüning, Thomas Mairinger, Torsten Bauer
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2012)

Background:  The thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF1) plays a crucial role in differentiating primary lung from other cancers, especially in adenocarcinoma (AC). Furthermore, data indicate a possible association between TTF1-status and overall survival (OS) in AC patients. So far, no impact on OS was described in SCLC patients. Besides OS, it is unknown if the TTF1-status influences chemosensitivity of SCLC and might therefore predict response to chemotherapy.   Aim:  To compare the response to chemotherapy in a population of patients with SCLC stage III/IV according to their TTF1-expression.   Methods:  We analyzed 294 patients (f, n=110; m, n=184) with SCLC stage III/IV (according to UICC-6, stage IIIA, n=32; IIIB, n=87; IV, n=175) diagnosed in our institution between 01/05 and 12/08. Median age was 65 (±10) years. TTF1-expression was prospectively determined. Response to treatment was evaluated using the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST Version 1.0). The overall response rate (ORR) and the disease control rate (DCR) were calculated and compared between the group of TTF1-positive and TTF1-negative SCLC.   Results:  The information on TTF1 and response to treatment was available in 178 (77%) cases. 150 (84%) had TTF1-positive and 28 (16%) TTF1-negative SCLC. Analyzing the DCR, we observed a better response to treatment for patients with TTF1-expression (DCR 90%) as compared to those with TTF1-negative SCLC (DCR 71%; p=0.013). Regarding the ORR, there was no statistically significant difference between both groups (TTF1-pos. 75% vs. TTF1-neg. 71; p=0.642).   Conclusion:  TTF1-expression may be associated with better response to chemotherapy in SCLC.
Transport and Temperature Effects on Measurement of Serum and Plasma Potassium
Authors: David Seamark, Susan Backhouse, Paul Barber, John Hichens, Maurice Salzmann, Roy Powell
Journal: Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine (1999)

Transport of blood samples from general practice to a central laboratory can result in spuriously high or low potassium concentrations. The importance of this phenomenon was studied in a general practice serving a population of 15000 patients, 27 km from the pathology laboratory that routinely measured serum potassium. The design involved comparison of potassium levels between control serum (plain gel-separation serum tubes centrifuged in the surgery), routine serum (plain gel-separation tubes centrifuged in the laboratory) and routine plasma samples (lithium-heparin tubes centrifuged in the laboratory). Complete triple sets of data were obtained for 371 samples. Altman and Bland plots for the control serum vs routine serum samples showed a mean difference of +0.1 mmol/L with limits of agreement (± 2SD) +0.6 mmol/L, -0.4 mmol/L and for control serum vs routine plasma a mean difference of +0.2 mmol/L with limits of agreement +0.8 mmol/L, -0.4 mmol/L. There was a negative association between mean weekly routine plasma potassium levels with mean weekly temperatures achieved. Regression analysis indicated that both maximum temperature achieved and time to centrifugation significantly contributed to differences observed in the routine plasma samples, but not with the routine serum samples. For plasma samples exposed to high temperatures a clinically significant lowering of potassium concentrations can arise. These results confirm that spurious lowering of potassium concentrations occurs in plasma samples collected in a primary care setting. The preferred method is to centrifuge samples soon after venepuncture. Where this is not possible, collection into plain gel-separation tubes (serum) ensures less variation due to temperature and time to centrifugation than does collection into lithium-heparin tubes (plasma).
Optimization of a method for preserving nucleic acids in tissue lysates from archival formalin-fixed tissue samples
Authors: Ling Fu, Rupal Desai, Thomas Holcomb, Rajiv Raja
Journal: Clinical Cancer Research (2010)

Abstract Biomarker analysis of patient biopsies is essential for identifying biomarkers that have predictive or prognostic value. Such analyses not only have the potential for helping us understand the molecular mechanisms underlying response to therapy, but also in personalizing healthcare based on biomarker profiles in patient sub-populations. Patient biopsies are commonly preserved by formalin-fixing and paraffin-embedding (FFPE). Ability to evaluate nucleic-acid-based biomarkers in FFPE tissue is limited by the fact that formalin-fixing degrades the quality of nucleic acids. RNA and miRNA are further degraded in FFPE blocks as time passes. Hence, there is the basic need to find methods for stabilizing nucleic acids in FFPE tissues so that nucleic-acid-based biomarkers can be evaluated in archival tissue samples. We have evaluated various methods of tissue lysate preparation to identify ones that are optimal for stabilizing nucleic acids in storage, and for efficient recovery of DNA, RNA and miRNA. We also evaluated the quality and quantity of DNA and RNA recovered from these lysates across time. We will present a method that preserves quality of nucleic acids across time, and is compatible with protocols for DNA, RNA and miRNA isolation. This method is currently used in our laboratories to prepare tissue lysates from clinical trial samples and has enabled the development of molecular diagnostic assays.
The androgen receptor cistrome is extensively reprogrammed in human prostate tumorigenesis
Authors: Mark M Pomerantz, Fugen Li, David Y Takeda, Romina Lenci, Apurva Chonkar, Matthew Chabot, Paloma Cejas, Francisca Vazquez, Jennifer Cook, Ramesh A Shivdasani, Michaela Bowden, Rosina Lis, William C Hahn, Philip W Kantoff, Myles Brown, Massimo Loda, Henry W Long, Matthew L Freedman
Journal: Nature Genetics (2015)
Glucose Disposal during Insulinopenia in Somatostatin-Treated Dogs
Authors: Gerald I. Shulman, John E. Liljenquist, Phillip E. Williams, William W. Lacy, Alan D. Cherrington
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (1978)

The first aim of this study was to determine whether the plasma glucose level can regulate hepatic glucose balance in vivo independent of its effects on insulin and glucagon secretion. To accomplish this, glucose was infused into conscious dogs whose basal insulin and glucagon secretion had been replaced by exogenous intraportal insulin and glucagon infusion after somatostatin inhibition of endogenous pancreatic hormone release. The acute induction of hyperglycemia (mean increment of 121 mg/dl) in the presence of basal levels of insulin (7±1 μU/ml) and glucagon (76±3 pg/ml) resulted in a 56% decrease in net hepatic glucose production but did not cause net hepatic glucose uptake.
Strong and persistent correlation between baseline and follow-up HIV-DNA levels and residual viremia in a population of naïve patients with more than 4 years of effective antiretroviral therapy
Authors: S.G. Parisi, L. Sarmati, S. Andreis, R. Scaggiante, M. Cruciani, R. Ferretto, V. Manfrin, M. Basso, M. Andreoni, C. Mengoli, G. Palù
Journal: Clinical Microbiology and Infection (2014)
Smoking cessation advice (SCA) and referral: Do we need to further educate healthcare professionals?
Authors: Helen Gittins, Saagar Patel, Gilly Ennals, Jemma Plant, James Redfern, Marianne Shober, Andrea Collins, Dilip Nazareth, Lisa Davies
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2011)

Background: Health promotion is a key component of holistic, patient-centred care. 50% of UK smokers make at least one annual attempt to quit; only 3% succeed long-term1. Due to the long-term complications of smoking, we recognise the importance of prompt & effective SCA, a NICE (UK) priority2.  The objectives of this study, in an area of socio-economic deprivation in Liverpool, were to determine whether we provide simple SCA and to explore referral rates to specialist SCA services.  Method: We undertook a 3-week prospective analysis on the respiratory wards at a large UK University Hospital (December 2010). Specialist SCA is available for all in-patients.  Results: 81 patient records were reviewed. Mean age 72 (SD 14) years; 34 (43%) male, 30 (37%) current smokers. Of these 40% received documented SCA from a HCP however, only 42% of this guidance was at time of admission. Only 43% of these smokers were referred to SCA services, of which 85% received a consultation; following this 36% continued to smoke whilst an in-patient.  Conclusion: Best practice would suggest SCA within 24 hrs of admission but this occurs in only 40% of cases. Long term follow-up of the smoking cessation rates in these patients is pending. We are working within our hospital to ensure training occurs in this area as per NICE guidance2, aiming to reduce the burden of smoking related lung disease and have implemented a cyclical SCA education programme for all HCPs with the hope of improving SCA referral rates.  1 West R (2006) Background smoking cessation rates in England  2 NICE- www.guidance.nice.org.uk/CG101/Guidance/pdf/English
Reference values for offline exhaled and nasal nitric oxide in healthy children
Authors: Awen Menou, Diane Babeanu, Marie Verstraete, Henri-Nicolas Paruit, Sophie Guillard, Arnaud Chambellan
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2013)

Exhaled and nasal Nitric Oxide (eNO and nNO) are valuables markers in respiratory diseases such as asthma and primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD). The possibility to collect gas samples from the upper and lower airways in an offline manner offers the advantage to improve the screening and follow-up of respiratory diseases, but reference values from healthy children remains sparse.  Objectives: To identify normal values for offline eNO and nNO in healthy children of school age.  Methods: Offline eNO was measured in 88 healthy children of school age and nNO in 31 of them using an offline collection kit. We performed offline eNO measurements in 30 children with naive asthma and/or respiratory allergy. The eNO samples were obtained using the FeNO offline collection kit from ECO MEDICS, and the offline nNO samples were collected at 300 ml/min aspiration flow rate through a nasal olive during a 20 seconds apnea. All measurements were obtained using the NIOX Flex analyzer.  Results: Offline eNO value was determined after multiple regression analysis by the following equation -8.206 + 0.176*Height. The ULN was 27.4 ppb. In children, pre-teens and adolescents, the mean offline eNO was 13.6 ± 4.7 ppb, 16.3 ± 13.7 ppb and 20.0 ± 7.2 ppb respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of offline eNO value to predict asthma or respiratory allergies were 77% and 91% respectively at the cut-off value of 23.3 ppb. Mean offline nNO was determined at 660 ± 232 ppb and the LLN was 197 ppb.  Conclusion: Offline eNO and nNO reference values in healthy children are provided. The measure of eNO and nNO should help and favour the widespread screening of respiratory diseases for clinical practice in a paediatric population.
G7 leaders offer little commitment to tackle future disease outbreaks
Authors: A. Gulland
Journal: BMJ (2015)

Health charities have expressed their disappointment that leaders of the world’s industrialised nations have pledged little in terms of real action to tackle global health crises.

Media reports before the G7 summit of the seven main industrialised nations in Germany on 6-7 June had hinted that world leaders would come out with a strong statement of intent on how to handle future epidemics and disease outbreaks.

However, the leaders made only vague promises, saying that they were committed to ending the current Ebola virus epidemic in west Africa and to preventing future outbreaks from becoming epidemics by helping countries to implement the World Health Organization’s international health regulations. The statement said that 60 …
Comparison of Effect of Four Cytotoxic Agents on Granulocytic and Erythroid Repopulating Ability of Rat Bone Marrow
Authors: T. B. Constable, N. M. Blackett
Journal: JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute (1972)

The capacities of transplanted rat bone marrow to repopulate granulocytic and erythroid tissue were assayed separately and the effects of treatment with dimethylmyleran, methotrexate, cyclophosphamide, and actinomycin D and of incubation in vitro with high concentrations of tritiated thymidine were compared. From these results and other repopulation experiments, it is probable that erythroid and granulocytic repopulating cells are distinct, and that the 2 repopulating ability techniques do not measure a common stem-cell pool. The granulocytic repopulating cells proliferate more slowly than their erythroid counterparts as judged by the response to cycle-time-dependent drugs. Possible relationships between erythroid and granulocytic repopulating cells and multipotential colony-forming units measured by the spleen colony technique are discussed.
Weight control in university students
Authors: Paula H Salmons
Journal: Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine (1987)

A total of 1858 students of United Kingdom origin aged between 18 and 20 years of age completed questionnaires which investigated present weight, bingeing, vomiting and weight control. Men were significantly more likely than women to be overweight, while women were significantly more likely to be underweight. One-third of the women were actively controlling weight, with dieting as the preferred method, while over half had attempted weight control in the past three years. Daily or more frequent bingeing was reported by 1.9% of men and 1.2% of women. There was a statistically significant relationship between weight control and bingeing. Eleven percent of men and 24% of women thought they had a problem with weight control, although amongst both men and women the proportion who felt they were overweight was in excess of the proportion who actually were overweight. It is suggested that health education programmes should take account of the pressures upon young women to conform to predetermined ideals in terms of body weight.
Expression of carbohydrate antigen sialyl Le(a): a new functional prognostic factor in gastric cancer.
Authors: S Nakamori, H Furukawa, M Hiratsuka, T Iwanaga, S Imaoka, O Ishikawa, T Kabuto, Y Sasaki, M Kameyama, S Ishiguro, T Irimura
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (1997)

PURPOSE The prognostic value of the altered expression of carbohydrate antigens sialyl Le(a) (sLe(a)) and sialyl Le(x) (sLe(x)), which have been implicated as functional ligands in heterotypic-cell-adhesion systems in the multistep process of tumor metastasis, were evaluated. PATIENTS AND METHODS The level of expression of sLe(a) and sLe(x) antigens was examined immunohistochemically in paraffin-embedded tumor samples from 137 patients who underwent resection for gastric cancer. Correlation between the antigens' expression, various established clinicopathologic factors, and prognosis were studied by univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS Tumors that were positive for the sLe(a) antigen were significantly more likely to be large (P = .035), to be localized at the proximal third of the stomach (P = .018), to have an infiltrate appearance (P = .013), to have an invasive mode both in depth of invasion (P = .028) and in lymphatic invasion (P = .002), and to be classified as late stage (P = .011) than those that were negative for sLe(a), whereas the sLe(x) antigen status was not correlated with any clinicopathologic factors. The overall survival of patients with an sLe(a)-antigen-positive tumor was significantly poorer than that of those with an sLe(a)-antigen-negative tumor (P = .0001). Survival within each pathologic stage differed also (stage I, P = .030; stage II, P = .046; stage III, P = .026, respectively). A Cox regression analysis with multiple covariates showed that positive sLe(a) antigen status was an independent prognostic factor for a worse outcome in patients with gastric cancer. According to the mode of recurrence, increased sLe(a) antigen expression significantly affected both peritoneal dissemination and liver metastasis. CONCLUSION Increased expression of the sLe(a) antigen may serve as a potent prognostic indicator for recurrence in patients with gastric cancer. Careful follow-up and intensive therapy are required for patients with an sLe(a)-antigen-positive gastric cancer.
Phase I pilot study of the safety and tolerability of olanzapine (OZA) for the treatment of cachexia in patients with advanced cancer
Authors: F. Braiteh, S. Dalal, A. Khuwaja, H. David, E. Bruera, R. Kurzrock
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2008)

20529 Background: Most cancer pts suffer from inexorable weight and functional loss, resulting in poor quality of life, jeopardizing response to anti-cancer therapy. Olanzapine (OAZ), an atypical neuroleptic with safe therapeutic window for several psychotic diseases, induces significant weight gain positive metabolic gains. To explore if OAZ can improve cachexia in pts with advanced cancer, we are investigating its safety and tolerability, its effects on weight and nutrition, and the outcome of serum metabolic and inflammatory factors. Methods: Enrolled eligiblepts received daily oral OAZ, starting at a dose of 2.5 mg (6-pts/cohort, dose-escalation at of 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5, and 15 mg). Pts did undergo bi-monthly evaluation: weight, Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and Karnofsky performance scores, 6-minutes walking test, and Edmonton Symptoms Assessment Scale (ESAS). Blood samples were analyzed for routine parameters, inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, cytokine IL-10), and metabolic factors (leptin, ghrelin and adiponectin). Results: To date, 14 pts with advanced cancer tumor referred to the Phase I Clinic have been enrolled at 2.5, 5 and 7.5 mg/m2 dose-levels. Side effects include drowsiness (N= 3), and grade 2 hepatitis (N=1), without any dose limiting toxicity. Salutary effects on weight (stabilization or gain) were seen at 2 weeks in 6/14 pts, four with pancreatic cancer. Significant MNA (increase of ≥3) and Karnofsky scores (increase of ≥20%) improvement were observed in 5 and 4 of the pts respectively. Pts had significant improvement (score decrease of ≥2) in four symptoms on the ESAS: sleep, appetite, fatigue and well-being. Fourty-eight blood samples were obtained. Conclusions: Our preliminary data suggest that lower doses of OAZ are very well tolerated with promising clinical activity on weight, nutrition and function in pts with cachexia. ELISA assays of the inflammatory and metabolic factors are in progress. The trial is currently accruing at a dose-level of daily 7.5 mg. No significant financial relationships to disclose.
Oral photochemotherapy in the treatment of lichen planus (LP).
Authors: J. P. ORTONNE, J. THIVOLET, C. SANNWALD
Journal: British Journal of Dermatology (1978)

Journal Article Oral photochemotherapy in the treatment of lichen planus (LP): CLINICAL RESULTS, HISTOLOGICAL AND ULTRASTRUCTURAL OBSERVATIONS Get access J. P. ORTONNE, J. P. ORTONNE F. R. A. INSERM No. 11‘Recherche Dermatologique et Immunologie', Clinique Dermatologique, Hôpital Edouard Herriot, 69374 Lyon, Cedex 2, France Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar J. THIVOLET, J. THIVOLET F. R. A. INSERM No. 11‘Recherche Dermatologique et Immunologie', Clinique Dermatologique, Hôpital Edouard Herriot, 69374 Lyon, Cedex 2, France Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar C. SANNWALD C. SANNWALD F. R. A. INSERM No. 11‘Recherche Dermatologique et Immunologie', Clinique Dermatologique, Hôpital Edouard Herriot, 69374 Lyon, Cedex 2, France Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar British Journal of Dermatology, Volume 99, Issue 1, 1 July 1978, Pages 77–88, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2133.1978.tb01964.x Published: 01 July 1978