tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Human Skin Collagen from Different Age Groups before and after Collagenase Digestion: An Electron Microscopic Study
Authors: M. K. Keech
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (1955)

sixty individuals of all ages dying from a variety of causes.In addition, some changes in the untreated skin of non-incubated controls are included, as these may lead to a better understanding of the structure of collagen fibrils. Materials and Methods 1. INCUBATED CONTROLS AND COLLAGEN INCUBATEDWITH COLLAGENASE Collagenase obtained from Cl. histolyticum was kindly supplied by Dr. J. D. MacLennan, the same batch being used throughout.It contains a very small quantity of proteinase, but is the purest preparation available, as a crystalline form has yet to be made.Unfixed, frozen autopsy abdominal skin from the left upper quadrant was thawed, the dermis minutely dis- sected out and the collagen extracted by a shortened form of the method of Neuman (1949a, b), as previously described (Keech, 1954a). 20mg.(dry weight) were incubated with collagenase (0-1 ml. of a 0 5 per cent.solution or 0 1 mg.enzyme nitrogen) and 0-05 ml.penicillin and streptomycin mixture in a total volume of 5 ml.phosphate buffer (pH 7 3) for 24 hrs at 37°C.Control tubes were treated in the same way, including the antibiotic mixture but without enzyme (Fig. 1,overleaf).The first two cases were examined at 10 min.and J, 1, 1A, 2, 3, and 24 hrs, and showed a gradual transition to the 24-hr picture.After this standard intervals of 10 or 60 min., 3 and 24 hrs were chosen as giving representative information for all age groups.The approximate macroscopic digestion as compared with the control tube was recorded, and drops of the suspension after shaking were taken for electron microscopic examination.The drops were placed on collodion-covered 200 mesh Cu-Ni grids, allowed to dry, washed for 15 min.in de-mineralized distilled water, shadowed with palladium, and examined in the RCA Model EMU 2 A electron microscope.19
As Americans get fatter, the US Institute of Medicine takes action
Authors: J. H. Tanne
Journal: BMJ (2012)

More than two thirds of US adults aged over 20 are overweight or obese, as are nearly a third of children and adolescents aged 2-19, says a report by the Institute of Medicine and a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine .1 2

Obesity contributes to five of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States: heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, stroke, and kidney disease.

By 2030 the situation will be worse, the journal article authors predicted at a press briefing: about 42% of US adults will be obese (with a body mass index of ≥30). 

Although the …
Mr Turner's Toenails: What's the Diagnosis Related Group?-Reply
Authors: Richard Berlin
Journal: JAMA (1989)

In Reply.—  As Dr Matz may have surmised, Mr Turner and I lived our story before the invention of diagnosis related groups. Sadly, the experience I had with Mr Turner may no longer be as available to medical students. Fortunately, there are other physicians who have found opportunities to continue to cut toenails despite the diagnosis related group reimbursement system. 1,2
Disseminated Lupus Erythematosus in Identical Twins
Authors: Harry B. Blumenfeld
Journal: JAMA (1963)

IT HAS BECOME APPARENT in the past few years that lupus erythematosus may be a disease in which hereditary factors are concerned. A review of the literature reveals reports of the occurrence in identical twins of well-documented systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) by Davis and Gutridge,<sup>1</sup>in 1951, and again by Wagenhals and Burgeson,<sup>2</sup>in 1958. In addition, discoid lupus erythematosus in identical twins has been reported by Von Gruenhagen<sup>3</sup>and again by Steagall and associates.<sup>4</sup>The patients in the latter report had some clinical and laboratory features of the disseminated form. There have also been numerous reports of the increased incidence of SLE and the other diffuse connective tissue diseases in the relatives of affected patients.<sup>5-7</sup>The association of hypergammaglobulinemia, positive reactions for syphilis, abnormalities in liver function tests, and the presence of antinuclear factors have also been demonstrated in a significant number of asymptomatic
Clinical Experience With Theophylline
Authors: David P. Nicholson
Journal: JAMA (1976)

To the Editor.—  In a recent article (235:1983, 1976), the authors refer to previous work by Dr Chick and myself (ref 5) and quote us as stating that little clinical effect is seen below 10μg/ml of serum of theophylline. This is the converse of what we showed, and in contrast to two other references they cite (ref 6 and 9), we provide a dose-response curve in Fig 2 of our article. Our conclusion was that the effect of theophylline is directly related to blood concentrations within the range of 2.0μg/ml to 8.0μg/ml (3.6μg/ml to 14.5μg/ml of serum).
Atrial Pacing and Exercise in the Evaluation of Patients with Angina Pectoris
Authors: R. C. BAHLER, C. A. MACLEOD
Journal: Circulation (1971)

The anginal threshold was determined by atrial pacing in 23 patients with coronary artery disease. Twelve of the 23 subjects also performed supine exercise at progressive workloads until the onset of angina. Atrial pacing produced a fall in left ventricular stroke work index and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP); cardiac output increased, and, with the onset of angina, left ventricular dysfunction was sometimes evidenced, either by an increase in LVEDP or by an abnormal LVEDP in the postpacing period. In contrast, exercise consistently produced left ventricular dysfunction. The tension-time index at the onset of angina was similar whether the pain was induced by pacing or exercise. The atrial rate that induced angina bore little relationship to either the clinical or anatomic severity (outlined by coronary arteriography) of coronary artery disease. The exercise workload that produced angina correlated inversely with the quantitated coronary disease. Although atrial pacing is a convenient tool for the study of ischemic ventricular dysfunction, exercise testing provides a more reliable index of functional and anatomic severity of coronary artery disease.
Time for a Victory Lap or Time to Raise the Levees: A Perspective on Complication Reduction and New-Onset Diabetes
Authors: James S. Wrobel, Gayle E. Reiber
Journal: Diabetes Care (2011)

The Mississippi River is a small piddling stream as it leaves Lake Itasca, Minnesota. As it meanders southward along its 2,300 mile journey, it is joined by 250 different tributaries that ultimately drain one-third of the continent. These widen the river, increase the flow, and strain the system of levees and spillways that contain the “Big Muddy.” It then passes on to the Gulf of Mexico.

There is a striking analogy between the U.S. diabetes population and the Mississippi River. Early in life the prevalence of diabetes is small as is the Mississippi at its origin. The population increases in number, age, and girth, and is enriched with high-risk minorities. Over time, many people with prediabetes transition to diabetes and develop one or more of its complications. The 2010 U.S. Census cites improvements in overall longevity, particularly in males, meaning people with diabetes are living longer and contributing to the expanding diabetes prevalence. Tributaries of people with undiagnosed, newly diagnosed, and established diabetes join the rush of the river. Increased volume and velocity put pressure on the levees and strain the system of locks and dams that regulate the river and protect the communities along its banks. The river finally passes on to the Gulf of Mexico.

U.S. 40-year diabetes population projections by Boyle et al. (1) are sobering. Using census, birth, death, and net migration data, plus estimates and standard errors for the U.S. adult population aged …
US government to fund human stem cell research
Authors: S. Gottlieb
Journal: BMJ (2000)

The federal government of the United States announced last week that for the first time it will fund medical research using human embryo cells, touching off a bitter debate between antiabortion groups and patients who could one day benefit from the research.

The hope is that stem cells, obtained from either donated embryos or, under certain circumstances, aborted pregnancies, will be able to change into a wide variety of more specific cells that can repair diseased tissues and allow them to function normally. Some medical researchers say that the use of these primitive cells could herald a new generation of treatments …
Effects of Mental Stress on Myocardial Ischemia During Daily Life
Authors: Elizabeth C. D. Gullette
Journal: JAMA (1997)

<h3>Objective.</h3> —To determine the relative risk of myocardial ischemia triggered by specific emotions during daily life. <h3>Design and Setting.</h3> —Relative risk was calculated by the recently developed case-crossover method, in which the frequency of a presumed trigger during nonischemic, or control, hours is compared with the trigger's frequency during ischemic, or case, hours. Outpatients at Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, underwent 48 hours of ambulatory electrocardiographic (ECG) monitoring with concurrent self-report measures of activities and emotions. Occurrences of negative emotions in the hour before the onset of myocardial ischemia were compared with their usual frequency based on all hours in which ischemia did not occur. <h3>Subjects.</h3> —From a sample of 132 patients with coronary artery disease and recent evidence of exercise-induced ischemia who underwent 48 hours of ambulatory ECG monitoring, 58 patients exhibited ambulatory ischemia and were included in the analysis. <h3>Outcome Measures.</h3> —Myocardial ischemia during 48-hour ECG monitoring was defined as horizontal or downsloping ST-segment depression of 1 mm (0.1 mV) or more for 1 minute or longer compared with resting baseline. The ECG data were cross-tabulated with subjects' concurrent diary ratings of 3 negative emotions— tension, sadness, and frustration—and 2 positive emotions—happiness and feeling in control—on a 5-point scale of intensity. <h3>Results.</h3> —The unadjusted relative risk of occurrence of myocardial ischemia in the hour following high levels of negative emotions was 3.0 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5-5.9;<i>P</i>&lt;.01) for tension, 2.9 (95% CI, 1.0-8.0;<i>P</i>&lt;.05) for sadness, and 2.6 (95% CI, 1.3-5.1;<i>P</i>&lt;.01) for frustration. The corresponding risk ratios adjusted for physical activity and time of day were 2.2 (95% CI, 1.1-4.5;<i>P</i>&lt;.05) for tension, 2.2 (95% CI, 0.7-6.4; P=.16) for sadness, and 2.2 (95% CI, 1.1-4.3;<i>P</i>&lt;.05) for frustration. <h3>Conclusions.</h3> —Mental stress during daily life, including reported feelings of tension, frustration, and sadness, can more than double the risk of myocardial ischemia in the subsequent hour. The clinical significance of mental stress—induced ischemia during daily life needs to be further evaluated.
THYMUS INDEPENDENCE OF A COLLAGEN-LIKE SYNTHETIC POLYPEPTIDE AND OF COLLAGEN, AND THE NEED FOR THYMUS AND BONE MARROW-CELL COOPERATION IN THE IMMUNE RESPONSE TO GELATIN
Authors: Sara Fuchs, Edna Mozes, Arieh Maoz, Michael Sela
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1974)

Several inbred mouse strains were screened for their ability to respond to the ordered periodic collagen-like polymer (Pro-Gly-Pro)(n), to the random copolymer (Pro(66), Gly(34))(n), to the protein conjugate Pro-Gly-Pro-ovalbumin, to rat tail tendon collagen, rat tail tendon gelatin, and to Ascaris cuticle collagen. Differences were obtained in the magnitude of the antibody titers towards the above immunogens among the strains tested. The level of the response to the ordered polymer (Pro-Gly-Pro)(n) was not similar to that towards the random (Pro(66), Gly(34))(n), confirming differences in the antigenic determinants of the two immunogens. The role of the thymus in the immune response to (Pro-Gly-Pro)(n) and (Pro(66), Gly(34))(n) as well as to two collagens and gelatin, was studied in order to find out a possible correlation with the structural features of the immunogens. Heavily irradiated recipients were injected with syngeneic thymocytes, marrow cells, or a mixture of both cell populations and were immunized with the above-mentioned antigens. An efficient immune response to the ordered collagen-like (Pro-Gly-Pro)(n) was obtained in the absence of transferred thymocytes. The thymus independence of (Pro-Gly-Pro)(n) was confirmed when thymectomized irradiated mice were used as recipients. In contrast with these results, cooperation between thymus and marrow cells was necessary in order to elicit an immune response to (Pro(56), Gly(34))(n). Similarly, the immune response to the triple helical collagen was found to be independent of the thymus, whereas for an effective response to its denatured product, gelatin, thymus cells were required. These findings indicate that a unique three-dimensional structure of immunogens possessing repeating antigenic determinants plays an important role in determining the need for cell to cell interaction in order to elicit an antibody response.
Comparison of performance of various sphygmomanometers with intra-arterial blood-pressure readings.
Authors: S N Hunyor, J M Flynn, C Cochineas
Journal: BMJ (1978)

Seven types of sphygmomanometer were used in random order on each of nine hypertensive patients and the readings compared with simultaneous intra-arterial blood-pressure recordings. All the devices gave significantly different values for systolic pressure, and only two measured diastolic pressure without significant error. Systolic pressure was consistently underestimated (range 31-7 mm Hg), and all but one instrument overestimated diastolic pressure (range 10-2 mm Hg). The variability of readings was least with the standard mercury sphygmomanometer and the random-zero machine, while with some of the more automated devices single readings were in error up to -68/33 mm Hg. The strong correlations found between intra-arterial and cuff systolic pressures with all devices tested and significant correlations for diastolic pressure with all but one device indicate that, with one possible exception, the sphygmomanometers would give accurate results where a change in blood pressure was the main concern.
LEFT VENTRICULAR DYSSYNCHRONY AS ASSESSED BY PHASE ANALYSIS OF GATED SPECT MYOCARDIAL PERFUSION IMAGING IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERTROPHIC OBSTRUCTIVE CARDIOMYOPATHY UNDERGOING ALCOHOL SEPTAL ABLATION
Authors: Ji Chen, Hosakote Nagaraj, Pradeep Bhambhani, Dustin E. Kliner, Prem Soman, Ernest V. Garcia, Jaekyeong Heo, Ami E. Iskandrian
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2011)
The Tobacco Habit
Authors: W. E. Dixon
Journal: BMJ (1927)

NICOTINE, nCext to caffeine, is the alkaloid most widely used 1b milan, and as in tlie last twenty years a trLuly enormous incr,ease in the consuimption of tobacco has occurred, it is right that a society like this, whlichl concerns itself with every fornm of inebriety, shoiild interest itself in the effects of smokinig, both on the healths of the inidividuial and of the Plopulation as a whole.Disraelil said "the youith of a ]iationi are the trulistees of posterity "; anid if the n-iumbers of men rejected as unfit forn military service in the late war form any criter ion of the phvsical efficiencyv of our sonls, few can doubt that British stamina leaves much to lie desired, if it is not indeed on the wane.I believe that 110 excuse is necessary for callinig attention to certain knvowii facts concern-inig tobacco smoking.Tlle late Dr. Normani Kerr, wlhose memorial lecture I have the honour to deliver to-day, wr-ote on some of the evils of tobacco, and especiallyits actioni in producing eve defects. HISTORICAL.Europe learned the use of tobacco fr om the American Indianis.Tobacco is an Indian word, but nicotine is iiamed after the Fr ench Ambassador in Lisbon, Jean Nicot: lie grew tobacco seed in his garden, anid vaunted the leaves as a cur-e for all external diseases.Snuff obtained from Nicot was introduced by CCatherine de Medici at the French Court about 1560 as a specific for headachles.Tobacco was brouight into this country by Ralph Lane in 1586; he ta.ughtits use to Ralegh, who becamiie a devotee, did nnuih to popularize it, and carried Isis habit even to the soaffold.By the seventeenthl century the use ot tobacco had spread to almost every European country.A reaction against its use arose in tile fifteenth-and sixteenth cen-turies.
Australia backs tougher regulation for complementary health products
Authors: Bob Burton
Journal: BMJ (2005)

whom they have a complaint.The report recommends that the Department of Health takes the lead in creating a better core standard for handling complaints that are met by all NHS and social care providers.The new system should adopt a culture of openness and leadership by senior managers and of following up complaints to ensure that mistakes do not recur, says the report."The fifth report of the Shipman inquiry gives us an opportunity to reflect on why the NHS complaints system is still failing patients.We must not lose this opportunity to make change happen at last," said Ms Abraham.
Genetic control of cadmium tolerance in Drosophila melanogaster.
Authors: G Maroni, A S Ho, L Theodore
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (1995)

Files from a transgenic line of Drosophila melanogaster with two copies of the metallothionein allele Mtn3 were more tolerant to cadmium than strains with only one copy of the gene. However, flies with the Mtn3 allele were as tolerant as flies with the Mtn3 allele, despite the level of expression of Mtn3 being three times higher than of Mtn3. We propose that the substitution of Lys-40 (in Mtn3) for Glu-40 (in Mtn1) accounts for a reduction in binding affinity of Mtn1, which offsets the increased expression levels.
Heat inactivation of specimens--AIDS.
Authors: M Chapman, P Lister
Journal: BMJ (1987)

<h3>Abstract</h3> Type VI secretion systems (T6SSs) play a major role in interbacterial competition and in bacterial interactions with eukaryotic cells. The distribution of T6SSs and the effectors they secrete vary between strains of the same bacterial species. Therefore, a pan-genome investigation is required to better understand the T6SS potential of a bacterial species of interest. Here, we performed a comprehensive, systematic analysis of T6SS gene clusters and auxiliary modules found in the pan-genome of <i>Vibrio parahaemolyticus</i>, an emerging pathogen widespread in marine environments. We identified four different T6SS gene clusters within genomes of this species; two systems appear to be ancient and widespread, whereas the other two systems are rare and appear to have been more recently acquired via horizontal gene transfer. In addition, we identified diverse T6SS auxiliary modules containing putative effectors with either known or predicted toxin domains. Many auxiliary modules are possibly horizontally shared between <i>V. parahaemolyticus</i> genomes, since they are flanked by DNA mobility genes. We further investigated a DUF4225-containing protein encoded on an Hcp auxiliary module, and we showed that it is an antibacterial T6SS effector that exerts its toxicity in the bacterial periplasm, leading to cell lysis. Computational analyses of DUF4225 revealed a widespread toxin domain associated with various toxin delivery systems. Taken together, our findings reveal a diverse repertoire of T6SSs and auxiliary modules in the <i>V. parahaemolyticus</i> pan-genome, as well as novel T6SS effectors and toxin domains that can play a major role in the interactions of this species with other cells. <h3>Importance</h3> Gram-negative bacteria employ toxin delivery systems to mediate their interactions with neighboring cells. <i>Vibrio parahaemolyticus</i>, an emerging pathogen of humans and marine animals, was shown to deploy antibacterial toxins into competing bacteria via the type VI secretion system (T6SS). Here, we analyzed 1,727 <i>V. parahaemolyticus</i> genomes and revealed the pan-genome T6SS repertoire of this species, including the T6SS gene clusters, horizontally shared auxiliary modules, and toxins. We also identified a role for a previously uncharacterized domain, DUF4225, as a widespread antibacterial toxin associated with diverse toxin delivery systems.
Epidural spinal cord compression: A single institution's retrospective experience
Authors: Marc C. Chamberlain, Patty A. Kormanik
Journal: Neuro-Oncology (1999)

Epidural spinal cord compression (ESCC) is a common metastatic complication occurring in 5% of patients with cancer. We sought to determine retrospectively the frequency of multiple sites of ESCC at presentation and the risk of recurrence of ESCC. Of the cancer patients seen by the University of California San Diego's Neuro-Oncology Service between August 1986 and January 1997, 108 developed ESCC that was documented both clinically and by MRI of the spine. In 77 patients (71%), a single site of ESCC was seen; 31 patients (29%) had multiple sites of ESCC. All sites of ESCC were irradiated. In 7% of patients with single-site ESCC and in 9% of patients with multiple-site ESCC, the disease recurred. Length of survival was similar for patients with single- or multiple-site ESCC (median, 4.5 months) versus patients with recurrent ESCC (median, 7 months). An MRI of the entire spine in patients with suspected ESCC demonstrated multiple sites of ESCC in nearly one-third of patients. In 8% of patients with ESCC, symptomatic ESCC recurred.
Crucial Role of Type 1, but Not Type 3, Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate (IP <sub>3</sub> ) Receptors in IP <sub>3</sub> -Induced Ca <sup>2+</sup> Release, Capacitative Ca <sup>2+</sup> Entry, and Proliferation of A7r5 Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells
Authors: Yuepeng Wang, Jie Chen, Yue Wang, Colin W. Taylor, Yasunobu Hirata, Hisashi Hagiwara, Katsuhiko Mikoshiba, Teruhiko Toyo-oka, Masao Omata, Yoshiyuki Sakaki
Journal: Circulation Research (2001)

Abstract —Stimulation of G protein– or tyrosine kinase–coupled receptors regulates cell proliferation through intracellular Ca 2+ ([Ca 2+ ] i ) signaling. In A7r5 cells, we confirmed that inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP 3 ) mediates vasopressin (VP)-evoked Ca 2+ release from intracellular stores and showed that types 1 (IP 3 R 1 ) and 3 (IP 3 R 3 ) IP 3 receptors were expressed. Using antisera selective for IP 3 R 1 or IP 3 R 3 and another that interacted equally well with both subtypes, together with membranes from Sf 9 cells expressing only single IP 3 R subtypes to calibrate immunoblotting, we established that A7r5 cells express 81% IP 3 R 1 and 19% IP 3 R 3 . To elucidate the contributions of IP 3 R 1 and IP 3 R 3 to Ca 2+ signaling and proliferation, stable clones expressing promoter-inducible antisense cDNA fragments (−90 to +9) corresponding to the two IP 3 R subtypes were selected. Mild inhibition of IP 3 R 1 (71±8% of control level) slightly attenuated the IP 3 -evoked Ca 2+ release (IICR) induced by VP but significantly decreased the subsequent capacitative Ca 2+ entry (CCE) and proliferation. Moderate inhibition (34±6%) strongly decreased both IICR and CCE and further blocked proliferation. Complete inhibition almost abolished IICR and CCE and arrested proliferation entirely. Complete inhibition of IP 3 R 3 expression slightly attenuated IICR without affecting CCE or proliferation. In cells microinjected with a low dose of heparin, VP-induced CCE was more susceptible than IICR to mild inhibition of both IP 3 R 1 and IP 3 R 3 . A high dose of heparin had a similar effect to complete inhibition of IP 3 R 1 expression: it blocked VP-evoked IICR entirely and CCE by 90%. We conclude that IP 3 R 1 , but not IP 3 R 3 , is crucial for IICR, CCE, and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells.