tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Arthritis instantaneously causes collagen type I and type II degradation in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis: a longitudinal analysis
Authors: R B M Landewe
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2005)

<b>Background:</b> Markers of collagen type I (CTX-1) and type II (CTX-II) degradation, reflecting bone and cartilage breakdown, appear to predict long term radiographic progression in chronic persistent arthritis. <b>Objective:</b> To analyse longitudinally whether changes in arthritis severity are linked to immediate changes in the level of CTX-I and CTX-II degradation. <b>Methods:</b> CTX-I and CTX-II were measured in urine samples from 105 patients with early rheumatoid arthritis who had participated in the COBRA trial at baseline and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after the start of treatment. The course of the biomarkers over time was compared with the course of ESR, swollen and tender joint counts, and 28 joint disease activity score (DAS28), measured at the same time points, with adjustment for rheumatoid factor, treatment, and baseline radiographic damage, by generalised estimating equations (GEE) with first order autoregression. <b>Results:</b> GEE showed that CTX-I was longitudinally associated with DAS28, but not with ESR, swollen joint count, or tender joint count. CTX-II, however, was longitudinally associated with ESR, swollen joint count and DAS28, but not with tender joint count. The longitudinal association implies that an increase in the extent of arthritis is immediately followed by an increase in collagen type II degradation, and to a lesser extent collagen type I degradation. <b>Conclusions:</b> Cartilage degradation as measured by CTX-II and to a lesser extent bone degradation as measured by CTX-I closely follows indices of arthritis. Clinically perceptible arthritis is responsible for immediate damage, which will become visible on plain <i>x</i> rays only much later.
Relation between incidence of hepatic carcinogenesis and integration value of alanine aminotransferase in patients with hepatitis C virus infection
Authors: T. Kumada, H. Toyoda, S. Kiriyama, Y. Sone, M. Tanikawa, Y. Hisanaga, A. Kanamori, J. Kondo, T. Yamauchi, S. Nakano
Journal: Gut (2007)

Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity is the most widely used laboratory parameter in the evaluation of necroinflammatory activity in liver disease.1–3 However, it is incorrect to evaluate the arithmetic or the annual mean values. If the ALT level is high, the measurement interval decreases, whereas if the ALT level is low, the interval increases. As a result, the arithmetic mean value increases in patients with increased ALT levels. We performed a more accurate evaluation by using the integration value of ALT. The aim of this study was to determine the utility of the integration value of ALT in predicting hepatic carcinogenesis in patients with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

A total of 1704 consecutive patients with follow-up periods of ⩾3 years, with no evidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) for ⩾3 years before the observation period, and interferon treatment completed ⩾3 year before the detection of HCC during …
Physical activity and public health
Authors: C. B. Pugh
Journal: JAMA (1995)

To the Editor.  —We applaud the efforts of the group of experts who wrote the excellent article entitled  Activity and Public Health: A Recommendation From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine. 1 Their recommendation for increased participation in moderate physical activity among Americans of all ages is very exciting and long overdue. By increasing physical activity levels, our sedentary society can do much to mitigate the harmful aspects of our modern lifestyle.  It should be recognized, however, that the one negative effect of increased physical activity is the increased risk of injury related to physical activity. This is true for people moving from low to moderate levels of activity as well as those with high activity levels. Physical activity-related injury is a substantial and costly health problem in our society, 2 yet Dr Pate and colleagues did not include strategies for
Review of the Occurrence of Anti-infectives in Contaminated Wastewaters and Natural and Drinking Waters
Authors: Pedro A. Segura, Matthieu François, Christian Gagnon, Sébastien Sauvé
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (2009)

Anti-infectives are constantly discharged at trace levels in natural waters near urban centers and agricultural areas. They represent a cause for concern because of their potential contribution to the spread of anti-infective resistance in bacteria and other effects on aquatic biota. We compiled data on the occurrence of anti-infectives published in the last 24 years in environmental water matrices. The collected information was then compared with the available ecotoxicologic values to evaluate potential environmental concerns.We used Web of Science and Google Scholar to search for articles published in peer-reviewed journals written in the English language since 1984.Information on compound concentrations in wastewaters and natural and drinking waters, the source of contamination, country of provenance of the samples, year of publication, limits of quantification, and method of analysis was extracted.From the 126 different substances analyzed in environmental waters, 68 different parent compounds and 10 degradation products or metabolites have been quantified to date. Environmental concentrations vary from about 10(-1) to 10(9) ng/L, depending on the compound, the matrix, and the source of contamination.Detrimental effects of anti-infectives on aquatic microbiota are possible with the constant exposure of sensitive species. Indirect impact on human health cannot be ruled out when considering the potential contribution of high anti-infective concentrations to the spreading of anti-infective resistance in bacteria.
The Anatomic Basis for High-Frequency Components in the Electrocardiogram
Authors: NANCY C. FLOWERS, LEO G. HORAN, J. R. THOMAS, WILLIAM J. TOLLESON
Journal: Circulation (1969)

In a correlative study between selected body-surface potential recordings and anatomic findings, multilead sets of high-fidelity, high-speed records from 128 persons were studied in connection with the results of our detailed postmortem dissections of their hearts. Attention was focused on high-frequency components (notching and slurring of the expanded QRS) as described by Langner. We found that (1) groups with ventricular enlargement without scarring were indistinguishable from groups with infarction on the basis of the number of high-frequency components; (2) both of these groups were clearly distinguishable from normal subjects on this basis alone; and (3) the high-frequency component count in the group with ventricular enlargement showed high negative correlation with age and high positive correlation with right and left ventricular weights. These findings suggest that the appearance of high-frequency components in the vectorcardiogram or electrocardiogram may relate to the struggle between competing generator sites of ventricular enlargement as well as to the classic concept of shattering of the wave of activation on the shoals of infarction.
Racial differences in the correlation between gonadal androgens and serum insulin levels.
Authors: A E Kitabchi, R E Imseis, A J Bush, B Williams-Cleaves, G Pourmotabbed
Journal: Diabetes Care (1999)

OBJECTIVE: We previously demonstrated a direct correlation between serum insulin levels and gonadal androgens (testosterone and androstenedione) in a group of obese hyperandrogenic predominantly black women. Subsequent work by others in predominantly white women showed conflicting results. To examine these potentially important racial differences further, 14 premenopausal females from each ethnic group, of similar age, BMI, and waist-to-hip ratio, were studied. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We measured baseline gonadal androgens, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), and leutinizing hormone (LH)/follicle-stimulating hormone ratio. Serum glucose, insulin, and C-peptide were measured at baseline and during a 2-h oral glucose tolerance test (area under the curve [AUC]). Insulin sensitivity was measured by glucose decrement during the first 15 min of an intravenous insulin tolerance test. RESULTS: Simple correlation analysis revealed a significant direct correlation in blacks (but not whites) between gonadal androgens and AUC for glucose, insulin, and C-peptide. Race-by-covariate interaction models reinforced the simple correlation finding. Cholesterol level was also correlated to all androgens in blacks, but not in whites. We also found that whites had higher serum triglycerides and greater AUC glucose than blacks. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that there is a significant direct correlation between gonadal androgens and stimulated glucose, insulin, and C-peptide in blacks but not in whites. Thus, the previously reported direct correlation between gonadal hyperandrogenism and hyperinsulinemia may be a race-dependent phenomenon, hitherto an unreported observation. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Exfoliative Dermatitis after Acetarsol Vaginal Pessaries
Authors: B. J. Peck
Journal: BMJ (1954)

Cornwall HospitalAcetarsol vaginal pessaries have been used for almost twenty years since the trichomonicidal action of vaginal insufflation of 12.5% acetarsol in an inert powder base was demonstrated by Gellhorn (1933).Several regimes are at present employed, all involving the vaginal in-
High-Altitude Pituitary–Thyroid Dysfunction on Mount Everest
Authors: John P. Mordes, F. Duane Blume, Stephen Boyer, Miao-Rong Zheng, Lewis E. Braverman
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (1983)

THE process of adaptation to high altitude has been studied extensively.1 Most studies, however, have been performed at altitudes under 5000 m (16,400 ft). This altitude is of interest because it appears to define the highest altitude at which human beings can reside indefinitely. Although some 25 million people2 live at between 3000 and 5000 m, there are few permanent settlements at higher altitudes. We now report observations on pituitary and thyroid function at sea level and at 5400 m (17,700 ft) and 6300 m (20,700 ft). There was a progressive rise in serum thyroxine (T4) concentrations and . . .
Antidepressants surpass antihypertensives as most commonly prescribed drugs in US
Authors: J. H. Tanne
Journal: BMJ (2009)

Use of antidepressants in the United States almost doubled from 1996 to 2005, and in 2005 antidepressants surpassed antihypertensives to become the most widely prescribed class of drugs in primary care and in hospital outpatient clinics, a study has found.

The study, by Mark Olfson of Columbia University in New York and Steven Marcus at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, was published in the Archives of General Psychiatry (2009;66:848-56).

The authors compared sociodemographic and clinical patterns of antidepressant treatment between 1996 and 2005, using information from the household component of the 1996 and …
The radial alveolar count method of Emery and Mithal: a reappraisal 1--postnatal lung growth.
Authors: T P Cooney, W M Thurlbeck
Journal: Thorax (1982)

The radial alveolar count method of Emery and Mithal has been re-evaluated on 76 normal postnatal lungs. Results of reproducibility assessments suggest that each observer should establish normal control values when beginning with the method, and should subsequently use control cases to maintain strict reproducibility. The use of 10 fields per case was found to be inadequate to obtain satisfactory reproducibility, even for a single observer. Prior inflation of the lungs significantly increased the radial counts, and this factor may help to explain the large discrepancy between the results of this study and that of Emery and Mithal. The radial counts correlated well with the chronological age of the child (r = +0.76; p less than 0.001). Alveolarization of the acinus occurs primarily between birth and 2 years; significant but slower growth is seen up to 8 years, after which the results plateau, suggesting that alveolarization is complete. The radial count method appears to provide a relatively simple and reasonably satisfactory assessment of alveolar development, as originally proposed by Emery and Mithal.
Diagnostic Features of Malfunction of Disk Mitral Valve Prostheses
Authors: Jeoffrey K. Stross
Journal: JAMA (1971)

The x-ray film of the chest, by giving clear evidence of incomplete closure of the disk valve, was diagnostic of prosthetic valve malfunction in two patients. Potentially lethal malfunction of a prosthetic disk valve can be treated successfully by operation if the diagnosis is made early in the clinical course. The medical history is helpful. The physical examination can lead to the diagnosis, but the results may be normal in the presence of valve malfunction. It may be possible to detect malfunction in the majority of instances by x-ray film of the chest and fluoroscopy, but if these studies are inconclusive when malfunction is suspected, cardiac catheterization and cineangiography should be done promptly.
Inclusion of the Hepatic Locus Control Region, an Intron, and Untranslated Region Increases and Stabilizes Hepatic Factor IX Gene Expression in Vivo but Not in Vitro
Authors: Carol H. Miao, Kazuo Ohashi, Gijsbert A. Patijn, Leonard Meuse, Xin Ye, Arthur R. Thompson, Mark A. Kay
Journal: Molecular Therapy (2000)

We systematically compared human factor IX gene expression from a variety of plasmids containing different cis-regulatory sequences after transfection into different hepatocyte cell lines, or in vivo, after their injection into the livers of mice. Although there was a 1.5- to 2.0-fold variation in gene expression from cultured cells, a 65-fold variation was observed in the in vivo studies. We found that a plasmid containing the apolipoprotein E locus control region (HCR), human α1-antitrypsin (hAAT) promoter, hFIX minigene (hFIXmg) sequence including a portion of the first intron (intron A), 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR), and a bovine growth hormone polyadenylation signal (bpA) produced the highest serum level of human factor IX, reaching 18 μg/ml (normal = 5 μg/ml) 1 day after injection. Although most of the plasmid DNAs resulted in transient gene expression, inclusion of an intron, a polyadenylation signal from either the 1.7-kb 3′-UTR or the 0.3-kb bpA, and the HCR resulted in persistent and therapeutic levels of hFIX gene expression, ranging from 0.5 to 2 μg/ml (10 to 40% of normal) for 225 days (length of experiment). These data underscore the importance of cis sequences for enhancing in vivo hepatic gene expression and reemphasize the lack of correlation of gene expression in tissue culture and in vivo studies.
NICE guidelines address social aspect of schizophrenia
Authors: S. Hargreaves
Journal: BMJ (2003)

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) this week launched its first set of guidelines on the treatment and management of schizophrenia in primary and secondary care, in an attempt to improve healthcare outcomes among patients in England and Wales.

People with schizophrenia often encounter stigmatisation and discrimination, says the report. “This may occur not only in wider society… but also with the NHS,” where, say the authors, people with schizophrenia often receive substandard care.

According to the report schizophrenia costs the NHS more than any other mental illness, consuming more than 5% of the NHS …
TCT-254 Very Low Intravenous Contrast Dose (20cc) Protocol for Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA) Providing Comprehensive Cardiac and Vascular Assessment for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
Authors: Todd Pulerwitz, Omar K. Khalique, Tamim M. Nazif, Hemal Gada, Torsten P. Vahl, Martin Leon, Belinda Dsouza
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2014)
Neutrophil chemotaxis in Behcet's syndrome
Authors: B. TUZUN, Y. TUZUN, C. MAT, S. YURDAKUL, V. HAMURYUDAN, H. YAZICI, Y. OZYAZGAN
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (1999)

Cladribine in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus nephritisSystemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) nephritis often requires treatment with cyclophosphamide, which carries the risk of major side eVects including infection, ovarian failure and bladder malignancy.Therapeutic strategies that would specifically target lymphocytes are appealing.Following the first report of the use of the purine nucleoside analogue cladribine (2-chloro-2'deoxyadenosine), a selective lymphocyte depleting agent, in the treatment of lupus nephritis, 1 we report our experience in two patients with severe renal involvement.
Dangers of Oxytocin-induced Labour to Fetuses
Authors: W. A. Liston, A. J. Campbell
Journal: BMJ (1974)

A retrospective survey of 658 consecutive deliveries in Aberdeen Maternity Hospital in 1970 showed that fetal distress, low Apgar score at five minutes, and special nursery admission were all common in patients receiving oxytocin infusion. Many patients receiving such infusions also had very frequent contractions when compared with others. Though the populations in each group were not standard, the clinical criteria were crude, and the survey was retrospective there are resonable grounds to believe that the present enthusiasm for oxytocin has perhaps led us in clinical practice to underestimate and forget the dangers of oxytocin to the fetus. Careful monitoring of the fetus of the mother receiving oxytocin is essential.
Activation of a G protein–coupled receptor by its endogenous ligand triggers the innate immune response of Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Olivier Zugasti, Neelanjan Bose, Barbara Squiban, Jérôme Belougne, C Léopold Kurz, Frank C Schroeder, Nathalie Pujol, Jonathan J Ewbank
Journal: Nature Immunology (2014)
Serum Cholesterol Level and Hepatoma
Authors: Min-Chun Chen
Journal: JAMA (1990)

<h3>To the Editor.—</h3> In their interesting and important study, Winawer and colleagues<sup>1</sup>conclude that individuals in whom colorectal cancer develops share the same level of serum cholesterol as the general population initially but demonstrate a decline in serum cholesterol level prior to the diagnosis of cancer. As clinicians, we believe that the other intriguing association between serum cholesterol level and gastrointestinal malignancy is the development of hypercholesterolemia in patients with hepatoma as demonstrated by one of our patients seen recently at West Side Veterans Administration Medical Center. <h3>Report of a Case.—</h3> In September 1988, a 34-year-old black man had a serum cholesterol level of 5.00 mmol/L (193 mg/dL) (normal level, 3.10 to 5.70 mmol/L [120 to 220 mg/dL]) documented as part of his routine serum biochemistry tests. There was no history of familial hypercholesterolemia. He occasionally drank alcohol excessively but otherwise had been healthy until August 1989, when he
Ernesto (Che) Guevara — Physician, Revolutionary Physician, Revolutionary
Authors: Gordon P. Harper
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (1969)

WHEN Ernesto Guevara, a 25-year-old Argentine freshly graduated from medical school, came to Bolivia in the summer of 1953, he went with a friend to visit the headquarters of the Agrarian Reform — the pride of the new revolutionary government, the MNR. He had seen the Indians there before, known for their coca chewing, tuberculosis and malnutrition, and was now eager to learn what was being done for them. But he stopped short at the sight of a long line of Indians, waiting to receive deeds to their lands, filing silently past a mestizo who put a large spray hose . . .
INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH: Assessing the Global Composite Impact of Chemicals on Health
Authors: Bob Weinhold
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (2011)

international environmental health assessing the Global Composite impact of Chemicals on healthThe total role that the environment plays in contributing to premature death and disability remains sketchy, but researchers working with the World Health Organization (WHO) continue to flesh out the details.Now four WHO researchers have estimated the global burden of certain toxic substances for which adequate data are available. 1They have calculated that in 2004 2 at least 8.3% of all preventable deaths and 5.7% of the preventable portion of the metric known as disability-adjusted life years (DALYs, which address a blend of death and disease impacts) were caused by the toxics analyzed. 1Their estimates include health end points such as cardiovascular disease, cancers, neuropsychiatric disorders, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, respiratory infections, and birth defects. 3 The leading contributors to premature death and DALYs were indoor solid fuel combustion (1,965,000 deaths and 41,009,000 DALYs), outdoor air pollution (1,212,000 deaths and 8,747,000 DALYs), secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS; 603,000 deaths and 10,913,000 DALYs), chronic occupational exposures (581,000 deaths and 6,763,000 DALYs), chemicals involved in unintentional, nonoccupational acute poisonings (210,000 deaths and 4,603,000 DALYs), and suicide attempts using pesticides (186,000 deaths and 4,420,000 DALYs).Other toxics included in the global totals were asbestos, lead, arsenic in drinking water (but only in Bangladesh), and a few other chemicals, including some typically encountered in occupational settings. 1 Children under age 15 years were a highly susceptible group, suffering 54% of the total DALY burden.That includes 80% of the burden imposed by lead, 75% of that of indoor solid fuel use, 61% of that of SHS, 19% of
Left Ventricular Residual Volume in the Intact and Denervated Dog Heart
Authors: THOMAS A. BRUCE, CARLETON B. CHAPMAN
Journal: Circulation Research (1965)

Left ventricular volumes were measured at rest and during electrically stimulated muscular exercise in 28 anesthetized dogs. Volumes were calculated from images obtained during biplane cineangiofluorography. Under control resting conditions from 30 to 55% of the diastolic volume of the left ventricle remained after ejection. This residual volume of blood became an immediate source of the increased ventricular output during the beginning of exercise. Following vagectomy, sympathectomy, and total cardiac denervation, the ability to increase cardiac output during exercise persisted, but was accomplished by increased ventricular filling rather than by diminution of the residual volume.
Endoscopic band ligation for the treatment of rectal Dieulafoy lesions: risks and disadvantages
Authors: H. Kim, J. Kim, H. Son, Y. Park, H. Chae, Y. Cho
Journal: Endoscopy (2007)

A Dieulafoy lesion is an uncommon vascular abnormality that can cause life-threatening gastrointestinal bleeding. It is becoming increasingly apparent that these lesions, although usually gastric, can develop throughout the gastrointestinal tract. Dieulafoy lesions in the colon, first described by Barbier et al. [1], are most frequently found in the proximal colon and the rectum [2]. With the advent of therapeutic endoscopic techniques, endoscopic therapy has become the treatment of choice for this lesion for many endoscopists, and this type of management has been proved to be effective in the majority of cases. However, there is limited information available on the endoscopic treatment of extragastric Dieulafoy lesions. There have only been a few small case series due to the rarity of the lesion. Yen & Chen [3] described the risks and disadvantages of endoscopic band ligation (EBL) for the treatment of Dieulafoy lesions. A case of delayed fatal hemorrhage after EBL treatment of a gastric Dieulafoy lesion has also been reported [4]. It is therefore clear that EBL has some disadvantages, particularly in the treatment of extragastric Dieulafoy lesions.