tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Containing the Threat—Don't Forget Ebola
Authors: Jonathan Cohen
Journal: PLoS Medicine (2004)

188 On 8 October 2000, the acting district director of health services for the Gulu district in northwestern Uganda received two concurrent reports of an unusual illness with high mortality, occurring in the community and at a local hospital. One report attributed the illness to poisoning at a funeral at a remote village in the far north of the district. At the same time, the medical superintendent of the hospital also reported to the health authorities that he was experiencing a cluster of cases of critically ill patients, and that there had been several deaths, including some nurses. These events heralded what was to become the largest outbreak of Ebola fever so far described, involving 425 cases, of whom 224 died. The development of the epidemic and the measures taken to try and control it have recently been reported by Lamunu and her colleagues [1]. Their report underlines the challenges faced when dealing with such highly contagious and highly virulent infections. (At the request of PLoS Medicine, Lamunu et al. have made a full-text version of their report available on the World Health Organization Web site [2].)
Endothelial NT-3 Delivered by Vasculature and CSF Promotes Quiescence of Subependymal Neural Stem Cells through Nitric Oxide Induction
Authors: Ana C Delgado, Sacri R Ferrón, Diana Vicente, Eva Porlan, Ana Perez-Villalba, Carmen M Trujillo, Pilar D'Ocón, Isabel Fariñas
Journal: Neuron (2014)

Interactions of adult neural stem cells (NSCs) with supportive vasculature appear critical for their maintenance and function, although the molecular details are still under investigation. Neurotrophin (NT)-3 belongs to the NT family of trophic factors, best known for their effects in promoting neuronal survival. Here we show that NT-3 produced and secreted by endothelial cells of brain and choroid plexus capillaries is required for the quiescence and long-term maintenance of NSCs in the mouse subependymal niche. Uptake of NT-3 from irrigating vasculature and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) induces the rapid phosphorylation of endothelial nitric oxide (NO) synthase present in the NSCs, leading to the production of NO, which subsequently acts as a cytostatic factor. Our results identify a novel interaction between stem cells and vasculature/CSF compartments that is mediated by an unprecedented role of a neurotrophin and indicate that stem cells can regulate their own quiescence in response to endothelium-secreted molecules.
Women in US sue makers of Norplant
Authors: J Roberts
Journal: BMJ (1994)

About 400 women in the US have filed suit against the maker of the contraceptive Norplant, claiming that it is difficult to stop using it. Norplant, inserted subdermally, lasts for five years and in the US is made by Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories.

The women claim that they suffered permanent injuries, mostly scarring, after repeated attempts to remove the six match-stick sized capsules that are placed under the skin. Although the capsules are made to remain active and implanted for five years, some women seek removal earlier.

According to Wyeth-Ayerst, about …
Prognostic Factors in Adenocarcinoma of the Esophagus or Gastroesophageal Junction
Authors: Sjoerd M. Lagarde, Fiebo J.W. ten Kate, Johannes B. Reitsma, Olivier R.C. Busch, J. Jan B. van Lanschot
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2006)

The incidence of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus is rising rapidly in Western Europe and North America. It is an aggressive disease with early lymphatic and hematogenous dissemination. TNM cancer staging systems predict survival on the basis of the anatomic extent of the tumor. However, the adequacy of the current TNM staging system for adenocarcinoma of the esophagus or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) is questioned repeatedly. Numerous prognostic factors have been described, but are not included in the TNM system. This review describes clinical parameters, aspects of operative technique, response to preoperative chemoradiotherapy therapy, complications and established pathologic determinants found in the resection specimen that have a prognostic impact. Furthermore, their potential application in the clinical setting in patients with adenocarcinoma of the esophagus or GEJ is discussed. Future directions to improve staging systems are given.
Making decisions about hormone replacement therapy: Authors' reply
Authors: J. Rymer
Journal: BMJ (2003)

EDITOR—Hinton et al are concerned about the administration of oestrogen to women who have had oestrogen sensitive breast cancer. In our article we suggest giving hormone replacement as add-back treatment for premenopausal women who are given gonadotrophin releasing hormone analogues and may be devastated by the hypoestrogenic symptoms that they experience as well as having significant bone loss. For reasons of space we did not specify which hormone replacement we …
Cardiocirculatory Performance in Atrial Flutter
Authors: RÉJANE M. HARVEY, M. IRENÉ FERRER, DICKINSON W. RICHARDS, ANDRÉ COURNAND
Journal: Circulation (1955)

Data obtained in 12 patients with atrial flutter indicate that this arrhythmia was associated with a low cardiac output in those subjects with intrinsic heart disease. Furthermore, the resting level of blood flow increased somewhat when the cardiac mechanism of five patients with atrial flutter was converted to sinus rhythm. In two cardiac patients, the response to exercise in flutter as compared to normal sinus rhythm was little different. Lesser circulation pressures in the absence of heart failure were not abnormal in atrial flutter but, in general, when failure existed, the type of pulmonary hypertension noted in subjects with flutter, differed from those in sinus rhythm. Tricuspid insufficiency did not occur in atrial flutter in contrast to its almost constant appearance in atrial fibrillation. Atrial systolic pressure waves, associated with each electric flutter wave, were ubiquitously present in all lesser circulation pressure curves. Their origin is discussed.
Congenital Cystic Adenomatoid Malformation With Anasarca
Authors: P. A. Aslam
Journal: JAMA (1970)

A newborn infant with cystic adenomatoid malformation and anomalous systemic blood supply to the lower lobe of the left lung successfully underwent resection of the lung. This patient is one of the growing number of infants with this malformation who survived surgery. To the best of our knowledge, she is the first with anasarca to undergo pulmonary resection successfully.
Doctor wins claim over patent ownership
Authors: C. Dyer, C. Hughes
Journal: BMJ (1995)

A hospital doctor in Britain has successfully fought off his employers' claim to the patent for a device he invented while studying for his fellowship examinations. A High Court judge has ruled that Dr Donald Montgomery, not Greater Glasgow Health Board, owns the patent for an ophthalmoscopic instrument he devised to keep the eye stationary during examination.

Mr Michael Fysh, Dr Montgomery's QC, said that the case was an important test of the rights of hospital doctors, particularly those working in university hospitals, to claim ownership of their own inventions. The health board's counsel, Mr George Hamer, told the judge, Mr Justice Jacob: “It is a matter of great importance….It is important to my clients and to health authorities everywhere.” The board is considering an …
Cytokine Secretion by Cystic Fibrosis Airway Epithelial Cells
Authors: Marie N. Becker, Mariam S. Sauer, Marianne S. Muhlebach, Andrew J. Hirsh, Qi Wu, Margrith W. Verghese, Scott H. Randell
Journal: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (2003)

It is controversial whether mutations in cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator intrinsically dysregulate inflammation. We characterized passage 2 human tracheobronchial epithelial cell cultures morphologically and physiologically and determined whether cytokine production or nuclear factor-kappaB activation was systematically altered in cystic fibrosis (CF) cells. Non-CF and CF cells originating from a total of 33 and 25 lungs, respectively, were available for culture on plastic or at an air-liquid interface until well differentiated. Forskolin-stimulated short-circuit currents were present in representative polarized non-CF cultures and were absent in CF cultures, whereas uridine 5'-triphosphate-stimulated currents were present in both. Constitutive or interleukin (IL)-1beta-induced IL-8 or IL-6 secretion or nuclear factor-kappaB activity was not significantly different between non-CF and CF cells. The cytokines regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) and IL-10 were not detectable. Stimulation with tumor necrosis factor-alpha or a synthetic toll-like receptor 2 agonist or variable doses and times of Staphylococcus aureus culture filtrate revealed a single dose- and time-dependent difference in IL-8 production by CF cells. Interestingly, although IL-8 secretion after stimulation with Pseudomonas aeruginosa filtrates was not greater in CF cells in the absence of human serum, it was variably greater in its presence. Thus, although exaggerated responses may develop under certain conditions, our results do not support an overall intrinsically hyperinflammatory phenotype in CF cells.
Health in the Sixties
Authors: John Lister
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (1962)

THIS autumn has seen a spate of reports, conferences and measures in Parliament, all on the subject of health. The most notable of these was the report of the Porritt Committee, appointed by the British Medical Association in 1958 to review the medical services in Great Britain, under the chairmanship of Sir Arthur Porritt.During the four years that the Committee devoted to its study it covered every aspect of medical practice in Britain today. The main conclusion, supported by evidence from medical and lay organizations and by public opinion as disclosed in a Gallup poll, was that the concept . . .
Successful management of a case of diffuse cutaneous mastocytosis with recurrent anaphylactoid episodes and hypertension*1
Authors: L. Escribano, D. García-Belmonte, A. Hernández-González, E. Otheo, R. Núñez-Lopez, J.L. Vázquez, S. Quintero, M.T. Gárate
Journal: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (2004)
WHO's attempts to eradicate polio are thwarted in Africa and Asia
Authors: Owen Dyer
Journal: BMJ (2005)

Outbreaks of polio in Yemen and Indonesia, and the threat of polio returning to troubled regions of Africa, have dealt a blow to the World Health Organization's polio eradication programme in what was meant to be the final year of a 17 year campaign.

A total of 63 cases of polio have been identified in Yemen, and last week four cases were confirmed in Indonesia.

Bruce Aylward, coordinator of WHO's global polio eradication programme, said that many of thepatients in the Yemen were paralysed. “Since polio only paralyses at most one child per …
CHIP-ping away at tau
Authors: Dmitry Goryunov, Ronald K.H. Liem
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (2007)

Protein accumulation is a hallmark of many neurodegenerative disorders. In Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a hyperphosphorylated form of the protein tau (p-tau) forms intracellular inclusions known as neurofibrillary tangles. Deposits of p-tau have also been found in the brains of patients with Down’s syndrome, supranuclear palsy, and prion disease. Mutations in tau have been causally associated with at least one inherited neurologic disorder, frontotemporal dementia with parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP-17), implying that tau abnormalities by themselves can be a primary cause of degenerative diseases of the CNS. Removal of these p-tau species may occur by both chaperone-mediated refolding and degradation. In this issue of the JCI, Dickey and colleagues show that a cochaperone protein, carboxyl terminus of Hsp70-interacting protein (CHIP), in a complex with Hsp90 plays an important role in the removal of p-tau (see the related article beginning on page 648). Pharmacologic manipulation of Hsp90 may be used to alleviate p-tau accumulation in disease.
Is Positron Emission Tomography Derived Absolute Myocardial Blood Flow Reproducible?
Authors: Freny Vaghaiwalla Mody, Richard C. Brunken, Kristine Bufkin Coyle, Alan Chan, Heinrich R. Schelbert
Journal: Clinical Nuclear Medicine (1992)

Mody, Freny Vaghaiwalla; Brunken, Richard C.; Colyle, Kristine Bufkin; Chan, Alan; Schelbert, Heinrich R. Author Information
Effectiveness of Teaching Quality Improvement to Clinicians
Authors: Romsai T. Boonyasai, Donna M. Windish, Chayan Chakraborti, Leonard S. Feldman, Haya R. Rubin, Eric B. Bass
Journal: JAMA (2007)

ContextAccreditation requirements mandate teaching quality improvement (QI) concepts to medical trainees, yet little is known about the effectiveness of teaching QI.ObjectivesTo perform a systematic review of the effectiveness of published QI curricula for clinicians and to determine whether teaching methods influence the effectiveness of such curricula.Data SourcesThe electronic literature databases of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and ERIC were searched for English-language articles published between January 1, 1980, and April 30, 2007. Experts in the field of QI were queried about relevant studies.Study SelectionTwo independent reviewers selected studies for inclusion if the curriculum taught QI principles to clinicians and the evaluation used a comparative study design.Data ExtractionInformation about the features of each curriculum, its use of 9 principles of adult learning, and the type of educational and clinical outcomes were extracted. The relationship between the outcomes and the number of educational principles used was assessed.ResultsOf 39 studies that met eligibility criteria, 31 described team-based projects; 37 combined didactic instruction with experiential learning. The median number of adult learning principles used was 7 (range, 2-8). Evaluations included 22 controlled trials (8 randomized and 14 nonrandomized) and 17 pre/post or time series studies. Fourteen studies described educational outcomes (attitudes, knowledge, or skills or behaviors) and 28 studies described clinical process or patient outcomes. Nine of the 10 studies that evaluated knowledge reported only positive effects but only 2 of these described a validated assessment tool. The 6 assessments of attitudes found mixed results. Four of the 6 studies on skill or behavior outcomes reported only positive effects. Eight of the 28 studies of clinical outcomes reported only beneficial effects. Controlled studies were more likely than other studies to report mixed or null effects. Only 4 studies evaluated both educational and clinical outcomes, providing limited evidence that educational outcomes influence the clinical effectiveness of the interventions.ConclusionsMost published QI curricula apply sound adult learning principles and demonstrate improvement in learners' knowledge or confidence to perform QI. Additional studies are needed to determine whether educational methods have meaningful clinical benefits.
SPONTANEOUS FRACTURE OF STERNUM IN TUBERCULOSIS
Authors: Hyman E. Bass
Journal: JAMA (1952)

Fractured ribs, usually related to coughing, have been reported in a variety of chest conditions, such as atypical pneumonia, tracheitis, pulmonary tuberculosis, whooping cough, and status asthmaticus.<sup>1</sup>Such fractured ribs have been ascribed to muscular action.<sup>2</sup>In some instances multiple fractures of the ribs have been reported, and as many as eight fractures in one patient have been described.<sup>3</sup> The following report is one of spontaneous fracture of the sternum, presumably due to coughing, in a patient with pulmonary tuberculosis. We have been unable to find any similar case in the literature. <h3>REPORT OF CASE</h3> The patient was a 51-year-old white man in whom pulmonary tuberculosis first developed in 1943. He was kept on bed rest, and in November, 1944, a left phrenic nerve crush was done. All sputum examinations remained positive. There was moderate cough and at times a greenish expectoration. The patient was admitted to
Very rapid decay of mature B lymphocytes in the spleen.
Authors: A A de Freitas, A Coutinho
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1981)

To determine the persistence of immunocompetent B lymphocytes at the periphery, regardless of cell division, we have followed the decay of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-reactive B cells in LPS-nonresponder, histocompatible hosts. Both the numbers of transferred cells and of those persisting in the recipients could be determine with precision by limiting dilution analysis of the various cell populations. Decay rates of 50% per day were determined. Because we can exclude immune elimination of donor cells and the numbers of transferred cells were too low to result in gross alterations of the physiologic turnover rates, we conclude that the majority of LPS-reactive B lymphocytes and a large part of the whole B cell compartment show this astonishingly high rate of decay. The method introduced here might prove useful in a variety of clonal assays, as it can detect cells present at a very low frequency.
Use of mechanism-based structure-activity relationships analysis in carcinogenic potential ranking for drinking water disinfection by-products.
Authors: Yin-Tak Woo, David Lai, Jennifer L McLain, Mary Ko Manibusan, Vicki Dellarco
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (2002)

Disinfection by-products (DBPs) are formed when disinfectants such as chlorine, chloramine, and ozone react with organic and inorganic matter in water. The observations that some DBPs such as trihalomethanes (THMs), di-/trichloroacetic acids, and 3-chloro-4-(dichloromethyl)-5-hydroxy-2(5H)-furanone (MX) are carcinogenic in animal studies have raised public concern over the possible adverse health effects of DBPs. To date, several hundred DBPs have been identified. To prioritize research efforts, an in-depth, mechanism-based structure-activity relationship analysis, supplemented by extensive literature search for genotoxicity and other data, was conducted for ranking the carcinogenic potential of DBPs that met the following criteria: a) detected in actual drinking water samples, b) have insufficient cancer bioassay data for risk assessment, and c) have structural features/alerts or short-term predictive assays indicative of carcinogenic potential. A semiquantitative concern rating scale of low, marginal, low-moderate, moderate, high-moderate, and high was used along with delineation of scientific rationale. Of the 209 DBPs analyzed, 20 were of priority concern with a moderate or high-moderate rating. Of these, four were structural analogs of MX and five were haloalkanes that presumably will be controlled by existing and future THM regulations. The other eleven DBPs, which included halonitriles (6), haloketones (2), haloaldehyde (1), halonitroalkane (1), and dialdehyde (1), are suitable priority candidates for future carcinogenicity testing and/or mechanistic studies.
The role of the 595-nm pulsed dye laser in treating superficial basal cell carcinoma: outcome of a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial
Authors: S. Karsai, H. Friedl, H. Buhck, M. Jünger, M. Podda
Journal: British Journal of Dermatology (2014)

Background Pulsed dye laser (PDL) treatments have been suggested to be a safe and effective therapeutic approach for treating basal cell carcinomas (BCCs). However, robust supporting evidence is lacking due to inconsistent design of available studies. Objectives To evaluate PDL efficacy and safety in treating superficial BCC (sBCC) at low-risk anatomical sites in an evidence-based study setting. Materials and methods Thirty-nine patients (27 men and 12 women, 75·9 ± 10 years) with a total of 100 sBCCs were randomized to receive PDL treatment (wavelength 595 nm; fluence 8 J cm−2; pulse duration 0·5 ms; spot size 10 mm) or sham treatment. The primary endpoint was complete clinical and histological remission of the tumour at 6-month follow-up; the secondary endpoints were the evaluation of side-effects and pain as well as patient satisfaction. Results The primary endpoint showed significant superiority of the laser group to the sham group (P < 0·0001). Complete remission was achieved in 44 of 56 cases (78·6%) in the laser and in two of 44 cases (4·5%) in the sham treatment arm. The main adverse events in the laser group were crusts, hyper- and hypopigmentation. An average of 72% of patients stated at the individual sessions that they were 'satisfied' with the laser treatment, whereas 25% were 'very satisfied'. Conclusions PDL is an effective and safe method for treating sBCC. However, the occurrence of persistent dyspigmentation still limits the potential for excellent cosmetic outcomes.
DNA Methyltransferase 1 and 3B Activate <i>BAG-1</i> Expression via Recruitment of CTCFL/BORIS and Modulation of Promoter Histone Methylation
Authors: Lunching Sun, Lei Huang, Phuongmai Nguyen, Kheem S. Bisht, Gil Bar-Sela, Allen S. Ho, C. Matthew Bradbury, Wenqiang Yu, Hengmi Cui, Sunmin Lee, Jane B. Trepel, Andrew P. Feinberg, David Gius
Journal: Cancer Research (2008)

Abstract In a previous genomic analysis, using somatic methyltransferase (DNMT) knockout cells, we showed that hypomethylation decreased the expression of as many genes as were observed to increase, suggesting a previously unknown mechanism for epigenetic regulation. To address this idea, the expression of the BAG family genes was used as a model. These genes were used because their expression was decreased in DNMT1−/−, DNMT3B−/−, and double knockout cells and increased in DNMT1-overexpressing and DNMT3B-overexpressing cells. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis of the BAG-1 promoter in DNMT1-overexpressing or DNMT3B-overexpressing cells showed a permissive dimethyl-H3-K4/dimethyl-H3-K9 chromatin status associated with DNA-binding of CTCFL/BORIS, as well as increased BAG-1 expression. In contrast, a nonpermissive dimethyl-H3-K4/dimethyl-H3-K9 chromatin status was associated with CTCF DNA-binding and decreased BAG-1 expression in the single and double DNMT knockout cells. BORIS short hairpin RNA knockdown decreased both promoter DNA-binding, as well as BAG-1 expression, and changed the dimethyl-H3-K4/dimethyl-H3-K9 ratio to that characteristic of a nonpermissive chromatin state. These results suggest that DNMT1 and DNMT3B regulate BAG-1 expression via insulator protein DNA-binding and chromatin dynamics by regulating histone dimethylation. [Cancer Res 2008;68(8):2726–35]
Matthew Crawford Dickson
Authors: Gordon A Clark, Bryan L Whitty
Journal: BMJ (2004)

Former general practitioner Glasgow (b Dennistoun 1906; q Glasgow 1932), d 12 October 2004.​2004.




Figure 1




Lieutenant “Doc” Dickson is how Matthew is described in a second world war history of his regiment. He survived the rigours of the France/Belgium campaign and the evacuation at Dunkirk, to be sent to the Far East. Captured in Singapore, he was interned in 1942 in Changi Jail and subsequently sent to the Siam-Burma railway. Patients still talk of the emaciated Dr Dickson who returned to work in Glasgow. Matthew worked in his practice for over 40 years, retiring at the age of 70. He was medical adviser to numerous industrial and commercial companies, including the Glasgow shipyards. Predeceased by his wife, Marion, he leaves a daughter.