tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Associations Between Prediabetes, by Three Different Diagnostic Criteria, and Incident CVD Differ in South Asians and Europeans
Authors: Sophie V. Eastwood, Therese Tillin, Naveed Sattar, Nita G. Forouhi, Alun D. Hughes, Nish Chaturvedi
Journal: Diabetes Care (2015)

OBJECTIVE We examined longitudinal associations between prediabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) (coronary heart disease [CHD] and stroke) in Europeans and South Asians. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This was a U.K. cohort study of 1,336 Europeans and 1,139 South Asians, aged 40–69 years at baseline (1988–1991). Assessment included blood pressure, blood tests, anthropometry, and questionnaires. Prediabetes was determined by OGTT or HbA1c, using either International Expert Committee (IEC) (HbA1c 6.0–6.5% [42–48 mmol/mol]) or American Diabetes Association (ADA) (HbA1c 5.7–6.5% [39–48 mmol/mol]) cut points. Incident CHD and stroke were established at 20 years from death certification, hospital admission, primary care record review, and participant report. RESULTS Compared with normoglycemic individuals, IEC-defined prediabetes was related to both CHD and CVD risk in Europeans but not South Asians (subhazard ratio for CHD 1.68 [95% CI 1.19, 2.38] vs. 1.00 [0.75, 1.33], ethnicity interaction P = 0.008, and for CVD 1.49 [1.08, 2.07] vs. 1.03 [0.78, 1.36], ethnicity interaction P = 0.04). Conversely, IEC-defined prediabetes was associated with stroke risk in South Asians but not Europeans (1.73 [1.03, 2.90] vs. 0.85 [0.44, 1.64], ethnicity interaction P = 0.11). Risks were adjusted for age, sex, smoking, total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio, waist-to-hip ratio, systolic blood pressure, and antihypertensive use. Associations were weaker for OGTT or ADA-defined prediabetes. Conversion from prediabetes to diabetes was greater in South Asians, but accounting for time to conversion did not account for these ethnic differences. CONCLUSIONS Associations between prediabetes and CVD differed by prediabetes diagnostic criterion, type of CVD, and ethnicity, with associations being present for overall CVD in Europeans but not South Asians. Substantiation of these findings and investigation of potential explanations are required.
Empyema
Authors: Dennis K. Law
Journal: JAMA (1978)

EMPYEMA is an uncommon complication of intra-abdominal sepsis.<sup>1-5</sup>Although the protean manifestation of acute appendicitis is well recognized, its initial presentation as an empyema is distinctly rare. We report two cases of appendicitis that presented as empyema in which abdominal findings were minimal or absent. <h3>Report of Cases</h3><h3>Case 1.—</h3> A previously healthy 50-year-old woman was seen in the emergency room 24 days before admission, complaining of a three-day history of generalized abdominal pain, nausea, and intermittent vomiting. The results of an examination of the abdomen demonstrated diffuse mild tenderness without rebound. No palpable masses were present, and the results of a rectal examination were unremarkable. She had a WBC count of 12,400/cu mm, with a differential cell count of 63 polymorphonuclear leukocytes, 15 band forms, ten lymphocytes, and 12 monocytes. She was discharged with a diagnosis of viral gastroenteritis. Her abdominal pain resolved during the subsequent 24 to
Increase in hepatitis A cases in the Czech Republic in 2008 – an update
Authors: J Cástková, C Beneš
Journal: Eurosurveillance (2009)

In 2008, 1,616 cases of hepatitis A were reported in the Czech Republic, more than a 10-fold increase compared with the annual number of cases registered in 2003-2007. The infection was initially associated with injecting drug users, most probably by person-to-person contact or parenteral transmission, and in the second half of the year continued to spread among the general population with increased susceptibility.
Obesity-hypoventilation syndrome carries an increased risk of death over sleep apnea syndrome
Authors: Olalla Castro Añón, Luis A. Pérez de Llano, Sandra de la Fuente Sánchez, Rafael Golpe, Lidia Méndez Marote, Julián Castro Castro, Arturo González Quintela
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2014)

Aim:  To study whether mortality and cardiovascular morbidity differs in non-invasive ventilation (NIV)-treated patients with severe obesity-hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) as compared with CPAP-treated patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), and to identify the independent predictors of mortality in a cohort of NIV-treated OHS subjects.   Material and methods:  Two retrospective cohorts of OHS and OSAS were matched 1:2 according to gender, age (±10 year) and length of time since initiation of CPAP/NIV therapy (±6 months).   Results:  Three hundred and thirty subjects (110 patients with OHS and 220 patients with OSAS; 43.6% women; mean age 64 ± 21 yr) were included in the study.Mean follow-up time was 7±4 years (range: 1-15 years). The five year mortality rates were 15.5% in OHS cohort and 4.5% in OSAS cohort (p   Conclusion:  The mortality of severe OHS patients is high and substantially worse than that of OSAS subjects. Severe OHS should be considered a systemic disease that encompasses respiratory, metabolic and cardiovascular components that require a multimodal therapeutic approach.
Increased apoptosis of alveolar lymphocytes (AL) in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Potential mechanisms and practical considerations
Authors: Piotr Kopinski, Grzegorz Przybylski, Joanna Chorostowska-Wynimko, Andrzej Dyczek, Karina Szablowska, Ewelina Pólgesek, Joanna Golinska
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2013)

Background: The implication of T cells in IPF pathogenesis is controversial. The views vary from direct lymphocytes participation in lung fibrosis to their protective role against the process.  Aim: Examination of AL apoptosis frequency in IPF. Results were related to clinical data and BAL cytoimmunological pattern, in order to evaluate the physiopathological role of AL and T cell apoptosis mechanisms in IPF.  Methods. BAL of 27 IPF patients and 17 controls was examined for: a) cytoimmunology, b) supernatant levels of cytokines taking part in cell apoptosis/survival (ELISA), c) AL apoptosis with flow cytometry (sub-G1 peak of cell cycle); d) TUNEL assay; e) AL staining for BCL-2, BCL-xL, BAK, caspase-3, and death receptors (DRs).  Results. In all methods AL apoptosis was higher in IPF than in controls (sub-G1 peak: 2.8±2.2 vs 1.0±0,2%, p  Conclusions. AL protect lung tissue from fibrosis; AL apoptosis is an unfavourable process and its inhibition should be considered as important therapeutic option in IPF. Its mechanisms may include BCL-2 family proteins interaction, and TNFα:TNFR1 ligation. The way that neutrophiles impact AL apoptosis needs further explanation.
An Unusual Salmonella Infection
Authors: T E Bowling, J H Baron
Journal: Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine (1992)

In England and Wales there were over 26 000 cases of Salmonella infection in 1989 (PHLS Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, unpublished), 68% ofwhich presented as a gastroenteritis, 9% as septicaemia, 8% as focal disease with the remainder being subclinical carriers. Salmonella infected abdominal aortic aneurysms are rare with fewer than 50 reported in the literature. A further case is now described and the literature reviewed.
Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Stiff-Person Syndrome
Authors: Spiros Fourlanos, Andrew Neal, Michelle So, Andrew Evans
Journal: Diabetes Care (2014)

GAD antibody (GADA) positivity is a hallmark of autoimmune diabetes and the rare autoimmune neurological disorder Stiff-Person Syndrome (SPS). Concomitant SPS and classical type 1 diabetes (T1D) have been described in case reports (1–3). A recent series of SPS reported the prevalence of T1D at 43% (4). However, the presence of alternative forms of autoimmune diabetes, such as latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) in SPS, is not well described. We report on two cases of SPS and LADA.

A 72-year-old woman presented unable to walk after a 6-month history of progressive right leg stiffness, light touch–induced foot spasms, and pain. Examination revealed her right foot was plantarflexed and inverted with no active or …
Self‐Reported Pain and Disease Symptoms Persist in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis Despite Treatment Advances: An Electronic Diary Study
Authors: Maggie H. Bromberg, Mark Connelly, Kelly K. Anthony, Karen M. Gil, Laura E. Schanberg
Journal: Arthritis & Rheumatology (2013)

Objective To use electronic diaries (e‐diaries) to determine whether pain, stiffness, and fatigue continue to be common, disabling symptoms in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) despite the use of aggressive treatments in contemporary medical management. Methods Fifty‐nine children with JIA (ages 8–18 years) provided ratings of pain, stiffness, and fatigue intensity and functional limitations using a smartphone e‐diary 3 times each day for 1 month. Medication information was collected via parent report and checked for accuracy by chart review. Descriptive analyses were conducted to determine typical symptom intensity, frequency, and variability. Multilevel modeling was used to analyze associations between symptoms and functional outcomes and between medication use and symptom intensity. Results Children reported moments of pain in 66% of e‐diary entries. No children were entirely pain‐free across the reporting period. In 31% of all e‐diary entries the visual analog scale score for pain was &gt;40 (high pain intensity), with 86% of children reporting a high level of pain at least once during the study period. The mean ratings of pain, stiffness, and fatigue intensity were in the mild‐to‐moderate range. Medication class was not a reliable predictor of differences in symptom intensity, even though 79% of children were prescribed a disease‐modifying antirheumatic drug and 47% were prescribed a biologic agent. Moments of higher pain intensity and higher stiffness intensity were each uniquely predictive of higher concurrent functional limitations. Conclusion Self‐reported pain, stiffness, and fatigue continue to be common in children with JIA, despite contemporary advances in treatment strategies, including use of biologic agents. These findings are surprisingly consistent with previous results from research using daily paper diaries in the pre‐biologics era. There remains a pressing and ongoing need to optimize pain and symptom management in JIA.
Evolution of resting lung function in the first year after cardiac transplantation
Authors: LM Bussieres, PW Pflugfelder, D Ahmad, AW Taylor, WJ Kostuk
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (1995)

The aim of our study was to characterize the time course and magnitude of the changes in lung function in the first year after cardiac transplantation. Resting pulmonary function tests (spirometry, lung volumes and transfer factor) were performed in 14 patients prior to and at 1, 3 and 12 months after surgery. Resting central haemodynamics were also measured serially in the first year post-transplantation. Before transplantation, patients had impaired resting lung function with marked decrease in transfer factor (TL,CO). Although resting central haemodynamics improved markedly within the first week after cardiac transplantation, lung function (forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1)) was significantly improved only at three months post-transplantation. TL,CO, however, decreased further early after cardiac transplantation. By 12 months, FEV1 and forced vital capacity had increased significantly by 31 and 33%, respectively, while total lung capacity increased by 22%. On the other hand, TL,CO did not increase significantly and remained well below normal at 12 months after cardiac transplantation, at a value equal to 68% of predicted. We conclude that the resting abnormalities in lung function of most patients with heart failure are reversible after cardiac transplantation, except for TL,CO which remains below normal values. Recovery of lung function, however, lags behind the improvement in cardiac function.
Abstract 101: Endothelial-Specific Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 1 and 2 Deletion Impairs Vascular Remodeling and Recovery in an In Vivo Closed-Chest Model of Cardiac Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury
Authors: Stacey House, Carla Weinheimer, Attila Kovacs, David Ornitz
Journal: Circulation Research (2012)

Introduction: Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling is cardioprotective in various models of myocardial infarction. FGF receptors (FGFRs) are expressed in multiple cell types in the adult heart, but the cell type-specific FGFR signaling which mediates different cardioprotective endpoints is currently unknown. Hypothesis: We hypothesize that endothelial FGFR signaling is essential for vascular remodeling after cardiac ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. Methods: We have generated mice with a conditional ablation of the Fgfr1 and Fgfr2 genes in endothelial cells ( Tie2-Cre, Fgfr1 f/f , Fgfr2 f/f ). These mice and littermate controls were subjected to a clinically relevant, in vivo , closed-chest model of cardiac IR injury which includes 90 minutes of occlusion of the left anterior descending artery followed by reperfusion for 7 days. Echocardiography was performed at baseline, day 1, and day 7 of reperfusion, and histological staining was performed on day 7. Results: Tie2-Cre, Fgfr1 f/f , Fgfr2 f/f mice had no baseline abnormalities in cardiac morphometry or function. When subjected to closed-chest, regional cardiac IR injury, Tie2-Cre, Fgfr1 f/f , Fgfr2 f/f mice showed significantly increased infarct size compared to controls at 7 days (37±3% vs. 15±5%, p&lt;0.05) but not 1 day after reperfusion. Tie2-Cre, Fgfr1 f/f , Fgfr2 f/f mice also showed significantly worsened cardiac function (ejection fraction, stroke volume, and fractional shortening) compared to controls at 7 days (p&lt;0.05) but not 1 day after reperfusion. Myocyte cross-sectional area measurement showed no impairment in the cardiac hypertrophic response in the Tie2-Cre, Fgfr1 f/f , Fgfr2 f/f mice. Tie2-Cre, Fgfr1 f/f , Fgfr2 f/f mice have normal vessel density in the non-injured state, but after cardiac IR injury, Tie2-Cre, Fgfr1 f/f , Fgfr2 f/f hearts showed significantly decreased vessel density (both capillaries and smooth muscle actin containing vessels, p&lt;0.05) compared to controls in the peri-infarct area. Conclusions: Ablation of FGFR1 and FGFR2 in endothelial cells results in impaired vascular remodeling, worsened cardiac functional recovery, and increased infarct size without affecting the cardiac hypertrophic response in an in vivo , closed-chest model of cardiac IR injury.
Frequency and prognostic importance of pretreatment clinical characteristics in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer treated with combination chemotherapy.
Authors: J P O'Connell, M G Kris, R J Gralla, S Groshen, A Trust, J J Fiore, D P Kelsen, R T Heelan, R B Golbey
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (1986)

To determine the frequency and prognostic importance of pretreatment clinical characteristics in patients currently undergoing treatment for stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), data were collected on 378 patients receiving high-dose (120 mg/m2) cisplatin plus vinca alkaloid combination chemotherapy regimens since 1978. Variables analyzed included age, sex, weight loss, performance status, histologic subtype, presence of extrathoracic metastases, number of metastatic organ sites, presence of liver, bone, or brain involvement, prior radiation or surgery, and serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). The effect of a major response to chemotherapy on survival was also investigated. Using multivariable analyses, the following were found to be associated with outcome: initial performance status, with patients having a performance status of 80% to 100% having an increased major objective response rate and survival; bone metastases, which were adversely predictive of response rate and survival; elevated serum LDH and male sex, both of which were associated with shortened survival and remission duration; and the presence of two or more extrathoracic metastatic organ sites, which was associated with shorter survival. When major objective response with chemotherapy was included in a conditional multivariable analysis, it was strongly associated with longer median survival. Information from this analysis may be useful when comparing the response data of completed studies in similar patients, in designing future trials, and in the selection of cisplatin plus vinca alkaloid therapy for individual patients with advanced NSCLC.
The Salm-gene project - a European collaboration for DNA fingerprinting for food-related salmonellosis
Authors: T M Peters, C Maguire, E J Threlfall, I. S.T. Fisher, N Gill, A J Gatto
Journal: Eurosurveillance (2003)

An external quality assessment of PFGE method to discriminate between salmonella serotypes and lysotypes was carried out by the Salm-Gene project in Europe. A set of 16 strains of S. Enteritidis was sent to 9 national salmonella reference laboratories. By using a harmonised protocol, the PFGE profiles produced were comparable between each centre. In most cases, there was at least 90% similarity between isolates tested in the different European laboratories and there was usually &amp;gt;95% similarity. This suggests that PFGE analyses are reproducible and therefore can be used as a valuable investigation tool combined with epidemiological data.
STUDIES ON TYPHUS FEVER
Authors: Hans Zinsser, M. Ruiz Castaneda
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1932)

1. The blood of guinea pigs convalescent from Old World and New World typhus infection develops agglutinating properties for the tunica and rat Rickettsiae of the New World diseases and for the louse Rickettsia of the Old World disease. 2. The two microorganisms are closely related, though probably not identical. 3. Human convalescents of both varieties of typhus develop agglutinins for both types of Rickettsiae. Such Rickettsia-agglutinating properties are parallel with the Weil-Felix reaction in the human sera. 4. Rabbits immunized with Weigl louse vaccines develop agglutinins for our X-ray rat vaccines and vice versa. In both cases the rabbit sera develop agglutinins for Proteus X-19. 5. These experiments furnish a further and, we believe, conclusive proof of the etiological rôle, in New World typhus fever, of the Rickettsia bodies first seen in the tunica cells of inoculated guinea pigs by Mooser, and obtained in massive amounts by ourselves. 6. The serum reactions also provide a further logical basis for experiments in prophylactic vaccination with these Rickettsiae.
Cutaneous manifestations in patients with mastocytosis: Consensus report of the European Competence Network on Mastocytosis; the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma &amp; Immunology; and the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology
Authors: Karin Hartmann, Luis Escribano, Clive Grattan, Knut Brockow, Melody C. Carter, Ivan Alvarez-Twose, Almudena Matito, Sigurd Broesby-Olsen, Frank Siebenhaar, Magdalena Lange, Marek Niedoszytko, Mariana Castells, Joanna N.G. Oude Elberink, Patrizia Bonadonna, Roberta Zanotti, Jason L. Hornick, Antonio Torrelo, Jürgen Grabbe, Anja Rabenhorst, Boguslaw Nedoszytko, Joseph H. Butterfield, Jason Gotlib, Andreas Reiter, Deepti Radia, Olivier Hermine, Karl Sotlar, Tracy I. George, Thomas K. Kristensen, Hanneke C. Kluin-Nelemans, Selim Yavuz, Hans Hägglund, Wolfgang R. Sperr, Lawrence B. Schwartz, Massimo Triggiani, Marcus Maurer, Gunnar Nilsson, Hans-Peter Horny, Michel Arock, Alberto Orfao, Dean D. Metcalfe, Cem Akin, Peter Valent
Journal: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (2015)
Phase II study of daily oral etoposide plus ifosfamide plus cisplatin for previously treated recurrent small-cell lung cancer: a Hoosier Oncology Group Trial.
Authors: E A Faylona, P J Loehrer, R Ansari, A B Sandler, R Gonin, L H Einhorn
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (1995)

PURPOSE The study was undertaken to determine the activity and toxicity of oral etoposide (VP-16), ifosfamide, and cisplatin combination chemotherapy for previously treated, recurrent small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). PATIENTS AND METHODS In this phase II trial, 46 patients were enrolled to receive oral VP-16, 37.5 mg/m2/d for 21 days, ifosfamide 1.2 g/m2/d for 4 days, and cisplatin 20 mg/m2/d for 4 days, with courses repeated every 28 days. Response, survival, and toxicity data were then noted. RESULTS Forty-two of 46 patients were assessable for response, survival, and toxicity. Thirty-six of 42 patients had received prior cisplatin plus VP-16. The first 22 patients received oral VP-16 for 21 days, but the subsequent 20 patients received oral VP-16 for 14 days after an interim analysis showed marked myelosuppression. Twenty-three of 42 patients (55%) had an objective response, with six complete responses (CRs; 14%), and 17 partial responses (PRs; 40%). The median progression-free survival time was 20 weeks (range, 2 to 66) and the overall median survival duration was 29 weeks (range, 1 to 76). Myelosuppression was significant, with six treatment-related deaths, four as a result of sepsis. CONCLUSION The combination of oral VP-16, ifosfamide, and cisplatin is an active regimen in the treatment of recurrent SCLC. However, hematologic toxicity was severe in this pretreated patient population.
Plasma concentrations and pharmacokinetics of dimethylsulfoxide and its metabolites in patients undergoing peripheral-blood stem-cell transplants.
Authors: M J Egorin, D M Rosen, R Sridhara, L Sensenbrenner, M Cottler-Fox
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (1998)

PURPOSE Dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) is used to cryopreserve hematopoietic stem cells and is obligatorily infused into patients who receive stem-cell transplants. This study characterized the plasma concentrations and pharmacokinetics of DMSO and its metabolites in patients who underwent peripheral-blood stem-cell transplants. MATERIALS AND METHODS Plasma concentrations of DMSO, dimethylsulfone (DMSO2), and dimethylsulfide (DMSH2) were assessed in 10 patients who underwent autologous transplants with stem cells, cryopreserved in 10% DMSO (vol/vol). Blood was sampled at multiple times after the stem-cell infusion. Urine was pooled during the 24 hours postinfusion. DMSO, DMSO2, and DMSH2 were assayed simultaneously by gas chromatography. A one-compartment model with saturable elimination proved most suitable for fitting plasma DMSO concentration-versus-time data. RESULTS Stem-cell volumes infused ranged between 180 and 585 mL (254 to 824 mmol DMSO). Infusions lasted between 20 and 120 minutes. Peak plasma DMSO concentrations were 19.1 +/- 6.3 mmol/L (mean +/- SD). Pharmacokinetic parameters for volume of the central compartment (Vc), maximum velocity (Vmax), and Michaels-Menten constant (Km) were 37.3 +/- 17 L, 0.99 +/- 0.57 mmol/L/h, and 5.2 +/- 5.0 mmol/L, respectively. Plasma DMSO2 concentrations increased during the first 24 hours, plateaued at 4.4 +/- 1.2 mmol/L, and remained there until 48 hours (the last sample). DMSH2 concentrations were at steady-state by 5 minutes and remained between 3 and 5 mmol/L for 48 hours. Urinary excretion of DMSO and DMSO2 accounted for 44% +/- 4% and 4% +/- 1%, respectively, of the administered DMSO dose. Renal clearance of DMSO was 14.1 +/- 3.4 mL/min. CONCLUSION These data (1) document plasma concentrations of DMSO and metabolites in patients following peripheral-blood stem-cell transplants; (2) allow consideration of potential effects of these concentrations on stem-cell engraftment and drug-drug interactions; and (3) can facilitate a concentration-guided phase I trial of DMSO.