tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Assessment of Joint and Fascia Manifestations in Chronic Graft‐Versus‐Host Disease
Authors: Yoshihiro Inamoto, Joseph Pidala, Xiaoyu Chai, Brenda F. Kurland, Daniel Weisdorf, Mary E. D. Flowers, Jeanne Palmer, Sally Arai, David Jacobsohn, Corey Cutler, Madan Jagasia, Jenna D. Goldberg, Paul J. Martin, Steven Z. Pavletic, Georgia B. Vogelsang, Stephanie J. Lee, Paul A. Carpenter
Journal: Arthritis & Rheumatology (2013)

Objective To investigate the usefulness of various scales for evaluating joint and fascia manifestations in patients with chronic graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, and to compare the scales in terms of simplicity of use and ability to yield reliable and clinically meaningful results. Methods In a prospective, multicenter, longitudinal, observational cohort of patients with chronic GVHD (n = 567), we evaluated 3 scales proposed for assessing joint status: the National Institutes of Health (NIH) joint/fascia scale, the Hopkins fascia scale, and the Photographic Range of Motion (P‐ROM) scale. Ten other scales were also tested for assessment of symptoms, quality of life, and physical functions. Results Joint and fascia manifestations were present at study enrollment in 164 (29%) of the patients. Limited range of motion was most frequent at the wrists or fingers. Among the 3 joint assessment scales, changes in the NIH scale correlated with both clinician‐ and patient‐perceived improvement of joint and fascia manifestations, with higher sensitivity than the Hopkins fascia scale. Changes in all 3 scales correlated with clinician‐ and patient‐perceived worsening, but the P‐ROM scale was the most sensitive in this regard. Onset of joint and fascia manifestations was not associated with subsequent mortality. Conclusion Joint and fascia manifestations are common in patients with chronic GVHD and should be assessed carefully in these patients. Our results support the use of the NIH joint/fascia scale and P‐ROM scale to assess joint and fascia manifestations. The NIH scale better captures improvement, while the P‐ROM scale better captures worsening. The utility of these scales could also be tested in the rheumatic diseases.
Morphine versus methadone in the pain treatment of advanced-cancer patients followed up at home.
Authors: S Mercadante, A Casuccio, A Agnello, R Serretta, L Calderone, L Barresi
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (1998)

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to evaluate the analgesic and adverse effects and the doses of methadone in comparison to morphine. PATIENTS AND METHODS A prospective randomized study was performed in a sample of 40 patients with advanced cancer who required strong opioids for their pain management. Patients were treated with sustained-release morphine or methadone in doses titrated against the effect administered two or three times daily according to clinical need. Opioid doses, adjuvant medications, symptoms associated with opioid therapy, pain intensity, and pain mechanisms were recorded. The opioid escalation indices in percentage (OEI%) and milligrams (OEImg) were calculated. The effective analgesic score (EAS) that monitors the analgesic consumption-pain ratio was also calculated at fixed weekly intervals. RESULTS differences in pain intensity were found. Patients treated with methadone reported values of OEI significantly less than those observed in patients treated with morphine. Seven patients in the methadone group maintained the same initial dosage until death, whereas only one patient in the morphine group did not require opioid dose escalation. A more stable analgesia in time in patients treated with methadone was shown by the low number of gaps in EASs reported. Symptom frequencies and intensities were similar in the two groups. CONCLUSION Methadone is a drug of indisputable value in the treatment of cancer pain, and an unbalanced focus on the risks of inappropriate use rather than the benefits should not compromise the use of a relevant alternative to morphine in the management of cancer pain.
Chest radiographic thoracic area and severity of bronchopulmonary dysplasia
Authors: Theodore Dassios, Anna Curley, Zoltan Molnar, Leo Thanikkel, Colin Morley, Robert Ross-Russell
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2014)

Background:  Established bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is characterised by increased lung volume secondary to hyperinflation and ventilation inhomogeneity. BPD severity can be quantified by measuring ventilation/perfusion (V/Q) inequality. We hypothesised that chest radiographic thoracic area (CRTA) in established BPD, is significantly related to severity of BPD assessed by V/Q inequality.   Measures:  We studied 16 infants receiving respiratory support with BPD (defined as receiving oxygen at 28 days), in a tertiary UK Neonatal Unit. Fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO 2 ) was altered to vary transcutaneous oxygen saturation (SpO 2 ) between 88% and 96%. V/Q ratio was derived using a computer algorithm by plotting and analysing at least three pairs of FiO 2  and SpO 2  for each infant (Quin D.  Arch Dis Child 2006;91:F409–F414). CRTA was measured by free hand tracing the perimeter of the thoracic area in anterio-posterior chest radiographs obtained within 48 hrs of V/Q measurement.   Results:  Median (IQR) gestational age was 26(24–27) weeks and postnatal age was 48(30-68) days. CRTA/kg [2495 (2006-2807) cm 2 ] was significantly related to V/Q ratio (r=-0.604, p=0.022), the pH of the last gas (r=-0.767, p=0.016) and the average FiO 2  on the day prior to measurement (r=0.575, p=0.032).   Conclusions:  Hyperinflation in BPD can be assessed simply by measuring CRTA. CRTA in BPD is significantly related to disease severity as quantified by V/Q inequality and FiO 2.  This program can be used as a simple radiographic test to quantify BPD severity.
Combined Epigenetic and Immunotherapy For Newly Diagnosed Mantle Cell Lymphoma: Correlative Studies Suggest The Importance Of Enhanced ADCC, Mechanisms of Resistance and Cyclin D1 Nuclear Localization Genotype
Authors: Kamal Sharma, Violetta V. Leshchenko, Zainul Hasanali, August Stuart, Sara Shimko, Stephen E Spurgeon, Samir Parekh, Elliot M Epner
Journal: Blood (2013)
Pulmonary complications in patients with hematologic diseases
Authors: Hiroshi Ohnishi, Kazuto Togitani, Mizu Sakai, Ayuko Taniguchi, Takayuki Ikezoe, Tetsuya Kubota, Akihito Yokoyama
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2012)

Patients with hematologic diseases may complicate with various respiratory diseases, such as infections, lung involvement of hematologic diseases, alveolar hemorrhage, and drug-induced pneumonitis. The aim of this study is to clarify the recent incidence and the risk factor for pulmonary complications in patients with hematologic diseases. Medical records and chest computed tomography of patients with hematologic diseases, who were admitted to our university hospital during 2010-2011, were reviewed and analyzed retrospectively by hematologists and pulmonologists. Diagnosis of respiratory complications was confirmed by pulmonologists. One hundred sixty six patients with hematologic diseases were admitted mainly for chemotherapy of malignant lymphoma (51.2%), multiple myeloma (17.5%), and leukemia (15.7%). Forty six patients (27.7%) suffered from pneumonia (27 cases, 51.9%), pleural effusion (8 cases, 15.4%), drug-induced pneumonitis (3 cases, 5.7%), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS, 2 cases, 3.8%), alveolar hemorrhage (2 cases, 3.8%), and/or others (10 cases, 19.2%). Six patients (3.6%) were deceased because of respiratory complications (3 cases with pneumonia, 2 cases with ARDS, and a case with alveolar hemorrhage). Pulmonary complications developed significantly higher in current or recent smokers than never smokers. Pulmonary complications in hematologic diseases may be decreased by recent introduction of prophylaxis for infections, but are still important in the management of hematologic diseases. Smoking status may be related to the development of pulmonary complications during treatment of hematologic diseases.
Integrating Palliative Care Into Comprehensive Cancer Care
Authors: Janet L. Abrahm
Journal: Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (2012)

While there are operational, financial, and workforce barriers to integrating oncology with palliative care, part of the problem lies in ourselves, not in our systems. First, there is oncologists’ “learned helplessness” from years of practice without effective medications to manage symptoms or training in how to handle the tough communication challenges every oncologist faces. Unless they and the fellows they train have had the opportunity to work with a palliative care team, they are unlikely to be fully aware of what palliative care has to offer to their patients at the time of diagnosis, during active therapy, or after developing advanced disease, or may believe that, “I already do that.” The second barrier to better integration is the compassion fatigue many oncologists develop from caring for so many years for patients who, despite the oncologists’ best efforts, suffer and die. The cumulative grief oncologists experience may go unnamed and unacknowledged, contributing to this compassion fatigue and burnout, both of which inhibit the integration of oncology and palliative care. Solutions include training fellows and practicing oncologists in palliative care skills (eg, in symptom management, psychological disorders, communication), preventing and treating compassion fatigue, and enhancing collaboration with palliative care specialists in caring for patients with refractory distress at any stage of disease. As more oncologists develop these skills, process their grief, and recognize the breadth of additional expertise offered by their palliative care colleagues, palliative care will become integrated into comprehensive cancer care.
Mast Cell Promotion of T Cell–Driven Antigen‐Induced Arthritis Despite Being Dispensable for Antibody‐Induced Arthritis in Which T Cells Are Bypassed
Authors: Nadja Schubert, Jan Dudeck, Peng Liu, Anna Karutz, Stephan Speier, Marcus Maurer, Jan Tuckermann, Anne Dudeck
Journal: Arthritis & Rheumatology (2014)

Objective The function of mast cells (MCs) in autoimmune disorders has been a subject of controversy recently. MC‐deficient Kit W/W‐v mice were found to be resistant to K/BxN serum–transfer arthritis, whereas Kit W‐sh/W‐sh mice and a genetic model of MC deficiency independent of the Kit mutation were found to be fully susceptible. This debate might lead to the assumption that MCs are dispensable in autoimmunity in general. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the relevance of MCs to arthritis using a genetic model of inducible MC deficiency without compromised Kit signaling. Methods We compared MC functions in K/BxN serum–induced arthritis and in collagen‐induced arthritis (CIA) in a mouse model of inducible MC deficiency by analyzing joint inflammation, parameters of cartilage degradation and bone erosion, and the autoreactive adaptive immune response. Results We observed a redundant role of MCs in K/BxN serum–induced arthritis, where joint inflammation is triggered by cartilage‐bound immune complexes independently of T cells. In contrast, we found MCs to be critically relevant in CIA, which is provoked by two arms of autoimmune attack: autoreactive antibodies and effector T cells. In addition to diminished joint inflammation in the absence of MCs, we found a dramatic loss of T cell expansion upon immunization, accompanied by reduced T cell cytokine responses. Conclusion In this analysis of an arthritis model in which the cellular arm of adaptive immunity was not bypassed, we identified MCs as important promoters of T cell–conditioned autoimmune disorders and, consequently, as potential therapeutic targets in rheumatoid arthritis.
Competence of Depressed Patients for Consent to Research
Authors: Paul S. Appelbaum, Thomas Grisso, Ellen Frank, Sandra O’Donnell, David J. Kupfer
Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry (1999)

OBJECTIVE: The capacities of depressed patients to consent to research have been questioned by commentators who fear that the cognitive effects of a disorder may impair subjects' abilities to protect their interests. This study used a new instrument for assessing depressed patients' capacities to consent to research and examined their performance, including the relation between severity of depression and extent of impairment. METHOD: Twenty-six female outpatients with major depression (assessed with the Schedule of Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia—Lifetime Version) enrolled in a study of maintenance psychotherapy were recruited for this project. Consent-related abilities were measured with the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool—Clinical Research (MacCAT-CR) 1 week after intake and again 8–10 weeks later. Depressive symptoms were measured by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. RESULTS: Almost all subjects performed quite well on the capacity measures and maintained that level of performance over time. There was no correlation between performance and degree of depressive symptoms and little relation to prior research experience. Some subjects appeared confused about the extent to which decisions about assignment to treatment groups would be made on the basis of their clinical condition rather than randomly. CONCLUSIONS: This outpatient group with major depression showed few impairments in their decision-making capacities related to research. As in other studies, some concerns were raised about subjects' appreciation that treatment assignments would not be individualized for their needs. Examination of hospitalized patients and those with psychotic depression would help to determine whether they show greater degrees of impairment. The MacCAT-CR was easily adapted for use with this depressed group.
Counterpoint: Adjuvant Therapy in Stage II Colon Cancer: Pain Not Justified by the Gain
Authors: Katherine Van Loon, Alan P. Venook
Journal: Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (2012)

No definitive evidence shows benefit from adjuvant therapy for stage II colon cancer, and its role remains controversial. Although a trend toward improved disease-free survival (DFS) has been reported in subgroup analyses from clinical trials that included patients with stage II disease, time trends for recurrences of stage II disease indicate that DFS is not a reliable surrogate for overall survival (OS). Several clinical trials have been conducted to answer the question of whether adjuvant therapy benefits patients with stage II disease, but none have been adequately powered to detect what would be a small OS benefit. Features that are currently used to assign high risk for recurrence (tumor perforation, lymphovascular invasion, <12 lymph nodes analyzed, and poorly differentiated histology) may or may not be associated with clinical outcome, and they are not predictive of treatment benefit. Risks of adjuvant therapy are nonnegligible and must be weighed against a large number of patients needed to be treated to realize benefit. Future research should aim to answer the questions of whether microsatellite instability, nodal sampling, molecular markers, and genetic signatures are useful tools to guide decision-making. Given what is now known, the viewpoint is that the aggregate data do not support adjuvant therapy for patients with normal-risk stage II colon cancer.
Comparative assessment of inoculum effects on the antimicrobial activity of amoxycillin-clavulanate and piperacillin-tazobactam with extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing and extended-spectrum β-lactamase-non-producing Escherichia coli isolates.
Authors: L. López-Cerero, E. Picón, C. Morillo, J.R. Hernández, F. Docobo, J. Pachón, J. Rodríguez-Bañ, A. Pascual
Journal: Clinical Microbiology and Infection (2009)
Bilateral pleural effusion due to malignant mesothelioma, diagnosed by means of immunostaining
Authors: GP Mannes, AS Gouw, PE Postmus
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (1990)

We report a patient who presented himself with a bilateral pleural effusion. Histology proved that this was caused by a malignant pleural mesothelioma. Immunostaining and DNA-flow cytometry confirmed the diagnosis. The usefulness of these rather new diagnostic techniques is discussed.
A new morphologic classification system for acute promyelocytic leukemia distinguishes cases with underlying PLZF/RARA gene rearrangements.
Authors: Danielle Sainty, Vincenzo Liso, Angelo Cantù-Rajnoldi, David Head, Marie-Joëlle Mozziconacci, Christine Arnoulet, Laurence Benattar, Susanna Fenu, Marco Mancini, Eliane Duchayne, François-Xavier Mahon, Norma Gutierrez, Françoise Birg, Andrea Biondi, David Grimwade, Marina Lafage-Pochitaloff, Anne Hagemeijer, Georges Flandrin
Journal: Blood (2000)
Risk of death among children of atomic bomb survivors after 62 years of follow-up: a cohort study
Authors: Eric J Grant, Kyoji Furukawa, Ritsu Sakata, Hiromi Sugiyama, Atsuko Sadakane, Ikuno Takahashi, Mai Utada, Yukiko Shimizu, Kotaro Ozasa
Journal: The Lancet Oncology (2015)
Design and results of phase I cancer clinical trials: three-year experience at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Authors: T L Smith, J J Lee, H M Kantarjian, S S Legha, M N Raber
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (1996)

PURPOSE Alternatives to the standard design for conducting phase I trials are proposed with increasing frequency. This study was undertaken to determine how phase I trials are currently conducted and to provide a basis for evaluation of evolving methodology. SUBJECTS AND METHODS All published phase I trials from a single institution over a 3-year period were reviewed to determine the method of selection of the recommended dose for a phase II trial of a new agent, type and extent of toxicity, number of patients treated at the recommended dose, and clinical response. RESULTS All 23 published trials used the standard method of entering cohorts of patients at increasing dose levels and observing toxic effects to determine the dose recommended for phase II study. Among 610 patients, 26% were treated at or within 10% of the recommended dose and 35% were treated with less than 50% of the recommended dose or on a trial that yielded no recommended dose. Among 18 trials using agents previously tested in humans, fewer patients were treated at much less than the recommended dose. For trials in which myelosuppression was dose-limiting, the estimated probability of serious myelosuppression associated with the recommended dose ranged from 23% to 66%. Nineteen patients (3%) responded to therapy. CONCLUSION This summary of phase I trials recently conducted at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center confirms the need for alternative methods, provides baseline information against which alternatively conducted trials can be compared, and demonstrates some practical clinical trial issues not generally considered when alternative methods are proposed.
Inflammatory profile in obese and non-obese OSA children
Authors: Silke Anna Theresa Weber, Erico Moreira Silva, Marcos Perreira Machado Filho, Alessandra Jim
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2014)

Introduction : Obesity is a known risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adults and in children. The prevalence of OSA in overweight (obese) children reaches up to 36%, hitting 60% when habitual snoring is present. Although inflammatory repercussions are known in adults, in children these consequences are still not well defined.   Aim : to evaluate clinical reports of obstructive breathing disorders during sleep in obese and non-obese children and to evaluate the inflammatory profile in children with sleep disordered breathing, comparing the obese and non obese ones.   Material and methods : 79 children were included and grouped according to BMI- percentile, the absence of respiratory complaints and polysomnographic diagnosis of OSA. The groups with obstructive sleep-disordered breathing (DROS) underwent to poligraphy to diagnosis of sleep apnea. The groups were divided into G1: non-obese OSA children; G2: obese OSA children; G3: obese children without OSA: G4: controls. All answered OSA-18 questionnaire for evaluation of quality of life. Serum inflammatory markers – TNF-alfa, IL-6 and IL-10 were dosed.  Results:  the values of TNF of group G1(1,8674±1,19), G2(1,8634±1,53) and G3(1,36±1,45) were statistically higher in comparison with G4(0,611±0,4), showing the positive correlation of both OSAs and obesity with the inflammatory state. The values of IL-6 and IL-10 showed no statistical difference between the groups.  Conclusion:  the presence of OSAS and obesity are independent risk factors for elevated levels of TNF, leading to a low-grade chronic inflammatory state and it9s riks.
Updates from the Sixth International Congress ‘Psoriasis: from Gene to Clinic’, the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, London, U.K., 1-3 December 2011
Authors: K. Shams, A.D. Burden
Journal: British Journal of Dermatology (2012)

The 15 years between the First International Congress ‘Psoriasis: from Gene to Clinic’ and the Sixth Congress held in London from 1 to 3 December 2011 have seen extraordinary progress in the sciences that are relevant to psoriasis and therapeutics that have transformed its treatment. Over this time, ‘Psoriasis: from Gene to Clinic’ has emerged as the premier conference for clinicians and scientists interested in this field. Its popularity is attested to by the 450 registered delegates from the U.K. and around the world, which necessitated a change of venue to the excellent facilities of the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre. Although the content has evolved over the years, the structure of this 3‐day conference has remained similar. The first day was given to genetics, comorbidities and outcome measures. Immunology and immunity were covered on the second day and therapeutics on the third. The stature of the three keynote lecturers and eight invited speakers was truly world class and their presentations were interspersed with 23 free communications. Here we review highly selected personal highlights of the meeting that we hope will be of general interest.
Evaluation of HER-2/<i>neu</i> Gene Amplification and Overexpression: Comparison of Frequently Used Assay Methods in a Molecularly Characterized Cohort of Breast Cancer Specimens
Authors: Michael F. Press, Dennis J. Slamon, Kerry J. Flom, Jinha Park, Jian-Yuan Zhou, Leslie Bernstein
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2002)

PURPOSE: To compare and evaluate HER-2/neu clinical assay methods. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred seventeen breast cancer specimens with known HER-2/neu amplification and overexpression status were assayed with four different immunohistochemical assays and two different fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assays. RESULTS: The accuracy of the FISH assays for HER-2/neu gene amplification was high, 97.4% for the Vysis PathVision assay (Vysis, Inc, Downers Grove, IL) and 95.7% for the the Ventana INFORM assay (Ventana, Medical Systems, Inc, Tucson, AZ). The immunohistochemical assay with the highest accuracy for HER-2/neu overexpression was obtained with R60 polyclonal antibody (96.6%), followed by immunohistochemical assays performed with 10H8 monoclonal antibody (95.7%), the Ventana CB11 monoclonal antibody (89.7%), and the DAKO HercepTest (88.9%; Dako, Corp, Carpinteria, CA). Only the sensitivities, and therefore, overall accuracy, of the DAKO Herceptest and Ventana CB11 immunohistochemical assays were significantly different from the more sensitive FISH assay. CONCLUSION: Based on these findings, the FISH assays were highly accurate, with immunohistochemical assays performed with R60 and 10H8 nearly as accurate. The DAKO HercepTest and the Ventana CB11 immunohistochemical assay were statistically significantly different from the Vysis FISH assay in evaluating these previously molecularly characterized breast cancer specimens.