tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Quality of life in adults and children with asthma and rhinitis
Authors: E. F. Juniper
Journal: Allergy (1997)

Many clinicians now recognize the importance of incorporating an assessment of health‐related quality of life (HRQL) into their clinical studies and practice. Conventional clinical measures provide valuable information about the status of the affected organ system, but they rarely capture the functional impairments (physical, emotional, and social) that are important to the patients in their everyday lives. In order to obtain a complete picture of a patient's health status, both the conventional clinical indices and the patient's HRQL must be measured. Both adults and children with asthma and rhinitis are distressed by the symptoms, and they are limited in their day‐to‐day activities such as sports, work or school work, and participation in other activities with friends. In addition, both adults and children experience emotional strain as a result of both conditions. Disease‐specific HRQL questionnaires have been developed and validated for both adults and children with asthma and rhinitis. These questionnaires have good measurement properties and validity and can be used in both clinical trials and clinical practice to assess the impact of the condition on a patient's life. Since one of the aims of treatment is to ensure that patients benefit from it, an essential component of clinical assessment should be an evaluation of HRQL.
Book Review Kidney Diseases in the Developing World and Ethnic Minorities Edited by Meguid El Nahas, Rashad S. Barsoum, John Dirks, and Giuseppe Remuzzi. 563 pp., illustrated. New York, Informa Healthcare/Taylor &amp; Francis, 2005. $199.95. 0-8247-2863-7
Authors: Sanjay Kumar Agarwal
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (2006)
Heterogeneity in the incidence and clinical manifestations of disseminated intravascular coagulation: A study of 204 cases
Authors: Kenji Okajima, Yumi Sakamoto, Mitsuhiro Uchiba
Journal: American Journal of Hematology (2000)

The incidence and clinical manifestations of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) were examined in patients with a range of underlying disorders. Out of 1,882 patients suspected as having DIC, 204 cases were diagnosed as suffering from DIC and included in this study. The underlying disorders experienced by the patients were solid tumors (33.8%), hematologic malignancies (12.7%), aortic aneurysm (10.8%), infections (6.4%), post-operative complications (4.4%), liver disease (2.9%), obstetric disorders (2.5%), and miscellaneous diseases (26.5%). The incidence of DIC was 10.8% out of all patients suspected of having DIC, and the etiologies were 10.9% in solid tumors, 10.1% in hematological malignancies, 20.4% in aortic aneurysm, 12.7% in infections, 15.5% in post-operative complications, 15.8% in liver disease, 3.7% in obstetric disorders, and 9.8% in miscellaneous diseases. The clinical manifestations of DIC patients were varying dependent on their etiologies. Most DIC patients with aortic aneurysm (95.5%) and post-operative complications (88.9%) did not reveal any clinical manifestations. Although all of the patients with obstetric disorders had bleeding, only 20.0% of the patients had organ failure. In contrast, although only 15.4% of the patients with infections had bleeding, 76.9% of these patients had organ failure. Bleeding was observed in 31.9-50.0% of DIC patients with liver disease, hematologic malignancies, and solid tumors. Organ failure was observed in 21.7-33.3% of DIC patients with liver disease, hematological malignancies, and solid tumors. Analysis by measurement of plasma levels of antiplasmin and plasmin-antiplasmin complex suggested that excessive fibrinolysis might contribute to the development of bleeding in these DIC patients. Differences in plasma levels of thrombin-antithrombin complex and cross-linked fibrin degradation products could not account for the differences in the incidence of organ failure in the patients. These findings suggest that the clinical manifestation of DIC varies and might not only be a reflection of microthrombus formation but also a reflection of the other underlying pathomechanisms.
Hepatitis cRNA quasispecies complexity in patients with alcoholic liver disease
Authors: Kenneth E. Sherman, Susan D. Rouster, Charles Mendenhall, Donna Thee
Journal: Hepatology (1999)

Alcohol abuse is described as a major cofactor in the development of hepatitis C (HCV) associated liver disease and may play a role in the outcome of interferon-based treatment interventions. The association between HCV viral heterogeneity and alcohol has not been previously described. This study was designed to evaluate the quasispecies nature of the HCV population in patients with compensated and decompensated alcoholic liver disease, to test the hypothesis that alcoholics have greater complexity than matched nonalcoholic controls. A nonisotopic heteroduplex complexity assay (HCA) was first validated by comparison with results of quasispecies complexity determined by subcloning and sequencing of amplicon products from the E2/NS1 hypervariable coding region (HVR). Subsequently, this methodology was applied to comparison of 20 compensated (Child's-Pugh A) and decompensated (Child's-Pugh B/C) alcoholic and 20 nonalcoholic controls. The complexity of the HVR, as well as the 5′ Untranslated (5′UT) and the NS5b coding domains were evaluated. The HCA methodology provided a reasonable semiquantitative measure of HCV RNA quasispecies variability compared with subclone sequence homology comparison. Overall, alcoholic patients had greater quasispecies complexity (2.65 bands) than nonalcoholic controls (1.6 bands; P = .01). Subset analysis revealed that compensated alcoholic patients had a mean of 3.1 homo/heteroduplex bands per sample whereas Child's-Pugh B/C alcoholics showed intermediate complexity. A similar quasispecies complexity difference was seen in the 5′UTR, but not in the NS5b coding domain. Quasispecies complexity was not associated with viral titer, complementary DNA concentration, or genotype. The differences in quasispecies complexity may help explain reports of poor interferon responsiveness in alcoholic patients
Splanchnic vasodilation and renal vasoconstriction: A key to the hepatorenal syndrome?
Authors: Jaime Bosch
Journal: Hepatology (1990)

Systemic, femoral and renal hemodynamics were evaluated in 7 control subjects and 20 cirrhotic patients with ascites, 14 of them without (group A) and 6 with (group B) functional renal failure. Hyperdynamic systemic circulation, increased plasma volume, and hyperreninism were present in groups A and B. These changes were more severe in group B, which showed, as compared with group A, lower total vascular resistances and mean arterial pressure together with increased cardiac index and plasma renin activity. Significant differences in regional hemodynamics were also observed between groups. In group A, femoral and renal fractions of cardiac output were respectively increased and reduced as compared with controls. By contrast, in group B, both fractions of cardiac output were reduced when compared either with controls or with group A. In the entire patient group there was a close direct correlation between femoral and renal fractions of cardiac output (r = 0.88; p < 0.001) and both of them correlated independently with total vascular resistances (r = 0.79; p < 0.001 in both cases). These results indicate that, in nonazotemic cirrhotics with ascites, vasodilation in extrasplanchnic areas contributes to the genesis of the hyperdynamic circulation. The presence in group B of a reduced flow to extrasplanchnic territories, in association with an increase of the hyperdynamic circulatory status, suggests that exacerbation of splanchnic vasodilation is involved in the development of the hepatorenal syndrome. Finally, in cirrhosis, the changes that occur in systemic hemodynamics appear to influence renal function and renal blood flow.
Comparative Effects of Di( <i>n</i> -Butyl) Phthalate Exposure on Fetal Germ Cell Development in the Rat and in Human Fetal Testis Xenografts
Authors: Sander van den Driesche, Chris McKinnell, Ana Calarrão, Laura Kennedy, Gary R. Hutchison, Lenka Hrabalkova, Matthew S. Jobling, Sheila Macpherson, Richard A. Anderson, Richard M. Sharpe, Rod T. Mitchell
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (2014)

BackgroundPhthalate exposure induces germ cell effects in the fetal rat testis. Although experimental models have shown that the human fetal testis is insensitive to the steroidogenic effects of phthalates, the effects on germ cells have been less explored.ObjectivesWe sought to identify the effects of phthalate exposure on human fetal germ cells in a dynamic model and to establish whether the rat is an appropriate model for investigating such effects.MethodsWe used immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction to examine Sertoli and germ cell markers on rat testes and human fetal testis xenografts after exposure to vehicle or di(n-butyl) phthalate (DBP). Our study included analysis of germ cell differentiation markers, proliferation markers, and cell adhesion proteins.ResultsIn both rat and human fetal testes, DBP exposure induced similar germ cell effects, namely, germ cell loss (predominantly undifferentiated), induction of multinucleated gonocytes (MNGs), and aggregation of differentiated germ cells, although the latter occurred rarely in the human testes. The mechanism for germ cell aggregation and MNG induction appears to be loss of Sertoli cell–germ cell membrane adhesion, probably due to Sertoli cell microfilament redistribution.ConclusionsOur findings provide the first comparison of DBP effects on germ cell number, differentiation, and aggregation in human testis xenografts and in vivo in rats. We observed comparable effects on germ cells in both species, but the effects in the human were muted compared with those in the rat. Nevertheless, phthalate effects on germ cells have potential implications for the next generation, which merits further study. Our results indicate that the rat is a human-relevant model in which to explore the mechanisms for germ cell effects.Citationvan den Driesche S, McKinnell C, Calarrão A, Kennedy L, Hutchison GR, Hrabalkova L, Jobling MS, Macpherson S, Anderson RA, Sharpe RM, Mitchell RT. 2015. Comparative effects of di(n-butyl) phthalate exposure on fetal germ cell development in the rat and in human fetal testis xenografts. Environ Health Perspect 123:223–230; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1408248
Henry E. Sigerist: Autobiographical Writings
Authors: Saul Jarcho
Journal: JAMA (1967)

<h3>A Bibliography of the Writings of Henry E. Sigerist</h3> edited by Genevieve Miller, 112 pp, $6, Montreal: McGill University Press, 1966. Henry E. Sigerist (1891-1957), the famous medical historian and inspirer of medical historians, left behind a large mass of memorabilia, notes, scrap books, and other papers, including diaries. From this material, set forth in several languages, his daughter has selected and synthesized the first of the two volumes here reviewed. She says in her preface "I have been guided first of all by the necessity to present as good a self-portrait as possible." The effort is highly successful and the self-portrait is true to life. The first section, nearly 50 pages, represents the opening chapters of a discontinued formal autobiography. This includes inter alia a notable appreciation of Andrija Stampar and some interesting descriptions of Swiss schoolmasters. The period from 1910 to 1931 is represented by material put together from diaries or excerpted
Kawasaki disease termed 'rising pediatric dilemma'
Authors: Jaan Kangilaski
Journal: JAMA (1981)

The number of cases of Kawasaki disease (or mucocutaneous lymph node disease) reported to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Atlanta, has doubled in the past year, causing one rheumatologist to term it "a rising pediatric dilemma." John J. Calabro, MD, director of rheumatology at St Vincent Hospital and professor of medicine and pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, is concerned not only about the growing incidence and the inability of physicians to pinpoint the cause of the disease. He is also concerned about the sequelae—a concern that is echoed by other physicians studying the disease. Calabro and Raquel V. Hicks, MD, associate professor of pediatrics and medicine at the University of Hawaii, Honolulu, both presented reports on Kawasaki disease at the recent Boston meeting of the American Rheumatism Association. They described their findings and the possibly grave implications: "In Japan, where the total number of cases
BARBOUR'S LINEN FLAX THREAD AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR PAGENSTECHER THREAD
Authors: Stephen E. Tracy
Journal: JAMA (1918)

<h3>To the Editor:</h3> —As Pagenstecher thread, used by many surgeons in gastric and intestinal work, has not been imported for many months, the supply has become practically exhausted. It may be of interest, therefore, for those who have not found a satisfactory substitute, to know that Barbour's linen flax thread is stronger, smoother and a much better product than Pagenstecher linen. This material can be obtained in almost any size, at 18 cents per spool of 200 yards, as compared with 20 cents per skein of 50 yards for Pagenstecher thread (less than one quarter the price). No. 60 or 70 is a satisfactory size for intestinal work. The war has demonstrated that with little inconvenience we can dispense with practically everything we formerly used bearing the label, "Made in Germany," and linen thread for surgical work is no exception. I do not know where Barbour's thread is made, but
Immunization of newborns of HBsag- positive mothers: A successful first step in control of hepatitis B virus in Taiwan
Authors: Brian J. McMahon
Journal: Hepatology (1989)

To combat hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in Taiwan, a mass immunoprophylaxis program was launched on July 1, 1984, aiming first at prevention of chronic HBV carriage from perinatal mother-to-infant infection. In the first 15-month period, 352721 (78%) of 450585 pregnant women were screened for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg); HBsAg was present in 62359 (18%), with 50% of them categorized as highly infectious. Infants born to HBsAg-positive women were given 5 μg of a plasma-derived hepatitis B vaccine at ages 1, 5, and 9 weeks, with a booster at age 12 months. Infants of highly infectious carrier mothers recived an additional 0.5 mL of hepatitis B immune globulin within 24 hours after birth. The coverage rate of the hepatitis B immune globulin was 77% in 27375 infants born to highly infectious mothers, and that of the first, second, third, and the fourth doses of vaccine was 88%, 86%, 84%, and 71%, respectively, in infants of 55620 carrier mothers. The reported untoward reactions to immunization were negligible. We conclude that a mass hepatitis B vaccination program is feasible in hyperendemic areas such as Taiwan; this should be a significant step toward the effective control of HBV infection in these areas. To evaluate the efficacy of the mass hepatitis B vaccination program in Taiwan in interrupting perinatal hepatitis B virus transmission, 3464 randomly selected 18-month-old infant vaccinees born to hepatitis B surface antigen-carrier mothers were recruited from 9697 eligible infants during a six-month period of the program. They were divided into ten groups according to maternal in-fectivity and compliance with the vaccination schedule. Serum samples were tested for hepatitis B surface antigen, antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen, and antibody to hepatitis B core antigen. In 786 infants who had highly infectious mothers and who received hepatitis B immune globulin and vaccine on schedule, the protective efficacy was about 85%. The efficacy seemed to be slightly lower in those immunized off schedule. Overall, 11% of infants still carried hepatitis B surface antigen, and 81% of the infants had antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen that exceeded 10 mlU/ mL in more than 90% of them. The geometric mean titers of antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen were more than 200 mlU/mL in every group of infants. We conclude that the mass vaccination program is efficacious in preventing perinatal hepatitis B virus transmission and the chronic carrier state; most infant vaccinees have adequate levels of protective antibody at 18 months of age. This program is extremely significant in the control of hepatitis B virus infection in Taiwan.
Nephropathy in Indian Patients with Non-insulin-dependent Diabetes in the Young
Authors: I Jialal, M C Rajput, A C Asmal, S M Joubert
Journal: Diabetes Care (1984)

In 85 patients diagnosed as having non-insulin-dependent diabetes in the young (NIDDY), 6 were found to have nephropathy. The duration of diabetes ranged from 2 to 17 yr; 5 of the 6 patients had retinopathy as evidenced by fluoroscein angiography (3 with proliferative changes). All 6 patients had a 24-h urinary protein excretion &amp;gt;0.5 g and a glomerular filtration rate &amp;lt;80 ml/min. Serum β2-microglobulin levels were increased in all 6 patients, while only 3 had increased serum creatinine levels.
Waiting to be Born: The Ethical Implications of the Generation of “NUBorn” and “NUAge” Mice from Pre-Pubertal Ovarian Tissue
Authors: Laurie Zoloth, Leilah Backhus, Teresa Woodruff
Journal: The American Journal of Bioethics (2008)

Oncofertility is one of the 9 NIH Roadmap Initiatives, federal grants intended to explore previously intractable questions, and it describes a new field that exists in the liminal space between cancer treatment and its sequelae, IVF clinics and their yearning, and basic research in cell growth, biomaterials, and reproductive science and its tempting promises. Cancer diagnoses, which were once thought universally fatal, now often entail management of a chronic disease. Yet the therapies are rigorous, must start immediately, and in many cases result in premature failure of the body's reproductive ability. In women, this loss is especially poignant; unlike the routine storage of sperm, which is done in men and boys facing similar treatment decisions, freezing oocytes in anticipation of fertility loss is not possible in most cases, and creating an embryo within days of diagnosis raises significant moral, social and medical challenges. Oncofertility is the study of how to harvest ovarian tissue in women facing cancer to preserve their gametes for future use with IVF, thus allowing the decisions about childbearing to be deferred and reproductive choices to be preserved. The research endeavor uses the capacity of the ovarian follicle to produce eggs in vitro. Developing the human follicle to ovulate successfully outside the body is scientifically difficult and ethically challenging. Infertility is linked to long-standing religious and moral traditions, and is intertwined with deeply contentious social narratives about women, families, illness and birth. Is the research morally permissible? Perhaps imperative if understood as a repair from iatrogenic harms? How are considerations of justice central to the work? How will vulnerable subjects be protected? What are the moral implications of the work for women, children and families? What are the implications for society if women could store ovarian tissue as a way of stopping the biological clock? What are the moral possibilities and challenges if eggs can be produced in large quantities from a stored ovarian tissue?
The Modern Hospital-Its Relationship to the Physician
Authors: BENJAMIN W. BLACK
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1932)

Article1 October 1932The Modern Hospital-Its Relationship to the PhysicianBENJAMIN W. BLACK, M.D., F.A.C.P.BENJAMIN W. BLACK, M.D., F.A.C.P.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-6-4-563 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptThe Modern Hospital is the handmaiden of scientific medicine. It is the laboratory in which medical science is advanced and medical art perfected. In no other place have those facilities been so well assembled by which practitioners of modern medicine are able to give the patient efficient and satisfactory care. The public has learned to regard hospitals as places of hope and amelioration and to have confidence in them.The number of hospital beds has increased several fold in the past generation in this country. The public attitude towards the care of illness in hospitals has changed during this period... This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: BENJAMIN W. BLACK, M.D., F.A.C.P.Affiliations: Oakland, CaliforniaPresented at the San Francisco meeting of the American College of Physicians, April 4, 1932. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics 1 October 1932Volume 6, Issue 4Page: 563-571KeywordsHospital medicineResearch laboratories ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 October 1932 PDF downloadLoading ...
Models and mechanisms of exercise-induced asthma
Authors: AN Freed
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (1995)

Airflow-induced bronchoconstriction (AIB) in mammals can be broadly categorized as either vagal-dependent or vagal-independent. Among mammals, rabbits and cats belong to the former and guinea-pigs belong to the latter categories. Although insufficient data are available to classify monkeys, dogs and man appear to occupy the middle ground in which a small but significant parasympathetic component modulates airflow-induced bronchoconstriction. The fact that vagal activity can only partially account for airflow-induced bronchoconstriction in some asthmatic subjects suggests that vagal-dependent models may be of limited value in studying the human condition, but should prove valuable in elucidating the parasympathetic component of this mechanism. Although airflow-induced bronchoconstriction appears to be remarkably similar in guinea-pigs, dogs and humans, there are important differences concerning the potential role of specific mediators in producing airflow limitation. Concordant data from animal models and man suggest that: 1) airflow-induced bronchoconstriction is a basic mammalian response to airway desiccation; 2) airway drying stimulates and cooling inhibits this response; 3) hyperpnoea with dry air may damage the bronchial mucosa and contribute to this response; 4) biochemical mediators contribute to the development of this response; 5) vascular engorgement and airway oedema do not appear to be the primary effectors of this response, and in fact may antagonize it; 6) airway smooth muscle constriction is involved in the production of airflow-induced bronchoconstriction, and airway oedema may enhance its effect; and 7) airway and vascular responses to dehydration may protect against acute dry air-induced mucosal injury. Finally, although one must be cautious in extrapolating results from animals to humans, the similarities that do exist suggest that the investigation of airflow-induced bronchoconstriction in carefully selected animal models will continue to provide new insights concerning its development in humans.