tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Authors' reply to Betts, Stokes, and Kleiner
Authors: C. Heneghan, M. Thompson, R. Perera-Salazar, P. Gill, B. O'Neill, D. Nunan, J. Howick, D. Lasserson, K. Mahtani
Journal: BMJ (2012)

There is growing recognition of the importance of evidence based methods in scientific laboratory settings, even in animal studies, to improve the safety and efficacy of research.1

In terms of the five references we misclassified, we are posting a correction on the BMJ website and welcome further independent scrutiny. As for the power calculations, two of the studies we are unable to verify, and in another we could not locate the power calculation.2

Betts states, “Given the tight laboratory controls applied in acute experiments, we usually find that 10-20 participants in a crossover design are adequate to detect effects (as shown by the numerous positive effects reported).”3 If this is correct, the results are applicable only to people in tight …
Research outcomes in British gastroenterology: an audit of the subsequent full publication of abstracts presented at the British Society of Gastroenterology
Authors: D S SANDERS
Journal: Gut (2001)

Editor,—The presentation of abstracts at scientific meetings provides an opportunity to rapidly convey the results of novel research. It also allows the researcher a chance to receive informal peer review. This may help to clarify aspects of the work, particularly in the identification and correction of potential weaknesses prior to submission for full publication. Although abstracts submitted to conferences are peer reviewed, this process may not be as rigorous as that of an indexed journal considering publication of the full manuscript.1 

Presentation of an abstract at a prestigious meeting may suggest that full publication is probable. Certainly, acceptance as opposed to rejection increases the likelihood of subsequent publication, but this is not absolute.2 Other medical specialities …
Hodgkin's Disease
Authors: Henry Jackson, Frederic Parker
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (1945)

THE preceding article covered the involvement of the hilar nodes, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, bones and skin by Hodgkin's disease. In this paper the involvement of certain other organs will be discussed.Lymph Nodes Hodgkin's Paragranuloma In Hodgkin's paragranuloma, the peripheral lymph nodes, most frequently those in the neck, are invariably involved. Indeed, the initial symptom of the condition is almost always peripheral lymphadenopathy. The medastinal lymph nodes are involved in approximately one third of the cases. Unless such mediastinal involvement is massive or there are indications that the condition is progressing into Hodgkin's granuloma, the prognosis is not necessarily poor. . . .
Toxoplasmosis Simulating Glandular Fever in the Adult
Authors: M. Bateman
Journal: BMJ (1957)

MALIGNANT DISEASE BRoH 141 High and prolonged steroid excretion in association with cancer has not previously been described, and it has been shown that their association is unlikely to have been coincidental.While the findings suggested that this was due to stimulation of the adrenals by pituitary corticotrophin, the present phenomenon differed from that seen following trauma or other stress in the degree and duration of the increased 17-ketogenic steroid and 17-ketosteroid excretion. SummaryMarked hyperexcretion of adrenocortical hormones is reported in a patient with bronchial carcinoma and diabetes mellitus.In spite of severe steroid diabetes only few of the features of Cushing's syndrome were observed.The possibility that marked adrenocortical hyperactivity was due to stimulation of the pituitary in response to the presence of the bronchial carcinoma is discussed.The present phenomenon differs from that observed following trauma and other forms of stress.My thanks are due to Dr. H. P. Brody for permission and encouragement to study the above patient, who was under his care; to Mr. M. J
Blood pressure control by home monitoring: meta-analysis of randomised trials
Authors: Francesco P Cappuccio, Sally M Kerry, Lindsay Forbes, Anna Donald
Journal: BMJ (2004)

<h3>Abstract</h3> <b>Objective</b> To determine the effect of home blood pressure monitoring on blood pressure levels and proportion of people with essential hypertension achieving targets. <b>Design</b> Meta-analysis of 18 randomised controlled trials. <b>Participants</b> 1359 people with essential hypertension allocated to home blood pressure monitoring and 1355 allocated to the “control” group seen in the healthcare system for 2-36 months. <b>Main outcome measures</b> Differences in systolic (13 studies), diastolic (16 studies), or mean (3 studies) blood pressures, and proportion of patients achieving targets (6 studies), between intervention and control groups. <b>Results</b> Systolic blood pressure was lower in people with hypertension who had home blood pressure monitoring than in those who had standard blood pressure monitoring in the healthcare system (standardised mean difference 4.2 (95% confidence interval 1.5 to 6.9) mm Hg), diastolic blood pressure was lower by 2.4 (1.2 to 3.5) mm Hg, and mean blood pressure was lower by 4.4 (2.0 to 6.8) mm Hg. The relative risk of blood pressure above predetermined targets was lower in people with home blood pressure monitoring (risk ratio 0.90, 0.80 to 1.00). When publication bias was allowed for, the differences were attenuated: 2.2 (−0.9 to 5.3) mm Hg for systolic blood pressure and 1.9 (0.6 to 3.2) mm Hg for diastolic blood pressure. <b>Conclusions</b> Blood pressure control in people with hypertension (assessed in the clinic) and the proportion achieving targets are increased when home blood pressure monitoring is used rather than standard blood pressure monitoring in the healthcare system. The reasons for this are not clear. The difference in blood pressure control between the two methods is small but likely to contribute to an important reduction in vascular complications in the hypertensive population.
T cell control in autoimmune bullous skin disorders
Authors: M. Hertl
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (2006)

Autoimmune bullous disorders are a group of severe skin diseases characterized clinically by blisters and erosions of skin and/or mucous membranes. A hallmark of these disorders is the presence of IgG and occasionally IgA autoantibodies that target distinct adhesion structures of the epidermis, dermoepidermal basement membrane, and anchoring fibrils of the dermis. This Review focuses on the potential role of autoreactive T cells in the pathogenesis of these disorders. Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) and bullous pemphigoid (BP) are the best-characterized bullous disorders with regard to pathogenesis and T cell involvement. Activation of autoreactive T cells in PV and BP is restricted by distinct HLA class II alleles that are prevalent in individuals with these disorders. Autoreactive T cells are not only present in patients but can also be detected in healthy individuals. Recently, a subset of autoreactive T cells with remarkable regulatory function was identified in healthy individuals and to a much lesser extent in patients with PV, suggesting that the occurrence of autoimmune bullous disorders may be linked to a dysfunction of Tregs.
Interaction between fibrinogen and cultured endothelial cells. Induction of migration and specific binding.
Authors: E Dejana, L R Languino, N Polentarutti, G Balconi, J J Ryckewaert, M J Larrieu, M B Donati, A Mantovani, G Marguerie
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (1985)

It has been suggested that fibrinogen (fg) or its physiological derivatives influence the motility and growth of endothelial cells (ECs), but direct support for this concept is still lacking. In the present study, the capacity of fg to interact with ECs and induce the migration of ECs was examined. The capacity of fg to induce EC migration was studied by means of a modification of the Boyden chamber technique. fg in the lower compartment of the chamber caused a time- and concentration-dependent migration of ECs across filters. fg present in equal concentrations above and below the filter increased EC migration, but the maximal effect invariably occurred in the presence of a gradient between the lower and the upper compartments. Trypsin or plasmin digestion of fg and preincubation of fg with Fab fragments from specific antibody completely abolished fg-induced EC migration. Dialysis of fg to eliminate small peptides that might contaminate the preparation did not modify fg-induced migration. Plasma obtained from healthy donors induced EC migration, but plasma from an afibrinogenemic patient was completely ineffective. The addition of purified fg to afibrinogenemic plasma restored plasma-induced EC migration. Plasmin degradation fragments D and E, of 100,000 and 50,000 mol wt, respectively, did not induce EC migration. However, fragment E caused dose-related inhibition of fg-induced EC migration Direct interaction of highly purified radioiodinated human fg with cultured human and bovine Ecs was observed. The binding was time dependent and plateaued at 10 min. Nonlabeled fg in a large molar excess inhibited the interaction, but unrelated proteins, including fibronectin, ovalbumin, and myoglobin, did not. Monospecific Fab fragments directed to fg inhibited binding by 38% at a 50 to 1 molar ratio whereas nonimmune Fab caused only 2% inhibition at a similar concentration. The binding of 125I-fg with ECs was saturable, and an apparent dissociation constant of 0.23 x 10(-6) M was estimated from binding isotherms. After 30 min of incubation the interaction between 125I-fg and the cells was completely reversible and displaceable by a large molar excess of unlabeled fg. Autoradiography of the display of EC-bound 125I on polyacrylamide gel showed the constitutive B beta- and gamma-chains of the fg molecule, with a partial loss of the A alpha-chain. Purified fragment E and E were tested for their capacity to inhibit fg binding. At a 1 to 400 125I-fg-to-fragment molar ratio, fragment E, which also inhibited migration, competed for binding by 44%, but fragment D was completely ineffective. These data show that fg may specifically associate with ECs and induce migration of these cells; it also appears that the structural requirement of this activity is located in the N-terminal part of the molecule.
Validation of a new questionnaire on asthma, allergic rhinitis, and conjunctivitis in young adults
Authors: M. Kilpeläinen, E.O. Terho, H. Helenius, M. Koskenvuo
Journal: Allergy (2001)

Background: Epidemiologic data on asthma and allergies among adults are mainly based on questionnaires: this study validates the questions on asthma, allergic rhinitis, and conjunctivitis of a new Finnish questionnaire. Methods: To validate questions used in a country‐wide study among university students aged 18–25 years, we examined 150 subjects who had ever reported asthma or wheezing, and 140 without asthma symptoms. Questions were validated in relation to current diseases including 1) symptoms detected during the preceding year at the physician's interview 2) objective measurements, such as methacholine challenge, skin prick tests, and specific IgE. Data were adjusted for original proportions of “asthmatics” and “nonasthmatics” in the questionnaire study. Results: Questions on “reported asthma” and “doctor‐diagnosed asthma” had good positive predictive value (PPV) and specificity in diagnosing current asthma. The question on “attacks of shortness of breath with wheezing”, and especially the question on “cough with wheezing” were most sensitive. Questions on “allergic nasal symptoms” and “allergic eye symptoms” that were “related to pollen or animals” were sensitive, but a further question on doctor's diagnosis yielded higher specificity and PPV. Conclusions: Diagnosis‐based questions were found suitable for risk‐factor studies, because of their good specificity and PPV, and symptom‐based questions for screening, because they were highest in sensitivity.
Distinction between initiation and progression of the osteoarthritis process.
Authors: J Dequeker, R Westhovens
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (1994)

Matters arising purchasers might consider "buying" inadequately evaluated therapies, on the same basis that physiotherapy was derided for accepting electrotherapy by ".... giving credence to unscientific hype".' Caveat emptor.I fully endorse the author's call for more research into the efficacy of physiotherapy, and already many of the obstacles that impeded physiotherapy research are being addressed.In a recent letter in the British Journal of Rheumatology5 I explained that through the creation of university departments, the expertise and career structure exists to enable us to advance research in physiotherapy.We are now successfully competing for funding to critically evaluate our treatments, so that we can deliver the most effective treatment to our patients with the optimal use of resources.
Transdifferentiation of Human Fibroblasts to Endothelial Cells
Authors: Nazish Sayed, Wing Tak Wong, Frank Ospino, Shu Meng, Jieun Lee, Arshi Jha, Phillip Dexheimer, Bruce J. Aronow, John P. Cooke
Journal: Circulation (2014)

Background— Cell fate is fluid and may be altered experimentally by the forced expression of master regulators mediating cell lineage. Such reprogramming has been achieved with the use of viral vectors encoding transcription factors. We recently discovered that the viral vectors are more than passive vehicles for transcription factors because they participate actively in the process of nuclear reprogramming to pluripotency by increasing epigenetic plasticity. On the basis of this recognition, we hypothesized that small-molecule activators of toll-like receptor 3, together with external microenvironmental cues that drive endothelial cell (EC) specification, might be sufficient to induce transdifferentiation of fibroblasts into ECs (induced ECs). Methods and Results— We show that toll-like receptor 3 agonist Poly I:C, combined with exogenous EC growth factors, transdifferentiated human fibroblasts into ECs. These induced ECs were comparable to human dermal microvascular ECs in immunohistochemical, genetic, and functional assays, including the ability to form capillary-like structures and to incorporate acetylated low-density lipoprotein. Furthermore, induced ECs significantly improved limb perfusion and neovascularization in the murine ischemic hindlimb. Finally, using genetic knockdown studies, we found that the effective transdifferentiation of human fibroblasts to ECs requires innate immune activation. Conclusions— This study suggests that manipulation of innate immune signaling may be generally used to modify cell fate. Because similar signaling pathways are activated by damage-associated molecular patterns, epigenetic plasticity induced by innate immunity may play a fundamental role in transdifferentiation during wound healing and regeneration. Finally, this study is a first step toward development of a small-molecule strategy for therapeutic transdifferentiation for vascular disease.
Paradoxical embolism. A diagnostic challenge and its detection during life.
Authors: T O Cheng
Journal: Circulation (1976)

Two cases of paradoxical embolism, one with recurrent cerebral embolism and one with brachial and coronary embolism and both associated with pulmonary embolism, were diagnosed during life. Although there was neither pulmonary hypertension nor intracardiac shunt present at the time of cardiac catheterization in both cases, the presence of a patent foramen ovale with an interatrial right-to-left shunt was demonstrated by a simple ascorbate dilution technique following a Valsalva maneuver. Each patient was treated by surgical interruption of the inferior vena cava and did well. Paradoxical embolism should be included in the differential diagnosis of arterial embolism for which there is no obvious source, especially when there is also evidence of venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism.
Pyridoxine, Levodopa, and L-α-Methyldopa Hydrazine Regimen in Parkinsonism
Authors: Melvin D. Yahr
Journal: JAMA (1971)

<h3>To the Editor.—</h3> A number of communications have appeared in these columns regarding the role of pyridoxine in patients with Parkinson's disease treated with levodopa. Our initial observation<sup>1</sup>that the ingestion of pyridoxine nullifies the beneficial effects of levodopa on the symptoms of parkinsonism has been confirmed by Cotzias and Jameson<sup>2,3</sup>However, we have been unable to find that the normal dietary intake of pyridoxine interfers with levodopa nor have we found clinical or laboratory evidence to support the fears expressed by some<sup>4,5</sup>that the long-term administration of this agent may induce a pyridoxine deficiency state. In our continuing investigations to improve the therapeutic value of levodopa, until recent date, we have found little use for pyridoxine. Though it can be used to control one of the major side effects of levodopa, namely, the abnormal involuntary movements,<sup>5</sup>this desirable result is achieved only at the expense of
Die Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Krankheiten im Kindesalter
Authors: Walter Block
Journal: JAMA (1960)

Looking at a new medical book, one often wonders: "Was this book necessary?" Dr. Biesalski's book on otolaryngological diseases in the pediatric age group provokes a sound "yes" in answer to this question. I am not aware of a similar book written in English, yet such a publication fills a real need in the library of any physician who treats children, since most sick children seen in office practice are afflicted with diseases of the respiratory tract involving the ear, nose, and throat. Special credit should be given to the excellent introductory remarks on the diseases of the ear. Here, the anatomical and developmental peculiarities of infants and children are stressed and well described. This is a valuable book on a subject which merits special study. The illustrations are well chosen and well reproduced.
Cryoprecipitate and the plastic blood-bag system: provision of adequate replacement therapy for routine treatment of haemophilia.
Authors: E. Bennett, K. M. Dormandy, W. G. Churchill, A. R. Coward, M. Smith, T. E. Cleghorn
Journal: BMJ (1967)

In a survey of 210 young haemophiliacs living in South-east England it was recently shown that, by modern standards, under 20% received adequate treatment (Dormandy et al., 1967). The long-term management of the remainder fell short of what can and should be achieved even with the limited resources at present available to the hospital service. It was found, for example, that the potency of the frozen plasma issued at the time of the survey by the North London Blood Trans fusion Centre was often too low to be of any clinical benefit. This led to a comparative trial of plasma processed at the haemophilia centre of the Royal Free Hospital and at the trans fusion centre. At the same time a number of technical pro cedures were explored, particular attention being paid to the selection of those which could be widely adopted. After the report of Pool and Shannon (1965) cryoprecipitate rich in factor VIII was prepared ; 537 bags of this have been used in the trial since April 1966. In the course of the trial 239 infusions were given for 121 episodes of bleeding in patients with haemophilia. A further 23 infusions were given to patients with von Willebrand's disease. The results of the latter have been reported elsewhere (Bennett and Dormandy, 1966). A total of 1,304 pints (in 500 ml. units) of blood were used. The 914 pints which were collected by the plastic-bag method and processed at the haemophilia centre yielded 2,019 blood components, which were used separately. Supernatant plasma left after the separation of cryoprecipitate was given to three patients with Christmas disease (factor IX deficiency) and to one patient with plasma thromboplastin antecedent (factor XI) deficiency. Specific assays for factor IX and factor XI activity were carried out on these preparations.
Improved graft patency in patients treated with platelet-inhibiting therapy after coronary bypass surgery.
Authors: B G Brown, R A Cukingnan, T DeRouen, L V Goede, M Wong, H J Fee, J A Roth, J S Carey
Journal: Circulation (1985)

One hundred forty-seven consecutive coronary bypass patients were enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, risk-stratified, placebo-controlled prospective trial evaluating the effect on graft patency of 325 mg tid aspirin (ASA) plus 75 mg tid dipyridamole (DP) or ASA alone. One hundred twenty-seven patients (399 total grafts) underwent surgery, initiation of drug therapy 67 +/- 27 (SD) hr postoperatively, five clinic visits, and repeat angiography at 1 year. A logistic regression statistical model was used to determine the effects of 28 different measured variables on graft patency and to adjust for these effects in determining the relationship between antiplatelet therapy and graft occlusion. No patient-specific variable contributed significantly to the prediction of occlusion in either the placebo or the treated group. Six graft-specific variables (arterial diameter, severity of stenosis, graft flow, reactive hyperemia, presence or absence of collaterals, and graft type) did contribute and were included in the model. Twenty-one percent of placebo-treated grafts became occluded. Compared with placebo, the relative risk of graft occlusion with ASA was 0.47 (p = .04); with ASA + DP, it was 0.50 (p = .04). This benefit was principally due to reduction of occlusion in the most common and presumably most important groups of grafts, those in which flow exceeded 40 ml/min, or supplying arteries having luminal diameters greater than 1.5 mm. Grafts lacking reactive hyperemia had a 32% occlusion frequency in placebo-treated patients; relative risk of their occlusion averaged 0.26 (p less than .01) with platelet-inhibiting therapy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
276 Internally cooled versus perfused electrodes for radiofrequency ablation (rfa) in patients with small (≤3 CM) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
Authors: O. Seror, G. Nkontchou, M. Tin-Tin Htar, C. Barrucand, M. Dordera, N. Ganne-Carrie, J.C. Trinchet, N. Sellier, M. Beaugrand
Journal: Journal of Hepatology (2006)