tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Preseasonal intranasal immunotherapy in birch-alder allergic rhinitis: A double-blind study
Authors: A. M. Cirla, N. Sforza, G. P. Roffi, A. Alessandrini, R. Stanizzi, N. Dorigo, E. Sala, F. Della Torre
Journal: Allergy (1996)

A double-blind, placebo-controlled study was carried out to test the clinical efficacy and safety of local nasal immunotherapy (LNIT) in powder form. Twenty-two patients suffering from allergic rhinitis strictly associated with early spring symptoms, with positive skin prick tests and RAST for birch-alder, all responders to a specific nasal provocation test (NPT), received randomly active or placebo treatment for 4 months. Immunotherapy consisted of administration of a set of capsules containing progressively increasing amounts of birch (Betula pendula) and speckled alder (Alnus incana) allergens in powder form with controlled granulometry. The active (birch-alder) and placebo (lactose) group completed the treatment according to a similar schedule. During the pollen season (March-April), the patients who took the active treatment reported less sneezing and rhinorrhea than the placebo group, on the basis of a symptoms score, and the differences were statistically significant; the need for drugs (terfenadine) was also significantly reduced. These findings agreed well with the results of specific NPT after the treatment; only patients in the active group had a higher threshold dose of nasal specific reactivity to birch-alder allergens than in tests before the LNIT.
Spontaneous Delivery of Central Placenta Praevia
Authors: J. Weeks
Journal: BMJ (1961)

RDITSRNH 1589 and the rear one moving faster than G. On IRC 50 resin chromatography at pH 6 the wide separation typical for Q could be demonstrated (Fig. 1).Haemoglobin A2 was not increased and the one-minute alkali denaturation test demonstrated less than 2% alkali- resistant haemoglobin.There was a very small amount of haemoglobin in the position of haemoglobin F seen on chromatography.These findings demonstrated the simple Q trait (A + Q) and were not thought to be related to the boy's illness.The child was given a blood transfusion of 250 ml. of whole blood and progressed well.Three weeks after his admission his haemoglobin was 9.8 g./100 ml. and the jaundice had totally disappeared.The boy's father had died of unknown causes, and it was possible to obtain blood only from the boy's mother and one of his sisters.The mother again was a case of haemoglobin A+Q, and in the sister nothing abnormal was seen (Fig. 2).
A wireless multi-channel neural amplifier for freely moving animals
Authors: Tobi A Szuts, Vitaliy Fadeyev, Sergei Kachiguine, Alexander Sher, Matthew V Grivich, Margarida Agrochão, Pawel Hottowy, Wladyslaw Dabrowski, Evgueniy V Lubenov, Athanassios G Siapas, Naoshige Uchida, Alan M Litke, Markus Meister
Journal: Nature Neuroscience (2011)
Klinefelter's syndrome
Authors: C. H. Blevins, M. E. Wilson
Journal: BMJ (2012)

A 29 year old man presented to primary care with anxiety and depression that had worsened since childhood. Further questioning revealed a history of poor school performance, poor body image, and poor self esteem. On physical examination, the patient's height was 189 cm and he had narrow shoulders, wide hips, sparse facial hair (which he shaved once every two months), and small, firm testicles. He was found to have elevated luteinising hormone and follicular stimulating hormone concentrations, low serum concentrations of testosterone, absent sperm on semen analysis, and a karyotype of 47,XXY. Klinefelter's syndrome is the clinical result of an additional X chromosome in males (47,XXY), although other chromosome abnormalities (such as 46,XY/47,XXY mosaicism; 48,XXXY; 49,XXXXY) account for 10-20% of cases.1 2 Classic clinical findings include infertility, small testes, hypergonadotropic hypogonadism (elevated luteinising hormone and follicular stimulating hormone concentrations with low or low to normal testosterone concentrations), decreased facial and body hair, gynecomastia, tall stature with eunuchoid features, and psychosocial morbidity.1 3 #### How common is Klinefelter's syndrome?
Comparing Local and Regional Variation in Health Care Spending
Authors: Yuting Zhang, Seo Hyon Baik, A. Mark Fendrick, Katherine Baicker
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (2012)

Wide geographic variation in health care spending has generated both concern about inefficiency and policy debate about geographic-based payment reform. Evidence regarding variation has focused on hospital referral regions (HRRs), which incorporate numerous local hospital service areas (HSAs). If there is substantial variation across local areas within HRRs, then policies focusing on HRRs may be poorly targeted.Using prescription drug and medical claims data from a 5% random sample of Medicare beneficiaries from 2006 through 2009, we compared variation in health care spending and utilization among 306 HRRs and 3436 HSAs. We adjusted for beneficiary-level demographic characteristics, insurance status, and clinical characteristics.There was substantial local variation in health care (drug and nondrug) utilization and spending. Furthermore, many of the low-spending HSAs were located in high-spending HRRs, and many of the high-spending HSAs were in low-spending HRRs. For drug spending, only 50.7% of the HSAs located within the borders of the highest-spending quintile of HRRs were in the highest-spending quintile of HSAs; conversely, only 51.5% of the highest-spending HSAs were located within the borders of the highest-spending HRRs. Similar patterns were observed for nondrug spending.The effectiveness of payment reforms in reducing overutilization while maintaining access to high-quality care depends on the effectiveness of targeting. Our analysis suggests that HRR-based policies may be too crudely targeted to promote the best use of health care resources. (Funded by the Institute of Medicine and others.).
Encephalopathy Complicating Whipple's Disease
Authors: BRIAN P. SCHMITT
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1981)

Progressive dementia, vertical ophthalmoplegia, and prominent hypothalamic dysfunction developed in one patient with documented intestinal Whipple's disease despite ongoing antibiotic therapy with intestinal remission. A clinical diagnosis of central nervous Whipple's disease was made on the basis of the patient's presentation. High-dose parenteral penicillin and chloramphenicol were administered for 4½ weeks. There was no improvement in results of daily mental status examination or neuropsychologic testing. Deterioration was noted in the electroencephalographic findings after therapy. Vigorous antibiotic therapy with agents that cross the blood-brain barrier had no immediate beneficial effect. Irreversible neurologic damage or a slow, delayed response may account for this observation.
Islet β cell expression of constitutively active Akt1/PKBα induces striking hypertrophy, hyperplasia, and hyperinsulinemia
Authors: Ernesto Bernal-Mizrachi, Wu Wen, Sarah Stahlhut, Cris M. Welling, M. Alan Permutt
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (2001)

The phosphoinositide 3-kinase–Akt/PKB pathway mediates the mitogenic effects various nutrients and growth factors in cultured cells. To study its effects in vivo in pancreatic islet β cells, we created transgenic mice that expressed a constitutively active Akt1/PKBα linked to an Insulin gene promoter. Transgenic mice exhibited a grossly visible increase in islet mass, largely due to proliferation of insulin-containing β cells. Morphometric analysis verified a six-fold increase in β cell mass/pancreas, a two-fold increase in 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine incorporation, a four-fold increase in the number of β cells per pancreas area, and a two-fold increase in cell size in transgenic compared with wild-type mice at 5 weeks. At least part of the increase in β cell number may be accounted for by neogenesis, defined by criteria that include β cells proliferating from ductular epithelium, and by a six-fold increase in the number of single and doublet β cells scattered throughout the exocrine pancreas of the transgenic mice. Glucose tolerance was improved, and fasting as well as fed insulin was greater compared with wild-type mice. Glucose-stimulated insulin secretion was maintained in transgenic mice, which were resistant to streptozotocin–induced diabetes. We conclude that activation of the Akt1/PKBα pathway affects islet β cell mass by alteration of size and number.
[142] CONTRIBUTION OF DONOR LIVER STEATOSIS TO GRAFT SURVIVAL AND VIRAL RECURRENCE IN HCV-INFECTED LIVER TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS
Authors: J. Briceno, R. Ciria, M. Pleguezuelo, P. Lopez-Cillero, S. Rufian, F. Lopez-Rubio, M. Mata
Journal: Journal of Hepatology (2007)
Contractile arrest reveals calcium-dependent stimulation of SERCA2a mRNA expression in cultured ventricular cardiomyocytes
Authors: R VLASBLOM
Journal: Cardiovascular Research (2004)

Downregulation of sarco-endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase 2a (SERCA2a) expression is a critical marker of pathological myocardial hypertrophy. The effects of calcium-dependent signaling and of contractile activity on the regulation of myocardial SERCA2a expression remain unclear. The present study dissociates effects of calcium-dependent signaling through calcineurin (CN) and calmodulin dependent protein kinase-II (CAMK-II), from effects of contractile activity in spontaneously contracting rat neonatal ventricular cardiomyocytes (NVCM) using 2,3-butanedione monoxime (BDM), which arrests contractions but maintains calcium fluxes.SERCA2a mRNA expression was analysed using Northern hybridisation in spontaneously contracting NVCM (control) and in NVCM treated with either BDM, L-type Ca2+-channel blocker (verapamil), CN-blocker (cyclosporin A; CsA), CAMK-II blocker (KN-93), or combinations thereof. Transient transfection of the CN-dependent transcription factor nuclear factor of activated T-lymphocytes (NFATc), coupled to GFP, was used to detect NFAT nuclear translocation. The effects of CN/CAMK-II-dependent signaling were further dissected into effects of the transcription factors NFATc4 and myocyte enhancer factor 2c (MEF2c) on the activity of various SERCA2a promoter fragments using transient transfection assays.Treatment with BDM induced a 2.5-fold rise in SERCA2a mRNA, which was abolished by addition of verapamil and was reduced by addition of CsA (-40%) and KN-93 (-20%). NFAT nuclear translocation was similar in control and BDM-treated NVCM. SERCA2a promoter activity was stimulated by NFATc4 and MEF2c, but only when both factors were co-transfected.Following contractile arrest with BDM, upregulation of SERCA2a mRNA expression by CN/CAMK-II signaling becomes evident. This upregulation is likely the result of synergistic stimulation of SERCA2a promoter activity by NFATc4 and MEF2c. Contractile activity opposes this upregulation through distinct and independent pathways.
Climate Variability, Social and Environmental Factors, and Ross River Virus Transmission: Research Development and Future Research Needs
Authors: Shilu Tong, Pat Dale, Neville Nicholls, John S. Mackenzie, Rodney Wolff, Anthony J. McMichael
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (2008)

BackgroundArbovirus diseases have emerged as a global public health concern. However, the impact of climatic, social, and environmental variability on the transmission of arbovirus diseases remains to be determined.ObjectiveOur goal for this study was to provide an overview of research development and future research directions about the interrelationship between climate variability, social and environmental factors, and the transmission of Ross River virus (RRV), the most common and widespread arbovirus disease in Australia.MethodsWe conducted a systematic literature search on climatic, social, and environmental factors and RRV disease. Potentially relevant studies were identified from a series of electronic searches.ResultsThe body of evidence revealed that the transmission cycles of RRV disease appear to be sensitive to climate and tidal variability. Rainfall, temperature, and high tides were among major determinants of the transmission of RRV disease at the macro level. However, the nature and magnitude of the interrelationship between climate variability, mosquito density, and the transmission of RRV disease varied with geographic area and socioenvironmental condition. Projected anthropogenic global climatic change may result in an increase in RRV infections, and the key determinants of RRV transmission we have identified here may be useful in the development of an early warning system.ConclusionsThe analysis indicates that there is a complex relationship between climate variability, social and environmental factors, and RRV transmission. Different strategies may be needed for the control and prevention of RRV disease at different levels. These research findings could be used as an additional tool to support decision making in disease control/surveillance and risk management.
BUPA and consultants over 70
Authors: H. Thelwall-Jones
Journal: BMJ (1992)

notice.This would accommodate changes in personal or professional circumstances.Family health services authorities could match skills to jobs.Job sharing and mobility would be facilitated.The whole exercise may be construed as a global job share."Ghettoisation" for either sex would become voluntary rather than imposed by con- sumers.Family health services authorities' skill banks would offer a wider distribution of services and facilitate planning.Benefits would accrue to consumers and practitioners through a wider choice of service and variety of experience, re- spectively.
Polymorphisms of DNA repair genes in Korean hepatocellular carcinoma patients with chronic hepatitis B: Possible implications on survival
Authors: Seok Won Jung, Neung Hwa Park, Jung Woo Shin, Bo Ryung Park, Chang Jae Kim, Jong-Eun Lee, Eun-Soon Shin, Jeong A Kim, Young-Hwa Chung
Journal: Journal of Hepatology (2012)
Analysis of Circulating Tumor EGFR-DNA in Plasma During EGFR-TKI Therapy of EGFR Mutation-Positive Lung Cancer Patients
Authors: J. Uchida, T. Niki, T. Okuyama, K. Nishino, T. Kumagai, Y. Akazawa, F. Imamura
Journal: Annals of Oncology (2013)
"Is there a doctor on the aircraft?" Top 10 in-flight medical emergencies
Authors: N. Dowdall
Journal: BMJ (2000)

AIMS--To evaluate the behavior of plasma endothelin-1 in patients with chronic hypoxia. METHODS--Fifteen male patients (mean age 52.1 +/- 3.1 years) with mild chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were studied. Twelve healthy men (mean age 48.3 +/- 5.4 years) served as controls. Both patients and controls underwent standard pulmonary function tests, echocardiographic evaluation, and arterial blood gas evaluation. Blood samples for endothelin-1 assay were taken from a previously incannulated antecubital vein after 60 minutes of rest in the supine position. Endothelin-1 was measured by radioimmunoassay after extraction from plasma. RESULTS--Patients with chronic hypoxia had lower PaO2 values (66.1 +/- 6.2 mmHg) than controls (83.8 +/- 2.7 mmHg) but PaCO2 values were similar (38.1 +/- 2.5 v 36.7 +/- 3.1 mmHg, respectively). Arterial pulmonary pressure, therefore, was higher in patients (18.1 +/- 3.7 mmHg) than in controls (10.4 +/- 2.7 mmHg) as were circulating endothelin-1 concentrations (1.22 +/- 0.36 v 0.57 +/- 0.1 pg/ml). Furthermore, plasma endothelin-1 concentrations were negatively correlated with PaO2 and directly correlated with pulmonary pressure levels. No significant correlations were found in controls. CONCLUSIONS--These results show a clear relation between chronic hypoxia and circulating endothelin-1 concentrations. Therefore, chronic hypoxia may be regarded as an important stimulus for endothelin-1 release and as one of the main contributors to increased vasoconstriction in the vascular pulmonary bed which often accompanies lung disease.
50 Durability of response and occurrence of late response to peginterferon alpha-2a (40KD) [PEGASYS] one year post-treatment in patients with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B
Authors: G.K.K. Lau, T. Piratvisuth, K.X. Luo, P. Marcellin, S. Thongsawat, G. Cooksley, E. Gane, M.W. Fried, M. Popescu, J. Wu
Journal: Journal of Hepatology (2006)
The effect of brain death on cardiovascular function in rats. Part I. Is the heart damaged?
Authors: P Herijgers
Journal: Cardiovascular Research (1998)

Objective: Brain death induces important haemodynamic changes in rats, with a drop in arterial blood pressure, left ventricular developed pressure and dP/dtmax to less than 50% of its control value. Myocardial damage was reported to contribute to this paradigm. The role of potential underlying pathogenetic mechanisms, such as a circulating cardiodepressant factor, NO, endogenous opioid peptides, vagal or β-adrenergic activation, or hypophyseal dysfunction, were explored, but none of them could be demonstrated as the culprit. This study investigated whether functionally important intrinsic myocardial damage was induced by brain death in the rat, and whether coronary endothelial cell dysfunction, possibly causing multifocal ischaemia, contributed to this. Methods: Brain death was induced in rats by sudden inflation of an intracranial balloon. Extensive haemodynamic measurements, including heart rate, arterial blood pressure, central venous pressure, left ventricular pressure, and cardiac output, were performed. Hearts excised 1 and 4 h after brain death were examined histologically. The contractile reserve of these hearts was tested by administration of increasing doses of adrenaline (10−9 to 10−6 mol/l) in a Langendorff system. The coronary endothelium was tested with regard to its barrier function for macromolecules by determining the extravasation of injected Evans blue, and with regard to its vasoactive function by testing the effects of serotonin and nitroglycerin in a Langendorff system. Results: The haemodynamic measurements suggested that the cardiovascular collapse consisted mainly in alterations in afterload. Contractile reserve, as tested with increasing adrenaline doses, revealed a normal dose–response curve. No histological myocardial damage was found after brain death in rats. No abnormal extravasation of Evans blue was seen. Coronary vasoreactivity towards nitroglycerin and serotonin was normal. Conclusion: Myocardial damage, if present at all, contributes only minimally to the changes in haemodynamic profile seen after brain death in the rat, and the coronary endothelium appears to preserve its barrier and vasoactive function.
The Stability of Early Specialty Preferences Among US Medical School Graduates in 1983
Authors: David Babbott
Journal: JAMA (1988)

Medical graduates in 1983 were in preclinical training when the Graduate Medical Education National Advisory Committee forecast a surplus of 70,000 physicians by 1990. Among the problems identified was the nuclear role of medical schools in affecting specialty choices. To understand this role further, the current study determined the stability and evolution of specialty preferences between the time of the Medical College Admission Test and the senior year of medical school. The study included 10,321 US medical school graduates in 1983. Eighty percent changed their specialty preference during this interval, demonstrating the substantial effects that medical schools have on specialty selection. The stability of early preferences ranged from 41% to 1%. Interest in primary care specialties declined among both men and women; interest in specialty care and supporting services increased during this five-year longitudinal study. These findings parallel shifts away from primary care among US medical school graduates in 1978 and 1983.
Prevention of carryover contamination in the detection of β<sup>S</sup> and β<sup>C</sup> genes by polymerase chain reaction
Authors: Xiuhua Wang, Timothy Chen, David Kim, Sergio Piomelli
Journal: American Journal of Hematology (1992)

Abstract As the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) process becomes a common tool in genetic diagnostic laboratories, prevention of carryover contamination from previous PCR amplifications has become an urgent topic. A PCR carryover prevention technique, utilizing deoxyuridine triphosphate (dUTP) and uracil DNA glycosylase (UDG), has been described recently. We report on its adaptation to a diagnostic system for detecting hemoglobin SS and SC diseases. Excellent amplification was achieved by increasing the dUTP and MgCl 2 concentrations. dU‐containing DNA could be analyzed by restriction endonucleases to distinguish the β S from β A gene using Ddel, but two other restriction enzymes, Bsu36l (replacement for Mstll by the manufacturer) and Cvnl, can no longer be used. The dU‐containing PCR products retained their hybridization specificity with allele‐specific oligonucleotide (ASO) probes for the β A , β S , and β C genes. The PCR carryover prevention technique is easy to use and takes only 20 additional minutes. It should be extremely useful to genetic diagnostic laboratories where PCR is repeated daily and carryover contamination may thus lead to misdiagnoses. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Reduced left ventricular myocardial blood flow per unit mass in aortic stenosis.
Authors: L L Johnson, R R Sciacca, K Ellis, M B Weiss, P J Cannon
Journal: Circulation (1978)

Myocardial blood flow (MBF) per unit mass was measured in 10 patients (pts) with severe aortic stenosis (AS) and no significant aortic insufficiency, normal ejection fractions, and normal coronary arteriograms, using xenon-133 and a multiple crystal scintillation camera. MBF per unit mass was reduced in AS (53 +/- 13 mg/100g.min) in comparison to a group of seven normal control patients (69 +/- 12 ml/100g.min) (P less than 0.05). When normalized for heart rate. MBF remained depressed in aortic stenosis (0.65 +/- 0.11 ml/100 g.beat). MBF/beat was strongly related to peak left ventricular wall stress in both groups (r = 0.97). Individual values of MBF/beat were normalized for peak stress using an analysis of covarience; the adjusted mean values were 0.62 +/- 0.03 ml/100g.beat for the AS patients and 0.84 +/- 0.03 ml/100 g.beat for the control patients. There was no overlap between groups in adjusted MBF per beat. Values of MBF per beat and peak stress for a group of ten cardiomyopathy patients with depressed contractility were observed to fall close to the regression line for AS patients. The results suggest that variability in resting MBF in these AS patients is due primarily to differences in LV stress and that reduction in MBF per beat in this group may be due to reduced contractility.
CD94 surface density identifies a functional intermediary between the CD56bright and CD56dim human NK-cell subsets
Authors: Jianhua Yu, Hsiaoyin C. Mao, Min Wei, Tiffany Hughes, Jianying Zhang, Il-kyoo Park, Shujun Liu, Susan McClory, Guido Marcucci, Rossana Trotta, Michael A. Caligiuri
Journal: Blood (2009)