tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Differences in Diabetes Prevalence, Incidence, and Mortality Among the Elderly of Four Racial/Ethnic Groups: Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians
Authors: A. Marshall McBean, Shuling Li, David T. Gilbertson, Allan J. Collins
Journal: Diabetes Care (2004)

OBJECTIVE—To examine diabetes prevalence, incidence, and mortality from 1993 to 2001 among fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries ≥67 years of age. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—This study was a retrospective analysis of a 5% random sample of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries ≥65 years of age in each year. RESULTS—In 1993, the prevalence of diabetes among those ≥67 years of age was 145 cases per 1,000 individuals. By 2001, it was 197/1,000, an increase of 36.0%. The 2001 prevalence among Hispanics (334/1,000) was significantly higher than among blacks (296/1,000), Asians (243/1,000), and whites (184/1,000, P &amp;lt; 0.0001). During the 7-year period the greatest increase in diabetes prevalence was among Asians (68.0%). Between 1994 and 2001, the annual rate of newly diagnosed elderly individuals with diabetes increased by 36.9%. Hispanics had the greatest increase at 55.0%. The mortality rate among individuals with diabetes decreased by ∼5% between 1994 and 2001 from 92.1/1,000 to 87.2/1,000 (P &amp;lt; 0.001), due to a 6% decrease among whites. No decrease in mortality was seen among elderly individuals without diabetes, it was 55/1,000 in 1994 and 54/1,000 in 2001. CONCLUSIONS—The dramatic increase in the incidence and prevalence of diabetes likely reflect a combination of true increases, as well as changes in the diagnostic criteria and increased interest in diagnosing and appropriately treating diabetes in the elderly. Improved treatment may have had an impact on mortality rates among individuals with diabetes, although they could have been influenced by the duration of diabetes before diagnosis, which has likely decreased. Changes in incidence, prevalence, and mortality in elderly individuals with diabetes need to continue to be monitored.
SUICIDE, SUICIDE ATTEMPTS, AND WEATHER
Authors: ALEX D. POKORNY, FRED DAVIS, WAYNE HARBERSON
Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry (1963)

The 67 suicides and 373 suicide attempts occurring in Houston in 1960, in which the time of occurrence could be established, were studied in terms of weather conditions at time of their occurrence. Eleven weather variables (temperature, wind speed, wind direction, barometric pressure, relative humidity, visibility, ceiling height, rain, fog, thunderstorms, and cloudiness) were studied. The distribution of each for all hours of the year was obtained, and this was compared with the distribution during those hours in which a suicide or suicide attempt occurred. No single significant relationship was found. The 28 northerly fronts of 1960 were not found to be associated with any change in rate of suicide or suicide attempts. Month and season likewise showed no significant relationship. It is concluded that suicide and suicide attempts are not significantly related to weather phenomena.
A population genetic study of psoriasis
Authors: G. SWANBECK, A. INEROT, T. MARTINSSON, J. WAHLSTRÖM
Journal: British Journal of Dermatology (1994)

SUMMARY We present epidemiological data for 5197 families with psoriasis. Errors in reporting have been analysed. Analysis of the data provides indications of random mating with respect to whether the partner has the skin disease or not. Data on psoriasis among parents, siblings and children are provided, and particular attention has been paid to the age at onset of psoriasis. Psoriasis was present in the parents of about 36% of the probands. In families in which one or both parents have psoriasis, the occurrence of the disease among the siblings does not provide any information which differentiates between a dominant and recessive mode of inheritance, but is compatible with both. In families in which neither parent had psoriasis, provided there was a proband with psoriasis, the probability of the siblings suffering from psoriasis was close to 0.25, indicating a recessive mode of inheritance. The distribution of psoriasis among the parents of all probands, and among the children of probands, was also compatible with this mode of inheritance. The prevalence of psoriasis in the elderly was estimated to be about 5%, and the gene frequency in the whole population 25%. These findings show that, with regard to first-degree relatives, the inheritance of psoriasis can fit an autosomal recessive model. The concept of a recessive mode of inheritance may be used as a basis for genetic counselling.
Hunt appeals against ruling he exceeded his powers in action on Lewisham Hospital
Authors: C. Dyer
Journal: BMJ (2013)

England’s health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, took his appeal against a judge’s ruling stopping him from cutting Lewisham Hospital’s accident and emergency services to the Court of Appeal this week.

He argued that High Court judge Mr Justice Silber erred in law last July when he quashed Hunt’s decision to downgrade the hospital’s accident and emergency and maternity units.1 

Hunt made the decision after a recommendation by Matthew Kerslake, the trust special administrator …
Meat-Wrappers' Asthma
Authors: Kenneth M. Moser
Journal: JAMA (1976)

<h3>To the Editor.—</h3> Recent letters (236:1117, 1976) regarding "meat-wrappers' asthma" are puzzling in form and, in some respects, substance. For the medical scientist, there should be neither pleasure nor happiness in continued controversy about whether a given industrial exposure causes illness. Pleasure and happiness derive only from resolution of the question, a resolution that cannot be achieved by anecdote. Only careful, controlled studies in the work place can do so; and such studies are not yet available. While such studies are awaited, of course, rational preventive measures can be undertaken in case a true hazard exists. This can and should be done without prejudice as to the ultimate facts. Unfortunately, Drs Bardana and Andrasch do us a special disservice while the facts are sought by cluttering up the meat-wrappers' picture with comments on the hazards of exposure to vinyl chloride monomer. No free vinyl chloride monomer has been demonstrated in
The Weapons That Kill Civilians — Deaths of Children and Noncombatants in Iraq, 2003–2008
Authors: Madelyn Hsiao-Rei Hicks, Hamit Dardagan, Gabriela Guerrero Serdán, Peter M. Bagnall, John A. Sloboda, Michael Spagat
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (2009)

orphans of children, traumatizes populations,
Modulation by S-Adenosyl-L-Methionine of Hepatic Na+, K+-ATPase, Membrane Fluidity, and Bile Flow in Rats with Ethinyl Estradiol-Induced Cholestasis
Authors: Urs A. Boelsterli, Gopa Rakhit, Tibor Balazs
Journal: Hepatology (2007)

Structural and functional changes in the surface membranes of hepatocytes play a pivotal role in the induction and reversion of some forms of drug-induced cholestasis. To elucidate the mechanism by which S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe) leads to a partial reversion of bile flow impairment caused by ethinyl estradiol (EE), female Sprague-Dawley rats were given oral doses of EE (5 mg per kg per day, for 3 days) with and without simultaneous administration of SAMe (25 mg per kg, 3 times per day, for 3 days). Na+,K+-ATPase activity and membrane microviscosity as measured by fluorescent polarization were assayed in isolated liver plasma membranes (LPMs). SAMe administration to normal and EE-treated rats resulted in a marked increase in Na+,K+-ATPase activity and LPM fluidity. EE alone did not cause any change in the physicochemical properties of the LPMs. Hepatic Mg2+-ATPase and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase activities were not affected by SAMe alone but increased when SAMe was given together with EE. These data indicate that the interaction of in vivo administered SAMe with hepatocyte plasmalemma and its effect on lipid fluidity and enzymes of the LPMs showed a high specificity and an inverse relationship between Na+,K+-ATPase activity and fluorescence polarization values. Furthermore, modulation of hepatic Na+,K+-ATPase was associated with SAMe-induced protection against bile flow impairment due to EE; however, it was not the causative factor for EE-induced cholestasis under the experimental conditions. These findings suggest that changes in surface membrane structure and function might account in part for the reversal by SAMe of EE-induced impairment of bile secretory function.
Subendocardial infarction in retrospect: pathologic, cardiographic, and ancillary features.
Authors: H D Levine
Journal: Circulation (1985)

Fifty-three patients with subendocardial infarction (SEMI) were studied at autopsy; all were elderly and the group was equally divided by sex. About half had more than one SEMI; the recurrences or extensions often involved superjacent, but not infrequently adjacent, areas. Six showed fibrinous pericarditis. This larger study showed more widespread and severe coronary narrowing than an earlier report. Six patients had thrombi in the right coronary artery. Six showed electrocardiographic evidence of concomitant anteroseptal and inferior (Roesler-Dressler) infarction, and 12 had intraventricular block generally preceding higher-grade block or arrhythmias. At some time during their terminal hospitalization, 27 patients, or half, developed distinctive protracted RS-T depression or T wave inversion. Twenty-four of the SEMIs were diagnosed on accepted criteria as transmural infarct; that diagnosis was sustained in only four. Thus neither the presence of changes in RS-T segment or T wave nor the absence of QRS changes are mandatory for the diagnosis of SEMI; this invalidates the common assumption that the diagnosis is not justified unless these conditions are met.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HBA1C AND CORONARY FLOW RESERVE IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS: A REAL-TIME MYOCARDIAL CONTRAST ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY STUDY
Authors: Sahar S. Abdelmoneim, Runqing Huang, Lara F. Nhola, Sharon L. Mulvagh
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2014)
Ureteral Dynamics in Human Renal Transplantation
Authors: Philip Belitsky
Journal: JAMA (1972)

The transplanted ureter is as vulnerable as the transplanted kidney to immunological attack by the host. Other factors may contribute to altered ureteral function such as obstruction, infection, periureteral fibrosis, surgical trauma, and injury to the blood supply during surgery. To study these factors, we examined the transplanted ureters by means of intravenous cineurograms under normal conditions and during the above complications. The factor most commonly associated with absent peristalsis was active rejection. Ureteral peristalsis was present in only 25% of patients with clinically apparent rejection. It was present in 84% of patients with stable renal function. Peristalsis improved with reversal of the rejection process.
Nicotinamide increases biosynthesis of ceramides as well as other stratum corneum lipids to improve the epidermal permeability barrier
Authors: O. Tanno, Y. Ota, N. Kitamura, T. Katsube, S. Inoue
Journal: British Journal of Dermatology (2000)

Stratum corneum lipids, particularly ceramides, are important components of the epidermal permeability barrier that are decreased in atopic dermatitis and aged skin.We investigated the effects of nicotinamide, one of the B vitamins, on biosynthesis of sphingolipids, including ceramides and other stratum corneum lipids, in cultured normal human keratinocytes, and on the epidermal permeability barrier in vivo.The rate of sphingolipid biosynthesis was measured by the incorporation of [14C]-serine into sphingolipids.When the cells were incubated with 1-30 micromol L-1 nicotinamide for 6 days, the rate of ceramide biosynthesis was increased dose-dependently by 4.1-5. 5-fold on the sixth day compared with control. Nicotinamide also increased the synthesis of glucosylceramide (7.4-fold) and sphingomyelin (3.1-fold) in the same concentration range effective for ceramide synthesis. Furthermore, the activity of serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT), the rate-limiting enzyme in sphingolipid synthesis, was increased in nicotinamide-treated cells. Nicotinamide increased the levels of human LCB1 and LCB2 mRNA, both of which encode subunits of SPT. This suggested that the increase in SPT activity was due to an increase in SPT mRNA. Nicotinamide increased not only ceramide synthesis but also free fatty acid (2.3-fold) and cholesterol synthesis (1.5-fold). Topical application of nicotinamide increased ceramide and free fatty acid levels in the stratum corneum, and decreased transepidermal water loss in dry skin.Nicotinamide improved the permeability barrier by stimulating de novo synthesis of ceramides, with upregulation of SPT and other intercellular lipids.
ERYTHEMA EXFOLIATIVUM RECURRENS.Read in the Section on Dermatology and Syphilography, at the Forty-fourth Annual Meeting of the American Medical Association.
Authors: A. H. OHMANN-DUMESNIL
Journal: JAMA (1894)

The erythemata have always possessed a large amount of interest for dermatologists, and the numerous apparently aberrant forms which have been observed in late years have invested the subject with an amount of importance which was not conceded to it heretofore. It is more particularly in regard to the etiology of the different forms that research has been made. In addition to this there have been presented certain forms which have excited much interest on account of their assumed rarity, but which are, possibly, not so infrequent either on account of mistakes in diagnosis, or ignorance of this pseudoarity, or an indifference to making any record. These circumstances, singly or combined, have conspired to produce an impression in many instances that a certain condition or group of symptoms was rare, when in reality it was common and had either escaped attention or failed to arouse any interest, under the mistaken
BMJ readers vote for doctors who have made a difference to health care
Authors: D. Cohen
Journal: BMJ (2009)

More than 1300 people took part in the first week of voting for the BMJ Group’s lifetime achievement award, after the shortlist was announced on 31 January ( BMJ 2009;338:b325).

The 10 candidates had been chosen by a BMJ panel on the basis of who had made a unique and substantial contribution to improving health care.

To discover what had prompted people to nominate their colleagues or friends, the BMJ spoke to 10 of the people who had either nominated or are supporting one of the shortlisted candidates.

Backing Patrick Bradley, a professor and head and neck oncological surgeon at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, are four different doctors. One colleague, Nick Jones from the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the same trust, suggests “there is nothing that he has not done or contributed to.” 

Other supporters who also nominated him, Antony Narula, a consultant ear, nose, and throat surgeon at St Mary’s Hospital, London; Vinidh Paleri, a consultant head and …
Evaluation of the Severity of Organic Occlusive Disease and Comparison of the Effectiveness of Various Procedures in Relaxing Peripheral Vasospasm
Authors: HAROLD D. GREEN, WILLIAM PERKINS, JOSEPH ABERNETHY
Journal: Circulation (1950)

Both organic occlusion and vasospasm are usually present in peripheral arterial vascular diseases. The degree of occlusion and the probable effectiveness of treatment designed to relax vasospasm can both be determined by measurement of the maximum increase in cutaneous blood flow produced by suitable vasodilator procedures. These studies included warming the torso and/or injections of tetraethylammonium chloride or benzylimidazoline, and administration of spinal anesthetic. The effects obtained with all three methods were closely comparable. Cutaneous blood flow was estimated from recordings of skin, room and body temperatures.
FoxM1: A Master Regulator of Tumor Metastasis
Authors: Pradip Raychaudhuri, Hyun Jung Park
Journal: Cancer Research (2011)

Abstract The FoxM1 transcription factor gene is overexpressed in cancer. Its expression is stimulated by oncogenic signaling pathways and reactive oxygen species. It is also a target of regulation by the tumor suppressor genes. The transcriptional activity of FoxM1 depends upon activation by cyclin and cyclin-dependent kinases as well as Plk1. FoxM1 stimulates expression of several genes involved in the cell cycle progression. Moreover, it supports proliferation of tumor cells by stimulating expression of the antioxidant genes and reducing oxidative stress. A new study provides evidence that FoxM1, in the absence of its inhibitor, the tumor suppressor Arf, drives metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It induces an epithelial–mesenchymal–like transition phenotype in HCC cells, increases cell migration, and induces premetastatic niche at the distal organ of metastasis. FoxM1 directly activates genes involved in multiple steps of metastasis. In this review, we discuss the evidence for a master regulatory role of FoxM1 in tumor metastasis. Cancer Res; 71(13); 4329–33. ©2011 AACR.
Skin Prick Test and Specific IgE To Purified Peanut Allergens Are Related To The Age Of Onset Of Sympstons
Authors: Maria Salas, Francisca Gomez, Ana Aranda, Carmen Rondon, Natalia Blanca-López, Gabriela Canto, Maria J Torres, Cristobalina Mayorga, Miguel Blanca, Maria Isabel Sánchez Rivas
Journal: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (2014)
Induction of Squamous Differentiation by Interferon beta in a Human Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Cell Line
Authors: S. Nair, J. Mayotte, A. Lokshin, M. Levitt
Journal: JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute (1994)

More than 95% of lung cancers occur in the bronchi, appearing as adenocarcinoma, squamous carcinoma, large-cell and small-cell carcinoma, or mixed types. Generally, the least aggressive form is squamous cell lung cancer, suggesting the possibility that promotion of squamous cell differentiation may have therapeutic potential for non-small-cell lung cancer, a disease having no effective systemic therapy. Interferons are a group of glycopro-teins with known antiproliferative effects, including the ability to induce differentiation in certain cases. These studies were conducted to determine whether interferon p induces squamous cell differentiation in non-small-cell lung cancer in vitro. NCI-H596 adeno-squamous cells were grown to confluence to maximize their differentiation potential. Growth and parameters for squamous differentiation (cross-linked envelope competence, transglutaminase activity, and relative involucrin expression) were then measured when the cells were exposed to various concentrations of interferonβ. Interferon P inhibited growth of the NCI-H596 cell line and stimulated envelope competence, involucrin expression, and type 2 transglutaminase activity. Alterations in transglutaminase activity and involucrin expression preceded induction of envelope competence and growth suppression. Interferon P suppresses the growth and stimulates markers of squamous differentiation in NCI-H596. While the mechanising) for such effects are unknown, the sequence of effects suggests a causal relationship between differentiation induction and subsequent growth suppression. Interferon 3 may have clinical usefulness in squamous differentiation strategies for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer. More must be learned about the mechanisms whereby interferons and other biologic agents induce differentiation, and clinical trials will be needed to determine whether in vitro results are pertinent in vivo. [J Natl Cancer Inst 86:378–383, 1994]
Cytolytic Virus Activation Therapy for Epstein-Barr Virus–Driven Tumors
Authors: Maarten A. Wildeman, Zlata Novalić, Sandra A.W.M. Verkuijlen, Hedy Juwana, Alwin D.R. Huitema, I. Bing Tan, Jaap M. Middeldorp, Jan Paul de Boer, Astrid E. Greijer
Journal: Clinical Cancer Research (2012)

Abstract Purpose: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is causally linked to Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection. Because all tumor cells carry EBV, the virus itself is a potential target for therapy. In these tumor cells, EBV hides in a latent state and expresses only a few non-immunogenic proteins for EBV maintenance and contributes to tumor growth. We developed a cytolytic virus activation (CLVA) therapy for NPC treatment, reactivating latent EBV, triggering immune recognition, and inducing susceptibility to antiviral therapy. Experimental Design: CLVA therapy combines gemcitabine (GCb) and valproic acid (VPA) for virus activation and tumor clearance with (val)ganciclovir (GCV) as the antiviral drug to block virus replication and kill proliferating virus-infected cells. CLVA treatment was optimized and validated in NPC cell lines and subsequently tested in 3 Dutch patients with NPC that was refractory to conventional treatment. Results: In NPC cell lines, both GCb and VPA can induce the lytic cycle of EBV. Their combination resulted in a strong synergistic effect. The addition of GCV resulted in higher cytotoxicity compared with chemotherapy alone, which was not observed in EBV-negative cells. CLVA therapy was analyzed in 3 patients with end-stage NPC. Patients developed increased levels of viral DNA in the circulation originating from apoptotic tumor cells, had disease stabilization, and experienced improved quality of life. Conclusions: Our results in the initial CLVA-treated patients indicate that the therapy had a biological effect and was well tolerated with only moderate transient toxicity. This new virus-specific therapy could open a generic approach for treatment of multiple EBV-associated malignancies. Clin Cancer Res; 18(18); 5061–70. ©2012 AACR.
More Snakes-Reply
Authors: Robert E. Rakel
Journal: JAMA (1985)

<h3>In Reply.—</h3> The letters from Barbash and Pollack and from Frazier reflect the confusion in the Bible as to whether the snake represents good (as a symbol of medicine) or evil. It is unlikely that the pole and serpent of Moses were the original source for the symbol of medicine. A more interesting and plausible interpretation of this passage from the Bible is that the Israelites were infected with the guinea enorm, or<i>Dracunculus medinensis</i>, which is still endemic in that area, and that the copper serpent set upon a pole was a model of how the "serpent" should be removed, that is, that it should be wound slowly onto a stick after breaking through the skin. The intense inflammation and secondary infection around the worm causes localized burning and fever, which could logically result in the 3-ft-long worms being called "fiery serpents." Those who "looked upon it," meaning the
Listeria monocytogenes hepatitis in a liver transplant recipient: a case report and review of the literature
Authors: Nadine Bourgeois, Frederique Jacobs, Maria Lourdes Tavares, Fabienne Rickaert, Carine Deprez, Corinne Liesnard, Françoise Moonens, Jean Van de Stadt, Michel Gelin, Michael Adler
Journal: Journal of Hepatology (1993)
Thinking Outside the Gate: Single-Cell Assessments in Multiple Dimensions
Authors: Pia Kvistborg, Cécile Gouttefangeas, Nima Aghaeepour, Angelica Cazaly, Pratip K. Chattopadhyay, Cliburn Chan, Judith Eckl, Greg Finak, Sine Reker Hadrup, Holden T. Maecker, Dominik Maurer, Tim Mosmann, Peng Qiu, Richard H. Scheuermann, Marij J.P. Welters, Guido Ferrari, Ryan R. Brinkman, Cedrik M. Britten
Journal: Immunity (2015)
Adapting antibodies for clinical use.
Authors: R. E. Hawkins, M. B. Llewelyn, S. J. Russell
Journal: BMJ (1992)

Techniques for antibody engineering are now overcoming the problems that have prevented monoclonal antibodies being used routinely in clinical practice. With chemical and genetic manipulation antibodies can be linked to bacterial toxins, enzymes, radionuclides, or cytotoxic drugs, allowing targeting of treatment. Antigen binding sites from antibodies raised in mice can be jointed with human IgG to reduce immunogenicity. In vitro gene amplification and genetic engineering of bacteriophage have produced large antibody gene libraries and facilitated large scale production of human monoclonal antibodies with high specificity. The trickle of monoclonal antibodies into clinical practice may soon become a flood.