tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Joint regeneration in newts? Yes, they can!
Authors: M Geyer, T Borchardt, F Muller-Schrobsdorff, C Schreiyack, C Muller, A Wietelmann, C Fiehn, U Muller-Ladner, R Dinser
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2010)

Osteoarthritis causes pain and loss of function of affected joints. To date, no causative treatment is available and endogenous regeneration of damaged mammalian joint structures appears impossible. Since amphibians are able to regenerate whole limbs, we hypothesised that they might be able to repair joints after local joint damage.

Knee joints of adult newts (Notophthalmus viridescens) were injected with collagenase. The clinical and histological courses were analysed. A parallel in …
Increased Familial History of Arterial Hypertension, Coronary Heart Disease, and Renal Disease in Brazilian Type 2 Diabetic Patients With Diabetic Nephropathy
Authors: Luís H Canani, Fernando Gerchman, Jorge L Gross
Journal: Diabetes Care (1998)

OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether there is a familial association of arterial hypertension, coronary heart disease, renal disease, and stroke with diabetic nephropathy RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS There were 115 outpatients and 34 patients with end-stage renal disease treated by hemodialysis (61 men, age range 41–81 years) and having at least one sibling with type 2 diabetes studied. The positive or negative history of siblings (n = 765) was assessed by a standard questionnaire. The urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER) was measured by radioimmunoassay in 24-h sterile urine (three samples). The subjects were grouped as normoalbuminuric (UAER &amp;lt;20 μg/min, n = 59), microalbuminuric (UAER 20-200 μg/min, n = 35), macroalbuminuric (UAER &amp;gt;200 μg/min, n = 21), and end-stage renal disease (n = 34). RESULTS Patients with microalbuminuria, macroalbuminuria, or end-stage renal disease had an increased prevalence of sibling history of arterial hypertension (33.2, 37.3, and 33.8 vs. 23.4%, P &amp;lt; 0.001) and coronary heart disease (15.2, 17.0, and 19.4 vs. 10.2%, P = 0.044) compared with the normoalbuminuric group. The renal disease history was increased only in the siblings of patients with macroalbuminuria or end-stage renal disease (12.8 and 15.6 vs. 7.6 and 6.1%, P = 0.005). The presence of sibling arterial hypertension strongly increases the prevalence of sibling renal and coronary heart disease independent of patient renal status. CONCLUSIONS There is an association of diabetic nephropathy and sibling history of arterial hypertension and renal and coronary heart disease in type 2 diabetic patients. These associations are not independent, and arterial hypertension may be their main determining factor.
Tissue density and state of activation of eosinophils in the nasal mucosa of allergic and nonallergic rhinopathic patients
Authors: S. Kawabori, A. Nakamura, N. Kanai
Journal: Allergy (1994)

The tissue density of eosinophils and the degree of activation of eosinophils in the nasal mucosa of allergic and nonallergic rhinopathic patients were studied by a combination of the immunogold method, which uses EG2 antibody which binds to the secreted form of eosinophils, and the Luna method. The tissue density of eosinophils and the degree of EG2‐positivity were higher in the allergic nasal mucosa than in the nonallergic nasal mucosa. The eosinophils in the tissue were mainly EG2‐positive in contrast with those in the vessels. Epithelial shedding was rarely observed and was not related to the tissue density of eosinophils or EG2‐positivity. Our results suggest that the eosinophils in the allergic nasal mucosa are activated in the tissue, not in the vessel.
Unexplained Febrile Illnesses After Exposure to Ticks
Authors: Daniel B. Fishbein
Journal: JAMA (1987)

The Ehrlichia are tick-borne rickettsial organisms that cause disease in animals throughout the world but that have been previously recognized as human pathogens only in Asia. We have identified six patients with serological evidence of recent infection with an Ehrlichia: a fourfold or greater rise or fall in titer to Ehrlichia canis. All of the patients reported recent tick bites. Rigors, myalgia, headache, nausea, and anorexia were each reported by five patients. Fever was present in all patients and was accompanied by relative bradycardia and leukopenia in five patients, thrombocytopenia and abnormal liver function test results in four, and anemia in three. Five of the six patients were treated with tetracycline hydrochloride, and all recovered. Infection with Ehrlichia should be considered in patients with unexplained febrile illnesses after tick exposure.
Half-Life of Serum Elimination of Perfluorooctanesulfonate,Perfluorohexanesulfonate, and Perfluorooctanoate in Retired Fluorochemical Production Workers
Authors: Geary W. Olsen, Jean M. Burris, David J. Ehresman, John W. Froehlich, Andrew M. Seacat, John L. Butenhoff, Larry R. Zobel
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (2007)

BackgroundThe presence of perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), perfluorohexanesulfonate (PFHS), and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) has been reported in humans and wildlife. Pharmacokinetic differences have been observed in laboratory animals.ObjectiveThe purpose of this observational study was to estimate the elimination half-life of PFOS, PFHS, and PFOA from human serum.MethodsTwenty-six (24 male, 2 female) retired fluorochemical production workers, with no additional occupational exposure, had periodic blood samples collected over 5 years, with serum stored in plastic vials at −80°C. At the end of the study, we used HPLC-mass spectrometry to analyze the samples, with quantification based on the ion ratios for PFOS and PFHS and the internal standard 18O2-PFOS. For PFOA, quantitation was based on the internal standard 13C2-PFOA.ResultsThe arithmetic mean initial serum concentrations were as follows: PFOS, 799 ng/mL (range, 145–3,490); PFHS, 290 ng/mL (range, 16–1,295); and PFOA, 691 ng/mL (range, 72–5,100). For each of the 26 subjects, the elimination appeared linear on a semi-log plot of concentration versus time; therefore, we used a first-order model for estimation. The arithmetic and geometric mean half-lives of serum elimination, respectively, were 5.4 years [95% confidence interval (CI), 3.9–6.9] and 4.8 years (95% CI, 4.0–5.8) for PFOS; 8.5 years (95% CI, 6.4–10.6) and 7.3 years (95% CI, 5.8–9.2) for PFHS; and 3.8 years (95% CI, 3.1–4.4) and 3.5 years (95% CI, 3.0–4.1) for PFOA.ConclusionsBased on these data, humans appear to have a long half-life of serum elimination of PFOS, PFHS, and PFOA. Differences in species-specific pharmacokinetics may be due, in part, to a saturable renal resorption process.
The generation of pancreatic β-cell spheroids in a simulated microgravity culture system
Authors: Hiroyasu Tanaka, Shin Tanaka, Keisuke Sekine, Sayaka Kita, Ai Okamura, Takanori Takebe, Yun-Wen Zheng, Yasuharu Ueno, Junzo Tanaka, Hideki Taniguchi
Journal: Biomaterials (2013)
Isolation of a partial candidate gene for Menkes disease by positional cloning
Authors: Julian F. B. Mercer, Janie Livingston, Bryan Hall, Jennifer A. Paynter, Catherine Begy, Settara Chandrasekharappa, Paul Lockhart, Andrew Grimes, Mrinal Bhave, David Siemieniak, Thomas W. Glover
Journal: Nature Genetics (1993)
Points from letters: Sales promotion
Authors: W. M. E. Topping
Journal: BMJ (1967)

BJOuRNALwithout any deliberate limitation of polariza- tion, appearing as a deep reddish purple colour.The question of cost would no doubt be raised.Most optical devices incorporating polaroid film are very expensive, but the film itself is relatively cheap and could probably become cheaper still if millions of mass- produced devices were needed-almost cer- tainly much cheaper than many compulsory safety features already incorporated in cars.-I am, etc.,
Last-Ditch Medical Therapy — Revisiting Lobotomy
Authors: Barron H. Lerner
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (2005)

Desperate times call for desperate measures. So thought Walter J. Freeman, a neurologist who became the United States's staunchest advocate of the lobotomy between the 1930s and the 1970s. A new book, The Lobotomist, by journalist Jack El-Hai,1 chronicles Freeman's advocacy of a procedure that was viewed by many, and continues to be viewed, as barbaric. In exploring the ways in which lobotomy became part of common medical practice, El-Hai raises questions not only about how we should judge the procedure in retrospect, but also about what lobotomy teaches us about last-ditch medical interventions.(Figure)In the early 1900s, . . .
Validation of a prognostic score in critically ill patients undergoing transport.
Authors: J F Bion, S A Edlin, G Ramsay, S McCabe, I M Ledingham
Journal: BMJ (1985)

Fifty consecutive critically ill patients transported between hospitals by a mobile intensive care team were assessed prospectively using a modification of the acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE II) sickness scoring system. Assessments were made before and after resuscitation, on return to base, and after 24 hours of intensive care. No patient died during transport. Twenty two patients died subsequently in hospital and 28 survived to return home. The mean score for the non-survivors before resuscitation was 21.7 and for the survivors 12.2 (p less than 0.0005). Among the non-survivors there was a significant fall in score with resuscitation but this did not alter their subsequent outcome. Neither group deteriorated during transport. The sickness score is a powerful method for determining prognosis, and employed longitudinally it may be useful in the assessment of treatment. It has important implications for the administration and organisation of regional intensive care services.
Abstract 1468: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and circulating tumor microemboli (CTM) from patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) show heterogeneity in epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotype and evidence of vasculogenic mimicry (VM).
Authors: Robert Metcalf, Jessica Booth, Rajeeb Swain, Steven Bagley, Karen Morris, Matthew Krebs, Andrew Hughes, Gerard Brady, Fiona Blackhall, Caroline Dive
Journal: Cancer Research (2013)

Abstract Background: Circulating tumour cells (CTCs) and circulating tumour microemboli (CTM) are prevalent in patients with aggressive small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Heterogeneity in epithelial and mesenchymal phenotypes in CTCs and within CTM was investigated given evidence in preclinical models of epithelial and mesenchymal cell co-operativity advantageous for hematogenous spread and the role of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) in invasion and metastasis. Methods: Four colour immunofluorescence assays were developed and applied to tumour cells enriched by filtration from peripheral blood of extensive stage SCLC patients prior to treatment. CTCs/CTM were assessed for expression of cytokeratins (CKs, epithelial marker) and vimentin (mesenchymal marker) with DAPI stained nuclei and negative selection of leukocytes and circulating endothelial cells (CECs) by CD45 and/or vascular endothelial-cadherin (VE-cadherin, CD144) expression respectively. Results and Conclusions: CTCs were identified in all patients that expressed epithelial and/or mesenchymal markers. Individual CTM were detected comprised of tumour cells of heterogeneous EMT status and CTM were also observed containing leukocytes and/or CECs. There was substantial heterogeneity in CK and vimentin expression in CTCs and within CTM consistent with EMT plasticity and with co-operativity between epithelial and mesenchymal tumour cells. A subpopulation of CTCs co-expressed CKs and VE-cadherin that intriguingly, raises the possibility that vascular mimicry accompanies and may facilitate hematogenous spread in this aggressive tumor type. Further studies are required to explore this new hypothesis. Citation Format: Robert Metcalf, Jessica Booth, Rajeeb Swain, Steven Bagley, Karen Morris, Matthew Krebs, Andrew Hughes, Gerard Brady, Fiona Blackhall, Caroline Dive. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and circulating tumor microemboli (CTM) from patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) show heterogeneity in epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotype and evidence of vasculogenic mimicry (VM). [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1468. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-1468
Molecular Basis for Some Disorders of Haemoglobin Synthesis--I
Authors: D. J. Weatherall
Journal: BMJ (1974)

The genetic disorders of haemoglobin produce a wide range of clinical syndromes which pose a major public health problem in many parts of the world. Investigation of these conditions at the molecular level has uncovered an extraordinary diversity of mutational events which can produce human disease. These include point mutations, loss of one or more base triplets of the DNA of the haemoglobin genes, insertion of new genetic material, the production of fusion genes due to abnormal crossing over, frame shifts, chain-termination mutations, and the deletion (loss) of complete genes. It is possible in many cases to relate these molecular abnormalities to the clinical pictures which they produce.
The Thyrotrophin Stimulation Test
Authors: GERALD BURKE
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1968)

Three-day and single-dose thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) tests were performed in 211 subjects with suspected or known thyroid hypofunction. Both procedures differentiated between euthyroidism and hypothyroidism. The mean changes in 24-hr 131I uptake after 3-day dosage with TSH and in 3-hr 131I uptake after one dose of TSH were significantly greater in euthyroid than in hypothyroid subjects. Comparable separation was afforded by concomitant measurement of plasma protein-bound iodine (PBI) before and after TSH administration with either the three-dose or single-dose procedure. Use of 10 units rather than 5 units TSH in the single-dose procedure did not increase its diagnostic sensitivity. The single-dose TSH test was valuable in characterizing euthyroidism in subjects receiving thyroid hormone because of an unconfirmed and erroneous prior diagnosis of hypothyroidism. Laboratory diagnosis of "low thyroid reserve" does not preclude subsequent long-standing euthyroidism as demonstrated in 10 to 12 patients so diagnosed and followed for 2 to 6 years. TSH testing of euthyroid subjects with multi-nodular goiter showed relatively impaired 131I uptake response, although normal post-TSH PBI increase was observed. Although the 3-day TSH test distinguished hypopituitary patients from those with primary hypothyroidism, neither 5-unit nor 10-unit single-dose TSH tests permitted differentiation between these two patient groups.
The application of bronchostomy to the experimental study of transplanted pulmonary tissue.
Authors: W H Jones
Journal: Thorax (1966)

In vertebrates, several forms of memory-relevant synaptic plasticity involve postsynaptic rearrangements of glutamate receptors. In contrast, previous work indicates that <i>Drosophila</i> and other invertebrates store memories using presynaptic plasticity of cholinergic synapses. Here, we provide evidence for postsynaptic plasticity at cholinergic output synapses from the <i>Drosophila</i> mushroom bodies (MBs). We find that the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunit α5 is required within specific MB output neurons (MBONs) for appetitive memory induction, but is dispensable for aversive memories. In addition, nAChR α2 subunits mediate memory expression and likely functions downstream of α5 and the postsynaptic scaffold protein Dlg. We show that postsynaptic plasticity traces can be induced independently of the presynapse, and that <i>in vivo</i> dynamics of α2 nAChR subunits are changed both in the context of associative and non-associative memory formation, underlying different plasticity rules. Therefore, regardless of neurotransmitter identity, key principles of postsynaptic plasticity support memory storage across phyla.
Tenofovir improves the outcome in patients with spontaneous reactivation of hepatitis B presenting as acute-on-chronic liver failure
Authors: Hitendra Garg, Shiv Kumar Sarin, Manoj Kumar, Vishal Garg, Barjesh Chander Sharma, Ashish Kumar
Journal: Hepatology (2010)

Abstract Spontaneous reactivation of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is an important cause of acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). Antiviral drugs may help reduce the high morbidity and mortality in such patients, especially in places where liver transplant is not available. The aim was to evaluate the efficacy of tenofovir and to determine the predictors of mortality in patients with spontaneous reactivation of CHB with ACLF. Consecutive patients of ACLF due to spontaneous reactivation of CHB were randomized to receive either tenofovir or placebo. The primary endpoint was survival at 3 months. Of the 90 patients with ACLF of different etiologies, 27 (26%) were due to reactivation of CHB and were enrolled. The median baseline hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA level was 9 × 105 IU/mL. Fourteen patients received tenofovir and 13 placebo. At 3 months the probability of survival was higher in the tenofovir than the placebo group (8/14 [57%] versus 2/13 [15%], respectively; P = 0.03). The cause of death in the 15 patients was progressive liver failure leading to multiorgan failure. Liver transplantation could not be offered due to its nonavailability. In the surviving patients, there was a significant improvement in the Child-Turcotte Pugh (CTP) and model for endstage liver disease (MELD) scores and significant decline in the HBV DNA levels in the tenofovir group, whereas these parameters did not change significantly in the placebo group. More than 2 log reduction in HBV DNA levels at 2 weeks was found to be an independent predictor of survival. Conclusion: Tenofovir significantly reduces HBV-DNA levels, improves CTP and MELD scores, and reduces mortality in patients with severe spontaneous reactivation of CHB presenting as ACLF. Reduction in HBV-DNA levels at 2 weeks should be a desirable goal and is a good predictor of survival. (Hepatology 2011;.)
Carcinoid Heart Disease
Authors: Paul A. Robiolio, Vera H. Rigolin, John S. Wilson, J. Kevin Harrison, Linda L. Sanders, Thomas M. Bashore, Jerome M. Feldman
Journal: Circulation (1995)

Although serotonin has been postulated as an etiologic agent in the development of carcinoid heart disease, no direct evidence for different ambient serotonin levels in cardiac and noncardiac patients has been reported to date.The present study reviews our experience with 604 patients in the Duke Carcinoid Database. Nineteen patients with proven carcinoid heart disease (by cardiac catheterization and/or echocardiogram) were compared with the remaining 585 noncardiac patients in the database with regard to circulating serotonin and its principal metabolite, 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA). No significant demographic differences existed between the cardiac and noncardiac groups; however, typical carcinoid syndrome symptoms (ie, flushing and diarrhea) were almost threefold more common in the cardiac group (P < .001). Compared with the noncardiac group, heart disease patients demonstrated strikingly higher (P < .0001) mean serum serotonin (9750 versus 4350 pmol/mL), plasma serotonin (1130 versus 426 pmol/mL), platelet serotonin (6240 versus 2700 pmol/mg protein), and urine 5-HIAA (219 versus 55.3 mg/24 h) levels. The spectrum of heart disease among the 19 patients showed a strong right-sided valvular predominance, with tricuspid regurgitation being the most common valvular dysfunction (92% by cardiac catheterization; 100% by echocardiogram).These data suggest that serotonin plays a major role in the pathogenesis of the cardiac plaque formation observed in carcinoid patients.
Rapid Evolution of the Sex-Determining Gene, transformer: Structural Diversity and Rate Heterogeneity Among Sibling Species of Drosophila
Authors: R. J. Kulathinal
Journal: Molecular Biology and Evolution (2003)

While developmentally regulated genes are generally conserved, transformer (tra), a key locus involved in the regulation of sexual differentiation, is highly diverged between species of Drosophila. With an aim to understand its divergence between sibling species, we investigated tra sequence variation among members of the Drosophila melanogaster species complex, D. melanogaster, D. simulans, D. mauritiana, and D. sechellia. In this species group, tra divergence is rapid yet clocklike and exhibits large differences in protein size. D. melanogaster contains a 13–amino acid tandem duplication, whereas D. sechellia possesses a 72–amino acid tandem duplication representing a 30% increase in total amino acid residues. We also found evidence of a nonrandom distribution of replacement substitutions and heterogeneity in substitution rates using clustering statistics and a codon substitution model. We show that tra's rapid divergence in this species complex is the result of generally lower selective constraints around regions that encode arginine-serine (RS) domains and a significantly higher rate of substitutions around the insertion site of D. sechellia's large duplication. The proximity of rapidly diverged regions to sites of nucleotide insertion suggests that higher local rates of mutation may provide a causal mechanism for TRA's rapid divergence in this subgroup. A comparison of tra orthologs across the genus Drosophila suggest that TRA maintains an assortment of RS domains for proper sex determining function while much of the protein evolves relatively unconstrained.
Splitting, lumping, and priming
Authors: Mark Gardner, Cecilia Heyes
Journal: Behavioral and Brain Sciences (1998)

Byrne &amp; Russon's proposal that stimulus enhancement, emulation, and response facilitation should be lumped together as priming effects conceals important questions about nonimitative social learning, fails to forge a useful link between the social learning and cognitive psychological literatures, and leaves unexplained the most interesting feature of phenomena ascribed to “response facilitation.”
Poorly Differentiated Neuroendocrine Carcinoma of Unknown Primary Site
Authors: John D. Hainsworth
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1988)

Twenty-nine patients with poorly differentiated neuroendocrine tumors of unknown primary site were seen at Vanderbilt Medical Center between May 1977 and February 1987. All patients had pathologic findings typical of neuroendocrine tumors by electron microscopy (22 patients), light microscopy (6 patients), or immunochemical staining (1 patient). Patient age ranged from 18 to 77 years; 21 were men and 8 were women; and 12 had no history of tobacco use. Seventeen patients had metastatic tumor at two or more locations. Common metastatic sites included the retroperitoneum, lymph nodes (particularly cervical), and mediastinum. In most patients, these neoplasms showed an aggressive biology, with rapid onset of symptoms and rapid growth of metastases. Major responses were seen in 18 of 25 patients who received combination chemotherapy; 6 patients achieved a complete response. Three patients remain disease-free more than 24 months after completing therapy. Four patients with single sites of disease received local therapy only; all remain disease-free 1 to 10 years after completion of therapy. In 4 patients, specific tumor types were eventually recognized: small cell lung cancer, 1; gastrointestinal carcinoid tumor, 2; and extragonadal germinal tumor with predominant neuroendocrine differentiation, 1. In the remaining 25 patients, no well-recognized type of neuroendocrine tumor was identified. Recognition of these tumors broadens the spectrum of neuroendocrine neoplasia, and also identifies a distinct subset of patients with poorly differentiated carcinoma of unknown primary site. Although optimal therapy remains undefined, these patients are usually responsive to combination chemotherapy, and long-term survival is attainable in a minority.