tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Ethical and Legal Challenges Posed by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
Authors: Lawrence O. Gostin, Ronald Bayer, Amy L. Fairchild
Journal: JAMA (2003)

The appearance and spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) on a global level raised vital legal and ethical issues. National and international responses to SARS have profound implications for 3 important ethical values: privacy, liberty, and the duty to protect the public's health. This article examines, through legal and ethical lenses, various methods that countries used in reaction to the SARS outbreak: surveillance and contact tracing, isolation and quarantine, and travel restrictions. These responses, at least in some combination, succeeded in bringing the outbreak to an end. The article articulates a set of legal and ethical recommendations for responding to infectious disease threats, seeking to reconcile the tension between the public's health and individual rights to privacy, liberty, and freedom of movement. The ethical values that inform the recommendations include the precautionary principle, the least restrictive/intrusive alternative, justice, and transparency. Development of a set of legal and ethical recommendations becomes even more essential when, as was true with SARS and will undoubtedly be the case with future epidemics, scientific uncertainty is pervasive and urgent public health action is required.
Diabetes and Impotence-Reply
Authors: Stanley Deutsch
Journal: JAMA (1981)

<h3>In Reply.—</h3> The assertion that we "selected for men with an organic cause of impotence" is wrong. That we "were specific in excluding those patients with clinical evidence of a psychological cause" is also wrong. A look at our "methods" section will quickly show this. Our patients were chosen from the population of men coming to a human sexuality program with the complaint of SI, with no initial indication of etiology except that known diabetics were excluded. Therefore, if anything, we underestimated the frequency of diabetes occurring in men with SI. Additionally, it should be mentioned that the criteria we used for definition of diabetes, those of the National Diabetes Group (NDDG), are extremely restrictive and yield the minimum number of patients diagnosable as diabetic. When we used the earlier and more commonly used criteria for classification of "chemical diabetes" (remember, we had excluded patients with known clinical diabetes), we
HLA identical leukemia cells and T cell growth factor activate cytotoxic T cell recognition of minor locus histocompatibility antigens in vitro.
Authors: P M Sondel, J A Hank, T Wendel, B Flynn, M J Bozdech
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (1983)

Lymphocytes from a healthy HLA-identical bone marrow transplant donor were tested for their ability to destroy her brother's acute myelogenous leukemia blasts in vitro. Primary mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC) and cell-mediated lysis (CML) responses between the patient's remission (pretransplant) and donor's lymphocytes were negative. Stimulation of donor lymphocytes for 7 d in vitro with irradiated leukemia cells, leukemia cells plus allogeneic irradiated lymphocytes, or a pool of irradiated lymphocytes from 10 donors, did not activate any cytotoxic cells able to destroy the HLA identical leukemic blasts. Further culturing for 7 additional d in T cell growth factor (TCGF) generated lymphocytes that induced effective cytotoxicity against the leukemic blasts, but not against autologous lymphocytes. Effective killing against the leukemia was observed only in cultures initially stimulated with the irradiated leukemia cells. These cytotoxic cells were maintained in TCGF and mediated persistent killing against the leukemic target cells. They were also able to destroy lymphocytes from the patient's mother and father, but not from an unrelated cell donor. This suggested specific recognition of non-HLA antigens inherited by the patient, that were foreign to the HLA identical bone marrow donor. These lymphocytes were cloned by a limiting dilution technique and one clone maintained cytotoxicity to the AML blasts and the father's lymphocytes, but not lymphocytes from the mother or an HLA-identical donor. This cytotoxicity was inhibited by a monoclonal anti-HLA antibody. Thus, in vitro sensitization of this sibling's lymphocytes with AML blasts followed by TCGF expansion, and cloning, enabled the detection of HLA-restricted cytotoxic cells that recognize minor locus histocompatibility antigens. This immune recognition may be relevant to the "graft vs. leukemia" effect that has been observed in leukemic animals and patients following histocompatible hematopoietic transplants.
UN chief and global aid agencies call for truce in Sri Lanka
Authors: N. Siva
Journal: BMJ (2009)

John Holmes, the United Nations undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, and global aid agencies have called for an urgent “temporary humanitarian lull” in northern Sri Lanka so that aid workers can enter the zone where nearly 200 000 civilians are trapped.

In a comment article in the Guardian on 8 April (www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/apr/08/tamil-protests-sri-lanka-john-holmes) Sir John said: “The Sri Lankan military has pushed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam into an area so small that any shooting or shelling inevitably causes casualties among . . . civilians trapped in the same zone.”

Information on the situation is limited, and credible reports are scarce, because of the Sri …
Application of markers of collagen metabolism in serum and synovial fluid for assessment of disease process in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Authors: M Hakala, S Aman, R Luukkainen, L Risteli, M Kauppi, P Nieminen, J Risteli
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (1995)

To assess the potential of markers of collagen metabolism to reflect disease processes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Serum (S) and synovial fluid (SF) from 59 patients with RA, and a knee joint effusion and serum from 90 control subjects were studied with radioimmunoassays for the aminoterminal propeptides of type I and type III procollagens (PINP and PIIINP, respectively). The breakdown of type I collagen was quantified with a radioimmunoassay for the cross linked carboxyterminal telopeptide of type I collagen (ICTP).About 50% of the patients had increased S-ICTP and S-PIIINP values, whereas S-PINP was increased in only 20% of the patients. The mean SF:S ratios of these markers varied between 4 (for ICTP) and 340 (for PIIINP), indicating that markers of collagen metabolism are formed locally and then released into the circulation. SF-PINP and SF-PIIINP correlated with each other (rs = 0.86, p < 0.001) and with SF-ICTP (rs = 0.69, p < 0.001, and rs = 0.65, p < 0.001, respectively). SF-ICTP was clearly related to radiographic findings in the corresponding knee joint, patients with gross bone deformation having the greatest SF-ICTP concentrations. S-ICTP and S-PIIINP also correlated with conventional markers of disease activity, such as C reactive protein and joint swelling score.Markers of collagen metabolism both in serum and synovial fluid can be measured to provide an assessment of disease process in patients with RA. ICTP and PIIINP are the most informative.
Radionuclide-Determined Change in Pulmonary Blood Volume with Exercise
Authors: Robert D. Okada, Gerald M. Pohost, Howard D. Kirshenbaum, Frederick G. Kushner, Charles A. Boucher, Peter C. Block, H. William Strauss
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (1979)

To assess the clinical usefulness of radionuclide-determined changes in pulmonary blood volume in patients with or without substantial coronary-artery disease, we determined the ratio of pulmonary blood volume at rest as compared with that during exercise. We used multigated blood-pool images obtained at rest and during supine exercise to determine the blood-volume ratio in patients subsequently undergoing coronary arteriography for evaluation of chest pain. Exercise tests were performed by use of a submaximal-workload protocol, although all tests were limited according to each patient's symptoms. The mean exercise/rest pulmonary-blood-volume ratios were lower for persons without coronary-artery disease (0.94±0.06 [S.D.], 10 patients) and for those with disease confined to the right coronary artery (0.99±0.12, five patients), as compared with all others with coronary-artery disease (1.14±0.15, 37 patients) (P<0.01). A pulmonary-blood-volume ratio equal to or greater than 1.06 had a sensitivity of 79 per cent. Patients with coronary-artery disease not confined to the right coronary artery usually show an increase in pulmonary blood volume during supine exercise. No such change occurs in persons without coronary-artery disease. (N Engl J Med 301:569–576, 1979)
A CELLULAR BASIS OF IMMUNITY IN EXPERIMENTAL BRUCELLA INFECTION
Authors: John J. Holland, M. J. Pickett
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1958)

Brucella suis, Brucella abortus, and Brucella melitensis were shown by microscopic and cultural procedures to multiply extensively within normal rat, mouse, and guinea pig monocytes maintained in vitro in cell cultures for 3 days. Intracellular growth of brucellae had no observable toxic effects on most monocytes, although many of the cells became completely engorged with brucellae within 3 days. Non-smooth brucellae and strain 19 multiplied slowly within normal monocytes. In contrast, "immune" monocytes) i.e. those derived from animals previously infected with smooth brucellae, greatly restricted the intracellular growth of smooth and non-smooth brucellae and strain 19. Growth of smooth Brucella, within either normal or "immune" monocytes, was not influenced by addition of Brucella antiserum to the culture medium. Desensitization of immunized guinea pigs did not diminish the refractory state of their monocytes. Cellular resistance did not develop when animals were vaccinated with heat-killed brucellae, though these animals did produce agglutinating antibody. Similarly, vaccination of animals with living, rough B. suis failed to induce a refractory state in their monocytes, even though the vaccinated animals developed delayed hypersensitivity to smooth Brucella antigen. In vivo studies of Brucella survival in the spleens of normal and vaccinated mice (treated with streptomycin to prevent extracellular survival) gave strong support to the in vitro demonstrations of acquired "cellular immunity." Some implications of these results are discussed.
Mycoplasma and epidemic group A meningococcal meningitis
Authors: G. E. Kenny
Journal: JAMA (1991)

To the Editor.—  In an otherwise nicely carried out case-control study of meningococcal meningitis, Moore et al 1 cultured mycoplasmas from cell cultures that had been inoculated with throat and nasal specimens. The specimens were treated with medium containing 100 mg/L of streptomycin. Mycoplasma hominis isolates from humans are susceptible to streptomycin. 2  Mycoplasma hominis is a frequent contaminant of tissue cultures, 3 and it is possible that the mycoplasmas recovered were contaminants of the cell cultures used for virus isolation. The differences between the cases and controls could have resulted from the cases being tested at a different time, as indicated in the article, with different batches of cell cultures. Inoculation of artificial medium directly with specimens is the preferred method for detection of mycoplasmas.  The authors speculate that M hominis infections could give rise to antibodies measurable by the lipid complement-fixation test for Mycoplasma pneumoniae antibodies. This is
Materials and Orthopaedic Surgery
Authors: A. Catterall
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (1981)

For nearly 50 years George Kersley has viewed world rheumatology from Bath and has himself contributed greatly to its development.This booklet is something of an autobiography and an account of the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, but it is also an excellent review of the history of rheumatology.It discusses such topics as the relation of rheumatology to rehabilitation and the influence of spa treatment, and provides an invaluable summary of the 'contributors to the scene'- the various national and international organisations devoted to the advance of our study of the rheumatic diseases.Enlivened by many little anecdotes, it makes fascinating reading as well as constituting an important historical record.
CCR4+ memory CD4+ T lymphocytes are increased in peripheral blood and lesional skin from patients with atopic dermatitis
Authors: Tomomi Nakatani, Yuko Kaburagi, Yuka Shimada, Makoto Inaoki, Kazuhiko Takehara, Naofumi Mukaida, Shinichi Sato
Journal: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (2001)
Risks and Routes for Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia with <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i>
Authors: DANIEL TALON, BLANDINE MULIN, CLAUDE ROUGET, PASCALE BAILLY, MICHELLE THOUVEREZ, JEAN-FRANÇOIS VIEL
Journal: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (1998)

In a prospective study, we screened specimens from 190 mechanically ventilated patients hospitalized in a surgical intensive care unit, and from the environment to assess risks and routes of colonization/infection. Specimens from various sites were collected on admission and once a week throughout each patient's stay. All P. aeruginosa isolates were typed by determination of DNA patterns. Data were collected from patients to identify risk factors. In vitro production of exoenzymes of different strains were compared. Forty-four patients were colonized with P. aeruginosa on the bronchopulmonary tract and 13 suffered from pneumonia. The 7-d and 14-d Kaplan-Meier rates of colonization were 2.21 and 7.03%. Twenty-one patterns of bronchopulmonary tract isolates were isolated from single patients and 10 from several patients. The lower airway was often the first site of colonization. The contribution of environment to patient colonization appeared to be small. The length of hospitalization, the previous use of third-generation cephalosporins less effective against P. aeruginosa, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were the most significant predictors of colonization/infection. The in vitro exoprotein production was not correlated with the presence of pneumonia. Our study may be useful in identifying which patients in the mechanically ventilated population are at greater risk of P. aeruginosa pneumonia.
REPORT ON THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND KAHN TESTS
Authors: R. L. KAHN
Journal: JAMA (1927)

The first report on the Kahn precipitation test appeared early in 1922. 1 By July of that year, more than 15,000 comparative Wassermann and Kahn tests had been completed in the laboratories of the Michigan Department of Health. The observations indicated that to report both tests to Michigan physicians would give them more dependable results than the Wassermann test alone. Accordingly, July 1, 1922, the Michigan Department of Health began to report the Kahn test in addition to the Wassermann on all blood specimens received in the laboratories for the serum diagnosis of syphilis. 2   By the latter part of 1923, the Kahn test had become improved and standardized. 3 The necessity for incubation had been eliminated, making it possible to read the results of the test within a few minutes after mixing serum with antigen. The preparation and standardization of antigen had been rendered quantitative, assuring a high degree
Assessment of the Th1/Th2 Paradigm in Whole Blood in Atopy and Asthma
Authors: ANTOINE O. MAGNAN, LAURENT G. MÉLY, CHRISTOPHE A. CAMILLA, MONIQUE M. BADIER, FÉLIX A. MONTERO-JULIAN, CHANTAL M. GUILLOT, BRICE B. CASANO, SABINE J. PRATO, VINCENT FERT, PIERRE BONGRAND, DANIEL VERVLOET
Journal: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (2000)

Atopy is characterized by an immune system that is biased to T helper cell, type 2 (Th2) activation. This condition predisposes to asthma, a disease in which a Th2 activation was found in blood and lungs. However, most blood studies have considered purified cells, which might give an incomplete view of immune reactions. In this study, we assessed in whole blood cultures the Th1/Th2 paradigm in atopy and asthma. Sixty-nine subjects (31 atopic asthmatics, six nonatopic asthmatics, 13 atopic nonasthmatics, and 19 control subjects) were included in this study. Interleukin-4 (IL-4), interferon gamma (IFN- γ ), and IL-12 were assayed in stimulated whole blood culture supernatants by using a flow cytometer microsphere-based assay. Intracellular IL-4 and IFN- γ were detected in T cells and CD8+ T cells by flow cytometry. Atopy was characterized by a higher production of IL-4, which was correlated to total IgE levels, and by an impairment of the T-cell capacity to produce IFN- γ . This impairment was correlated to the number of positive skin tests. In asthma, the overproduction of IL-4 was still found if atopy was present. Unexpectedly, an overproduction of IFN- γ was found, which was related to an increased capacity of CD8+ T cells to produce IFN- γ . The number of IFN- γ -producing CD8+ T cells was related to asthma severity, to bronchial hyperresponsiveness, and to blood eosinophilia. In addition, this number was correlated to IL-12 production. These results show that in addition to the well-known Th2 inflammation in asthma, there are IFN- γ -producing CD8+ T cells in the blood, possibly controlled by IL-12.
728-4 Utility of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Study of Pulmonary Arteries After Stents Implantation in Congenital Heart Disease
Authors: M. Giulia Gagliardi, Jorge Casado, B. Polletta, M. Bevilacqua, P. Guccione, L. Ballerini
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (1995)
Increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome in older infants at weekends.
Authors: J A Morris
Journal: BMJ (1986)

<h3>Abstract</h3> KSHV viral FLICE inhibitory protein (vFLIP) is a potent activator of NF-κB signaling and an inhibitor of apoptosis and autophagy. Inhibition of vFLIP function and NF-κB signaling promotes lytic reactivation. Here we provide evidence for a novel function of vFLIP in promoting NF<i>κ</i>B signaling through inhibition of the DUB activity of the negative regulator, A20. We demonstrate interaction of vFLIP with the Itch/A20 ubiquitin editing complex. We have identified a SUMO interaction motif in vFLIP that is required for NF-κB activation. Mutation of the SIM in BAC16 resulted in increased spontaneous RTA expression and loss of spindle cell morphology. Our results suggest a role for SUMO in mediating vFLIP function and provide evidence for vFLIP modulation of the negative regulation of NF-κB signaling by A20. Our results provide further insight into the function of vFLIP and SUMO in the regulation of NF-κB signaling and the latent lytic transition.
93 Lectin-reactive alpha-fetoprotein in patients with tyrosinemia type I and hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: U BAUMANN, V DUHME, M AUTH, P MCKIERNAN, E HOLME
Journal: Hepatology (2003)

Hereditary tyrosinemia type I (HT1) is caused by deficiency in fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase (FAH), an enzyme that catalyzes the last step of tyrosine metabolism. The most severe form of the disease presents acutely during infancy, and is characterized by severe liver involvement, most commonly resulting in death if untreated. Generation of FAH+/− pigs was previously accomplished by adeno-associated virus-mediated gene knockout in fibroblasts and somatic cell nuclear transfer. Subsequently, these animals were outbred and crossed to produce the first FAH−/− pigs.FAH-deficiency produced a lethal defect in utero that was corrected by administration of 2-(2-nitro-4-trifluoromethylbenzoyl)-1,3 cyclohexanedione (NTBC) throughout pregnancy. Animals on NTBC were phenotypically normal at birth; however, the animals were euthanized approximately four weeks after withdrawal of NTBC due to clinical decline and physical examination findings of severe liver injury and encephalopathy consistent with acute liver failure. Biochemical and histological analyses, characterized by diffuse and severe hepatocellular damage, confirmed the diagnosis of severe liver injury. FAH−/− pigs provide the first genetically engineered large animal model of a metabolic liver disorder. Future applications of FAH−/− pigs include discovery research as a large animal model of HT1 and spontaneous acute liver failure, and preclinical testing of the efficacy of liver cell therapies, including transplantation of hepatocytes, liver stem cells, and pluripotent stem cell-derived hepatocytes.
A Prospective Study of Body Mass Index, Weight Change, and Risk of Stroke in Women
Authors: Kathryn M. Rexrode
Journal: JAMA (1997)

<h3>Objective.</h3> —To examine the associations of body mass index (BMI) and weight change with risk of stroke in women. <h3>Setting and Design.</h3> —Prospective cohort study among US female registered nurses participating in the Nurses' Health Study. <h3>Participants.</h3> —A total of 116 759 women aged 30 to 55 years in 1976 who were free from diagnosed coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer. <h3>Main Outcome Measure.</h3> —Incidence of ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke (subarachnoid or intraparenchymal hemorrhage), and total stroke. <h3>Results.</h3> —During 16 years of follow-up, 866 total strokes (including 403 ischemic strokes and 269 hemorrhagic strokes) were documented. In multivariate analyses adjusted for age, smoking, postmenopausal hormone use, and menopausal status, women with increased BMI (≥27 kg/m<sup>2</sup>) had significantly increased risk of ischemic stroke, with relative risks (RRs) of 1.75 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.17-2.59) for BMI of 27 to 28.9 kg/m<sup>2</sup>; 1.90 (95% CI, 1.28-2.82) for BMI of 29 to 31.9 kg/m<sup>2</sup>; and 2.37 (95% CI, 1.60-3.50) for BMI of 32 kg/m<sup>2</sup>or more (<i>P</i>for trend&lt;.001), as compared with those with a BMI of less than 21 kg/m<sup>2</sup>. For hemorrhagic stroke there was a nonsignificant inverse relation between obesity and hemorrhagic stroke, with the highest risk among women in the leanest BMI category (<i>P</i>for trend=.20). For total stroke the RRs were somewhat attenuated compared with those for ischemic stroke but remained elevated for women with higher BMI (<i>P</i>for trend&lt;.001). In multivariate analyses that also adjusted for BMI at age 18 years, weight gain from age 18 years until 1976 was associated with an RR for ischemic stroke of 1.69 (95% CI, 1.26-2.29) for a gain of 11 to 19.9 kg and 2.52 (95% CI, 1.80-3.52) for a gain of 20 kg or more (<i>P</i>for trend&lt;.001), as compared with women who maintained stable weight (loss or gain &lt;5 kg). Although weight change was not related to risk of hemorrhagic stroke (<i>P</i>for trend=.20), a direct relationship was observed between weight gain and total stroke risk (<i>P</i>for trend&lt;.001). <h3>Conclusions.</h3> —These prospective data indicate that both obesity and weight gain in women are important risk factors for ischemic and total stroke but not hemorrhagic stroke. The relationship between obesity and total stroke depends on the distribution of stroke subtypes in the population.