tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Preventive therapy for asthma in children; a 9-year experience in eastern Finland
Authors: M Korppi, L Kuikka, K Remes
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (1995)

The long-term treatment modalities of bronchial asthma were studied in children from a defined Finnish population from 1985 to 1993, with special reference to changes during the study period. The data on maintenance drugs in children with asthma from five years (1985, 1987, 1989, 1991 and 1993) were retrospectively retrieved from the computerized registers. The reliability of the data for the diagnosis and basic treatment of asthma was checked by one of the authors, who compared the data with the patient cards from the hospital. The number of children with doctor-diagnosed asthma increased continuously during the surveillance period. The proportion of children receiving preventive medication increased concomitantly; this increase was most pronounced between 1987 and 1989. The most common preventive drug was sodium cromoglycate; its use increased from 14% in 1985 to 58% in 1993. The use of inhaled steroids remained stable at 17-19% in all surveillance years. Our treatment policy is in accordance with the international consensus statement published in 1989; however, the change towards preventive medication occurred before its publication.
UK launches new initiative against neglected tropical diseases
Authors: P. Moszynski
Journal: BMJ (2012)

The UK government has announced a fivefold increase in spending on combating neglected tropical diseases as part of an international effort to help rid the world of a group of infectious diseases that currently affect one billion people and kill more than half a million every year.

The move comes ahead of a conference hosted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in London on 30 January, when governments, charities, multilateral organisations, and the private sector will unite “to help consign the diseases to history.”

Britain’s increased aid—raised from £50m to £245m (€290m; $390m) between 2011 and 2015—focuses largely on four diseases: lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis), …
39. Effects of Long-Term Expression of Activated Murine FVII in Normal and Hemophilic Mice
Authors: Majed N. Aljamali, Paris Margaritis, Rodney M. Camire, Katherine A. High
Journal: Molecular Therapy (2005)

Treatment with bolus injections of recombinant activated FVII (NovoSeven,) has proven to be effective in hemophilia A and B patients with inhibitors. The need for recurrent injections (every 2|[ndash]|3 hours) due to the short half-life of the protein, and the high cost, are two limitations of this treatment.
ICOS-based chimeric antigen receptors program bipolar TH17/TH1 cells
Authors: Sonia Guedan, Xi Chen, Aviv Madar, Carmine Carpenito, Shannon E. McGettigan, Matthew J. Frigault, Jihyun Lee, Avery D. Posey, John Scholler, Nathalie Scholler, Richard Bonneau, Carl H. June
Journal: Blood (2014)
Left Heart Growth, Function, and Reintervention After Balloon Aortic Valvuloplasty for Neonatal Aortic Stenosis
Authors: Doff B. McElhinney, James E. Lock, John F. Keane, Adrian M. Moran, Steven D. Colan
Journal: Circulation (2005)

Background— Transcatheter balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAVP) has become the first-line treatment for critical aortic stenosis (AS) in neonates. However, little is known about the growth and function of left heart structures or about patterns of reintervention on the left heart after neonatal BAVP. Methods and Results— Between 1985 and 2002, 113 patients underwent neonatal BAVP at ≤60 days of age. There were 16 early deaths (14%), with a significant decrease from 1985 to 1993 (22%) to 1994 to 2002 (4%), and 6 patients had successful early conversion to a univentricular circulation. In the short term, the mean relative gradient reduction was 54±26%, and significant aortic regurgitation (AR) developed in 15% of patients. The 91 early survivors with a biventricular circulation were followed up for 6.3±5.3 years, during which time there was a steady increase in the frequency of significant AR. Freedom from moderate or severe AR was 65% at 5 years. In almost all patients with a baseline aortic annulus z score less than −1, the annulus diameter increased to within the normal range within 1 to 2 years. Similarly, left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic dimension z scores, which ranged from −5 to 7.5 before BAVP, normalized within 1 to 2 years in nearly all patients with a predilation z score less than −1. Among early survivors with a biventricular circulation, reintervention-free survival on the LV outflow tract was 65% at 1 year and 48% at 5 years, with younger age, higher pre- and post-BAVP gradients, and a larger balloon-annulus diameter ratio associated with decreased reintervention-free survival ( P &lt;0.01). Seventeen surgical interventions were performed on the aortic valve in 15 patients, including replacement in 7. Survival free from aortic valve replacement was 84% at 5 years. Conclusions— BAVP for AS during the first 60 days of life results in short-term relief of AS in the majority of patients. Among early survivors, initially small left heart structures may be associated with worse subacute outcomes but typically normalize within 1 year. Reintervention for residual/recurrent AS or iatrogenic AR is relatively common, particularly during the first year after BAVP, but aortic valve replacement during early childhood is seldom necessary.
European Union tries to control disease
Authors: R Watson
Journal: BMJ (1994)

The recent outbreaks of plague in India and diphtheria in eastern Europe and the spread of diseases such as hepatitis have convinced the European Commission that it should extend its existing programme to combat AIDS to cover other communicable diseases. The commission is proposing to spend 50m European currency units over the next five years, encouraging governments in the European Union to implement a comprehensive vaccination programme and improve early detection and screening.

With 105 000 cases of AIDS reported in the 12 member states last March and possibly …
THE PREVENTION OF CONCEPTION
Authors: Rudolph W. Holmes
Journal: JAMA (1923)

To the Editor:  —The Chicago Gynecological Society is desirous of giving proper publicity to its present stand on the subject of the regulation of conception. The following paragraphs are, therefore, submitted for publication:  In accordance with a resolution passed by the Chicago Gynecological Society, the undersigned committee sent to all of the members of the society a questionnaire dealing with various phases of the general subject of regulation of conception. The replies were analyzed and submitted to the society at its regular business meeting of January 19, and the society unanimously approved of the following conclusions:   It is against public policy that information as to contraceptives should be given to the general public.  Information as to the prevention of conception should be given wherever indicated to wives and husbands by physicians, either privately or in existing clinics and dispensaries.  Special clinics for the dissemination of this information are neither necessary
Home Visits to Prevent Nursing Home Admission and Functional Decline in Elderly People
Authors: Andreas E. Stuck, Matthias Egger, Andreas Hammer, Christoph E. Minder, John C. Beck
Journal: JAMA (2002)

ContextThe effects of home visitation programs to prevent functional decline in elderly persons have been inconsistent, and the value of these programs is controversial.ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of preventive home visits on functional status, nursing home admission, and mortality.Data SourcesStudies published in English, French, German, Italian, or Spanish reporting randomized trials of the effects of preventive in-home visits in older people (mean age &gt;70 years) living in the community were identified through searches of MEDLINE, PSYCHINFO, and EMBASE (January 1985–November 2001). We also searched the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, checked reference lists of earlier reviews and book chapters, searched conference proceedings and specialty journals, and contacted experts.Study SelectionWe screened 1349 abstracts and excluded those that did not test in-home interventions or in which the mean age of the study population was younger than 70 years. After further exclusions, 17 articles describing 18 trials were analyzed.Data ExtractionTwo reviewers independently screened abstracts. Discrepancies were resolved by consensus with a third reviewer. For each included trial, we extracted data on the study population and the characteristics of the intervention. Two of us extracted information on 3 end points: nursing home admissions, mortality, and functional status. One of us assessed trial quality, including an examination of the method of randomization, blinding of caregivers and research staff ascertaining outcomes, and proportion of patients included in analyses of the 3 end points.Data SynthesisThe 18 trials included 13 447 individuals aged 65 years and older. The effect on nursing home admissions depended on the number of visits performed during follow-up. The pooled relative risk (RR) was 0.66 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.48-0.92) for trials in the upper tertile (&gt;9 visits) but was 1.05 (95% CI, 0.85-1.30) in the lower tertile (0-4 visits). Functional decline was reduced in trials that used multidimensional assessment with follow-up (RR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.64-0.91) but not in other trials (RR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.92-1.11). Functional decline was reduced (RR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.64-0.95) in trials with a control group mortality rate in the lower tertile (3.4%-5.8%) but not (RR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.84-1.13) in those with a control-group mortality rate in the upper tertile (8.3%-10.7%). A beneficial effect on mortality was evident in younger study populations (RR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.65-0.88 for ages 72.7-77.5 years) but not in older study populations (RR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.92-1.28 for ages 80.2-81.6 years).ConclusionPreventive home visitation programs appear to be effective, provided the interventions are based on multidimensional geriatric assessment and include multiple follow-up home visits and target persons at lower risk for death. Benefits on survival were seen in young-old rather than old-old populations.
Transient osteoporosis of the hip. A nontraumatic variety of Sudeck's atrophy.
Authors: M Lequesne
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (1968)

This paper describes ten cases of transient osteo- porosis of the hip encountered in our personal practice over a 5-year period.This condition is considered to be a variant of Sudeck-Leriche's dystrophy located in the hip joint.All these patients came for consultation without diagnosis or with a previous diagnosis of tuberculosis, coxitis, or cancer.The ten cases satisfied the following criteria:(1) They were seen and managed throughout by the same clinician.(2) There was radiographic evidence of localized osteoporosis, most marked in the femoral head.
Insulin, Glucose, Insulin Resistance, and Pancreatic Cancer in Male Smokers
Authors: Rachael Z. Stolzenberg-Solomon
Journal: JAMA (2005)

Obesity, diabetes mellitus, and glucose intolerance have been associated with increased pancreatic cancer risk; however, prediagnostic serum insulin concentration has not been evaluated as a predictor of this malignancy.To investigate whether prediagnostic fasting glucose and insulin concentrations and insulin resistance are associated with subsequent incidence of exocrine pancreatic cancer in a cohort of male smokers.A case-cohort prospective study within the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study (1985-1988) cohort of 29,133 male Finnish smokers ages 50 to 69 years. The study included 400 randomly sampled subcohort control participants and 169 incident pancreatic cancer cases that occurred after the fifth year of follow-up. All participants were followed up through December 2001 (up to 16.7 years of follow-up).Incident exocrine pancreatic cancer identified from the Finnish Cancer Registry.After adjusting for age, smoking, and body mass index, higher baseline fasting serum concentrations of glucose, insulin, and insulin resistance were positively associated with pancreatic cancer. The presence of biochemically defined diabetes mellitus (glucose, > or =126 mg/dL [> or =6.99 mmol/L]) and insulin concentration in the highest vs lowest quartile both showed a significant 2-fold increased risk (hazard ratio [HR], 2.13; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-4.35; and HR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.03-3.93; respectively). There were significant interactions for all the biomarker exposures by follow-up time, such that the positive associations were stronger among the cases that occurred more than 10 years after baseline (highest vs lowest quartile: glucose, HR, 2.16; 95% CI, 1.05-4.42; P for trend = .02; insulin, HR, 2.90; 95% CI, 1.22-6.92; P for trend = .005; and insulin resistance, HR, 2.71; 95% CI, 1.19-6.18; P for trend = .006).These results support the hypothesis that exposure to higher insulin concentrations and insulin resistance predicts the risk of exocrine pancreatic cancer.
An intensive care unit: two years' experience in a provincial hospital.
Authors: G. S. Crockett, A. Barr
Journal: BMJ (1965)

The subject of intensive care units is topical, but there is some confusion of thought on what constitutes such a unit.Ideas range between the extremes of a unit to which every unconscious or seriously ill patient should be admitted to a highly specialized "germ-free " area for the nursing of cases undergoing organ transplant.While intensive care must be given to various categories of patients, the unit here described has been intended to relieve all the wards of the hospital of cases which without such a unit require a " special " nurse.Experience gained in this type of intensive care unit may be of assistance to other hospitals.
Biochemical properties of the recurrent LMX1b truncated mutant carried in a Taiwanese family with nail-patella syndrome
Authors: W.-M. Wang, J.-F. Chen, S.-T. Liu, Y.-J. Hsu, Y.-C. Liu, S.-M. Huang
Journal: British Journal of Dermatology (2014)

Loss of the DNA-binding activity of a transcription factor is detrimental to its function in responsive gene regulation. We diagnosed a Taiwanese family with nail-patella syndrome (NPS) whose members inherited the mutated LMX1b transcription factor with no DNA-binding homeodomain. The loss-of-function variants cause haploinsufficiency of LMX1b, leading to the clinical manifestation of NPS. The underlying molecular mechanism is unclear.To test whether the recurrent pathogenic truncated LMX1b-R198X reported in our patients might be a functional protein. Its biochemical properties were explored.The luciferase reporter driven by the human interleukin (IL)-6 gene promoter was assayed to measure the transcriptional activity of LMX1b. The nuclear localization of different enhanced green fluorescent protein-tagged LMX1b proteins was observed using fluorescence microscopy. Western blotting was employed to evaluate the expression of various transfected LMX1b constructs.LMX1b-R198X enhanced the IL-6 promoter activity activated by the wild-type LMX1b and diminished the promoter activity induced by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. LMX1b-R198X carried out its effect differentially in the expression of various human genes. The nuclear localization of the wild-type LMX1b was disrupted by the C-terminus truncation. The protein stability exhibited by LMX1b-R198X appears to be much higher than that of the wild-type protein.We demonstrated that loss of function might not be the only way for mutated LMX1b to cause haploinsufficiency as the main pathogenic mechanism for NPS. LMX1b-R198X has less nuclear localization and higher stability than the wild-type protein; consequently, it might function as a competitor to sequester other effectors by protein-protein interaction to interfere with downstream transcriptional events.
Plants Found to Aid Their Enemies
Authors: J. Caspermeyer
Journal: Molecular Biology and Evolution (2013)

Throughout the evolution of life on earth, bits of genetic material are routinely swapped among different species of bacteria to give them a competitive advantage. However, rarely do such gene transfers happen between bacteria and higher organisms. Currently, Prof. Nikolaidis et al. (2013) report on a rare case where plant genes called expansins, which are responsible for loosening or weakening protective cell wall, were transferred from plants to bacteria, fungi, and amoeba, which are known plant pathogens that live nearby in the soil. “Our study reveals a rare phenomenon in molecular evolution where plant genes have been transferred to simpler organisms like fungi and bacteria,” said Nikolaidis. “The protein products of these genes are weakening the plant cell wall allowing plants to grow. In the case of bacteria and fungi, these proteins are related with the ability of these species to colonize plant roots and their virulence as plant pathogens. Our study suggests that by using proteins acquired from their hosts bacteria and fungi have found new adaptive ways to utilize their hosts resources and maybe become more advanced pathogens.” The research team found two independent instances of such horizontal gene transfers that occurred from plants to bacteria and fungi. These events were followed by gene swapping among bacteria and fungi to refine their evolutionary fitness. The authors also looked at the details of gene swapping at the molecular level and found fused DNA segments that point to a similar gene function, binding to plant and bacteria cell walls. The evolution of these nonplant expansins represents a unique case in which bacteria and fungi have found innovative and adaptive ways to interact with and infect plants. This evolutionary paradigm suggests that, despite their low frequency, such rare events have significantly contributed to the evolution of prokaryotic and eukaryotic species.
The preregistration year
Authors: T D S Seddon
Journal: BMJ (1994)

EDITOR, - The befuddled thinking that permeates medical education is evident in P I M Allen and B M Colls's uncritical enthusiasm.1 They praise New Zealand's trainee intern year, which originated partly because of a shortage of house officers and partly because of deficiencies in medical training. They offer no objective evidence of its benefits other than that expressed by self selected Australian medical students.

The described programme is proof of how the postgraduate years trap the …
Sepsis, Sepsis Syndrome, and the Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS)
Authors: Roger C. Bone
Journal: JAMA (1995)

Jonathan Swift's<i>Guillver's Travels</i>, published in 1726, recounts the fictional adventures of Lemuel Gulliver, a ship's surgeon. Gulliver's most famous adventures are in Lilliput, the land of the little people, in Brobdingnag, the land of the giants, and in Houyhnhnm, the land of the horses. Less quoted is his adventure in Laputa where Gulliver, finding that science is out of control and not improving the lives of the citizens, condemns science. Current exploits in clinical trials regarding sepsis tempt the observer, like Gulliver, to condemn science, since intervention trials have found no benefit from anti-inflammatory therapies. However, out of apparent chaos often appears order: from these studies, our understanding of sepsis, sepsis syndrome, and the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is gradually increasing. See also p 117. In this issue of<sup>The Journal</sup>, Rangel-Frausto et al<sup>1</sup>provide a prospective validation of SIRS. They show that a diagnosis of SIRS
EMISSIVE STEREOSCAN AND TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPE PROFILES OF THE STRATUM CORNEUM
Authors: R. T. SIMS
Journal: British Journal of Dermatology (1970)

Summary— A study by conventional electron microscopy of the black lesions in the dermatosis of kwashiorkor revealed no structural changes that could be associated with the colour change. The appearance of the epidermis was similar to that of depigmented skin. Intercellular spaces about 800 A wide between cornified cells could not be reconciled with the barrier function of the stratum corneum but this property could reside in retaining flanges over the edges of the cells. Scrutiny of the superficial surface of intact sheets and the cut surface of sections of healthy stratum corneum by the emissive mode of the Cambridge Scientific Instrument Company's Stereoscan showed that the intercellular space between cornified cells must be occupied by some structural component not demonstrated by transmission electron microscopy.
NHS London chief resigns in protest at government axing of plans
Authors: J. Wise
Journal: BMJ (2010)

Richard Sykes, the chairman of NHS London, has resigned in protest at the government’s decision to halt the reorganisation of health care in the capital.

Last week, the new health secretary Andrew Lansley announced he would halt the Healthcare for London changes devised by former health minister Ara Darzi. The plans included a reorganisation of hospital services, with centralised major trauma; heart attack, stroke, and vascular surgery networks; and the building of GP led polyclinics. Mr Lansley had made an election pledge to put an immediate moratorium on any proposals to downgrade emergency department services and close maternity units in the capital as a result of …
On the Advance of the Periphery of the Iris in Glaucoma
Authors: W. A. Brailey
Journal: BMJ (1885)

begran to be troubled with constipation.The first attack lasted three weeks, and, since theni, the bowels had been relieved on the average only once every two or thlree weeks.During this time she had been takiing purgative medicinie constantlv, with no effect, and having fre- qJuent eniemata.The relief of the bowels lhad been due to the enemata.For the last two or thrlee mlonths she had had pain il the lower part of th-back, anid rulniing, down both thig-hs, and the feet had been liable to swell.Onadmissioni, she wvas well niourished, but pallid and delicate-looking.The abdomen was rather large, and resistenit, but it was resonant; tlhere was no tuimour, no pain or tenderness, and its walls were flaccid.The bowels had not been relieved forthree weeks.During the eusuing wele, large enemata were admiinistered on several occasions, and tlhus a considerable quantity oI' solid fieces was evacuated.Since then, tlhe bowels have been peliodlically relieved by enemata, so that there has beeil no reason to believe that there lhas been any contiAuance of unduie fiecal accumulation.Thev have never yet, however, acted spontaneously, or uinder the influence of purgative.Tho pa- tient suffered at first fromi' occasional pains in the abdomen, and severe achiug in the legs, but these symptoms have improved.She has been liablle, also, to bad headaches.In other respects her healthb has beep tfairly good, and it Iiac improved.The patienit is still under treatment A.pril 18'th).