tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Characterization and comparison of commercially available mite extracts for <i>in vivo</i> diagnosis
Authors: B. Brunetto, R. Tinghino, M. C. Braschi, L. Antonicelli, C. Pini, P. Iacovacci
Journal: Allergy (2009)

Assessment of sensitization by allergen-specific IgE testing and skin prick testing (SPT) are primary tools in routine clinical diagnosis of allergies. To perform a correct diagnosis, it is critical that the allergen reagent used contains an adequate amount of all relevant components. This study aimed at evaluating commercially available mite extracts for in vivo diagnosis from eight manufacturers.Eight extracts from Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and eight from Dermatophagoides farinae were analysed for total protein content by Bradford and for major allergen content by ELISA. SDS-PAGE, immunoblotting and SPT were also carried out.The protein amount ranged from 27.7 microg/ml extract to 361.1 microg/ml (D. pteronyssinus) and from 20.3 to 353.0 microg/ml (D. farinae). In regards major allergen concentration, Der p 1 ranged from 9.6 to 36.2 microg/ml, Der f 1 26.5-196.1 microg/ml, mite group 2 0.7-31.7 microg/ml in D. pteronyssinus and 1.3-10.4 microg/ml in D. farinae. SDS-PAGE experiments showed that some components are poorly represented or absent in extracts from most manufacturers. Similar results were obtained by IgE-immunoblotting and SPT with 10 mite allergic patients confirmed a broad spectrum of reactivity of the extracts in the same subject.Immunochemical analysis showed a heterogeneous amount of component/s among mite extracts from different manufacturers. These data were confirmed by in vivo testing, suggesting that, for some of the patient tested, the absence of relevant allergens could strongly affect the diagnosis.
Nonischemic ventricular tachycardia. Clinical course and long-term follow-up in patients without clinically overt heart disease.
Authors: R Lemery, P Brugada, P D Bella, T Dugernier, A van den Dool, H J Wellens
Journal: Circulation (1989)

This report describes the clinical, laboratory, and electrophysiologic features of 52 patients with ventricular tachycardia (VT) who had no clinical evidence of heart disease. The mean age of patients was 36 years, cardiovascular collapse occurred in 18 patients (35%), and exercise-related symptoms were present in 24 of 49 patients (49%). There were 20 patients with sustained monomorphic VT, 11 with incessant VT, and 21 with nonsustained VT. Abnormalities were present in 14 of 38 patients (37%) during echocardiography and in 21 of 47 patients (45%) who underwent cardiac catheterization. During baseline evaluation while patients were not receiving antiarrhythmic drugs, ambulatory monitoring and exercise testing showed an 88% and 57% incidence, respectively, of nonsustained or sustained monomorphic VT, whereas 31 of 50 patients (62%) had inducible VT (requiring an infusion of isoproterenol in 11 patients) during programmed electrical stimulation. The clinical VT (when a 12-lead electrocardiogram was available for analysis) had a left bundle branch block (LBBB) configuration in 20 of 33 patients (61%) and a right axis deviation in 17 of 33 patients (51%). The VT occurring during exercise testing and programmed electrical stimulation had the same configuration as the clinical VT in 22 of 22 patients. Three patients have received an antitachycardia pacemaker, and one patient underwent endocardial resection. Forty-eight patients (92%) were treated medically. One patient died of cancer; the remaining 47 patients were alive at a mean follow-up of 96 months after initial symptoms and 46 months after programmed electrical stimulation. We conclude that in patients without clinical evidence of heart disease, VT may be incessant, sustained, or nonsustained and that VT originates from the right ventricular outflow tract in more than 50% of patients. Although cardiac abnormalities may be found in more than 30% of patients, the exact significance of these abnormalities is unclear because of the absence of progressive changes and the excellent prognosis of this group of patients.
The Transcription Factor Early Growth-response Factor 1 Modulates Tumor Necrosis Factor- α , Immunoglobulin E, and Airway Responsiveness in Mice
Authors: ERIC S. SILVERMAN, GEORGE T. DE SANCTIS, JOSHUA BOYCE, JAMES A. MACLEAN, AIPING JIAO, FRANCIS H. Y. GREEN, HARTMUT GRASEMANN, DOUGLAS FAUNCE, GARRET FITZMAURICE, GUO-PING SHI, JOAN STEIN-STREILEIN, JEFFREY MILBRANDT, TUCKER COLLINS, JEFFREY M. DRAZEN
Journal: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (2001)

Early growth-response factor 1 (Egr-1) is a sequence-specific transcription factor that plays a regulatory role in the expression of many genes important in inflammation, cell growth, apoptosis, and the pathogenesis of disease. In vitro studies suggest that Egr-1 is capable of regulating the expression of tumor necrosis factor- α (TNF- α ) and other genes involved in airway inflammation and reactivity following allergen stimulation. On the basis of these data, we hypothesized that in the absence of Egr-1, the TNF- α response and subsequent downstream inflammatory events that usually follow allergen challenge would be diminished. To test our hypothesis Egr-1 knock-out (KO) mice were examined in an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced model of airway inflammation and reactivity, and compared with identically treated wild-type (WT) control mice. In response to OVA sensitization and airway challenge, KO mice had diminished TNF- α mRNA and protein in the lungs and mast cells compared with WT mice. Interestingly, the KO mice had elevated IgE levels at baseline and after allergen challenge compared with WT mice. Furthermore, the airways of KO mice were hyporesponsive to methacholine challenge at baseline and after allergen challenge. These data indicate that Egr-1 modulates TNF- α , IgE, and airway responsiveness in mice.
Effects of Long-Term Administration of Estrogens on Serum Lipids of Postmenopausal Women
Authors: Roger W. Robinson, Norio Higano, William D. Cohen
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (1960)

IT is now well recognized that the incidence of coronary-artery disease is increased in the post-menopausal state.1 , 2 A possible explanation for this association is the presence of abnormal serum lipid levels, not only in postmenopausal3 and prematurely castrated women4 but also in those with Coronary Artery disease.3 , 5 Thus, decreased ovarian function has been suggested as one of several possible etiologic factors in atherosclerosis. Since this appears to be a rational basis for estrogen replacement therapy in the postmenopausal state, the purpose of the present study was to determine the daily dosage of estrogen required to attain optimal lipid changes with . . .
Patients with adenosine deaminase deficiency surviving after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation are at high risk of CNS complications
Authors: Manfred Hönig, Michael H. Albert, Ansgar Schulz, Monika Sparber-Sauer, Catharina Schütz, Bernd Belohradsky, Tayfun Güngör, Markus T. Rojewski, Harald Bode, Ulrich Pannicke, Dominique Lippold, Klaus Schwarz, Klaus-Michael Debatin, Michael S. Hershfield, Wilhelm Friedrich
Journal: Blood (2006)
ACCE, Pharmacogenomics, and Stopping Clinical Trials: Time to Extend the CONSORT Statement?
Authors: Vural Ozdemir, Yann Joly, Bartha M. Knoppers
Journal: The American Journal of Bioethics (2011)

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Acknowledgments Supported by a career investigator salary for science-in-society research in personalized medicine from the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec (VO). The views expressed in this article are entirely the personal opinions of the authors.
Endothelial Cell Death and Decreased Expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 2 in Emphysema
Authors: YASUNORI KASAHARA, RUBIN M. TUDER, CARLYNE D. COOL, DAVID A. LYNCH, SONIA C. FLORES, NORBERT F. VOELKEL
Journal: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (2001)

Emphysema due to cigarette smoking is characterized by a loss of alveolar structures. We hypothesize that the disappearance of alveoli involves apoptosis of septal endothelial cells and a decreased expression of lung vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor 2 (VEGF R2). By terminal transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) in combination with immunohistochemistry, we found that the number of TUNEL + septal epithelial and endothelial cells/lung tissue nucleic acid ( μ g) was increased in the alveolar septa of emphysema lungs (14.2 ± 2.0/ μ g, n = 6) when compared with normal lungs (6.8 ± 1.3/ μ g, n = 7) (p < 0.01) and with primary pulmonary hypertensive lungs (2.3 ± 0.8/ μ g, n = 5) (p < 0.001). The cell death events were not significantly different between healthy nonsmoker (7.4 ± 1.9/ μ g) and smoker (5.7 ± 0.7/ μ g) control subjects. The TUNEL results were confirmed by single-stranded DNA and active caspase-3 immunohistochemistry, and by DNA ligation assay. Emphysema lungs (n = 12) had increased levels of oligonucleosomal-length DNA fragmentation when compared with normal lungs (n = 11). VEGF, VEGF R2 protein, and mRNA expression were significantly reduced in emphysema. We propose that epithelial and endothelial alveolar septal death due to a decrease of endothelial cell maintenance factors may be part of the pathogenesis of emphysema.
Time to Treatment Influences the Impact of ST-Segment Resolution on One-Year Prognosis
Authors: Yuling Fu, Shaun Goodman, Wei-Ching Chang, Frans Van de Werf, Christopher B. Granger, Paul W. Armstrong
Journal: Circulation (2001)

Background Early ST resolution after reperfusion is a prognostic indicator in acute myocardial infarction. Little information exists regarding the prognostic utility of ST resolution beyond 4 hours after fibrinolysis. Furthermore, the relation between time to treatment, ST resolution at 24 to 36 hours, and 1-year outcome has not been well studied. Accordingly, we undertook a prospective ECG substudy in the Assessment of the Safety and Efficacy of a New Thrombolytic (ASSENT-2) trial to examine this. Methods and Results Patients (n=13 100) were stratified into 3 ST-resolution categories, based on baseline and 24- to 36-hour ECGs: complete resolution (≥70%) in 6698 (51.1%) patients, partial resolution (30% to 70%) in 4610 (35.2%) patients, and no resolution (&lt;30%) in 1792 (13.7%) patients; 1-year mortality rate was 5.1%, 8.0%, and 9.7%, respectively ( P &lt;0.001). Among patients treated &lt;2 hours after symptom onset, 55.6% had complete ST resolution, whereas 52.1% and 43% of patients treated between 2 to 4 hours and 4 to 6 hours, respectively, had complete ST resolution ( P &lt;0.001). Within each category of ST resolution, patients treated &lt;2 hours had lower 1-year mortality rates as compared with patients treated between 2 to 4 hours or &gt;4 hours (3.8% versus 5.2% and 6.6%, P =0.002 in complete ST resolution; 5.7% versus 8.4% and 9.9%, P =0.001 in partial ST resolution; 7.1% versus 8.7% and 13%, P =0.006 in no resolution). The extent of ST resolution was closely and inversely correlated with 1-year mortality rates ( r =−0.963, P &lt;0.001). Conclusions ST resolution at 24 to 36 hours after fibrinolysis is influenced by time to treatment and inversely related to 1-year mortality rates. Time to treatment further differentiates between high- and low-risk patients and further highlights the importance of reducing time delay to initiation of fibrinolysis in acute myocardial infarction.
Residents' Work Hours
Authors: Gabriella Varallo Bedarida
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2004)

Letters2 November 2004Residents' Work HoursGabriella Varallo Bedarida, MD, PhDGabriella Varallo Bedarida, MD, PhDFrom LMU University of Munich Innenstadt Hospital, 80336 Munich, Germany.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-141-9-200411020-00026 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Regarding the articles on residents' work hours (1-4), I would like to offer my perspective. As a teaching attending physician in a program that implemented the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) recommendations on hours and census in 1997, I lived the most vilifying experience of my professional life. I held teaching sessions in and after rounds despite a 70-hour-per-week job; was unpaid for my overtime; and found on the other side a rapidly spreading “blue-collar mentality” focused on counting patients and hours and on “getting out of here,” certainly not the attitude proper to future ...References1. Charap M. Reducing resident work hours: unproven assumptions and unforeseen outcomes. Ann Intern Med. 2004;140:814-5. [PMID: 15148068] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Skeff KM, Ezeji-Okoye S, Pompei P, Rockson S. Benefits of resident work hours regulation. Ann Intern Med. 2004;140:816-7. [PMID: 15148069] LinkGoogle Scholar3. Glines ME. The effect of work hour regulations on personal development during residency. Ann Intern Med. 2004;140:818-9. [PMID: 15148070] LinkGoogle Scholar4. Schroeder SA. How many hours is enough? An old profession meets a new generation [Editorial]. Ann Intern Med. 2004;140:838-9. [PMID: 15148074] LinkGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Gabriella Varallo Bedarida, MD, PhDAffiliations: From LMU University of Munich Innenstadt Hospital, 80336 Munich, Germany. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoReducing Resident Work Hours: Unproven Assumptions and Unforeseen Outcomes Mitchell Charap Benefits of Resident Work Hours Regulation Kelley M. Skeff , Stephen Ezeji-Okoye , Peter Pompei , and Stanley Rockson The Effect of Work Hour Regulations on Personal Development during Residency Melinda E. Glines How Many Hours Is Enough? An Old Profession Meets a New Generation Steven A. Schroeder Residents' Work Hours Sarang Kim Residents' Work Hours Timothy Lahey Residents' Work Hours Yungpo Bernard Su and Lydia Kang Residents' Work Hours Ilene M. Rosen , Judy A. Shea , and Lisa M. Bellini Residents' Work Hours Mitchell Charap Metrics 2 November 2004Volume 141, Issue 9Page: 740KeywordsForecastingGraduate medical educationPatientsResidency ePublished: 2 November 2004 Issue Published: 2 November 2004 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2004 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...
Current perspective on primordial follicle cryopreservation and culture for reproductive medicine
Authors: R. G. Gosden
Journal: Human Reproduction Update (2002)

Mature oocytes are rare and precious cells. A technology which generates larger numbers would be very welcome in clinical practice, animal production technology and research. Since de-novo formation of female germ cells has ceased by the time of birth, the most attractive strategy, in theory, is to harvest and culture primordial follicles, the most abundant stage in the ovary at all ages. So far, there has been more success with cryopreservation of primordial follicles than with culture, and frozen–thawed ovarian tissue grafts have restored fertility to a number of species after oophorectomy. However, in-vitro development of isolated follicles is not sustained beyond the primary follicle stage. To meet their requirements for growth, metabolism and differentiation, a multistage protocol will probably be required for the prolonged period of development to maturity. The mouse is the only model, to date, in which a live offspring has ever been produced after growing follicles completely in vitro. A triple-stage process was required, involving culture of ovarian explants followed by isolation of granulosa–oocyte complexes and, finally, suitable conditions for completing meiotic maturation. Achievement of this goal for the larger and more slowly developing follicles from human and farm animal ovaries is still a remote possibility.
Parallel Functional Changes in the Digestive RNases of Ruminants and Colobines by Divergent Amino Acid Substitutions
Authors: J. Zhang
Journal: Molecular Biology and Evolution (2003)

A morphological or physiological trait may appear multiple times in evolution. At the molecular level, similar protein functions may emerge independently in different lineages. Whether these parallel functional changes are due to parallel amino acid substitutions has been a subject of debate. Here, I address this question using digestive ribonucleases (RNases) of two groups of foregut-fermenting mammals: ruminant artiodactyls and colobine monkeys. The RNase1 gene was duplicated twice in ancestral ruminants at least 40 MYA, and it was also duplicated in the douc langur, an Asian colobine, approximately 4 MYA. After duplication, similar functional changes occurred in the ruminant and monkey enzymes. Interestingly, five amino acid substitutions in ruminant RNases that are known to affect its catalytic activity against double-stranded (ds) RNA did not occur in the monkey enzyme. Rather, a similar functional change in the monkey was caused by a different set of nine substitutions. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to make three of the five ruminant-specific substitutions in the monkey enzyme. Functional assays of these mutants showed that one of the three substitutions has a similar effect in monkeys, the second has a stronger effect, and the third has an opposite effect. These results suggest that (1) an evolutionary problem can have multiple solutions, (2) the same amino acid substitution may have opposite functional effects in homologous proteins, (3) the stochastic processes of mutation and drift play an important role even at functionally important sites, and (4) protein sequences may diverge even when their functions converge.
Systolic Time Intervals in Infants with Congestive Heart Failure
Authors: SANG C. PARK, LEONARD STEINFELD, IVAN DIMICH
Journal: Circulation (1973)

Using the apexcardiogram as a time reference for opening and closure of the aortic valve, systolic time intervals (STI) in infants were determined in 150 normal infants ranging in age from 1 day to 1 year. Thirty infants with congestive heart failure secondary to a variety of congenital and acquired heart diseases were studied in a similar manner for comparison. The data revealed that heart failure in the infant is not marked by any one pattern of STI. In specific disease entities associated with congestive heart failure, the STI appear to be consistent. In infants with congestive heart failure due to congenital heart disease, the STI do not correspond with values reported in the adult with hypertensive or arteriosclerotic disease. The differences are explained by viewing STI in infants primarily a function of hemodynamic alterations dictated by an underlying cardiovascular anomaly rather than a result of a primary myocardial derangement. The findings in the infant with chronic heart failure due to primary myocardial disease tend to parallel data previously reported in the adult with arteriosclerotic disease and chronic heart failure.
Cutaneous oxalate granulomas in a haemodialysed patient: report of a case with unique clinical features
Authors: M. ISONOKAMI, K. NISHIDA, N. OKADA, K. YOSHIKAWA
Journal: British Journal of Dermatology (1993)

We report a patient undergoing haemodialysis, who developed multiple subcutaneous nodules. Histology showed that the noduies were composed of deposits of crystals in the dermis, with an associated foreign‐body reaction. The crystalline deposits were identified as calcium oxalate by histochemical staining, polarizing microscopy, and analytical electron microscopy.
Autoantibodies in primary biliary cirrhosis: Analysis of reactivity against eukaryotic and prokaryotic 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase complexes
Authors: Shelley P. M. Fussey, Gordon J. Lindsay, Christopher Fuller, Richard N. Perham, Susan Dale, Oliver F. W. James, Margaret F. Bassendine, Stephen J. Yeaman
Journal: Hepatology (1991)

Six components of the mammalian 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase complexes have previously been identified as M2 autoantigens in primary biliary cirrhosis. In this report, we present data showing that both polypeptide-specific and cross-reacting antibodies are present in patients' sera. Antibodies reacting with E2 of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex cross-react with protein X but not with any other mammalian antigen. The main immunogenic region on protein X has been localized to within its single lipoyl domain. Polypeptide-specific antibodies bind to E1 alpha and E1 beta of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. Antibodies reacting with the E2 polypeptides of the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex and branched-chain 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase complex show some cross-reactivity but do not recognize any of the antigens of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. Antibodies against the E2 component of the mammalian pyruvate dehydrogenase complex cross-react effectively with the corresponding protein from yeast but not with E2 from Escherichia coli. Antibody titer against mammalian antigens is significantly higher than against the bacterial antigens, arguing against a bacterial origin for primary biliary cirrhosis.
Synergism of Amphotericin B with Other Antimicrobial Agents
Authors: JAMES W. SMITH
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1973)

Editorial Notes1 March 1973Synergism of Amphotericin B with Other Antimicrobial AgentsJAMES W. SMITH, M.D.JAMES W. SMITH, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-78-3-450 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptAmphotericin B has been the drug of choice for most of the systemic fungal infections for 15 years. Its efficacy in certain of these infections with high case-fatality rates has been clearly established. Nevertheless, the difficulties that arise with its administration—delay in its action in seriously ill persons, varous major toxic effects, and the difficulties of administering it—are formidable problems. Another recently approved agent, 5-fluorocytosine, is efficacious for candidal and cryptococcal infections, but resistance to it has been noted in treated patients. Consequently, the recent reports of synergistic activity of amphotericin B with various other drugs, by Kobayashi and associates...References1. MEDOFFCOMFORTKOBAYASHI GMG: Synergistic action of amphotericin B and 5-fluorocytosine against yeast-like organisms. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 138:571-574, 1971 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. KOBAYASHIMEDOFFSCHLESSINGER GGD: Amphotericin B potentiation of rifampicin as an antifungal agent against the yeast phase of Histoplasma capsulatum. Science 177:709-710, 1972 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. KWANMEDOFFKOBAYASHI CGG: Potentiation of the antifungal effects of antibiotics by amphotericin B. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2:61-65, 1972 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. HOEPRICHFINN PP: Activity of combinations of antifungal agents against Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans. Abstracts of the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, Abstract Mm 42, p. 135, 1972 Google Scholar5. JAWETZ E: The use of combinations of antimicrobial drugs. Ann Rev Pharmacol 8:151-170, 1968 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Veterans Administration Hospital Dallas, Tex. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited ByEndophthalmitis in Systemic Disease: A Review of Candida Albicans EndophthalmitisSuccessful Treatment of Candidaendophthalmitis With a Synergistic Combination of Amphotericin a and RifampinPrognostic Factors in Cryptococcal Meningitis A Study in 111 CasesRICHARD D. DIAMOND, M.D., JOHN E. BENNETT, M.D., F.A.C.P. 1 March 1973Volume 78, Issue 3Page: 450-450KeywordsAmphotericinAntimicrobialsDrugs Issue Published: 1 March 1973 PDF DownloadLoading ...