tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Plasma levels of beta 2-microglobulin in rheumatoid arthritis.
Authors: K.G Sjöblom, T Saxne, F.A Wollheim
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (1980)

A simple and inexpensive method is described for the determination of beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2-MG) by enzyme-amplified single radial immunodiffusion. The values obtained with this method correlate well with those determined by means of a commerical RIA kit. Using the immunodiffusion method we have measured the plasma levels of beta 2-MG in 135 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and normal serum creatinine levels. 33% of the patients had increased concentrations of beta 2 MG, but the levels were found to correlate poorly with the values of several variables generally used as indices of the degree inflammatory activity in RA. Furthermore, in contrast to earlier claims to the contrary, beta 2-MG correlated positively with age. The value of beta 2-MG in plasma as an index of inflammatory activity in RA is questioned.
Effect of Optional Home Initiation of HIV Care Following HIV Self-testing on Antiretroviral Therapy Initiation Among Adults in Malawi
Authors: Peter MacPherson, David G. Lalloo, Emily L. Webb, Hendramoorthy Maheswaran, Augustine T. Choko, Simon D. Makombe, Anthony E. Butterworth, Joep J. van Oosterhout, Nicola Desmond, Deus Thindwa, Stephen Bertel Squire, Richard J. Hayes, Elizabeth L. Corbett
Journal: JAMA (2014)

<h3>Importance</h3> Self-testing for HIV infection may contribute to early diagnosis of HIV, but without necessarily increasing antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation. <h3>Objective</h3> To investigate whether offering optional home initiation of HIV care after HIV self-testing might increase demand for ART initiation, compared with HIV self-testing accompanied by facility-based services only. <h3>Design, Setting, and Participants</h3> Cluster randomized trial conducted in Blantyre, Malawi, between January 30 and November 5, 2012, using restricted 1:1 randomization of 14 community health worker catchment areas. Participants were all adult (≥16 years) residents (n = 16 660) who received access to home HIV self-testing through resident volunteers. This was a second-stage randomization of clusters allocated to the HIV self-testing group of a parent trial. <h3>Interventions</h3> Clusters were randomly allocated to facility-based care or optional home initiation of HIV care (including 2 weeks of ART if eligible) for participants reporting positive HIV self-test results. <h3>Main Outcomes and Measures</h3> The preplanned primary outcome compared between groups the proportion of all adult residents who initiated ART within the first 6 months of HIV self-testing availability. Secondary outcomes were uptake of HIV self-testing, reporting of positive HIV self-test results, and rates of loss from ART at 6 months. <h3>Results</h3> A significantly greater proportion of adults in the home group initiated ART (181/8194, 2.2%) compared with the facility group (63/8466, 0.7%; risk ratio [RR], 2.94, 95% CI, 2.10-4.12;<i>P</i> &lt; .001). Uptake of HIV self-testing was high in both the home (5287/8194, 64.9%) and facility groups (4433/8466, 52.7%; RR, 1.23; 95% CI, 0.96-1.58;<i>P</i> = .10). Significantly more adults reported positive HIV self-test results in the home group (490/8194 [6.0%] vs the facility group, 278/8466 [3.3%]; RR, 1.86; 95% CI, 1.16-2.97;<i>P</i> = .006). After 6 months, 52 of 181 ART initiators (28.7%) and 15 of 63 ART initiators (23.8%) in the home and facility groups, respectively, were lost from ART (adjusted incidence rate ratio, 1.18; 95% CI, 0.62-2.25,<i>P</i> = .57). <h3>Conclusions and Relevance</h3> Among Malawian adults offered HIV self-testing, optional home initiation of care compared with standard HIV care resulted in a significant increase in the proportion of adults initiating ART. <h3>Trial Registration</h3> clinicaltrials.gov Identifier:NCT01414413
Serum ceruloplasmin and ferroxidase activity are decreased in HFE C282Y homozygote male iron-overloaded patients
Authors: Fabrice Lainé, Martine Ropert, Caroline Le Lan, Olivier Loréal, Eric Bellissant, Christine Jard, Michel Pouchard, André Le Treut, Pierre Brissot
Journal: Journal of Hepatology (2002)
Who's got learning disabilities?
Authors: T Heller
Journal: BMJ (1994)

Great big tears were running down my face as the athlete I had been watching fell into the arms of her coach at the finish of the home straight. I was hoping that nobody would notice that the stadium doctor had succumbed to the high emotion of the event. In front of a crowded grandstand hundreds of Special Olympians were performing extraordinary athletic achievements. The young woman who had caught my attention was a blind athlete taking part in the 100 m walk. She had her own coach a pace in front of her, walking backwards and calling instructions. The relationship between that athlete and her coach was of such intensity and the effort so great that it touched a chord inside me and as they embraced just past the finishing line my tears welled up.

Is it patronising to put on these events and to pretend that this really is the Olympics? What is going on when nearly 2000 people with learning disabilities and their coaches and escorts come to Sheffield for a week of sporting activities? Enthusiasts for the Special Olympics movement would say that it's a jamboree …
Assessment of Mitral Annulus Velocity by Doppler Tissue Imaging in the Evaluation of Left Ventricular Diastolic Function
Authors: Dae-Won Sohn, In-Ho Chai, Dong-Jun Lee, Hee-Chan Kim, Hyo-Soo Kim, Byung-Hee Oh, Myoung-Mook Lee, Young-Bae Park, Yun-Shik Choi, Jung-Don Seo, Young-Woo Lee
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (1997)
Radionuclides in the lichen-caribou-human food chain near uranium mining operations in northern Saskatchewan, Canada.
Authors: P A Thomas, T E Gates
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (1999)

The richest uranium ore bodies ever discovered (Cigar Lake and McArthur River) are presently under development in northeastern Saskatchewan. This subarctic region is also home to several operating uranium mines and aboriginal communities, partly dependent upon caribou for subsistence. Because of concerns over mining impacts and the efficient transfer of airborne radionuclides through the lichen-caribou-human food chain, radionuclides were analyzed in tissues from 18 barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus). Radionuclides included uranium (U), radium (226Ra), lead (210Pb), and polonium (210Po) from the uranium decay series; the fission product (137Cs) from fallout; and naturally occurring potassium (40K). Natural background radiation doses average 2-4 mSv/year from cosmic rays, external gamma rays, radon inhalation, and ingestion of food items. The ingestion of 210Po and 137Cs when caribou are consumed adds to these background doses. The dose increment was 0.85 mSv/year for adults who consumed 100 g of caribou meat per day and up to 1.7 mSv/year if one liver and 10 kidneys per year were also consumed. We discuss the cancer risk from these doses. Concentration ratios (CRs), relating caribou tissues to lichens or rumen (stomach) contents, were calculated to estimate food chain transfer. The CRs for caribou muscle ranged from 1 to 16% for U, 6 to 25% for 226Ra, 1 to 2% for 210Pb, 6 to 26% for 210Po, 260 to 370% for 137Cs, and 76 to 130% for 40K, with 137Cs biomagnifying by a factor of 3-4. These CRs are useful in predicting caribou meat concentrations from the lichens, measured in monitoring programs, for the future evaluation of uranium mining impacts on this critical food chain.
Prognostic significance of bcl‐2, bax, and p53 expression in diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma
Authors: Sang Kyun Sohn, Jin Tae Jung, Dong Hwan Kim, Jong Gwang Kim, Eun Kyung Kwak, Tae in Park, Dong Gun Shin, Kyung Rak Sohn, Kyu Bo Lee
Journal: American Journal of Hematology (2003)

Abstract Diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLCL) exhibits heterogeneous clinical features and varies markedly in response to treatment and prognosis. Because apoptosis‐related proteins may play an important role in predicting the prognosis of DLCL, the current study investigated the prognostic significance of a high level of bcl‐2, bax, and p53 expression in relation to clinical characteristics in patients with DLCL. Paraffin‐embedded specimens from 94 patients with de novo DLCL were analyzed immunohistochemically for bcl‐2, bax, and p53 gene expression. Cases with a positive immunohistological stain in more than 50% of the tumor cells were considered to have DLCL‐positive expression. Patients were treated optimally, i.e., with radiotherapy including brief cycles of CHOP or CHOP‐like regimens for patients with stage 1–2A diseases and with at least 6 cycles of CHOP or CHOP‐like regimens for stage 2B–4 diseases. The responses to therapy and survival were then analyzed in 94 uniformly staged patients. bcl‐2 expression was identified in 24 patients (26.4%), bax expression in 35 patients (37.6 %), and p53 expression in 21 patients (22.6%). bax expression proved to be a statistically significant prognostic factor in predicting the overall survival (OS) ( P = 0.0015) and disease‐free survival (DFS) ( P = 0.0052), regardless of other clinical factors or immunohistological results. There was no significant difference in the OS ( P = 0.0682) or DFS ( P = 0.088) between the bcl‐2‐positive ( n = 24) and bcl‐2‐negative ( n = 67) groups. However, bcl‐2 expression was found to be unfavorably associated with the OS ( P = 0.0054) in a confined group with low ( n = 51) or low intermediate ( n = 22) IPI scores. The expression of p53 exhibited no statistical correlation with the OS or DFS. A multivariate analysis revealed that IPI score, bulky mass, and bax expression were all significantly associated with the DFS or OS. bax and bcl‐2 should be considered as independent biologic prognostic parameters in DLCL, thereby aiding in the identification of patient risk groups. As such, bcl‐2‐positive patients with a low or low intermediate IPI score, or without a high level of bax expression could be candidates for more intensive therapy or alternative therapeutic approaches. Am. J. Hematol. 73:101–107, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy
Authors: John B. Nanninga
Journal: JAMA (1984)

This textbook is a comprehensive treatise on virtually all facets of benign enlargement of the prostate. The importance of the subject is indicated by the fact that greater than 80% of men older than 50 years will be affected by this disease. In this text, the subject matter is broken down into ten sections, each with its own section editor. The first three sections deal with the evolution of benign prostatic hypertrophy, the structure and function of the prostate, and endocrine control of the prostate. The next four sections comprise an extensive presentation of the effects of prostatic obstruction and its measurement, both experimental and clinical. Three sections then describe surgical indications, techniques, and results of treatment. Finally, there is an annotated bibliography provided as a concluding section, which, in addition to the references supplied the end of each chapter, serves to compile key references according to their value for
Abstract LB-82: Modulation of autophagic flux by CPTH6, a Gcn5/pCAF histone acetyltransferase inhibitor with antitumoral activity
Authors: Chiara Gabellini, Ylenia Ragazzoni, Marianna Desideri, Riccardo Nescatelli, Simone Carradori, Daniela Secci, Daniela Trisciuoglio, Donatella Del Bufalo
Journal: Cancer Research (2012)

Abstract The thiazole-derivative 3-methylcyclopentilidene-[4-(4′-chlorophenyl)thiazol-2-yl]hydrazone (CPTH6) is a Gcn5 and pCAF histone acetyltransferases inhibitor that induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in human leukemia cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether CPTH6-induced apoptosis is associated with other cell death mechanisms, such as autophagy. Herein, we show that CPTH6 interferes with autophagic flux in several human tumor cell lines of different origin. CPTH6 treatment increases microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3-II (LC3-II) levels and induces the appearance of typical LC3-II- associated autophagosomal puncta in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Moreover, this compound decreases the expression of autophagy promoting proteins beclin1, Atg5 and Atg12. Strikingly, combined treatment of CPTH6 with bafilomycin A1, a proton ATPase inhibitor, demonstrates that CPTH6 reduces autophagosomes turnover, through an impairment of their degradation pathway, rather than enhancing autophagosomes formation. According to these results, CPTH6 treatment enhances p62/SQSTM1 protein levels in several tumor cell lines, indicating a blockage of autophagic cargo degradation. CPTH6 also reduces the phosphorylation of several components of transduction signalling pathways, such as Akt, 4E-BP1 and eIF4E, ERK1/2 and GSK-3α/β while it activates p38 MAPK pathway. In vivo CPTH6 exposure does not produce any adverse effects on health in mice as monitored by diet consumption, body-weight loss, postural and behavioral changes. Most importantly, CPTH6 exerts antitumoral effect on U937 human leukemia xenografts. These findings demonstrate that CPTH6 induces apoptosis and interferes with autophagic flux in human cancer cells, supporting further exploration of CPTH6 and related molecules as potential anticancer agents. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-82. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-LB-82
Reflex vasodilation induced by coronary angiography in human subjects.
Authors: R Zelis, C C Caudill, K Baggette, D T Mason
Journal: Circulation (1976)

In order to evaluate the reflex peripheral vascular effects of coronary arteriography, forearm blood flow was measured plethysmographically and forearm vascular resistance calculated before and during coronary angiography with Hypaque-M, 75%, and Renografin-76. The injection of Hypaque into the left coronary artery resulted in a forearm vasodilation which could not be duplicated by an injection of a comparable amount of contrast into the ascending aorta, three centimeters above the coronary ostia. Forearm blood flow rose from 2.95 to 5.41 ml/min/100 ml (83.4%) and forearm vascular resistance fell from 35.8 to 19.9 mm Hg/ml/min/100 ml (44.4%). Renografin injected into the left coronary artery resulted in less forearm vasodilation (21% increase in forearm blood flow and 32% decrease in forearm vascular resistance). When coronary arteriography was repeated following injection of atropine into the brachial artery, no forearm vasodilation occurred. It is suggested that in human subjects myocardial or coronary artery receptors can be activated by the intracoronary injection of iodinated contrast media which results in a forearm vasodilation.
Cancer Stem Cells Promote Tumor Vascular Development – Letter
Authors: Thierry Bonnefoix, Mary Callanan
Journal: Cancer Research (2010)

In their study, Folkins and colleagues (1) stated that the tumor-initiating capacity of C6 glioma rat cells explored by limiting dilution transplantation assays (LDTAs) was similar for C6 cells maintained in serum-containing (Ser+) conditions (Ser+ LDTA) and C6 cells maintained in serum-free supplemented (SFS) conditions (SFS LDTA), except at one cell dilution (5000 injected cells), at which a difference in tumor-initiating capacity was noticeable (Table 1). As pointed out by the authors, this result was in sharp contrast with their findings that C6 SFS cultures were significantly enriched in cancer stem cells (CSCs) compared with C6 Ser+ cultures, as evidenced by the increased formation of tumor spheres and the expression of the marker nestin in SFS conditions. The authors could not provide a valuable explanation regarding this discrepancy. We propose here a statistical approach demonstrating that the Ser+ LDTA is not adequately fitted by the Single-Hit Poisson Model (SHPM; ref. 2), a major finding precluding any comparison between Ser+ and SFS LDTAs. Briefly, the SHPM is written as (3):ln[−ln(π)=ln(f)+β(1)X,where β(1) = 1; π is the proportion of injection sites free of tumors; f is the frequency of clonogenic cells; and X = ln(x), where x is the number of cells (100–50,000) injected at each site. A random component, termed Z, can be added to the SHPM, defining the R-SHPM and written as:ln[−ln(π)]=α+β(1)X+σz,where z is considered to be a normally distributed random variable (4). Checking the SHPM hypothesis is performed by testing whether the coefficient σ is equal to 0 (5). As can be seen in Table 1, the null hypothesis, σ = 0, is rejected at the 5% significance level for the Ser+ LDTA with P(χ2) = 0.047. This statistical approach should be used routinely to evaluate the SHPM hypothesis in LDTAs. Technical parameters, such as cell clumps, may explain deviation from the SHPM.No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.
ABC of colorectal cancer: Screening
Authors: J. H Scholefield
Journal: BMJ (2000)

Colorectal cancer is the third commonest malignancy in the United Kingdom, after lung and breast cancer, and kills about 20 000 people a year.It is equally prevalent in men and women, usually occurring in later life (at age 60-70 years).The incidence of the disease has generally increased over recent decades in both developed and developing countries.Despite this trend, mortality in both sexes has slowly declined.This decrease in mortality may reflect a trend towards earlier diagnosis-perhaps as a result of increased public awareness of the disease.
EXPERIMENTAL POLIOMYELITIS IN MONKEYSEIGHTH NOTE: FURTHER CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SUBJECTS OF IMMUNIZATION AND SERUM THERAPY
Authors: SIMON FLEXNER
Journal: JAMA (1910)

EIGHTH NOTE: FURTHER CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SUBJECTS OF IMMUNIZATION AND SERUM THERAPY * In our seventh note<sup>1</sup>on experimental poliomyelitis we treated of some of the phenomena of active immunization and passive serum protection in respect to epidemic poliomyelitis, and in this connection we wish to record some additional observations of the same general import. It can now be accepted as established that human beings and monkeys who have passed through an attack of poliomyelitis have come to contain in their blood certain neutralizing principles for the virus of poliomyelitis; that these principles are readily demonstrable by animal tests for two or more years in human beings, and that they probably persist for as great a period in monkeys. It has, moreover, been shown that monkeys which have recovered from an attack of poliomyelitis are highly refractory to reinoculation with the virus of poliomyelitis, and it is probable that the recovered
Looking at the Patient — Approaching the Problem of COPD
Authors: Stephen I. Rennard
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (2004)

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is currently the fourth leading cause of death in the United States and is expected to become the third leading cause of death by 2020. Cigarette smoking is the major risk factor, but as many as 20 percent of patients who have COPD or die from the disease are lifelong nonsmokers. Despite its importance as a public health problem, COPD is vastly underappreciated. It is underdiagnosed and, when diagnosed, commonly undertreated. The need to increase awareness about COPD is a worldwide problem and has led to a number of initiatives, including the Global Initiative for . . .
Haptoglobins and Rheumatic Fever
Authors: R. F. Murray, J. C. Robinson, T. D. Dublin, E. L. Pitt, S. Visnich
Journal: BMJ (1966)

The haptoglobins are polymorphic ?2-globulins which combine with free haemoglobin (Polonovski and Jayle, 1940). The usual method of haptoglobin typing with starch-gel electro phoresis reveals three phenotypes designated Hp 1-1, 2-1, and 2-2 (Smithies, 1955). A fourth phenotype in which no haptoglobin bands are detected has been classified Hp 0. Special methods reveal 15 possible haptoglobin phenotypes which are produced by the action of five autosomai, allelic, co-dominant genes (HplF, Hpls, Hp2FF, Hp2FS, Hp2SS) at a single locus (Connell et al., 1962 ; Nance and Smithies, 1963). This polymorphism has been studied in many populations. Both racial and regional variations in gene frequencies have been re ported (Parker and Beam, 1961). There is no known reason for such variations, but it is suspected that the //p1 and Hp2 genes are now or have in the past been influenced by one or more selective factors. Evidence for this hypothesis has been presented in a study (Workman et al., 1963) in which the Hp1 gene frequency differences between the West African and American negro populations could not be accounted for on the basis of gene migration alone. Their evidence suggests that the haptoglob'n genes have different adaptive values in the two populations and that the polymorphism may possibly be un stable in the populations studied. The level of haptoglobin in the blood is influenced by a variety of factors. These include inflammation, haemolysis, hormone administration, administration of pyrogens, and probably genetic constitution (Nyman, 1959). Variations re lated to sex (Nyman, 1959), age (Jayle and Moretti, 1962), and haptoglobin phenotype (Smith and Owen, 1961) have also been found. Mean levels of haptoglobin in relation to pheno type in decreasing order are : Hp l-l>Hp 2-l>Hp 2-2. Rheumatic fever is a disease which produces inflammatory changes in connective tissue. During the acute attack serum haptoglobin levels are markedly elevated (Owen et al., 1964). This is probably due to the release of a material from the in flamed tissue which stimulates the hepatic synthesis of hapto globin (Borel et al., 1964). No information concerning the haptoglob'n levels of individuals who have recovered from the acute attack of rheumatic fever is available. The present study was done to compare the distributions of haptoglobin pheno types and haptoglobin levels of a suitable control population with those of a group of adults who had had one or more documented episodes of rheumatic fever or clinically proved rheumatic heart disease some time in the past.
Drug Spotlight on Psychotherapeutic Drugs
Authors: GEORGE N. AAGAARD
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1973)

Editorial Notes1 July 1973Drug Spotlight on Psychotherapeutic DrugsGEORGE N. AAGAARD, M.D.GEORGE N. AAGAARD, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-79-1-130_1 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptThe second article in our Drug Spotlight series is Doctor Hollister's concise review of psychotherapeutic drugs, on page 88 of this issue. In probably no other group of drugs, except perhaps antibiotics, is there so much potential for misuse and abuse. If the physician cannot select drugs of this group appropriately for particular cases and prescribe them properly, who can?Consider these questions as you study the use of these drugs in your hospital.1. Are barbiturates overused in your hospital as hypnotics? What percentage of your patients have barbiturates ordered for hypnotic use as a standing order, as a... This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics Department of Medicine School of Medicine University of Washington Seattle, Washington PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics 1 July 1973Volume 79, Issue 1Page: 130-130KeywordsAntibioticsDrug abuseDrugs Issue Published: 1 July 1973 PDF DownloadLoading ...