tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Interleukin-10-mediated heme oxygenase 1-induced underlying mechanism in inflammatory down-regulation by norfloxacin in cirrhosis
Authors: Isabel Gómez-Hurtado, Pedro Zapater, Pablo Bellot, Sonia Pascual, Miguel Pérez-Mateo, José Such, Rubén Francés
Journal: Hepatology (2010)

Patients with cirrhosis receiving norfloxacin show a restored inflammatory balance that likely prevents clinical complications derived from an excessive proinflammatory response to bacterial product challenges. This study sought to investigate associated inflammatory control mechanisms established in patients with cirrhosis receiving norfloxacin. A total of 62 patients with cirrhosis and ascites in different clinical conditions were considered. Blood samples were collected and intracellular and serum norfloxacin were measured. Inflammatory mediators were evaluated at messenger RNA and protein levels. Neutrophils from all patients were cultured with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and anti-interleukin-10 (anti-IL-10) monoclonal antibody in different conditions. IL-10 and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) were up-regulated in patients receiving norfloxacin and correlated with norfloxacin in a concentration-dependent manner, whereas proinflammatory inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, and nuclear factor-κB behaved inversely. Higher IL-10 levels correlated with lower white blood cell count and higher mean arterial pressure. No correlations were found between IL-10 and disease clinical scores or liver function markers in blood. Neutrophilic in vitro assays showed that the effect of LPS on proinflammatory mediator levels in the presence of norfloxacin was abrogated by significantly increasing IL-10 and HO-1 expression. After stimulation with LPS plus anti-IL-10, proinflammatory mediators were dramatically increased in patients receiving norfloxacin, and increasing intracellular norfloxacin concentrations did not decrease the expression levels of these proinflammatory molecules. Unblocking IL-10 restored proinflammatory mediator and HO-1 expression to previously observed levels in response to LPS stimulation. Although the described association does not necessarily mean causality, an IL-10-mediated HO-1-induced anti-inflammatory mechanism is present in patients with cirrhosis receiving norfloxacin, that is directly associated with cell-modulating events in these patients.
A quarter of patients in some European hospitals acquire infections
Authors: R. Watson
Journal: BMJ (2010)

The Stockholm based European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has launched a campaign to alert hospitals to the prudent use of antibiotics at the same time as it has confirmed 77 cases of a new multidrug resistant “superbug” from India.

The centre pointed out that every year up to 400 000 patients across the European Union are infected by organisms that are resistant to several antibiotics. An emerging trend in Klebsiella pneumoniae , a common cause of infection, is the proportion of resistance to powerful last line antibiotics such as carbapenems.

Marc Sprenger, the centre’s director, said, “Antibiotic resistance remains a …
Risk of Cardiovascular and All-Cause Mortality: Impact of Impaired Health-Related Functioning and Diabetes
Authors: Emily D. Williams, Lal Rawal, Brian F. Oldenburg, Carla Renwick, Jonathan E. Shaw, Robyn J. Tapp
Journal: Diabetes Care (2012)

OBJECTIVE There is an established link between health-related functioning (HRF) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, and it is known that those with diabetes predominantly die of CVD. However, few studies have determined the combined impact of diabetes and impaired HRF on CVD mortality. We investigated whether this combination carries a higher CVD risk than either component alone. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle (AusDiab) study included 11,247 adults aged ≥25 years from 42 randomly selected areas of Australia. At baseline (1999–2000), diabetes status was defined using the World Health Organization criteria and HRF was assessed using the SF-36 questionnaire. RESULTS Overall, after 7.4 years of follow-up, 57 persons with diabetes and 105 without diabetes had died from CVD. In individuals with and without diabetes, HRF measures were significant predictors of increased CVD mortality. The CVD mortality risks among those with diabetes or impaired physical health component summary (PCS) alone were similar (diabetes only: hazard ratio 1.4 [95% CI 0.7–2.7]; impaired PCS alone: 1.5 [1.0–2.4]), while those with both diabetes and impaired PCS had a much higher CVD mortality (2.8 [1.6–4.7]) compared with those without diabetes and normal PCS (after adjustment for multiple covariates). Similar results were found for the mental health component summary. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates that the combination of diabetes and impaired HRF is associated with substantially higher CVD mortality. This suggests that, among those with diabetes, impaired HRF is likely to be important in the identification of individuals at increased risk of CVD mortality.
Use and Effectiveness of Interpreters in an Emergency Department
Authors: David W. Baker
Journal: JAMA (1996)

<h3>Objective.</h3> —To determine how often interpreters were used for Spanish-speaking patients, patients' perceived need for an interpreter, and the impact of interpreter use on patients' subjective and objective knowledge of their diagnosis and treatment. <h3>Design.</h3> —Cross-sectional survey. <h3>Setting.</h3> —Public hospital emergency department. <h3>Patients.</h3> —A total of 467 native Spanish-speaking and 63 English-speaking Latino patients presenting with nonurgent medical problems. <h3>Main Outcome Measures.</h3> —Patients' report of whether an interpreter was used, whether one was needed, self-perceived understanding of diagnosis and treatment, and objective knowledge of discharge instructions. <h3>Results.</h3> —An interpreter was used for 26% of Spanish-speaking patients. For 52%, an interpreter was not used but was not thought to be necessary by the patient. A total of 22% said an interpreter was not used but should have been used. When both the patient's English and the examiner's Spanish were poor, an interpreter was not called 34% of the time, and 87% of the patients who did not have an interpreter thought one should have been used. Nurses and physicians interpreted most frequently (49%), and professional interpreters were used for only 12% of patients. Patients who said an interpreter was not necessary rated their understanding of their disease as good to excellent 67% of the time, compared with 57% of those who used an interpreter and 38% of those who thought an interpreter should have been used (<i>P</i>&lt;.001 ). For understanding of treatment, the figures were 86%, 82%, and 58%, respectively (<i>P</i>&lt;.001). However, when objective measures of understanding diagnosis and treatment were used, the differences between these groups were smaller and generally not statistically significant. There were no differences between English-speaking Latinos and native Spanish-speakers who said they did not need an interpreter. <h3>Conclusions.</h3> —Interpreters are often not used despite a perceived need by patients, and the interpreters who are used usually lack formal training in this skill. Language concordance and interpreter use greatly affected patients' perceived understanding of their disease, but a high proportion of patients in all groups had poor knowledge of their diagnosis and recommended treatment. (<i>JAMA</i>. 1996;275:783-788)
THREE CASES OF AMEBIC DYSENTERY TREATED WITH SALVARSAN
Authors: S. H. WADHAMS
Journal: JAMA (1913)

Basing deductions on insufficient evidence and forming definite conclusions which take into consideration but few cases is a dangerous tendency which each year is being more widely realized. So many unreported factors may be concerned with so-called cures that until large numbers of observations have been made it is hazardous to attempt a scientific report on a meager number of cases.  We fully appreciate this, and the following case reports would not be presented at this time were it probable that further studies could be made at this post. Other physicians located at places in which amebic dysentery is more common may, however, definitely determine whether or not the very suggestive results herein reported were due to the treatment outlined.  The most interesting case (Case 1) had given a positive (+ +) Wassermann reaction and it was only when the patient, a non-commissioned officer, had reported a marked cessation in the frequent
Neisseria meningitidis ST-11 clonal complex bearing capsule serogroups B, C, or W in Brazil
Authors: David E. Barroso, Terezinha M.P.P. Castiñeiras, Adriana C. Cabral, Ana C.P. Vicente, Maria C. Rebelo, Elaine O. Cerqueira, Mary M. Tulenko, Jane W. Marsh, Mary G. Krauland, Lee H. Harrison
Journal: Journal of Infection (2013)
From repression and attention to culture and automaticity
Authors: Amir Raz, Horacio Fabrega
Journal: Behavioral and Brain Sciences (2006)

Erdelyi grants “repression” emotional and cognitive qualities that can modulate consciousness and probably overlap with what is typically attributed to “attention.” Such a broad appellation of repression explains virtually all behavior and lacks specificity. Repression and attention elucidate behavior in different clinical, cognitive, and cultural contexts. Refining these influences, we identify a few lacunae in Erdelyi's account.
The American Diabetes Association and World Health Organization Classifications for Diabetes
Authors: Beatriz L. Rodriguez, Robert D. Abbott, Wilfred Fujimoto, Beth Waitzfelder, Randi Chen, Kamal Masaki, Irwin Schatz, Helen Petrovitch, Webster Ross, Katsuhiko Yano, Patricia L. Blanchette, J. David Curb
Journal: Diabetes Care (2002)

OBJECTIVE—To compare the prevalence of diabetes according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and World Health Organization (WHO) classifications in a sample of elderly Japanese-American men; to examine the association with total and cardiovascular mortality by diabetes status using both classifications; and to determine whether the fasting or 2-h glucose measurement is a stronger predictor of adverse outcomes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—Examinations given from 1991 to 1993 in the Honolulu Heart Program were used as baseline for these analyses. Subjects were 71–93 years of age at that time and were followed for total and cardiovascular disease mortality for up to 7 years. RESULTS—A total of ∼66% of individuals who had diabetes by WHO criteria were missed when the ADA definition was used. The relative risks of total and cardiovascular mortality for those with versus those without diabetes were similar for both definitions; however, when fasting and postload glucose measures were analyzed as continuous variables, the 2-h measurement was a superior predictor and was independent of fasting glucose. In contrast, fasting glucose was not an independent predictor of these outcomes in the presence of the 2-h measurement. CONCLUSIONS—The prevalence of glucose metabolism abnormalities was very high among elderly Japanese-American men. The WHO classification was superior to the ADA classification in identification of subjects at high risk for adverse outcomes. Therefore, we conclude that the 2-h glucose measurement is valuable and should be retained in epidemiologic studies.
Cholestyramine Promotes Receptor-Mediated Low-Density-Lipoprotein Catabolism
Authors: James Shepherd, Christopher J. Packard, Susan Bicker, T. D. Veitch Lawrie, H. Gemmell Morgan
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (1980)

We studied the influence of cholestyramine (24 g per day) on receptor-mediated and receptor-independent low-density-lipoprotein catabolism in five women with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. Cholestyramine lowered the level of circulating low-density-lipoprotein apoprotein by doubling (P less than 0.01) its fractional clearance via the receptor path, but fractional catabolism by the receptor-independent route remained unchanged. Moreover, although the absolute rate of catabolism of the apoprotein was not affected by treatment, the amounts handled by each pathway altered. Catabolism via the physiologically controllable receptor route increased by 71 per cent (P less than 0.05), but there was a 12 per cent drop in clearance by the nonreceptor pathway. These data demonstrate the utility of cholestyramine in promoting low-density-lipoprotein catabolism via its specific physiologic clearance pathway. They also show that heterozygotes with familial hypercholesterolemia can increase the activity of their low-density-lipoprotein receptors when presented with an appropriate stimulus.
POISONING FROM BITES OF COPPERHEAD SNAKES (ANCISTRODON CONTORTRIX)
Authors: PRENTISS WILLSON
Journal: JAMA (1910)

Recently, through the courtesy of Dr. George Tully Vaughan, I saw in a ward of the Georgetown University Hospital the following case of poisoning from the bite of a copperhead: The patient, a boy aged 13, had been playing under a bridge, and on reaching up to one of the timber supports felt a sharp stinging pain in the index finger of his left hand. No snake was seen. The hand began to swell rapidly and the boy hastened home and was then taken to see a physician, who diagnosed the case as one of snake-bite, placed a ligature around the forearm and finger, and advised that the boy be hurried to a hospital in Washington. This was done and the boy reached Washington from an adjoining state late in the afternoon of the day on which the injury was received. At this time the child was in a condition of
P1176 INCIDENCE AND RISK FACTORS FOR INFECTIONS DURING INTERFERON-BASED TREATMENT OF CHRONIC HEPATITIS C PATIENTS WITH ADVANCED HEPATIC FIBROSIS
Authors: R. Maan, A.J. van der Meer, B.E. Hansen, J.J. Feld, H. Wedemeyer, J.-F. Dufour, H.F. Zangneh, F. Lammert, M.P. Manns, S. Zeuzem, H.L.A. Janssen, R.J. de Knegt, B.J. Veldt
Journal: Journal of Hepatology (2014)
Abstract B26: Reelin signaling in tumor microenvironment is required for metastasis of mammary carcinoma cells.
Authors: Elvira Khialeeva, Joan W. Chou, Ellen M. Carpenter
Journal: Cancer Research (2015)

Abstract We have investigated the role of reelin signaling in the microenvironment of breast cancer and found that reelin is essential for progression of mammary tumors to metastasis. Reelin signaling serves to position neurons in the developing central nervous system, but functions of this signaling pathway in other tissues have not been studied until recently. Our laboratory discovered that the reelin pathway is an important regulator of mammary gland development. We showed that reelin and Dab1, the intracellular adaptor protein for reelin, are required for timely development and proper morphology of the mammary gland. We also found that normal mammary epithelial cells (MECs) can respond to exogenous reelin by slowing their migration rate, while mouse mammary carcinoma 4T1 cells lose this response, likely through downregulation of Dab1 mRNA. Orthotopic injections of 4T1 cells into wild type Balb/C mice resulted in aggressive tumors that produced numerous metastases in the lungs by 4 weeks post-injection. However, when these cells were injected into mice that lack reelin or Dab1 (reeler and Dab1 mutant mice), we saw a dramatic reduction in lung metastases despite the presence of primary tumors comparable in size to the tumors formed in wild type mice. We show that this phenotype is dependent upon loss of reelin in the host environment, since tumor cells isolated from reeler mutant mice produce primary tumors and lung metastases when injected into Balb/C mice. Using soft agar colony assays and Western blotting, we show that the inability of 4T1 cells to metastasize in mutant animals might be due to a reduced capacity of mammary carcinoma cells to undergo epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) in an environment deficient for reelin signaling. In addition, tumors from reeler and Dab1 mutant mice appear to have more differentiated cells as shown by anti-α smooth muscle Actin and anti-K14 immunostaining. Ki-67 staining showed no differences in proliferation between tumors from wild type, reeler or Dab1 mutant mice. Finally, tail vein injections of 4T1 cells into reeler mutant mice also fail to produce metastases, indicating that reelin signaling in the host environment might have important functions at several steps of the metastatic process. Our results implicate reelin signaling as an essential component of transition from the primary tumor to a metastatic carcinoma. Citation Format: Elvira Khialeeva, Joan W. Chou, Ellen M. Carpenter. Reelin signaling in tumor microenvironment is required for metastasis of mammary carcinoma cells.. [abstract]. In: Abstracts: AACR Special Conference on Cellular Heterogeneity in the Tumor Microenvironment; 2014 Feb 26-Mar 1; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(1 Suppl):Abstract nr B26. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.CHTME14-B26
Human Rights Act does not affect the law on PVS
Authors: C. Dyer
Journal: BMJ (2000)

The Human Rights Act does not affect doctors' right to withdraw artificial nutrition and hydration from patients in a permanent vegetative state (PVS), England's senior family judge ruled last week.

Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, president of the High Court's family division, gave the go-ahead for tube feeding to be withdrawn from two patients. She held that the principles laid down by the House of Lords seven years ago in the Bland case were not affected by the Human Rights Act. …
Angiotensin-Dependent Hypertension — Potential Pitfalls in Definition
Authors: Gordon H. Williams
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (1977)

The relation of the activity of the renin-angiotensin system to the pathogenesis of hypertension remains controversial. In an attempt to resolve this controversy, interruption of the renin-angiotensin system by pharmacologic technics is finding increasing use. One class of pharmacologic agents, exemplified by saralasin (1-sar, 8-ala angiotensin II), has an affinity for the angiotensin receptor but only a limited ability to "fire" it, thereby antagonizing the action of angiotensin II.1 It is not surprising that most studies have documented that these compounds, specifically saralasin, are partial agonists since they are produced by a modification of the parent compound's structure.2 Thus, these . . .
Identification of Loss of p16 Expression and Upregulation of MDR-1 as Genetic Events Resulting from Two Novel Chromosomal Translocations Found in a Plasmablastic Lymphoma of the Uterus
Authors: Eri Matsuki, Yoshitaka Miyakawa, Shuichi Asakawa, Yuiko Tsukada, Taketo Yamada, Kenji Yokoyama, Jun Kudoh, Yasuo Ikeda, Shinichiro Okamoto
Journal: Clinical Cancer Research (2011)

Abstract Purpose: To establish cell lines from the patient with plasmablastic lymphoma, who was immunologically competent including negative human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) serology, and analyze the unique chromosomal translocations seen in the cell lines in order to unveil the pathogenesis of this tumor, which had no evidence of Epstein-Barr virus involvement. Experimental Design: Establishment of the cell lines was attempted by inoculating the patient's lymph node biopsy specimen subcutaneously to immunodeficient mice. Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) array and FISH analysis were performed to identify breakpoints of the two chromosomal translocations. Of the 4 candidate genes identified by FISH analysis to be involved in the translocations, reverse transcription-PCR, Western blot, flow cytometry, and proliferation assay were performed to identify the exact genes involved. Results: Analysis of the cell lines identified loss of p16 at the protein level by chromosomal translocation of t(9;13) and upregulation of MDR-1 by t(4;7). The cell lines expressing MDR-1 acquired resistance to chemotherapeutic agents such as cisplatin and doxorubicin, but not bortezomib. Expression of B lymphoid lineage marker genes of these cell lines was negative for paired box 5 (Pax5) or PR domain containing 1, with ZNF domain (PRDM1), but was positive for X-box binding protein 1 (Xbp1). Conclusions: We established three novel cell lines of plasmablastic lymphoma. Characterization of the unique chromosomal translocation identified loss of p16 and upregulation of MDR-1 at protein level. Expression of Xbp1(s), which is involved in the maturation of plasma cells, corresponded to the plasmablastic appearance of the tumor. These cell lines may be a useful tool to understand the pathophysiology of the disease and to develop novel treatment strategies. Clin Cancer Res; 17(8); 2101–9. ©2011 AACR.
Guidelines for Handling Parenteral Antineoplastics-Reply
Authors: R. Mark Evans
Journal: JAMA (1985)

<h3>In Reply.—</h3> As staff scientist to the Council on Scientific Affairs, I researched and prepared the report entitled "Guidelines for Handling Parenteral Antineoplastics." Randall and Constable are concerned that readers might infer from the introduction to this report that combined chemotherapy and radiation may lead to a higher risk of secondary nonlymphocytic leukemia than chemotherapy alone. Careful reading of the text shows that we did not imply that risks were higher. The statement that patients received radiation therapy was included in an attempt to describe further the therapeutic intervention. Randall and Constable are correct in that not all patients in one of our references (<i>Am J Med</i>1983; 75:449-454) received radiation in addition to MOPP therapy (Mustargen [mechlorethamine hydrochloride], Oncovin [vincristine sulfate], procarbazine, and prednisone). However, I strongly object to the language of the last paragraph of their letter. This is an attempt to embroil this report in the controversial
Disproportionate ventricular septal thickening in the developing normal human heart.
Authors: B J Maron, J Verter
Journal: Circulation (1978)

A disproportionately thickened ventricular septum containing numerous disorganized cardiac muscle cells is the most characteristic anatomic feature of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Since information concerning ventricular wall thicknesses and cellular arrangement in the developing heart may be pertinent to understanding the genesis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, morphologic observations were made in 151 normal human embryos, fetuses and term infants. Disproportionate ventricular septal thickening (septal-free wall ratio greater than or equal to 1.3) was present in 94% of embryos and young fetuses; in over one-third disproportionate thickening was particularly pronounced (septal-free ratio greater than or equal to 2.0). Disproportionate septal thickening was also present in 65% of older fetuses, but in only 12% of infants over two weeks of age. Septal-free wall ratio decreased in a curvilinear fashion with increasing age and apporixmated unity in the newborn. This phenomenon occurred because, while both ventricular septal and left ventricular free wall thicknesses increased directly with age, free wall thickness increased at a greater rate than septal thickness, particularly after birth. Marked cellular disorganization in the septum was not a feature of the hearts studied.