tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
1418 DACLATASVIR COMBINED WITH PEGINTERFERON ALFA-2A AND RIBAVIRIN FOR 12 OR 16 WEEKS IN PATIENTS WITH HCV GENOTYPE 2 OR 3 INFECTION: COMMAND GT2/3 STUDY
Authors: G.J. Dore, E. Lawitz, C. H'ezode, S. Shafran, A. Ramji, H. Tatum, G. Taliani, A. Tran, M. Brunetto, S. Zaltron, S. Strasser, N. Weis, W. Ghesquiere, S. Lee, D. Larrey, S. Pol, H. Harley, J. George, S. Fung, V. de L'edinghen, P. Hagens, D. Cohen, E. Cooney, S. Noviello, E. Hughes
Journal: Journal of Hepatology (2013)
New US prevention guidelines focus on overall risk of cardiovascular disease
Authors: M. McCarthy
Journal: BMJ (2013)

Four US expert panels have released a set of guidelines on prevention of cardiovascular disease that emphasize lifestyle factors and that substantially change the recommended approach to treating high blood cholesterol concentrations.

The guidelines were commissioned by the US National Health Lung and Blood Institute and drawn up by expert panels from the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, and the Obesity Society.

The four guidelines deal with assessment of the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease; the treatment of high blood cholesterol concentrations; “heart healthy” lifestyles; and management of overweight and obese adults.

Heart disease and stroke are the leading causes of death and disability in the United States. It is estimated that about a third of US adults have elevated blood cholesterol, while a third have high blood pressure and another third are “pre-hypertensive” and at high risk of developing high blood pressure.

Currently, a quarter of people in the US over the age of 40 have been prescribed a cholesterol lowering hydroxymethyl glutaryl coenzyme A (HMG CoA) reductase inhibitor (statin).

The new risk assessment guideline uses a formula that is based on information easily collected in a primary care setting, such as age, cholesterol concentrations, blood pressure, smoking history, and diagnosis of diabetes. This information can then be entered into equations given in the guideline to create a risk score to guide patient counseling and, if warranted, treatment.1

The panel recommends that clinicians use the guideline’s risk assessment equations for patients aged 40-79 years. A person whose assessment indicates that they have a 7.5% or greater 10 year risk of cardiovascular disease is considered to be at high risk. The guideline provides a separate equation to estimate a person’s lifetime risk, which is recommended from age 20.

David C Goff, …
Attacks on health workers in conflict areas should be documented for advocacy purposes, conference hears
Authors: A. Gulland
Journal: BMJ (2013)

Routine medical services must be maintained during conflict situations, Margaret Mungherera, president of the World Medical Association, has said.

Mungherera, a psychiatrist in Uganda, told a conference on healthcare in dangerous situations organised in London by the International Committee of the Red Cross that one of the most important factors for a country’s recovery after a conflict was the maintenance of routine medical services such as primary healthcare and maternal healthcare.

“In Uganda the routine health services have been so disrupted that we are still struggling even 10 years after the conflict has ended,” she said.

“You can see the difference between areas where there was armed conflict and areas where there wasn’t. Family planning services and …
Electrophysiological Mapping and Ablation of Intra-Atrial Reentry Tachycardia After Fontan Surgery With the Use of a Noncontact Mapping System
Authors: Timothy R. Betts, Paul R. Roberts, Stuart A. Allen, Anthony P. Salmon, Barry R. Keeton, Marcus P. Haw, John M. Morgan
Journal: Circulation (2000)

Background —Atrial tachyarrhythmias are a complication of Fontan surgery. Conventional electrophysiological mapping and ablation techniques are limited by the complex anatomic and surgical substrate and a high arrhythmia recurrence rate. This study investigates the use of noncontact mapping to identify arrhythmia circuits and guide ablation in Fontan patients. Methods and Results —Eleven arrhythmias were recorded in 6 patients. Noncontact mapping improved recognition of the anatomic and surgical substrate and identified exit sites from zones of slow conduction in all clinical arrhythmias. Radiofrequency linear lesions were targeted across these critical zones in 5 patients. One patient underwent surgical cryotherapy. Although immediate success was achieved in 3 of 5 patients with radiofrequency ablation, 2 patients had a recurrence after a mean of 6.4 months of follow-up. The patient who underwent cryoablation remains free of arrhythmias. Conclusions —Noncontact mapping can identify arrhythmia circuits in the Fontan atrium and guide placement of ablation lesions. Arrhythmia recurrence is high, possibly because of inadequate lesion creation rather than inaccurate mapping and lesion targeting.
Fenofibrate prevents obesity and hypertriglyceridemia in low-density lipoprotein receptor-null mice
Authors: Sunhyo Jeong, Mina Kim, Miyoung Han, Hyunghee Lee, Jiwon Ahn, Moonza Kim, Yang-Heon Song, Chuog Shin, Ki-Hoan Nam, Tae Woo Kim, Goo Taeg Oh, Michung Yoon
Journal: Metabolism (2004)
Measurement of foot artery blood pressure by micromanometry in normal subjects and in patients with arterial occlusive disease.
Authors: A Bollinger, J P Barras, F Mahler
Journal: Circulation (1976)

Blood pressure was measured continuously in the posterior tibial or dorsalis pedis arteries using an isovolumetric system (steel cannulas of 0.18 mm, external diameter). The systolic values in the ankle arteries of 13 normal subjects at rest (154.3 +/- 22.3 mm Hg) exceeded the systolic arm pressure (128.9 +/- 20.1 mm Hg, P less than 0.001), while diastolic values (69.9 +/- 8.7 mm Hg) were not significantly different from the arm pressure. In 13 patients with arterial occlusive disease (AOD) the dicrotic notch, normally situated close to the footpoint of the downslope, was either displaced upward or abolished. Both mean systolic and diastolic values (94.9 +/- 35.9 mm Hg and 62.5 +/- 18.5 mm Hg, respectively) and also mean pressure amplitude were reduced compared to the corresponding arm values (158.5 +/- 28.2 mm Hg and 87.7 +/- 6.0 mm Hg, respectively, all P less than 0.001). Comparison between the systolic pressure values measured by micromanometry and by an indirect technique using Doppler ultrasound showed a good correlation (r = 0.87). During postocclusive reactive hyperemia, the initial pressure values were markedly diminished in normal subjects and reached control values within 40 sec. In patients with AOD, however, this reduction in pressure was more pronounced and prolonged. Flow measurements using plethysmography showed flow diversion from the foot to the calf as long as pressure values ranged below 40 mm Hg. This almost painless method appears useful for experimental and diagnostic studies in low pressure areas of the peripheral circulation.
A Novel Two–Nucleotide Deletion in the Ornithine Transcarbamylase Gene Causing Fatal Hyperammonia in Early Pregnancy
Authors: U Schimanski, D Krieger, M Horn, W Stremmel, B Wermuth, L Theilmann
Journal: Hepatology (1996)

Ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency shows X–linked inheritance. Typically, symptomatic females (who constitute 15%–20% of all carriers) have markedly reduced enzyme activity and show first symptoms in late infancy or early childhood. Here we present the case of a previously asymptomatic 24–year–old woman who died of severe hyperammonemia associated with orotic aciduria but normal OTC activity in the fourth month of pregnancy. DNA analysis revealed a novel mutation in form of the deletion of two nucleotides (T892, G893) in exon 9 of the OTC gene, leading to a frame shift and an aberrant gene product. We suggest that OTC deficiency should be suspected in any patient who presents with hyperammonia in the presence of otherwise normal liver function.
Aberrant O-GlcNAcylation characterizes chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Authors: Y. Shi, J. Tomic, F. Wen, S. Shaha, A. Bahlo, R. Harrison, J. W. Dennis, R. Williams, B. J. Gross, S. Walker, J. Zuccolo, J. P. Deans, Gerald Warren Hart, D. E. Spaner
Journal: Leukemia (2010)
ANTIRACHITIC PROPERTIES IMPARTED TO INERT FLUIDS BY ULTRAVIOLET IRRADIATION
Authors: Alfred F. Hess
Journal: JAMA (1924)

Within the last few years radiation has acquired a new significance for physicians, especially for those who are actively concerned with the welfare and treatment of infants. Although light rays are employed in the treatment of rickets and other diseases, little or nothing is known regarding the mechanism by which they produce such remarkable results. It seemed, therefore, that the experiments here briefly reported might be of interest in this connection. Investigations were carried out to ascertain whether by means of irradiation inert substances could be endowed with antirachitic potency. With this end in view, various fluids were irradiated with the mercury vapor quartz lamp. To summarize the results of these experiments, it may be stated that it was found that cottonseed oil, when irradiated for an hour at a distance of 1 foot, had acquired antirachitic properties. The experiments were carried out as follows: A very thin layer of
Targeting the Apoptosome for Cancer Therapy
Authors: Elizabeth C. Ledgerwood, Ian M. Morison
Journal: Clinical Cancer Research (2009)

Abstract Apoptosis is a programmed mechanism of cell death that ensures normal development and tissue homeostasis in metazoans. Avoidance of apoptosis is an important contributor to the survival of tumor cells, and the ability to specifically trigger tumor cell apoptosis is a major goal in cancer treatment. In vertebrates, numerous stress signals engage the intrinsic apoptosis pathway to induce the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria. Cytochrome c binds to apoptosis protease activating factor-1, triggering formation of the apoptosome, a multisubunit protein complex that serves as a platform for caspase activation. In this review we summarize the mechanisms of apoptosome assembly and activation, and our current understanding of the regulation of these processes. We detail the evidence that loss-of-function of the apoptosome pathway may contribute to the development of specific cancers. Finally we discuss recent results showing enhanced sensitivity of some tumor cells to cytochrome c–induced apoptosis, suggesting that agents able to directly or indirectly trigger apoptosome-catalyzed caspase activation in tumor cells could provide new approaches to cancer treatment.
Tobacco Control for Clinicians Who Treat Adolescents
Authors: J. D. Sargent, J. R. DiFranza
Journal: CA A Cancer Journal for Clinicians (2003)

Smoking remains the most common preventable cause of death in the developed world, and is rapidly becoming an important cause of death in the developing world. Nicotine is a powerfully addictive substance, and the tobacco industry spends billions annually promoting it in the United States. It is therefore important for clinicians to understand why people smoke, to address smoking in patients of all ages, and to lobby for health-preserving tobacco control policies at the community level. Children take up smoking in response to social influences: smoking by friends, parents, and family, and through exposure to smoking in media. Parents who smoke not only model the behavior, but also often make the product available by leaving cigarettes around the house. Media influences include the dollar 10 billion spent per year on tobacco marketing, but more importantly, the modeling of the behavior on screen by movie and television stars. Once children start smoking, many rapidly lose autonomy over the behavior. Youth can get hooked after smoking just a few cigarettes. The most effective community efforts for reducing tobacco use are: raising the price of tobacco; halting the sale of tobacco to minors; enforcing strict school tobacco policies; and making public places smoke free through local ordinances. Working with individuals, clinicians should support cessation in all smokers, including parents of children and adolescents. They should screen children for smoking risk factors beginning at age 10. They should teach parents to maintain smoke-free households, to set nonsmoking expectations early on, and to monitor adolescents for signs of smoking. Parents should limit exposure to adult media (e.g., R-rated movies) and use family television time to discuss the effect of seeing screen depictions of smoking on adolescent behavior. Adolescents who smoke should be assessed for signs of nicotine dependence and counseled about quitting. Clinicians are effective community voices; they should participate in efforts to raise tobacco taxes, limit the display of tobacco advertising, and make public places smoke free because of the adverse health effects of passive exposure to cigarette smoke.
Soybean Goiter
Authors: Thomas H. Shepard, Gordon E. Pyne, Joseph F. Kirschvink, Malcom McLean
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (1960)

ALTHOUGH goiters associated with soybean feeding have been produced experimentally in laboratory animals1 2 3 4 5 we have been able to find only 2 similar reports in human beings.6 , 7 In view of the widespread use of soybean milks in infancy, it is pertinent to record the appearance of goiters in 3 additional infants fed soybean formulas.Case ReportsCase 1.¶ A goiter developed when this female infant was placed on a soybean formula at 3 months of age. At 11 1/2 months, when cow's milk was substituted, the goiter subsided. She was admitted to Children's Orthopedic Hospital at 10 months of age because . . .
Sternotomy Infections with Mycoplasma hominis
Authors: DAVID O. STEFFENSON
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1987)

Mycoplasma hominis caused sternal wound infections with mediastinitis in three patients. One infection occurred in a nonimmunocompromised man after coronary artery bypass grafting. The wound did not heal after repeated debridement, closed irrigation of the mediastinum with povidone-iodine solution, and antimycoplasmal chemotherapy; muscle flap grafting was eventually required. Two infections occurred in recipients of heart-lung transplants after the isolation of mycoplasma from bronchial secretions. Although no Mycoplasma species were isolated after specific antimycoplasmal therapy was begun, the wounds still did not heal. Both patients died of other complications. Infection of wounds after sternotomy is another of an increasing number of infections caused by M. hominis in the normal and immunocompromised host. Familiarity with the morphologic characteristics of M. hominis on bacteriologic culture media may increase the recognition of this pathogen in atypical clinical settings.
Correlation between decreased myocardial glucose phosphorylation and the DNA mutation size in myotonic dystrophy.
Authors: D Annane, D Duboc, B Mazoyer, P Merlet, M Fiorelli, B Eymard, H Radvanyi, C Junien, M Fardeau, P Gajdos
Journal: Circulation (1994)

BACKGROUND Myotonic dystrophy, the most common form of adult dystrophy, has been shown to be caused by amplification of CTG triplet repeat in the 3' untranslated region of a protein kinase gene located on chromosome 19. Impaired glucose metabolism has been suggested as a possible explanation of brain and skeletal muscle involvement in this multisystem disease. We investigated whether myocardial glucose metabolism is impaired in myotonic dystrophy and whether this impairment is related to the size of the mutation. METHODS AND RESULTS The myocardial metabolic rate for glucose (MMRGlu, mumol.min-1.g-1), K1 (blood-to-tissue transfer constant), k2 (tissue-to-blood transfer constant), and k3 (phosphorylation rate constant) were determined in 7 control subjects and 12 patients with myotonic dystrophy by using parametric images generated from dynamic cardiac positron emission tomography (PET) and 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-glucose studies. The expansion of the CTG triplet repeats was analyzed in patients with the probe cDNA25 after EcoRI digestion. Nonparametric tests were used to compare quantitative variables between control subjects and patients. The correlations between the size of the mutation and PET parameters were studied by linear regression. MMRGlu and k3 were significantly decreased in patients compared with control subjects (0.39 +/- 0.20 versus 0.64 +/- 0.25, P = .03, and 0.09 +/- 0.07 versus 0.24 +/- 0.21, P = .03, respectively), whereas K1 and k2 were not statistically different between control subjects and patients. MMRGlu and k3 correlate inversely with the length of the CTG triplet repeat (r = -.65 and P = .03 for MMRGlu, and r = -.85 and P = .001 for k3, respectively). CONCLUSIONS In myotonic dystrophy, the observed reductions in MMRGlu and phosphorylation are inversely linked to the length of the mutation. This observation suggests that impaired modulation of a protein kinase involved in myocardial hexokinase activation may give a pathophysiological schema to relate the molecular defect and the abnormal myocardial metabolism in myotonic dystrophy.
Anti-(U1) small nuclear RNA antibodies in anti-small nuclear ribonucleoprotein sera from patients with connective tissue diseases.
Authors: W J van Venrooij, R Hoet, J Castrop, B Hageman, I W Mattaj, L B van de Putte
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (1990)

Small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) particles are a class of RNA-containing particles in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells. Sera from patients with connective tissue diseases often contain antibodies against the proteins present in these snRNPs. Antibodies against the RNA components of snRNPs, the U snRNAs, are thought to be rare. We tested 118 anti-snRNP sera for the presence of anti-snRNA antibodies and found them in 45 sera (38%). In all sera the antibodies (IgG and F(ab)2 fragments thereof) were exclusively directed against U1 snRNA. The anti-(U1) RNA antibodies were always accompanied by anti-(U1)RNP antibodies but were not found in sera which contain antibodies of the Sm serotype directed against all nucleoplasmic U snRNP particles. Like anti-RNP antibodies, anti-U1 RNA activity is confined to sera from patients with SLE or SLE overlap syndromes and is rarely found in patients with other connective tissue diseases. By analyzing binding to subfragments of U1 snRNA made in vitro, it was demonstrated that anti-(U1)RNA antibodies recognize epitopes distributed throughout the U1 RNA molecule. In most sera, however, either the second or the fourth hairpin loop is the main target of the antibody. The possible mechanisms that could lead to the production of this new type of autoantibody are discussed.
Interruption of Aberrant Conduction of Atrioventricular Junctional Tachycardia by Cough
Authors: Charles K. Francis, Jang B. Singh, Burton J. Polansky
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (1972)

ABERRANT conduction of supraventricular impulses may be caused by partial functional blockade of the major branches of the specialized conduction system.1 It has also been suggested that aberrant conduction of supraventricular impulses may be a function of disturbances in the conduction system beyond the major pathways.2 , 3 The effect of various physiologic maneuvers has been noted in earlier studies.4 5 6 In the following patient with atrioventricular junctional tachycardia and aberrant conduction cough interrupted aberrancy.Case HistoryA 52-year-old woman was admitted to the Boston City Hospital in respiratory distress. She had complained of cough and shortness of breath for 4 days. She . . .
Application of Gas Endarterectomy to Atherosclerotic Peripheral Vessels and Coronary Arteries
Authors: P. N. SAWYER, M. J. KAPLITT, S. SOBEL, D. DIMAIO
Journal: Circulation (1967)

A new technique of endarterectomy is described. It uses carbon dioxide gas, under pressure, to dissect the diseased inner layers of blood-vessel wall from the more normal outer layer. It has been utilized in 89 patients. It remains to be seen what the 5- and 10-year patency rates will be. This must, in large degree, relate to the patient's vascular disease. Finally, we hope that a series of coronary endarterectomies can be done to indicate the applicability of the technique to coronary revascularization.
SPECT Gallium Scanning for Lymphoma and Infection
Authors: S J HARWOOD, R G CARROLL, M ANDERSON, B I FRIEDMAN, L M ZANGARA, A K BRUNETTE, R KLINE
Journal: Clinical Nuclear Medicine (1987)

Thirty gallium scans, using currently acceptable dosage levels (5-6 mCi) and a conventional rotating gamma camera, were performed on 20 patients with lymphoma or infection. Compared to planar scans, SPECT increased sensitivity and lesion detection from 48% to 89% in lymphoma, and from 50% to 80% in infection. The predictive value of a negative site was 81% in lymphoma and 67% in infection. Gallium utility is markedly increased by SPECT imaging. A normal gallium SPECT scan is highly accurate in ruling out disease.
Cytomegalovirus Infection in Dialysis Patients and Personnel
Authors: NINA E. TOLKOFF-RUBIN
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1978)

In a 12-month prospective study of cytomegalovirus infection on an acute hemodialysis unit, 10 of 80 patients (13%) and none of 26 staff developed active cytomegalovirus infection. Seven infections were coincidental with renal allograft rejection; three occurred 3 to 6 weeks after the transfusion of multiple units of conventional blood into seronegative patients. No person-to-person transmission was documented. In contrast to the effects of transfusing conventional blood, all 21 patients who entered dialysis without detectable cytomegalovirus antibody and received 2 to 10 U of frozen deglycerolyzed erythrocytes (total of 157 U) remained seronegative. Transmission of cytomegalovirus infection with transfusion with conventional blood is probably secondary to passage of leukocyte-borne virus that is lost during the freezing and deglycerolization procedure. Frozen erythrocytes prepared by cytoagglomeration procedures appear to be free of viable leukocytes and appear to carry a minimal risk of transmitting cytomegalovirus infection.