tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Underreporting High-Risk Prescribing Among Medicare Advantage Plans
Authors: Alicia L. Cooper, Lewis E. Kazis, David D. Dore, Vincent Mor, Amal N. Trivedi
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2013)

Chinese translation Background: Although Medicare Advantage plans are required to report clinical performance using Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) quality indicators, the accuracy of plan-reported performance rates is unknown. Objective: To compare calculated and reported rates of high-risk prescribing among Medicare Advantage plans. Design: Cross-sectional comparison. Setting: 172 Medicare Advantage plans. Patients: A random sample of beneficiaries in 172 Medicare Advantage plans in 2006 (n = 177 227) and 2007 (n = 173 655). Measurements: Plan-reported HEDIS rates of high-risk prescribing among elderly persons were compared with rates calculated from Medicare Advantage plans’ Part D claims by using the same measure specifications and source population. Results: The mean rate of high-risk prescribing derived from Part D claims was 26.9% (95% CI, 25.9% to 28.0%), whereas the mean plan-reported rate was 21.1% (CI, 20.0% to 22.3%). Approximately 95% of plans underreported rates of high-risk prescribing relative to calculated rates derived from Part D claims. The differences in the calculated and reported rates negatively affected quality rankings for the plans that most accurately reported rates. For example, the 9 plans that reported rates of high-risk prescribing within 1 percentage point of calculated rates were ranked 43.4 positions lower when reported rates were used instead of calculated rates. Among 103 680 individuals present in both the sample of Part D claims and HEDIS data in 2006, Medicare Advantage plans incorrectly excluded 10.3% as ineligible for the HEDIS high-risk prescribing measure. Among those correctly included in the high-risk prescribing denominator, the reported rate of high-risk prescribing was 21.9% and the calculated rate was 26.2%. Limitation: A single quality measure was assessed. Conclusion: Medicare Advantage plans underreport rates of high-risk prescribing, suggesting a role for routine audits to ensure the validity of publicly reported quality measures. Primary Funding Source: Health Assessment Lab and National Institute on Aging.
Early ERCP and papillotomy for acute biliary pancreatitis.
Authors: Gian Paolo Rizzardi, Giuseppe Tambussi, Adriano Lazzarin
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (1997)

To the Editor: The most common clinical presentation of primary infection with the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is a mononucleosis-like illness.1 Other clinical manifestations includ...
Natural killer cell activity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with various forms of systemic scleroderma
Authors: S. MAJEWSKI, MARIA BLASZCZYK, MARIA WASIK, STEFANIA JABLONSKA
Journal: British Journal of Dermatology (1987)

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 63 patients with systemic scleroderma, including incipient or prodromal acrosclerosis, and from 20 healthy individuals were tested for natural killer (NK) cell activity and antibody‐dependent cell cytotoxicity in a 4 h 51Cr release assay using K562 and L1210 cell lines respectively. In patients with systemic scleroderma natural killer cell activity was significantly decreased compared with the controls. NK cell activity was markedly lowered in patients with diffuse scleroderma and in transitional form acrosclerosis‐diffuse scleroderma, and was normal in cases of acrosclerosis and/or CREST syndrome and in cases of prodromal or incipient scleroderma. Antibody‐dependent cell cytotoxicity of mononuclear cells from the systemic scleroderma patients was within the normal range. The lowered natural killer cell activity correlated with the severity of systemic scleroderma, in terms of the extent of skin and organ involvement.
Abstract 4410: Apoptosis in Ovarian Cancer Cells Induced by Polyclonal Antibodies to Secreted Frizzle-related Protein 2
Authors: Emma C. Rossi, Sharerah Siamakpour-Reihani, David Ketelsen, Linda Van Le, Cam Patterson, Nancy Klauber-DeMore
Journal: Cancer Research (2010)

Abstract Objectives: We have previously discovered a novel angiogenesis factor, secreted frizzle-related protein 2 (SFRP2), that is strongly expressed in many human tumors including ovarian carcinoma. SFRP2 protects against endothelial cell apoptosis, and induces endothelial tube formation and migration. We hypothesize that in addition to its paracrine role in stimulating angiogenesis, SFRP2 also has a direct effect in tumor cells, and therefore blocking SFRP2 will induce ovarian cancer apoptosis. Methods: Protein expression of SFRP2 in ovarian cancer cells: SKOV-3 and OVCA −3 ovarian cancer cells were cultured in McCoy's medium with 10% bovine serum albumin. Whole cell protein lysates were obtained and Western blot analysis was performed probing for SFRP2. Apoptosis assay: SKOV3 cells were plated in 96 well plates and allowed to attach overnight. Rabbit polyclonal antibody to SFRP2 (SFRP2 Ab) was run through a column with a saline buffer to remove the sodium azide preservative. Cells were treated with antibody in 1:10, 1:100, and 1:1000 concentrations. McCoy's culture medium with 1% saline was used as a negative control. Cells were incubated at 37°C for 48 hours. Apoptosis was measured by the activity of cleaved caspase-3 by using a caspase-specific fluorogenic substrate. Statistical analysis was performed with a two-tailed student's t-test. Results: SKOV-3 and OVCA-3 ovarian cancer cells strongly express SFRP2 on Western Blot analysis. When SKOV-3 cells were treated with polyclonal antibody to SFRP2 (1:10) there was a 47% increase in apoptosis as compared with negative controls (control = 1509 RFU ± 50, SFRP2 Ab =2221 RFU ± 39, n=4 for both groups, p&amp;lt;0.0001). Conclusions: SFRP2 is a protein endogenously expressed by ovarian carcinoma. Blocking SFRP2 with a polyclonal antibody induces apoptosis in SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cell line, suggesting that this protein may be a potential target in the treatment of ovarian cancers. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4410.
As for HIV-2...
Authors: Charles Marwick
Journal: JAMA (1988)

THE AMERICAN RED CROSS does not plan to institute testing of blood donors for human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2). The virus  closely related to HIV-1 and was reported in 1986 to be associated with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in west Africa. The only documented case of HIV-2 infection in the United States, involving a West African, has just been reported from Newark, NJ ( JAMA 1988;259:969-972).  In view of the fact that over 22 000 specimens of blood samples collected in the United States had no evidence of the presence of HIV-2, the Red Cross vice president for medical operations, S. Gerald Sandler, MD, says that there  no evidence of people with antibodies to HIV-2 or individuals with AIDS caused by this type of the virus in the United States. Under the circumstances, he says, testing for HIV-2 is not appropriate at this time. However the Red Cross
Blowing smoke: British American Tobacco's air filtration scheme
Authors: Nadine Rae Leavell, Monique E Muggli, Richard D Hurt, James Repace
Journal: BMJ (2006)

<i>As Westminster MPs prepare for a free vote on a complete smoking ban in public places, researchers question the efficacy of a technique meant to clear the air of tobacco smoke—heavily promoted by tobacco companies as an alternative to legislation</i>
Are people with negative diabetes screening tests falsely reassured? Parallel group cohort study embedded in the ADDITION (Cambridge) randomised controlled trial
Authors: C. A M Paddison, H. C Eborall, S. Sutton, D. P French, J. Vasconcelos, A T. Prevost, A.-L. Kinmonth, S. J Griffin
Journal: BMJ (2009)

<b>Objective</b> To assess whether receiving a negative test result at primary care based stepwise diabetes screening results in false reassurance. <b>Design</b> Parallel group cohort study embedded in a randomised controlled trial. <b>Setting</b> 15 practices (10 screening, 5 control) in the ADDITION (Cambridge) trial. <b>Participants</b> 5334 adults (aged 40-69) in the top quarter for risk of having undiagnosed type 2 diabetes (964 controls and 4370 screening attenders). <b>Main outcome measures</b> Perceived personal and comparative risk of diabetes, intentions for behavioural change, and self rated health measured after an initial random blood glucose test and at 3-6 and 12-15 months later (equivalent time points for controls). <b>Results</b> A linear mixed effects model with control for clustering by practice found no significant differences between controls and people who screened negative for diabetes in perceived personal risk, behavioural intentions, or self rated health after the first appointment or at 3-6 months or 12-15 months later. After the initial test, people who screened negative reported significantly (but slightly) lower perceived comparative risk (mean difference −0.16, 95% confidence interval −0.30 to −0.02; P=0.04) than the control group at the equivalent time point; no differences were evident at 3-6 and 12-15 months. <b>Conclusions</b> A negative test result at diabetes screening does not seem to promote false reassurance, whether this is expressed as lower perceived risk, lower intentions for health related behavioural change, or higher self rated health. Implementing a widespread programme of primary care based stepwise screening for type 2 diabetes is unlikely to cause an adverse shift in the population distribution of plasma glucose and cardiovascular risk resulting from an increase in unhealthy behaviours arising from false reassurance among people who screen negative. <b>Trial registration</b> Current controlled trials ISRCTN99175498.
PMO-074 A 10 year retrospective review of nasogastric tube use in a district general hospital: Abstract PMO-074 table 1
Authors: E Tash, A Cartwright, L Steel, J Subhani
Journal: Gut (2012)

<h3>Introduction</h3> A Nasogastric tube (NGT) is a commonly used device for administration of enteral feeding. It may be used as a bridge to a more definitive procedure (eg, Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy; PEG) or until patient recovery. The NPSA estimates that “<i>thousands of NGT are placed each day</i>” throughout the UK.<sup>1</sup> However, following a literature review we were unable to find any outcome data for this procedure. <h3>Methods</h3> We performed a retrospective review of our nutrition database at Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, that serves a population of 375 000, for all patients who had an NGT inserted between years 2001 and 2011 and analysed the insertion reason and outcome. <h3>Results</h3> Over a 10-year period, 2526 patients underwent 2715 episodes of NGT insertions, with a male to female ratio of 49.5% and 50.5%, respectively. The total number of feeding days was 50 584, with a median and mean length of insertion of 10 and 18.7 days, respectively. 189 patients required a repeat NG feeding episode, either within the same or subsequent hospital admission. The referral reasons and outcome data are shown in the Abstract PMO-074 table 1 below. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Data analysis revealed that two thirds of all NGT insertions were for patients with dysphagia secondary to a neurological condition, mechanical obstruction or artificial ventilation. Despite these patients being unwell and high risk for complications 46.9% were able to restart oral feeding. However, almost an equal number died while receiving NGT enteral feeding. 2.7% of our cohort were discharged home with some form of long term enteral feeding; either via a PEG or longterm NGT. <h3>Competing interests</h3> None declared. <h3>Reference</h3> 1. Patient safety alert NPSA/2011/PSA002: reducing the harm caused by misplaced nasogastric feeding tubes in adults, children and infants. 2011. Supporting Information.
Successful treatment of EBV-associated posttransplantation lymphoma after cord blood transplantation using third-party EBV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes
Authors: Juliet N. Barker, Ekaterina Doubrovina, Craig Sauter, Jennifer J. Jaroscak, Miguel A. Perales, Mikhail Doubrovin, Susan E. Prockop, Guenther Koehne, Richard J. O'Reilly
Journal: Blood (2010)
Temporal lobe speech perception systems are part of the verbal working memory circuit: Evidence from two recent fMRI studies
Authors: Gregory Hickok, Bradley Buchsbaum
Journal: Behavioral and Brain Sciences (2003)

In the verbal domain, there is only very weak evidence favoring the view that working memory is an active state of long-term memory. We strengthen existing evidence by reviewing two recent fMRI studies of verbal working memory, which clearly demonstrate activation in the superior temporal lobe, a region known to be involved in processing speech during comprehension tasks.
New Steps toward Eliminating Blinding Trachoma
Authors: Silvio P. Mariotti
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (2004)

Despite long-standing efforts to control it, trachoma remains the leading cause of preventable blindness in the world. According to the most recent estimates, some 84 million people have active trachoma (the infectious stage) in 55 countries in which the disease is endemic (Figure 1), and 7.6 million people have trachomatous trichiasis, the blinding stage of this infectious disease. Trachoma is a chronic keratoconjunctivitis caused by repeated reinfection with the ocular serotypes A, B, Ba, and C of Chlamydia trachomatis, an obligate intracellular bacterium. The infection causes a mucopurulent conjunctivitis that is generally self-healing without sequelae.Repeated episodes of chlamydial infection, . . .
Managing metastatic bone pain
Authors: John A Dewar
Journal: BMJ (2004)

<h3>Abstract</h3> The influence of emotion on moral judgments has become increasingly prominent in recent years. While explicit normative measures are widely used to investigate this relationship, event-related potentials (ERPs) offer the advantage of a preconscious method to visualize the modulation of moral judgments. Based on Gray and Wegner's (2009) <i>Dimensional Moral Model</i>, the present study investigated whether the processing of neutral faces is modulated by moral context information. We hypothesized that neutral faces gain emotional valence when presented in a moral context and thus elicit ERP responses comparable to those established for the processing of emotional faces. Participants (<i>N</i>= 26, 13 female) were tested with regard to their implicit (ERPs) and explicit (morality rating) responses to neutral faces, shown in either a morally positive, negative, or neutral context. Higher ERP amplitudes in early (P100, N170) and later (EPN, LPC) processing stages were expected for harmful/helpful scenarios compared to neutral scenarios. Agents and patients were expected to differ for moral compared to neutral scenarios. In the explicit ratings neutral scenarios were expected to differ from moral scenarios. In ERPs, we found indications for an early modulation of moral valence (harmful/helpful) and an interaction of agency and moral valence after 80-120 ms. Later time sequences showed no significant differences. Morally positive and negative scenarios were rated as significantly different from neutral scenarios. Overall, the results indicate that the relationship of emotion and moral judgments can be observed on a preconscious neural level at an early processing stage as well as in explicit judgments.
Subcutaneous morphoea with contracture of the flexor muscles of the flngers
Authors: A. Harris, S. Burge, P. Wordsworth, P. Burge
Journal: British Journal of Dermatology (1997)

Journal Article Subcutaneous morphoea with contracture of the flexor muscles of the flngers Get access A. Harris, A. Harris Department of Dermatology, Stoke Mandeville Hospital NHS Trust, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire HP218AL, U.K. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar S. Burge, S. Burge Department of Dermatology, Stoke Mandeville Hospital NHS Trust, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire HP218AL, U.K. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar P. Wordsworth, P. Wordsworth Department of Rheumatology and Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Windmill Road, Oxford, U.K. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar P. Burge P. Burge Department of Rheumatology and Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Windmill Road, Oxford, U.K. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar British Journal of Dermatology, Volume 136, Issue 3, 1 March 1997, Pages 476–477, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2133.1997.tb14981.x Published: 01 March 1997
147. Adenovirus Vector E4 Gene Regulates Connexin 40 and 43 Expression in Endothelial Cells Via PKA and PI3K Signal Pathways
Authors: Joseph Cheng, Fan Zhang, George Lam, David Jin, Loic Vincent, Neil R. Hackett, Shiyang Wang, Lauren M. Young, Barbara Hempstead, Ronald G. Crystal, Shahin Rafii
Journal: Molecular Therapy (2005)

Connexins (Cx) provide a means for intercellular communication and play important roles in the pathophysiology of vascular cardiac diseases. Infection of endothelial cells (EC) with first-generation E1/E3-deleted E4+ adenovirus (AdE4+) selectively modulates the survival and angiogenic potential of EC by as of yet unrecognized mechanisms. We show here that AdE4+ vectors potentiate Cx expression in EC in vitro and in mouse heart tissue. Infection of EC with AdE4+, but not AdE4-, resulted in time- and dose-dependent induction of Cx40 and suppression of Cx43 protein and mRNA expression. Treatment of EC with PKA inhibitor H-89 or PI3K inhibitor LY294002 prevented the AdE4+-mediated regulation of Cx40 and Cx43 that was associated with diminished AdE4+-mediated survival of EC. However, PKG inhibitor, guanylyl cyclase inhibitor, or forskolin did not affect AdE4+-mediated modulation of Cx. Remarkably, Cx40 immunostaining was significantly increased and Cx43 was decreased in the heart tissue of mice treated with AdE4+. Taken together, these results suggest that the encoded protein product by the E4 gene of adenovirus may play an important role in the regulation of Cx expression in EC, and may provide a novel means to understand vascular toxicities associated with E4+ adenoviral gene therapy.
Measles in the UK: a test of public health competency in a crisis
Authors: F. Greaves, L. Donaldson
Journal: BMJ (2013)

Can new agencies work effectively together to meet the challenge?

The recent surge in measles cases in south Wales signals a discomfiting failure by a G8 nation to control an easily preventable disease. Far from the measles virus being holed up in outposts in poor countries, the spectre of large outbreaks of measles in England is now looming large. By contrast, elimination of endemic measles in the Americas has been achieved by treating it as an emergency.1 Prevention of more measles cases in the United Kingdom, and avoidance of embarrassment for the government, will turn on the effectiveness of the public health delivery system.

In the north of England there have been 354 cases in 2013 so far.2 The pool of vulnerable children nationally is worrying: 8% of those aged 10-16 years have had no measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, and 8% have had only one of the required two doses.3 Susceptible children are distributed throughout the country, making the site of the next outbreak impossible to predict. In London, where immunisation levels for all vaccines are traditionally lower,4 there have been few cases so far. However, London is a prime location for …
Radiosodium Clearance from the Knee Joint in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: R. Harris, J. B. Millard, S. K. Banerjee
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (1958)

The rate of removal of radioactive sodium from No S a tissue has been shown by Kety (1949) to be a quantitative measure of the local circulation.This technique has been used extensively to study __ _ -..... circulation in skin, subcutaneous tissue, and muscle _-- (McGirr, 1952), and it has been applied to the study 5 of the normal human knee joint (Jacox, Johnson, and Koontz, 1952; Harris and Millard, 1956).In _.-__ our previous study, simple exponential curves were consistently found.When the counting rate was z -....... plotted semi-logarithmically against time, straight -. 2 lines were obtained for periods up to 60 minutes -_.-(Fig.1).For a series of 23 normal knees, the clear- *+ ance constant ranged between 0-025-0-080, with t a mean value of 0 -050 (S.D. 0 -02l1).The effects of0 manceuvres likely to affect circulation in the joint < 1 .(arterial and venous occlusion, deep heating with- diathermy, and exercise) were studied.In ten 4A -- subjects the measurement was repeated at anE interval varying from 1 to 14 weeks, and these find-Z 5 v =-, _-.ings showed a close comparison in distribution %.-X values for the two groups, although individual
Directed migration of circulating polymorphonuclear leucocytes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a defect in the plasma.
Authors: J R Walker, D W James, M J Smith
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (1979)

The migration of peripheral polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMNs) of patients with rheumatoid arthritis has been studied both in vivo and in vitro. A significant reduction in the accumulation of PMNs in skin chambers in patients with rheumatoid arthritis compared to controls was observed but no defect in cell movement was detected when the isolated PMNs from the patients were exposed to activated control plasma. However, when PMNs from the control group were tested against activated plasma from patients with rheumatoid arthritis there was a significant decrease in their chemotactic response. It is proposed that there is a humoral defect in the plasma of the patients.