tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Overexpressed Decorin in Pancreatic Cancer
Authors: Jörg Köninger, Nathalia A. Giese, Fabio Francesco di Mola, Pascal Berberat, Thomas Giese, Irene Esposito, Max G. Bachem, Markus W. Büchler, Helmut Friess
Journal: Clinical Cancer Research (2004)

The aim of this study was to investigate the expression and significance of decorin in pancreatic cancer.Decorin expression in normal pancreas and excised tumors was examined by real-time quantitative PCR, Western blot analysis, and immunohistochemistry. Reverse transcription-PCR was used to analyze cultures of pancreatic cancer and stellate cells. Growth-inhibitory effects of decorin in vitro were assessed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide test, Western blot, and fluorescence-activated cell-sorting analysis.Pancreatic cancer was characterized by striking overexpression of decorin mRNA in tumor tissues (9-fold by real-time quantitative PCR; 44 patients versus 18 healthy donors; P < 0.01). Strong decorin immunostaining was observed in the extracellular matrix of pancreatic cancer tissue, whereas tumor cells were devoid of decorin. Double staining for anti-smooth muscle actin and decorin and reverse transcription-PCR analysis of primary cultures revealed pancreatic stellate cells as the putative source of decorin. Human recombinant decorin was able to suppress growth of pancreatic cancer cells in vitro through p21 mediated G(1)-S block of the cell cycle. However, in contrast to the previously described chemotherapy-potentiating capacity of decorin, this proteoglycan attenuated the cytostatic action of carboplatin and gemcitabine toward pancreatic cancer cells.Decorin might exert an antiproliferative effect toward pancreatic cancer cells, thus playing a role in a host stromal reaction aimed at sequestering and inhibiting growing malignant cells. However, in clinical settings, the importance of collagen-associated decorin as a moderate antitumor modality would be undermined by its ability to attenuate the efficiency of chemotherapeutics. Considering the general failure of adjuvant therapies in pancreatic cancer, the role of decorin in this process warrants further investigation.
Metabolites of a Tobacco-Specific Carcinogen in Urine From Newborns
Authors: G. M. Lackmann, U. Salzberger, U. Tollner, M. Chen, S. G. Carmella, S. S. Hecht
Journal: JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute (1999)

BACKGROUND: Cigarette smoking during pregnancy can result in fetal exposure to carcinogens that are transferred from the mother via the placenta, but little information is available on fetal uptake of such compounds. We analyzed samples of the first urine from newborns whose mothers did or did not smoke cigarettes for the presence of metabolites of the potent tobacco-specific transplacental carcinogen 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK). METHODS: The urine was collected and analyzed for two metabolites of NNK, 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL) and its glucuronide (NNAL-Gluc). Gas chromatography and nitrosamine-selective detection, with confirmation by mass spectrometry, were used in the analyses, which were performed without knowledge of the origin of the urine samples. RESULTS: NNAL-Gluc was detected in 22 (71%) of 31 urine samples from newborns of mothers who smoked; NNAL was detected in four of these 31 urine samples. Neither compound was detected in the 17 urine samples from newborns of mothers who did not smoke. The arithmetic mean level of NNAL plus NNAL-Gluc in the 27 newborns of smokers for which both analytes were quantified was 0.14 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.083-0.200) pmol/mL. The levels of NNAL plus NNAL-Gluc in the urine from these babies were statistically significantly higher than those in the urine from newborns of nonsmoking mothers (geometric means = 0.062 [ 95% CI = 0.035-0.110] and 0.010 [considered as not detected; no confidence interval], respectively; two-sided P <.001). NNAL plus NNAL-Gluc levels in the 18 positive urine samples in which both analytes were quantified ranged from 0.045 to 0.400 pmol/mL, with an arithmetic mean level of 0.20 (95% CI = 0.14-0.26) pmol/mL, about 5%-10% of the levels of these compounds detected in the urine from adult smokers. CONCLUSIONS: Two metabolites of the tobacco-specific transplacental carcinogen NNK can be detected in the urine from newborns of mothers who smoked cigarettes during pregnancy.
The First American Officer Wounded in World War I
Authors: Robin Smith
Journal: JAMA (1982)

When the United States entered World War I, the medical profession was far better prepared than the military, and the first assistance of any sort that the United States was able to send was medical. During the first year of the war, 1917, we were unable to give much in the way of effective military aid, yet we were able to send thousands of physicians, nurses, and orderlies to render services in the hospitals at the front. It was not until the spring of 1918 that American combat forces began to appear in France in any substantial numbers. Thus, two physicians had the dubious honor of becoming the first American officers killed or wounded in the war. The incident occurred when the Harvard Base Hospital No. 5 was bombed. The first American officer to be killed was William Fitzsimons, MD, after whom the Fitzsimons General Hospital in Denver is named.
A snippet is not enough
Authors: Neville W Goodman
Journal: BMJ (2008)

What an extraordinary “In brief.”1 “Medical students report poor sex lives: Many medical students are dissatisfied with their sex lives, a survey at the University of California at San Francisco has found”: compared with whom? Students of history? Sellers of Big Macs?

The link didn’t work [it should, Ed], so it must remain a mystery.
Points: Side effects of benoxaprofen
Authors: M Lesna
Journal: BMJ (1982)

August, p 421), any doctor interested in relieving the dire poverty and hunger in the Third World might be interested in joining the World Development Movement, Bedford Chambers, Covent Gar- den, London WC2E 8HA.This is an organisa- tion which campaigns for a fairer deal for the Third World through activities including lobbying MPs on the implementations of the Brandt Report....
Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt versus endoscopic sclerotherapy for the prevention of variceal bleeding in cirrhosis: A randomized multicenter trial
Authors: Manuela Merli, Francesco Salerno, Oliviero Riggio, Roberto de Franchis, Franco Fiaccadori, Patrizia Meddi, Massimo Primignani, Giovanni Pedretti, Alessandra Maggi, Livio Capocaccia, Andrea Lovaria, Ugo Ugolotti, Filippo Salvatori, Mario Bezzi, Plinio Rossi
Journal: Hepatology (1998)

Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS), a new technique for the treatment of portal hypertension, has been successful in preliminary studies to treat acute variceal hemorrhage and to prevent variceal rebleeding. The purpose of this multicenter, randomized controlled trial is to compare the efficacy of TIPS with that of endoscopic sclerotherapy in the prevention of variceal rebleeding in cirrhosis. Eighty-one cirrhotic patients, with endoscopically proven variceal bleeding, were randomized to either TIPS (38 patients) or endoscopic sclerotherapy (43 patients). Randomization was stratified according to the following: if bleeding occurred &lt; 1 week (stratum I); if bleeding occurred 1 to 6 weeks (stratum II); and if bleeding occurred 6 weeks to 6 months (stratum III) before enrollment. Follow-up included clinical, biochemical, Doppler Ultrasound, and endoscopic examinations every 6 months. During a mean follow-up of 17.7 months, 51% of the patients treated with sclerotherapy and 24% of those treated with TIPS rebled ( P = .011). Mortality was 19% in sclerotherapy patients and 24% in TIPS patients (P) = .50). Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) developed in 26% and 55%, respectively ( P = .006). A separate analysis of the three strata showed that TIPS was significantly more effective than sclerotherapy ( P = .026) in preventing rebleeding only in stratum I patients. TIPS is significantly better than sclerotherapy in preventing rebleeding only when it is performed shortly after a variceal bleed; however, TIPS does not improve survival and is associated with a significantly higher incidence of HE. The overall performance of TIPS does not seem to justify the adoption of this technique as a first-choice treatment to prevent rebleeding from esophageal varices in cirrhotic patients.
Heparin Blunts Endotoxin-Induced Coagulation Activation
Authors: T. Pernerstorfer, U. Hollenstein, J.-B. Hansen, M. Knechtelsdorfer, P. Stohlawetz, W. Graninger, H.-G. Eichler, W. Speiser, B. Jilma
Journal: Circulation (1999)

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a major trigger of sepsis-induced disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) via the tissue factor (TF)/factor VIIa-dependent pathway of coagulation. Experimental endotoxemia has been used repeatedly to explore this complex pathophysiology, but little is known about the effects of clinically used anticoagulants in this setting. Therefore, we compared with placebo the effects of unfractionated heparin (UFH) and low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) on LPS-induced coagulation.In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 30 healthy male volunteers received LPS 2 ng/kg IV followed by a bolus-primed continuous infusion of UFH, LMWH, or placebo. In the placebo group, activation of coagulation caused marked increases in plasma levels of prothrombin fragment F(1+2) (P<0.01) and polymerized soluble fibrin, termed thrombus precursor protein (TpP; P<0.01); TF-positive monocytes doubled in response to LPS, whereas levels of activated factor VII slightly decreased and levels of TF pathway inhibitor remained unchanged. UFH and LMWH markedly decreased activation of coagulation caused by LPS, as F(1+2) and TpP levels only slightly increased; TF expression on monocytes was also markedly reduced by UFH. TF pathway inhibitor values increased after either heparin infusion (P<0.01). Concomitantly, factor VIIa levels dropped by >50% at 50 minutes after initiation of either heparin infusion (P<0.01).This experimental model proved the anticoagulatory potency of UFH and LMWH in the initial phase of experimental LPS-induced coagulation. Successful inhibition of thrombin generation also translates into blunted activation of coagulation factors upstream and downstream of thrombin.
Atypical Scintigraphic Pattern of Liver Hemangioma
Authors: RUTH HARDOFF, SARA GIPS, UZI MILMAN, SHONFELD SIMON
Journal: Clinical Nuclear Medicine (1989)

Cavernous hemangiomas of the liver are known to have slow perfusion with large blood volume, and therefore, they demonstrate slow accumulation of Tc-99m labeled red blood cells on scintigraphy. Several atypical radiologic patterns, such as prompt filling or late washout of contrast material on angiography, were reported. The authors describe an atypical double pattern of vascularization in a liver hemangioma using Tc-99m labeled red blood cells.
EU launches plan to tackle mental illness and reduce number of suicides
Authors: Rory Watson
Journal: BMJ (2008)

The European Union has launched a five point plan to tackle mental illnesses, which it says currently affect one in 10 people in Europe.

The strategy, which has the support of the World Health Organization’s regional office for Europe, is set out in the new European pact for mental health and wellbeing. This was signed at a conference in Brussels on 13 June by the European Commission, WHO, and the Slovenian government as current holder of the EU presidency.

The decision to give greater political priority to mental health issues reflects the fact …
Differences in the allergenicity of 6 different kiwifruit cultivars analyzed by prick-to-prick testing, open food challenges, and ELISA
Authors: Thuy-My Le, Philipp Fritsche, Merima Bublin, Christina Oberhuber, Sean Bulley, Els van Hoffen, Barbara K. Ballmer-Weber, André C. Knulst, Karin Hoffmann-Sommergruber
Journal: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (2010)
Sleep Disorders: Sleep Apnea and Narcolepsy
Authors: ANTHONY KALES
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1987)

Symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea, a potentially lifethreatening disorder, include excessive daytime sleepiness and sleep attacks, nocturnal breath cessation, and snorting and gasping sounds. These symptoms usually become manifest before age 40 and cluster within a few years. Most patients are obese, hypertensive men who eventually develop cardiovascular abnormalities. If sleep apnea is suspected based on clinical information, a sleep laboratory evaluation is indicated. For severe obstructive sleep apnea, tracheostomy is the most effective treatment. Narcolepsy, another sleep disorder, is a life-long and usually disabling condition. In most narcoleptic patients the first symptoms develop during childhood or adolescence, yet many years pass before the proper diagnosis is made. The presence of sleep attacks together with auxiliary symptoms, particularly cataplexy, is diagnostic. Treatment of narcolepsy includes stimulants in combination with therapeutic naps for sleep attacks and tricyclic drugs for cataplexy.
Optimization of a yeast estrogen screen and its applicability to study the release of estrogenic isoflavones from a soygerm powder.
Authors: P De Boever, W Demaré, E Vanderperren, K Cooreman, P Bossier, W Verstraete
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (2001)

Here we describe a redesigned protocol of the yeast estrogen screen developed by Routledge and Sumpter. The redesigned test comprises two steps. First, a large amount of yeast with estrogenic compounds is incubated for 24 hr. Subsequently, a mixture of cycloheximide and the chromogenic substrate chlorophenol red-beta-d-galactopyranoside (CPRG) is added. The cycloheximide stops protein synthesis and allows for an end-point measurement of beta-galactosidase activity generated during the first 24 hr. CPRG is converted to chlorophenol red and reflects beta-galactosidase activity, which is indicative of the estrogenic activity. The modifications shorten the duration of the assay at least 1 day and avoid interference of the estrogenic CPRG or chlorophenol red. The redesigned and the original protocol were used to study the estrogenic activity of bisphenol A, methoxychlor, p,p'-DDT, and isoflavones (genistein, daidzein, and glycitein). Bisphenol A, methoxychlor, and genistein triggered higher levels of beta-galactosidase activity in the redesigned protocol. Estrogenic activity of p,p'-DDT could only be demonstrated with the redesigned protocol. Glycitein and daidzein failed to give a response with both protocols. We also studied deconjugation of beta-glycosidic isoflavones present in soygerm powder. Treatment of the soygerm powder with beta-glycosidase released isoflavones. The estrogenic response of the samples was confirmed with the redesigned protocol and correlated with the amount of genistein present. The release of isoflavones under conditions prevailing in the intestines was studied. Bacterial beta-glycosidase present in the large intestine released isoflavones, and moderate estrogenic activity could be demonstrated.
NEUROLOGIC PERCUSSION HAMMER
Authors: J. H. Leiner
Journal: JAMA (1922)

This combined neurologic percussion hammer has primarily the great advantage of being so compact that it can be carried in a vest pocket, being about half the length of the ordinary type. When it is pulled out it is the size of the ordinary percussion hammer. The design conforms to that of a Roman battle ax. The convex side is used for the ordinary elicitation of tendon reflexes incidental to a neurologic examination. Metal is used here as weight for the proper balance, and the crescent shaped insert of dark red rubber, as a soft cushion. The top white rubber tip can be used for eliciting tendon response (especially in children), muscle chest percussion, etc. The rubber is a little harder here and is kept in place by a setscrew. The opposite end of the instrument, or the handle, is made of three narrow tubes, within each of which lies
Infiltrates of Activated Mast Cells at the Site of Coronary Atheromatous Erosion or Rupture in Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Petri T. Kovanen, Maija Kaartinen, Timo Paavonen
Journal: Circulation (1995)

Background Erosion and rupture of coronary atheromas are the events preceding the vast majority of acute coronary syndromes. The shoulder regions of atheromas, the sites at which erosion or rupture is most likely to occur, are the sites at which mast cells accumulate. These cells are filled with neutral proteases capable of triggering extracellular matrix degradation via activation of matrix metalloproteinases. To obtain more direct evidence for the participation of mast cells in the acute coronary syndromes, we quantified the numbers of mast cells at eroded or ruptured sites of coronary atheromas in patients who died of myocardial infarction. Methods and Results In specimens of coronary arteries from 20 patients who had died of acute myocardial infarction, the site of atheromatous erosion or rupture was identified. The specimens were stained with monoclonal antibodies against the two major proteases of mast cells, tryptase and chymase, and against macrophages, T lymphocytes, and smooth muscle cells. At the immediate site of erosion or rupture, mast cells amounted to 6% of all nucleated cells, in the adjacent atheromatous area to 1%, and in the unaffected intimal area to 0.1%. The proportions of these mast cells that were activated, ie, had been stimulated to degranulate and release some of their tryptase and chymase contents, were 86% at the site of erosion or rupture, 63% in the adjacent atheromatous area, and 27% in the unaffected intima. At the site of erosion or rupture, the numbers of macrophages and T lymphocytes were also increased, but the number of smooth muscle cells was decreased. Conclusions The accumulation of activated mast cells (200-fold more than in the unaffected coronary intima) at the site of atheromatous erosion or rupture suggests that in thrombotic coronary occlusion the role played by mast cells is significant.
Morbidity and Mortality After Ambulatory Surgery
Authors: Marc Feldman
Journal: JAMA (1994)

<h3>To the Editor.</h3> —Dr Warner and colleagues<sup>1</sup>present an excellent study to demonstrate the safety of ambulatory surgery and anesthesia. I would disagree, however, with the "well-known observation that patients scheduled for elective surgical procedures are usually healthier than the general population." In their study, 24% (10 867/45 090) of procedures were performed on patients of American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status (ASA PS) classification 3, with "severe systemic disease, definite functional limitation." I would be surprised if this sample of the population was healthier than the age-adjusted general population in the area. Perhaps some data are available to compare the prevalence of hypertension and diabetes in the study patients with the general population. According to Orkin and Gold,<sup>2</sup>"[W]hen there was a need to gain credibility with both the medical community and the insurance industry, only the healthiest were deemed appropriate candidates. With the passage of time
Low-Carbohydrate Diets and Realities of Weight Loss
Authors: George A. Bray
Journal: JAMA (2003)

Obesity is a worldwide epidemic and will be followed by a worldwide epidemic of diabetes. While diet, lifestyle, and exercise are the cornerstones of current approaches to treat obesity, they have been ineffective in stemming the current epidemic. In this issue of THE JOURNAL, the article by Bravata et al systematically reviews and synthesizes the literature on the use of low-carbohydrate diets for treatment of obesity. Their findings add to the review of popular diets published by Freedman et al. Among the principal findings in the analysis by Bravata et al are that lower-carbohydrate ( 60 g/d of carbohydrate) diets were associated with reduced calorie intake and that weight loss was predicted by calorie intake, diet duration, and baseline body weight, but not by carbohydrate content. At the end of their analysis, Bravata et al note several gaps in the current literature on lowcarbohydrate diets, including the need for better follow-up and for use of intent-totreat analyses.
Proteomic patterns predict acute graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Authors: Eva M. Weissinger, Eric Schiffer, Bernd Hertenstein, James L. Ferrara, Ernst Holler, Michael Stadler, Hans-Jochem Kolb, Axel Zander, Petra Zürbig, Markus Kellmann, Arnold Ganser
Journal: Blood (2007)
Mechanism of Ventricular Fibrillation in Hypothermia
Authors: Benjamin G. Covino, Henry E. D'Amato
Journal: Circulation Research (1962)

The mechanism of ventricular fibrillation in hypothermia is best explained by the circus movement theory. The main factor responsible for the initiation of a circus movement type of fibrillation is the marked reduction in conduction velocity which is not counterbalanced by a proportional prolongation of the refractory period, in other words, an increase in the conduction time/refractory period ratio occurs. Maintenance of a fibrillary state in hypothermia is dependent also on the size of the heart. Small hearts either fail to fibrillate or show a spontaneously reversible type of fibrillation. Moreover, shortening the conduction pathway by cutting a fibrillating heart will abolish the arrhythmia. Sympathomimetic amines which increase conduction velocity and so reduce the conduction time/refractory period ratio are also capable of decreasing the incidence of fibrillation. The sequence of events which may lead to development of ventricular fibrillation in hypothermia is discussed.
ABC of clinical genetics. Dysmorphology and teratogenesis.
Authors: H. M. Kingston
Journal: BMJ (1989)

Treacher Collins syndrome: abnormal first branchial arch development giving rise to malar and mandibular hypoplasia with external ear malformations.Dysmorphology is the study of malformations arising from abnormal embryogenesis.Recognition of patterns of multiple congenital malformations may allow inferences to be made about the timing, mechanism, and aetiology of structural defects.Animal research is providing information about cellular interactions, migration, and differentiation processes and gives insight into the possible mechanisms underlying human malformations.Diagnosing multiple congenital abnormalities in children can be difficult but is important to give correct advice about management, prognosis, and risk of recurrence. Definition of termsUnilateral terminal transverse defect of the hand occurring as an isolated malformation.Postaxial polydactyly of the feet in Laurence-Moon-Biedl syndrome (obesity, mental retardation, polydactyly, retinitis pigmentosa, and genita hypoplasia).L, Constriction ring with amputation and fusion of digits caused by amniotic bands.Severe disruption of the face caused by amniotic bands.
Psychosomatics of Trichotillomania and Related States or Disorders
Authors: Adolf-Ernst Meyer, Antje Haag
Journal: Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics (1984)

In a stress situation both authors lost their hair. Motivated by this decisive subjective experience they initiated a field study on people with hair problems. First preliminary results are reported. The total sample (n = 96,710) showed a variety of problems of various forms. First investigations concentrated on two subgroups. (1) Persons (n = 5,105) going daily to the hairdresser. Our data show that this behaviour has clear antidepressive effects. Economic comparisons especially with client-centred therapy are discussed. (2) Patients pulling out their hair (n = 68) were examined by a battery of projective tests. Finally, in a single case study, a depth hermeneutic approach revealed new specific and important unconcious constellations. Parallel to these first results the authors draw attention to the ubiquitous dilemma of the need for potent sponsors and the wish to be independent from their vested interests and on the influence of this ambivalence on research.