tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Restricted Usage of T-Cell Receptor Vα-Vβ Genes in Infiltrating Cells in Aortic Tissue of Patients With Takayasu’s Arteritis
Authors: Yoshinori Seko, Osamu Sato, Atsuhiko Takagi, Yusuke Tada, Hiroshi Matsuo, Hideo Yagita, Ko Okumura, Yoshio Yazaki
Journal: Circulation (1996)

Background Infiltration by perforin-secreting killer lymphocytes, such as T cells and natural killer cells, has been shown to be involved in the pathogenesis of vascular cell damage in Takayasu’s arteritis. Methods and Results To investigate the immunological mechanisms involved, especially the nature of T-cell infiltration in Takayasu’s arteritis as well as atherosclerosis, we analyzed the expression of T-cell receptor (TCR) Vα and Vβ genes in infiltrating cells in the aortic tissue of patients with Takayasu’s arteritis and atherosclerotic aortic aneurysm by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We also analyzed the expression of cytokine genes by PCR. We found that the repertoires of TCR Vα as well as Vβ gene transcripts in Takayasu’s arteritis were restricted. The infiltrating cells expressing Vα2, Vα16, Vα17, Vβ7, and Vβ13.1 were found in 3 of 4 patients. In contrast, TCR Vα-Vβ repertoires in atherosclerotic aortic aneurysm were polyclonal. There was no significant difference in the pattern of cytokine gene expression between the two diseases. Conclusions The restricted usage of TCR Vα as well as Vβ genes by infiltrating T cells in Takayasu’s arteritis may indicate that a specific antigen in the aortic tissue was targeted. Our findings provide the evidence that distinct immunological mechanisms are involved in the pathogenesis of Takayasu’s arteritis and atherosclerotic aortic aneurysm.
Percutaneous Transtracheal Aspiration in the Diagnosis of Anaerobic Pulmonary Infection
Authors: JOHN G. BARTLETT
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1973)

The usefulness of anaerobic culture of percutaneous transtracheal aspirates has been evaluated in 91 untreated patients with various pulmonary conditions. Bacteriologic results were correlated with clinical features suggesting anaerobic infection. No anaerobes were recovered in 58 patients, indicating that these microorganisms do not normally reside in the trachea. Clinical and bacteriologic findings in these patients indicated aerobic pulmonary infection or nonbacterial pulmonary disease. Anaerobes were recovered from 33 aspirates; in 22 patients they were the only pathogens isolated, and in 11, anaerobes were isolated in combination with potential aerobic pathogens. Two patients had cavitating bronchogenic carcinomas with anaerobic colonization. In the other 31 patients clinical features (putrid sputum, infection after aspiration, necrotizing pulmonary lesions, and response to antibiotics) indicated anaerobic infection. Proper culture of percutaneous transtracheal aspirates will generally establish the diagnosis and permit identification of the pathogens in anaerobic pulmonary infections.
Response to ‘What is it with kids these days?’
Authors: Ernest Jellinek
Journal: Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine (2011)

Your editorial1 has ‘prima fascia evidence…’ on page 293: is there a new organ of expression, or just communication trouble, like Hobbs for Hobbes, on the same page?

The proposed discussion should also reconsider the older ‘instincts of the herd in peace and war’.
Parasitic Theory of Cancer.
Authors: R. Park
Journal: JAMA (1899)

Buffalo, N. Y., May 11, 1899. <h3>To the Editor:</h3> —On page 1000 of theJournalfor May 6 is a brief allusion to an address which I gave the other day in Baltimore on "Cancer as a Parasitic Disease." Your correspondent has made a curious mistake and has given me credit for saying just what I did not say. He has made me declare my "abhorence of the parasitic theory," when the whole address was an argument in favor of the same. I do not exactly like to go on record in this way, and if you will kindly correct it you will do me a great favor. Very truly yours, <h3>Army Transports to the Philippines.</h3> —On the afternoon of April 31, 1899, two army transports sailed from San Francisco, Cal., for Manila, P. I., the transport<i>Warren</i>, formerly the<i>Scandia</i>, and the chartered transport,<i>Newport</i>. The former carried eight
(17) Lipodystrophia centrifugalis abdominalis infantilis
Authors: R.J. Cairns
Journal: British Journal of Dermatology (2006)

Journal Article (17) Lipodystrophia centrifugalis abdominalis infantilis Get access R.J. Cairns R.J. Cairns St Bartholomew's Hospital, Rochester Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar British Journal of Dermatology, Volume 95, Issue s14, 1 December 1976, Pages 44–45, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2133.1976.tb07907.x Published: 01 December 1976
"Mission Indradhanush" targets India's unvaccinated children
Authors: C. Travasso
Journal: BMJ (2015)

A media campaign to encourage the uptake of childhood vaccination in India was launched this week, with the aim of 90% of children receiving full vaccination by 2020.

Health Minister J P Nadda launched the publicity campaign for “Mission Indradhanush” on 23 March. It included plans for television and radio adverts, banners, posters, hoardings, and a song composed by Javed Akhtar and sung by Sonu Nigam and Alka Yagnik. 

The Mission Indradhanush initiative was launched last December to improve the uptake of seven childhood vaccines—diphtheria, hepatitis B, measles, polio, tetanus, tuberculosis, and whooping cough—which increased by only …
Retrograde inflammatory signaling from neutrophils to endothelial cells by soluble interleukin-6 receptor alpha.
Authors: V Modur, Y Li, G A Zimmerman, S M Prescott, T M McIntyre
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (1997)

Endothelial cells initiate the inflammatory response by recruiting and activating leukocytes. IL-6 is not an agonist for this, but we found soluble IL-6 receptor alpha-subunit (IL-6Ralpha), with their constitutive IL-6 synthesis, stimulated endothelial cells to synthesize E-selectin, intracellular adhesion molecule-1, vascular cellular adhesion molecule-1, IL-6, and IL-8, and to bind neutrophils. Neutrophils express significant amounts of IL-6Ralpha and upon stimulation shed it: this material activates endothelial cells through a newly constituted IL-6 receptor. Retrograde signaling from PMN activated in the extravascular compartment to surrounding endothelial cells will recruit more and a wider variety of leukocytes. The limiting signal is a soluble receptor, not a cytokine.
Eosinophil Inflammation in Asthma
Authors: Jean Bousquet, Pascal Chanez, Antonio M. Vignola, Jean-Yves Lacoste, François B. Michel
Journal: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (1994)

"Eosinophil Inflammation in Asthma." American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 150(5_pt_2), pp. S33–S38
miR-23b Represses Proto-oncogene Src Kinase and Functions as Methylation-Silenced Tumor Suppressor with Diagnostic and Prognostic Significance in Prostate Cancer
Authors: Shahana Majid, Altaf A. Dar, Sharanjot Saini, Sumit Arora, Varahram Shahryari, Mohd Saif Zaman, Inik Chang, Soichiro Yamamura, Yuichiro Tanaka, Guoren Deng, Rajvir Dahiya
Journal: Cancer Research (2012)

Abstract The miRNAs have great potential as biomarkers and therapeutic agents owing to their ability to control multiple genes and potential to influence cellular behavior. Here, we identified that miR-23b is a methylation-silenced tumor suppressor in prostate cancer. We showed that miR-23b expression is controlled by promoter methylation and has great promise as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in prostate cancer. High levels of miR-23b expression are positively correlated with higher overall and recurrence-free survival in patients with prostate cancer. Furthermore, we elucidated the tumor suppressor role of miR-23b using in vitro and in vivo models. We showed that proto-oncogene Src kinase and Akt are direct targets of miR-23b. Increased expression of miR-23b inhibited proliferation, colony formation, migration/invasion, and triggered G0–G1 cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis in prostate cancer. Overexpression of miR-23b inhibited epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) causing a decline in mesenchymal markers Vimentin and Snail and increasing the epithelial marker, E-cadherin. Depletion of Src by RNA interference conferred similar functional effects as that of miR-23b reconstitution. miR-23b expression caused a dramatic decrease in tumor growth in nude mice and attenuated Src expression in excised tumors compared with a control miR. These findings suggest that miR-23b is a methylation-silenced tumor suppressor that may be a useful biomarker in prostate cancer. Loss of miR-23b may confer proliferative advantage and promote prostate cancer migration and invasion, and reexpression of miR-23b may contribute to the epigenetic therapy for prostate cancer. Cancer Res; 72(24); 6435–46. ©2012 AACR.
Fetal Heart Rate Patterns
Authors: R. Goodlin
Journal: JAMA (1972)

To the Editor.—  After reviewing fetal heart rate recordings of more than 1,750 parturients in late labor and using the concepts of ominous deceleration fetal heart patterns, our accuracy in prediction of low Apgar scores was remarkably close to that described by Schrifton and Dame ( 219 :1322,1972). Mainly that we diagnosed 4 1/2 times as many fetuses in distress as proved to be so, as judged by the newborn's overall condition and its five-minute Apgar score. Based on this experience, we have ceased to use the deceleration pattern concept in late labor as the sole basis for diagnosis of fetal distress since these false diagnoses led to an excessive number of difficult operative deliveries. Unless Dr. Schrifton is able to restrain himself and his associates from taking some form of heroic action when abnormal heart patterns appear in late labor, I think it is argumentive whether the type of fetal
Studying a Study and Testing a Test: How to Read the Health Science Literature
Authors: Paula A. Rochon
Journal: JAMA (1997)

Medical literature is abundant. A MEDLINE search using the MeSH heading "clinical trials" identified over 10000 articles published in the past 5 years alone. In a health care environment in which evidence-based medicine is being actively promoted, practitioners are increasingly asked to evaluate this mass of medical publications as an aid to their clinical decision making. With expanded use of the Internet and easy access to MEDLINE, it is easy to obtain articles, but practitioners need to know more about how to critically evaluate these same articles. To fill this gap, Richard Riegelman and Robert Hirsch, both from The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, have written this book based on their years of experience teaching students how to read the medical literature. In a most enjoyable manner, the authors outline a practical step-by-step approach to help the uninitiated wade through the masses of published articles and
INTRACRANIAL TUMORS FOUND AT AUTOPSY IN MENTAL PATIENTS
Authors: ROY B. PATTON, JOHN A. SHEPPARD
Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry (1956)

The intracranial tumors found at autopsy in 2,161 mental patients are reported. This group represents 96.9% of all patients who were autopsied at the Western State Hospital during the 16-year period from October 1, 1938, to October 1, 1954. Seventy-eight intracranial tumors were found for an incidence of 3.6%. The incidence of the various kinds of intracranial tumors found is discussed. These incidences are compared with reports of similar autopsy series in both mental and nonmental patients. The data examined reveal a significantly higher incidence of intracranial tumors and of meningiomas in mental patients than in nonmental patients. The greater incidence of meningiomas in mental patients is partly responsible for the greater incidence of intracranial tumors in this group. Meningiomas are frequently asymptomatic and may only appear to be more frequent in mental patients since at autopsy the brain is routinely examined whereas in autopsies of nonmental patients the brain is frequently left undisturbed. Thus many asymptomatic meningiomas in nonmental patients are overlooked at autopsy. Against this are observations that meningiomas frequently produce only psychiatric symptoms. Thus patients harboring one of these tumors tend to gravitate to psychiatric hospitals and not to general hospitals or neurosurgical units.
Acute Treatment with Corticosteroids Decreases IGF-1 and IGF-2 Expression in the Rat Diaphragm and Gastrocnemius
Authors: GHISLAINE GAYAN-RAMIREZ, FRANK VANDERHOYDONC, GUIDO VERHOEVEN, MARC DECRAMER
Journal: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (1999)

Massive doses of methylprednisolone (M) or triamcinolone (T) induced diaphragmatic type IIx/b atrophy, resulting in a leftward shift of the force-frequency curve in rats (). To examine the role of insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) in these changes, IGF mRNA content was measured in costal diaphragm, gastrocnemius, and liver removed from 32 rats treated daily during 5 d either with saline (control, C and pair-fed, PF), M, or T (80 mg/kg). Blood samples were taken to measure IGF-1 serum levels. RNA levels were measured by Northern and dot-blots after hybridization with rat IGF-1 or IGF-2 cDNA probes labeled with alpha-32P. Compared with C (845 +/- 128 ng/ml), IGF-1 serum levels were significantly decreased in M (699 +/- 90 ng/ml, p < 0.001 versus C) and PF animals (505 +/- 33 ng/ml, p < 0.001 versus others) and even more so, in T-treated animals (273 +/- 134 ng/ml, p < 0.001 versus others). Along the same lines, IGF-1 expression in the liver was depressed after corticosteroid treatment and in PF, whereas IGF-2 mRNA content remained unchanged. Compared with C, the relative expression of IGF-1 mRNA in the diaphragm was depressed by 44% and 69% in the M and T groups, respectively (p < 0.0001 versus C), while it was unchanged in PF animals. In the gastrocnemius, IGF-1 expression was reduced after M and T (-51% and -59%, respectively, p < 0.0001 versus C) as well as in PF animals (-40%, p < 0.001 versus C). For IGF-2, a similar pattern of expression was found in the diaphragm and the gastrocnemius. Indeed, IGF-2 mRNA tended to decrease in corticosteroid-treated rats (NS) whereas it was unchanged in PF rats. We conclude that decreased IGF expression after corticosteroid treatment was similar in diaphragm and gastrocnemius and may be responsible for the diaphragmatic changes observed after steroid treatment.
Bone Scan Findings in a Patient With Hyperparathyroidism and a Large Cystic Parathyroid Adenoma in the Mediastinum
Authors: JAMES F. DeLONG, HARWELL G. DAVIS
Journal: Clinical Nuclear Medicine (1977)

Bone images in a patient with hypercalcemia and a cystic parathyroid mediastinal adenoma showed both symmetrical and marked asymmetrical uptake of 99mTc-diphosphonate, particularly in the long bones and pelvis. Microscopic examination revealed osteitis fibrosa cystica in the bone. 99mTc Sn-phosphate bone scans are indicated in patients with hypercalcemia or suspected hyperparathyroidism.
Need for expertise based randomised controlled trials
Authors: Eric Lim
Journal: BMJ (2005)

Editor—Devereaux et al discussed the need for expertise based randomised controlled trials for surgical procedures.1

Firstly, the use of expertise based designs does not necessarily enhance the validity of a surgical trial. Surgical outcome does not depend solely on the operation; other factors that influence the results of an operation are heterogeneous and immeasurable (postoperative management, the surgical team, equipment). A different bias is introduced by the expertise based design, the influence of the overall performance of surgeon A v B, and in this regard, expertise based design is not necessarily a more valid comparison of operation A v B.

Secondly, the use of expertise based designs does not necessarily enhance the applicability of a surgical trial. The expertise based design assumes that an operation will only be performed by a select few. This is rarely the case, and hence the results will not reflect the true performance of an operation introduced to the general public (performed by a variety of surgeons).

Moreover, the results of expertise based design trials do not take into account any learning curve that exists when a new operation is introduced. The initial rates of adverse outcomes are higher when a surgeon refines an existing operative technique,2 never mind a new one.

A solution is to perform a randomised trial that has a balanced surgical expertise in both arms in proportions reflective of the population that will perform the operations. Academics can analyse the “expertise” subgroup, while the rest of us can look at the overall results to determine how an operation will really perform.
Episodic Evolution of Growth Hormone in Primates and Emergence of the Species Specificity of Human Growth Hormone Receptor
Authors: Jaw-Ching Liu, Kateryna D. Makova, Ronald M. Adkins, Susan Gibson, Wen-Hsiung Li
Journal: Molecular Biology and Evolution (2001)

Growth hormone (GH) evolution is very conservative among mammals, except for primates and ruminant artiodactyls. In fact, most known mammalian GH sequences differ from the inferred ancestral mammalian sequence by only a few amino acids. In contrast, the human GH sequence differs from the inferred ancestral sequence by 59 amino acids. However, it is not known when this rapid evolution of GH occurred during primate evolution or whether it was due to positive selection. Also, human growth hormone receptor (GHR) displays species specificity; i.e., it can interact only with human (or rhesus monkey) GH, not with nonprimate GHs. The species specificity of human GHR is largely due to the Leu→Arg change at position 43, and it has been hypothesized that this change must have been preceded by the His→Asp change at position 171 of GH. Is this hypothesis true? And when did these changes occur? To address the above issues, we sequenced GH and GHR genes in prosimians and simians. Our data supported the above hypothesis and revealed that the species specificity of human GHR actually emerged in the common ancestor of Old World primates, but the transitional phase still persists in New World monkeys. Our data showed that the rapid evolution of primate GH occurred during a relatively short period (in the common ancestor of higher primates) and that the rate of change was especially high at functionally important sites, suggesting positive selection. However, the nonsynonymous rate/synonymous rate ratio at these sites was <1, so relaxation of purifying selection might have played a role in the rapid evolution of the GH gene in simians, possibly as a result of multiple gene duplications. Similar to GH, GHR displayed an accelerated rate of evolution in primates. Our data revealed proportionally more amino acid replacements at the functionally important sites in both GH and GHR in simians but, surprisingly, showed few coincidental replacements of amino acids forming the same intermolecular contacts between the two proteins.
Website of the week: Assisted suicide
Authors: G. Yamey
Journal: BMJ (2002)

In the past 20 years, we've seen the rise of a genre of writing in which patients recount their personal battles against illness. Jeff Aronson calls these stories “autopathographies,” and is compiling the definitive list of such tales (http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/321/7276/1599).

If Aronson included patients' internet diaries, his list would grow exponentially. How would he begin his search? One place would be the Personal Documentary Center (http://home.earthlink.net/∼hevern/diaries.html), which chronicles personal testimonies on the internet.

Why do patients want to tell all? For many, it is a cathartic release of emotions that patients fear might be toxic if repressed. But for Nancy Crick, a 70 year old Australian woman with bowel cancer, self expression has become a political tool in a campaign for the right to die.

Crick says she can no longer tolerate the chronic pain and diarrhoea that are a constant part of her life. For a brief time in Australian history, she could have requested physician assisted suicide in Australia's Northern Territory. An act permitting such assistance, The Rights of the Terminally Ill Act, took effect on 1 July 1996, but it was overturned by the federal parliament in March 1997. And now, at the time of the fifth anniversary of the act being repealed, Crick is planning to end her life by taking an overdose, surrounded by her loved ones.

Crick wants the act reinstated, and to argue her case she is keeping a diary of her suffering in the run up to her suicide (www.protection.net.au/nancycrick/). Her diary entries are intended to make us feel uncomfortable, so that we might get a glimpse of her agony. On 16 February, she wrote, “Today I rose at 4am to visit the toilet, stayed there till 10am.” Under a photo of the toilet, she writes, “Welcome to my world.”

Crick would have been heartened by a recent BMJ editorial (http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/323/7321/1079) arguing that physician assisted suicide should be legalised. Others, however, were horrified (see p ). But whatever our views, a series of high profile cases around the world is forcing us to acknowledge that patients want a greater say in decisions at the end of their lives.
Epsilon Aminocaproic Acid — A Dangerous Weapon
Authors: Oscar D. Ratnoff
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (1969)

Of the body's defenses against injury, the proteolytic activity of plasmin, an enzyme that can evolve in plasma from an inert precursor, plasminogen, is most intriguing. Clinical attention has been centered upon the digestion of fibrin by plasmin, but this enzyme also digests other clotting factors, converts the first component of complement to its active form, C'l esterase, releases a leukotoxic fragment from the third component of complement, generates biologically active polypeptides, inactivates various peptide hormones and hydrolyzes gamma globulins. As might be anticipated, normal plasma is richly inhibitory against plasmin, presumably as a protective device.In the laboratory, plasminogen . . .
The t(14;18)(q32;q21)/IGH-MALT1 translocation in MALT lymphomas is a CpG-type translocation, but the t(11;18)(q21;q21)/API2-MALT1 translocation in MALT lymphomas is not
Authors: Albert G. Tsai, Zhengfei Lu, Michael R. Lieber
Journal: Blood (2010)
Physiology of the Heart
Authors: David H. Spodick
Journal: JAMA (1978)

Authored by one of the most distinguished physiologists, this book is unique in emphasizing, more than hemodynamics, the complex biophysical basis of cardiac contraction. Dr Katz has successfully designed the text for students and physicians who want a "simplified exposition" of the subject matter. Clarity of style is the hallmark of this text, producing a thoroughly lucid presentation. In keeping with the author's own distinguished research, the first nine chapters cover myocardial function and its relation to biochemical processes at the ultrastructural level. This is followed by two integrative chapters at the whole cell level, followed in turn by two more integrative chapters at the muscle-pump level, and culminating in a description of cardiac working conditions in the intact individual. The text then returns to the cell membrane, and "Cardiac Action Potential" logically introduces "The Electrocardiogram," the longest chapter in the book. Three chapters follow on arrhythmias and one on