tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Left Anterior Fascicular Block and the Risk of Cardiovascular Outcomes
Authors: Jonas B. Nielsen, Sandra E. Strandberg, Adrian Pietersen, Claus Graff, Anders G. Holst
Journal: JAMA Internal Medicine (2014)

panding from 6.4% of patients receiving IMV in 2001 to 13.8% in 2011 at an annual growth rate of 11.4% per year (Figure).By 2020, we estimate that there will be 671 986 (SD, 19 922) hospitalizations of patients 65 years or older requiring IMV, of which 19.0% will have a diagnosis of dementia.Discussion | The use of IMV by populations 65 years or older is expected to double between 2001 and 2020, and growth in hospitalizations for patients receiving IMV with an ICD-9-CM diagnosis of dementia is outpacing, by a factor of 4, those for patients receiving IMV without this diagnosis.These projected IMV numbers are consistent with published data. 5,6he use of ICD-9-CM codes to identify patients with dementia may be limited by poor sensitivity and lack of information about disease severity.Although better recognition of dementia among hospital providers may have contributed to some of the increase that we observed, the results of this study still have important implications for critical care resource planning.Given projected demand for IMV in the next 10 years, physicians and hospital administrators, already working in a strained system, face a potential crisis unless the critical care system is expanded or changes are made to temper current trends.Efforts should therefore be made to promote earlier discussions about goals of care in elderly patients with endstage terminal illnesses.This is most important for the subpopulations of patients (eg, frail elders older than 85 years, patients with end-stage dementia)
The Breath in Acute Leukaemia
Authors: E. K. Blackburn
Journal: BMJ (1957)

MONILIAL VAGINITIS RDICRALJL the patients had been delivered, but 11 out of a possible 16 of the gentian-violet series and 34 out of 47 of the nystatin series did attend, and the relapse rates are shown in Table IV.Three of the women who had been treated with nystatin were seen by colleagues at about the appropriate time and were free from obvious infection.TABLE IV.-Relapse Rate in Patients.Seen Four Weeks After Cessation of Treatment Gentian Violet Nystatin No. of Candida Relapse No. of Candida Relapse Patients Present Rate Patients Present Rate Pregnant..
Studies on Coumarin Anticoagulant Drugs
Authors: ROBERT A. O'REILLY, PAUL M. AGGELER
Journal: Circulation (1968)

Thirty normal subjects were given a single loading dose of warfarin sodium, 1.5 mg/kg of body weight. The drug was metabolized slowly (mean biological half-life, 47 hr) and showed a prolonged biological effect (over 6 days). In two separate experiments no loading dose was given; instead, daily doses of 15 mg and 10 mg were administered to 15 of the subjects. The prothrombin complex responses were compared with those obtained in the same subjects after the large loading dose. The mean time in days to reach the therapeutic range (prothrombin complex activity < 35% of normal) was 1.1 days with the dose of 1.5 mg/kg of body weight, 2.7 days with the dose of 15 mg/day, and 5.2 days with 10 mg/day. With all three methods the therapeutic range was reached soon after a level of warfarin of 2 mg/L plasma was attained. The rates of fall of the four vitamin K-dependent clotting factors (II, VII, IX, and X) with the large loading dose and with the daily dosage of 15 mg were compared in six of the subjects. With the loading dose, factor VII activity was less during the first 48 hr, but there was no other significant difference between the two methods of drug administration in the amount of reduction of any of the four factors. Since the role of factor VII in thrombogenesis is questioned, these results provide a rational basis for the induction of prophylactic anticoagulant therapy without large loading doses of warfarin. Avoidance of the customary loading dose should reduce the danger of hemorrhage, particularly in patients who are sensitive to the drug because of advanced age, sepsis, liver disease, congestive heart failure, or recent surgery or trauma.
Ulinastatin for pancreatitis after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography: A randomized, controlled trial
Authors: Takeshi Tsujino, Yutaka Komatsu, Hiroyuki Isayama, Kenji Hirano, Naoki Sasahira, Natsuyo Yamamoto, Nobuo Toda, Yukiko Ito, Yousuke Nakai, Minoru Tada, Masayuki Matsumura, Haruhiko Yoshida, Takao Kawabe, Yasushi Shiratori, Masao Omata
Journal: Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology (2005)
An Approach to Evaluation of the Effect of Bioremediation on Biological Activity of Environmental Contaminants: Dechlorination of Polychlorinated Biphenyls
Authors: Patricia E. Ganey, Steven A. Boyd
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (2004)

The effectiveness of bioremediation efforts is assessed traditionally from the loss of the chemical of interest. In some cases, analytical techniques are coupled with evaluation of toxicity to organisms representative of those found in the affected environment or surrogate organisms. Little is known, however, about the effect of remediation of environmental chemicals on potential toxicity to mammalian organisms. We discuss both an approach that employs mammalian cell system bioassays and the criteria for selection of the assays. This approach has been used to evaluate the biological response to mixtures of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) before and after remediation by reductive dechlorination. The dechlorination process used results in accumulation of congeners substituted in only the ortho and para positions and containing fewer chlorines than the starting mixtures. Evaluation of the dechlorinated mixture reveals a loss of biological activity that could be ascribed to coplanar PCBs not containing chlorine in the ortho positions. Conversely, biological activity associated with ortho-substituted PCB congeners is unaffected or increased by remediation. Thus, the results of the bioassays are consistent with the remediation-induced change in the profile of PCB congeners and the known mechanisms of action of PCBs. The results emphasize a need for evaluation of the products of remediation for biological activity in mammalian systems. Furthermore, the approach outlined demonstrates the potential to assess the impact of remediation on a range of biological activities in mammalian cells and thus to estimate positive and negative effects of remediation strategies on toxicity. Future needs in this area of research include assays to evaluate biological effects under conditions of exposure that mimic those found in the environment and models to extrapolate effects to assess risk to people and wildlife.
Exposure to Human T-Lymphotropic Virus Type III/Lymphadenopathy-Associated Virus and Immunologic Abnormalities in Asymptomatic Homosexual Men
Authors: JANET K. A. NICHOLSON
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1985)

Immunologic and serologic studies were done in 120 homosexual men who reportedly had no symptoms related to the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Forty-nine men (41%) had antibody to the retrovirus human T-lymphotropic virus type lll/lymphadenopathy-associated virus (HTLV-III/LAV), and 37 (31%) had an abnormal T-cell subset ratio and other immunologic abnormalities. These abnormalities were almost exclusively confined to men seropositive for the retrovirus. Multivariate statistical analysis showed that exposure to HTLV-III/LAV was the single best predictor of T-cell (and other) immunologic abnormalities. Sexual practice, particularly receptive anal intercourse, predicted exposure to HTLV-III/LAV but was not independently related to T-cell abnormalities. The association of other microbial serologic findings with HTLV-III/LAV seropositivity or T-cell changes was a coincidental function of sexual activity. Immunologic abnormalities in asymptomatic homosexual men are mostly related to exposure to HTLV-III/LAV.
Italy's drug regulator is cleared of any wrongdoing
Authors: F. Turone
Journal: BMJ (2010)

Nello Martini, former head of the Italian drug regulatory agency, Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco, has been cleared of the charge of “causing unintentional disaster,” which in 2008 provoked his removal from his post. At the end of a hearing last week that took more than two years the Criminal Court in Rome stated that there was no legal basis to go to trial.

Senator Ignazio Marino, an MP for the opposition Democratic party and head of the parliamentary investigative committee on the healthcare system, told the BMJ that he will launch an investigation into Dr Martini’s sacking.

“It …
Cholera After the Consumption of Raw Oysters
Authors: KARL C. KLONTZ
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1987)

In August 1986, a 76-year-old woman in Miami, Florida, developed profuse watery diarrhea and abdominal cramps. Two and four days before the onset of her illness, she had eaten six raw oysters at each of two restaurants in Miami. A stool specimen yielded toxigenic Vibrio cholerae 01 biotype El Tor, serotype Inaba. The results of toxin gene probing of the organism recovered from the patient differed significantly from those of other V. cholerae 01 isolates from the Gulf Coast and elsewhere in the world. A program of active surveillance identified no other cases of cholera in Miami. The source of the raw oysters eaten by the patient was traced to Louisiana. Her case represents the first reported case of cholera associated with eating raw oysters.
Costs and health care utilization (HCU) in adults with asthma in a hospital-based HMO: Influence of poorly controlled patients
Authors: E.R. Soriano, R. Gómez, A. Scharfner, D. Hares, A. Beratarrechea, E. Lifschitz, S. Figar, G. Machnicki, A. Castronuovo, A. De La Canal, M. Marchetti, F. Gonzalez Bernaldo de Quiros
Journal: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (2003)
Apoptosis and Related Proteins in Different Stages of Human Atherosclerotic Plaques
Authors: Mark M. Kockx, Guido R. Y. De Meyer, Johannes Muhring, Willem Jacob, Hidde Bult, Arnold G. Herman
Journal: Circulation (1998)

Background —The transition of a fatty streak into an atherosclerotic plaque is characterized by the appearance of focal and diffuse regions of cell death. We have investigated the distribution of apoptotic cell death and apoptosis-related proteins in early and advanced atherosclerotic lesions. Methods and Results —Human atherosclerotic plaques were studied by whole-mount carotid endarterectomy specimens (n=18). This approach allowed comparison of adaptive intimal thickenings, fatty streaks, and advanced atherosclerotic plaques of the same patient. The fatty streaks differed from adaptive intimal thickenings by the presence of BAX ( P &lt;0.01), a proapoptotic protein of the BCL-2 family. Both regions were composed mainly of smooth muscle cells (SMCs), and macrophage infiltration was low and not different. Apoptosis, as detected by DNA in situ end labeling (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase end labeling [TUNEL] and in situ nick translation) was not present in these regions. Apoptosis of SMCs and macrophages, however, was present in advanced atherosclerotic plaques that were present mainly in the carotid sinus. A dense infiltration of macrophages (5.8±3% surface area) was present in these advanced atherosclerotic plaques. Cytoplasmic remnants of apoptotic SMCs, enclosed by a cage of thickened basal lamina, were TUNEL negative and remained present in the plaques as matrix vesicles. Conclusions —We conclude that SMCs within human fatty streaks express BAX, which increases the susceptibility of these cells to undergo apoptosis. The localization of these susceptible SMCs in the deep layer of the fatty streaks could be important in our understanding of the transition of fatty streaks into atherosclerotic plaques, which are characterized by regions of cell death. Matrix vesicles are BAX-immunoreactive cytoplasmic remnants of fragmented SMCs that can calcify and may be considered the graves of SMCs that have died in the plaques.
Polycomb-Mediated Loss of miR-31 Activates NIK-Dependent NF-κB Pathway in Adult T Cell Leukemia and Other Cancers
Authors: Makoto Yamagishi, Kazumi Nakano, Ariko Miyake, Tadanori Yamochi, Yayoi Kagami, Akihisa Tsutsumi, Yuka Matsuda, Aiko Sato-Otsubo, Satsuki Muto, Atae Utsunomiya, Kazunari Yamaguchi, Kaoru Uchimaru, Seishi Ogawa, Toshiki Watanabe
Journal: Cancer Cell (2012)
Impact of Age and Comorbidities on Long-term Survival of Patients with High-risk Prostate Cancer Treated with Radical Prostatectomy: A Multi-institutional Competing-risks Analysis
Authors: Alberto Briganti, Martin Spahn, Steven Joniau, Paolo Gontero, Marco Bianchi, Burkhard Kneitz, Felix K.H. Chun, Maxine Sun, Markus Graefen, Firas Abdollah, Giansilvio Marchioro, Detlef Frohenberg, Simone Giona, Bruno Frea, Pierre I. Karakiewicz, Francesco Montorsi, Hein Van Poppel, R. Jeffrey Karnes
Journal: European Urology (2012)
Birch Pollen Allergy in Children Role of Milk Feeding during the First Birch Season of Life
Authors: Ulla M. Saarinen, Merja Kajosaari, Alf Backman
Journal: Allergy (1982)

The effect of exclusive breast‐feeding throughout the first birch pollen season of life was examined in 59 children compared to 67 children on cow milk formula and to 27 children weaned to cow milk‐based formula duting theit first birch season. The infants were about 3 months of age in their first birch season, and allergy to birch pollen was evaluated at 5 years of age by history and prick and provocation tests. Breast‐feeding throughout the first birch season did not prevent birch pollen alletgy; a similar birch alletgy prevalence of about 10% was found in children initially fed on human or cow milk. Instead. weaning to cow milk‐based formula during the first birch season seemed to protect from subseauent development of birch pollen allergy. Analogous results were obtained regarding allergy to grass pollen. This unexpected finding may be related to the immunological stress on the young infant provided by introduction of cow milk proteins at an early age.
984-30 Use of Electroporated Platelets as a Novel Drug Delivery System in Preventing Complications of Coronary Angioplasty
Authors: Samuel R. Ward, Luis A. Guzman, Joseph M. Sutton, Farhad Forudi, Maria Wendt, Lesley Brewer, Eric J. Topol, Neville Crawford
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (1995)
Risk models and scores for type 2 diabetes: systematic review
Authors: D. Noble, R. Mathur, T. Dent, C. Meads, T. Greenhalgh
Journal: BMJ (2011)

<b>Objective</b> To evaluate current risk models and scores for type 2 diabetes and inform selection and implementation of these in practice. <b>Design</b> Systematic review using standard (quantitative) and realist (mainly qualitative) methodology. <b>Inclusion criteria</b> Papers in any language describing the development or external validation, or both, of models and scores to predict the risk of an adult developing type 2 diabetes. <b>Data sources</b> Medline, PreMedline, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched. Included studies were citation tracked in Google Scholar to identify follow-on studies of usability or impact. <b>Data extraction</b> Data were extracted on statistical properties of models, details of internal or external validation, and use of risk scores beyond the studies that developed them. Quantitative data were tabulated to compare model components and statistical properties. Qualitative data were analysed thematically to identify mechanisms by which use of the risk model or score might improve patient outcomes. <b>Results</b> 8864 titles were scanned, 115 full text papers considered, and 43 papers included in the final sample. These described the prospective development or validation, or both, of 145 risk prediction models and scores, 94 of which were studied in detail here. They had been tested on 6.88 million participants followed for up to 28 years. Heterogeneity of primary studies precluded meta-analysis. Some but not all risk models or scores had robust statistical properties (for example, good discrimination and calibration) and had been externally validated on a different population. Genetic markers added nothing to models over clinical and sociodemographic factors. Most authors described their score as "simple" or "easily implemented," although few were specific about the intended users and under what circumstances. Ten mechanisms were identified by which measuring diabetes risk might improve outcomes. Follow-on studies that applied a risk score as part of an intervention aimed at reducing actual risk in people were sparse. <b>Conclusion</b> Much work has been done to develop diabetes risk models and scores, but most are rarely used because they require tests not routinely available or they were developed without a specific user or clear use in mind. Encouragingly, recent research has begun to tackle usability and the impact of diabetes risk scores. Two promising areas for further research are interventions that prompt lay people to check their own diabetes risk and use of risk scores on population datasets to identify high risk "hotspots" for targeted public health interventions.
The Relationship Between Smoking and Microvascular Complications in the EURODIAB IDDM Complications Study
Authors: Nishi Chaturvedi, Judith M Stephenson, John H Fuller
Journal: Diabetes Care (1995)

OBJECTIVE To examine the relationship between smoking and both glycemic control and microvascular complications in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This was a prevalence survey of 3,250 men and women aged 15–60 years with IDDM from 31 diabetes centers in 16 European countries. Participants completed a questionnaire, had retinal photographs taken, and performed a 24-h urine collection. HbA1c, frequency of hypoglycemic and ketoacidotic episodes, urinary albumin excretion rates, and retinopathy were compared by smoking category. RESULTS The prevalence of smoking was 35% in men and 29% in women. Current smokers had poorer glycemic control and, among men, were more likely to have had a ketoacidotic episode than were those who never smoked. Ex-smokers had equivalent glycemic control and marginally more hypoglycemic episodes did than those who never smoked. Current smokers had a higher prevalence of microalbuminuria and total retinopathy than did those who never smoked. Ex-smokers had a higher prevalence of macroalbuminuria and proliferative retinopathy than did those who never smoked, but both had a similar prevalence of microalbuminuria. Adjustment for either current or long-term glycemic control could not fully account for these differences. CONCLUSIONS Smoking is associated with poorer glycemic control and an increased prevalence of microvascular complications compared with not smoking. Ex-smokers can achieve glycemic control equivalent to and have a prevalence of early complications similar to that of those who never smoked. We suggest that poorer glycemic control can account for some of the increased risk of complications in smokers, and that quitting smoking would be effective in reducing the incidence of complications. Urgent action is required to reduce the high smoking rates in people with IDDM.
Application of Models of Defibrillation to Human Defibrillation Data
Authors: Charles D. Swerdlow, James E. Brewer, Robert M. Kass, Mark W. Kroll
Journal: Circulation (1997)

Background Theoretical models predict that optimal capacitance for implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) is proportional to the time-dependent parameter of the strength-duration relationship. The hyperbolic model gives this relationship for average current in terms of the chronaxie (t c ). The exponential model gives the relationship for leading-edge current in terms of the membrane time constant (τ m ). We hypothesized that these models predict results of clinical studies of ICD capacitance if human time constants are used. Methods and Results We studied 12 patients with epicardial ICDs and 15 patients with transvenous ICDs. Defibrillation threshold (DFT) was determined for 120-μF monophasic capacitive-discharge pulses at pulse widths of 1.5, 3.0, 7.5, and 15 ms. To compare the predictions of the average-current versus leading-edge-current methods, we derived a new exponential average-current model. We then calculated individual patient time parameters for each model. Model predictions were validated by retrospective comparison with clinical crossover studies of small-capacitor and standard-capacitor waveforms. All three models provided a good fit to the data ( r 2 =.88 to .97, P &lt;.001). Time constants were lower for transvenous pathways (53±7 Ω) than epicardial pathways (36±6 Ω) (t c , P &lt;.001; average-current τ m , P =.002; leading-edge-current τ m , P &lt;.06). For epicardial pathways, optimal capacitance was greater for either average-current model than for the leading-edge-current model ( P &lt;.001). For transvenous pathways, optimal capacitance differed for all three models ( P &lt;.001). All models provided a good correlation with the effect of capacitance on DFT in previous clinical studies: r 2 =.75 to .84, P &lt;.003. For 90-μF, 120-μF, and 150-μF capacitors, predicted stored-energy DFTs were 3% to 8%, 8% to 16%, and 14% to 26% above that for the optimal capacitance. Conclusions Model predictions based on measured human cardiac-muscle time parameter have a good correlation with clinical studies of ICD capacitance. Most of the predicted reduction in DFT can be achieved with ≈90-μF capacitors.
CD8 T-cell responses to Wilms tumor gene product WT1 and proteinase 3 in patients with acute myeloid leukemia
Authors: Carmen Scheibenbogen, Anne Letsch, Eckhard Thiel, Alexander Schmittel, Volker Mailaender, Steffi Baerwolf, Dirk Nagorsen, Ulrich Keilholz
Journal: Blood (2002)
Upregulation of angiotensin converting enzyme by atrial natriuretic peptide and cyclic GMP in human endothelial cells
Authors: O Saijonmaa
Journal: Cardiovascular Research (1998)

To examine the role of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and cyclic GMP in the regulation of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) in cultured human endothelial cells.Cultured endothelial cells from human umbilical veins (HUVEC) were treated with ANP (0.3-30 nM), 8-Br-cGMP (1-100 microM), Rp-8-Br-PET-cGMPS (1 microM), or the phosphodiesterase inhibitors, zaprinast (10-100 microM), dipyridamole (1-10 microM), or isobutyl methyl xanthine (IBMX, 0.1-0.5 mM). ACE amounts were measured by inhibitor binding assay and cellular cGMP levels by radioimmunoassay.ANP caused a dose dependent increase in ACE measured in intact endothelial cell culture. The stimulatory effect of ANP was blocked by Rp-8-Br-PET-cGMPS, a protein kinase G inhibitor. The cyclic GMP analog, 8-Br-cGMP and the cyclic GMP specific phosphodiesterase inhibitor, zaprinast, both increased ACE. Increase of ACE was also caused by nonspecific phosphodiesterase inhibitors, dipyridamole and IBMX. Intracellular cGMP levels were shown to increase by ANP, and phosphodiesterase inhibitors.These data suggest that cGMP is an intracellular mediator regulating ACE and that ANP induced increase of ACE is mediated via a cGMP dependent mechanism.