tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Volumetric White Matter Abnormalities in First-Episode Schizophrenia: A Longitudinal, Tensor-Based Morphometry Study
Authors: Thomas J. Whitford, Stuart M. Grieve, Tom F.D. Farrow, Lavier Gomes, John Brennan, Anthony W.F. Harris, Evian Gordon, Leanne M. Williams
Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry (2007)

While schizophrenia has long been considered a disorder of brain connectivity, few studies have investigated white matter abnormalities in patients with first-episode schizophrenia, and even fewer studies have investigated whether there is progressive white matter pathology in the disease.The authors obtained a T1-weighted structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan on 41 patients with first-episode schizophrenia. These first-episode schizophrenia patients were analyzed relative to 47 age- and sex-matched healthy comparison subjects who also underwent an MRI scan. Of the baseline participants, 25 first-episode schizophrenia patients and 26 comparison subjects returned 2 to 3 years later for a follow-up scan. To identify regional volumetric white matter differences between the two groups at baseline, voxel-based morphometry in statistical parametric mapping-2 (SPM2) was used, while tensor-based morphometry was used to identify the longitudinal changes over the follow-up interval.The first-episode schizophrenia patients exhibited volumetric deficits in the white matter of the frontal and temporal lobes at baseline, as well as volumetric increases in the white matter of the frontoparietal junction bilaterally. Furthermore, these first-episode schizophrenia patients lost considerably more white matter over the follow-up interval relative to comparison subjects in the middle and inferior temporal cortex bilaterally.These results indicate that patients with schizophrenia exhibit white matter abnormalities at the time of their first presentation of psychotic symptoms to mental health services and that these abnormalities degenerate further over the initial years of illness. Given the role that white matter plays in neural communication, the authors suggest that these white matter abnormalities may be a cause of the dysfunctional neural connectivity that has been proposed to underlie the symptoms of schizophrenia.
Leukocytosis and Sublingual Microvascular Blood Flow
Authors: Arend-Jan Meinders, Paul Elbers
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (2009)

A 51-year-old woman with chronic myeloid leukemia presented with a leukocyte count of 398,000 per cubic millimeter. On the basis of suspected leukostasis, sidestream dark-field (SDF) imaging was performed.
A15: Predicting Macrophage Activation Syndrome in Pediatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients at Diagnosis
Authors: Maya Gerstein, Sharon Sukhdeo, Deborah M. Levy, Brian M. Feldman, Susanne M. Benseler, Lawrence W.K. Ng, Mohamed Abdelhaleem, Earl D. Silverman, Linda Hiraki
Journal: Arthritis & Rheumatology (2014)

Background/Purpose:

Macrophage activation syndrome (MAS), a life-threatening inflammatory emergency of children with rheumatic diseases, is increasingly recognized in pediatric systemic lupus erythematosus (pSLE). The challenge is to differentiate active pSLE from MAS in order to make correct treatment decisions. The purpose of this study is to generate a decision tree for the recognition of MAS in newly diagnosed pSLE and test the performance of these proposed criteria in an independent pSLE cohort.



Methods:

A retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients requiring admission to SickKids Hospital with newly diagnosed, active pSLE between January 2002 and July 2007 (training cohort) was performed. All patients met ≥4/11 ACR criteria. Data collection on: 1) Clinical features including fever, CNS dysfunction, splenomegaly, hepatomegaly and hemorrhage; 2) laboratory parameters; CBC, ESR, CRP, C3, C4, ferritin, AST, ALT, LDH, albumin, bilirubin, triglycerides, LDL, HDL, urea, creatinine, sodium, coagulation parameters including INR, PTT, fibrinogen and D-Dimer, and soluble IL-2 receptor (sIL-2R) and CD163. Patients were assigned to one of 2 cohorts exclusively (MAS/non-MAS). Putative predictor variables were compared between cohorts. A decision tree analysis for diagnosis of MAS in pSLE was constructed using recursive partitioning, and decision rules were subsequently applied to an independent cohort of newly diagnosed, active pSLE diagnosed and admitted to SickKids between July 2007 and July 2013 (testing cohort) to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the proposed criteria.



Results:

The training cohort consisted of 56 pSLE patients: 9 (16%) diagnosed with MAS and 47 non-MAS patients. Splenomegaly was more common in the non-MAS cohort, with no other differences in clinical characteristics between cohorts. Of all the available laboratory data, ALT ≥ 45 units/L, neutrophils < 1.65 × 103/mm3 and ferritin < 836 µg/L identified 56% of the patients with MAS (R2 = 0.75) with 100% specificity. The testing cohort consisted of 9 (20%) MAS and 37 non-MAS pSLE patients. The proposed thresholds for ALT, neutrophil count and ferritin demonstrated a sensitivity of 11% and specificity of 97%.



Conclusion:

MAS is a life threatening complication of pSLE. Early recognition is challenging yet critical for appropriate therapy. PSLE patient with and without MAS have many similar clinical and laboratory features. Using statistical modeling, the initial criteria developed maintained excellent specificity but poor sensitivity for distinguishing MAS from active SLE at diagnosis in the testing cohort. Hence, new validated models are required for the early recognition of MAS among pSLE patients. Future analyses are planned to address these issues.
Receptor-Independent, Direct Membrane Binding Leads to Cell-Surface Lipid Sorting and Syk Kinase Activation in Dendritic Cells
Authors: Gilbert Ng, Karan Sharma, Sandra M. Ward, Melanie D. Desrosiers, Leslie A. Stephens, W. Michael Schoel, Tonglei Li, Clifford A. Lowell, Chang-Chun Ling, Matthias W. Amrein, Yan Shi
Journal: Immunity (2008)
Modulation of airway sensitivity to inhaled irritants: role of inflammatory mediators.
Authors: L Y Lee, J G Widdicombe
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (2001)

Bronchopulmonary C-fiber endings and rapidly adapting pulmonary receptors (RARs) are primarily responsible for eliciting the defense reflexes in protecting the lungs against inhaled irritants. In anesthetized animals, inhalation of cigarette smoke, one of the common inhaled irritants, into the lungs elicits pulmonary chemoreflexes that are mediated through the stimulation of pulmonary C fibers. When the C-fiber conduction is selectively blocked in the vagus nerves, the same smoke inhalation triggered only augmented breaths, a reflex effect of activating RARs, in the same animals. Indeed, electrophysiologic study shows that inhaled smoke exerts a direct stimulatory effect on both types of afferents. Increasing evidence indicates that the excitability of these afferents and therefore their reflex actions are enhanced by airway mucosal inflammation; one such example is the airway hyperresponsiveness induced by acute exposure to ozone. Although the mechanism underlying the inflammation-induced hypersensitivity of C-fiber endings is not fully understood, the possible involvement of local release of certain inflammatory mediators, such as histamine and prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2), should be considered. It is believed that changes in the membrane properties mediated by the activation of certain specific receptor proteins located on the membrane of these nerve terminals are involved, as the sensitizing effects of PGE(2) can be also demonstrated in cultured pulmonary C neurons.
Genotype-phenotype correlation in cases of juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia with clonal RAS mutations
Authors: Christian Flotho, Christian P. Kratz, Eva Bergsträsser, Henrik Hasle, Jan Starý, Monika Trebo, Marry M. van den Heuvel-Eibrink, Dorota Wójcik, Marco Zecca, Franco Locatelli, Charlotte M. Niemeyer
Journal: Blood (2008)
Bone Densitometry and Treatment for Osteoporosis in Older Men
Authors: Kouta Ito
Journal: JAMA (2007)

WHEL study enrolled 756 participants with estrogen receptor– negative tumors, with 188 in the first year since diagnosis. The a priori analysis plan of the WHEL study included evaluating effects of interactions between diet group and key covariates (including hormone receptor status of the original tumor and years from diagnosis to randomization) on additional breast cancer events. These were presented in Table 4 of our article. Breast cancer event rates among estrogen receptor–negative women were 20% in the nonintervention arm and 21% in the intervention arm (hazard ratio, 1.08; 95% confidence interval, 0.79-1.48; P=.63). There was no intervention effect on additional breast cancer events among strata defined by years from diagnosis to randomization (P=.50 by likelihood ratio test). Thus, the lack of effect of the WHEL intervention in estrogen receptor–negative patients is not explained by issues of study power or design. Regardingdifferences in the studygroups,wenoted theslight imbalance in the percentage of women who received adjuvant antiestrogen therapy (intervention, 69.4% vs comparison, 65.3%) and those who had a bilateral oophorectomy (intervention, 14.6% vs comparison, 11.4%). Hence, we adjusted for these variables in addition to following the original analysis plan. As shown in Figure 2 of our article, both unadjusted and adjusted hazard ratios for intervention effect yielded similar results. Most importantly, these initial differences in study group would, if anything, have favored an intervention effect, thus strengthening our study conclusions. The WINS investigators concluded that decreasing dietary fat intake may reduce breast cancer recurrence. Such an effect was not confirmed in the WHEL study, although at baseline the study population consumed less than 30% energy from fat. Another possible explanation for the discrepancy is that the WINS intervention appeared to result in moderate weight loss (2.3 kg at 1 year), which might be expected to reduce recurrences. There was less than a 1-kg weight difference between the WHEL study groups throughout the study.
Epidermolysis Bullosa: Gastrointestinal Manifestations
Authors: Roy C. Orlando, Eugene M. Bozymski, Robert A. Briggaman, Charles A. Bream
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1974)

Eight patients with epidermolysis bullosa dystrophica (recessive) and dysphagia were studied. Cases are described to illustrate that dysphagia may be reversible when caused by bullae formation or permanent when caused by strictures in the esophagus. Despite the persistence of dysphagia and strictures, no evidence of progression was elicited by history or shown by follow-up radiologic studies. Therefore, emphasis is placed on a conservative approach to treatment in these patients. Manometric and radiologic studies for gastroesophageal reflux failed to support the concept that reflux was the major factor in the production of lower esophageal strictures. Attention is drawn to severe constipation with fecal impaction as a prominent clinical feature in some patients with epidermolysis bullosa dystrophica.
Risk of Arsenic Contamination in Groundwater: Response from Chakraborti et al.
Authors: Dipankar Chakraborti, Sad Ahamed, Mohammad Mahmudur Rahman, Mrinal Kumar Sengupta, Dilip Lodh, Bhaskar Das, Mohammad Amir Hossain, Subhash Chandra Mukherjee, Shymapada Pati, Niloy Kanti Das
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (2004)
(39) Jessner's lymphocytic infiltration
Authors: R.S. Matthews
Journal: British Journal of Dermatology (1984)

Journal Article (39) Jessner's lymphocytic infiltration Get access R.S. Matthews R.S. Matthews Coleraine Hospital, Coleraine, County Antrim Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar British Journal of Dermatology, Volume 111, Issue s26, 1 July 1984, Pages 85–86, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2133.1984.tb05309.x Published: 01 July 1984
Strong purified protein derivative responses are associated with poor mycobacterium inhibition in latent TB
Authors: J.S.L. Kang, A. Cherian, S.H. Gan, T.H. Lee, K.C. Lee, C.B.E. Chee, T.M. Doherty, Y.T. Wang, G.T. Seah
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2009)

The tuberculin skin test (TST) using purified protein derivative (PPD) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is traditionally used to diagnose latent tuberculosis (TB) infection (LTBI). However, LTBI diagnosis by peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) interferon (IFN)-γ responses to M. tuberculosis- specific antigens, early secreted antigenic target 6 kDa (ESAT-6) and culture filtrate protein (CFP)-10 has greater specificity. We investigated the difference in antimycobacterium cellular immunity in TB contacts who were strong TST reactors but nonresponsive to the ESAT-6/CFP-10 assay compared with those with concordant results. Healthy TB contacts were tested using the above two assays and mycobacterium survival was measured after co-culture of infected macrophages with their PBMCs. Whether PPD reactivity was tested by TST or by PBMC-specific IFN-γ responses, strongly PPD-reactive TB contacts without ESAT-6/CFP-10 responsiveness showed significantly better mycobacterium inhibition activity than ESAT-6/CFP-10-responsive TB contacts with the same PPD reactivity. In the former group, stronger PPD reactivity was associated with improved mycobacterium killing, whereas ESAT-6/CFP-10 responders showed the opposite result. PPD-reactive ESAT-6/CFP-10-nonresponsive TB contacts in our population may have had protective immunity related to prior mycobacterium exposure. ESAT-6/CFP10-responsive TB contacts are more likely to have LTBI and, in this group, strong PPD reactivity may paradoxically be associated with poor mycobactericidal activity.
Infectious Mononucleosis In the Preschool Child
Authors: Kenneth A. Starling
Journal: JAMA (1968)

<h3>To the Editor:—</h3> Infectious mononucleosis is said to be most prevalent among adolescents and young adults. At the First International Infectious Mononucleosis Symposium, held in conjunction with the American College Health Association Meeting in March 1967, it was stated that this disease is extremely rare in the preschool child.<sup>1</sup>It is conceivable that this opinion is widely held because many of the reported studies have come from university student health services, where the population is limited to the adolescent and young adult. Case reports in the pediatric literature show this disease and its various complications do occur at all ages,<sup>2-6</sup>and experience on this service indicates that infectious mononucleosis in the preschool child is not uncommon. This summary is presented to reemphasize this fact. During the past five years 25 children under age 14 have been seen who fulfill the three generally accepted criteria for the diagnosis of
Osteopontin Levels in an Asbestos-Exposed Population
Authors: Eun-Kee Park, Paul S. Thomas, Anthony R. Johnson, Deborah H. Yates
Journal: Clinical Cancer Research (2009)

Serum osteopontin levels in patients with malignant mesothelioma have been reported to be higher than in healthy subjects. This study assessed serum osteopontin levels in an asbestos-exposed population to test whether nonmalignant asbestos-related disorders could influence osteopontin levels.This cross-sectional study evaluated serum osteopontin levels in 525 male subjects. Subjects were classified into six different diagnostic groups, including asbestosis (n=23), silicosis (n=20), diffuse pleural thickening (n=110), asbestosis and diffuse pleural thickening (n=13), pleural plaques (n=142), and healthy subjects with a history of asbestos exposure (n=217).Mean serum osteopontin levels differed among the six groups (P<0.0001). Mean osteopontin values of the healthy individuals exposed to asbestos were significantly different from that of subjects with asbestosis (P<0.001) and diffuse pleural thickening (P<0.001). There was a significant difference in mean serum levels of osteopontin in healthy individuals exposed to asbestos (n=217) compared with the group mean of all subjects with asbestos-related disorders (n=288; P<0.0001).Our results suggest that osteopontin levels are elevated in subjects with asbestos-related disorders without malignant mesothelioma. These data indicate that osteopontin, although reported to be useful for detecting malignant mesothelioma in asbestos-exposed individuals, may be influenced by nonmalignant processes.
NHS competition puts survival of social enterprises at risk, says think tank
Authors: H. Mooney
Journal: BMJ (2011)

Increasing competition in the NHS under the government’s new proposals to open up contracts to “any qualified provider” risks putting social enterprise schemes out of business, warns a new report from the healthcare think tank the King’s Fund.

The report says that an increasingly competitive NHS marketplace for healthcare providers, including short term contracts for fledgling social enterprises, presents major risks for their survival. It says that the government must continue to offer legal and financial support to fledgling social enterprises if the sector is to grow.

It recommends that NHS commissioners offer longer term contracts to enable social enterprise providers to establish themselves in a more competitive environment.

Rachael Addicott, the report’s …
Hepatitis B Surface Antigen and Antibody
Authors: Barry Stimmel
Journal: JAMA (1975)

The course of reactivity of hepatitis B surface antigen (HB<sub>s</sub>Ag) and antibody (anti-HB ) in 238 asymptomatic heroin addicts entering methadone maintenance was followed up for periods of one to four years. On initial determination, HB<sub>s</sub>Ag was seen in 39.1%, anti-HB<sub>s</sub>in 10.5%, and HB<sub>s</sub>Ag and anti-HB<sub>s</sub>in 9.2%; only 41.2% of persons tested had no detectable titers of either antigen or antibody. Abnormal liver function was found initially in 83% with no significant difference between those with or without HB<sub>s</sub>Ag and anti-HB<sub>s</sub>. At the conclusion of each study year, 50% to 60% of persons initially HB<sub>s</sub>-Ag-positive reverted to negative with HB<sub>s</sub>Ag absent in all persons followed up through the fourth year of treatment. Anti-HB<sub>s</sub>persisted in two thirds of persons during the entire study. These results suggest that the HB Ag carrier state in addicts is not maintained if exposure is eliminated. (<i>JAMA</i>234:1135-1138, 1975)
Peat Bog Wildfire Smoke Exposure in Rural North Carolina Is Associated with Cardiopulmonary Emergency Department Visits Assessed through Syndromic Surveillance
Authors: Ana G. Rappold, Susan L. Stone, Wayne E. Cascio, Lucas M. Neas, Vasu J. Kilaru, Martha Sue Carraway, James J. Szykman, Amy Ising, William E. Cleve, John T. Meredith, Heather Vaughan-Batten, Lana Deyneka, Robert B. Devlin
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (2011)

Background: In June 2008, burning peat deposits produced haze and air pollution far in excess of National Ambient Air Quality Standards, encroaching on rural communities of eastern North Carolina. Although the association of mortality and morbidity with exposure to urban air pollution is well established, the health effects associated with exposure to wildfire emissions are less well understood.Objective: We investigated the effects of exposure on cardiorespiratory outcomes in the population affected by the fire.Methods: We performed a population-based study using emergency department (ED) visits reported through the syndromic surveillance program NC DETECT (North Carolina Disease Event Tracking and Epidemiologic Collection Tool). We used aerosol optical depth measured by a satellite to determine a high-exposure window and distinguish counties most impacted by the dense smoke plume from surrounding referent counties. Poisson log-linear regression with a 5-day distributed lag was used to estimate changes in the cumulative relative risk (RR).Results: In the exposed counties, significant increases in cumulative RR for asthma [1.65 (95% confidence interval, 1.25–2.1)], chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [1.73 (1.06–2.83)], and pneumonia and acute bronchitis [1.59 (1.07–2.34)] were observed. ED visits associated with cardiopulmonary symptoms [1.23 (1.06–1.43)] and heart failure [1.37 (1.01–1.85)] were also significantly increased.Conclusions: Satellite data and syndromic surveillance were combined to assess the health impacts of wildfire smoke in rural counties with sparse air-quality monitoring. This is the first study to demonstrate both respiratory and cardiac effects after brief exposure to peat wildfire smoke.
FLOW-MEDIATED VASODILATION CAN PREDICT SILENT ISCHEMIA: TWINS STUDY
Authors: Ambar Kulshreshtha, Emir Veledar, Yan Zheng, Durreshahwar Khan, Arshed A. Quyyumi, Jun Dai, Irina Uphoff, Douglas J. Bremner, Jack Goldberg, Viola Vaccarino
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2010)
1α,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 shows strong and additive immunomodulatory effects with cyclosporine A in rat renal allotransplants
Authors: Claudio A. Redaelli, Markus Wagner, Daniela Günter-Duwe, Ying-Hua Tian, Philip F. Stahel, Luca Mazzucchelli, Ralph A. Schmid, Martin K. Schilling
Journal: Kidney International (2002)
Chronic bullous disease of childhood and linear IgA disease of adults are IgA1-mediated diseases
Authors: F. WOJNAROWSKA, B.S. BHOGAL, M.M. BLACK
Journal: British Journal of Dermatology (2006)

Linear IgA disease is characterized by the presence of linear IgA deposits at the basement membrane zone of the skin, and in some cases by circulating basement membrane zone antibodies. The disease occurs in both adults and children, and is designated adult linear IgA disease in the former and chronic bullous disease of childhood in the latter. The subclass distribution of the circulating and bound basement membrane zone antibodies was studied in 32 children and eight adults. The results were compared with five dermatitis herpetiformis patients and five normal controls. The circulating antibodies (39 patients) and the cutaneous deposits (39 patients) were IgA1 in all 40 patients with linear IgA disease. The cutaneous deposits in dermatitis herpetiformis were also all IgA1, and no circulating antibodies were detected. The controls were all negative. This large series of children and adults with linear IgA disease demonstrates that the circulating and cutaneous basement membrane zone deposits are all IgA1, and suggests that linear IgA disease is an IgA1-mediated disease.