tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
A case of bullous pemphigoid with antidesmoplakin autoantibodies
Authors: T. HASHIMOTO, K. WATANABE, A. ISHIKO, H. SHIMIZU, H. HANYAKU, S. KIMURA, T. NISHIKAWA
Journal: British Journal of Dermatology (1994)

Paraneoplastic pemphigus, a recently identified disease entity, is associated with autoantibodies against a variety of epidermal proteins including desmoplakins I and II, and the 230-kDa bullous pemphigoid (BP) antigen. We report an 84-year-old Japanese man who had typical clinical and histopathological features of BP, but in whom indirect immunofluorescence, using normal human skin as the substrate, revealed concomitant serum antibasement membrane zone and antikeratinocyte cell surface autoantibodies. His serum showed reactivity similar to that which is seen with antidesmoplakin monoclonal antibody on immunofluorescence of cardiac muscle and urinary bladder. With immunoblotting, using various antigen sources, the patient's serum reacted with desmoplakins I and II, and with both the 230- and 180-kDa BP antigens. Immunogold electron microscopy also indicated the presence of antidesmoplakin antibodies. Although the significance of the antidesmoplakin antibodies in this patient is unknown, the findings in this case may provide an insight into understanding the occurrence of antidesmoplakin antibodies in paraneoplastic pemphigus.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme insertion/deletion polymorphism is not associated with susceptibility and outcome in sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome
Authors: Jesús Villar, Carlos Flores, Lina Pérez-Méndez, Nicole Maca-Meyer, Elena Espinosa, Jesús Blanco, Ruben Sangüesa, Arturo Muriel, Paula Tejera, Mercedes Muros, Arthur S. Slutsky
Journal: Intensive Care Medicine (2007)
Criteria for admission to the obstetric list
Authors: S. J Nickless
Journal: BMJ (1984)

<b>Introduction:</b> Proteinase 3 (PR3) is a serine protease stored in the primary granules of neutrophils and similar in structure to neutrophil elastase (NE). We sought to investigate the role of PR3 in exacerbations of bronchiectasis. <b>Methods:</b> PR3 activity in sputum supernatant was measured using a proteaseTag immunoassay in 86 individuals in stable state and during an exacerbation. Severity of disease was evaluated using the bronchiectasis severity index (BSI) and FACED, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and correlated with established biomarkers of bronchiectasis severity including NE and Heparin binding protein (HBP). <b>Results:</b> Median PR-3 concentration during stable state was 2.81µg/ml (IQR3.35-2.17) and 3.07 µg/ml (IQR3.47-2.53). during exacerbation. Mean age of patients enrolled was 65 and 55% were female. Mean BSI score was 8.2 (SD4.1) and mean FEV1 was 73.3% predicted (SD22.56). PR3 concentration was raised by mean of 43% during exacerbations (p=0.047) PR-3 concentrations showed a weak positive correlation to other neutrophilic markers in sputum such as NE (r=0.29, p=0.007) and HBP (r= 0.44, p&lt;0.0001. NE (p=0.01) was also clearly increased at exacerbation. PR3 measured at stable state did not demonstrate a correlation with severity (BSI or FACED) or radiological scores. It also failed to correlate to FEV1 at baseline or MRC dyspnoea scores. This was in contrast to NE and HBP which were significantly correlated with severity, Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection, FEV1 and other markers of severity. <b>Conclusions:</b> PR-3 measured in sputum is raised during exacerbations of bronchiectasis and further studies should establish its therapeutic implications and to determine its role in the pathogenesis of bronchiectasis.
US presidential candidates are asked their views on key science questions
Authors: B. Roehr
Journal: BMJ (2012)

Leading scientific organisations in the United States are trying to make science an important part of the autumn presidential and congressional elections. They have posed a set of 14 questions for presidential candidates and eight for congressional candidates on leading policy issues, as part of the ongoing Science Debate project (www.sciencedebate.org).

Two of the questions focus directly on health. One asks, “What actions would you support to enforce vaccinations in the interest of public health, and in what circumstances should exemptions be allowed?”

The other, on the topic of pandemics and biosecurity, asks, “In an era of constant and rapid international travel, what steps should the United States take to protect our population from emerging disease, global pandemics, and/or …
Distribution of decay-accelerating factor in the peripheral blood of normal individuals and patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria.
Authors: T Kinoshita, M E Medof, R Silber, V Nussenzweig
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1985)

Decay-accelerating factor (DAF) is a 70,000 Mr protein that has been isolated from the membrane of red cells. The function of DAF is to inhibit the assembly of amplifying enzymes of the complement cascade on the cell surface, thereby protecting them from damage by autologous complement. We raised monoclonal antibodies to DAF and used them to study its distribution in cells from the peripheral blood of normal individuals and of patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), a disease characterized by the unusual susceptibility of red cells to the hemolytic activity of complement. The results of immunoradiometric assays and of fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis showed that DAF was present not only on red cells but was widely distributed on the surface membrane of platelets, neutrophils, monocytes, and B and T lymphocytes. By Western blotting, we observed small but consistent differences in the Mr of DAF from the membranes of various cell types. Quantitative studies showed that phagocytes and B lymphocytes, which presumably enter more frequently in contact with immune complexes and other potential activators of complement, had the highest DAF levels. As previously reported by others, the red cells from PNH patients were DAF deficient. When the patients' red cells were incubated in acidified serum (Ham test), only the DAF-deficient cells were lysed. In addition, we detected defects in DAF expression on platelets and all types of leukocytes. The observed patterns of DAF deficiency in these patients were consistent with the concept that the PNH cells were of monoclonal origin. In one patient, abnormal and normal cells were found only in the erythroid, myeloid, and megakaryocytic lineages. In two other patients, the lymphocytes were also DAF deficient, suggesting that a mutation occurred in a totipotent stem cell. It appears, therefore, that the lesion leading to PNH can occur at various stages in the differentiation of hematopoietic cells.
Extramedullary Myeloma With Metastatic Features
Authors: Diana Lake-Lewin
Journal: JAMA (1979)

MULTIPLE myeloma is a disease mostly confined to medullary sites, but may have varied extraosseous manifestations.<sup>1,2</sup> Most commonly, these extraosseous lesions occur in the nasopharynax.<sup>3</sup>The occurrence of extramedullary plasmacytoma in the retroperitoneum is rare, although isolated cases have been reported.<sup>1</sup>Recently, we have had the opportunity to study a patient who initially had a case of combined myelomatosis with extramedullary subcutaneous lesions and who, at relapse, was found to have a huge retroperitoneal mass. This patient responded to pyrazofurin after treatment with nine other chemotherapeutic agents failed. These findings have recently been corroborated.<sup>4</sup> <h3>Report of a Case</h3> A 66-year-old woman had multiple lytic bone lesions, a large (6×10-cm), subcutaneous, biopsy-proved plasmacytoma of the right posterior area of her rib cage, bone marrow infiltration with 40% immature plasma cells, free k-chains in her urine, and a serum protein electrophoresis pattern with an IgG k-paraprotein spike of
Treatment of ventricular tachycardia by transcatheter radiofrequency ablation in patients with ischemic heart disease.
Authors: Y H Kim, G Sosa-Suarez, T G Trouton, S S O'Nunain, S Osswald, B A McGovern, J N Ruskin, H Garan
Journal: Circulation (1994)

BACKGROUND Recurrent sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) is not responsive to antiarrhythmic drugs in the majority of patients, who therefore need therapy with nonpharmacological methods. We evaluated prospectively the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of transcatheter radiofrequency (RF) ablation of VT in 21 selected patients with ischemic heart disease and VT. METHODS AND RESULTS Twenty-one patients with ischemic heart disease and recurrent, drug-refractory VT documented by 12-lead ECG were selected who had sufficient hemodynamic tolerance of VT to undergo transcatheter mapping. Documented clinical VT was reproduced by programmed cardiac stimulation (PCS), and the site of origin was localized by a combination of techniques, including pace mapping, activation-sequence mapping, recordings of middiastolic potentials, and application of resetting and entrainment principles. RF current at 55 V was applied (3.8 +/- 3.1 applications per patient) for as long as 30 seconds at a time to target sites. Twenty-four distinct clinical VTs (mean cycle length, 445 +/- 52 milliseconds) were mapped and ablated in 21 patients. In 17 of 21 patients (81%), the procedure was acutely successful, and the target clinical VT could no longer be induced by PCS after the procedure, whereas in 4 patients, clinical VT remained inducible. By contrast, VTs with shorter cycle length and different QRS morphology than the ablated VT could still be induced by PCS in 12 of 21 patients. One patient died in intractable congestive heart failure 10 days after the procedure, and the remaining 20 are alive at the end of the follow-up period. The majority of the patients continued to be treated with at least one additional mode of antiarrhythmic therapy; 12 patients were still taking antiarrhythmic drugs, and 9 patients received an implantable cardioverter/defibrillator. During a mean follow-up period of 13.2 +/- 5.0 months, 9 of 20 patients (45%) had recurrent VT. In 4 patients, the recurrent VT was different than the previously ablated one. Clinical VT recurred in all 4 patients in whom RF ablation had been acutely unsuccessful. Four patients with recurrent VT underwent repeat RF ablation procedures that were acutely successful and had no further recurrence. CONCLUSION Transcatheter RF ablation is feasible but has only moderately high efficacy in a small, selected group of patients with ischemic heart disease and drug-refractory, highly frequent, hemodynamically tolerated, sustained VT. In the majority of the patients, this treatment technique is palliative rather than definitive, and many of the patients continue to require other methods of antiarrhythmic therapy.
Cure of Progressive Murine Leishmaniasis: Interleukin 4 Dominance Is Abolished by Transient CD4+ T Cell Depletion and T Helper Cell Type 1–selective Cytokine Therapy
Authors: Frederick P. Heinzel, Ronald M. Rerko
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1999)

Progressive infection with Leishmania major in susceptible BALB/c mice is mediated by interleukin (IL)-4-producing T helper cell type 2 (Th2) CD4(+) T cells that, once established, become resistant to Th1-deviating therapies with recombinant (r)IL-12 and/or neutralizing anti-IL-4 antibodies. We sought to restore protective immunity in advanced leishmaniasis by depletion of Th2-biased CD4(+) populations and by cytokine-directed reconstitution of Th1 cellular responses during lymphocyte recovery. Treatment with cytolytic GK1.5 anti-CD4 mAb alone did not reverse disease in 3 wk-infected BALB/c mice, but GK1.5 combined with anti-IL-4 antibody and intralesional rIL-12 cured cutaneous lesions in 80% of mice and established a Th1-polarized cytokine response to L. major antigen protective against reinfection. The curative effects of GK1.5 were not replaced by cytotoxic anti-CD8 monoclonal antibody 2.43 or nondepleting anti-CD4 mAb YTS177, confirming that depletion of CD4(+) cells was specific and essential for therapeutic effect. Finally, combined CD4(+) depletion and IL-4 neutralization were curative, indicating that neither increased parasite burden nor altered accessory cell function independently biased towards Th2 reconstitution in advanced leishmaniasis. Advanced leishmaniasis can be cured by T cell depletion and cytokine-directed recovery of Th1 cellular responses, suggesting novel interventions for other immune-mediated diseases and identifying distinct roles for CD4(+) T cell and non-T cell in the maintenance of Th2 and Th1 phenotypes.
Shall we "reproduce"? I. The medical ethics of in vitro fertilization
Authors: P. Ramsey
Journal: JAMA (1972)

I must judge that in vitro fertilization constitutes unethical medical experimentation on possible future human beings, and therefore it is subject to absolute moral prohibition. I ask that my exact language be noted: I said, unethical experimentation on<i>possible future human beings</i>. By this, I mean the childto-be, the "successful" experiments when they come. I mean to exclude three things that could be said additionally to make a showing of medical immorality and a notation of illicitness upon the trials that are currently being performed. Excluded are (1) the charge that before going to human experimentation physicians should not have omitted first proving their technique in species more closely related to man, on the primates, eg, monkeys. This is a question of the background needed in the experimental design which an amateur cannot judge. Still I do know enough about discussions among ethical physicians concerning the need to complete the
Can patients benefit from reading copies of their doctors' letters about them?
Authors: M W Gill, D L Scott
Journal: BMJ (1986)

Britain's Data Protection Act has raised the question of patients' access to their medical records. In the authors' study, patients at a rheumatology clinic received either a copy of the consultant's letter to their general practitioner or a post-consultation discussion with a staff member. Both patient groups were asked to rate the two approaches. A group of general practitioners and additional patients were asked to rank these approaches as well as the alternative of receiving a clinic letter in "everyday" language followed by a discussion with the physician. This last option was least preferred by patients; opinions on the other options were divided. Only 13% of the physicians approved of the clinic letter, and over half thought the consultant's letter was the worst option. The authors conclude that patients benefit from consultants' letters and recommend that patients be allowed more access to medical notes.
An end to institutions?
Authors: T. Dalrymple
Journal: BMJ (2012)

Whenever I feel sorry for myself, which is not infrequently, I try to think of those less fortunate than I am—who, after all, are the great mass of the world’s population. This technique, I am ashamed to say, seldom works; I still feel just as sorry for myself as before.

Nevertheless, I should recommend everyone inclined to the vice of self pity, especially doctors, to read John Vaizey’s Scenes from Institutional Life , a brief memoir of the author’s two years during the war spent in hospital being treated for osteomyelitis of the spine. Vaizey (1929-84) triumphed over the most terrible suffering to become an eminent university professor of economics and member of the House …
Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole vs Ampicillin in Chronic Urinary Tract Infections
Authors: Richard A. Gleckman
Journal: JAMA (1975)

A multicenter, prospective, double-blind, controlled study was performed to compare the efficacy of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole with that of ampicillin in the treatment of chronic urinary tract infections. The incidence of adverse clinical signs and symptoms as well as abnormal laboratory values were comparable in the two treatment groups. This study appears to establish the fact that trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole is an acceptable alternative to ampicillin for the treatment of chronic urinary tract infections caused by susceptible Escherichia coli.
An acquired cell‐directed inhibitor of neutrophil chemotaxis and hypogammaglobulinemia
Authors: Dennis A. Casciato, Larry C. Ford, David F. Busch
Journal: American Journal of Hematology (1978)

Abstract An unusual combination of host defense abnormalities was demonstrated in an adult male with recurrent pulmonary infections due to a variety of microorganisms. Polymorphonuclear neutrophil chemotaxis was defective. Other neutrophil and T‐lymphocyte function tests were normal. The patient's serum also showed a severe deficiency of IgG, no detectable IgA, IgM, or IgD, and increased IgE. The chemotactic defect was shown to be due to a cell‐directed inhibitor in the patient's serum. The effect of the inhibitor on chemotaxis could be antagonized by factors in normal serum. The chemotaxis defect persisted for several months, but eventually returned to normal.
Failure of acyclovir cream in treatment of herpes labialis
Authors: M. Shaw, J. Best, J E Banatvala
Journal: BMJ (1985)

filtration causing functional renal impairment.Secondly, as the patient was also taking a diuretic this made renal impairment more likely.2Thirdly, pre-existing renal failure was present.It seems surprising that enalapril was given to a patient with known bilateral renal artery stenosis as the deterioration in renal function which occurred was predictable and, indeed, is well recognised.
Roger Benjamin Bowes Bishton
Authors: M. Inman
Journal: BMJ (2009)

Roger Benjamin Bowes Bishton was born on 19 February 1932 at Southend-on-Sea, and after schooling in Bromsgrove, he was called up for national service and commissioned in the Royal Artillery. After Downing College, Cambridge, where he obtained a half blue for athletics, he went on to the Middlesex Hospital, qualifying in 1959.

Junior posts in obstetrics, anaesthetics, and casualty followed, before …
In vitro assessment of biodurability: acellular systems.
Authors: A de Meringo, C Morscheidt, S Thélohan, H Tiesler
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (1994)

The assessment of biodurability of man-made vitreous fibers is essential to the limitation of health hazards associated with human exposure to environments in which respirable fibers are present. In vitro acellular systems provide effective test methods of measuring fiber solubility provided care is taken to select the most suitable solvent and test conditions for the specific fiber type and dimension.
Interleukin-15 prevents concanavalin A-induced liver injury in mice via NKT cell-dependent mechanism
Authors: Bofeng Li, Rui Sun, Haiming Wei, Bin Gao, Zhigang Tian
Journal: Hepatology (2006)

Administration of concanavalin A (Con A) induces a rapid and severe liver injury in mice. Natural killer T (NKT) cells are recognized to be the key effector cells, and a variety of cytokines [e.g., interleukin 4 (IL-4), IL-5, interferon gamma (IFN-γ), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)] have been shown to play vital roles in Con A–induced liver injury, whereas the role of IL-15, a critical cytokine in the development and homeostasis of NKT cells, remains obscure. In this study, pretreatment with IL-15 prevented mice from Con A–induced mortality, elevation of serum transaminase, liver necrosis, and hepatocyte apoptosis. Depletion of NKT cells abolished Con A–induced liver injury, which could be restored by adoptive transfer of purified NKT cells but not by that of in vivo or in vitro IL-15–treated hepatic NKT cells. Furthermore, transfer of wild-type NKT cells to CD1d−/− mice restored liver injury, whereas transfer of IL-15–treated NKT cells did not. IL-15 pretreatment decreased the NKT-derived IL-4, IL-5, and TNF-α production, thereby resulting in less infiltration of eosinophils, which play a critical role in Con A–induced liver injury. In conclusion, IL-15 protects against Con A–induced liver injury via an NKT cell–dependent mechanism by reducing their production of IL-4, IL-5, and infiltration of eosinophils. These findings suggest that IL-15 may be of therapeutic relevance in human autoimmune-related hepatitis. (HEPATOLOGY 2006;43:1211–1219.)
The risks of injury in public ice skating.
Authors: P J Radford, D M Williamson, I M Lowdon
Journal: British Journal of Sports Medicine (1988)

A prospective survey has been made of the injuries to members of the public attending a well established ice rink in a major city. Comparison is made with series in the literature reporting high levels of injuries, with corresponding demands on local hospital services, from newly established ice rinks. The main conclusion is that demands on hospital services have been markedly reduced for the well established rink, with corresponding savings in health service resources.
Melamine-Induced Renal Toxicity Is Mediated by the Gut Microbiota
Authors: Xiaojiao Zheng, Aihua Zhao, Guoxiang Xie, Yi Chi, Linjing Zhao, Houkai Li, Congrong Wang, Yuqian Bao, Weiping Jia, Mike Luther, Mingming Su, Jeremy K. Nicholson, Wei Jia
Journal: Science Translational Medicine (2013)

Melamine is converted to cyanuric acid by the gut microbe Klebsiella , leading to melamine-cyanurate-urate coprecipitation that is associated with nephrotoxicity.
Comparison of Tc-99m MAG3 and Tc-99m DTPA Scintigraphy in Neonates
Authors: ANDREW TAYLOR, STEVE CLARK, TURNER BALL
Journal: Clinical Nuclear Medicine (1994)

Tc-99m MAG3 scans were obtained in two neonates in whom previous Tc-99m DTPA scans had been interpreted as showing possible obstruction. In both patients, Tc-99m MAG3 provided superior diagnostic images and allowed obstruction to be excluded. The favorable dosimetry of MAG3, coupled with the fact that its clearance is two to three times higher than that of DTPA, makes MAG3 an excellent radiopharmaceutical for pediatric patients, particularly in those patients with impaired renal function and possible obstruction.
AIDS and Ethics: Biomedical Ethics Reviews, 1988
Authors: Kenneth Vaux
Journal: JAMA (1989)

<i>Biomedical Ethics Reviews</i>is an annual publication that attempts to keep its readers abreast of current thought on some of the dominant issues in contemporary bioethics. While past issues have covered a plethora of topics, this year's publication has been devoted strictly to the topic of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Subtopics covered include "Evaluative Assumptions and Facts About AIDS" (Pense), "Harming, Wronging, and AIDS" (Steinbock), "The AIDS Education Debate" (Mayo), "Contagion, Stigma, and the Epidemic of Death" (Carson), "AIDS: Towards an Ethical Public Policy" (Tauer), "AIDS: Risk, and the Obligations of Health Professionals" (Ozar), and "AIDS and Dentistry: Conflicting Rights and the Public's Health" (Waithe). It is obvious that Pense has done a great deal of research into the conflicting data that have surfaced in the AIDS scenario. Pense proposes that these conflicts are due to the fact that the scientific community is not immune to the "prejudices, ambitions,
THE USE OF A MEAL UNIT DIET IN DIABETES
Authors: RALPH H. MAJOR
Journal: JAMA (1925)

During the last two years, several excellent methods have been described for estimating the proper diets for diabetic patients, to use either with or without insulin. Wilder 1 has devised some very ingenious charts for estimating optimal food mixtures; Kellogg 2 has simplified greatly the calculation of diets for patients, and several diets have been proposed based on slight modifications of Woodyatt's well known formula. These methods have been especially helpful in hospital practice, and their successful employment proves their great value.  During the last year, we have been using a very simple formula for estimating diets. Patients who have employed this formula remember their diets well and find them easy to calculate. The method not only permits of rapid calculation, but also allows a certain standardization of diet, which is time-saving to the dietitian while the patient is in the hospital, and also to the patient when he returns