tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Severe 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) intoxication: clinical and laboratory effects.
Authors: A Geusau, K Abraham, K Geissler, M O Sator, G Stingl, E Tschachler
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (2001)

A variety of health effects have been attributed to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), but little information is available on the course of a verified high-level TCDD intoxication. In this paper we describe two cases of heavy intoxication with TCDD and present a 2-year follow-up including clinical, biochemical, hematologic, endocrine, and immunologic parameters monitored in two women, 30 and 27 years of age, who suffered from chloracne due to TCDD intoxication of unknown origin. Patient 1, who had the highest TCDD level ever recorded in an individual (144,000 pg/g blood fat), developed severe generalized chloracne, whereas in the second patient, despite heavy intoxication (26,000 pg/g blood fat), only mild facial acne lesions occurred. Both patients initially experienced nonspecific gastrointestinal symptoms. In Patient 1 we observed a moderate elevation of blood lipids, leukocytosis, anemia, and secondary amenorrhoea. The laboratory parameters in Patient 2 were all normal. Despite the high TCDD levels, apart from chloracne, only few clinical and biochemical health effects were observed within the first 2 years after TCDD intoxication.
A Severe Blow to Hospital Planning: “Certificate of Need” Declared Unconstitutional
Authors: William J. Curran
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (1973)

A Shock wave has hit the nation's hospital and comprehensive health planners. The major legislative accomplishment in the entire field at the state level has been declared unconstitutional in its first test in a state supreme court. In the Matter of Aston Park Hospital, Inc.1 the North Carolina high court has struck down that state's so-called "certificate-of-need" law, under which the comprehensive health-planning agencies have been given authority to control hospital expansion. The legislation is similar to laws enacted in recent years in 20 states and now being considered in many others. These laws are aimed primarily at holding down . . .
Accumulation of Apolipoprotein C-I–Rich and Cholesterol-Rich VLDL Remnants During Exaggerated Postprandial Triglyceridemia in Normolipidemic Patients With Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Johan Björkegren, Susanna Boquist, Ann Samnegård, Pia Lundman, Per Tornvall, Carl-Göran Ericsson, Anders Hamsten
Journal: Circulation (2000)

Background —Exaggerated postprandial triglyceridemia is common in normolipidemic patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Alterations in the composition of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (TRLs) are likely to underlie this metabolic disturbance. However, the composition of very-low-density lipoproteins (VLDLs), which are the most abundant postprandial TRLs, has never been defined in CAD patients. Methods and Results —We examined postprandial changes in the number and composition of VLDLs in middle-aged, normolipidemic CAD patients and control subjects. TRLs from 14 patients and 14 control subjects aged 45 to 55 years were subfractionated by density gradient ultracentrifugation into Svedberg flotation rate (Sf) fractions &gt;400, 60 to 400, and 20 to 60. The VLDLs were separated from chylomicron remnants by immunoaffinity chromatography. In CAD patients, the postprandial concentrations of triglycerides and large (Sf 60 to 400) VLDL particles were elevated. In addition, their postprandial large VLDLs were enriched in apolipoprotein (apo) C-I and their postprandial small (Sf 20 to 60) VLDL remnants were enriched with apo C-I and cholesterol. Conclusions —Perturbed handling of postprandial triglycerides in normolipidemic CAD patients involves the accumulation of apo C-I–rich large VLDL particles and the generation of small, apo C-I– and cholesterol-rich VLDL remnants.
How it happened
Authors: E. F. Scowen
Journal: BMJ (1969)

In December 1969 the British Committee on Safety of Drugs recommended that women change to a pill with a lower dosage of estrogen as soon as possible.  This announcement was made on evening television.  Immediately physicians who had not been informed in advance were deluged with calls from frightened patients.  The physicians protested to the committee in angry letters to the British Medical Journal.  E.F.  Scowen chairman of the committee explained that while careful preparations had been made to inform the physicians first a leak to the newspapers of the announcement and the ensuing publicity made the television announcement mandatory.  The prepared warning leaflet for physicians was sent out as quickly as possible after the announcement.
A double‐blind, placebo‐controlled comparison of treatment with fluticasone propionate and levocabastine in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis
Authors: C. Ortolani, C. Mirone, A. Foresi, C. Leone, G. Di Lorenzo, G. Bagnato, F. Bonifazi, N. Crimi, L. Emmi, M. Prandini, G.E. Senna, A. Tursi, P. Fina, R. Testi
Journal: Allergy (1999)

Fluticasone propionate aqueous nasal spray (FPANS) is a topically active glucocorticoid which has been successfully used for the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR). Topical levocabastine is a highly selective H 1 antagonist which has been proposed as an alternative treatment of SAR. The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical efficacy of two topical nasal treatments, FPANS and levocabastine, in the treatment of SAR. Additionally, the effect of treatments on nasal inflammation was examined during natural pollen exposure. A group of 288 adolescent and adult patients with at least a 2‐year history of SAR to seasonal pollens participated in a multicenter, double‐blind, double‐dummy, and placebo‐controlled study. Patients were treated with either FPANS 200 μg, once daily ( n =97), or topical levocabastine, 200 μg, given twice daily ( n =96), or matched placebo ( n =95) for a period of 6 weeks, starting from the expected beginning of the pollen season. Clinically relevant pollens included Parietaria , olive, and grass. Assessment of efficacy was based on scores of daily nasal symptoms and on nasal cytology of nasal lavage. Nasal lavage was performed immediately before, during, and at the end of treatment in 39 patients. FPANS significantly increased the percentage of symptom‐free days for nasal obstruction on waking and during the day, rhinorrhea, sneezing, and itching. FPANS provided a better control for night and day nasal obstruction ( P &lt;0.02 and P &lt;0.01) and rhinorrhea ( P &lt;0.01) than levocabastine. In addition, fewer patients treated with FPANS used rescue medication ( P &lt;0.025). The percentage of eosinophils in nasal lavage was reduced only during treatment with FPANS. The results of this study indicate that FPANS 200 μg, once daily, provides a better clinical effect than levocabastine 200 μg, twice daily, in patients with SAR. Unlike levocabastine, FPANS significantly attenuates nasal eosinophilia during pollen exposure, a feature which may explain its therapeutic efficacy.
Pollen embryogenesis to induce, detect, and analyze mutants.
Authors: M J Constantin
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (1981)

The development of fully differentiated plants from individual pollen grains through a series of developmental phases that resemble embryogenesis beginning with the zygote was demonstrated during the mid-1960's. This technology opened the door to the use of haploid plants (sporophytes with the gametic number of chromosomes) for plant breeding and genetic studies, biochemical and metabolic studies, and the selection of mutations. Although pollen embryogenesis has been demonstrated successfully in numerous plant genera, the procedure cannot as yet be used routinely to generate large populations of plants for experiments. Practical results from use of the technology in genetic toxicology research to detect mutations have failed to fully realize the theoretical potential; further developments of the technology could overcome the limitations. Pollen embryogenesis could be used to develop plants from mutant pollen grains to verify that genetic changes are involved. Through either spontaneous or induced chromosome doubling, these plants can be made homozygous and used to analyze genetically the mutants involved. The success of this approach will depend on the mutant frequency relative to the fraction of pollen grains that undergo embryogenesis; these two factors will dictate population size needed for success. Research effort is needed to further develop pollen embryogenesis for use in the detection of genotoxins under both laboratory and in situ conditions.
Attention-Deficit Disorder
Authors: Alan J. Zametkin
Journal: JAMA (1995)

<h3>SELECTED CASES</h3><h3>Patient 1</h3> An 8-year-old boy was evaluated in the National Institutes of Health outpatient clinic in Bethesda, Md, for participation in research. The patient history was positive for 12 of the 14 criteria of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) listed in the<i>Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Revised Third Edition (DSM-III-R</i>)<sup>1</sup>(Table 1). Symptoms displayed by this patient included major disability due to poor attention span, impulsivity, distractibility, increased motor activity, and poor social skills. A structured psychiatric interview with his parents revealed no other causes of these symptoms by excluding the possibility of anxiety disorder or mood disorder, among others. (See Table 2 for differential diagnosis.) The physical examination yielded normal findings, and an evaluation of mental status revealed restlessness and poor impulse control characterized by the patient's repeated interruptions of the interviewer. A laboratory examination and psychometric testing indicated no learning disability but revealed
Of mice and men: Revisiting the relation of nonhuman and human learning
Authors: Holger Schultheis, Harald Lachnit
Journal: Behavioral and Brain Sciences (2009)

Abstract To support their main claim, Mitchell et al. broach the issue of the relationship between the learning performance of human and nonhuman animals. We show that their argumentation is problematic both theoretically and empirically. In fact, results from learning studies with humans and honey-bees strongly suggest that human learning is not entirely propositional.
A PLEA FOR NATIONAL AND LOCAL BOARDS OF SCHOOL HYGIENE.
Authors: ALICE M. SMITH
Journal: JAMA (1905)

The altruistic ideal is the noblest conception of man, and preventive medicine is its most practical application. Thus, altruism is the natural rôle of physicians, in that it is their natural function and their duty to be guardians of the public welfare; to see to the eradication of diseases and their attendant evils; to influence public opinion, public sentiment and public action in all questions pertaining to the health and education of the people, and to make the public familiar with the causes of disease, degeneracy and crime, together with the most important measures for their eradication and prevention.<sup>1</sup> Science has clearly demonstrated that much of the disease and misery of mankind is avoidable—that disease is a terrible punishment inflicted on the human family for living out of harmony with the laws of health. When one pauses to consider the enormous annual loss to the government and to society
Medical Journals Turn Gaze Inward to Examine Process of Peer Review
Authors: Joan Stephenson
Journal: JAMA (1997)

QUIS CUSTODIET<i>ipsos custodes?</i>Who will guard the guards themselves? queried Juvenal, the Roman poet and satirist, many centuries ago. Juvenal's remark was aimed at the dilemma of ensuring the chastity of women. But his query seems fitting for an embryonic field of study that has gained momentum during the last dozen years or so: an effort to investigate how those who oversee peer review, the evaluative action at the heart of the biomedical literature, can themselves assure that the process itself is sound. To this end, more than 300 participants from 46 countries recently gathered at the International Congress on Biomedical Peer Review and Global Communications in Prague, Czech Republic, organized by<i>JAMA, BMJ (British Medical Journal</i>), and Project Hope. They came to the meeting, the third such congress since 1989, to hear the latest research aimed at answering such questions as whether the process allots credit where (and
Loma Linda MD/Pilots Should Train at USC
Authors: Keith R. Doram
Journal: JAMA (1991)

<h3>To the Editor.</h3> —As a healthy, life-style— minded physician at Loma Linda University (LLU) seriously considering obtaining an airplane pilot's license, I found the article by Ullmann et al<sup>1</sup>to be particularly disturbing. In dismay, I imagined a future newspaper clip stating, "Another LLU vegetarian pilot died in a fatal plane crash—but the autopsy revealed no atherosclerotic disease." Unfortunately, the authors were unable to offer an apparent reason for the significantly higher rate of fatal aircraft accidents among LLU physicians as compared with University of Southern California (USC) physicians, although a disparity of skill and judgment was suggested. A better interpretation of the impact that the USC physicians' apparent "advanced pilot training" may have had on this finding could have been attained if the authors had adjusted for the effects of instrument rating by applying appropriate covariance methodology. Aviation epidemiologic studies certainly demonstrate that inexperienced pilots have up to
Breastfeeding in Women With Type 1 Diabetes
Authors: Carina Sparud-Lundin, Margareta Wennergren, Anders Elfvin, Marie Berg
Journal: Diabetes Care (2011)

OBJECTIVE To identify predictive factors for initiation and maintenance of breastfeeding with a focus on mothers with type 1 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This is a prospective observation survey, using a case-control design, comparing the outcomes of 108 mothers with type 1 diabetes with 104 mothers without diabetes that were matched for parity and gestational age. Mother and infant outcomes were collected from medical records and through telephone interviews 2 and 6 months after delivery. Predictive factors were calculated by logistic regression analyses. RESULTS Mothers with diabetes were less likely to partly or exclusively breastfeed their children at 2 months (OR 0.42 [95% CI 0.18–0.96], P = 0.041) and 6 months (0.50 [0.27–0.90], P = 0.022) than mothers without diabetes. On multivariable analysis, type 1 diabetes did not remain an independent predictive factor. Instead, higher education level and breastfeeding at discharge from hospital were predictive factors for breastfeeding at 2 months postpartum. These variables as well as delivery &amp;gt;37 weeks and early breastfeeding predicted breastfeeding 6 months postpartum. CONCLUSIONS Factors associated with maternal diabetes, such as problems with establishing breastfeeding in the early postpartum period, affects the likelihood of long-term breastfeeding.
The new information management and technology strategy of the NHS.
Authors: M S Leaning
Journal: BMJ (1993)

the schedules of procedures suggested by the provident societies.The guidelines and schedules were produced in 1989, and data collected by the commission show a wide variation in charges before 1989 and a convergence thereafter.In March 1989, for instance, surgeons' charges for a coronary bypass graft operation varied from £175 to £4000, with £1500 being levied on 11 occasions and £1600 on nine occasions.In March 1992 surgeons charged £2000 on 108 occasions, £1950 on 11 occasions, and £2200 on 10 occasions.The maximum suggested by the British United Provident Association was ,£2000; 56% of surgeons charged that price, and 46% of
Cardioprotective Effects of a C1 Esterase Inhibitor in Myocardial Ischemia and Reperfusion
Authors: Michael Buerke, Toyoaki Murohara, Allan M. Lefer
Journal: Circulation (1995)

Background Myocardial injury after ischemia and reperfusion can be attributed largely to the effects of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN). The complement system plays an important role as a chemotactic agent, affecting adhesion molecule expression and neutrophil accumulation. Methods and Results In the present study, the cardioprotective effects of C1 esterase inhibitor (C1 INH) were examined in a feline model of myocardial ischemia and reperfusion (90 minutes of ischemia followed by 270 minutes of reperfusion). C1 INH (15 mg/kg) administered 10 minutes before reperfusion significantly attenuated myocardial necrosis compared with vehicle (10±2% and 29±2% necrosis as a proportion of area at risk, respectively; P &lt;.01). Myocardial preservation was also related to reduced plasma accumulation of creatine kinase activity. C1 INH treatment resulted in improved recovery of cardiac contractility and preservation of coronary vascular endothelial function, as assessed by relaxation in response to acetylcholine, compared with contractility and preservation of endothelial function in vehicle-treated animals (69±6% and 20±4% relaxation, respectively; P &lt;.01). In addition, cardiac myeloperoxidase activity (an index of PMN accumulation) in the ischemic area was significantly reduced after C1 INH treatment. Furthermore, immunohistochemical analysis of ischemic-reperfused myocardial tissue demonstrated deposition of the first component of the classic complement pathway, C1q, on cardiac myocytes and coronary vessels. Conclusions Blocking of the classic complement pathway by C1 INH appears to be an effective means of preserving ischemic myocardium from reperfusion injury. The mechanism of this cardioprotective effect appears to be inhibition of PMN-endothelium interaction; this inhibition leads to preservation of normal endothelial function, which results in reduced cardiac necrosis.
Identification of haptoglobin as an angiogenic factor in sera from patients with systemic vasculitis.
Authors: M C Cid, D S Grant, G S Hoffman, R Auerbach, A S Fauci, H K Kleinman
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (1993)

Angiogenesis is an important process in chronic inflammatory diseases. We observed that sera from patients with systemic vasculitis stimulated angiogenesis in an in vitro model using human umbilical vein endothelial cells cultured on a basement membrane (Matrigel) substrate. After 40% ammonium sulfate precipitation, angiogenic activity remained in the low molecular weight fraction and could be inactivated by heat. SDS-page of serum FPLC fractions exhibiting maximal angiogenic activity demonstrated two prominent species of 45 and 16-20 kD in patients' sera. These bands were much less apparent in sera obtained from control subjects. Amino-terminal sequencing of the 45-kD protein demonstrated that it was haptoglobin. Purified haptoglobin stimulated angiogenesis in a dose-dependent manner. The angiogenic activity of vasculitis patients' sera was partially inhibited by an antihaptoglobin antibody. Furthermore, serum haptoglobin levels in vasculitis patients correlated both with disease and angiogenic activity. Haptoglobin angiogenic activity was confirmed in two in vivo models using an implanted disc and a subcutaneous injection of basement membrane. Stimulation of angiogenesis is a newly recognized biological function of haptoglobin. The increased levels of haptoglobin found in chronic inflammatory conditions may play an important role in tissue repair. In systemic vasculitis, haptoglobin might also compensate for ischemia by promoting development of collateral vessels.
Magnitude Estimation of Inspiratory Resistive Loads in Children with Life-threatening Asthma
Authors: YEMISERACH KIFLE, VADDANAK SENG, PAUL W. DAVENPORT
Journal: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (1997)

The perception of inspiratory resistive (R) loads was studied in nonasthmatic children and in children with a history of life-threatening asthma. It was hypothesized that the children with life-threatening asthma would have a reduced sensitivity to added mechanical loads as measured by magnitude estimation of resistive loads (ME). The subjects were screened from the experimenter and seated in a sound-isolated room in a lounge chair facing an oscilloscope, and they respired through a nonbreathing valve with the inspiratory port connected to the loading manifold. The oscilloscope displayed the inspiratory V˙, and each subject was required to inspire to the same peak V˙ for each breath. The subject's inspiratory background R was measured by the interrupter method. Five magnitudes of R loads and no-load were presented randomly 10 times each for a single inspiration after the illumination of a light cue. The subjects were initially given a training trial breathing to the V˙ target. The loads were presented in two trials. The load was estimated using the modified Borg scale. The slope of the log-log relationship between R load magnitude and the ME is a measure of the sensitivity of the subject to R loads. The slope for children with life-threatening asthma was significantly less than that for asthmatic and nonasthmatic children. There were no significant differences in the slope related to race, sex or age in the nonasthmatic children or in the asthmatic children. The reduced sensitivity to increased R loads suggests that these children are at risk of a life-threatening asthmatic attack in part because of an underestimation or delay in the perception of the increased mechanical load that occurs during an asthmatic attack.
Glycogen synthase kinase-3 is essential for β-arrestin-2 complex formation and lithium-sensitive behaviors in mice
Authors: W. Timothy O’Brien, Jian Huang, Roberto Buccafusca, Julie Garskof, Alexander J. Valvezan, Gerard T. Berry, Peter S. Klein
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (2011)

Lithium is the first-line therapy for bipolar disorder. However, its therapeutic target remains controversial. Candidates include inositol monophosphatases, glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3), and a β-arrestin-2/AKT/protein phosphatase 2A (β-arrestin-2/AKT/PP2A) complex that is known to be required for lithium-sensitive behaviors. Defining the direct target(s) is critical for the development of new therapies and for elucidating the molecular pathogenesis of this major psychiatric disorder. Here, we show what we believe to be a new link between GSK-3 and the β-arrestin-2 complex in mice and propose an integrated mechanism that accounts for the effects of lithium on multiple behaviors. GSK-3β (Gsk3b) overexpression reversed behavioral defects observed in lithium-treated mice and similar behaviors observed in Gsk3b+/- mice. Furthermore, immunoprecipitation of striatial tissue from WT mice revealed that lithium disrupted the β-arrestin-2/Akt/PP2A complex by directly inhibiting GSK-3. GSK-3 inhibitors or loss of one copy of the Gsk3b gene reduced β-arrestin-2/Akt/PP2A complex formation in mice, while overexpression of Gsk3b restored complex formation in lithium-treated mice. Thus, GSK-3 regulates the stability of the β-arrestin-2/Akt/PP2A complex, and lithium disrupts the complex through direct inhibition of GSK-3. We believe these findings reveal a new role for GSK-3 within the β-arrestin complex and demonstrate that GSK-3 is a critical target of lithium in mammalian behaviors.