tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Ventricular Tachycardia in Valvular Heart Disease
Authors: Calambur Narasimhan, Mohammad R. Jazayeri, Jasbir Sra, Anwer Dhala, Sanjay Deshpande, Michael Biehl, Masood Akhtar, Zalmen Blanck
Journal: Circulation (1997)

The clinical characteristics of sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (SMVT), when it develops after valve surgery, have not been described.Between 1985 and 1996, 31 patients (30 men and 1 woman) who had undergone valve surgery were found to have inducible SMVT. Nine patients (29%) had sustained VT due to bundle-branch reentry (BBR) (group 1). Four of these patients had normal left ventricular function, and VT with a right bundle-branch morphology was inducible in 4 patients. Group 2 included 20 patients with inducible myocardial (ie, non-BBR) VT. Coronary artery disease was present in 15 group 2 patients (75%) due to atherosclerotic (n=12) and nonatherosclerotic (n=3) causes. Two patients had both inducible sustained BBR and myocardial VT (group 3). Sustained BBR VT occurred significantly earlier after valve surgery (median, 10 days) than the onset of postoperative myocardial VT (median, 72 months; P<.005).Myocardial VT was the most common type of inducible SMVT in patients with valvular heart disease. The majority of these patients had underlying coronary artery disease and significant left ventricular dysfunction. However, in almost one third of the patients, sustained BBR VT was the only type of inducible SMVT. This type of VT was facilitated by the valve procedure occurring within 4 weeks after surgery in most patients. In these patients, left ventricular function was relatively well preserved, and the right bundle-branch block type of BBR was frequently induced. Because a curative therapy can be offered to these patients (ie, bundle-branch ablation), BBR should be seriously considered as the mechanism of VT in patients with valvular heart disease, particularly if the arrhythmia occurs soon after valve surgery.
Stroke and acute Myocardial Infarction in the Thrombolytic era: Clinical correlates and long-term prognosis
Authors: Christopher M. O'Connor, M. Califf, Edward W. Massey, Daniel B. Mark, Dean J. Kereiakes, Richard J. Candela, Charles Abbottsmith, Barry George, Richard S. Stack, Lynne Aronson, Susan Mantell, Eric J. Topol
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (1990)
Health in China: The healthcare market
Authors: T. Hesketh, W. X. Zhu
Journal: BMJ (1997)

<h3>Abstract</h3> It is now about 15 years since the introduction of the market into health care in China. This produced fundamental changes in the way that health care is financed and resulted in the disappearance of universal free basic health care. Responsibility for provision of health services has been devolved to the provincial and county governments, and healthcare providers have been given considerable financial independence. A fee for service system has been introduced, and several different payment mechanisms are now in operation. The new financing and pricing structures are responsible for greater inequity of access to services and more inefficient use of resources. These problems are widely acknowledged, and a range of solutions is being developed and tested. Since the introduction of the reforms the measurable health status of the population has not declined, probably as a result of overall improved socioeconomic conditions and a continued emphasis on prevention.
Optional copayments on anti-cancer drugs
Authors: K. v. d. Vooren, A. Curto, L. Garattini
Journal: BMJ (2013)

New cancer drugs are often expensive and offer low cost effectiveness, yet funders find it hard to resist the pressure to provide them to dying patients. <b>Katelijne van de Vooren</b>, <b>Alessandro Curto</b>, and <b>Livio Garattini</b> suggest that patients may legitimately be asked to contribute to their costs
Ten-Year Follow-up of Behavioral, Family-Based Treatment for Obese Children
Authors: Leonard H. Epstein
Journal: JAMA (1990)

Using a prospective, randomized, controlled design, we examined the effects of behavioral family-based treatment on percent overweight and growth over 10 years in obese 6- to 12-year-old children. Obese children and their parents were randomized to three groups that were provided similar diet, exercise, and behavior management training but differed in the reinforcement for weight loss and behavior change. The child and parent group reinforced parent and child behavior change and weight loss, the child group reinforced child behavior change and weight loss, and the nonspecific control group reinforced families for attendance. Children in the child and parent group showed significantly greater decreases in percent overweight after 5 and 10 years (-11.2% and -7.5%, respectively) than children in the nonspecific control group (+ 7.9% and + 14.3%, respectively). Children in the child group showed increases in percent overweight after 5 and 10 years (+ 2.7% and + 4.5%, respectively) that were midway between those for the child and parent and nonspecific groups and not significantly different from either. At 10 years, child height was related strongly to the height of the parent of the same sex (r = .78 children were 1.8 cm taller than their parents, with no differences in height between groups.
Effect of low dose oral contraceptives on exercise performance.
Authors: R W Bryner, R C Toffle, I H Ullrich, R A Yeater
Journal: British Journal of Sports Medicine (1996)

OBJECTIVE--to examine the effect of cycle phase or a low dose oral contraceptive on exercise performance in young women. METHODS--As controls, 15 men were tested twice by a maximal treadmill test (Vo2 max) and by an endurance run 14 d apart to determine performance variability from causes other than hormonal fluctuations. Ten women ages 18-30 were then tested for Vo2 max and endurance in the same way in both the follicular and the luteal phase (random order, ovulation assessed by sonography). They were then randomly assigned to placebo (n = 3) or oral contraceptive (1 mg norethindrone and 35 micrograms ethinyl oestradiol) (n = 7) for 21 days. Tests were repeated during the first and third weeks of treatment. Vo2 max and endurance tests were compared in the men and control cycle of the women by using independent t tests on percent change. The data for both cycles in the women were analysed by repeated measures ANOVA. RESULTS--There was no difference in per cent change in total test time, Vo2 max, or breathing frequency between the men and women in either test. Data obtained during the Vo2 max test revealed no difference between the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle for total test time [11.8 (SD 2.3) v 12.6 (2.3) min], Vo2 [41.6 (12.1) v 39.7 (11.4) ml.kg-1.min-1], or breathing frequency [26.8 (3.5) v 27.3 (9.9) breaths.min-1] respectively, or during the first and third weeks of treatment [total test time 12.0 (2.5) v 12.8 (2.4) min; Vo2 37.3 (7.4) v 41.0 (12.4) ml.kg-1.min-1; breathing frequency 27.8 (4.2) v 27.7 (3.4) breaths.min-1, respectively]. Data obtained during the endurance test revealed no difference between the follicular and luteal phase of the menstrual cycle for total test time [20.5 (15.7) v 16.2 (8.5) min], Vo2 [37.5 (9.4) v 32.9 (8.1) ml.kg-1.min-1], or breathing frequency [32.0 (6.0) v 33.2 (5.1) breaths.min-1, respectively], or during the first and third weeks of treatment [total test time 32.3 (34.9) v 30.6 (30.1) min; Vo2 33.9 (10.1) v 35.2 (8.6) ml.kg-1.min-1; breathing frequency 34.0 (5.9) v 34.8 (5.3) breaths.min-1, respectively]. CONCLUSIONS--Neither cycle phase nor a low dose oral contraceptive containing 1 mg norethindrone adversely affects performance during a maximal treadmill test or endurance run.
Efficient Management of Diarrhea in the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
Authors: John F. Johanson
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1990)

Study Objective: To compare the efficacy and cost effectiveness of alternative strategies for the evaluation and medical management of diarrhea in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Design: Medical decision analysis using a decision tree. Methods: Three management strategies were compared: full evaluation, which included stool culture, ova and parasite examination, stain for protozoa, blood cultures, esophagogastroduodenoscopy with biopsy, and colonoscopy with biopsy; limited evaluation, which included stool culture, ova and parasite examination, stool stain for protozoa, and blood cultures; and minimal evaluation, which included only a stool culture. Treatment was based on the outcome of the diagnostic workup. Patients without a specific diagnosis were treated symptomatically with diphenoxylate hydrochloride. Nonrespondents to initial symptomatic treatment and patients with recurrent diarrhea after specific therapy were given the full evaluation. Average probabilities of diagnostic and therapeutic success were calculated from previous reports. Costs were compiled based on diagnostic and therapeutic expenditures. Measurements and Main Results: Under baseline assumptions, the remission rates for diarrhea were 75.2%, 74.8%, and 74.8% in patients undergoing the full, limited, and minimal evaluations, respectively. The respective costs of the three strategies were $5419, $1997, and $1700 per patient in remission. A sensitivity analysis showed that the differences in efficacy and cost among the full, limited, and minimal strategies remained unchanged over a broad range of possible rates of diagnostic or therapeutic success. Conclusions: The minimal evaluation in all patients, with the full evaluation reserved only for nonrespondents to symptomatic treatment, is efficacious and is the most cost-effective strategy for managing AIDS-related diarrhea.
Doctor who offered to arrange female genital mutilation is struck off
Authors: C. Dyer
Journal: BMJ (2014)

<h3>Objective</h3> New strategies are required to rapidly identify novel cytostatic agents before embarking on large randomized trials. This study investigates whether a change in rate of rise (slope) of serum CA125 from before to after starting a novel agent could be used to identify cytostatic agents. Tamoxifen was used to validate this hypothesis. <h3>Methods</h3> Asymptomatic patients with relapsed ovarian cancer who had responded to chemotherapy were enrolled and had CA125 measurements taken every 4 weeks, then more frequently when rising. Once levels reached 4 times the upper limit of normal or nadir, they started continuous tamoxifen 20 mg daily, as well as fortnightly CA125 measurements until symptomatic progression. Because of the potentially nonlinear relationship of CA125 over time, it was felt that to enable normal approximations to be utilized a natural logarithmic standard transformation [ln(CA125)] was the most suitable to improve linearity above the common logarithmic transformation to base 10. <h3>Results</h3> From 235 recruited patients, 81 started tamoxifen and had at least 4 CA125 measurements taken before and 4 CA125 measurements taken after starting tamoxifen, respectively. The mean regression slopes from using at least 4 1n(CA125) measurements immediately before and after starting tamoxifen were 0·0149 and 0·0093 [ln(CA125)/d], respectively. This difference is statistically significant, <i>P</i> = 0·001. Therefore, in a future trial with a novel agent, at least as effective as tamoxifen, using this effect size, the number of evaluable patients needed, at significance level of 5% and power of 80%, is 56. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Further validation of this methodology is required, but there is potential to use comparison of mean regression slopes of ln(CA125) as an interim analysis measure of efficacy for novel cytostatic agents in relapsed ovarian cancer.
Famous Illnesses in History
Authors: John B. Stetson
Journal: JAMA (1964)

Reprinting of this pleasant book within a year of publication attests its readability. The author, a former Harley Street otolaryngologist, is now semi-retired in Gibraltar. The warm breezes from Spain and nutty bouquet of sherry (but not the aroma of the Gibraltar Barbary Apes!) seem to have pervaded the book and given it a happy tang. The 15 chapters carry us from "Teamwork and the Recovery of King George V" (1928-29) through to "The Deathbed of King Charles II" (1685). Three chapters deal with past presidents of the United States ("Polio and President Roosevelt," "The Secret Operation on President Cleveland," and "The Fatal Laryngitis of George Washington"). Two poets (Lord Byron and Robert Burns), a naturalist (Charles Darwin), and three emperors (Frederick, Napoleon and Napoleon III) also receive attention. The remaining chapters concern members of the British royalty. All chapters are well documented and contain background material about the person
Obstetric flying squads and mobile resuscitation units
Authors: I. Fergusson, M. Watson
Journal: BMJ (1977)

reported a rise of 22 beats/min after a similar dose in acute asthma, while we have shown a rise of 28 beats/min one minute after salbuta- mol 200 xjg injected over a one-minute period to convalescent asthmatics.5 Indeed, Mr Neville and his colleagues reported a rise of 31 beats/min on completion of their intravenous injection.It would seem likely that had Professor Femi-Pearse measured the pulse rate sooner after completion of the bolus injection of salbutamol a greater tachycardia would have been apparent.In view of these other reports we feel that salbutamol should be administered intravenously slowly (over at least five minutes) and that, with time, cardiotoxic effects or deaths will be observed if this effective bronchodilator is given rapidly as suggested.
Remarks ON SOME FUNCTIONS OF THE OMENTUM
Authors: R. Morison
Journal: BMJ (1906)

FOR years I have taught that the omentum has important functions, and to impress this upon students I have called it the " abdominal policeman."There can be no doubt that it travels about in the abdomen with considerable rapidity, and is attracted by some sort of information to neighbourhoods in which mischief is brewing.
Tissue-specific determinants of anisotropic conduction velocity in canine atrial and ventricular myocardium.
Authors: J E Saffitz, H L Kanter, K G Green, T K Tolley, E C Beyer
Journal: Circulation Research (1994)

Electrical conduction is very rapid and highly anisotropic in atrial fiber bundles, such as the crista terminalis. In contrast to left ventricular myocardium in which the ratio of longitudinal to transverse conduction velocities is approximately 3, propagation velocity in the crista terminalis is approximately 10 times greater in the longitudinal than in the transverse direction. To elucidate potential determinants of these distinct conduction properties, we characterized structural and molecular features of intercellular coupling in the crista terminalis and left ventricular myocardium of the canine heart. Analysis of the number and spatial orientation of myocyte interconnections at gap junctions revealed that a typical left ventricular myocyte was connected to 11.3 +/- 2.2 other myocytes. Approximately equal numbers of connections occurred between ventricular myocytes juxtaposed in side-to-side and end-to-end orientation. In contrast, a typical myocyte of the crista terminalis was connected to only 6.4 +/- 1.7 other cells (P &lt; .05), but nearly 80% of these connections occurred between cells oriented in an end-to-end configuration. In comparison with the ventricular pattern, this spatial distribution of connections would limit intercellular current transfer between laterally apposed cells and thereby enhance anisotropy of conduction velocity in the longitudinal and transverse directions. Ultrastructural analysis showed that crista terminalis myocytes were connected by numerous small gap junctions that occurred in relatively simple, straight intercalated disks. Northern blot analysis showed approximately equivalent amounts of mRNAs encoding the gap junction channel proteins connexin43 and connexin45 but approximately four times more connexin40 mRNA in crista terminalis than in the left ventricle.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Silk‐Based Biomaterials in Biomedical Textiles and Fiber‐Based Implants
Authors: Gang Li, Yi Li, Guoqiang Chen, Jihuan He, Yifan Han, Xiaoqin Wang, David L. Kaplan
Journal: Advanced Healthcare Materials (2015)

Biomedical textiles and fiber‐based implants (BTFIs) have been in routine clinical use to facilitate healing for nearly five decades. Amongst the variety of biomaterials used, silk‐based biomaterials (SBBs) have been widely used clinically viz. sutures for centuries and are being increasingly recognized as a prospective material for biomedical textiles. The ease of processing, controllable degradability, remarkable mechanical properties and biocompatibility have prompted the use of SBBs for various BTFIs for extracorporeal implants, soft tissue repair, healthcare/hygiene products and related needs. The present Review focuses on BTFIs from the perspective of types and physical and biological properties, and this discussion is followed with an examination of the advantages and limitations of BTFIs from SBBs. The Review covers progress in surface coatings, physical and chemical modifications of SBBs for BTFIs and identifies future needs and opportunities for the further development for BTFIs using SBBs.
Eosinopenia, an early marker of increased mortality in critically ill medical patients
Authors: Khalid Abidi, Jihane Belayachi, Youssef Derras, Mina El Khayari, Tarek Dendane, Naoufel Madani, Ibtissam Khoudri, Amine Ali Zeggwagh, Redouane Abouqal
Journal: Intensive Care Medicine (2011)
Long term prognosis in yersinia arthritis: clinical and serological findings.
Authors: J D Herrlinger, J U Asmussen
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (1992)

Twenty two patients were followed up for a mean of 10.7 years after acute yersinia arthritis. Their clinical course, agglutination antibodies, antibodies against plasmid coded yersinia proteins, and laboratory parameters of inflammation were analysed. The clinical findings were unremarkable. Serum agglutinating antibodies against Yersinia enterocolitica were not found in any patient. Ten patients had no antibodies against plasmid coded bacterial proteins. Five patients showed IgG antibodies, one patient had an IgA and IgG result of questionable significance, and six patients had IgA and IgG antibodies in the immunoblot reaction. No evidence of systemic inflammation was found. The persistence of IgA or IgG antibodies, or both, did not have a discernible influence on the clinical course. The development of erosive changes in the sacroiliac joints occurred independently of yersinia infection.
What is the daily practice of mechanical ventilation in pediatric intensive care units? A multicenter study
Authors: J. A. Farias, F. Frutos, A. Esteban, J. Casado Flores, A. Retta, A. Baltodano, I. Alía, T. Hatzis, F. Olazarri, A. Petros, M. Johnson
Journal: Intensive Care Medicine (2004)
ESTERASES OF THE POLYMORPHONUCLEAR LEUKOCYTE CAPABLE OF HYDROLYZING ACETYL <scp>DL</scp>-PHENYL-ALANINE ß-NAPHTHYL ESTER
Authors: Elmer L. Becker, Peter A. Ward
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1969)

Previous published work has led to the hypothesis that the activatable esterase of chemotaxis is a serine esterase of the rabbit polymorphonuclear leukocyte existing in an inert, phosphonate insusceptible form, which after activation is capable of hydrolyzing aromatic amino acid esters and being inhibited by phosphonates. In the present study, directed to the testing of this hypothesis, we have shown that rabbit peritoneal polymorphonuclear leukocytes contain three esterases capable of hydrolyzing the aromatic amino acid ester, acetyl DL-phenylalanine beta-naphthyl ester. Two of these esterases, esterase 1 and esterase 2, are inhibited by various p-nitrophenyl ethyl phosphonate esters. The inhibition of each esterase is irreversible and progressive with time. When the logarithm of the esterase activity remaining after cell and inhibitor have been in contact for a constant time is plotted against the concentration of inhibitor, a straight line results. These results support the conclusion that both esterases are serine esterases. The third esterase, esterase 3, differs from the other two by its inability to be inactivated by any of the phosphonates no matter how high the concentration of phosphonate or prolonged the period of incubation of cell with phosphonate. The activity of esterase 1 is at least 10,000 times more easily inhibited by phosphonates than is that of esterase 2; incubating rabbit polymorphonuclear leukocytes for 15 min at 27 degrees C with 10(-9)-10(-8)M concentrations of various phosphonates inactivates esterase 1, but it required 10(-6)-10(-4)M concentrations of the same phosphonates to inhibit esterase 2. The inhibition profiles of esterase 1 are distinctly different from those of esterase 2 when the two esterases are tested with the phenylalkylphosphonates, chloroalkylphosphonates, and alkylphosphonates. The inhibition profile of esterase 1 is essentially the same as that of the activatable esterase of chemotaxis obtained previously when the same three homologous series of phosphonates were tested for their ability to protect against deactivation by the chemotactic factor or give chemotactic-dependent inhibition. It is tentatively concluded that esterase 1 of the rabbit peritoneal neutrophil is the activated form of the activatable esterase of chemotaxis.
p53 and p21 Determine the Sensitivity of Noscapine-Induced Apoptosis in Colon Cancer Cells
Authors: Ritu Aneja, Amr M. Ghaleb, Jun Zhou, Vincent W. Yang, Harish C. Joshi
Journal: Cancer Research (2007)

Abstract We have previously discovered the naturally occurring antitussive alkaloid noscapine as a tubulin-binding agent that attenuates microtubule dynamics and arrests mammalian cells at mitosis via activation of the c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase pathway. It is well established that the p53 protein plays a crucial role in the control of tumor cell response to chemotherapeutic agents and DNA-damaging agents; however, the relationship between p53-driven genes and drug sensitivity remains controversial. In this study, we compared chemosensitivity, cell cycle distribution, and apoptosis on noscapine treatment in four cell lines derived from the colorectal carcinoma HCT116 cells: p53+/+ (p53-wt), p53−/− (p53-null), p21−/− (p21-null), and BAX−/− (BAX-null). Using these isogenic variants, we investigated the roles of p53, BAX, and p21 in the cellular response to treatment with noscapine. Our results show that noscapine treatment increases the expression of p53 over time in cells with wild-type p53 status. This increase in p53 is associated with an increased apoptotic BAX/Bcl-2 ratio consistent with increased sensitivity of these cells to apoptotic stimuli. Conversely, loss of p53 and p21 alleles had a counter effect on both BAX and Bcl-2 expression and the p53-null and p21-null cells were significantly resistant to the antiproliferative and apoptotic effects of noscapine. All but the p53-null cells displayed p53 protein accumulation in a time-dependent manner on noscapine treatment. Interestingly, despite increased levels of p53, p21-null cells were resistant to apoptosis, suggesting a proapoptotic role of p21 and implying that p53 is a necessary but not sufficient condition for noscapine-mediated apoptosis. [Cancer Res 2007;67(8):3862–70]