tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Intravenous immunoglobulin increases risk of thrombotic events
Authors: S. Gottlieb
Journal: BMJ (2002)

S G Baxter Healthcare Corporation and the American Red Cross have issued joint warnings of a possible link between intravenous immunoglobulin and serious thrombotic events that could lead to chest pain, congestive heart failure, and myocardial infarctions in certain patients.

The two organisations have posted their warning on the website of the US Food and Drug Administration (http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/SAFETY/2002/safety02.htm#igiv. Baxter has also sent a warning letter to physicians.

Intravenous immunoglobulin consists of antibodies derived from pooled human plasma, which are stabilised with sugars or proteins, such as glucose, sucrose, or albumin. …
P56 What is the best method of case finding for chronic viral hepatitis in migrant communities?
Authors: H. Lewis, K. Burke, S. Begum, I. Ushiro-Limb, G. Foster
Journal: Gut (2011)

<h3>Introduction</h3> The prevalence of chronic viral hepatitis in people born in Pakistan living in the UK is 5% (2.7% Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and 1.8% Hepatitis B Virus (HBV). Studies from the HPA show an increased risk of end stage liver disease from HCV in people from Pakistan living in the UK. Screening migrants from high prevalence regions (&gt;2%) for HBV is cost effective if screening of 35% of a population is achieved. Given that screening for viral hepatitis in migrants will reduce morbidity, mortality and onward transmission of chronic viral hepatitis, the outstanding question is how should this be done? <h3>Aim</h3> The aim of this observational study was to evaluate community, and general practice (GP) based approaches to screening migrants for viral hepatitis. <h3>Method</h3> We distributed 5000 testing cards in Mosques, following an awareness campaign, encouraging people from Pakistan to attend their GP surgery for viral hepatitis testing. In primary care practices we studied two approaches targeting registered Pakistani/British Pakistani patients: an opportunistic approach, whereby patients attending the practice were offered screening for HBV and HCV, and an 'opt out' approach, where patients were contacted by letter and invited to opt out of screening. Those who did not 'opt out' were telephoned and asked to attend screening clinics. <h3>Results</h3> 5000 leaflets were distributed to Mosques but no patients presented to their GP for testing. In the primary care study there were 1163 Pakistani/British Pakistani patients in the 'opportunistic' arm. Of these 17 (1.5%) were screened and all were uninfected. In the 'opt out' arm there were 1134 eligible patients. It was not possible to screen 524 patients (46%) due to inadequate contact details (38%), previous screening (4%) or incorrectly recorded ethnicity (4%). Of those who could be contacted and were eligible for screening, 37% (223/600) have been screened. 75% of those who made a screening appointment were born in Pakistan, and 25% were British Pakistani patients. 1% of those screened were found to be HBsAg positive and 2.4% were HCV antibody positive. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Community awareness campaigns and leaflets do not directly lead to testing for viral hepatitis in at risk immigrant groups. A direct screening approach is more effective than an opportunistic screening approach in primary care. Inaccurate GP records reduce the efficiency of screening but GP based testing is easy to implement, popular with patients and effective. First generation migrants are more likely to comply with screening which may improve the cost-effectiveness of this approach.
Arsenic on the Hands of Children after Playing in Playgrounds
Authors: Elena Kwon, Hongquan Zhang, Zhongwen Wang, Gian S. Jhangri, Xiufen Lu, Nelson Fok, Stephan Gabos, Xing-Fang Li, X. Chris Le
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (2004)

Increasing concerns over the use of wood treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA) in playground structures arise from potential exposure to arsenic of children playing in these playgrounds. Limited data from previous studies analyzing arsenic levels in sand samples collected from CCA playgrounds are inconsistent and cannot be directly translated to the amount of children's exposure to arsenic. The objective of this study was to determine the quantitative amounts of arsenic on the hands of children in contact with CCA-treated wood structures or sand in playgrounds. We compared arsenic levels on the hands of 66 children playing in eight CCA playgrounds with levels of arsenic found on the hands of 64 children playing in another eight playgrounds not constructed with CCA-treated wood. The children's age and duration of playtime were recorded at each playground. After play, children's hands were washed in a bag containing 150 mL of deionized water. Arsenic levels in the hand-washing water were quantified by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Our results show that the ages of the children sampled and the duration of play in the playgrounds were similar between the groups of CCA and non-CCA playgrounds. The mean amount of water-soluble arsenic on children's hands from CCA playgrounds was 0.50 μg (range, 0.0078–3.5 μg). This was significantly higher (p < 0.001) than the mean amount of water-soluble arsenic on children's hands from non-CCA playgrounds, which was 0.095 μg (range, 0.011–0.41 μg). There was no significant difference in the amount of sand on the children's hands and the concentration of arsenic in the sand between the CCA and non-CCA groups. The higher values of arsenic on the hands of children playing in the CCA playgrounds are probably due to direct contact with CCA-treated wood. Washing hands after play would reduce the levels of potential exposure because most of the arsenic on children's hands was washed off with water. The maximum amount of arsenic on children's hands from the entire group of study participants was < 4 μg, which is lower than the average daily intake of arsenic from water and food.
ROYAL FREE HOSPITAL. ULCER OF THE STOMACH, COMPLICATED WITH AMENORRHOEA, TREATED SUCCESSFULLY
Authors: W. Brinton
Journal: BMJ (1856)

ae becuse of the vey indifeent success which ha at- tended the treatment of strictures of the rectum by bougies, in my own hands, and, I may add, in the hands of those whose practice I have had an opportunity of obsving.I was futher encouraged by the reflections on the contractile properties of cicatrices, conveyed in the report on the divi- sion of strictures of the urethra, in the last number of the JouaiNA The result of the proceeding is certainly such as to encourage me to its repetition.In Case iI, which wa a very bad one, the stricture being tight, of long * ISee the autbor's essay, " On the Gastric Ulcer".
Abstract 1336: A population-based study of Transforming Growth Factor-Beta1 (TGFB1) polymorphisms and risk of breast cancer.
Authors: Mary A. Bewick, Michael SC Conlon
Journal: Cancer Research (2013)

Abstract Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGFB1) is a multifunctional cytokine that may play an important role in the development and progression of cancer. The results of a number of association studies of TGFB1 polymorphisms and breast cancer risk are inconclusive. This study examined 4 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in TGFB1 and risk of breast cancer using data previously collected from a population based case-control study (n=307 cases and 664 controls) of Caucasian women conducted in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. The SNPs (rs8179181, rs8110090, rs1800470 (L10P), rs1800469 (-509C/T)) were selected as either tag SNPs or had been identified as potentially functional in other studies, and were analysed using Taqman genotyping assays. Two of the SNPs were at the 5’ end (rs1800469 (-509C/T), rs1800470) and were in high LD (D’ 0.98); the remaining SNPs (rs8179181, rs8110090) were at the 3’ end and were also in high LD (D’ 0.99). In single-SNP analyses, the variant homozygous genotypes in rs1800470 (CC) and rs8179181 (AA) were significantly protective in the codominant model with Odds Ratios (OR) and 95% Confidence Intervals (95% CIs) of 0.63 (0.40-0.99) and 0.45 (0.21-0.96), while the AG genotype of rs8110090 was significantly associated with increased breast cancer risk with an OR of 1.78 (95% CI 1.14-2.77). Of the seven estimated haplotypes, 3 were significantly protective for breast cancer; when compared to the referent haplotype (see Table). In conclusion, our results suggest that SNPs at both the 3’ and 5’ end of TGFB1 may be associated with risk of breast cancer, and future studies examining additional polymorphisms in these regions would be valuable. Haplotype association with breast cancer risk (n = 969; Global Haplotype Association p-value 0.0021)rs8179181rs8110090rs1800470rs1800469FrequencyOR (95% CI)P-value1GATC0.40281.002GACT0.23870.73 (0.55–0.97)0.033AATC0.17280.67 (0.48–0.93)0.0174GACC0.06710.49 (0.30–0.81)0.00545AACT0.0560.55 (0.30–1.00)0.0526GGTC0.02981.00 (0.48–2.09)0.997GGCT0.02271.82 (0.82–4.06)0.14 Citation Format: Mary A. Bewick, Michael SC Conlon. A population-based study of Transforming Growth Factor-Beta1 (TGFB1) polymorphisms and risk of breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1336. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-1336
From Grave Robbing to Gifting: Cadaver Supply in the United States
Authors: Aaron D. Tward, Hugh A. Patterson
Journal: JAMA (2002)

played by Cary Grant, is followed everywhere by a large, silent man.The man is with him as he addresses an anatomy class, as he conducts the student orchestra, as he stands over a patient in the operating room.The man speaks only at rare moments, each crucial, coming to Noah's aid as the voice of wisdom, of conscience, or of the past.When Noah is finally challenged by a university tribunal to defend his relationship with the odd man he calls "my friend," the story comes out: the man is a convicted murderer, executed by hanging and sent 20 years earlier to Noah, a medical student who needed "a cadaver of my own."The "cadaver" awakened as soon as Noah stuck a gloved finger in his mouth, and has never since left his side.Early experiences in the anatomy laboratory underpin later practice in ways that are not easy to articulate.The knowledge gained there guides diagnosis, allows us to link phenomena that seem on the body's surface to be unrelated, and gives us fluency in a discourse that lets us to describe what is happening to our patients.Visualizing the structures hidden beneath the skin allows us to identify conditions otherwise beyond our grasp.Although the overwhelming bulk of the knowledge we use to care for patients is learned outside the lab, and the centrality of the experience wanes even by the end of first year, what we learn in anatomy lab is somehow, quietly, always there.In this issue of MSJAMA, literature professor John Bender recounts his season as an outsider in the lab and describes how the process serves as a ritual entry into the medical profession.Beyond the technical knowledge it affords, anatomy lab links us to the past and begins our socialization to future practice.We dissect knowing that we are making the same cuts and seeking the same structures as physicians centuries earlier.But today, we pride ourselves on taking more from the experience, on engaging with the gift that is the donation.Samantha Stewart and Rita Charon describe anatomy study as an initial confrontation with life and death that will follow us throughout our careers, and discuss a way these early lessons might be retrieved.S. Ryan Gregory and Thomas Cole describe the history of dissection across centuries, while Aaron Tward and Hugh Patterson account for the shift from grave robbing to cadaver donation in the United States.Finally, to launch our new creative writing section murmur, Matthew Ehrlich evaluates his cadaver's chief complaint.The first body in our care has neither the needs nor the agency of a patient, and yet for many of us, it is the body we will envision as we examine the intact surface of each patient who comes to us.Whether it is our initiation into "the professional tribe of physicians" (Bender), "the scientific method" (Gregory and Cole), or "the use of affective responses" (Stewart and Charon), anatomy lab is as much a part of how we see as what we know."The trouble with you, Elwell," Noah's ally says to his accuser at the end, "is you've never had a cadaver of your own."
Insulin-like growth factor I is involved in inflammation linked angiogenic processes after microembolisation in porcine heart
Authors: A. Kluge, R. Zimmermann, B. Munkel, M. Mohri, S. Sack, J. Schaper, W. Schaper
Journal: Cardiovascular Research (1995)

Objective: Angiogenesis in the porcine heart can be induced by myocardial ischaemia following vascular occlusions. This process is characterised by increased numbers of monocytes/macrophages, known to be potent producers of various mitogens such as insulin-like growth factors (IGF) and interleukins (IL). The aim of the study was to examine gene expression of these factors by means of northern blot hybridisation, slot blot analysis, and in situ hybridisation in a porcine model of coronary angiogenesis. Methods: Experimental ischaemia and subsequent focal necroses were induced by selective injection of 25 μm microspheres into the left circumflex artery. The hearts were excised after 3–168 h of microembolisation, and tissue was collected from a non-ischaemic control area and the circumflex region of the same heart for further analysis. Results: IGF-I was constitutively transcribed in normal porcine myocardium mainly by myocytes. Following microembolisation, IGF-I mRNA expression was significantly increased in the experimental region (1.8-fold) after 72 h and to a lesser extent after 168 h. In the ischaemic region, characterised by capillary sprouting, numerous mononuclear cells contained IGF-I mRNA. In contrast, IGF-II mRNA levels, constitutively produced by porcine myocytes, were not altered by microembolisation. IL-1α, IL-1β, and IL-4 mRNA expression was undetectable in our animal model, whereas IL-6 was constitutively transcribed in normal and ischaemic heart and remained insensitive to microembolisation and focal necrosis. Conclusion: After microembolisation, increased IGF-I mRNA expression occurred by infiltrating monocytes in areas of microsphere induced focal necrosis, where capillary sprouting can be detected, suggesting that IGF-I is involved in inflammation linked angiogenic processes.
Unsatisfactory Reprint Request Practices
Authors: Owen H. Wangensteen
Journal: JAMA (1970)

To the Editor.—  Is it not time that a stamped, self-addressed envelope accompany requests for reprints? If this practice became standard procedure what a boon it would be to an overworked force, and incidentally to authors!  Contraction from a large office force intensifies the problem of dealing with reprints. Retirement, blessed with releases, enforces restraints and strictures that accompany loss of position. Since my retirement (June 30, 1967), this office has had reprint requests in excess of 2,500 during a period of 40 months. Only twice have selfaddressed, stamped envelopes accompanied the request, which usually arrives in the form of a printed postcard.  The only claim authors have upon emolument for journal publications is demonstration of reader interest, aside from the expectant hope, too often doomed to disappointment, that something helpful or durable may emerge from the effort.  In 1931, as Harvey Cushing was contemplating leaving his post at the
Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient
Authors: Joseph S. Alpert
Journal: JAMA (1996)

Norman Cousins' concise book,<i>Anatomy of an Illness</i>, has recently been re-released in an attractive gift edition. First published in 1979, the book expands on Cousins' experience of an acute exacerbation of ankylosing spondylitis after a stressful trip to the Soviet Union. Cousins failed to respond to standard medical therapy but experienced a remarkable "cure" following high-dose ascorbic acid infusions and laughter induced by various films and books. This unusual experience led Cousins to reflect on the nature of the patient-physician relationship, the placebo effect, ascorbic acid as a therapeutic agent, and the holistic medicine movement, which was just gaining a considerable following at that time. His style is clear and refreshing, as expected from an editor of the<i>Saturday Review</i>. Much of what Cousins said in 1979 is still of interest more than 15 years later. Interest in ascorbic acid for therapy and prevention is even greater today than
865-1 Endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor is involved in flow-dependent dilation of peripheral conduit arteries in healthy volunteers
Authors: Dieter Fischer, Stephan Spiekermann, Ulf Landmesser, Marian Hospely, Smita Jategaonkar, Ingrid Fleming, Helmut Drexler, Burkhard Hornig
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2004)
Percutaneous Septal Sinus Shortening
Authors: Jason H. Rogers, John A. Macoviak, David A. Rahdert, Patricia A. Takeda, Igor F. Palacios, Reginald I. Low
Journal: Circulation (2006)

The septal-to-lateral (SL) mitral annular diameter is increased in functional mitral regurgitation (MR). We describe a novel percutaneous technique (the percutaneous septal sinus shortening system) that ameliorates functional MR in an ovine model.Sheep underwent rapid right ventricular pacing to obtain moderate to severe functional MR with SL enlargement. The percutaneous septal sinus shortening system was placed via standard interventional techniques consisting of a bridge (suture) element between interatrial septal wall and great cardiac vein anchors. Through progressive tensioning of the bridge element, direct SL shortening was achieved. Sheep underwent short-term (n=19) and long-term (n=4) evaluation after device implantation. In short-term studies, SL diameter decreased an average of 24% (32.5+/-3.5 to 24.6+/-2.4 mm; P<0.001), and MR grade significantly improved (2.1+/-0.6 to 0.4+/-0.4; P<0.001). Despite continued rapid pacing, chronic device implantation resulted in durable SL shortening (30.4+/-1.9 mm before implantation to 25.3+/-0.8 mm at 30 days; P=0.01) and MR reduction (1.8+/-0.5 before implantation to 0.2+/-0.1 at 30 days; P=0.01). Increased cardiac output, decreased wedge pressure, and decreased brain natriuretic peptide levels were observed in animals undergoing long-term device implantation.The percutaneous septal sinus shortening system is effective in ameliorating functional MR in an ovine tachycardia model. The procedure, which uses standard catheter techniques, can be deployed largely under fluoroscopic guidance. The unique bridge element appears durable and allows direct and precise SL shortening to a diameter optimal for MR reduction.
Role of procoagulant microparticles in mediating complications and outcome of acute liver injury/acute liver failure
Authors: Todd R. Stravitz, Regina Bowling, Robert L. Bradford, Nigel S. Key, Sam Glover, Leroy R. Thacker, Don A. Gabriel
Journal: Hepatology (2013)

Microparticles (MPs), membrane fragments of 0.1-1.0 μm, are derived from many cell types in response to systemic inflammation. Acute liver failure (ALF) is a prototypical syndrome of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) associated with a procoagulant state. We hypothesized that patients with ALF develop increased procoagulant MPs in proportion to the severity of systemic complications and adverse outcome. Fifty patients with acute liver injury (ALI), 78% of whom also had hepatic encephalopathy (HE; ALF), were followed until day 21 after admission. MPs were characterized by Invitrox Sizing, Antigen Detection and Enumeration, a light-scattering technology that can enumerate MPs as small as 0.15 μm, and by flow cytometry. Procoagulant activity was assessed by a functional MP-tissue factor (MP-TF) assay. Sixteen patients (32%) died and 27 (54%) recovered without liver transplantation (LT). Total MPs (0.15-1.0 μm) were present in nearly 19-fold higher concentrations in ALI/ALF patients, compared to healthy controls (P < 0.0001). MP-TF assays revealed high procoagulant activity (9.05 ± 8.82 versus 0.24 ± 0.14 pg/mL in controls; P = 0.0008). MP concentrations (0.28-0.64 μm) were higher in patients with the SIRS and high-grade HE, and MPs in the 0.36-0.64-μm size range increased in direct proportion to SIRS severity (P < 0.001) and grade of HE (P < 0.002). Day 1 MPs (0.28-0.64 μm) correlated with laboratory predictors of death/LT (higher phosphate and creatinine; lower bicarbonate), and day 1 and 3 MPs were higher in patients who died or underwent LT, compared to spontaneous survivors (P ≤ 0.01). By flow cytometry, 87% of patients had circulating CD41(+) MPs, indicating platelet origin.
A New Use for the Rotatable Sphincterotome as an Aid for Stenting Malignant Gastrointestinal Tract Stenoses
Authors: L. Rosés, A. González Ramírez, A. Lancho Seco, S. Soto Iglesias, E. Santos Blanco, S. Ávila
Journal: Endoscopy (2004)

The technical success of expandable stent placement in the upper gastrointestinal tract (76-100 %) [1] and in the colon (83-100 %) [1] [2] mainly depends on the ability to pass a hydrophilic-coated guide wire through the tumor [3] [4]. In the standard technique, if it is not possible to pass the lesion with the endoscope, a hydrophilic biliary guide wire preloaded into a standard biliary catheter is used to traverse the stricture [1] [2] [3] [4]. However, this type of catheter does not allow selective alteration of the angle of the guide wire. The present report describes stenting in one case of esophageal neoplasm with an esophagotracheal fistula, and in three cases of obstructive colonic adenocarcinoma, with the help of a rotatable sphincterotome (Autotome Rx, Boston Scientific, Natick, Massachusetts, USA) - a new use for this device that has not previously been described.
Prostatic Calcifications Detected on Tc-99m MDP Bone Scan Mimicking Bone Metastasis
Authors: NORBERT G. CAMPEAU, DOUGLAS M. HOWARTH, DOUGLAS A. COLLINS
Journal: Clinical Nuclear Medicine (1996)

Uptake of Tc-99m MDP tracer was noted within prostatic calcifications in a 48-year-old man with no known malignancy who underwent a three-phase bone scan for left knee and thigh pain. Routine anterior and posterior views of the pelvis demonstrated focal tracer uptake within the right public bone, which mimicked a metastatic lesion. Additional imaging showed the uptake to be extraosseous and localized within the prostate in a distribution similar to the extensive prostatic calcifications seen on the corresponding plain film and computed tomography examinations of the pelvis. This unusual presentation illustrates another potential artifact that may be present in scintigraphic bone imaging of the pelvis.