tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Correlation of Simultaneously Recorded Electrokymograms and Pressure Pulses of Human Heart and Great Vessels
Authors: A. H. SALANS, J. A. SCHACK, L. N. KATZ
Journal: Circulation (1950)

In order to define more precisely meaningful points on ventricular and great vessel electrokymograms, intraluminal and intracavitary pressures have been simultaneously recorded. Electrokymograms of the superior vena cava and the pulmonary artery show remarkable constancy of time relationships with simultaneously recorded intraluminal pressure curves. The ventricular electrokymogram is more difficult to define and its limitations are discussed.
Screening for congenital hypothyroidism in the Republic of Ireland.
Authors: S Dockeray, S F Cahalane, M Brody, C Mullins, M J Cullen
Journal: BMJ (1980)

A national pilot study for detecting congenital hypothyroidism by radioimmunoassay of thyroid-stimulating hormone concentrations in dried blood was incorporated into the newborn screening programme in Ireland on 1 August 1979. The programme has been monitored by a steering committee and follows the guidelines set by the European Society of Paediatric Endocrinologists. During the first 12 months 76 224 infants were screened and 19 cases confirmed, giving an incidence of 1:4012. Fifty infants (0.07%) were recalled for a serum sample, though most of the recalls (31; 0.04%) occurred during the first three months, before the methodology had become established. No case was detected clinically. At recall only three of the 19 affected infants had obvious features, and nine inconspicuous features. Organisation was directed at early diagnosis and treatment, the mean age at beginning treatment being 15 days. These results confirm the efficacy of screening for congenital hypothyroidism and suggest that capital and running costs will be offset by savings in maintenance treatment of untreated patients. Screening does not, however, remove the need for continued vigilance, and clinicians should request thyroid-function tests in any suspected case.
Nucleoside deaminase: an enzymatic marker for stress erythropoiesis in the mouse
Authors: Ivan K. Rothman, Esmail D. Zanjani, Albert S. Gordon, Robert Silber
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (1970)

The level of nucleoside deaminase was determined in extracts of mouse tissues obtained during a period of accelerated erythropoiesis induced by hypoxia, hemorrhage, or the injection of phenylhydrazine. Under these conditions a striking (10- to 100-fold) elevation of the enzyme activity occurred in the spleen. Similar results were obtained with the injection of purified erythropoietin. In control animals, only a trace of nucleoside deaminase activity was detected in the blood. During the reticulocyte response which followed erythropoietic stimulation, there was a sharp increase in the blood level of nucleoside deaminase, which rose up to 120 times that of control animals. By differential centrifugation, the enzyme was localized to the reticulocyte-rich fraction. Erythrocyte nucleoside deaminase remained elevated even after the reticulocyte count had fallen to normal in the phenylhydrazine-treated mice or to zero after the cessation of hypoxia. There was a very gradual decline in the enzyme activity in the blood which fell to the barely detectable control levels about 45 days after the initial reticulocyte response, a time period which corresponds to the survival of the mouse red blood cell. The persistence of high levels of nucleoside deaminase for the full life span of a generation of erythrocytes formed during stress, viewed in contrast to the virtual absence of the enzyme from normal erythrocytes of all ages, represents an enzymatic difference between the normal red blood cell and the cell produced under conditions of accelerated erythropoiesis.
Intracellular Trafficking and Decondensation Kinetics of Chitosan–pDNA Polyplexes
Authors: Marc Thibault, Surendra Nimesh, Marc Lavertu, Michael D Buschmann
Journal: Molecular Therapy (2010)

The transfection efficiency (TE) of chitosan–plasmid DNA (pDNA) polyplexes can be critically modulated by the polymer degree of deacetylation (DDA) and molecular weight (MW). This study was performed to test the hypothesis that the TE dependence on chitosan MW and DDA is related to the polyplex stability, hence their intracellular decondensation/unpacking kinetics. Major barriers to nonviral gene transfer were studied by image-based quantification. Although uptake increased with increased DDA, it did not appear to be a structure-dependent process affecting TE, nor was nuclear entry. Colocalization analysis showed that all chitosans trafficked through lysosomes with similar kinetics. Fluorescent resonant energy transfer (FRET) analysis revealed a distinct relationship between TE and polyplex dissociation rate. The most efficient chitosans showed an intermediate stability and a kinetics of dissociation, which occurred in synchrony with lysosomal escape. In contrast, a rapid dissociation before lysosomal escape was found for the inefficient low DDA chitosan whereas the highly stable and inefficient complex formed by a high MW and high DDA chitosan did not dissociate even after 24 hours. This study identified that the kinetics of decondensation in relation to lysosomal escape was a most critical structure-dependent process affecting the TE of chitosan polyplexes. The transfection efficiency (TE) of chitosan–plasmid DNA (pDNA) polyplexes can be critically modulated by the polymer degree of deacetylation (DDA) and molecular weight (MW). This study was performed to test the hypothesis that the TE dependence on chitosan MW and DDA is related to the polyplex stability, hence their intracellular decondensation/unpacking kinetics. Major barriers to nonviral gene transfer were studied by image-based quantification. Although uptake increased with increased DDA, it did not appear to be a structure-dependent process affecting TE, nor was nuclear entry. Colocalization analysis showed that all chitosans trafficked through lysosomes with similar kinetics. Fluorescent resonant energy transfer (FRET) analysis revealed a distinct relationship between TE and polyplex dissociation rate. The most efficient chitosans showed an intermediate stability and a kinetics of dissociation, which occurred in synchrony with lysosomal escape. In contrast, a rapid dissociation before lysosomal escape was found for the inefficient low DDA chitosan whereas the highly stable and inefficient complex formed by a high MW and high DDA chitosan did not dissociate even after 24 hours. This study identified that the kinetics of decondensation in relation to lysosomal escape was a most critical structure-dependent process affecting the TE of chitosan polyplexes.
Abstract 2310: Snail-induced epigenetic regulation and its implication in plasticity of cellular morphology
Authors: Tong Lin, Alison Ponn, Jianrong Lu
Journal: Cancer Research (2010)

Abstract Epithelial and mesenchymal cells exhibit distinct phenotypic and functional characteristics, yet the two cell types possess substantial plasticity and are interconvertable. Bidirectional transitions between epithelial and mesenchymal cells play crucial roles in physiological and pathological processes. Both epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) are fundamental to embryonic development. In human cancer, EMT confers migratory and invasive properties on carcinoma cells, thereby promoting tumor invasion and dissemination. Moreover, EMT may endow cells with stem cell-like traits. After migrating tumor cells reach ectopic organ sites, conversion of mesenchymal tumor cells to epithelial cells through MET (including differentiation of tumor stem cells) may facilitate macrometastatic growth. However, despite its critical relevance in normal development and cancer metastasis, the molecular basis underpinning the interconvertibility between epithelial and mesenchymal states remains incompletely understood. The zinc-finger transcription factor Snail induces EMT by directly repressing E-cadherin, a defining marker of epithelial cells. Here we show that Snail physically interacts with and recruits the histone demethylase LSD1 to the E-cadherin promoter to remove dimethylation of lysine 4 on histone H3 (H3K4m2), a histone modification associated with active chromatin. Furthermore, demethylation of H3K4m2 by LSD1 is essential for Snail-mediated transcriptional repression. In contrast to H3K4me2, the active trimethylated H3K4 (H3K4m3) mark is not a substrate for LSD1 and it remains at high levels at the inactive E-cadherin promoter despite Snail expression. In addition, Snail induces H3K27 trimethylation (H3K27m3), a repressive chromatin mark. As a consequence, the Snail-repressed E-cadherin promoter simultaneously possesses opposite H3K4m3 and H3K27m3 marks, a pattern characteristic of bivalent chromatin modifications. Bivalent chromatin domains were initially identified and are enriched in stem cells. Bivalent promoters are inactive but are poised for activation. Although it awaits to be determined whether Snail-induced chromatin bivalency might contribute to cellular stemness, this observation suggests that the E-cadherin gene repressed by Snail remains in a transcriptionally ready state for re-activation, which may be critical for MET. These results exemplify how a bivalent chromatin state is established and provide new insights into epigenetic regulation of E-cadherin transcription and the plasticity of cellular morphology. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2310.
Case 28-1981
Authors: Richard C. Cabot, Robert E. Scully, James J. Galdabini, Betty U. McNeely, David J. Kanarek, Eugene J. Mark
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (1981)

Presentation of CaseA 60-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital because of lymphadenopathy and cutaneous nodules.She was well until three years earlier, when she began to have episodic swelling of the face, which was usually limited to the lower portion, including the lips and tongue. The attacks generally occurred not more than once or twice in a fortnight and were more frequent in the spring and absent in the summer. No precipitating factor was evident. She was seen in the Allergy Unit, where examination was negative except for an area of neurodermatitis in the nuchal region; there was . . .
AIDS and the role of the HCFA
Authors: W. L. Roper
Journal: JAMA (1987)

The Administrator of the U.S. Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) describes HCFA's policies concerning Medicaid and Medicare benefits for patients with AIDS. He also provides a table of estimates of government expenditures for these patients over the next five years. HCFA is funding research related to the financing of AIDS care. The agency opposes paying for AIDS through a special disease-specific program and believes that AIDS financing must be a shared responsibility of the public and private sectors.
The Contribution of Mild and Moderate Preterm Birth to Infant Mortality
Authors: Michael S. Kramer, Kitaw Demissie, Hong Yang, Robert W. Platt, Reg Sauve, Robert Liston
Journal: JAMA (2000)

The World Health Organization defines preterm birth as birth at less than 37 completed gestational weeks, but most studies have focused on very preterm infants (birth at <32 weeks) because of their high risk of mortality and serious morbidity. However, infants born at 32 through 36 weeks are more common and their public health impact has not been well studied.To assess the quantitative contribution of mild (birth at 34-36 gestational weeks) and moderate (birth at 32-33 gestational weeks) preterm birth to infant mortality.Population-based cohort study using linked singleton live birth-infant death cohort files for US birth cohorts for 1985 and 1995 and Canadian birth cohorts (excluding Ontario) for 1985-1987 and 1992-1994.Relative risks (RRs) and etiologic fractions (EFs) for overall and cause-specific early neonatal (age 0-6 days), late neonatal (age 7-27 days), postneonatal (age 28-364 days), and total infant death among mild and moderate preterm births vs term births (at >/=37 gestational weeks).Relative risks for infant death from all causes among singletons born at 32 through 33 gestational weeks were 6.6 (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.1-7.0) in the United States in 1995 and 15.2 (95% CI, 13.2-17.5) in Canada in 1992-1994; among singletons born at 34 through 36 gestational weeks, the RRs were 2.9 (95% CI, 2.8-3.0) and 4.5 (95% CI, 4.0-5.0), respectively. Corresponding EFs were 3.2% and 4.8%, respectively, at 32 through 33 gestational weeks and 6.3% and 8.0%, respectively, at 34 through 36 gestational weeks; the sum of the EFs for births at 32 through 33 and 34 through 36 gestational weeks exceeded those for births at 28 through 31 gestational weeks. Substantial RRs were observed overall for the neonatal (eg, for early neonatal deaths, 14.6 and 33.0 for US and Canadian infants, respectively, born at 32-33 gestational weeks; EFs, 3.6% and and 6. 2% for US and Canadian infants, respectively) and postneonatal (RRs, 2.1-3.8 and 3.0-7.0 for US and Canadian infants, respectively, born at 32-36 gestational weeks; EFs, 2.7%-5.8% and 3.0%-7.0% for the same groups, respectively) periods and for death due to asphyxia, infection, sudden infant death syndrome, and external causes. Except for a reduction in the RR and EF for neonatal mortality due to infection, the patterns have changed little since 1985 in either country.Mild- and moderate-preterm birth infants are at high RR for death during infancy and are responsible for an important fraction of infant deaths. JAMA. 2000;284:843-849
A Prospective Study of Blood Pressure and Serum Creatinine
Authors: Thomas V. Perneger
Journal: JAMA (1993)

To describe associations of past and current blood pressure levels with serum creatinine levels and hypercreatinemia in the general population.1399 middle-aged residents of Washington County, Maryland, who had their blood pressure measured during a cancer screening campaign in 1974 (the "Clue" Study) and had their blood pressure and serum creatinine level measured in an atherosclerosis risk factors study from 1986 through 1989 (the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities [ARIC] Study).Nonconcurrent prospective study. The outcome variables were serum creatinine level and hypercreatinemia (serum creatinine > 115 mumol/L in men, > 97 mumol/L in women) measured from 1986 through 1989. Main predictors were 1986-1989 blood pressure values (cross-sectional association) and 1974 blood pressure values (longitudinal association). Gender-adjusted associations were assessed and compared by linear and logistic regression.Both serum creatinine and hypercreatinemia were better predicted by past than by current blood pressure values. Creatinine values exhibited a gradual and statistically significant association with blood pressure levels measured in 1974, even across "normal" values of blood pressure and creatinine. The association with 1986-1989 blood pressure measurements was weaker and nonsignificant. The odds of hypercreatinemia in 1986-1989 were increased 1.5-fold to twofold, with a 20 mm Hg increment in 1974 blood pressure values, but the odds remained constant across 1986-1989 blood pressure values.Blood pressure and creatinine level are associated in the general population. The observed association was stronger when a number of years had elapsed between the assessments of blood pressure and creatinine level. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that blood pressure elevations, even below the hypertensive range, may induce early renal damage.
Exposure to Polyfluoroalkyl Chemicals and Cholesterol, Body Weight, and Insulin Resistance in the General U.S. Population
Authors: Jessica W. Nelson, Elizabeth E. Hatch, Thomas F. Webster
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (2009)

Polyfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFCs) are used commonly in commercial applications and are detected in humans and the environment worldwide. Concern has been raised that they may disrupt lipid and weight regulation.We investigated the relationship between PFC serum concentrations and lipid and weight outcomes in a large publicly available data set.We analyzed data from the 20032004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) for participants 1280 years of age. Using linear regression to control for covariates, we studied the association between serum concentrations of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), and perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) and measures of cholesterol, body size, and insulin resistance.We observed a positive association between concentrations of PFOS, PFOA, and PFNA and total and non-high-density cholesterol. We found the opposite for PFHxS. Those in the highest quartile of PFOS exposure had total cholesterol levels 13.4 mg/dL [95% confidence interval (CI), 3.823.0] higher than those in the lowest quartile. For PFOA, PFNA, and PFHxS, effect estimates were 9.8 (95% CI, 0.2 to 19.7), 13.9 (95% CI, 1.925.9), and 7.0 (95% CI, 13.2 to 0.8), respectively. A similar pattern emerged when exposures were modeled continuously. We saw little evidence of a consistent association with body size or insulin resistance.This exploratory cross-sectional study is consistent with other epidemiologic studies in finding a positive association between PFOS and PFOA and cholesterol, despite much lower exposures in NHANES. Results for PFNA and PFHxS are novel, emphasizing the need to study PFCs other than PFOS and PFOA.
A High-Throughput Study in Melanoma Identifies Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition as a Major Determinant of Metastasis
Authors: Soledad R. Alonso, Lorraine Tracey, Pablo Ortiz, Beatriz Pérez-Gómez, José Palacios, Marina Pollán, Juan Linares, Salvio Serrano, Ana I. Sáez-Castillo, Lydia Sánchez, Raquel Pajares, Abel Sánchez-Aguilera, Maria J. Artiga, Miguel A. Piris, José L. Rodríguez-Peralto
Journal: Cancer Research (2007)

Abstract Metastatic disease is the primary cause of death in cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) patients. To understand the mechanisms of CMM metastasis and identify potential predictive markers, we analyzed gene-expression profiles of 34 vertical growth phase melanoma cases using cDNA microarrays. All patients had a minimum follow-up of 36 months. Twenty-one cases developed nodal metastatic disease and 13 did not. Comparison of gene expression profiling of metastatic and nonmetastatic melanoma cases identified 243 genes with a &amp;gt;2-fold differential expression ratio and a false discovery rate of &amp;lt;0.2 (206 up-regulated and 37 down-regulated). This set of genes included molecules involved in cell cycle and apoptosis regulation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), signal transduction, nucleic acid binding and transcription, protein synthesis and degradation, metabolism, and a specific group of melanoma- and neural-related proteins. Validation of these expression data in an independent series of melanomas using tissue microarrays confirmed that the expression of a set of proteins included in the EMT group (N-cadherin, osteopontin, and SPARC/osteonectin) were significantly associated with metastasis development. Our results suggest that EMT-related genes contribute to the promotion of the metastatic phenotype in primary CMM by supporting specific adhesive, invasive, and migratory properties. These data give a better understanding of the biology of this aggressive tumor and may provide new prognostic and patient stratification markers in addition to potential therapeutic targets. [Cancer Res 2007;67(7):3450–60]
Power output for wheelchair driving on a treadmill compared with arm crank ergometry.
Authors: H Tropp, K Samuelsson, L Jorfeldt
Journal: British Journal of Sports Medicine (1997)

OBJECTIVES: The limiting factors with regard to power output available for wheelchair ambulation have not been identified. The aim of the present study was to correlate power output during wheelchair driving with (i) power output and oxygen uptake during arm crank ergometry and (ii) arm muscle strength. METHODS: Eleven disabled men were examined for maximal power output (POmax) during wheelchair driving on a treadmill and during arm crank ergometry. Oxygen uptake (VO2) was recorded at submaximal and maximal arm crank ergometry in all men and during submaximal wheelchair driving on a treadmill in four men. Power output during wheelchair driving on a treadmill was measured. Static and dynamic elbow muscle strength was measured isokinetically. RESULTS: POmax was significantly lower (P &lt; 0.001) for wheelchair driving (109 (31) W; mean (SD)) than for arm ergometry (163 (49) W). There was a significant correlation between POmax for arm crank ergometry and wheelchair driving (r = 0.73). There was no correlation between POmax and elbow strength. The mechanical efficiency was constant for the different levels on the arm crank ergometry test. The submaximal testing showed a consistently lower mechanical efficiency for wheelchair driving than for arm crank ergometry. CONCLUSIONS: It is suggested that the lower level of power output for wheelchair driving is fully explained by the lower mechanical efficiency. Any improvement in power output available for ambulation must be based on wheelchair ergonomics.
Hospital beds stand empty in Liberia, while patients are turned away in Sierra Leone
Authors: S. Arie
Journal: BMJ (2014)

Large treatment centres being built in Liberia are standing empty, because the number of new infections of Ebola virus disease being reported there has dramatically fallen. Meanwhile, in Sierra Leone, where the epidemic continues to rise, hospitals are still turning patients away for lack of space, and a UK built treatment centre is not yet able to open all its beds because it is still recruiting and training staff.

In September, when the epidemic was at its peak in Liberia and patients in the capital, Monrovia, were dying in the streets for lack of beds, the United States announced plans to build 17 treatment centres of 100 beds in a ramping up of the international effort to stop the outbreak. But three months later the US built centres that have opened are …