tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Epidemiologic studies of ionizing radiation and cancer: past successes and future challenges.
Authors: J M Samet
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (1997)

The health effects of radiation have been a focus for research since early in the 20th century. As the century ends, extensive experimental and epidemiologic evidence has been accumulated that addresses the adverse consequences of radiation exposure; epidemiologic studies of radiation-exposed groups from the general population and specific occupational groups provide quantitative estimates of the cancer risks associated with exposure. This report provides a perspective on the extensive epidemiologic evidence on the health effects of ionizing radiation and on likely needs for further epidemiologic research on radiation and health. Epidemiologic studies have proved informative on the quantitative risks of radiation-caused cancer but we now face the challenges of more precisely characterizing risks at lower levels of exposure and also of assessing modifiers of the risks, including dose rate, genetic susceptibility, and other environmental exposures. This report considers investigative approaches, such as pooled analysis of multiple data sets, that can be used to address these complex questions and the limitations of these approaches for addressing societal concerns about the risks of radiation exposure.
Insulin Resistance, Cardiovascular Disease, and the Metabolic Syndrome
Authors: Gerald M. Reaven
Journal: Diabetes Care (2004)

The recent report of the Adult Treatment Panel (ATP III) of the National Cholesterol Education Program (1) identified as cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors what they referred to as a “constellation of lipid and nonlipid risk factors of metabolic origin,” indicated that “this syndrome is closely related to insulin resistance,” and proposed diagnostic criteria for what they designated as “the metabolic syndrome.” Since the publication of these criteria, studies have been published defining the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in various populations (2) and the degree to which a positive diagnosis of the metabolic syndrome predicts CVD risk (3). However, the possibility that a substantial number of individuals who do not satisfy the ATP III criteria might be sufficiently insulin resistant to be at significant increased CVD risk has not been considered and neither has the ability of the ATP III criteria to identify insulin-resistant individuals been evaluated. These issues were both addressed by Liao et al. (4) in this issue of Diabetes Care , and their results indicate that the “ATP III criteria have low sensitivity for identifying insulin resistance with dyslipidemia in nondiabetic subjects who are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.”

The study by Liao et al., performed in 74 apparently healthy, nondiabetic volunteers, found that 12.2% of their population met ATP III criteria for the metabolic syndrome, a value considerably lower than that previously reported (2). However, the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome based on the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database included patients with diabetes …
555 EFFICIENT CONTROL OF HEPATITIS B VIRUS REPLICATION IS LINKED WITH STRONG HBV-SPECIFIC IMMUNE REACTIVITY AND LOW NUMBER OF MUTATIONS IN HBV CORE GENE IMMUNODOMINANT EPITOPES
Authors: I. Carey, M. Mytilinaiou, S. Bansal, F. Meda, M.S. Longhi, D. Cebecauerova, G. Mieli-Vergani, D. Vergani
Journal: Journal of Hepatology (2008)
Miners win historic battle for compensation
Authors: C. Dyer
Journal: BMJ (1998)

The British government faces an estimated £1bn ($1.6bn) bill to compensate more than 100000 former miners who contracted respiratory diseases, after a historic ruling in the High Court last week.

Thousands of former miners jammed telephone hotlines after the judgment by Mr Justice Turner in six test cases, which the judge described as the “tip of the iceberg.” The ruling is the culmination of a long legal battle by the pit deputies union NACODS to pin the blame for emphysema, bronchitis, …
Ethical issues in environmental health research.
Authors: Richard R Sharp
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (2003)

Environmental health research encompasses a wide range of investigational topics, study designs, and empirical methodologies. As that arm of public health research concerned with understanding the health effects of the many environments in which humans live and work, the field is intimately connected with social concerns about environmental quality and disparities of power and privilege that place differential burdens upon members of underserved communities. Environmental health researchers thus engage many ethical and social issues in the work they do. These issues relate to the choice of research topics to study, the methods employed to examine these topics, the communication of research findings to the public, and the involvement of scientific experts in the shaping of environmental policy and governmental regulation. These and other topics are reviewed in this article. These ethical, legal, and social issues are becoming increasingly more complex as new genetic and molecular techniques are used to study environmental toxicants and their potential influence on human and ecologic health.
Genetic and hormonal factors modulate spreading depression and transient hemiparesis in mouse models of familial hemiplegic migraine type 1
Authors: Katharina Eikermann-Haerter, Ergin Dileköz, Chiho Kudo, Sean I. Savitz, Christian Waeber, Michael J. Baum, Michel D. Ferrari, Arn M.J.M. van den Maagdenberg, Michael A. Moskowitz, Cenk Ayata
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (2008)

Familial hemiplegic migraine type 1 (FHM1) is an autosomal dominant subtype of migraine with aura that is associated with hemiparesis. As with other types of migraine, it affects women more frequently than men. FHM1 is caused by mutations in the CACNA1A gene, which encodes the alpha1A subunit of Cav2.1 channels; the R192Q mutation in CACNA1A causes a mild form of FHM1, whereas the S218L mutation causes a severe, often lethal phenotype. Spreading depression (SD), a slowly propagating neuronal and glial cell depolarization that leads to depression of neuronal activity, is the most likely cause of migraine aura. Here, we have shown that transgenic mice expressing R192Q or S218L FHM1 mutations have increased SD frequency and propagation speed; enhanced corticostriatal propagation; and, similar to the human FHM1 phenotype, more severe and prolonged post-SD neurological deficits. The susceptibility to SD and neurological deficits is affected by allele dosage and is higher in S218L than R192Q mutants. Further, female S218L and R192Q mutant mice were more susceptible to SD and neurological deficits than males. This sex difference was abrogated by ovariectomy and senescence and was partially restored by estrogen replacement, implicating ovarian hormones in the observed sex differences in humans with FHM1. These findings demonstrate that genetic and hormonal factors modulate susceptibility to SD and neurological deficits in FHM1 mutant mice, providing a potential mechanism for the phenotypic diversity of human migraine and aura.
Australian voluntary euthanasia law is overturned
Authors: C. Zinn
Journal: BMJ (1997)

Australian doctors on both sides of the ethical divide have joined forces to call for an increase in government funding for palliative care after the world's first voluntary euthanasia law was overturned by parliament last week.

The Australian Medical Association welcomed the passing of the federal private member's bill that threw out the Northern Territory's historic Rights of the Terminally Ill Act but said that governments should take services for dying people more seriously. The association's president, Dr Keith Wollard, said: “No matter what our views on euthanasia, we must now work together to ensure more is done for the dying patient.”

The Coalition for Voluntary Euthanasia called the decision a “triumph for doctors over patients” but backed the call for better palliative …
Can the New Cervical Cancer Screening and Management Guidelines Be Simplified?
Authors: Sarah Feldman
Journal: JAMA Internal Medicine (2014)

Effective cervical cancer prevention relies on frequent screening and appropriate management of abnormal test results to prevent cells with precancerous changes from progressing to cancer. Historically, guidelines were simple and clear: screen annually with Papanicolaou (Pap) tests, evaluate abnormal results with colposcopy and diagnostic biopsy, treat most abnormal results by means of either excision (loop excision) or ablation (cryosurgery), and then resume annual Pap testing. This approach was simple and easy to implement, but it led to overevaluation and overtreatment of many women still in their childbearing years. In 2012, the American Cancer Society, the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP), and the American Society for Clinical Pathology 1 and the US Preventive Services Task Force, 2 after reviewing extensive data related to cervical cancer screening, cancer risk, and age, issued new screening guidelines. These guidelines were developed through a rigorous process consistent with recommendations from the Institute of Medicine and were also relatively easy to implement. They recommend initiating screening with a Pap test when women are 21 years old, regardless of sexual history, and continuing screening at 3-year intervals with Pap testing alone if all test results remain nor
Effects of Norepinephrine on the Coronary Circulation in Man
Authors: PETER M. YURCHAK, ELLIS L. ROLETT, LAWRENCE S. COHEN, RICHARD GORLIN
Journal: Circulation (1964)

The effect of norepinephrine infusion on the coronary circulation has been studied in 21 subjects. In doses ranging from 2 to 17 µg. base per minute norepinephrine caused a pari passu rise in perfusing pressure and coronary flow of 16 per cent above the control state. Despite an increase in cardiac oxygen consumption, coronary vascular resistance was unchanged, suggesting no vasodilatation in the coronary bed. On the contrary, oxygen extraction across the heart increased, implying that oxygen needs were inadequately met by rise in flow. An increase in vascular tone induced by norepinephrine is inferred from the unchanged coronary resistance at a higher perfusion pressure. Responses of the normal and failing left ventricle groups were qualitatively the same as for the group as a whole. The failure group showed greater tendency to meet oxygen needs by increased extraction than did the normal hearts. Although these observations are not strictly applicable to the role and effects of norepinephrine in states of clinical shock, nonetheless it seems likely that norepinephrine induces a suboptimal rise in coronary flow that may set the stage for ultimate myocardial ischemia, particularly when coronary perfusion pressure is inadequate.
Biomimetic collagen I and IV double layer Langmuir–Schaefer films as microenvironment for human pluripotent stem cell derived retinal pigment epithelial cells
Authors: Anni E. Sorkio, Elina P. Vuorimaa-Laukkanen, Hanna M. Hakola, Huamin Liang, Tiina A. Ujula, Juan José Valle-Delgado, Monika Österberg, Marjo L. Yliperttula, Heli Skottman
Journal: Biomaterials (2015)
Reply to Elastin-based molecular MRI of liver fibrosis
Authors: Antonella Pellicoro, John P. Iredale
Journal: Hepatology (2013)

In their correspondence to Hepatology, Ehling et al. investigate elastin as a target for molecular magnetic resonance (MR) monitoring of extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling during hepatic fibrosis. ECM remodeling is a dynamic process occurring both during fibrogenesis, which results in net deposition, and in resolution when degradation and resorbtion occur.1 Liver biopsy is still the gold standard in evaluating and staging liver fibrosis and cirrhosis.2 However, it is costly and invasive, with possible complications and sampling variability. Therefore, a number of direct and indirect noninvasive diagnostic tools have been investigated.3 In this respect, molecular MR imaging accurately reflects distribution of the ECM in the liver4 and may prove useful in monitoring treatment response in chronic liver disease. The ratio between the different components of the ECM changes during progression of the disease7 and molecule-directed contrast agents offer potential in studying the relative changes of different proteins. In particular, the contrast agent used in this study (elastin-specific magnetic resonance contrast agent) has already been successfully used in the assessment of atherosclerotic plaques.8 Ehling et al.'s study points in the direction of its usefulness in the quantification of elastin deposition in liver fibrosis, and we were delighted to read that the researchers confirmed our findings with an independent methodology, showing clear differences in elastin deposition between healthy and CCl4-treated mice. As the researchers point out, further studies are needed to evaluate dose, timing, specificity, and quantification; however, we agree that the selective or combined use of different molecular MR probes is a promising strategy for monitoring changes in accumulation of the different components of fibrous tissue. ANTONELLA PELLICORO, PH.D. JOHN P. IREDALE, D.M., FRCP, FMEDSCI, FRSE MRC/UoE Center for Inflammation Research University of Edinburgh Edinburgh, UK
Acute Myocardial Infarction and Facial Palsy
Authors: JORDI CARRATALA
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1986)

Letters and Corrections1 December 1986Acute Myocardial Infarction and Facial PalsyJORDI CARRATALA, M.D., XAVIER PINTO, M.D., ANTONI MARTINEZ-AMENOS, M.D., Ph.D.JORDI CARRATALA, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, XAVIER PINTO, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, ANTONI MARTINEZ-AMENOS, M.D., Ph.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-105-6-972_2 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptTo the editor: In the August issue, Kraus and Massey (1) report the association of Bell's palsy and acute myocardial infarction in three patients without finding an etiopathogenic explanation. We doubt the existence of this association because, in our opinion, Patients 1 and 2 had a disorder that could account for the origin of the Bell's palsy. These patients were hypertensive, and Patient 1 was also diabetic. Moreover, in the third patient, the facial palsy appeared 3 weeks after the acute myocardial infarction, and so it is difficult to establish a cause-and-effect relationship.The association of hypertension and facial palsy...References1. KRAUS W and MASSEY E. Idiopathic facial nerve paralysis and acute myocardial infarction [Letter]. Ann Intern Med. 1986;105:304-5. LinkGoogle Scholar2. LAVIN P and WEISSMAN B. Bell's palsy in accelerated hypertension. Postgrad Med. 1985;77:165-8. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. ADOUR K. Current concepts in neurology: diagnosis and management of facial paralysis. N Engl J Med. 1982;307:348-51. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. MARTINEZ-AMENOS A, CARRERAS L, RAMA H, ROMERO M, SARRIAS X, and ALSINA J. Tumor de células del aparato yuxtaglomerular secretor de renina. Med Clin (Barc). (In press). Google Scholar5. KUMAR S, WINEARLS C, and OWEN D. Facial palsy with severe hypertension due to renal tumour. Br Med J 1982;285:1266. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: JORDI CARRATALA, M.D.; XAVIER PINTO, M.D.; ANTONI MARTINEZ-AMENOS, M.D., Ph.D.Affiliations: Hospital de Bellvitge Barcelona 08020 Spain PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics 1 December 1986Volume 105, Issue 6Page: 972-972KeywordsAcute myocardial infarctionHypertensionParalysis ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 December 1986 PDF downloadLoading ...
Nephrolithiasis Connected With Hydronephrosis of a Crossed Renal Ectopia
Authors: Max Eichwald
Journal: JAMA (1970)

A case of nephrolithiasis occurred together with marked hydronephrosis of a crossed renal ectopia. The bizarre and confusing appearance of the scout film was the most interesting feature of this case. Very surprising is the fact that this patient lived to middle age with scarcely any subjective symptoms despite the proved and extensive damage to the urinary tract.
Reporting and Interpretation of Randomized Controlled Trials With Statistically Nonsignificant Results for Primary Outcomes
Authors: Isabelle Boutron
Journal: JAMA (2010)

<h3>Context</h3>Previous studies indicate that the interpretation of trial results can be distorted by authors of published reports.<h3>Objective</h3>To identify the nature and frequency of distorted presentation or “spin” (ie, specific reporting strategies, whatever their motive, to highlight that the experimental treatment is beneficial, despite a statistically nonsignificant difference for the primary outcome, or to distract the reader from statistically nonsignificant results) in published reports of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with statistically nonsignificant results for primary outcomes.<h3>Data Sources</h3>March 2007 search of MEDLINE via PubMed using the Cochrane Highly Sensitive Search Strategy to identify reports of RCTs published in December 2006.<h3>Study Selection</h3>Articles were included if they were parallel-group RCTs with a clearly identified primary outcome showing statistically nonsignificant results (ie, P ≥ .05).<h3>Data Extraction</h3>Two readers appraised each selected article using a pretested, standardized data abstraction form developed in a pilot test.<h3>Results</h3>From the 616 published reports of RCTs examined, 72 were eligible and appraised. The title was reported with spin in 13 articles (18.0%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 10.0%-28.9%). Spin was identified in the Results and Conclusions sections of the abstracts of 27 (37.5%; 95% CI, 26.4%-49.7%) and 42 (58.3%; 95% CI, 46.1%-69.8%) reports, respectively, with the conclusions of 17 (23.6%; 95% CI, 14.4%-35.1%) focusing only on treatment effectiveness. Spin was identified in the main-text Results, Discussion, and Conclusions sections of 21 (29.2%; 95% CI, 19.0%-41.1%), 31 (43.1%; 95% CI, 31.4%-55.3%), and 36 (50.0%; 95% CI, 38.0%-62.0%) reports, respectively. More than 40% of the reports had spin in at least 2 of these sections in the main text.<h3>Conclusion</h3>In this representative sample of RCTs published in 2006 with statistically nonsignificant primary outcomes, the reporting and interpretation of findings was frequently inconsistent with the results.
992. Suppression of the HIV-1 Long Terminal Repeat by Transducible Artificial Transcription Factors
Authors: Hyun-chul Shin, Heung-sun Kwon, Eui-chul Park, Jin-soo Kim
Journal: Molecular Therapy (2005)

Top of pageAbstract
The long terminal repeats (LTR) found in the genomes of lentiviruses, including the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), play a crucial role in viral pathogenesis. The LTRs contain DNA elements that interact with various types of transcriptional regulatory proteins found in host cells; these include the basal transcription machinery, cell-type-and, gene-specific transcription factors found in plurality of cells. Using human zinc finger domains, we designed artificial transcription factors that target the Sp-1 binding sites and TATA box of the HIV-1 type B LTR. In transiently-transfected Hela cells, these transcription factors strongly suppressed LTR-directed transcription of a reporter gene, which is tightly controlled by co-expression of the HIV-Tat protein. In contrast to previous findings by Reynolds et al. (PNAS, 2003, 100(4):1615-1620) these artificial zinc finger transcription factors inhibited HIV-1 LTR activity whether or not the zinc finger domains were fused to the transcriptional repression domain such as KRAB.

We next sought to determine whether LTR activity in Hela cells transiently transfected with reporter gene could be inhibited by artificial transcription factors delivered to the cells in the form of protein. Rapid delivery of such proteins into white blood cells may be more efficacious than gene delivery, such as that mediated by frequently used viral vectors. To this end, we expressed artificial zinc finger transcription factors that were fused to the PTD (protein transduction domain) of the HIV-1 Tat protein. The resulting recombinant transcription factors were successfully delivered to virtually all cells in culture and repressed LTR-directed transcriptional activation of a reporter gene. We finally confirmed that the LTR suppression by transducible artificial transcription factors strongly inhibited HIV-1 replication from cells infected with a replication-competent HIV-1 strain.

Our results strongly suggest that transducible artificial transcription factors that inhibit LTR activity represent potential drugs for the inhibition of HIV-1 replication|[mdash]|a hallmark of AIDS pathogenesis.
Caudate Nucleus Infarction Demonstrated by N-lsopropyl-p lodoamphetamine SPECT Imaging Using a Rotating Gamma Camera
Authors: JOSEPH F. POLAK, STEFAN P. MUELLER, B LEONARD HOLMAN
Journal: Clinical Nuclear Medicine (1986)

N-isopropyl p-iodoamphetamine (I-123 IMP) was used in two patients with previous unilateral basal ganglia infarcts documented by CT of the head. Tomographic images obtained with a commercially available rotating gamma camera equipped with a long-bore collimator showed corresponding areas of decreased uptake in the head of the caudate nuclei. Detection of such small areas of decreased perfusion is possible using SPECT and I-123 radiolabeled IMP
Outbreak of Gastroenteritis due to Salmonella virchow in a Maternity Hospital
Authors: B. Rowe, C. Giles, G. L. Brown
Journal: BMJ (1969)

An outbreak of gastroenteritis due to Salmonella virchow occurred in a maternity hospital in the Midlands in October-November 1968. Twenty-six babies and six mothers were infected. Fifteen of the babies had diarrhoea and 10 of these were in the special care baby unit The only fatal case was that of an infant with gross congenital malformations.The outbreak followed the admission of a patient to the delivery suite who was subsequently shown to be a symptomless excreter of S. virchow. A major factor in the spread of this organism is thought to have been heavy environmental contamination resulting from diarrhoea due to infection of her newborn baby.
Intrathyroidal Parathyroid Adenoma
Authors: Bheerendra Prasad, Richard Michael Fleming
Journal: Clinical Nuclear Medicine (2005)

A 54-year-old woman was referred for imaging studies after presentation for palpitations and a palpable thyroid nodule. The patient underwent a dual-phase single-agent Tc-99m sestamibi scan followed later by a thyroid ultrasound at an outside hospital. The Tc-99m sestamibi scan showed a marked focus of activity separate from the thyroid bed in the inferior left neck. Thyroid ultrasound showed a dominant calcified nodule in the left lobe of the thyroid, measuring 1.3 cm, as well as 3-mm cystic lesions in both lobes of the thyroid. Also, an iodine-123 scan was performed showing a cold nodule in the left inferior thyroid. During surgery, the patient underwent a left thyroid lobectomy for an intrathyroidal parathyroid adenoma.
Engineered Magnetic Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications
Authors: Francesco Canfarotta, Sergey A. Piletsky
Journal: Advanced Healthcare Materials (2013)

Abstract In the past decades, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have been used in wide range of diverse applications, ranging from separation to sensing. Here, synthesis and applications of functionalized MNPs in the biomedical field are discussed, in particular in drug delivery, imaging, and cancer therapy, highlighting also recent progresses in the development of multifunctional and stimuli‐responsive MNPs. The role of their size, composition, and surface functionalization is analyzed, together with their biocompatibility issues.