tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
And then there were four: more countries beat guinea worm disease
Authors: M. Lodge
Journal: BMJ (2010)

The number of countries remaining affected by guinea worm disease, or dracunculiasis, fell by two last year, leaving just four countries in Africa that continue to harbour the waterborne parasitic disease.

Provisional figures collected by the World Health Organization’s Collaborating Center for Research, Training and Eradication of Dracunculiasis indicate that Nigeria recorded no cases at all and Niger no indigenous cases of the disease in 2009. Success is especially welcome in Nigeria, which recorded the world’s largest number of cases between 1988 and 1989, when 653 620 people in 5879 villages were affected by the painful and debilitating disease.

That leaves Sudan, Mali, Ghana, and Ethiopia with just over 3100 indigenous cases of the …
Left ventricular contractility and function in Kawasaki syndrome. Effect of intravenous gamma-globulin.
Authors: J W Newburger, S P Sanders, J C Burns, I A Parness, A S Beiser, S D Colan
Journal: Circulation (1989)

To investigate the effect of Kawasaki syndrome on myocardial function, as well as the influence of high-dose intravenous gamma-globulin therapy on resolution of functional abnormalities, we studied 98 patients with Kawasaki syndrome during five time intervals from onset of illness: 1) 10 days or less, 2) 11-31 days, 3) 1-3 months, 4) 3-12 months, and 5) 1-3 years. Normal controls included 48 children under age 8 years, without known cardiovascular disease. Using two-dimensional directed M-mode echocardiograms, we obtained chamber dimensions, fractional shortening, rate-corrected velocity of shortening (Vcfc) adjusted for end-systolic wall stress, and early diastolic function parameters that included adjusted peak rates of left ventricular dimension change, wall thinning, and their respective timing. Left ventricular systolic and diastolic dimensions were larger (both p less than 0.01) in patients than in normal subjects in period 1. Stress-adjusted Vcfc was much lower in patients in the 3 months after disease onset; by period 5, contractility was comparable in patients and normal subjects. Adjusted indexes of early diastolic function did not differ significantly between patients and normal subjects. To investigate the effect of gamma-globulin, we analyzed data on 47 patients prospectively randomized to therapy with aspirin alone (n = 19, 40%) or to aspirin plus gamma-globulin, 400 mg/kg/day for 4 consecutive days (n = 28, 60%). In period 1, before treatment, the two groups had mean fractional shortening and stress-adjusted Vcfc comparable to each other but much lower than those of normal subjects (p less than or equal to 0.001). Patients treated with aspirin alone continued to have diminished fractional shortening and Vcfc compared with normal subjects in periods 2, 3, and 4 (all p less than or equal to 0.05). In contrast, fractional shortening and Vcfc in gamma-globulin-treated patients in these periods were comparable to those of normal subjects. By period 5, no difference was detected in systolic function or contractility between either treatment group and normal subjects. We conclude that early abnormalities of left ventricular contractility and myocardial function, as assessed by echocardiography, generally resolve by 1-3 years after disease onset and that recovery is accelerated by administration of IVGG in the acute phase.
Mechanism of action of phenethylbiguanide (phenformin) in man IV. Effect of phenethylbiguanide (PBG) on glucose tolerance and lactate dynamics in obese nondiabetic and chemical diabetic subjects
Authors: Fernando Prestes Cesar, Carlos Eduardo Leme, Lucia Yuquico Ohnuma, Célia Regina Pinheiro Palomino, Bernardo Léo Wajchenberg
Journal: Metabolism (1980)
Nanocomposite‐Strengthened Dissolving Microneedles for Improved Transdermal Delivery to Human Skin
Authors: Li Yan, Anthony P. Raphael, Xiaoyue Zhu, Beilei Wang, Wei Chen, Tao Tang, Yan Deng, Himanshu J. Sant, Guangyu Zhu, Kwong Wai Choy, Bruce K. Gale, Tarl W. Prow, Xianfeng Chen
Journal: Advanced Healthcare Materials (2013)

Delivery of drugs and biomolecules into skin has significant advantages. To achieve this, herein, a nanomaterial‐strengthened dissolving microneedle patch for transdermal delivery is reported. The patch comprises thousands of microneedles, which are composed of dissolving polymers, nanomaterials, and drug/biomolecules in their interior. With the addition of nanomaterials, the mechanical property of generally weak dissolving polymers can be dramatically improved without sacrificing dissolution rate within skin. In this experiments, layered double hydroxides (LDH) nanoparticles are incorporated into sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) to form a nanocomposite. The results show that, by adding 5 wt% of LDH nanoparticles into CMC, the mechanical strength significantly increased. Small and densely packed CMC–LDH microneedles penetrate human and pig skin more reliably than pure CMC ones and attractively the nanocomposite‐strengthened microneedles dissolve in skin and release payload within only 1 min. Finally, the application of using the nanocomposite‐strengthened microneedle arrays is tested for in vivo vaccine delivery and the results show that significantly stronger antibody response could be induced when compared with subcutaneous injection. These data suggest that nanomaterials could be useful for fabricating densely packed and small polymer microneedles that have robust mechanical properties and rapid dissolution rates and therefore potential use in clinical applications.
The role of digital photography and electronic referral in the triage of patients with suspected skin cancer
Authors: S. McLaughlin, R.J. Tobin, S. Leonard, R. McEwan, C.D. Evans, W.S. Douglas, G. Gupta
Journal: British Journal of Dermatology (2005)

Conflicts of interest: none declared. Sir, Most patients with suspected skin cancer, fast‐tracked to dermatology departments, eventually turn out to have benign lesions.1, 2 To improve the skin cancer capture rate, we redesigned our service to use digital images taken by a medical photographer, in conjunction with an electronic referral letter, in order to triage patients. Patients suspected of having skin cancer by their general practitioner (GP) were referred using a structured electronic letter. The referral was sent to Monklands Hospital via the Scottish Care Initiative referral pathway. This is a secure Scotland‐wide web‐based electronic referral system (Electronic Clinical Communications Implementation, ECCI) open to all GPs linked to the National Health Service boards' intranet systems. The referral letter was received and vetted by the dermatologist (C.D.E., G.G) on‐line with the help of digital images. The GP arranged an appointment for photography at the Department of Medical Illustration in Monklands Hospital by telephone, at a time to suit the patient. Images showing the location and a close‐up shot of the lesion were taken. In addition, a digital dermoscopy image was included for pigmented lesions.
Strain‐dependent induction of allergic rhinitis without adjuvant in mice
Authors: M Okano, DA Harn Jr, M Abe, M‐M Wang, AR Satoskar, K Nishizaki, Y Masuda, M Okano, T Yoshino
Journal: Allergy (1999)

To date, no murine models have been reported to show the induction of both antigen-specific IgE and nasal eosinophilia, two of the major hallmarks of allergic rhinitis, after local sensitization in the absence of adjuvants, a phenomenon which reflects natural exposure. In this report, we attempted to establish a murine model representing an initiation of allergic rhinitis.BALB/c, CBA/J, and C57BL/6 mice were sensitized intranasally to Schistosoma mansoni egg antigen (SEA) solely. After repeated sensitization, serum Ab titers, nasal eosinophilia, and cytokine production by nasal lymphocytes were determined.BALB/c mice produced SEA-specific IgE after repeated sensitization. High-dose sensitization to SEA induced IgE production in CBA/J mice, while C57BL/6 mice did not show the production throughout the period observed, suggesting that IgE production was regulated genetically. BALB/c mice also exhibited nasal eosinophilia after the nasal challenge. In addition, nasal lymphocytes sensitized with SEA intranasally produced significant amount of IL-5 in vitro.These results suggest that intranasal sensitization with SEA in the absence of adjuvants induces a Th2 immune reaction, reflecting the hallmarks of the initiation of allergic rhinitis both in vivo and in vitro, which is genetically regulated.
Complications in 2200 Consecutive Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomies: Standardised Evaluation and Analysis of Learning Curves
Authors: Marcel Hruza, Hagen O. Weiß, Giovannalberto Pini, Ali S. Goezen, Michael Schulze, Dogu Teber, Jens J. Rassweiler
Journal: European Urology (2010)
Quantification of human platelet inositides and the influence of ionic environment on their incorporation of orthophosphate-32P
Authors: Phin Cohen, M. Johan Broekman, Arie Verkley, Johannes W. W. Lisman, Arie Derksen
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (1971)

Platelets are a rich source for the study of inositol lipids in man. The substitution of an EDTA-KCl solution for the water component of the Bligh and Dyer procedure permitted quantitative extraction of polyphosphoinositides. The latter, with monophosphoinositide, were found to comprise, on a molar basis, 6.7% of total platelet phospholipids. Study of the incorporation of orthophosphate-(32)P into platelet phospholipids was further simplified by separating eight (32)P-labeled lipids, including the inositides, with a single chromatographic development on formaldehyde-treated paper. Particular attention was paid to the influence of ionic environment on the pattern and degree of labeling. In 300 mOsm media major phospholipids other than the inositides were not labeled. Small amounts of label appeared in certain trace phospholipids, notably phosphatidic acid. In 150 mOsm media, labeling of inositides was moderately increased, that of trace phospholipids enormously so. The increased labeling was not solely due to thrombocytolysis since (a) platelet disruption by sonication or freeze-thawing abolished (32)P incorporation into phospholipids and (b) in timed studies, restoration of osmolarity to 300 mOsm by addition of hypertonic sorbitol blunted the enhancement effect of previous 150 mOsm exposure. Lowering K and compensatorily increasing Na concentration of 300 mOsm media also stimulated (32)P labeling of inositides and, to a lesser extent, the trace phospholipids. However, the pattern and degree of stimulation were not as strikingly altered as in the osmolarity studies. These data show that drastic alterations of ionic environment can sharply influence the platelet's ability to incorporate orthophosphate-(32)P into its phospholipids.
Relation of angiographically defined coronary artery disease to plasma lipoprotein subfractions and apolipoproteins.
Authors: N E Miller, F Hammett, S Saltissi, S Rao, H van Zeller, J Coltart, B Lewis
Journal: BMJ (1981)

The relation of coronary artery disease to plasma lipoproteins was examined in 104 men aged 35-65 years undergoing coronary angiography for suspected myocardial ischaemia. A score reflecting the number, degree, and length of stenoses in seven major coronary arteries was assigned to each angiogram. Lipid concentrations in lipoprotein subfractions were measured after preparative ultracentrifugation; plasma apolipoprotein concentrations were measured by electroimmunoassay. Men with high coronary scores tended to have lower plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol concentrations and higher low-density lipoprotein (density 1.019-1.063 g/ml) cholesterol concentrations than subjects of similar age with low coronary scores (p approximately equal to 0.1). The strongest relation, however, was with the cholesterol concentration in the HDL2 subfraction (density 1.063-1.125 g/ml) of HDL, which averaged 44% lower in the severely affected patients (p less than 0.005). No associations were found between the coronary score and HDL3 cholesterol, the cholesterol content of lipoproteins of density less than 1.019 g/ml, plasma triglyceride, or the concentrations of apolipoproteins AI, AII, and E. The high coronary scores associated with low HDL2 concentrations reflected an increase in the number of both partial and complete stenoses distributed throughout the coronary tree. In contrast the sizes of the lesions and the proportion producing complete occlusion were unrelated to HDL2.
Use of medications on the restricted list by the elderly.
Authors: N J Vetter, D A Jones, C R Victor
Journal: BMJ (1985)

On 1 April 1985 the range of drugs that may be prescribed on the National Health Service was limited by the government. We studied the possible effects of this new policy on 1066 elderly patients in two general practices in south Wales. Many patients who were prescribed drugs from the restricted list were also disabled, had psychological problems, or were on supplementary pension. We intend later this year to study the consequences of the changes in prescribing on elderly patients.
STUDIES ON PNEUMOCOCCUS INFECTION IN ANIMALS
Authors: Augustus B. Wadsworth
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1912)

In summing up the results of these investigations attention is called in particular to the following facts. Dead pneumococcus culture material does not contain the active poisons formed in infection by living pneumococci. Characteristic lesions are not induced by dead cultures. But substances are present in the pneumococcus cells, and especially in culture filtrates free from pneumococcus cells, that give rise to an immunity in which the poisons of virulent pneumococci are inactive. In immune sera specific agglutinative, precipitative, lytic, and opsonic activities are present. But to the action of immune sera, virulent pneumococci are singularly insusceptible. This is due chiefly to qualities acquired by the organisms during their propagation through animals. In the test-tube this insusceptibility is overcome only under exceptional conditions which destroy these qualities or neutralize their effects. Lysis may be brought about by inhibition of growth, and phagocytosis by loss of virulence. In the tissues inhibition of growth and resistance to the poisons of the pneumococcus are brought about, but in ways more subtle if less exceptional, for both lysis and phagocytosis are active factors in the recovery of certain animals from infection.
793 DYNAMICS OF LIVER STIFFNESS DURING PEGINTERFREON ALPHA-RIBAVIRIN TREATMENT IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEPATITIS C
Authors: C. Hezode, L. Castera, I. Rosa, D. Roulot, V. Leroy, M. Bouvier-Alias, V. Dhalluin-Venier, F. Roudot-Thoraval, A. Mallat, J.M. Pawlotsky
Journal: Journal of Hepatology (2008)
REVERSAL OF ENHANCED CLOPIDOGREL RESPONSE AFTER SMOKING DISCONTINUATION: ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE FOR THE CONCEPT OF &amp;lsquo;SMOKERS&amp;rsquo; PARADOX&amp;apos;
Authors: Si-Hyuck Kang, Kyung Woo Park, Jeehoon Kang, Kihyun Jeon, Jin Joo Park, Jung-Kyu Han, Jin-Sin Koh, Sang Eun Lee, Han-Mo Yang, Hae-Young Lee, Hyun-Jae Kang, Bon Kwon Koo, Byung-Hee Oh, Young-Bae Park, Hyo-Soo Kim
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2012)
Grand challenges in mental health are identified
Authors: G. Watts
Journal: BMJ (2011)

An international group of more than 400 mental health experts have identified 25 challenges which, if successfully tackled, promise to improve the lives of people with mental, neurological, and substance-use disorders. The Grand Challenges in Global Mental Health Initiative was organised by the US National Institutes of Health and the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases. Their group of experts, who came from more than 60 countries and included clinicians, researchers, and programme organisers, used successive rounds of assessment and ranking to reduce an initial list of 1500 possible challenges to just 25. Of this 25 the top five were:
HELPING TEACHERS APPRECIATE EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS IN CHILDREN
Authors: HESS FARMER, WILLIAM B. ROSSMAN
Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry (1951)

Experiences in teaching the Bullis course, "Human Relations in the Classroom," are cited. The background and methods are described. Attention is paid to teacher orientation and teacher attitudes as well as to over-all psychological conceptions. Analysis of reactions of teachers to the workshop course is given in verbatim account from representative samples. Emphasis is given to the fact that teachers are not therapists in the psychiatric sense, nor should they be expected to do therapy. The classroom with its teacher, though, is an ideal setting for the development of sound mental health principles. Finally, a unified approach including the pupil, his teacher, the school authorities, and the parents warrants serious consideration.
Production of auto-antiidiotypic antibody during the normal immune response. VII. Analysis of the cellular basis for the increased auto-antiidiotype antibody production by aged mice.
Authors: E A Goidl, J W Choy, J J Gibbons, M E Weksler, G J Thorbecke, G W Siskind
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1983)

We have previously shown that old mice produce more hapten-augmentable plaque-forming cells (PFC) than do young animals, suggesting a greater auto-antiidiotype antibody (auto anti-Id) component in their immune response. In the present studies this is confirmed serologically. The marked auto-anti-Id response of aged mice can be transferred to lethally irradiated young recipients with spleen but not bone marrow cells from old donors, suggesting that it is an intrinsic property of their peripheral B cell population and that the distribution of Id arising from the bone marrow of old and young mice is similar. In contrast with young mice the auto-anti-Id response of old animals is relatively T cell-independent and old donors do not show an increase in their ability to transfer an auto-anti-Id response after priming with TNP-F. These observations suggest that old mice behave as if already primed for auto-anti-Id production. Irradiated mice reconstituted with bone marrow cells from either young or old donors together with splenic T cells from old donors generate a relatively large auto-anti-Id response, whereas mice reconstituted with bone marrow from either young or old donors together with splenic T cells from young donors produce few hapten-augmentable PFC. It is suggested that differences in Id expression and auto-anti-Id production are the consequences of the interaction of Id (and anti-Id) arising from the marrow with anti-Id (and Id) present in the peripheral T cell population which serves as a repository of information about shifts in Id distribution, resulting from lifelong interactions with environmental and self-antigens.
Hematotoxicity and carcinogenicity of benzene.
Authors: M Aksoy
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (1989)

The hematotoxicity of benzene exposure has been well known for a century. Benzene causes leukocytopenia, thrombocytopenia, pancytopenia, etc. The clinical and hematologic picture of aplastic anemia resulting from benzene exposure is not different from classical aplastic anemia; in some cases, mild bilirubinemia, changes in osmotic fragility, increase in lactic dehydrogenase and fecal urobilinogen, and occasionally some neurological abnormalities are found. Electromicroscopic findings in some cases of aplastic anemia with benzene exposure were similar to those observed by light microscopy. Benzene hepatitis-aplastic anemia syndrome was observed in a technician with benzene exposure. Ten months after occurrence of hepatitis B, a severe aplastic anemia developed. The first epidemiologic study proving the leukemogenicity of benzene was performed between 1967 and 1973 to 1974 among shoe workers in Istanbul. The incidence of leukemia was 13.59 per 100,000, which is a significant increase over that of leukemia in the general population. Following the prohibition and discontinuation of the use of benzene in Istanbul, there was a striking decrease in the number of leukemic shoe workers in Istanbul. In 23.7% of our series, consisting of 59 leukemic patients with benzene exposure, there was a preceding pancytopenic period. Furthermore, a familial connection was found in 10.2% of them. The 89.8% of our series showed the findings of acute leukemia. The possible factors that may determine the types of leukemia in benzene toxicity are discussed. The possible role of benzene exposure is presented in the development of malignant lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and lung cancer.
A NOTE ON THE X-RAY EXAMINATION OF EMPYEMA CAVITIES
Authors: D. Browne
Journal: BMJ (1934)

MTHEBRITSAL 807 end of this period the daily subcutaneous injection of 2 c.cm. of its serum prevented the occurrence of thyroid hyperplasia in guinea-pigs receiving at the same time daily intraperitoneal injections of 1 c.cm. of 'anterior pituitary extract.The formation of antithyrotropic principle is probably responsible for the regression of thyroid hyperplasia in animals which have received pro- longed treatment with thyrotropic hormone.It is in-conceiv~able that an antibody be formed to a hormone, as this would render it 'quite useless' to the organism.The finding suggests that there exists normally a balance between thyrotropic and antithyrotropic principles.If large doses of the one be giv'en, the other is elaborated in an endeavour to bring about hormonal equilibrium.Whether this antithyrotropic principle is produced by the suprarenal cortex in response to stimulation by adrenotropic hormone also contained in the extract is as yet unknown, but, if this be so, then the adenotropic hormone may be of value in the treatment of Graves's disease.Summary 1. Thyroid hyperplasia, exophthalmos, and suprarenal enlargement have been produced in guinea-pigs by the prolonged administration of acid extract of anterior pituitary substance.2. Although the majority of the thyroid glands had involuted to the colloid-state during treatment, a certain percentage remained hyperplastic even after ninety-three days.3. The suprarenal enlargement was greatest in those animals whose thyroids had involuted.4. No evidence of thyroid exxhaustion was observed. 5.The production by Collip a'nd Anderson of an anti- thyrotropic factor in the serum of an animal treated for a prolonged period -with-thyrotropichormone h'as been' confirmed.6.The mechanism responsible for the thyroid involution is discussed.We wish to thank Professor F. R. Fraser for the interest
Aneuploidy in Cultured Amniotic Cells
Authors: J. C. Lee
Journal: JAMA (1972)

<h3>To the Editor—</h3> Although aneuploidy is not a common occurrence in cultured cells,<sup>1</sup>sometimes it may cause difficulty in interpretation. The following case is representative: A 20-year-old white woman, para 1, gravida 2, had an amniocentesis performed at the 24th week of gestation. Eighteen months prior to this pregnancy, she had been delivered of a boy with trisomic Down's syndrome. Neither she nor her husband had a family history of genetic anomalies. Amniotic cells were cultured in 35-mm petri dishes (Falcon plastic) using HAM's F-10 nutrient medium supplemented with 15% fetal calf serum and antibiotics.<sup>2</sup>The cells were harvested and chromosomal analysis performed 22 days after the initial culture. Fifty mitoses were analyzed. Of these, 46 cells showed normal 46-XY karyotypes. In one of the two cells that contained 45 chromosomes, there was one missing G-group chromosome. The other lacked one F-group chromosome. One cell which contained 44