tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Bioethics and Politics: A Values Analysis of the Mission of the Center for Practical Bioethics
Authors: Erika Blacksher
Journal: The American Journal of Bioethics (2007)

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Erika Blacksher is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholar at Columbia University at the Center for the Study of Social Inequalities and Health. The author thanks the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholars program for its financial support.
Shortened Head-Up Tilting Test Guided by Systolic Pressure Reductions in Neurocardiogenic Syncope
Authors: Salvatore M. Romano, Marco Chiostri, Jacopo Olivotto
Journal: Circulation (2002)

We read with interest and appreciated the article by Pitzalis et al. 1 However, an important methodological issue requires further clarification with regard to the Finapres method.Specifically, the authors do not mention whether and how corrections were made to avoid the artifacts in pressure measurements caused by changes in body position during the test.The traces shown in the Figure suggest that the pressure measurements are influenced, during the tilting-up phase, by the change in hydrostatic pressure at the finger-cuff.This is reflected by the presumably fictitious step increase in both diastolic and systolic pressures of about 20 mm Hg in the tracings corresponding in time with the uptilting.Indeed, the reliability of Finapres is not perfectly linear, and may over-or underestimate pressure values at the 2 extremes of the measurement range. 2 Imprecision is usually avoided by self-calibration of the instrument every 60 seconds; 3 however, if the reference pressure value is not simultaneously verified by other means (eg, a simple sphygmomanometer), the measurement recorded by the instrument may be unreliable, particularly after substantial variations of pressure, and may lead to a substantial number of false-positives.The step increase in pressure shown in the Figure, however, would suggest that pressure values were not checked during changes of position.This is an important issue, as the clinical accuracy per se of Finapres is suboptimal 3 and requires scrupulous observance of every possible adjustment.At our institution, baseline simultaneous measurements of the arterial blood pressure are routinely obtained at the radial artery by Dinamap (Critikon, Tampa, Calif) and traditional (Riva-Rocci, Erka, Germany) mercury brachial cuff in order to assess the agreement between the 2 methods. 4Throughout the whole test (baseline, tilting, and recovery), the beat by beat pressure measurements obtained by the Finapres are compared with the Dinamap measurements every 3 minutes to correct, as needed, the Finapres pressure values either by adjustment of the finger position exactly at the sternal angle to correct differences of hydrostatic pressure, 3 or by turning on the automatic servo self adjustment of the Finapres to correct the instrument shift.
PSYCHIATRY IN A GENERAL HOSPITAL
Authors: BALDWIN L. KEYES, ROBERT A. MATTHEWS
Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry (1941)

Of a group of 100 cases seen in psychiatric consultation in the wards of a general hospital, only 12 per cent had mental conditions that could be considered the direct result of organic disease. Fifty-one per cent of the patients were found to have some organic pathology, but in the majority of these the psychic factor could rightfully be considered predominant. Hence psychotherapy, or some form of psychiatric treatment, had to be considered a vital part of the therapeutic program. In another 30 per cent of patients no significant organic pathology was discovered, and in this group psychiatric treatment, in most instances psychotherapy, was the only appropriate form of treatment. These latter two groups taken together form 81 cases requiring some form of psychiatric help, not only while in the hospital but after discharge as well. Due to the great amount of time required to carry out an adequate psychotherapeutic program, the available personnel of the psychiatric departments of most general hospitals cannot be considered sufficient to cope with the problems presented by such a number of patients. The matter of extramural care is obviously more difficult to handle. These patients must return to their home communities which in few instances provide any type of formal psychiatric help. The general practitioner who must look after the patients will usually be unable, due to lack of training or interest, to continue adequately the investigation and treatment of the emotional problems involved. One thing which may not be readily recognized and hence not managed as skillfully as desirable, is that hospitalization itself is a powerful psychotherapeutic agent. It necessitates separation of the patient from his home environment, provides for a short period an emotionally neutral atmosphere and relieves him of burdensome duties, the value of which factors is often overlooked. Unfortunately this therapeutic aid is too often counter-balanced by the emotional influences incident to the personality of the hospital. In reviewing the whole problem it would seem that there is a wealth of psychiatric material in every ward and clinic. Clinicians are becoming increasingly aware of the significance of psychiatric findings in their patients and are demanding ever-increasing service of the psychiatrist in the general hospital.
The importance of immune dysfunction in determining outcome in acute liver failure
Authors: Charalambos Gustav Antoniades, Philip A. Berry, Julia A. Wendon, Diego Vergani
Journal: Journal of Hepatology (2008)

Acute liver failure (ALF) shares striking similarities with septic shock with regard to the features of systemic inflammation, progression to multiple organ dysfunction and functional immunoparesis. While the existence of opposing systemic pro- and anti-inflammatory profiles resulting in organ failure and immune dysfunction are well recognised in septic shock, characterization of these processes in ALF has only recently been described. This review explores the evolution of the systemic inflammation in acute liver failure, its relation to disease progression, exacerbation of liver injury and development of innate immune dysfunction and extra-hepatic organ failure as sequelae. Defects in innate immunity are described in hepatic and extra-hepatic compartments. Clinical studies measuring levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and expression of the antigen presentation molecule HLA-DR on monocytes, in combination with ex-vivo experiments, demonstrate that the persistence of a compensatory anti-inflammatory response syndrome, leading to functional monocyte deactivation, is a central event in the evolution of systemic immune dysfunction. Accurate immune profiling in ALF may permit the development of immunomodulatory strategies in order to improve outcome in this condition.
1200 FINDINGS FROM CLINICAL VIROLOGY STUDIES ON SOVAPREVIR, A PHASE 2 HCV NS3 PROTEASE INHIBITOR, INDICATE A HIGH PHARMACOLOGICAL BARRIER TO VIRAL RESISTANCE
Authors: J. Fabrycki, Y. Zhao, D. Patel, G. Yang, S. Podos, W. Yang, H. Robison, L. Robarge, H. Kocinsky, E. Olek, M. Deshpande, M. Huang
Journal: Journal of Hepatology (2013)
Cervical Discography Defended
Authors: Jacques Paul Schaerer
Journal: JAMA (1975)

To the Editor.—  I find discography a valuable adjunct in treating patients with a disk problem in the neck and low back. My position is a matter of record and, although quoting me in his Conclusions, Holt obviously has not paid attention to the content of the article, other than its being based on 247 operations performed on 221 patients. The connection between Colorado's slightly less than 100 years of statehood and the number of ruptured cervical disks diagnosed and treated escapes me. It would seem to be fairly clear to any thinking person that the incidence of cervical disks, even in Colorado, probably has increased since the advent of the automobile, with the ever-growing density of traffic and the increasing number of traffic accidents resulting therefrom, as compared with the founding years when an occasional citizen may have ruptured a disk in falling off a horse.
Abstract 3886: The G-quadruplex induced DNA damage at telomeres is regulated by ATM
Authors: Ashraful Islam, Shelia D. Thoma, Donald M. Miller
Journal: Cancer Research (2011)

Abstract Quadruplex-forming DNA sequences are present throughout the genome, including in the telomeres. Our group has shown that quadruplex-forming oligonucleotides selectively inhibit proliferation of transformed cells. One of these oligonucleotides, AS1411, is currently in a Phase IIb clinical trial. We have recently shown that the c-myc promoter quadruplex-forming sequence, Pu-27, also inhibits growth of malignant cells. We have hypothesized that one potential mechanism of this effect is competition for telomere-binding proteins. If this is correct, we would expect this effect to be mediated by the DNA repair response. Telomere integrity is maintained by the shelterin protein complex which is required to prevent chromosomal ends from being recognized as DNA double strand breaks. Like many other DNA damage response proteins, ATM has been shown to play a role in the maintenance of telomere integrity. We have shown that ATM deficient cells are more sensitive to growth inhibition by Pu-27 whereas ATM proficient cells were relatively resistant to Pu-27. Co-immunostaining with γ-H2AX and TRF1 revealed that the sensitivity to Pu-27 in ATM deficient cells was associated with phosphorylation of H2AX, an indicator of DNA double strand break and induction of TIFs (Telomere-dysfunction Induced Foci). There was induction of γ-H2AX and downregulation of shelterin proteins TRF2 and TRF1 in Pu-27 treated ATM deficient cells (as determined by western blotting). U937 leukemia cells, which were sensitive to Pu-27, became relatively resistant when they were stably transfected with a vector expressing a dominant negative mutant of the shelterin protein TRF2 (dn-TRF2). This suggests that Pu-27 may act by altering the telomere-shelterin complex. This idea was further substantiated by the fact that ALT (Alternative Lengthening of Telomere) cells were also relatively resistant to Pu27. A549 cells, which were sensitive to Pu-27, also showed abundant presence of TIF compared to untreated cells. Lastly, we showed that both p53 wild type and deficient colorectal cells (HCT116 cell line) were relatively resistant to Pu-27. Taken together, this data suggests that ATM plays a pivotal role in Pu-27 induced DNA damage at telomere ends, which occurs in response to a Pu-27 induced alteration in telomere-shelterin homeostasis. It is likely that this response is induced in a p53 independent manner. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3886. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-3886
Trust criticised for putting staff before patients
Authors: A. Boulton
Journal: BMJ (1996)

An NHS hospital trust has been accused of facilitating rapid referral to a medical consultant as a job perk for its 4000 employees at the expense of patients urgently awaiting treatment. The move has met with considerable opposition from local general practitioners and goes against the recommendation of the hospital's consultant committee.

On 14 November 1995 Bryan Carpenter, director of personnel at South Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, based at Torbay Hospital, sent a memo to local general practitioners and hospital staff …
The state of the prisons. "Disorder, disillusion, and disrepute".
Authors: R Smith
Journal: BMJ (1983)

The British prison system is in a mess and so, almost inevitably, is an important part of it, the prison medical service.*The three main characteristics of the system are at the moment, according to Roy King and Rod Morgan, two academics who have made a close study of prisons, "disorder, disillusion, and disrepute."'Those three words are carefully chosen.The disorder in the service is apparent to all, but the disillusion is less obvious, goes deeper, and is in many ways the most serious problem.The disrepute of the system, a particular problem for the medical service, presents extra problems but is not fully deserved.Many people in the prison service are working themselves to death, literally in some cases, trying to make the system work.A detailed and comprehensive look at prison health care In this series of articles I shall look in detail at the problems of delivering health care to prisoners.Although sensational and polemical articles on prison doctors appear regularly in the newspapers, and although sporadic articles written by and about prison doctors and on prison health care have been published in more sober publications, there has never been a detached, comprehensive, and detailed review of health care in British prisons.When he was deputy director of the prison medical service Dr Ronald Ingrey-Senn spoke to the Royal Society of Health and attacked the many critics of the prison medical *To make these articles easier to read, I use prison medical service when I mean that for England and Wales and will make it clear when talking about those for Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Bladder Defect Due to Use of Vaginal Tampon
Authors: ZAHIDA YOOSUFANI, JOHN J. SZIKLAS, RICHARD P. SPENCER
Journal: Clinical Nuclear Medicine (1987)

A Tc-99m DTPA study, in a woman with a renal allograft, showed marked asymmetry in filling of the bladder. This suggested extrinsic pressure or extravasation. The patient had a vaginal tampon in place. The study was repeated after removal of the tampon. The bladder appearance returned toward normal, indicating that the intravaginal tampon had been Indenting the bladder.
Sperm donor age makes no difference to conception rates, study finds
Authors: N. Hawkes
Journal: BMJ (2014)

The chances of achieving a pregnancy using donated sperm do not decline with the increasing age of the donor, a study at Newcastle University has found. The results, due to be presented on Tuesday 1 July at the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Munich, provide reassurance that, within the age range of donors permitted under existing guidelines, the donor’s age is immaterial.

This was important, Meenakshi Choudhary, a coauthor of the study, told a London briefing—because, since the anonymity of sperm donors was abolished in 2005, the age of donors had increased significantly. “It has gone up from an average of around 26, to 34-35,” she said. “Typical donors today are older men, not university students.”

With her coauthor Navdeep Ghuman, Choudhary used the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority’s …
Bile Acid Synthesis in the Isolated, Perfused Rabbit Liver
Authors: E. H. Mosbach, M. A. Rothschild, I. Bekersky, M. Oratz, J. Mongelli
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (1971)

These experiments were carried out to demonstrate the usefulness of the perfused rabbit liver for studies of bile acid metabolism, and to determine the rate-limiting enzyme of bile acid synthesis. Rabbits were fed a semisynthetic diet, with or without the addition of 1% cholestyramine, under controlled conditions. At the end of 2-5 wk, the livers were removed and perfused for 2.5 hr employing various (14)C-labeled precursors to measure de novo cholic acid synthesis. The livers were then analyzed for cholesterol, and the bile collected during the perfusion was analyzed for cholesterol and bile acids. Control bile contained, on the average, 0.34 mg of glycocholate, 7.4 mg of glycodeoxycholate, and 0.06 mg of cholesterol. After cholestyramine treatment of the donor rabbits, the bile contained 3.3 mg of glycocholate, 3.7 mg of glycodeoxycholate, and 0.05 mg of cholesterol. It was assumed that in cholestyramine-treated animals the enterohepatic circulation of the bile acids had been interrupted sufficiently to release the feedback inhibition of the rate-controlling enzyme of bile acid synthesis. Therefore, a given precursor should be incorporated into bile acids at a more rapid rate in livers of cholestyramine-treated animals, provided that the precursor was acted upon by the rate-controlling enzyme. It was found that the incorporation of acetate-(14)C, mevalonolactone-(14)C, and cholesterol-(14)C into cholate was 5-20 times greater in the livers of cholestyramine-treated animals than in the controls. In contrast, there was no difference in the incorporation of 7alpha-hydroxycholesterol-(14)C into cholate regardless of dietary pretreatment. It was concluded that given an adequate precursor pool, the 7alpha-hydroxylation of cholesterol is the rate-limiting step in bile acid formation.
Re: Morgan R. Pokorny, Maarten de Rooij, Earl Duncan, et al. Prospective Study of Diagnostic Accuracy Comparing Prostate Cancer Detection by Transrectal Ultrasound–Guided Biopsy Versus Magnetic Resonance (MR) Imaging with Subsequent MR-guided Biopsy in Men Without Previous Prostate Biopsies. Eur Urol 2014;66:22–9
Authors: Yaalini Shanmugabavan, Stephanie Guillaumier, Hashim U. Ahmed
Journal: European Urology (2014)
Evolving null hypotheses and the base rate fallacy: A functional interpretation of scientific myth
Authors: Brian J. Gibbs
Journal: Behavioral and Brain Sciences (1997)

The meaning of an experimental result depends on the experiment's conceptual backdrop, particularly its null hypothesis. This observation provides the basis for a functional interpretation of belief in the base rate fallacy. On this interpretation, if the base rate fallacy is to be labelled a “myth,” then it should be recognized that this label is not necessarily a disparaging one.
Sequential Treatment by Ionizing Radiation and Sodium Arsenite Dramatically Accelerates TRAIL-Mediated Apoptosis of Human Melanoma Cells
Authors: Vladimir N. Ivanov, Hongning Zhou, Tom K. Hei
Journal: Cancer Research (2007)

Melanoma is the most lethal form of skin cancer. There is a lack of effective treatments for individuals with advanced disease. Many melanomas exhibit high levels of radioresistance. The direct consequence of gamma-irradiation for most melanoma cells is growth arrest at the G2-M phase of cell cycle. However, radiation-induced signaling pathways may affect numerous additional targets in cancer cells. We show in the present study that gamma-irradiation, as well as alpha-particle exposure, dramatically increases the susceptibility of melanoma cells to recombinant tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)-mediated apoptosis via up-regulation of surface TRAIL-receptor 1/receptor 2 (DR4/DR5) levels and to Fas ligand-mediated apoptosis via up-regulation of surface Fas levels. Additionally, increased dynamin-2 expression after irradiation is critically important in the translocation of death receptor to the cell surface. Moreover, sodium arsenite treatment may up-regulate expression of endogenous TRAIL and induces its translocation to cell surface and further down-regulates cFLIP levels in melanoma cells. We have evaluated the effects of sequential gamma-irradiation and arsenite treatment of melanoma cells for the induction of death signaling. Such treatment results in an efficient TRAIL-mediated apoptosis via a paracrine mechanism. These data highlight the efficacy of combined modality treatment involving radiation and arsenite in clinical management of this often fatal form of skin cancer.
INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE UPON THE VELOCITY OF THE COMPLEMENT FIXATION REACTION IN SYPHILIS
Authors: Hideyo Noguchi
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1918)

Examination of syphilitic serum or cerebrospinal fluid can be made at any temperature between 23 degrees and 37 degrees C. The velocity of the fixation reaction, including the fixation of complement and subsequent hemolysis, is greater at a higher temperature, the optimum point being 37 degrees C. The maximum reaction is also reached, however, when the mixture of lipoids, syphilitic serum, and complement is allowed to stand for a long enough period at a lower temperature, the minimum thermal point being near 23 degrees C. For the optimum temperature (37 degrees C.) an incubation of 30 minutes is sufficient, while for the minimum temperature (23 degrees C.) 2 hours are necessary. At the temperature of 30 degrees C. the reaction proceeds with moderate velocity and is complete within 60 minutes. Guinea pig complement gave a sharper reaction with the sera which contained less than one unit of the fixing substance. Fixation is complete, however, at any of the three temperatures within 20 minutes when there are more than two units present. A serum containing one unit of fixing substance will complete reaction within 30 minutes at 37 degrees C., 60 minutes at 30 degrees C., and 2 hours at 23 degrees C., irrespective of whether human or guinea pig complement is used. For many reasons a properly adjusted thermostat for 37 degrees C. is recommended for conducting the serum diagnosis of syphilis when possible, but it should not be overlooked that at a temperature near 30 degrees C. an entirely reliable result can be obtained without a special incubator. Even at a temperature as low as 23 degrees C. the test can be carried out if sufficient length of time is allowed. The foregoing conclusions refer only to the systems in which the acetone-insoluble fraction of tissue lipoids is used as antigen.
JNK-Induced Apoptosis, Compensatory Growth, and Cancer Stem Cells
Authors: Fei Chen
Journal: Cancer Research (2012)

Abstract Overwhelming) are a set of key stress-responsive kinases that mediate cell apoptosis, which is an important process for tumor suppression. However, JNKs have also been implicated in the malignant transformation and tumorigenesis of cells. This review attempts to reconcile these 2 contradictory functions of JNKs with recent discoveries on the role of JNKs in compensatory growth of neighboring cells and stem cells, which may provide new mechanistic understanding about the role of JNKs in the regulation of cancer stem cells and the pathogenesis of cancers. Cancer Res; 72(2); 379–86. ©2012 AACR.
Inhibition of lymphocyte proliferation stimulated by lectins and allogeneic cells by normal plasma lipoproteins.
Authors: J H Morse, L D Witte, D S Goodman
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1977)

Lipoproteins, isolated by sequential flotation at densities 1.006, 1.019, 1.063, and 1.21, were examined for their ability to inhibit human lymphocytes stimulated by allogeneic cells and by lectins (phytohemagglutinin-P and concanavalin A). All the classes of normal plasma lipoproteins inhibited lymphoproliferation when peripheral blood lymphocytes were cultured in autologous, heterologous, or lipoprotein-deficient plasma (d greater than 1.21). The rank order of inhibitory potency was intermediate density lipoprotein (IDL) greater than very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) greater than low density lipoproteins (LDL) greater than high density lipoproteins (HDL), regardless of the mode of stimulation. The concentrations of IDL, VLDL, and LDL required for complete inhibition of stimulated lymphoproliferation were considerably below the levels of each of these lipoproteins normally found in human plasma. In addition, the concentration of HDL required for 50-90% inhibition was in the range of HDL levels normally found in human plasma. Moreover, at relatively higher concentrations, lipoproteins suppressed the incorporation of [3H]thymidine into DNA below the levels seen with reseting, unstimulated lymphocytes. The results suggest that circulating lymphocytes may normally be highly suppressed by the combined effects of all the endogenous lipoproteins and that the lipoproteins may play important roles in vivo in modulating lymphocyte functions and responses.