tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Manubriosternal joint dislocation in rheumatoid arthritis: the role of thoracic kyphosis.
Authors: M C Kelly, N D Hopkinson, G C Zaphiropoulos
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (1986)

A case report of manubriosternal joint (MSJ) dislocation in a rheumatoid patient with thoracic kyphosis is presented together with a review of the relevant literature. Variations in the anatomical nature of the MSJ between normal individuals are described. In 43% of the population its characteristics are noted to be such that it may be involved in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A joint thus involved can be dislocated by forces generated by longstanding thoracic kyphosis and transmitted to the manubrium via the first rib. Xeroradiographs of the MSJ region in our patient showed dislocation of the joint in the upright position and its subsequent reduction on lying the patient flat. We suggest that this demonstrated reduction is secondary to the lessening of the thoracic kyphosis that occurs in the supine position. It is concluded that in RA MSJ dislocation is a function of thoracic kyphosis.
Bacteria on the Common Communion Cup
Authors: Terrance C. Furlow
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1993)

Letters1 April 1993Bacteria on the Common Communion CupTerrance C. Furlow, MD and Mark J. Dougherty, MDTerrance C. Furlow, MDSearch for more papers by this author and Mark J. Dougherty, MDSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-118-7-199304010-00027 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Although many church denominations have begun using individual cups for each communicant, some continue to use a common cup. To our knowledge, this study is the first to show the presence of viable, pathogenic bacteria on the common cup after a Eucharistic service.An urban, family-oriented parish with approximately 250 communicants was studied. Eight Eucharistic services were randomly selected between December 1990 and April 1991. Each cup was cultured 10 minutes after the Eucharistic service, although cups were not always cultured before the service. The entire rim of each cup was swabbed with a sterile cotton applicator ...References1. Gregory KF, Carpenter JA, Bending GC. Infection hazards of the common communion cup. Can J Public Health. 1967; 58:305-10. Google Scholar2. Burrows W, Hemmons ES. Survival of bacteria on the silver communion cup. J Infect Dis. 1943; 73:180-90. Google Scholar3. Hobbs BC, Knowlden JA, White A. Experiments on the communion cup. J Hyg (Camb). 1967; 65:37-48. Google Scholar4. Gill ON. The hazard of infection from the shared communion cup. J Infect. 1988; 16:3-23. Google Scholar5. Dancewicz EP. What is the risk of infection from common communion cups? JAMA. 1973; 225:320. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited ByInfections associated with religious ritualsRisk of Infectious Disease Transmission from a Common Communion Cup 1 April 1993Volume 118, Issue 7Page: 572-573KeywordsBacteriaBacterial pathogensHaemophilusHerpes simplexIngestionPathogensSalivaStaphylococcusStaphylococcus aureusWine Issue Published: 1 April 1993 CopyrightCopyright © 1993 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...
Validity of a modified shuttle test in adult cystic fibrosis
Authors: J. Bradley, J. Howard, E. Wallace, S. Elborn
Journal: Thorax (1999)

<h3>BACKGROUND</h3> The purpose of this study was to provide some evidence of the validity of a modified shuttle test (MST) by comparing performance on the MST with peak oxygen consumption (V˙o<sub>2</sub>peak) measured during a treadmill test in a group of adult patients with cystic fibrosis. <h3>METHOD</h3> Twenty patients with stable cystic fibrosis performed a ramped maximal treadmill test (STEEP protocol) and the MST using a randomised balanced design. <h3>RESULTS</h3> The relationship between the distance achieved on the MST andV˙o<sub>2</sub>peak was strong (<i>r</i> = 0.95, p&lt;0.01) with 90% of the variance in V˙o<sub>2</sub>peak explained by the variance in MST distance. The relationship was represented by the regression equation (with 95% confidence intervals)V˙o<sub>2</sub>peak = 6.83 (2.85 to 10.80) + 0.028 (0.019 to 0.024) × MST distance. <h3>CONCLUSION</h3> This study provides evidence of the construct validity of the MST as an objective measure of exercise capacity in adults with cystic fibrosis.
Increased Incidence of Cardiovascular Disease in Castrated Women: Two-year Follow-up Studies.
Authors: N. Higano
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1962)

s1 April 1962Increased Incidence of Cardiovascular Disease in Castrated Women: Two-year Follow-up Studies.N. Higano, M.D., W. D. Cohen, Ph.D., R. W. Robinson, M.D., F.A.C.P.N. Higano, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, W. D. Cohen, Ph.D.Search for more papers by this author, R. W. Robinson, M.D., F.A.C.P.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-56-4-667_3 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptA previous study from this laboratory has established that patients who underwent bilateral oophorectomy prior to age 45 suffered far more atherosclerotic disease than did a group of non-castrates who had undergone hysterectomy with or without unilateral oophorectomy. None of these women had received estrogen-replacement therapy. Seventy-eight per cent (167/214) have now been reevaluated two to three years later. Eighteen definite new cardiovascular events have occurred in the 86 castrates, but there have been none in 81 non-castrates. This difference is highly significant by the Fisher-Yates Chi-square test (χ2= 16.9, N = 1, P < .005). Additional evidence for... This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Worcester, Mass. (CS) PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics 1 April 1962Volume 56, Issue 4Page: 667-667KeywordsCardiovascular diseasesEstrogensHysterectomyOophorectomyResearch laboratories Issue Published: 1 April 1962 PDF DownloadLoading ...
Severe hepatitis associated with sitaxentan and response to glucocorticoid therapy
Authors: M. M. Hoeper, K. M. Olsson, A. Schneider, H. Golpon
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2009)

To the Editors: Endothelin receptor antagonists (ERA) have become standard therapy for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), next to phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors and prostanoids 1–3. One of the most common side-effects associated with ERA therapy is hepatotoxicity, usually detected by an increase in the serum aminotransferases 1, 4. The underlying mechanism may be related to inhibition of a bile-salt transporter pump 5. The typical pattern of this type of liver injury is that of a toxic mechanism, i.e. dose-related and rapidly reversible upon dose reduction or drug withdrawal.

Herein, we present a case of liver injury associated with the ERA sitaxentan, which showed a different pattern in that liver injury worsened despite drug discontinuation and aminotransferases normalised after glucocorticoid therapy had been initiated, raising the hypothesis that hepatotoxicity might have been related to an idiosyncratic, i.e. immune-mediated, mechanism.

The patient, a 25-yr-old female (height: 178 cm; weight: 58 kg) with Eisenmenger's …
Memoirs of My Nervous Illness
Authors: K. Robertson
Journal: BMJ (2008)

Cited and discussed by eminent psychiatrists and thinkers from Jung and Freud to Elias Canetti, Daniel Paul Schreber’s astonishing description of his experiences over eight years of incarceration in private and then public asylums in Germany around the turn of the 20th century remains one of the most revealing and fascinating descriptions of severe mental illness ever written.

Schreber was a son of the famous German physician Daniel Gottlob Moritz Schreber, who invented—and practised on his own family—a draconian regimen of mechanical exercise. Daniel Paul studied law and became a judge, a profession he practised with success until he fell ill.

Schreber, a rational man, is distinguished by the …
Fasting Therapy for Psychosomatic Disorders in Japan
Authors: J. Suzuki, Y. Yamauchi, H. Yamamoto, U. Komuro
Journal: Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics (1979)

It has been well known in Japan that fasting therapy has an excellent effect on various kinds of psychosomatic diseases. From 1967 to 1977 the therapy was carried out on about 382 cases of psychosomatic diseases in our clinic with an efficacy rate of 87%. The following diseases were considered as suitable indications for the therapy; irritable colon, behavioral disturbance of eating, functional disorders of the G-I tract, neurocirculatory asthenia, labile hypertension, variable psychosomatic symptoms of puberty, conversion hysteria and many kinds of neurosis with somatic complaints. The mechanism of effectiveness of the therapy is discussed from the psychological and biological aspects. It is concluded that the regulating mechanisms of the autonomic nervous system and endocrine system may change the whole functioning of the body including the brain, resulting in a spontaneous deconditioning of maladaptive bodily and mental behavior and an improved homeostatic adjustment to life.
Pulmonary NO synthase inhibition and inspired CO2: effects on V ′/Q ′ and pulmonary blood flow distribution
Authors: T.V. Brogan, R.G. Hedges, S. McKinney, H.T. Robertson, M.P. Hlastala, E.R. Swenson
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2000)

Inhaled carbon dioxide decreases ventilation/perfusion ratio (V9/Q9) heterogeneity in dogs. The aim of this study was to test whether inhaled CO2 improves the V9/Q9 by inhibition of nitric oxide production and whether inhibition of endogenous NO production in the lung alters gas exchange and V9/Q9 matching. Eleven healthy dogs were anaesthetized and mechanically ventilated. The multiple inert gas elimination technique (MIGET) was used to measure V9/Q9 heterogeneity and regional pulmonary blood flow heterogeneity was assessed in five dogs using fluorescent microspheres. In a separate set of five dogs, exhaled NO levels were measured via chemiluminescence. All dogs were studied before and after 4.8% inspired CO2, and then given the NO synthase inhibitor N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 10 mg x kg(-1)) via nebulization, after which they were studied again with room air and inhaled CO2. CO2 and L-NAME improved arterial and alveolar oxygen tension, but the improvements with L-NAME did not reach statistical significance. Improved V9/Q9 matching, as assessed by the MIGET, occurred under all experimental conditions. Exhaled NO levels were reduced by 40% with CO2 and 70% with L-NAME. The standard deviation of regional pulmonary blood flow assessed via microspheres decreased only with inhaled CO2. Fractal analysis of pulmonary blood flow distributions revealed that regional blood flow was highly correlated with flow to neighbouring pieces of lung in all four conditions with no changes in the fractal dimension. Inspired carbon dioxide improves ventilation perfusion ratio matching and is associated with a more homogeneous distribution of pulmonary blood flow. Although inspired carbon dioxide causes a reduction in exhaled nitric oxide, the differences in pulmonary perfusion distributions found between carbon dioxide and N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester suggest that the carbon dioxide effect is not mediated by a reduction in nitric oxide production. The improved ventilation perfusion ratio matching with inhibition of nitric oxide synthase suggests the intriguing possibility requiring further study that endogenous production of nitric oxide in the lung does not subserve ventilation perfusion ratio regulation.
Treatment of Parkinsonism with Laevo-Dopa
Authors: C. Mawdsley
Journal: BMJ (1970)

Thirty-two patients with Parkinsonism were treated with L-dopa. Nine were markedly and 14 moderately improved. Twenty patients tolerated the drug well, derived definite improvement, and were treated for an average period of six months. Improvement was sustained during this period even though the average daily dosage of L-dopa was reduced. Dose-dependent side-effects occurred in 25 patients. It is suggested that dosage schedules should be flexible and tailored to the needs of each individual patient, and that treatment should be continued for six months before presuming it to be ineffective. It is concluded that L-dopa often ameliorates Parkinsonism for long periods, but its effect on the natural history of the disease is undertermined.
Laboratory Medicine: Hematology
Authors: C. Groves
Journal: JAMA (1982)

The sixth edition of this classic text is as valuable a reference source as the preceding editions for both clinical and laboratory hematologists. Indeed, it is the correlation of clinical features of hematologic diseases with their basic pathophysiology and the interpretation of laboratory studies that remain the strong features of this work. Overall, the format and organization of the book are excellent. The first 100 pages are devoted to hemopoiesis and the structure and function of the "reticulo-endothelial system." The chapter on the lymphoid and immune systems included in this section is a particularly well-written review of recent conceptual and technical advances in this area. Likewise, the chapters on the morphology of blood and bone marrow cells are very good, and the inclusion of a special section of more than 50 illustrated case studies proves an excellent teaching device. The appendix provides a model by which all laboratory procedure manuals
Do Postmarketing Surveillance Studies Represent Real-World Populations?
Authors: Robert W. Yeh, Kevin Kennedy, John A. Spertus, Sahil A. Parikh, Rahul Sakhuja, H. Vernon Anderson, Christopher J. White, Kenneth Rosenfield
Journal: Circulation (2011)

Background— To evaluate outcomes after carotid artery stenting in larger real-world populations, the Food and Drug Administration mandated that companies conduct postmarketing surveillance (PMS) studies of approved stent systems. Whether PMS studies are representative of carotid artery stenting in routine clinical practice has not been established. Methods and Results— Within the National Cardiovascular Database Registry–Carotid Artery Revascularization and Endarterectomy (NCDR CARE) Registry, we compared patient and procedural characteristics, in-hospital outcomes, and subsequent all-cause mortality after carotid artery stenting in PMS study participants and nonparticipants. We conducted both crude and propensity score–adjusted comparisons for all outcomes between groups. Compared with nonparticipants, participants in PMS studies had lower rates of symptomatic carotid artery disease within the preceding 6 months, prior stroke, and acute evolving stroke at baseline. The PMS study participants had lower unadjusted rates of combined in-hospital death, stroke, or myocardial infarction (2.3% versus 4.1%; P &lt;0.001), driven by lower rates of stroke (1.7% versus 2.7%; P =0.005) and death (0.3% versus 1.4%; P &lt;0.001). Differences in survival persisted after propensity score adjustment (odds ratio, 0.44; 95% confidence interval, 0.21 to 0.95; P =0.04 for in-hospital mortality; and hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% confidence interval, 0.66 to 0.97; P =0.02 for 2-year mortality). Baseline differences in neurological history explained the largest proportion of the difference in outcomes between groups. Conclusions— Participants in PMS studies for carotid artery stenting have different clinical and procedural characteristics and lower mortality compared with nonparticipants. Extrapolating results from PMS studies of carotid artery stenting to larger real-world settings should be done only with great caution.
Mode of delivery after one caesarean section: audit of current practice in a health region.
Authors: C M Paterson, N J Saunders
Journal: BMJ (1991)

To audit the subsequent obstetric management of women who had had one previous baby delivered by caesarean section.Retrospective analysis of a regional obstetric database.Data derived from the 17 obstetric units in North West Thames region.1059 women who delivered a singleton fetus of at least 37 weeks' gestation with a cephalic presentation in 1988 who had a history of one previous caesarean section and no other deliveries.Mode of delivery, postnatal morbidity, and duration of hospital stay.395 (37%) women were delivered by elective repeat caesarean section and 664 (63%) were allowed a trial of labour. Maternal height and birth weight of the previous infant differed significantly between those who were and those who were not allowed to labour. 471 (71%) of those allowed to labour achieved a vaginal delivery. In individual units there was no significant correlation between the proportion of patients allowed to labour and the rate of the successful trial of labour. There was a trend towards greater success rates in units that allowed a longer duration of labour (p less than 0.05) and units with greater use of oxytocin for augmentation of labour (not significant). Both elective and intrapartum caesarean section was associated with a significantly higher rate of postnatal infection than vaginal delivery (14.7% and 16.0% v 3.4%).In patients with a history of caesarean section there is no evidence that the likelihood of successful vaginal delivery after trial of labour is modified by the proportion of such patients allowed the option of attempted vaginal delivery. Until selection criteria of adequate prognostic value can be identified a more liberal approach to allowing women a trial of labour seems justified.
Sustained Reduction of Vein Graft Neointima Formation by Ex Vivo TIMP-3 Gene Therapy
Authors: Sarah J. George, Song Wan, Jia Hu, Robert MacDonald, Jason L. Johnson, Andrew H. Baker
Journal: Circulation (2011)

Coronary artery vein graft failure, resulting from thrombosis, intimal thickening, and atherosclerosis, is a significant clinical problem, with approximately 50% of vein grafts failing within 10 years. Intimal thickening is caused by migration of vascular smooth muscle cells from the media to the intima, where they proliferate. Interventions using gene transfer to inhibit vascular smooth muscle cells proliferation and migration are attractive because ex vivo access to the graft is possible. The involvement of matrix-degrading metalloproteinases in intimal thickening is well established, and we previously showed that adenoviral-delivered overexpression of an endogenous inhibitor, the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-3 (TIMP-3), significantly retarded intimal thickening in short-term autologous porcine arteriovenous interposition grafts (28 days). However, it is essential to determine whether this approach will provide longer-term benefits.We assessed whether a recombinant adenovirus that overexpresses TIMP-3 (RAdTIMP-3) affects vein graft intimal thickening in the longer term (at 3 months). Porcine saphenous veins were subjected to luminal infection with 2.5×10(10) pfu/mL RAdTIMP-3 or RAd60 (control virus) or vehicle control, for 30 minutes before implantation into the carotid artery. Analysis of grafts harvested 3 months after delivery revealed that RAdTIMP-3-infected grafts had significantly reduced intimal areas compared with both controls (3.2 ± 0.4 mm(2) versus 5.6 ± 0.7 mm(2) and 5.9 ± 0.5 mm(2), RAdTIMP-3, RAd60, and vehicle, respectively). Medial areas were also significantly decreased by TIMP-3 (3.8 ± 0.3 mm(2) versus 6.7 ± 1.0 mm(2) and 5.2 ± 0.4 mm(2), RAdTIMP-3, RAd60, and vehicle, respectively).Overexpression of TIMP-3 provides a sustained retardation of vein graft intimal thickening and highlights the translational potential for ex vivo TIMP-3 gene therapy.
On the Organizational Dynamics of the Genetic Code
Authors: Zhang Zhang, Jun Yu
Journal: Genomics Proteomics & Bioinformatics (2011)

Abstract The organization of the canonical genetic code needs to be thoroughly illuminated. Here we reorder the four nucleotides—adenine, thymine, guanine and cytosine—according to their emergence in evolution, and apply the organizational rules to devising an algebraic representation for the canonical genetic code. Under a framework of the devised code, we quantify codon and amino acid usages from a large collection of 917 prokaryotic genome sequences, and associate the usages with its intrinsic structure and classification schemes as well as amino acid physicochemical properties. Our results show that the algebraic representation of the code is structurally equivalent to a content-centric organization of the code and that codon and amino acid usages under different classification schemes were correlated closely with GC content, implying a set of rules governing composition dynamics across a wide variety of prokaryotic genome sequences. These results also indicate that codons and amino acids are not randomly allocated in the code, where the six-fold degenerate codons and their amino acids have important balancing roles for error minimization. Therefore, the content-centric code is of great usefulness in deciphering its hitherto unknown regularities as well as the dynamics of nucleotide, codon, and amino acid compositions.
Group X phospholipase A2 is released during sperm acrosome reaction and controls fertility outcome in mice
Authors: Jessica Escoffier, Ikram Jemel, Akemi Tanemoto, Yoshitaka Taketomi, Christine Payre, Christelle Coatrieux, Hiroyasu Sato, Kei Yamamoto, Seiko Masuda, Karin Pernet-Gallay, Virginie Pierre, Shuntaro Hara, Makoto Murakami, Michel De Waard, Gérard Lambeau, Christophe Arnoult
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (2010)

Ejaculated mammalian sperm must undergo a maturation process called capacitation before they are able to fertilize an egg. Several studies have suggested a role for members of the secreted phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) family in capacitation, acrosome reaction (AR), and fertilization, but the molecular nature of these enzymes and their specific roles have remained elusive. Here, we have demonstrated that mouse group X sPLA2 (mGX) is the major enzyme present in the acrosome of spermatozoa and that it is released in an active form during capacitation through spontaneous AR. mGX-deficient male mice produced smaller litters than wild-type male siblings when crossed with mGX-deficient females. Further analysis revealed that spermatozoa from mGX-deficient mice exhibited lower rates of spontaneous AR and that this was associated with decreased in vitro fertilization (IVF) efficiency due to a drop in the fertilization potential of the sperm and an increased rate of aborted embryos. Treatment of sperm with sPLA2 inhibitors and antibodies specific for mGX blocked spontaneous AR of wild-type sperm and reduced IVF success. Addition of lysophosphatidylcholine, a catalytic product of mGX, overcame these deficiencies. Finally, recombinant mGX triggered AR and improved IVF outcome. Taken together, our results highlight a paracrine role for mGX during capacitation in which the enzyme primes sperm for efficient fertilization and boosts premature AR of a likely phospholipid-damaged sperm subpopulation to eliminate suboptimal sperm from the pool available for fertilization.
Trauma in silico: Individual-specific mathematical models and virtual clinical populations
Authors: David Brown, Rami A. Namas, Khalid Almahmoud, Akram Zaaqoq, Joydeep Sarkar, Derek A. Barclay, Jinling Yin, Ali Ghuma, Andrew Abboud, Gregory Constantine, Gary Nieman, Ruben Zamora, Steven C. Chang, Timothy R. Billiar, Yoram Vodovotz
Journal: Science Translational Medicine (2015)

A mathematical model of the human response to trauma replicates individual patient outcomes but predicts unexpected results in populations.