tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Evidence for decreasing quality of semen during past 50 years.
Authors: E. Carlsen, A. Giwercman, N. Keiding, N. E. Skakkebaek
Journal: BMJ (1992)

<h3>Abstract</h3> Tolerance to high product concentrations is a major barrier to achieving economically viable processes for bio-based chemical production. Chemical tolerance mechanisms are often unknown, thus their rational design is not achievable. To reveal unknown tolerance mechanisms we used an automated platform to evolve <i>Escherichia coli</i> to grow in previously toxic concentrations of 11 chemicals that have applications as polymer precursors, chemical intermediates, or biofuels. Re-sequencing of isolates from 88 independently evolved populations, reconstruction of mutations, and cross-compound tolerance profiling was employed to uncover general and specific tolerance mechanisms. We found that: 1) the broad tolerance of strains towards chemicals varied significantly depending on the chemical stress condition under which the strain was evolved; 2) the strains that acquired high levels of NaCl tolerance also became broadly tolerant to most chemicals; 3) genetic tolerance mechanisms included alterations in regulatory, cell wall, transcriptional and translational functions, as well as more chemical-specific mechanisms related to transport and metabolism; 4) using pre-tolerized starting strains can significantly enhance subsequent production of chemicals when a production pathway is inserted; and 5) only a subset of the evolved isolates showed improved production indicating that this approach is especially useful when a large number of independently evolved isolates are screened for production. We provide a comprehensive genotype-phenotype map based on identified mutations and growth phenotypes for 224 chemical tolerant strains.
Gliotoxin causes apoptosis and necrosis of rat Kupffer cells in vitro and in vivo in the absence of oxidative stress: Exacerbation by caspase and serine protease inhibition
Authors: Kristin Anselmi, Donna B. Stolz, Michael Nalesnik, Simon C. Watkins, Ravindra Kamath, Chandrashekhar R. Gandhi
Journal: Journal of Hepatology (2007)
Cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant release from hepatocytes is modulated by Kupffer cells
Authors: E Mawet, Y Shiratori, Y Hikiba, H Takada, H Yoshida, K Okano, Y Komatsu, M Matsumura, Y Niwa, M Omata
Journal: Hepatology (1996)

To clarify the role of intercellular communication in the liver during accumulation of neutrophils, the release of cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant (CINC) (interleukin-8 [IL-8] related protein in rodents) by hepatocytes was investigated in the presence of Kupffer cell-conditioned medium in vitro . Kupffer cells were prepared by perfusion of rat liver with collagenase followed by centrifugation on a metrizamide gradient and were cultured in the presence or absence of lipopolysacharide (LPS). The conditioned medium was collected after 24 hours, and rat hepatocytes were cultured in the presence or absence of Kupffer cell-conditioned medium. An amount of CINC in the culture supernatant was measured by western blotting analysis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and expression of its messenger RNA (mRNA) was assessed by the polymerase chain reaction. LPS-stimulated Kupffer cell-conditioned medium enhanced an expression of CINC mRNA in hepatocytes and increased the production of CINC by hepatocytes. Enhanced production of CINC was not shown when the Kupffer cell-conditioned medium was pretreated with heat (56 degrees C, 30 minutes). The production of CINC by hepatocytes in the presence of the LPS-stimulated Kupffer cell-conditioned medium was reduced by an antibody against interleukin 1β (IL-1β), but not by antibodies against tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) or LPS. These results suggest that production of CINC by hepatocytes could be regulated by IL-1β released from Kupffer cells, leading to neutrophil accumulation during liver injury, because this protein is a strong chemoattractant for neutrophils.
Interleukin 11 and paired immunoglobulin-like type 2 receptor α expression correlates with the number of joints with active arthritis in systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis
Authors: T Mima, S Ishikawa, C Aoki, N Yoshio-Hoshino, Y Adachi, T Imagawa, M Mori, M Tomiita, N Iwata, T Murata, M Miyoshi, S Takei, Y Aihara, S Yokota, K Matsubara, N Nishimoto
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2009)

<h3>Abstract</h3> Antibody responses emerge from the competition of B cell lineages with different antigen receptors, each produced by the recombination of germline immunoglobulin genes. Which lineages win out can depend on subsequent somatic mutations that improve antigen binding, yet lineages using specific germline alleles can have higher affinity than others from the start or a higher propensity to adapt. How much do those germline-encoded advantages determine the outcome of B cell competition, potentially leading to predictable allele frequencies and sequence motifs in the response to the same antigen in different individuals? In simulations, we show that selection for receptors with germline-encoded specificity can lead to similar germline allele frequencies between individuals early in the response. As B cell lineages evolve, those early advantages are often overcome by lineages using different germline alleles in different individuals, leading to increasingly contingent patterns of germline allele usage over time. Consistent with simulations, mice experimentally infected with influenza virus have increasingly dissimilar germline allele frequencies and do not converge on similar CDR3 sequences or similar somatic mutations. These results suggest germline-encoded specificities might be selected to enable fast recognition of specific antigens early in the response, while diverse evolutionary routes to high affinity limit the predictability of responses to infection and vaccination in the long term.
Soluble lymphotoxin is an important effector molecule in GVHD and GVL
Authors: Kate A. Markey, Angela C. Burman, Tatjana Banovic, Rachel D. Kuns, Neil C. Raffelt, Vanessa Rowe, Stuart D. Olver, Alistair L. J. Don, Edward S. Morris, Allison R. Pettit, Yana A. Wilson, Renee J. Robb, Louise M. Randall, Heinrich Korner, Christian R. Engwerda, Andrew D. Clouston, Kelli P. A. MacDonald, Geoffrey R. Hill
Journal: Blood (2009)
Termination of Pregnancy by the Intrauterine Insertion of Utus Paste
Authors: S. V. Sood
Journal: BMJ (1971)

Utus paste was used to induce abortion in 83 women. It was successful in all but two. Pain was a prominent symptom in many cases. Complications included three cases of septicaemia and one of perforation of the uterus leading to death. This experience shows the complications of abortion induced by Utus paste to be too serious to justify its further use.
Measurement of autoantibodies against human eye muscle plasma membranes in Graves' ophthalmopathy.
Authors: M Faryna, J Nauman, A Gardas
Journal: BMJ (1985)

Antibodies that reacted with plasma membranes of human eye muscle but showed no binding to plasma membranes of human skeletal muscle were identified in serum of patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy. Rabbit antithyroglobulin serum at a dilution of 1 X 10(-3) to 20 X 10(-3) had no effect on the binding of these antibodies to eye muscle membrane antigens. There was no correlation between antihuman eye muscle plasma membrane antibodies and antihuman thyroid membrane antibodies or antibodies against thyroglobulin. It is suggested that specific antibodies against eye muscle membranes are present in Graves' ophthalmopathy and that this disease might represent a distinct autoimmune disorder.
Inhibition of adhesion molecules by budesonide on a human epithelial cell line (lung carcinoma)
Authors: F. Paolieri, M. Battifora, A. M. Riccio, G. Ciprandi, A. Scordamaglia, C. Morelli, M. Bagnasco, G. W. Canonica, G.W. Canonica
Journal: Allergy (1997)

Inhaled corticosteroids in the treatment of asthma have been shown to produce marked reductions in the number of inflammatory cells (mainly mast cells and eosinophils) and their products at bronchial level (such as cytokines). Recently, it has been demonstrated that epithelial cells express ICAM‐1/CD54 in allergic patients both during natural allergen exposure and after allergen challenge. We have previously demonstrated that deflazacort (a systemic steroid) reduces the expression of ICAM‐1 on conjunctival epithelial cells. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects exerted by budesonide on adhesion molecule expression by a human epithelial cell line (lung carcinoma: DM) and on soluble ICAM‐1. Budesonide was added at concentrations corresponding to 10 −8 , 10 −7 , and 10 −6 mol/1 in cultured epithelial cells, either in the absence of any stimulus or in the presence of interferon‐gamma (IFN‐y) at 500 U/ml. After 24 h of incubation, cytofluorometric analysis was performed for ICAM‐1 and CD29/VLAP1. The 24–h supernatants of the same cultures were collected and then evaluated for soluble ICAM‐1 (sICAM‐1). The results showed that budesonide inhibits ICAM‐1 and CD29 basal expression on the cells studied (P&lt;0.05): budesonide was effective in a dose‐dependent manner. In addition, budesonide reduced surface ICAM‐1 upregulation induced by IFN‐γ at 500 U/ml (p&lt;0.05). Finally, cell cultures with budesonide showed decreased levels of soluble ICAM‐1 in basal condition, but not after IFN‐γ stimulation.
Primary tumor prevalence has an impact on the constituent ratio of metastases to the jaw but not on metastatic sites
Authors: Fu‐gui Zhang, Cheng‐ge Hua, Mo‐lun Shen, Xiu‐fa Tang
Journal: International Journal of Oral Science (2011)

This article provides an overview of metastases to jaws (MJ), mainly concerning the differences between American and Chinese patients, and exploring the relationship between the primary tumors' prevalence (PTP) and constituent ratio of MJ. Information concerning of 399 MJ cases in 215 papers, including one new case in our hospital, was subjected to statistic analysis. The main clinical features of MJ, such as constituent ratio of PTP and that of MJ, metastatic sites, treatments, and prognosis were summarized. Breast, lung, kidney, prostate and thyroid (in descending order) were the leading primary sites of MJ. Furthermore, the constituent ratio of MJ was found to be correlated with that of PTP in all subjects including American and Chinese subjects in our study. As to metastatic sites in the mandible, a specific "M" shaped pattern appeared regardless of the tumor type or constituent ratios of MJ were in all subjects. Almost all subjects received traditionally palliative treatments, and the prognosis was quite poor. The PTP had a significant impact on the constituent ratio of MJ. However, it was the properties of the microenvironment rather than characteristics or constituent ratios of tumor cells, that decided the metastatic sites in various tumor subjects.
Effect of Maternal Sickle-cell Trait on Perinatal Mortality
Authors: H. S. Platt
Journal: BMJ (1971)

Possession of the sickle-cell trait (Hb AS) by the African mother has been shown to be associated with a significant increase in perinatal mortality when there is anoxic stress. This observation should be taken into consideration in the management of labour of both the indigenous and immigrant mothers at risk. The findings do not influence the proposed explanations for the maintenance of high frequencies of the haemoglobin S gene in areas of endemic malaria.
Abstract P2-16-09: Retrospective analysis of long-term survivors with HER2+ metastatic breast cancer (MBC) treated with trastuzumab in a community setting
Authors: S Jones, W-Y Tseng, S Saravanan, E Santos, R Dhanda, DS Rembert, MA Yap, D Lalla, M Brammer
Journal: Cancer Research (2013)

Abstract Background: The median survival for patients (pts) receiving trastuzumab (T) in the metastatic setting is approximately 3 years. There are limited data on real world use and outcomes in T treated pts who live longer than 3 years. The objective of this study was to identify and characterize pts with HER2+ MBC who initiated treatment with T (alone or in combination) in a community setting and to determine their treatment patterns and outcomes, including duration of treatment, overall survival (OS) and time to permanent discontinuation of T. Methods: A retrospective observational study was performed using the IKnowMed electronic medical record (EMR) used by the US Oncology Network with the primary time period of 2007 through Dec. 2012. Eligible pts had at least 2 visits at practice locations with full EMR capability. Pts on T when the EMR was implemented had chart review to determine the dates of diagnosis and start of T treatment. Results: The study population included 1856 women with HER2+ MBC who started T (alone or in combination with chemotherapy or hormonal therapy); 873 presented with MBC and 983 developed recurrence following diagnosis of early-stage disease. The median age was 58, range 23 to 96, 59% had ER+ cancer, 64% were postmenopausal and 35% had multiple sites of disease at presentation. Median OS for the entire group was 40.9 months and the median time to permanent discontinuation of T was slightly less, at 39.9 months. Interestingly, the median OS and duration of T use were similar in the recurrent MBC population and in the population who presented with de novo MBC. The proportion of pts receiving T and OS by year are presented (Table). Thirty-two percent of pts are still alive at 6 years, with 17% continuing to receive T. Outcomes of 1856 Patients Treated with TrastuzumabYear1356Pts still receiving T (%)82%53%27%17%OS (%)84%54%36%32% Ongoing analysis will evaluate whether there are pt and treatment characteristics that may predict for longer term OS. Conclusions: Using an EMR database we identified 1856 women with HER2+ MBC who initiated treatment with T (alone or in combination) with one third still alive at 5 years and 27% still on T. Future research that focuses on understanding the characteristics of this population can potentially improve care for women with HER2+ MBC with T and newer anti-HER2 agents. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2013;73(24 Suppl): Abstract nr P2-16-09.
Comment on Moore et al. Increased Risk of Cognitive Impairment in Patients With Diabetes Is Associated With Metformin. Diabetes Care 2013;36:2981–2987
Authors: Mark O. Goodarzi
Journal: Diabetes Care (2014)

Moore et al. (1) report that the risk of cognitive impairment is increased in patients with diabetes who take metformin in comparison with patients who do not take metformin. Given that metformin is now recommended as first-line drug treatment for type 2 diabetes (2), such a potentially impactful finding must be based on robust evidence. Unfortunately, several deficiencies call this study’s conclusions into question. The authors acknowledged several of these, including lack of data on diabetes duration, diabetes severity, metformin duration, and use of other antidiabetes agents. This does not mitigate against several potential hidden sources of bias, which could render the study’s metformin users more susceptible to cognitive impairment for reasons unrelated to metformin. The …
A Clinical Lecture on Diagnosis in Cancer of the Body of the Womb: Delivered at St. Mary's Hospital, London
Authors: M. Handfield-Jones
Journal: BMJ (1901)

CANCER OF CORPUS UTERI. [ 19, 191. carcinoma of the cervix, which is one of the most frequent of the malignlant diseases, scarcely comes under the same category from the therapeutic point of view.I have tried it however, in cases of inoperable sarcoma of the uterus where the disease was confirmed by a microscopical examination of the scrapings.I lhave never known it cure a case.In some instances its use was followed by diminution of hiemorrhage, but in many others high temperature with rigor and severe headache followed the injections, that it became absolutely necessary to disconitiniue them.From the internal adminis- tration and local application of arsenic I cannot say that I have seen any beniefit, nor has thyroid extract donie any good.Cases Sutitable for Operation.Cases where the disease is limited to a very small part of the cervix, or if in the uterus where the womb is freely mov- able with no indication in either instance of the disease having extended beyond the organ itself, are those suit- able for operation.When limited to the exposed part of the cervix, the treatmenit lies between amputation of the cervix and total extirpation of the uterus per vaginam.Ten years ago the late Professor Arnison amputated for me a cervix which was the seat of cancer.There has been no return of the disease.When I saw the patient a few months ago she was quite well.All things considered, I am rather disposed to recommend total extirpation as against amputation; and yet, even when this operation has been carried out in the early stage, the disease may return a few years afterwards, as the following case shows:Mrs. S., whom I showed you in the ward upstairs, had her uterus removed three years and a-half ago by Mr. William- son, then my surgical colleague, on account of malignant adenoma of the endometrium.She made a good recovery.On almost every occasion when she came to my out-patient department I made a vaginal examination only to find the vaginal roof healthy.I had seen nothing of the patient for some months, when she was sent to me by her medical attend- ant on account of an abdominal tumour which extended from the pubes to the umbilicus, and occupied rather the left than the right side of the abdomen.The diagnosis made was malignant disease of the ovary.My colleague, Mr. Ruther- ford Morison, opened the abdomen and removed an ovarian tumour partly cystic and partly solid, and which on micro- scopical examination proved to be an adenoma malignum, the same pathological structure, in fact, as was present in the diseased uterus removed by Mr. Williamson.It would be interesting to know what had been taking place these three years and a-half in this woman's pelvis during the time the malignancy, so to speak, was slumbering, only to burst forth and advance with great rapidity.It used to be held by
High serum levels of neopterin in patients with Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever and its relation with mortality
Authors: Pınar Onguru, Emin Ozgur Akgul, Esragul Akıncı, Halil Yaman, Yasemin Gulcan Kurt, Ayse Erbay, Fatma Nurhayat Bayazıt, Hurrem Bodur, Kemal Erbil, Cengiz Han Acıkel, Mustafa Aydın Cevik
Journal: Journal of Infection (2008)

Neopterin is generated and released in increased amounts by macrophages upon activation by interferon-gamma during cellular immune response. In this study, we aimed to investigate serum neopterin levels in patients with Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) and its clinical significance as a predictor factor of mortality.Neopterin concentrations on the first day of hospitalization were measured in serum samples from 51 CCHF patients. Serum neopterin levels and other clinical-laboratory parameters for fatal and nonfatal CCHF patients were compared.Serum neopterin levels (73.22+/-54.30 nmol/L) were highly elevated in all CCHF patients (p<0.0001) with higher levels in fatal group (153.66+/-81.34 nmol/L, p=0.0001) compared to nonfatal disease (55.99+/-24.09 nmol/L). In univariate analysis, the level of neopterin on the first day of hospitalization, bleeding, platelet count, aspartate transferase and lactate dehydrogenase were associated with mortality. In multivariate analysis, only the serum level of neopterin was associated with mortality. As a mortality risk factor, area under the curve was 0.939 (p=0.0001, 95% confidence interval: 0.85-1.00).In this first study of serum neopterin levels for CCHF, elevated serum neopterin level showing strong activation of monocytes/macrophages was a risk factor for CCHF.
Effect of Neostigmine on Integrity of Ileorectal Anastomoses
Authors: C. M. A. Bell, C. B. Lewis
Journal: BMJ (1968)

Patients undergoing total colectomy and ileorectal anastomosis for chronic ulcerative colitis were divided into two groups depending on whether neostigmine was administered during the anaesthetic to reverse the muscle relaxant. Those receiving neostigmine showed a postoperative anastomotic leakage rate of 36%. In the group not receiving neostigmine the leak rate was 4%, an apparently highly significant difference. Neostigmine may produce this effect by causing contractions of the gut musculature or by vasoconstriction of the blood vessels to the suture line, resulting in local ischaemia.
Electrical Activation and Mechanical Asynchronism in the Cardiac Cycle of the Dog
Authors: PHILIP SAMET, WILLIAM H. BERNSTEIN, ROBERT S. LITWAK
Journal: Circulation Research (1959)

Right and left ventricular pressure curves and electrocardiogram were recorded in the dog during sinus rhythm and during mechanically induced right and left ventricular premature systoles. The normal range during sinus rhythm for the relationship between onset of right and left ventricular contraction was determined. At one extreme, right ventricular contraction commenced 0.02 second before the left; at the other extreme, left ventricular contraction started 0.03 second before the right. In most instances, the onsets of ventricular contraction were either temporally identical or one ventricle contracted 0.01 second prior to the other.
The use of in vitro tests for IgE antibody in the specific diagnosis of IgE-mediated disorders and in the formulation of allergen immunotherapy
Authors: R LOCKEY, L LICHTENSTEIN, K BLOCH, M KALINER, B ZWEIMAN, G RACHELEFSKY, J ANDERSON, M DIAMOND, P FIREMAN, J KEMP
Journal: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (1992)
Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) Stereoisomers in U.S. Food from Dallas, Texas
Authors: Arnold Schecter, David T. Szabo, James Miller, Tyra L. Gent, Noor Malik-Bass, Malte Petersen, Olaf Paepke, Justin A. Colacino, Linda S. Hynan, T. Robert Harris, Sunitha Malla, Linda S. Birnbaum
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (2012)

Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is a brominated flame retardant used in polystyrene foams in thermal insulation and electrical equipment. The HBCD commercial mixture consists mainly of α, β, and γ stereoisomers. Health concerns of HBCD exposure include alterations in immune and reproductive systems, neurotoxic effects, and endocrine disruption. Stereoisomer-specific levels of HBCD have not been measured previously in U.S. food.We measured HBCD stereoisomer levels in U.S. foods from Dallas, Texas, supermarkets.Convenience samples of commonly consumed foods were purchased from supermarkets in Dallas in 2009-2010. Food samples included a wide variety of lipid-rich foods: fish, peanut butter, poultry, pork, and beef. Thirty-six individual food samples were collected in 2010 and analyzed for α-, β-, and γ-HBCD stereoisomers using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Ten pooled food samples previously collected in 2009 for a study of total HBCD levels using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), were reanalyzed for α-, β-, and γ-HBCD stereoisomers using LC-MS/MS.Of the 36 measured individual foods, 15 (42%) had detectable levels of HBCD. Median (ranges) of α- and γ-HBCD concentrations were 0.003 (< 0.005-1.307) and 0.005 (< 0.010-0.143) ng/g wet weight (ww), respectively; β-HBCD was present in three samples with a median (range) of 0.003 (< 0.005-0.019) ng/g ww. Median levels (range) for α-, β-, and γ-HBCD, in pooled samples were 0.077 (0.010-0.310), 0.008 (< 0.002-0.070), and 0.024 (0.012-0.170) ng/g ww, respectively.α-HBCD was detected most frequently and at highest concentrations, followed by γ-, and then β-HBCD, in food samples from Dallas, Texas. Food may be a substantial contributor to the elevated α-HBCD levels observed in humans. These data suggest that larger and more representative sampling should be conducted.