tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Glucose Metabolism, Lipid Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Adult Turner's Syndrome: The impact of sex hormone replacement
Authors: Claus Højbjerg Gravholt, Rune Weis Naeraa, Birgit Nyholm, Lars Ulrik Gerdes, Erik Christiansen, Ole Schmitz, Jens Sandahl Christiansen
Journal: Diabetes Care (1998)

OBJECTIVE To examine glucose metabolism, blood pressure, physical fitness, and lipid metabolism in adult untreated women with Turner's syndrome compared with a group of normal women and to examine the effects of female sex hormone substitution on these factors. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A total of 26 patients with Turner's syndrome were examined before and during sex hormone replacement with 17β-estradiol and norethisterone, and an age-matched control group (n = 24) was examined once. A frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test was applied with minimal model assessment. We also performed an oral glucose tolerance test, measurement of 24-h ambulatory blood pressure, and assessment of physical fitness and lipid metabolism. RESULTS Insulin sensitivity (SI) and glucose effectiveness (SG) were similar in Turner's syndrome patients and control subjects, whereas the acute insulin response (P = 0.03) was lower in Turner's syndrome patients, and no change was seen during sex hormone treatment. Abnormal glucose tolerance was found in 50% of Turner's syndrome patients before and 78% during treatment with sex hormones. Fat-free mass (FFM; P = 0.0005) and physical fitness (P = 0.002) were lower in Turner=s syndrome subjects compared with control subjects. During treatment, an increase in FFM (P = 0.001) and physical fitness (P = 0.02) was seen in Turner's syndrome patients. Blood pressure was increased in Turner's syndrome, and a decrease was seen in diastolic blood pressure during treatment with sex hormones. CONCLUSIONS Turner's syndrome is associated with glucose intolerance, diminished first-phase insulin response, elevated blood pressure, reduced FFM, and physical fitness. Sex hormone administration causes a deterioration in glucose tolerance, increases FFM and physical fitness, and has beneficial effects on blood pressure. The deleterious effect on glucose tolerance may be mediated by norethisterone, a gestagen known to have androgenic effects.
Dendritic cell homing and immune cell function in crohn's anal fistulae
Authors: P. Tozer, O. H. Al-Hassi, N. Rayment, D. B. Ordiz, A. Murguranathan, N. Daulatzai, T. Ansari, K. Whelan, R. K. Phillips, S. Knight, A. L. Hart
Journal: Gut (2011)

<h3>Introduction</h3> The aetiology of perianal fistulating Crohn9s disease remains obscure but genetic, microbiological and immunological factors play a role. Dendritic cells (DC) are antigen presenting cells which sample mucosal-associated bacteria and migrate to lymph nodes to stimulate immune response via T cells. DC express homing markers to imprint on T cells and direct them to organs, for example, skin (cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen, CLA) and gut (α4β7 integrin). In IBD DC express more Toll-like receptors which recognise microbes and increase inflammatory cytokine levels. <h3>Aim</h3> to characterise immune cell composition and cytokine milieu of Crohn9s and idiopathic fistulae including DC phenotype and homing. <h3>Methods</h3> Biopsy samples were taken from Crohn9s and idiopathic anal fistulae. After overnight incubation (medium, 37°C, 5% CO<sub>2</sub>), ‘walk out’ cells isolated from the supernatant were analysed by flow cytometer. DC were identified and assessed for phenotype (myeloid or plasmacytoid) and homing molecules (CLA and α4β7). TH1/2 and 17 cytokine profile was determined using Multiplex analysis. <h3>Results</h3> Tract samples from 15 Crohn9s (CPD) and 12 idiopathic (IPD) anal fistula patients and rectal samples from 10 normal control patients were taken for immunological analysis. DC in CPD had significantly reduced levels of α4β7 and CLA compared with IPD. There was no significant difference in proportions of either myeloid or plasmacytoid DC, or of CD14, CD16, CD19 or CD3 cells. Crohn9s fistula tracts showed lower levels of CD65 than idiopathic fistula tracts (p=0.04). Levels of IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, TNF and IFNγ were similar in Crohn9s and idiopathic fistulae and rectum of controls. IL-17a levels were higher in CPD than normal rectum and IPD (p=0.04). <h3>Conclusion</h3> Similarities between Crohn9s and idiopathic anal fistula immune cells and cytokines may suggest that in a formed tract, the immunological processes in both are similar. However, higher IL-17 levels may indicate strategies for diagnosis and treatment of Crohn9s anal fistulae. Aberrant expression of homing molecules on DC in Crohn9s perianal fistulae suggests a ‘non-directed’ immune response which may contribute to the pathophysiology.
Abstract 9278: Adaptive Servo Ventilation Improves Cardiac Function and Prognosis in Heart Failure Patients With Cheyne-Stokes Respiration
Authors: Akiomi Yoshihisa, Takamasa Sato, Satoshi Suzuki, Kouichi Sugimoto, Hiroyuki Kunii, Kazuhiko Nakazato, Hitoshi Suzuki, Shu-ichi Saitho, Yasuchika Takeishi
Journal: Circulation (2010)

Backgrounds: Cheyne-Stokes respiration (CSR) and central sleep apnea are often associated in patients with heart failure (HF). Although adaptive servo ventilation (ASV) is effective for CSR, it sti...
Comparison of the number of dihydropyridine receptors with the number of functional L-type calcium channels in embryonic heart.
Authors: S Aiba, T L Creazzo
Journal: Circulation Research (1993)

We compared the density of dihydropyridine (DHP) receptor sites with the density of functional L-type calcium channels in ventricular myocytes from chick heart at embryonic day 11. DHP receptors were quantified by using the DHP antagonist (+)-[3H]PN200-110 and by competition binding with the agonist Bay K 8644. The number of agonist and antagonist binding sites per ventricle was similar (250 +/- 15 and 244 +/- 8 fmol, respectively; mean +/- SEM). The mean number of myocytes per ventricle was 8.57 +/- 0.65 x 10(6), as determined by histological methods. From these data, the number of DHP receptors was calculated to be approximately 17,000 per myocyte or 25 to 26 DHP receptors per square micron of cell membrane, based on a mean myocyte membrane capacitance of 6.7 pF and a specific membrane capacitance of 1 microF/cm2. We next determined the number of functional L-type calcium channels by nonstationary fluctuation analysis with whole-cell patch clamp. The mean number of functional L-type channels per cell was 291 +/- 49 and 131 +/- 10 with Ca2+ and Ba2+ as the charge carriers, which yielded a channel density of 0.50 +/- 0.08 and 0.28 +/- 0.02 per square micron of cell membrane, respectively. From these data, the density of DHP receptor binding sites was determined to be from 50 to 100 times the density of functional L-type calcium channels. The function of the "excess" DHP receptors and the determination of whether the proportion of functional channels increases with development require further investigation.
SIGNIFICANT RESIDUAL DISEASE IS ASSOCIATED WITH ADVERSE EVENTS IN OCTOGENARIANS UNDERGOING LEFT MAIN CORONARY ARTERY PERCUTANEOUS CORONARY INTERVENTION
Authors: Clint Maart, David Barmby, Ian Pearson, Kugilli Sathanantham, Richard Gillott, Chris Gale, Stephen Wheatcroft, Mohan Sivananthan
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2014)
Courts issue conflicting decisions on US health exchange subsidies
Authors: M. McCarthy
Journal: BMJ (2014)

<h3>Abstract</h3> Many aspects of sexual and asexual reproduction have been studied empirically and theoretically. The differences between sexual and asexual reproduction within a species often lead to a biased geographical distribution of individuals with different reproductive strategies. While sexuals are more abundant in the core habitat, asexuals are often found in marginal habitats along the edge of the species distribution. This pattern, called geographic parthenogenesis, has been observed in many species but the mechanisms reponsible for generating it are poorly known. We used a quantitative approach using a metapopulation model to explore the ecological processes that can lead to geographic parthenogenesis and the invasion of new habitats by different reproductive strategies. We analyzed the Allee effect on sexual populations and the population sensitivity to environmental stress during the invasion of a marginal, unstable habitat to demonstrate that a complex interaction between the Allee effect, sensitivity to environmental stress and the environmental conditions can determine the relative success of competing reproductive strategies during the initial invasion and longterm establishment in the marginal habitat. We discuss our results in the light of previous empirical and theoretical studies. <h3>Author Summary</h3> Individuals can reproduce with or without sex. Very often, closely related species are distributed in a such a way that the sexually reproducing species is most frequently found in the core habitat while the asexually reproducing species is found on the edge of the habitat range. This biased distribution of reproductive strategies across a habitat range is called geographic parthenogenesis and has been observed in several species. While many processes have been proposed to explain such a pattern, a quantitative approach of the ecological processes was absent. We investigated important differences between sexual and asexual reproduction and how these differences affect the success of sexuals and asexuals invading a marginal, unstable environment. We showed that the relative frequency of each reproductive strategy in the marginal habitat depends on how much sexuals rely on population density to reproduce and how much asexuals are affected by environmental stress relative to sexuals. Our study presents a quantitative ecological explanation for geographic parthenogenesis and provides the conditions under which different distribution patterns can emerge.
Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine in Lung Biology and Diseases
Authors: Allison N Lau, Meagan Goodwin, Carla F Kim, Daniel J Weiss
Journal: Molecular Therapy (2012)

A number of novel approaches for repair and regeneration of injured lung have developed over the past several years. These include a better understanding of endogenous stem and progenitor cells in the lung that can function in reparative capacity as well as extensive exploration of the potential efficacy of administering exogenous stem or progenitor cells to function in lung repair. Recent advances in ex vivo lung engineering have also been increasingly applied to the lung. The current status of these approaches as well as initial clinical trials of cell therapies for lung diseases are reviewed below.
Mutations in HBV DNA Polymerase Associated With Nucleos(t)ide Resistance Are Rare in Treatment-naive Patients
Authors: Philip Vutien, Huy N. Trinh, Ruel T. Garcia, Huy A. Nguyen, Brian S. Levitt, Khanh Nguyen, Eduardo da Silveira, Tami Daugherty, Aijaz Ahmed, Gabriel Garcia, Glen A. Lutchman, Mindie H. Nguyen
Journal: Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology (2013)
Metabolism of heme and bilirubin in rat and human small intestinal mucosa.
Authors: F Hartmann, D M Bissell
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (1982)

Formation of heme, bilirubin, and bilirubin conjugates has been examined in mucosal cells isolated from the rat upper small intestine. Intact, viable cells were prepared by enzymatic dissociation using a combined vascular and luminal perfusion and incubated with an isotopically labeled precursor, delta-amino-[2,3-3H]levulinic acid. Labeled heme and bile pigment were formed with kinetics similar to those exhibited by hepatocytes. Moreover, the newly formed bilirubin was converted rapidly to both mono- and diglucuronide conjugates. In addition, cell-free extracts of small intestinal mucosa from rats or humans exhibited a bilirubin-UDP-glucuronyl transferase activity that was qualitatively similar to that present in liver. The data suggest that the small intestinal mucosa normally contributes to bilirubin metabolism.
An Address ON RAND MINERS' PHTHISIS: Delivered to the North of England Branch of the British Medical Association at Blyth
Authors: T. Oliver
Journal: BMJ (1905)

WHEN the invitation to deliver an address to the members of this Branch was conveyed to me by your Honorary Secretary, my first impulse was to refuse, for I felt I had nothing new to communicate to you; but when Dr. Anderson was good enough to suggest that a paper on miners' phthisis, as met with in men returned from the Transvaal, would be acceptable to the Braneb, I acceded to the request of the Council, not that I could throw any fresh light upon the important problems connected with the malady, but that, living as we ao in a large mining centre, it seemed to me to be a subject that had interest for all of us, and one to which in discussion you could contribute more than I could give. ETIOLOGY.Thecircumstance that brought gold-miners' phthisis into rominence in this country were more or less accidental.!hree to four years ago I happened to be consulted by men who had returned from the Transvaal, and who were suffering from a type of phthisis something different to that which ordinarily met with in tuberculous subjects, and which struck me as being probably connected with the dusty occupation which they had followed when mining in South Africa.Till then Ihad no idea of the high death-rate of miners on the Rand, nor had the medical profession and the public in country.The publication of my paper in the Lancet June 14th, 1902, drew the attention both of the Home Govern- ment and that of the Colonies to the high rate of mortality both the white and native populations at the South African mines.A commission of local mining engineers and medical men appointed by the South African Government inquire into the subject and report upon the same.The report of the Miners' Phthisis Commission was pub- lished in Pretoria, May,I903, and it is for all persons are interested in the subject a store of useful information.forced the hand of the Government to introduce certain reforms in methods of mining, and to apply some remedies that had been previously recommended.The rock of the Transvaal mines is extremely hard; it a quartz -like nature compared with the coal of this neighbour- hood, which although hard, yet comparatively speaking, gives off little duast.As a measure of the activity and the importance of the coal mining of this district, and for a few miles Blyth, mention need only be made of the fact that 25,000 are employed underground, and that the output of coal, accor- ding to Professor Merivale, is something like 9,ooo,0oo year.Rotary hand drills are used both in rock and stone, coal cutters driven by compressed air and electricity coming into use.When we compare the methods in use this district with those on the Rand for getting the find in South Africa a harder stone, greater depth of mines, higher temperatures, longer hours, and in addition machine drills to an extent unparalleled by anything this country.
Is war necessary (for transplant success)?
Authors: Ruth Williams
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (2006)

If immune cells are an army, then a graft transplant is a foreign invasion. New work by Yu et al. on page 1851 shows that antigen-presenting cells (APCs) from the graft are rapidly killed by the host's first line of defense: natural killer (NK) cells. But far from hindering the chance of graft survival, this battle actually improves it.






Figure 1

Long-term survival of a transplant is improved in the presence of NK cells.




NK cells are known to improve the chance of graft survival, but how they do this was unknown. Li's team wanted to know what happens to graft APCs when NK cells are absent.

Using mice that lacked a full-blown rejection response (because they lacked lymphocytes), the team were able to follow the fate of donor APCs for longer than would normally be possible. They found that in the absence of NK cells, donor APCs could roam free in the host, as confirmed by their presence in spleen, liver, and lung. In the presence of NK cells, however, injected or graft-derived APCs were completely eliminated from the host.

The team reasoned that immediate destruction of the APCs by NK cells was preventing a more vigorous anti-APC response by host lymphocytes. To confirm this, they restored the T lymphocyte population of the mice and showed that, in the absence of NK cells, APCs activated robust and persistent T cell proliferation and IFN-γ production—marks of a ferocious immune response. But in the presence of NK cells this T cell activation was, as predicted, markedly reduced.

The daily immunosuppressants that transplant patients must take “are designed to suppress T cells,” says lead researcher Xian Li, “but we don't know if they are also suppressing NK cells.” Drugs that specifically suppress T cells but boost host NK cells might therefore improve the outcome for transplant patients.
Chlorides, Potassium and Experimental Cardiac Necroses
Authors: P. PRIORESCHI
Journal: Circulation Research (1963)

It is known that the cardiac necroses produced by 9α-fluorocortisol (F-COL) plus Na 2 HPO 4 are prevented by the administration of chlorides or potassium salts. In this paper it is shown that various chlorides not only significantly correct the depletion of myocardial potassium elicited by F-COL + Na 2 HPO 4 but increase the potassium concentration in the heart of normal animals. In view of these facts and of earlier experiments that have shown that F-COL alone diminishes cardiac potassium without producing necrosis, it is concluded that the depletion of potassium is necessary, but not sufficient, for the development of infarctoid cardiopathy and that the protective electrolytes (chlorides and potassium salts) act through the correction of this abnormality of the potassium level in the heart.
Prevention of Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding
Authors: Walter L. Peterson
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (1994)

Although there are exciting new techniques to treat acute episodes of gastrointestinal bleeding, prevention is certainly preferable. In this issue of the Journal, Jensen and his colleagues present evidence that long-term maintenance therapy with histamine H2-receptor antagonists significantly reduces the incidence of recurrent bleeding in patients who have previously bled from a duodenal ulcer1. Prophylactic therapy has drawbacks, however, including side effects and cost. Thus, there is increasing interest in identifying patients who are at special risk for bleeding so that the use of preventive therapy can be limited.The desire to find patients for whom prophylaxis . . .
PRESENT STATUS OF THE TREATMENT OF TUBERCULOSIS
Authors: F. M. POTTENGER
Journal: JAMA (1922)

One of the most potent factors in retarding progress in the treatment of tuberculosis is the pessimistic psychology which has surrounded this disease from time immemorial, and which, in spite of the great progress recently made, still holds sway in the minds of both medical men and laymen. Regardless of our lack of a specific remedy for its treatment, if the measures which have been gradually evolved during the last half century are applied during the early clinical stage, and continued for a sufficiently long time, with the hearty cooperation of the patient, nearly all patients with tuberculosis can be restored to health. This optimistic statement presumes that: Present measures used in treatment are sufficient to cause tuberculosis to heal. These measures must be applied early. The treatment must be carried on for a sufficient time. The patient must give a whole-hearted cooperation. This paper will consist of a discussion
Massage Therapy Attenuates Inflammatory Signaling After Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage
Authors: Justin D. Crane, Daniel I. Ogborn, Colleen Cupido, Simon Melov, Alan Hubbard, Jacqueline M. Bourgeois, Mark A. Tarnopolsky
Journal: Science Translational Medicine (2012)

Beneficial effects of massage on tired muscles work through anti-inflammatory and mitochondrial biogenesis pathways.
Successful Treatment of Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis
Authors: James S. Seidel, Paul Harmatz, G. S. Visvesvara, Arthur Cohen, Jack Edwards, Jerrold Turner
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (1982)

PRIMARY amebic meningoencephalitis, caused by infection with the free-living amebas of the genera naegleria or acanthamoeba, was first reported in 1965 by Fowler and Carter in Australia.1 Soon after that, the disease was reported in Eastern Europe2 and the United States.3 , 4 Approximately 100 presumptive or parasitologically proved cases of primary amebic meningoencephalitis have been described.5 According to these reports, three patients with naegleria primary amebic meningoencephalitis have survived this infection.5 None of these cases occurred in the United States.This report describes the successful treatment of a patient who acquired primary amebic meningoencephalitis in California.Case ReportThree days before . . .
Initial radiation experience evaluating early tolerance and toxicities in patients undergoing accelerated partial breast irradiation using the Contura™ multi-lumen balloon (MLB) breast brachytherapy catheter.
Authors: S Brown, M McLaughlin, K Pope, K Haile, TJ Whitaker, L Hughes, P Israel
Journal: Cancer Research (2009)

Abstract Abstract #5138 Purpose: We reviewed our institution's experience treating patients with the Contura™ Multi-Lumen Balloon (MLB) breast brachytherapy catheter to deliver accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) to determine short-term treatment efficacy, cosmesis, toxicity and additional dosimetric capabilities of the new APBI device.&amp;#x2028; Materials and Methods: From 05/07 to 05/08, 41 patients, from a single surgeon (PI), were treated with breast conserving therapy (BCT) received adjuvant radiation using the Contura™ catheter (34 Gy in 3.4 Gy fractions). 13/41 patients (31.7%) had stage 0 disease, 21 (51.2%) had stage I and 7 (17.1%) had stage II breast cancer.&amp;#x2028; For each patient, the dosimetric plan was customized using the 5 high dose rate brachytherapy channels of the Contura™ catheter by selecting from 45 different dwell positions (9 per catheter).&amp;#x2028; Results: Median, minimum skin spacing was 10 mm (range 2 to 17). The median maximum skin dose (% of prescribed dose [PD]) was 99.7 (57.1 to 124.1). Eight patients were able to be treated with a skin spacing of 5 mm or less, 2 had spacing of 2 mm. The median maximum rib dose was 102.6 % of PD (10.0 to 187.7), median percentage of the planning target volume (PTV) receiving 95% of the PD was 98.8 (79.4 to 107.4) and the median volume receiving 200% of the PD was 5.7 cc (range 1.3 to 9.9).&amp;#x2028; The percentage of patients with excellent/good cosmetic results at 3 and 6 months was 94% (16 evaluable patients) and 89% (9 evaluable patients), respectively. One patient developed skin ulceration after receiving chemotherapy. Patient tolerance was assessed on a scale 0-10 (0=no pain, 10 = requiring narcotic analgesics). In 37/38 (97.3%) patients, pain was graded ≤ 3 at the time of catheter insertion. Four transient breast infections (11%) developed and one transient symptomatic seroma developed (3%).&amp;#x2028; Conclusion: Adjuvant APBI using the Contura™ MLB catheter exhibited similar toxicities to standard single-lumen balloon brachytherapy with absolute improvements in dosimetric capabilities (i.e., reduced skin dose, improved PTV coverage and normal tissue avoidance). With multiple lumen planning, more conformal dosimtery was achieved as compared to single-lumen balloon treatment. This allowed the treatment of 8 patients with skin spacing of 5 mm or less, normally not achievable with single-lumen balloon treatment. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(2 Suppl):Abstract nr 5138.