tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Nontoxic Strains of Cyanobacteria Are the Result of Major Gene Deletion Events Induced by a Transposable Element
Authors: Guntram Christiansen, Carole Molitor, Benjamin Philmus, Rainer Kurmayer
Journal: Molecular Biology and Evolution (2008)

Blooms that are formed by cyanobacteria consist of toxic and nontoxic strains.The mechanisms that result in the occurrence of nontoxic strains are enigmatic.All the nontoxic strains of the filamentous cyanobacterium Planktothrix that were isolated from 9 European countries were found to have lost 90% of a large microcystin synthetase (mcy) gene cluster that encoded the synthesis of the toxic peptide microcystin (MC).Those strains still contain the flanking regions of the mcy gene cluster along with remnants of the transposable elements that are found in between.The majority of the strains still contain a gene coding for a distinct thioesterase type II (mcyT), which is putatively involved in MC synthesis.The insertional inactivation of mcyT in an MC-producing strain resulted in the reduction of MC synthesis by 94 ± 2% (1 standard deviation).Nontoxic strains that occur in shallow lakes throughout Europe form a monophyletic lineage.A second lineage consists of strains that contain the mcy gene cluster but differ in their photosynthetic pigment composition, which is due to the occurrence of strains that contain phycocyanin or large amounts of phycoerythrin in addition to phycocyanin.Strains containing phycoerythrin typically occur in deep-stratified lakes.The rare occurrence of gene cluster deletion, paired with the evolutionary diversification of the lineages of strains that lost or still contain the mcy gene cluster, needs to be invoked in order to explain the absence or dominance of toxic cyanobacteria in various habitats.
Three quarters of US citizens believe the health system needs major changes
Authors: B. Roehr
Journal: BMJ (2011)

US citizens are troubled by the current state of healthcare in their country and are ready to make substantial changes, according to the latest survey by the charity the Commonwealth Fund.

The smallest portion (22%) feel that “only minor changes” are needed; nearly half (46%) say “fundamental changes” are needed; and the balance (26%) would go even further, saying the system needs to be “rebuilt completely.”

The findings showed only minor variation across income levels, regions of the country, and whether or not the person had health insurance coverage throughout the entire year.

There was substantial dissatisfaction with access to …
NKG2D signaling on CD8+ T cells represses T-bet and rescues CD4-unhelped CD8+ T cell memory recall but not effector responses
Authors: Andrew Zloza, Frederick J Kohlhapp, Gretchen E Lyons, Jason M Schenkel, Tamson V Moore, Andrew T Lacek, Jeremy A O'Sullivan, Vineeth Varanasi, Jesse W Williams, Michael C Jagoda, Emily C Bellavance, Amanda L Marzo, Paul G Thomas, Biljana Zafirova, Bojan Polić, Lena Al-Harthi, Anne I Sperling, José A Guevara-Patiño
Journal: Nature Medicine (2012)
Role of transforming growth factor ?1 in microvascular endothelial cell apoptosis associated with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and hemolytic-uremic syndrome
Authors: Michael Mauro, Jiyun Kim, Christin Costello, Jeffrey Laurence
Journal: American Journal of Hematology (2000)

Primary human microvascular endothelial cells (MVEC) of restricted lineage undergo apoptosis when exposed to plasma from patients with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) and sporadic hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS). This reflects the pathology and tissue distribution of lesions in vivo. As extracellular matrix (ECM) is critical to MVEC survival, and cytokines which regulate ECM, such as transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, have been reported anecdotally to be altered in TTP/HUS, we examined the role of TGF-β1 and two ECM proteins, fibronectin and thrombospondin (TSP), in these disorders. Levels of active TGF-β1 were elevated in acute but not convalescent phases of TTP/sporadic HUS, as well as TTP associated with human immunodeficiency virus infection and use of the anti-platelet drug ticlopidine. MVEC from tissues susceptible to TTP-mediated apoptosis showed little active TGF-β1 production when exposed to TTP plasmas. In contrast, pulmonary MVEC and large-vessel EC, which are resistant to TTP-linked pathology, showed marked induction of TGF-β1 following TTP plasma exposure. Exogenous TGF-β1 suppressed TTP plasma-mediated apoptosis in susceptible MVEC in association with blockade of cell entry into S phase. Soluble TSP, devoid of detectable bound TGF-β1, had a similar effect, which paralleled its ability to induce TGF-β1 production in MVEC. In vivo, TSP deposition was diminished markedly in involved tissues of TTP patients. These data highlight the role of TGF-β1 and ECM in TTP and suggest that differential production of TGF-β1 by MVEC may play a role in their sensitivity or resistance to TTP/sporadic HUS-mediated apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. Am. J. Hematol. 66:12–22, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
P0 Stage at Radical Cystectomy for Bladder Cancer is Associated with Improved Outcome Independent of Traditional Clinical Risk Factors
Authors: Wassim Kassouf, Philippe E. Spiess, Gordon A. Brown, Mark F. Munsell, H. Barton Grossman, Arlene Siefker-Radtke, Colin P.N. Dinney, Ashish M. Kamat
Journal: European Urology (2007)
Quality control of endoscopic ultrasound in preoperative staging of esophageal cancer
Authors: A. Kutup, B.-C. Link, P. Schurr, T. Strate, J. Kaifi, M. Bubenheim, S. Seewald, E. Yekebas, N. Soehendra, J. Izbicki
Journal: Endoscopy (2007)

Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) is generally established as the most sensitive diagnostic tool for the assessment of locoregional tumor stage in esophageal carcinoma. It therefore has a crucial impact on the decision whether patients should undergo surgery as primary treatment or should receive neoadjuvant therapy. This study retrospectively evaluates the accuracy of EUS in tumor and nodal staging of prospectively evaluated patients with esophageal carcinoma in relation to tumor type, tumor grading, tumor site, and the influence of dilation.All 214 patients included in the study underwent surgery without neoadjuvant therapy and had tumor-free resection margins with no evidence of distant metastasis. EUS investigations were done at our Department of Interdisciplinary Endoscopy. EUS results were compared with the pathological findings.EUS correctly identified T status in 141 patients (65.9 %). The sensitivity and specificity in relation to T status were 68.1 % and 98.2 % respectively for T1, 40.9 % and 83.4 % for T2, 84.3 % and 64.6 % for T3, and 14.3 % and 98.8 % for T4. The overall diagnostic accuracy of EUS in relation to N status was 64.5 % (n = 138); sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of N1 were 93.8 % and 20 %, respectively. Sixty-eight (80 %) of 85 pN0-staged tumors were overstaged as uN1. Dilation had a significant influence on the accuracy of EUS staging in advanced tumors ( P = 0.02), whereas tumor grading impacted on EUS staging in early tumors ( P = 0.01). Tumor site and tumor type did not show any influence.Endosonographic staging of esophageal carcinoma is still unsatisfactory. An improvement in staging accuracy may be achieved by adding fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNA) to EUS, because FNA improves N-stage accuracy, but it has no bearing on T-stage accuracy.
Scientists await decision in US legal fight over funding of stem cell research
Authors: J. H. Tanne
Journal: BMJ (2010)

The Obama administration asked a three judge appeals court on Monday 28 September to reverse a lower court’s ruling that had temporarily suspended most federally funded research involving human embryonic stem cells supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The court is expected to issue a ruling soon, perhaps within days.

The issue arose in August when a lower court judge issued a temporary injunction prohibiting federal funding for research involving human embryonic …
Prevention of Venous Thromboembolism in Hospitalized Patients With Cancer
Authors: Charles W. Francis
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2009)

This is a literature review of the frequency of venous thromboembolism in hospitalized patients with cancer and of the available evidence supporting the use of thromboprophylaxis. Patients with cancer are at particularly high risk of venous thromboembolism and account for almost 20% of patients in the population. Hospitalization is an important risk factor in patients with cancer, with rates reported between 0.6% and 7.8%. The incidence has been increasing over the past decade. Three randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses indicate that prophylaxis with low molecular weight heparin, heparin, or fondaparinux significantly reduces the rate of venous thromboembolism in hospitalized medical patients who are at high risk. Patients with cancer were included in these studies, but prospective trials specifically focused on patients with cancer are not available. Evidence indicates that appropriate thromboprophylaxis is provided to a minority of hospitalized patients with cancer and that targeted educational efforts and computerized prompt systems can increase appropriate use. Guidelines developed by both oncology and thrombosis organizations support the use of thromboprophylaxis in hospitalized patients with cancer. In conclusion, most patients hospitalized with cancer are at high risk of venous thromboembolism, and thromboprophylaxis should be provided in the absence of active bleeding or a high bleeding risk.
Azathioprine: a controlled, double-blind trial in rheumatoid arthritis.
Authors: C G Barnes, H L Currey, J F Dunne, B Hazleman, R M Mason, I D Strickland
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (1969)

For more than 60 years the mainstream of investigation into the pathogenesis of gout centred in the mechanism of hyperuricaemia while recently urate crystal-induced arthritis had rekindled interest.Little attention, however, had been drawn to the deposition of these urate crystals in body tissues.It was the purpose of this experimentation to substantiate at a biochemical level heretofore anatomical observations of the predilection of urate crystals to deposit in the connective tissues such as cartilage and synovia.To this end it was demonstrated that an important ground substance com- ponent, PPL, a protein-polysaccharide containing chondroitin sulphate, was capable of augmenting urate solubility and inhibiting urate crystallization at 4°C.A similar substance had been identified in the sera of both normal subjects and those with gout.It travelled electrophoretically with the alpha and beta globulins and was primarily responsible for the ability of serum to hold more urate in solution than buffers of identical molarity and hydrogen ion concentration.Alteration of the urate-bound PPL molecule resulted in precipitation of urate crystals in a manner proposed to occur in vivo.Utilizing this material, a schema was evolved which provided a new concept for the development of gout in man.Discussion.-DR.J. T. Scorr (London) asked if this hypothesis explained the predilection of urates to deposit in the great toe.DR. KATZ felt that it would be interesting to analyse the nature of the polysaccharide in cartilage from various sites.
SEAPAL quality control analysis of rheumatoid factor measurement in 29 diagnostic laboratories.
Authors: P J Roberts-Thomson, T Langhans, R McEvoy, P N Hollingsworth, E Bonifacio, R L Dawkins, J Bradley
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (1987)

A programme for rheumatoid factor (RF) measurement was sponsored by the South East Asian Pacific League against Rheumatism (SEAPAL) and the Clinical Immunology Group (CIG) of the Australian Society for Immunology. Measurements in 29 laboratories in 12 countries showed: a large variety of methods were being used to measure RF, most using semiquantitative agglutination techniques; some laboratories have invalid techniques; the quoted upper normal limit varied considerably between assays, and false positives were identified in three laboratories; a wide range of intralaboratory precision within and between assays; and a reduction in discordance between laboratories by the inclusion of local standards. Before international standardisation of RF measurement can be achieved attention to many of these problems is required. In particular we recommend the wider use of reference standards and the regular participation in quality control programmes in order to monitor performance.
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF121) protects rats from renal infarction in thrombotic microangiopathy
Authors: Shin-Ichi Suga, Yoon-Goo Kim, Alison Joly, Ela Puchacz, Duk-Hee Kang, J. Ashley Jefferson, Judith A. Abraham, Jeremy Hughes, Richard J. Johnson, George F. Schreiner
Journal: Kidney International (2001)
Misinterpretation of serum cortisol in a patient with hyponatraemia
Authors: J. C Smith
Journal: BMJ (2004)

Primary adrenal insufficiency or Addison's disease is caused by bilateral adrenocortical destruction and is a relatively common endocrinopathy, with a prevalence of about 40-60 per million adults.1 Adrenal insufficiency is an important consideration in any critically ill patient, as failure to make the diagnosis may have fatal consequences. In contrast, early diagnosis and treatment with appropriate corticosteroid replacement restores health and a normal life expectancy. We present a case in which an unusual presentation of Addison's disease caused diagnostic confusion. Although the possibility of adrenal insufficiency was eventually considered, incorrect interpretation of laboratory investigations led to diagnostic delay.

A 93 year old man without a significant medical history and taking no regular drugs had become unwell on holiday, 18 months before his admission to our department. At that time, he complained of weight loss, nausea, and vomiting. He was admitted to a local hospital and underwent an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. This revealed oesophagitis with Barrett's mucosa, and treatment with a proton pump inhibitor was started.

He again become unwell two months later and was admitted to hospital with vomiting, drowsiness, and fever. He was found to be clinically dehydrated, and a chest x ray showed a left lower lobe pneumonia. Biochemical investigations revealed hyponatraemia, with a serum sodium concentration of 121 mmol/l. His serum potassium concentration was 5.0 mmol/l. The hyponatraemia was investigated and ascribed to the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH). A random serum cortisol concentration was 163 nmol/l. After treatment with intravenous fluids and antibiotics, the …
Diagnostic par endomicroscopie de la dysplasie de haut grade/cancer sur endobrachyoesophage: validation des critères endomicroscopiques à partir de biopsies obtenues par minisonde confocale et endocytoscope
Authors: E Coron, M de Préville, T Matysiak, M Robaszkiewicz, M Giovannini, B Filoche, S Lecleire, A Meining, JF Mosnier, JP Galmiche
Journal: Endoscopy (2010)

Introduction: L'endomicroscopie est une nouvelle méthode d'imagerie endoscopique à l'échelle sub-cellulaire, permettant la réalisation de 'biopsies virtuelles' au niveau de la muqueuse digestive. Des critères endomicroscopiques de dysplasie de haut grade (DHG) ou de cancer pour l'endobrachyoesophage (EBO) ont été récemment publiés, mais restent à valider (1). Le but de cette étude était d'évaluer les critères endomicroscopiques de DHG/cancer à partir de biopsies obtenues à l'aide de 2 endomicroscopes différents, i.e. La minisonde confocale et l'endocytoscope.
Women and Men: New Perspectives on Gender Differences
Authors: Alexandra Symonds
Journal: JAMA (1991)

<i>Women and Men</i>is a thoughtprovoking book on gender differences with no easy answers. It is a collection of 10 articles from the biological and social sciences on recent research on gender differences that is intended to acquaint the reader with the latest thinking in the field. Controversy regarding which gender differences are biological and to what extent they determine behavior will not be resolved by this book, but the material presented will give the reader much to think about. The first article sets the tone. Anthropologist Robert A. LeVine, PhD, reviews all the anthropological literature studying men and women since 1970. He finds that sexual dimorphism is universal in human populations; however, none of the gender-related characteristics or predispositions are uniformly translated into specific adaptations. For example, while throughout the world men tend to be larger and heavier muscled, in some cultures the women do the heaviest physical work,
Reversible Renal Failure and Nephrotic Syndrome Associated with Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs
Authors: Joseph H. Brezin, Sheila Moriber Katz, Allen B. Schwartz, Joel L. Chinitz
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (1979)

REVERSIBLE renal failure and nephrotic syndrome developed in three patients taking therapeutic doses of either fenoprofen or naproxen; both drugs are phenylalkanoic acids used as anti-inflammatory agents. We present here the clinical and pathological features of this complication.Case ReportsA 51-year-old woman (Patient 1) was admitted to the hospital on May 7, 1977, because of nausea, dizziness, and swelling of her legs for several days. She had a five-year history of rheumatoid arthritis. Since August, 1976, she had been taking fenoprofen, 1800 mg to 2400 mg daily, and prednisone, 5 mg daily. Gold therapy preceded the use of fenoprofen, . . .
Erythropoiesis and globin switching in compound Klf1::Bcl11a mutant mice
Authors: Fatemehsadat Esteghamat, Nynke Gillemans, Ivan Bilic, Emile van den Akker, Ileana Cantù, Teus van Gent, Ursula Klingmüller, Kirsten van Lom, Marieke von Lindern, Frank Grosveld, Thamar Bryn van Dijk, Meinrad Busslinger, Sjaak Philipsen
Journal: Blood (2013)
The medium is the messenger
Authors: A D PHILLIPS
Journal: Gut (1998)

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), like many bacterial pathogens, employ a type III secretion system to deliver effector proteins across the bacterial cell. In EPEC, four proteins are known to be exported by a type III secretion system--EspA, EspB and EspD required for subversion of host cell signal transduction pathways and a translocated intimin receptor (Tir) protein (formerly Hp90) which is tyrosine-phosphorylated following transfer to the host cell to become a receptor for intimin-mediated intimate attachment and "attaching and effacing" (A/E) lesion formation. The structural basis for protein translocation has yet to be fully elucidated for any type III secretion system. Here, we describe a novel EspA-containing filamentous organelle that is present on the bacterial surface during the early stage of A/E lesion formation, forms a physical bridge between the bacterium and the infected eukaryotic cell surface and is required for the translocation of EspB into infected epithelial cells.
Seat Belt Trauma to the Lumbar Spine
Authors: Robert M. Steckler
Journal: JAMA (1969)

<h3>To the Editor:—</h3> Seat belts save lives, but do not alter the force sustained in an accident. They do alter its distribution, placing it across the less vulnerable pelvic area.<sup>1</sup>Abdominal injuries have been caused by lap-type seat belts after sudden deceleration. The characteristic injury pattern has been popularized as the "seat belt syndrome." These injuries are secondary to the restraint provided by the belt during deceleration. While diverse injuries occur even with these safety devices, most are far less severe than the trauma they serve to prevent.<sup>2-4</sup> Trauma is usually of the blunt type. Reports of trauma to the lumbar portion of the spine in patients wearing seat belts are infrequent. A patient with this type of injury is presented. <h3>Report of a Case:—</h3> A well-developed, 52-year-old white woman was admitted to the Long Island Jewish Hospital after injury in a two-car collision. The patient was a
Association of a human G-protein β3 subunit variant with hypertension
Authors: Winfried Siffert, Dieter Rosskopf, Gerlinde Siffert, Stefan Busch, Albrecht Moritz, Raimund Erbel, Arya M. Sharma, Eberhard Ritz, H.-Erich Wichmann, Karl H. Jakobs, Bernhard Horsthemke
Journal: Nature Genetics (1998)
The screening industry
Authors: R. Smith
Journal: BMJ (2003)

Have you thought of buying your significant other a whole body scan? It's the most fashionable of gifts and perhaps particularly suitable for a 50th, 60th, or even 40th birthday. You might be giving your loved one the supreme gift of extra years of life. Unfortunately, you may be more likely to give him or her a lorry load of anxiety and a series of invasive, painful, and unnecessary investigations.

Whole body scanning is currently being intensely marketed in the United States (p 894) and the enthusiasm will surely spread. The “sell” is simple. You might have something horrible lurking in your …
Role of insulin and glucagon in the response of glucose and alanine kinetics in burn-injured patients.
Authors: F Jahoor, D N Herndon, R R Wolfe
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (1986)

We investigated the roles of insulin and glucagon as mediators of changes in glucose and alanine kinetics during the hypermetabolic response to injury in 10 burn patients by infusing somatostatin with and without insulin replacement. Glucose and alanine kinetics were measured by primed-constant infusions of 6,6-d2-glucose and [3-13C]alanine. The basal rate of glucose production and alanine flux were significantly elevated in all patients. Lowering both hormones simultaneously caused an insignificant reduction in glucose production, but plasma glucose rose significantly (P less than 0.01), because of reduced clearance. Alanine flux and total plasma amino nitrogen increased significantly (P less than 0.05) above basal. Selectively lowering glucagon concentration decreased glucose production (P less than 0.05), and exogenous glucose was infused to maintain euglycemia. Alanine flux and total plasma amino nitrogen remained unchanged. In severely burned patients hyperglucagonemia stimulates increased glucose production, basal insulin suppression glucose production, stimulates basal glucose clearance, and is important for regulation of plasma amino acid concentrations, and the selective lowering of glucagon while maintaining basal insulin constant normalized glucose kinetics.
Factors That Affect Risk for Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Effects of Surveillance
Authors: Ju Dong Yang, William S. Harmsen, Seth W. Slettedahl, Roongruedee Chaiteerakij, Felicity T. Enders, Terry M. Therneau, Lucinda Orsini, W. Ray Kim, Lewis R. Roberts
Journal: Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology (2011)
Taranissi dismissed symptoms as anxiety day before patient was admitted to intensive care
Authors: O. Dyer
Journal: BMJ (2008)

A leading fertility specialist dismissed the symptoms of a patient, saying that they were due to anxiety, just hours before she was admitted to intensive care with severe hyponatraemia, a disciplinary panel of the General Medical Council has heard.

Mohamed Taranissi, founder of the Assisted Reproduction and Gynaecology Centre, Upper Wimpole Street, London, is also accused of unduly pressuring another patient to take adalimumab, a drug not licensed for fertility treatment. The patient, named only as IK, told the hearing that when she refused the drug Mr Taranissi grew angry and told her he would not be responsible if she had a miscarriage.

It was then, IK said, that she realised that he was “false” and “did not care at all.” She …