tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
European experts produce draft on bioethics
Authors: T Sheldon
Journal: BMJ (1994)

A group of European experts has produced a draft convention on bioethics in an attempt to ensure that the benefits of science are not achieved at the expense of patients' rights. The Steering Committee on bioethics set up by the Council of Europe covers ethical issues ranging from those surrounding predictive tests for genetic diseases and intervention in human genes to the circumstances in which a doctor can disregard a psychiatric patient's refusal to give consent. This latest draft comes after more than two years of deliberations.

For in vitro research on human embryos the draft …
Perceived Coercion and Change in Perceived Need for Admission in Patients Hospitalized for Eating Disorders
Authors: Angela S. Guarda, Angela Marinilli Pinto, Janelle W. Coughlin, Shahana Hussain, Nancy A. Haug, Leslie J. Heinberg
Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry (2007)

Objective: Ambivalence toward treatment is characteristic of eating disorders, and patients are often admitted to inpatient programs under pressure from clinicians, family, friends, educators, or employers. This study evaluated patient perceptions of the admissions process and perceived need for hospitalization and assessed whether these perceptions remain stable in the short term. Method: A total of 139 patients with eating disorders completed a 13-item self-report scale on the admission experience when they were admitted to a behavioral inpatient specialty program and again 2 weeks into their hospitalization. Results: Patients with anorexia nervosa reported higher levels of perceived coercion and pressure and a lower sense of procedural justice than did those with bulimia. Patients under 18 (N=35) reported more perceived coercion than did adult patients (N=104), and a trend was noted for them to disagree that they needed hospitalization. Perceptions of coercion, of pressure by others toward hospitalization, and of procedural justice were stable in the short term. However, of the 46 patients (30 of them adults) who initially did not endorse needing admission, 20 patients (17 of them adults) changed their minds by 2 weeks into hospitalization and agreed that they needed hospital admission. Conclusions: Nearly half of patients with eating disorders who denied a need for treatment on admission converted to acknowledging that they needed to be admitted within 2 weeks of hospitalization. Since treatment avoidance is associated with poor outcome, these findings suggest a need for studies assessing the long-term outcome and ethics of pressuring patients with eating disorders into treatment.
On the Abuse of Narcotics
Authors: H. Barnes
Journal: BMJ (1882)

Physician to the Cumberland Infirmary.TILE great abuse of narc9tics in all classes of society is an evil which must have forced itself upon the attention of the majority of those who see any great amoUnt of practice; but, in spite of the strong protests which continue to be made, both in the medical and lay journals, little progress is effected in the way of obtaining more stringent legislative measures to check the growing evil.There seems to be a kind of fashion whichregulates the particular kind of narcotic which has a run.I do not see so many cases of opium-eating and laudanum-drink-
Change in Metabolic Control and Functional Status After Hospitalization: Impact of Patient Activation Intervention in Diabetic Patients
Authors: Kathryn M Rost, Karen S Flavin, Karen Cole, Janet B McGill
Journal: Diabetes Care (1991)

Objective To determine whether a short intervention to enhance patient information seeking and decision making during hospitalization results in improved metabolic control and functional status in patients with diabetes mellitus. Research Design and Methods A randomized clinical trial was conducted in which control patients received a comprehensive 3-day evaluation and educational program, whereas experimental patients received a 45-min patient activation intervention and a 1-h self-administered booster in addition to the program. Metabolic control and functional status were measured at baseline and 4 mo postdischarge. Results During their discharge discussions, experimental patients asked significantly more questions than control patients (7.4 vs. 3.0, P &amp;gt; .001) and 4 mo later reported significantly fewer physical limitations in activities of daily living than the control group (P = 0.02). Improvement in metabolic control was statistically significant only for experimental patients (P = 0.02), although their glycosylated hemoglobin levels were not significantly lower than control patients' at follow-up. The intervention did not diminish physician satisfaction with patient interactions, although it may have increased physician frustration with responsibilities that competed with patient care. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that the addition of a patient activation intervention to a comprehensive diabetes management program may substantially enhance physical functioning among adults with diabetes mellitus.
Intracellular Fas Ligand Expression Causes Fas-Mediated Apoptosis in Human Prostate Cancer Cells Resistant to Monoclonal Antibody-Induced Apoptosis
Authors: Marc L. Hyer, Christina Voelkel-Johnson, Semyon Rubinchik, Jian-yun Dong, James S. Norris
Journal: Molecular Therapy (2000)

Several laboratories have attempted with little success to induce Fas-mediated apoptosis in prostate cancer (PCa) cells, using different external Fas agonists, i.e., anti-Fas antibodies and membrane-bound FasL. The present study confirms these earlier results using the anti-Fas antibody CH-11 in five human PCa cell lines (PPC-1, LNCaP, PC-3, TSU-Pr1, and DU145). However, intracellular murine FasL expression induced Fas-mediated apoptosis in all CH-11-resistant cell lines. Adenovirus (AdGFPFasLTET) was used to deliver a Murine FasL–GFP fusion gene into human PCa cells resulting in 70–98% apoptosis at 48 h as determined by the MTS assay. DU145 and PPC-1 cells treated with AdGFPFasLTET stained positive for the TUNEL assay, indicating that cell death was via apoptosis. Using immunofluorescent microscopy, Fas and GFPFasL colocalized to the same intracellular compartment. The anti-Fas neutralizing antibody ZB-4 was unable to block AdGFPFasLTET-mediated cell death, suggesting that intracellular FasL may ligate Fas within the Golgi and/or endoplasmic reticulum. This is the first evidence suggesting that these two molecules interact prior to cell surface presentation. Collectively, these findings indicate that intracellular GFPFasL expression is superior to CH-11 at inducing Fas-mediated apoptosis in human PCa cells and may allow use of AdGFPFasLTET for PCa gene therapy. Several laboratories have attempted with little success to induce Fas-mediated apoptosis in prostate cancer (PCa) cells, using different external Fas agonists, i.e., anti-Fas antibodies and membrane-bound FasL. The present study confirms these earlier results using the anti-Fas antibody CH-11 in five human PCa cell lines (PPC-1, LNCaP, PC-3, TSU-Pr1, and DU145). However, intracellular murine FasL expression induced Fas-mediated apoptosis in all CH-11-resistant cell lines. Adenovirus (AdGFPFasLTET) was used to deliver a Murine FasL–GFP fusion gene into human PCa cells resulting in 70–98% apoptosis at 48 h as determined by the MTS assay. DU145 and PPC-1 cells treated with AdGFPFasLTET stained positive for the TUNEL assay, indicating that cell death was via apoptosis. Using immunofluorescent microscopy, Fas and GFPFasL colocalized to the same intracellular compartment. The anti-Fas neutralizing antibody ZB-4 was unable to block AdGFPFasLTET-mediated cell death, suggesting that intracellular FasL may ligate Fas within the Golgi and/or endoplasmic reticulum. This is the first evidence suggesting that these two molecules interact prior to cell surface presentation. Collectively, these findings indicate that intracellular GFPFasL expression is superior to CH-11 at inducing Fas-mediated apoptosis in human PCa cells and may allow use of AdGFPFasLTET for PCa gene therapy.
Positive direct antiglobulin test on thawed deglycerolized units of erythrocytes: Prediction and prevention
Authors: M. E. Reid, S. S. Ellisor, D. R. Avoy
Journal: American Journal of Hematology (1979)

Abstract Occasional units of red blood cells develop a positive direct antiglobulin test (DAT) when frozen and deglycerolyzed by the Meryman method. The presence of cold autoagglutinins with a high titer at 4°C or autoreactivity at room temperature were generally predictive of which units would develop a positive DAT, but neither was reliable in all cases. An indicator system is presented in which a DAT is performed on a segment that has been glycerolized and deglycerolized in a manner similar to the Meryman method for freezing a donor unit. This system is extremely reliable in predicting which units will convert from DAT‐negative to DAT‐positive during processing. The positive DAT of deglycerolized red blood cells was due to C4 and weak C3d binding. This complement binding can be prevented by addition of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) or removal of plasma before the addition of glycerol.
BMA writes to NHS trusts about confidentiality Supraregional services have new advisers BMA is worried about reserve forces' training GPs to have guidance on care in the community BMA updates its briefing on private finance initiative
Authors: L. Beecham
Journal: BMJ (1996)

# BMA writes to NHS trusts about confidentiality {#article-title-2}

Until the NHS adopts a comprehensive and security policy for protecting the confidentiality of identifiable health information the BMA is advising doctors to defer considering links to the NHS wide network. The BMA has published its own security policy document (13 January, p 109) but after the Department of Health refused to amend its proposals the chairman of the BMA council, Dr Sandy Macara, wrote to chief executives of NHS trusts, executive directors of health authorities and family health services authorities, and directors of public health warning them that the current proposals for the NHS wide network would “permanently destroy the individual's right to privacy and radically alter the nature of the doctor/patient relationship.”

Dr Macara says that widespread concerns about the risks are shared by patient and health care professional organisations alike. He explains that the BMA, whose members are bound by the General Medical Council to protect patient confidentiality, has actively pursued its concerns by developing a security policy, which lays down a series of principles applicable to both paper and computer based information systems.

As we went to press a confidentiality bill was due to have its first reading in the House of Lords on 30 January. The Disclosure and Use of Personal Health Information Bill, which will be introduced by Lord Walton of Detchant, a former president of the BMA, was drafted by the association to clarify the law in England and Wales relating to the collection, use, and disclosure of personal health information. Nothing …
Evaluation of Four Commercial Automatic Endoscope Washing Machines
Authors: D. A. F. Lynch, C. Porter, L. Murphy, A. T. R. Axon
Journal: Endoscopy (1992)

Four commercially available endoscope washing machines (Pyser System 83, Wolf Fiberscope Disinfector, Olympus EW20, Keymed Auto-Disinfector) were evaluated. In most cases the machines were expensive, immobile and noisy, and could only wash one endoscope per cycle. Daily use involved repetitive chores and contact with glutaraldehyde. Disinfection procedures were flawed; no machine auto-disinfected adequately. In conclusion, these machines are unsatisfactory and represent a potential source of serious infection.
Choreo-athetosis and Encephalopathy Induced by Phenytoin
Authors: D. L. McLellan, M. Swash
Journal: BMJ (1974)

Two patients with intractable epilepsy who had been treated with various combinations of anticonvulsant drugs developed phenytoin encephalopathy. In both patients choreo-athetoid involuntary movements were prominent. Blood phenytoin concentrations were above 30 mug/ml. When phenytoin was given in smaller doses and its level in the blood fell the involuntary movements and other clinical manifestations disappeared.
Ethical issues of pharmacogenetics must be addressed, says Nuffield Council
Authors: D. Singh
Journal: BMJ (2003)

Pharmacogenetics–the study of how genetic variation affects a patient's response to drugs–holds the promise of safe and effective treatments in the future. But scientists must address ethical and policy issues of this technology if the potential benefits are to be realised. That is the message from the Nuffield Council on Bioethics in a report published this week.

Many drug companies are hopeful that this new technology will lead to the development of “the right medicine, for the right patient, at the right dose.” …
Radioisotopes in Industry Training Program
Authors: Marshall Brucer
Journal: JAMA (1961)

Statistics seem to show that approximately 100 out of every 100 nuclear medical specialists will die; therefore, a continuous new crop must be raised. The only way we know how to do this is through teaching. The medical schools at the present time teach only snatches. Of all medical subjects, nuclear medicine is a laboratory subject. Most of the understanding comes through the manipulation of laboratory data; diagnostic procedures are laboratory exercises. Laboratory exercises are not supplementary; they are preliminary to classroom teaching. If a picture is worth a thousand words in the Chinese literature, then the laboratory exercise is worth a thousand pictures in nuclear medicine. A laboratory guide is essential to students, and here the word student includes experts in pathology, internal medicine, and technology. Within highly restricted limitations flow of fluid is identical whether the fluid be blood or water or whether the pipes be steel or
Writing systems: Not optimal, but good enough
Authors: Mark S. Seidenberg
Journal: Behavioral and Brain Sciences (2012)

Abstract Languages and writing systems result from satisfying multiple constraints related to learning, comprehension, production, and their biological bases. Orthographies are not optimal because these constraints often conflict, with further deviations due to accidents of history and geography. Things tend to even out because writing systems and the languages they represent exhibit systematic trade-offs between orthographic depth and morphological complexity.
Bone Marrow: Structure and Function
Authors: Jacob Bitran
Journal: JAMA (1985)

This is a well-written, up-to-date, concise text of bone marrow morphology (structure) and physiology (function). In 14 concise chapters, the authors review bone marrow phylogeny, ontogeny, structure, marrow circulation, marrow-blood barrier, marrow volume, population of cells, granulocyte production, erythropoiesis, thrombopoiesis, lymphopoiesis, stem cell compartments, and the role of stem cells. The text is authoritative and the references are up-to-date. The chapter on historic perspectives is a delight to read. One can learn how the bone marrow's function was finally deduced. My only criticism is that the references should be listed on a chapter-to-chapter basis, rather than all together. Hematologists and physicians in postgraduate training programs in hematology will find this textbook a valuable addition to their libraries.
Rheumatic Heart Disease Screening by Echocardiography
Authors: Eloi Marijon, David S. Celermajer, Muriel Tafflet, Saïd El-Haou, Dinesh N. Jani, Beatriz Ferreira, Ana-Olga Mocumbi, Christophe Paquet, Daniel Sidi, Xavier Jouven
Journal: Circulation (2009)

Background— Early case detection is vital in rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in children to minimize the risk of advanced valvular heart disease by preventive measures. The currently utilized World Health Organization (WHO) criteria for echocardiographic diagnosis of subclinical RHD emphasize the presence of pathological valve regurgitation but do not include valves with morphological features of RHD without pathological regurgitation. We hypothesized that adding morphological features to diagnostic criteria might have significant consequences in terms of case detection rates. Methods and Results— We screened 2170 randomly selected school children aged 6 to 17 years in Maputo, Mozambique, clinically and by a portable ultrasound system. Two different echocardiographic sets of criteria for RHD were assessed: “WHO” (exclusively Doppler-based) and “combined” (Doppler and morphology-based) criteria. Independent investigators reviewed all suspected RHD cases using a higher-resolution, nonportable ultrasound system. On-site echocardiography identified 18 and 124 children with suspected RHD according to WHO and combined criteria, respectively. After consensus review, 17 were finally considered to have definite RHD according to WHO criteria, and 66 had definite RHD according to combined criteria, giving prevalence rates of 7.8 (95% confidence interval, 4.6 to 12.5) and 30.4 (95% confidence interval, 23.6 to 38.5) per 1000 children, respectively ( P &lt;0.0001, exact McNemar test). Conclusions— Important consideration should be given to echocardiographic criteria for detecting subclinical RHD because the number of cases detected may differ importantly according to the diagnostic criteria utilized. Currently recommended WHO criteria risk missing up to three quarters of cases of subclinically affected and therefore potentially treatable children with RHD.
Incidental Identification of Hepatic Metastasis During Gated Cardiac Imaging
Authors: CHAN H. PARK, JONG D. LEE, SUNG M. KIM
Journal: Clinical Nuclear Medicine (1992)

Careful review of all four corners of nuclear images is essential for the proper interpretation of scintiscans. A patient with known coronary artery disease treated by coronary artery bypass graft underwent Tc-99m gated cardiac imaging. In addition to the abnormal findings of cardiac wall motion and ejection fraction, there was a subtle but definite space-occupying lesion within the liver. The patient had the clinical features of colon cancer such as change in bowel habits for 2 months, anemia, and obstructive symptoms. The liver lesion was subsequently proven to be a metastatic lesion at surgery. In this case, the Tc-99m RBC study aided in the diagnosis of hepatic metastasis of colon cancer.
Varicella-Zoster Infections: Zoster Immune Globulin
Authors: Hugh H. Hussey
Journal: JAMA (1974)

In years past, astute clinicians observed that adults who acquired herpes zoster almost invariably denied having had varicella (chickenpox) during childhood. A link between the two diseases was therefore postulated, and both were assumed to be viral diseases. In 1953, Weller<sup>1</sup>isolated virus particles from varicella and zoster vesicular lesions and confirmed the identity of the varicella-zoster (HZ) virus. It is assumed that adults who develop herpes zoster are hypoimmune and not totally unsusceptible to HZ virus. Varicella of childhood is usually, but not always a mild, highly contagious disease. The same cannot be said for adults in whom the disease usually is severe and is frequently complicated by varicella pneumonia. Cimons et al<sup>2</sup>report such a case in which truly heroic measures were needed to ensure survival. An exception to the rule of mildness in childhood varicella is found in a report by Hook et al.<sup>3</sup>
Osteomalacia in Northern India
Authors: H. P. Vaishnava, S. N. A. Rizvi
Journal: BMJ (1967)

MMBICLJOURNALAddiction to Diazepam (Valium) SIR,-Prominence has recently been given to the phenomenon of addiction to so-called innocuous drugs.'The following is a case report of addiction to such a drug-namely, diazepam, a preparation which is being used widely in general practice and in psychiatry.
THE NATURE OF THE VIRUS RECEPTORS OF RED CELLS
Authors: George K. Hirst
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1949)

Influenza virus, treated with sodium periodate, was adsorbed well on red cells but lacked the capacity for spontaneous elution. Heated virus was eluted from red cells by the action of cholera vibrio filtrate, unheated influenza virus, and to a small extent by heating at 56 degrees C. Periodate-treated virus was not elutable by these methods but was liberated by exposure of the adsorbing cells to concentrations of sodium chloride of 5 to 10 per cent. This treatment had no effect on elution of heated virus.
Thanatop: A Novel 5-Nitrofuran that Is a Highly Active, Cell-Permeable Inhibitor of Topoisomerase II
Authors: Maria Polycarpou-Schwarz, Kerstin Müller, Stefanie Denger, Andrew Riddell, Joe Lewis, Frank Gannon, George Reid
Journal: Cancer Research (2007)

Abstract A series of nitrofuran-based compounds were identified as inhibitors of estrogen signaling in a cell-based, high-throughput screen of a diverse library of small molecules. These highly related compounds were subsequently found to inhibit topoisomerase II in vitro at concentrations similar to that required for the inhibition of estrogen signaling in cells. The most potent nitrofuran discovered is ∼10-fold more active than etoposide phosphate, a topoisomerase II inhibitor in clinical use. The nitrofurans also inhibit topoisomerase I activity, with ∼20-fold less activity. Moreover, the nitrofurans, in contrast to etoposide, induce a profound cell cycle arrest in the G0-G1 phase of the cell cycle, do not induce double-stranded DNA breaks, are not substrates for multidrug resistance protein-1 export from the cell, and are amenable to synthetic development. In addition, the nitrofurans synergize with etoposide phosphate in cell killing. Clonogenic assays done on a panel of human tumors maintained ex vivo in nude mice show that the most active compound identified in the screen is selective against tumors compared with normal hematopoietic stem cells. However, this compound had only moderate activity in a mouse xenograft model. This novel class of topoisomerase II inhibitor may provide additional chemotherapeutic strategies for the development of cytotoxic agents with proven clinical utility. [Cancer Res 2007;67(9):4451–8]
CARs Move To the Fast Lane
Authors: Marco L Davila, Eirini P Papapetrou
Journal: Molecular Therapy (2014)

In the past few years, we have finally begun to realize the promise of co-opting a patient's immune system as a form of cancer therapy. An exciting form of immunotherapy involves the genetic retargeting of T cells with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs). These engineered receptors usually contain a monoclonal antibody–derived single-chain variable fragment (scFv) that confers specific binding to a tumor antigen. At the 2013 annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology, three groups reported remarkable successes in clinical trials targeting chemotherapy-refractory, relapsed B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) using CD19-targeted CAR T cells.