tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Gold-Leaf Treatment of Ischemic Skin Ulcers
Authors: Ernst Epstein
Journal: JAMA (1966)

<h3>To the Editor:—</h3> It seemed peculiar that Wolf and collaborators in their article on gold-leaf treatment of ischemic skin ulcers (<b>196</b>:693,1966) made no mention of the extensive literature on the use of inert metal foils in the treatment of skin ulcers. Haeger (<i>Acta Chir Scand</i><b>125</b>:32-41, 1963) reviews the use of aluminum foil which was introduced as an ulcer dressing in 1924! Some of the reports describing the therapeutic benefits from aluminum foil are fully as enthusiastic as the present paper on gold foil. In their discussion of the mechanism of action of gold leaf, the authors seem unaware of certain aspects of cutaneous wound healing. It is well documented (Hinman et al,<i>Nature</i><b>200</b>:377, 1963) that occlusion accelerates epithelization of a skin wound. The mechanism is quite direct, the impermeable film keeps the wound moist and prevents scab formation. Gold foil probably acts simply as an
Lawyers claim “concession” over drug prescribing for Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Clare Dyer
Journal: BMJ (2007)

NHS Employers, the organisation responsible for employment procedures in the NHS, defended its vetting practices this week after seven doctors and medical students-six in the United Kingdom and one in Australia-were held by police in connection with the failed car bombings in London and Glasgow.One doctor, Iraqi born Bilal Abdullah, who worked as a locum doctor at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, in Paisley, near Glasgow, was arrested at the scene of Saturday's attempt to blow up a jeep packed with gas cylinders at Glasgow airport.Another man detained at the scene with 90% burns is thought to be a junior hospital doctor.He is in the Royal Alexandra Hospital.Later that day, the 26 year old Jordanian born doctor Mohammed Asha and a 27 year old woman, thought to be his wife, were arrested in Sandbach, Cheshire, northwest England.Dr Asha, whose family comes originally from Palestine, had worked as a junior doctor at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and the Princess Royal Hospital, in Telford.In a statement NHS Employers said that all NHS hospitals "carry out rigorous checks before they appoint any member of staff, including verification of identity, qualifications, registration, and eligibility to work in the UK."The nature of their work means that staff are dealing with people who are vulnerable, and we need to be confident that patients are safe."It added, "While doing all they can to prevent unsuitable people taking up employment in the NHS, employers also have a duty to look after the rights of their staff, and this includes not discriminating against employees in any way on the grounds of their religion or belief." NHS defends vetting after doctors held for bombing bidsUK NEWS Economist says NICE should approve fewer costly drugs, p11 World NEWS �ost US surgeons in training get needlestic�� in�uries, few report them, p1� �ost US surgeons in training get needlestic�� in�uries, few report them, p1� , p1� bm�.comEgypt tightens ban on female genital mutilation after 1�� year old girl dies Egypt tightens ban on female genital mutilation after 1�� year old girl dies
Inflammatory response after inhalation of bacterial endotoxin assessed by the induced sputum technique
Authors: J. Thorn, R. Rylander
Journal: Thorax (1998)

<h3>BACKGROUND</h3> Organic dusts may cause inflammation in the airways. This study was performed to assess the usefulness of the induced sputum technique for evaluating the presence of airways inflammation using inhaled endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide) as the inducer of inflammation. <h3>METHODS</h3> To characterise the inflammatory response after inhalation of endotoxin, 21 healthy subjects inhaled 40 μg lipopolysaccharide and were examined before and 24 hours after exposure. Examinations consisted of a questionnaire for symptoms, spirometric testing, blood sampling, and collection of induced sputum using hypertonic saline. Eleven of the subjects inhaled hypertonic saline without endotoxin exposure as controls. Cell counts, eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP), and myeloperoxidase (MPO) were determined in blood and sputum. <h3>RESULTS</h3> A significantly higher proportion of subjects reported respiratory and general symptoms after endotoxin inhalation. MPO and the number of neutrophils in the blood were higher and spirometric values were decreased after the lipopolysaccharide challenge. In the sputum MPO, ECP, and the numbers of neutrophils and lymphocytes were higher after the lipopolysaccharide challenge. No significant differences were found after the inhalation of hypertonic saline compared with before, except for a significantly lower number of lymphocytes in the sputum. <h3>CONCLUSIONS</h3> The results support previous studies that inhaled endotoxin causes an inflammation at the exposure site itself, as well as general effects. Sampling of sputum seems to be a useful tool for assessing the presence of airways inflammation, and the inhalation of hypertonic saline used to induce sputum did not significantly interfere with the results found after inhalation of lipopolysaccharide.
Development of a Novel Tumor-Targeted Vascular Disrupting Agent Activated by Membrane-Type Matrix Metalloproteinases
Authors: Jennifer M. Atkinson, Robert A. Falconer, Dylan R. Edwards, Caroline J. Pennington, Catherine S. Siller, Steven D. Shnyder, Michael C. Bibby, Laurence H. Patterson, Paul M. Loadman, Jason H. Gill
Journal: Cancer Research (2010)

Vascular disrupting agents (VDA) offer a strategy to starve solid tumors of nutrients and oxygen concomitant with tumor shrinkage. Several VDAs have progressed into early clinical trials, but their therapeutic value seems to be compromised by systemic toxicity. In this report, we describe the design and characterization of a novel VDA, ICT2588, that is nontoxic until activated specifically in the tumor by membrane-type 1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP). HT1080 cancer cells expressing MT1-MMP were selectively chemosensitive to ICT2588, whereas MCF7 cells that did not express MT1-MMP were nonresponsive. Preferential hydrolysis of ICT2588 to its active metabolite (ICT2552) was observed in tumor homogenates of HT1080 relative to MCF7 homogenates, mouse plasma, and liver homogenate. ICT2588 activation was inhibited by the MMP inhibitor ilomastat. In HT1080 tumor-bearing mice, ICT2588 administration resulted in the formation of the active metabolite, diminution of tumor vasculature, and hemorrhagic necrosis of the tumor. The antitumor activity of ICT2588 was superior to its active metabolite, exhibiting reduced toxicity, improved therapeutic index, enhanced pharmacodynamic effect, and greater efficacy. Coadministration of ICT2588 with doxorubicin resulted in a significant antitumor response (22.6 d growth delay), which was superior to the administration of ICT2588 or doxorubicin as a single agent, including complete tumor regressions. Our findings support the clinical development of ICT2588, which achieves selective VDA targeting based on MT-MMP activation in the tumor microenvironment.
Life-Threatening Interaction of Mibefradil and β-Blockers With Dihydropyridine Calcium Channel Blockers
Authors: Michael E. Mullins, B. Zane Horowitz, Dennis H. J. Linden, Gregory W. Smith, Robert L. Norton, Jack Stump
Journal: JAMA (1998)

Mibefradil is a T-type and L-type calcium channel blocker (CCB) released in the United States in 1997 for management of hypertension and chronic stable angina. Postmarketing surveillance revealed a potential serious interaction between mibefradil and β-blockers, digoxin, verapamil, and diltiazem, especially in elderly patients. The manufacturer voluntarily withdrew mibefradil on June 8, 1998. We describe 4 cases of cardiogenic shock in patients taking mibefradil and β-blockers who began taking dihydropyridine CCBs. One case resulted in death; the other 3 survived episodes of cardiogenic shock with intensive support of heart rate and blood pressure. Physicians who are preparing to switch patients' medications from mibefradil to other antihypertensive agents should be aware of these potentially life-threatening drug-drug interactions.
Activation markers for human basophils
Authors: Chitose Yoshimura, Masao Yamaguchi, Motoyasu Iikura, Shinyu Izumi, Koichiro Kudo, Hiroyuki Nagase, Akira Ishii, Tsutomu Iwata, Takashi Igarashi, Kazuhiko Yamamoto
Journal: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (2002)
Use of Psychotherapy for Depression in Older Adults
Authors: Wenhui Wei, Usha Sambamoorthi, Mark Olfson, James T. Walkup, Stephen Crystal
Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry (2005)

OBJECTIVE: The authors examine national patterns in psychotherapy for older adults with a diagnosis of depression and analyze correlates of psychotherapy use that is consistent with Agency for Health Care Policy and Research guidelines for duration of treatment. METHOD: Linked Medicare claims and survey data from the 1992–1999 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey were used. The data were merged with the Area Resource File to assess the effect of provider-supply influences on psychotherapy treatment. An episode-of-care framework approach was used to analyze psychotherapy use and treatment duration. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to predict psychotherapy use and its consistency. RESULTS: The authors identified 2,025 episodes of depression treatment between 1992 and 1999. Overall, psychotherapy was used in 25% (N=474) of the episodes, with 68% of episodes with psychotherapy involving services received only from psychiatrists. (Percentages were weighted for the complex design of the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey.) Use of psychotherapy was correlated with younger patient age, higher patient educational attainment, and availability of local psychotherapy providers. Among episodes in which psychotherapy was used, only a minority (33%, N=141) involved patients who remained in consistent treatment, defined as extending for at least two-thirds of the episode of depression. Availability of local providers was positively correlated with consistent psychotherapy use. In analyses with adjustment for provider-related factors, patients' socioeconomic and demographic characteristics did not affect the odds of receiving consistent psychotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: Use of psychotherapy remains uncommon among depressed older adults despite its widely acknowledged efficacy. Some of the disparities in psychotherapy utilization suggest supply-side barriers. Increasing the geographic availability of mental health care providers may be one way of increasing access to psychotherapy for depressed older adults.
Identification of specific gene expression profiles in human mast cells mediated by Toll-like receptor 4 and FcϵRI
Authors: Shigeru Okumura, Jun-ichi Kashiwakura, Hisashi Tomita, Kenji Matsumoto, Toshiharu Nakajima, Hirohisa Saito, Yoshimichi Okayama
Journal: Blood (2003)
Mechanisms of TIGIT-driven immune suppression in cancer
Authors: Sema Kurtulus, Kaori Sakuishi, Huiyuan Zhang, Nicole Joller, Dewar Tan, Mark Smyth, Vijay Kuchroo, Ana Anderson
Journal: Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (2014)

Meeting abstracts TIGIT is a co-inhibitory molecule that limits T cell proliferation and activation. TIGIT expression has been recently shown to identify a subset of regulatory T cells (Treg) that specifically suppresses Th1 and Th17 responses; however its role in tumor immunity has not been
Ban on recreational drugs is impeding science, says former government drugs adviser
Authors: M. Limb
Journal: BMJ (2012)

<h3>Summary</h3> In mammal, glutamate is an important excitatory neurotransmitter. Glutamate and glutamate receptors are found in areas of the periphery, spinal cord and brain specifically involved in pain sensation, transmission and transduction. In <i>C. elegans</i>, several studies have suggested glutamate pathways are associated with withdrawal responses to mechanical stimuli and to chemical repellents. However, it has not been demonstrated that glutamate pathways are important to mediate nocifensive response to noxious heat. The data presented in this manuscript reveals for the first time that glutamate signaling pathways are essential to elicit a nocifensive response to noxious heat in <i>C. elegans</i>.
Detection of left ventricular aneurysms by cross-sectional echocardiography.
Authors: A E Weyman, S M Peskoe, E S Williams, J C Dillon, H Feigenbaum
Journal: Circulation (1976)

Real-time cross-sectional echocardiographic studies of the left ventricle were performed in 31 consecutive patients with angiographically proven left ventricular aneurysms (group I). In each of these patients the presence and location of the aneurysm was visualized by the cross-sectional echocardiography. In four patients discrepancy in the extent of the aneurysm was noted due either to failure of the cross-sectional technique to visualize the entire anterior wall of the ventricle (3) or failure of the single plane angiogram to adequately define the lateral extent of the aneurysm (1). Ventricular shape and contraction sequence in patients with aneurysms were compared with similar patterns in 20 patients with normal left ventricles (group II), and 20 patients with ischemic heart disease and localized ventricular dysfunction without aneurysm formation (group III). Other noninvasive methods for detecting aneurysms (including physical examination, chest roentgenography, electrocardiography, and M-mode echocardiography) were also evaluated in the aneurysm group. This report suggests that cross-sectional echocardiography is a useful method for detecting ventricular aneurysms noninvasively.
A dish best eaten cold
Authors: T. Dalrymple
Journal: BMJ (2009)

Not only have many doctors been distinguished writers, of course, but many distinguished writers have been the sons or daughters of doctors. I leave it to epidemiologists to decide whether more distinguished writers have had medical parents than could be expected by chance—but so, at any rate, it seems to me.

Among the writers whose father was a doctor was the German playwright Frank Wedekind (1864–1918). His father had been, among other things, physician to the sultan in Constantinople. An ardent democrat, he joined the revolution of 1848 in Germany but emigrated to the United States after its defeat and then returned to Switzerland.

Like many an ardent democrat Wedekind pere was a domestic …
Obama calls on other nations to step up their efforts to end Ebola outbreak
Authors: M. McCarthy
Journal: BMJ (2014)

The US president, Barack Obama, has called on other countries to do more to combat the Ebola virus outbreak in west Africa. The outbreak, which was first reported last March, has now claimed at least 3400 lives, the World Health Organization has said.

“I’ll be very honest with you—although we have seen great interest on the part of the international community, we have not seen other countries step up as aggressively as they need to,” Obama said on Monday 6 October. If other countries think that they can “sit on the sidelines and just let the United States do it,” the result will be “a less effective response, a less speedy response, and that means that people die,” he said. Obama made his comments after receiving a briefing on the …
Sensitization to local dust‐mite fauna in Singapore
Authors: F.T. Chew, S.H. Lim, D.Y.T. Goh, B.W. Lee
Journal: Allergy (1999)

Background: Recent studies showed the presence of a unique dust‐mite fauna in the indoor environment of Singapore. Immediate hypersensitivity to these dust mites, along with other known indoor allergens, may play a role in the pathogenesis of allergic respiratory diseases. This study evaluated the sensitization rates of the local atopic population to these allergens. Methods: The skin prick test was performed on a total of 391 individuals (289 patients with asthma and/or allergic rhinitis and 102 healthy controls) using extracts of six species of local dust mites ( Austroglycyphagus malaysiensis , Blomia tropicalis , Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus , D. farinae , Sturnophagoides brasiliensis , and Tyrophagus putrescentiae ) and 10 other common indoor allergens. Total serum IgE and specific IgE to these dust mites were also quantified with the fluorescence allergosorbent test (FAST). Results: The sensitization rates among patients with asthma and/or allergic rhinitis to dust mites and other inhalant allergens tested (via skin prick tests) were as follow: B. tropicalis (96.2%), D. pteronyssinus (93.4%), D. farinae (92.3%), A. malaysiensis (78.2%), S. brasiliensis (71.6%), T. putrescentiae (71.3%), canary feathers (69.9%), Periplaneta americana (cockroach) (59.5%), Blattella germanica (cockroach) (56.4%), mosquito ( Aedes sp.) (46.4%), dog epithelia (mixed breed) (34.3%), kapok seed (31.8%), cat hair (29.1%), Aspergillus fumigatus (20.8%), Penicillium notatum (18.0%), and Candida (Monilia) albicans (9.3%). All patients were observed to react to at least three of the six dust‐mite extracts, with 254/289 (87.9%) reacting to at least five or to all six. Skin prick responses to the dust mites were found to correlate with the corresponding specific IgE levels quantified by FAST ( P &lt;0.001). In addition, specific IgE levels to D. pteronyssinus and D. farinae were highly correlated (Spearman's rank coefficient=0.76, P &lt;0.001), as were those to B. tropicalis and A. malaysiensis ( r =0.60, P &lt;0.001). Conclusions: Asthma and/or allergic rhinitis patients were highly sensitized to the local dust‐mite fauna. Thus, these dust mites should be considered important allergenic sources of this region.
Major clinical events after coronary stenting. The multicenter registry of acute and elective Gianturco-Roubin stent placement. The Gianturco-Roubin Intracoronary Stent Investigator Group.
Authors: J M Sutton, S G Ellis, G S Roubin, C A Pinkerton, S B King, A E Raizner, D R Holmes, D J Kereiakes, E J Topol
Journal: Circulation (1994)

BACKGROUND Abrupt vessel closure and early reocclusion remain the principal vascular events underlying early recurrent ischemia complicating elective percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). Intracoronary stenting has been used to circumvent emergency bypass surgery after acute vessel closure and as an adjunct for the elective treatment of restenosis. The initial multicenter experience with the Gianturco-Roubin stent is presented, and predictors for early recurrent ischemic events are identified. METHODS AND RESULTS Data accrued from 639 serial patients undergoing emergency stenting for abrupt closure (n = 415; 65%) or elective deployment for restenosis (n = 224; 35%) from October 1989 through May 1991 were analyzed. The incidence of subsequent ischemic events, including death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and bypass surgery referral within 90 days of the procedure, was higher after acute deployment (20%) compared with elective stenting (9%; P = .0004). Although mortality within the two cohorts was the same (3%; P = NS), there were significant differences in the incidence of nonfatal myocardial infarction (5% versus 0.5%; P = .002) and bypass surgery (12% versus 6%; P = .02) between the acutely and electively stented patients, respectively. These events were significantly more common when the stent was undersized to the target vessel diameter (stent:artery ratio for event, 0.95 +/- 0.14 versus no event, 1.04 +/- 0.22; P = .0001) or when there was less expansion of the lesion by the deployed device (stent-to-lesion diameter ratio for event, 6.6 +/- 9.2 versus no event, 11.0 +/- 21.4; P = .0001). In a stepwise logistic regression model, acute stenting (odds ratio [OR], 1.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3 to 2.4), multivessel disease (OR, 1.4; CI, 1.1 to 1.8), larger target lesion diameter (OR, 2.1; CI, 1.4 to 3.2), larger target vessel (OR, 2.9; CI, 1.7 to 4.7), and smaller stent size (OR, 6.1; CI, 3.0 to 12.3) were independent predictors of early, recurrent ischemic events. The presence of thrombus was associated with a higher event rate after elective stenting (OR, 2.3; CI, 1.06 to 5.4) but was not associated with a higher early event rate after acute stenting. CONCLUSIONS Early ischemic events are more common after acute stenting for abrupt or threatened closure than after elective deployment. These events may be avoided with careful attention to morphometric characteristics to avoid undersizing the stent to the target vessel and ensure adequate lesion expansion.
CALCULATED PLASMA VOLUME STATUS RELATES TO EXERCISE CAPACITY IN CHRONIC HEART FAILURE
Authors: Mihir Kelshiker, Karl Norrington, Mohamad Fahed Barakat, Hazel Turner, Klio Konstantinou, Anthony Barron, Nabeela Zaman, Graham Cole, Charlotte Manisty, Constantinous G. Missouris, Adrian Cheng, Darrel Francis, Jamil Mayet, Inderjit Anand, Darlington Okonko
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2013)
Increased risk of diarrhoea caused by Clostridium difficile in elderly patients receiving cefotaxime
Authors: M Impallomeni, N P Galletly, S J Wort, J M Starr, T R Rogers
Journal: BMJ (1995)

Clostridium difficile is a Gram positive anaerobic spore forming bacillus whose pathogenicity is related to exotoxin production in the large bowel. This may result in disease ranging from trivial diarrhoea to life threatening pseudomembranous colitis. Between 1982 and 1993 there was a 15-fold national increase in reported C difficile infections that was most marked in patients aged over 65.1 C difficile diarrhoea is almost exclusively acquired in hospital and strongly associated with the use of broad spectrum antibiotics.1 In 1993 the British Thoracic Society recommended cefotaxime and cefuroxime as first line antibiotics for treating severe community acquired pneumonia of unknown cause in adults.2 As a result the use of cefotaxime increased 20-fold in our unit. After November 1993 we also saw an unexpected increase in the …
Activation-Induced Cytidine Deaminase Accelerates Clonal Evolution in <i>BCR-ABL1</i>–Driven B-Cell Lineage Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Authors: Tanja Andrea Gruber, Mi Sook Chang, Richard Sposto, Markus Müschen
Journal: Cancer Research (2010)

Abstract Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) is required for somatic hypermutation and immunoglobulin (Ig) class switch recombination in germinal center (GC) B cells. Occasionally, AID can target non-Ig genes and thereby promote GC B-cell lymphomagenesis. We recently showed that the oncogenic BCR-ABL1 kinase induces aberrant expression of AID in pre-B acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and lymphoid chronic myelogenous leukemia blast crisis. To elucidate the biological significance of aberrant AID expression, we studied loss of AID function in a murine model of BCR-ABL1 ALL. Mice transplanted with BCR-ABL1–transduced AID−/− bone marrow had prolonged survival compared with mice transplanted with leukemia cells generated from AID+/+ bone marrow. Consistent with a causative role of AID in genetic instability, AID−/− leukemia had a lower frequency of amplifications and deletions and a lower frequency of mutations in non-Ig genes, including Pax5 and Rhoh compared with AID+/+ leukemias. AID−/− and AID+/+ ALL cells showed a markedly distinct gene expression pattern, and AID−/− ALL cells failed to downregulate a number of tumor-suppressor genes including Rhoh, Cdkn1a (p21), and Blnk (SLP65). We conclude that AID accelerates clonal evolution in BCR-ABL1 ALL by enhancing genetic instability and aberrant somatic hypermutation, and by negative regulation of tumor-suppressor genes. Cancer Res; 70(19); 7411–20. ©2010 AACR.
The irrationality paradox
Authors: Gerd Gigerenzer
Journal: Behavioral and Brain Sciences (2004)

In the study of judgmental errors, surprisingly little thought is spent on what constitutes good and bad judgment. I call this simultaneous focus on errors and lack of analysis of what constitutes an error, the irrationality paradox. I illustrate the paradox by a dozen apparent fallacies; each can be logically deduced from the environmental structure and an unbiased mind.