tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
1120 ALTERED SERUM ADIPOCYTOKINES LEVELS DO AFFECT HEPATIC STEATOSIS AND FIBROSIS IN CHRONIC HEPATITIS B AND CHRONIC HEPATITIS C INDIAN PATIENTS
Authors: S.B. Rooge, G.T. Kumar, S.S. Hissar, A. Rastogi, A. Kumar, R. Gondal, S.K. Sarin, P. Sakhuja
Journal: Journal of Hepatology (2011)
THE EFFECTS OF MERCAPTOETHANOL AND OF PERITONEAL MACROPHAGES ON THE ANTIBODY-FORMING CAPACITY OF NONADHERENT MOUSE SPLEEN CELLS IN VITRO
Authors: Chang Chen, James G. Hirsch
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1972)

Nonadherent mouse spleen cells exhibited poor viability and little or no capacity to form antibodies to sheep red cells in the Mishell-Dutton culture system. Viability and antibody-forming capacity could be restored by addition to these cultures of low concentrations of mercaptoethanol (10(-4)-10(-5)M), or by addition of appropriate numbers of mouse peritoneal macrophages. Macrophage concentrations lower than optimal resulted in lower lymphoid cell viability and correspondingly fewer plaque-forming cells, whereas excess macrophages resulted in marked inhibition of antibody formation despite good viability of the lymphocytes. Restoration of the nonadherent cells with mercaptoethanol was thus much simpler and more reproducible than it was with macrophages; furthermore, the number of plaque-forming cells developed in cultures restored with mercaptoethanol was approximately fourfold higher than it was in cultures restored with optimal numbers of macrophages. In the presence of mercaptoethanol, the plaque-forming capacity of the nonadherent spleen cells was not increased when small numbers of macrophages were added to the system, nor was it decreased when the few macrophages present in the nonadherent cells were further reduced or eliminated. Excess macrophages inhibited antibody formation in the cultures containing mercaptoethanol as they did in control cultures. Optimal restoration of plaque-forming capacity to the nonadherent spleen cells with mercaptoethanol required the reducing agent to be present throughout the 4 or 5 day culture period. Addition of mercaptoethanol 1 or more days after initiation of culture, or transfer of the cells to a medium free of mercaptoethanol before completion of the culture resulted in a reduction in the numbers of plaque-forming cells. The results suggest that mouse lymphoid cells do not require macrophages in order to form antibodies to sheep red cells in vitro, provided mercaptoethanol is present in the culture medium. The mechanism of action of mercaptoethanol under these conditions is not completely clear, but one of its effects is to promote the viability of lymphoid cells in the cultures.
Antibody response to serogroup A and C meningococcal polysaccharide vaccines in infants born of mothers vaccinated during pregnancy.
Authors: J B McCormick, H H Gusmão, S Nakamura, J B Freire, J Veras, G Gorman, J C Feeley, P Wingo
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (1980)

During the large epidemic of serogroups A and C meningococcal disease in Brazil, we studied the immunologic response to meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine in infants born to women vaccinated during pregnancy. Radioimmunoassay serum levels against serogroups A and C polysaccharide were more than threefold higher in vaccinated than in unvaccinated women at delivery. Cord blood levels were also threefold or higher in infants whose mothers were vaccinated while pregnant compared to infants born of unvaccinated mothers. Within 3 mo, the infants' A and C serum antibody levels declined by approximately 80%. When vaccinated at about 6 mo of age, infants born of vaccinated mothers had antibody responses to A and C polysaccharide vaccines indistinguishable from those born of unvaccinated mothers. The response did not vary with the trimester of vaccination. We conclude that the vaccination of pregnant women with groups A and C meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine does not produce immune tolerance in the subsequently born infants.
224 Simple noninvasive tests for prediction of liver fibrosis caused by chronic hepatitis B, not C
Authors: B.K. Kim, S.H. Ahn, S.A. Kim, S.J. Sim, J.Y. Cheong, Y.N. Park, J.K. Kim, Y.H. Paik, K.S. Lee, S.W. Cho, K.H. Han, C.Y. Chon, Y.M. Moon
Journal: Journal of Hepatology (2006)
Obesity may confound relation of early pregnancy loss to risk of heart disease
Authors: M. J Davies
Journal: BMJ (2003)

EDITOR—Smith et al observe that adverse events in early life can be related to apparently disparate events later in life.1 For spontaneous pregnancy loss and subsequent ischaemic heart disease, they assume a role for inherited and acquired thrombophilias in the mother as a common aetiological factor.

They adjusted for the potential confounding effects of maternal age at the time …
Liver Damage after Halothane Anaesthesia
Authors: G. Chamberlain
Journal: BMJ (1963)

DIURETICBRITISH those patients who have not responded to other diuretics.Summary A new diuretic drug, ethacrynic acid (MK-595), has been compared with hydrochlorothiazide in normal volunteers and oedematous patients.Structurally the two drugs are not related.Ethacrynic acid is a potent diuretic causing an excretion pattern similar to that caused by hydrochlorothiazide.It produced in oedema- tous patients a greater diuresis than hydrochlorothiazide, each at a dose of 50 mg.thrice daily, but the potassium loss was correspondingly greater.One patient who was resistant to hydrochlorothiazide had an adequate diuresis with ethacrynic acid.Acute gout was induced by ethacrynic acid in one patient; no other side-effects were noted.We are indebted to Dr. K. C. Mezey, of Merck Sharp and Dohme,
Autoimmune thrombocytopenia in pregnancy: new approach to management.
Authors: G R Morgenstern, B Measday, U M Hegde
Journal: BMJ (1983)

mentary oxygen with the Air-Viva lowered the inspired carbon dioxide concentration in a stepwise fashion, although the concentration did not reach zero even with 10 1 added oxygen/min.'Heys RF.Child bearing and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.
Spatial Modeling of PM <sub>10</sub> and NO <sub>2</sub> in the Continental United States, 1985–2000
Authors: Jaime E. Hart, Jeff D. Yanosky, Robin C. Puett, Louise Ryan, Douglas W. Dockery, Thomas J. Smith, Eric Garshick, Francine Laden
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (2009)

BackgroundEpidemiologic studies of air pollution have demonstrated a link between long-term air pollution exposures and mortality. However, many have been limited to city-specific average pollution measures or spatial or land-use regression exposure models in small geographic areas.ObjectivesOur objective was to develop nationwide models of annual exposure to particulate matter < 10 μm in diameter (PM10) and nitrogen dioxide during 1985–2000.MethodsWe used generalized additive models (GAMs) to predict annual levels of the pollutants using smooth spatial surfaces of available monitoring data and geographic information system–derived covariates. Model performance was determined using a cross-validation (CV) procedure with 10% of the data. We also compared the results of these models with a commonly used spatial interpolation, inverse distance weighting.ResultsFor PM10, distance to road, elevation, proportion of low-intensity residential, high-intensity residential, and industrial, commercial, or transportation land use within 1 km were all statistically significant predictors of measured PM10 (model R2 = 0.49, CV R2 = 0.55). Distance to road, population density, elevation, land use, and distance to and emissions of the nearest nitrogen oxides–emitting power plant were all statistically significant predictors of measured NO2 (model R2 = 0.88, CV R2 = 0.90). The GAMs performed better overall than the inverse distance models, with higher CV R2 and higher precision.ConclusionsThese models provide reasonably accurate and unbiased estimates of annual exposures for PM10 and NO2. This approach provides the spatial and temporal variability necessary to describe exposure in studies assessing the health effects of chronic air pollution.
A mesoporous silica nanoparticulate/β-TCP/BG composite drug delivery system for osteoarticular tuberculosis therapy
Authors: Min Zhu, Huixue Wang, Jiyong Liu, Hailong He, Xuguo Hua, Qianjun He, Lingxia Zhang, Xiaojian Ye, Jianlin Shi
Journal: Biomaterials (2010)
Hazards of peritoneal dialysis.
Authors: W. T. Simpson
Journal: BMJ (1967)

Eradicating Scabies SIR,-We read with great interest the letter of Dr. P. R. Danby and others (25 February, p. 496).It is our experience in Hull and the East Riding that the number of cases of scabies is steadily increasing.Realizing that we only see the tip of an iceberg the increase is still very impressive.We find the greatest difficulty with re- infection, which is probably due to the fact that patients' relations, or close contacts, are not being checked.With or without making scabies an identifiable disease, we would like to draw attention to the importance of this.We have found patients responding poorly to the standard 25% emulsion of benzyl ben- zoate B.P., and we usually account for relapsing cases by finding other members of the family insufficiently treated or not treated at all.We would also like to concur with Drs.Danby, Church, and Sneddon that detailed and very precise instructions about treatment are a crucial part of success.-Weare, etc.,
Peripheral Transgene Expression of Plasma Gelsolin Reduces Amyloid in Transgenic Mouse Models of Alzheimer's Disease
Authors: Aaron C Hirko, Edwin M Meyer, Michael A King, Jeffery A Hughes
Journal: Molecular Therapy (2007)

The accumulation and deposition of the 40-42-amino acid peptide amyloid beta (Abeta) is thought to be a critical event in the pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Both passive and active immunizations against Abeta in amyloid-depositing transgenic mice have reduced Abeta pathology and improved memory-related behavior. Peripheral treatments with other amyloid-binding agents have also reduced Abeta pathology. The present study demonstrates that peripheral delivery of plasmid DNA coding for the amyloid-binding protein plasma gelsolin reduces brain Abeta in two separate amyloid-depositing transgenic mouse models of AD when inter-litter variability is accounted for. The reduction in Abeta pathology observed is accompanied by an apparent increase in activated and reactive microglia and soluble oligomeric forms of amyloid. These findings demonstrate that peripheral expression of plasma gelsolin may be a suitable gene-therapeutic approach for the prevention or treatment of AD.
Thiols decrease human interleukin (IL) 4 production and IL-4-induced immunoglobulin synthesis.
Authors: P Jeannin, Y Delneste, S Lecoanet-Henchoz, J F Gauchat, P Life, D Holmes, J Y Bonnefoy
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1995)

N-Acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) is an antioxidant precursor of intracellular glutathione (GSH), usually given in human as a mucolytic agent. In vitro, NAC and GSH have been shown to act on T cells by increasing interleukin (IL) 2 production, synthesis and turnover of IL-2 receptors, proliferation, cytotoxic properties, and resistance to apoptosis. We report here that NAC and GSH decrease in a dose-dependent manner human IL-4 production by stimulated peripheral blood T cells and by T helper (Th) 0- and Th2-like T cell clones. This effect was associated with a decrease in IL-4 messenger RNA transcription. In contrast, NAC and GSH had no effect on interferon gamma and increased IL-2 production and T cell proliferation. A functional consequence was the capacity of NAC and GSH to selectively decrease in a dose-dependent manner IL-4-induced immunoglobulin (Ig) E and IgG4 production by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Interestingly, NAC and GSH also acted directly on purified tonsillar B cells by decreasing the mature epsilon messenger RNA, hence decreasing IgE production. In contrast, IgA and IgM production were not affected. At the same time, B cell proliferation was increased in a dose-dependent manner. Not all antioxidants tested but only SH-bearing molecules mimicked these properties. Finally, when given orally to mice, NAC decreased both IgE and IgG1 antibody responses to ovalbumin. These results demonstrate that NAC, GSH, and other thiols may control the production of both the Th2-derived cytokine IL-4 and IL-4-induced Ig in vitro and in vivo.
Successful engraftment after reduced-intensity umbilical cord blood transplantation for myelofibrosis
Authors: Shinsuke Takagi, Yasunori Ota, Naoyuki Uchida, Koichi Takahashi, Kazuya Ishiwata, Masanori Tsuji, Hisashi Yamamoto, Yuki Asano-Mori, Naofumi Matsuno, Kazuhiro Masuoka, Atsushi Wake, Shigesaburo Miyakoshi, Kenichi Ohashi, Shuichi Taniguchi
Journal: Blood (2010)
Women in Health Care
Authors: Vicente Navarro
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (1975)

Abstract The occupational, class, and sex structure of the United States health labor force is similar to the competitive sector of the economy (i.e., it is predominantly female, poorly paid and poorly unionized). Upper-middle-class men compose the great majority of medical professionals, whereas lower-middle and working-class women form the greatest proportion of all middle-level, clerical and service workers. This division of labor is due to the role of women both in the family and as a reserve of labor for the economy. There is a virtual absence of the majority of producers —lower-middle-class and working-class women — in the decision-making bodies of the health institutions. The political strategy for change is to introduce institutional democracy in the health sector, with control of the institutions by those who work in them — the majority of whom are women — and those who are served by them. (N Engl J Med 292:398–402, 1975)
Isolated Pituitary Gonadotrophin Deficiency: Gonadotrophin Secretion after Synthetic Luteinizing Hormone and Follicle Stimulating Hormone-releasing Hormone
Authors: J. C. Marshall, P. Harsoulis, D. C. Anderson, A. S. McNeilly, G. M. Besser, R. Hall
Journal: BMJ (1972)

The responses of serum immunoreactive luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) after intravenous injection of 100 mug of synthetic LH/FSH-RH have been studied in 14 patients with the syndrome of isolated pituitary gonadotrophin deficiency. Nine of the patients showed a rise of both hormones, two a small rise of FSH only, and three were unresponsive. In two of the unresponsive patients injection of a 500-mug dose produced a small rise of LH only. Of the patients who responded, four had LH and FSH responses within the normal adult range, while in the others the responses were smaller and delayed. It is suggested that this syndrome is due to a lack of the hypothalamic-releasing hormone itself, rather than to a pituitary deficiency. However, repeat assessment after prolonged administration of the releasing hormone will be necessary before a pituitary disorder can be excluded in all patients. The synthetic LH/FSH-RH, preferably as a depot preparation, may provide a means of treating these patients to induce the development of puberty and subsequent fertility.
Human colony-forming units-erythroid do not require accessory cells, but do require direct interaction with insulin-like growth factor I and/or insulin for erythroid development.
Authors: K Sawada, S B Krantz, E N Dessypris, S T Koury, S T Sawyer
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (1989)

The presence of heterogeneous erythroid progenitor cells, contaminant cells, or serum may alter erythroid colony development in vitro. To obtain highly purified colony-forming units-erythroid (CFU-E), we cultured partially purified human blood burst-forming units-erythroid (BFU-E) in methylcellulose with recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) for 7 d and generated cells that consisted of 30-60% CFU-E, but no BFU-E. A serum-free medium was used that allowed development of the same number of erythroid colonies as serum containing medium, but with a greater percentage of larger colonies. This medium consisted of delipidated crystalline bovine serum albumin, iron saturated transferrin, lipid suspension, fibrinogen, thrombin, Iscove's modified Dulbecco's medium/F-12[HAM], and insulin plus rHuEPO. When CFU-E were cultured in a limiting dilution assay and the percentage of nonresponder wells was plotted against cell concentration, both serum-free cultures and serum-containing cultures yielded overlapping straight lines through the origin indicating that CFU-E development did not depend on accessory cells and that insulin acted directly on the CFU-E. Human recombinant interleukin 3 (IL-3) and/or granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor had no effect on CFU-E growth, while they markedly enhanced BFU-E growth. Physiological concentrations of recombinant human insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) enhanced CFU-E growth in the absence of insulin and, together with rHuEPO in serum-free medium, provided a plating efficiency equal to that of serum-containing medium. Limiting dilution analysis in serum-free medium with IGF-I showed a straight line through the origin indicating that IGF-I also acted directly on the CFU-E and not through an effect on accessory cells. These data demonstrate that CFU-E do not require accessory cells, but do require IGF-I and/or insulin which act directly on the CFU-E.
Resting energy expenditure in Duchenne patients using home mechanical ventilation
Authors: J. Gonzalez-Bermejo, F. Lofaso, L. Falaize, M. Lejaille, J-C. Raphaël, T. Similowski, J-C. Melchior
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2005)

Nutritional status is both important and difficult to assess in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), particularly in those requiring mechanical ventilation (MV). The current authors evaluated body composition (bio-impedancemetry), resting energy expenditure (REE; indirect calorimetry) and energy intake in 20 adult patients with DMD using home MV (nocturnal: n = 13; continuous: n = 7) and 12 age-matched healthy controls. The patients were smaller in height than the controls and had a lower body weight. Most of the reduction in body mass index was accounted for by a reduction in fat free mass (FFM). REE (kJ) was significantly reduced in the patients (4559±853 kJ·24 h −1 versus 7407±1312 kJ·24 h −1 ), but the difference disappeared after correction for FFM. REE and FFM were correlated in both the controls and patients, but less strongly in the latter, the lower strength of the association being due to the patients using continuous MV (REE and FFM uncorrelated). The food intake of the patients was 1.2±0.4 greater than their REE. This study shows that patients with advanced forms of Duchenne muscular dystrophy have balanced energy intakes and resting energy expenditure.
The promise of a reformed NHS: an economist's angle.
Authors: A J Culyer
Journal: BMJ (1991)

What I have to say can be divided into two parts: the angle and the promise.First, the angle.There are two overriding concerns that must lie at the heart of any economic appraisal of the NHS reforms: the first is efficiency, the second equity.The white paper, its associated working papers, and subsequent circulars have all been unaccountably thin in laying out a coherent and ethical justification for the reforms in terms of these two concerns.This accounts, at least in part, for the almost entirely procedural and mana- gerial way in which the substance of the reforms has been discussed.In this paper I take up the challenge posed by this vast void and try to fill it.One cannot begin to discuss efficiency without talking about objectives, nor can one discuss equity without talking about the entity that is to be equitably distributed.I shall assume that we are concerned with health.Efficiency means using resources in the NHS so as to ensure that they have maximum impact on health; equity means distributing resources in the NHS so that their fruits in terms of better health are fairly distri- buted among the population.
Ultrasensitive electrochemical immunoassay for BRCA1 using BMIM·BF4-coated SBA-15 as labels and functionalized graphene as enhancer
Authors: Yanyan Cai, He Li, Bin Du, Minghui Yang, Yan Li, Dan Wu, Yanfang Zhao, Yuxue Dai, Qin Wei
Journal: Biomaterials (2010)
India's Supreme Court tells government to improve road safety record
Authors: P. Chatterjee
Journal: BMJ (2014)

India’s highest court has acted on an appeal from an orthopaedic surgeon to force the government to do more to improve road safety and reduce deaths from road traffic incidents.

In a landmark judgment on 22 April the Supreme Court of India directed the federal and state governments to implement existing road safety laws and said that it would monitor the actions of government agencies. A three member committee set up by the court will submit a report within three months on whether road safety legislation needs to be rewritten.

India’s …
Testing for cell surface forms of class II major histocompatibility complex antigens and I<sub>i</sub> by radioiodination, biotinylation, and membrane immunofluorescence
Authors: William L. Elliott, Christopher H. Sorli, Patricia S. Reisert, Robert E. Humphreys
Journal: American Journal of Hematology (1989)

Abstract Antibodies to either I i or class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antigens did not recognize cell surface forms of I i in immunoprecipitates of cells that had been radioiodinated by the lactoperoxidase method, whereas they bound [ 35 S]methionine metabolically labeled molecules. N‐hydroxysuccinimidobiotin (NHS‐B) and biotin hydrazide (B‐H) were used to react more generally with cell surface proteins via amino groups and nitrene coupling, respectively. Each of these latter compounds labeled α and β chains of class II MHC antigens as seen in Western‐blotted, electrophoresed immunoprecipitates probed with 125 I‐labeled streptavidin but not I i or its associated forms. Although tyrosine residues might have been inaccessible to radioiodination in carbohydratederivatized forms of I i , the lack of I i biotinylation in these controled, sensitive studies was consistent with the view that I i forms were not surface expressed, with the possible exception of the chondroitin sulfate‐derivatized forms of I i (I i ‐CS).
Chemotherapeutic Agents Subvert Tumor Immunity by Generating Agonists of Platelet-Activating Factor
Authors: Ravi P. Sahu, Jesus A. Ocana, Kathleen A. Harrison, Matheus Ferracini, Christopher E. Touloukian, Mohammed Al-Hassani, Louis Sun, Mathew Loesch, Robert C. Murphy, Sandra K. Althouse, Susan M. Perkins, Paul J. Speicher, Douglas S. Tyler, Raymond L. Konger, Jeffrey B. Travers
Journal: Cancer Research (2014)

Oxidative stress suppresses host immunity by generating oxidized lipid agonists of the platelet-activating factor receptor (PAF-R). Because many classical chemotherapeutic drugs induce reactive oxygen species (ROS), we investigated whether these drugs might subvert host immunity by activating PAF-R. Here, we show that PAF-R agonists are produced in melanoma cells by chemotherapy that is administered in vitro, in vivo, or in human subjects. Structural characterization of the PAF-R agonists induced revealed multiple oxidized glycerophosphocholines that are generated nonenzymatically. In a murine model of melanoma, chemotherapeutic administration could augment tumor growth by a PAF-R-dependent process that could be blocked by treatment with antioxidants or COX-2 inhibitors or by depletion of regulatory T cells. Our findings reveal how PAF-R agonists induced by chemotherapy treatment can promote treatment failure. Furthermore, they offer new insights into how to improve the efficacy of chemotherapy by blocking its heretofore unknown impact on PAF-R activation.