tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Depression Associated With Candida albicans Infections
Authors: William G. Crook
Journal: JAMA (1984)

<h3>To the Editor.—</h3> In a recent article, Gold and Pearsall<sup>1</sup>commented, "Patients seen for evaluation of depression may have either a primary affective disorder or one secondary to some medical illness." I am writing to report that depression is commonly related to prolonged or repeated courses of broad-spectrum antibiotics or to birth control pills, which promote the overgrowth of<i>Candida albicans</i>on mucous membranes.<sup>2,3</sup> Although mechanisms involved still have not been clearly elucidated, it appears that toxins produced by excessive<i>Candida</i>growth affect various parts of the body, including the immune and endocrine systems and neurotransmitters. Depression and other disorders related to<i>C albicans</i>can be suspected from clinical history, followed by a therapeutic response to oral nystatin and a yeast-free, low-carbohydrate diet.
The Use of Digitalis in Spite of the Presence of Ventricular Tachycardia
Authors: J. S. GILSON, F. R. SCHEMM
Journal: Circulation (1950)

The authors' observations throw some doubt on the validity of objections to the use of digitalis in the presence of ventricular tachycardia. These observations demonstrate that digitalis can be used liberally and that it does not appear to interfere with conversion to a normal mechanism. They suggest that digitalis may even set the stage for reconversion by aiding the failing heart.
Maternal age, illegitimacy, and postneonatal mortality.
Authors: R. R. Gordon, R. Sunderland
Journal: BMJ (1988)

Researchers examined the relationship between postneonatal mortality (PNM) and maternal age and illegitimacy using data from 1975-1985. In the United Kingdom, the main causes of PNM include sudden infant death syndrome (43.8%), congenital anomalies (18.5%), and all types of infection (164%), while from 1900-1975 infections were the leading cause of infant death. The results showed that for all mothers older than 20 years old the PNM rate for illegitimate infants was always higher than that for legitimate infants. For example, for mothers 25-29 years old the average PNM for illegitimate infants was 6/1000 live births and for legitimate infants it was close to 3.45/1000 live births. As for teenage mothers, however, the rates were the same and both the legitimate and illegitimate PNM rates were high (averaged approximately 7.5 deaths/100 live births). There has been a recent rise in the PNM rate in the United Kingdom, and the increasing illegitimacy rate (from 9% in 1975 to 19% presently) may have contributed to the growth in the PNM rate. Specifically, 60% of all infants born to teenage women are illegitimate. Traditional arguments addressing the lack of access to medical care do not explain this phenomenon since these women do indeed have access to free medical care via the National Health System (NHS). Statistics show that teenagers do use contraception, therefore this trend, especially among those in the inner cities, poses serious implications for the NHS.
ARE ACUTE DECOMPENSATED VOLUME OVERLOADED HEART FAILURE PATIENTS BEING DIURESED AS RECOMMENDED BY ACCF/AHA HEART FAILURE GUIDELINES?
Authors: Ankitkumar Patel, Nitasha Sarswat, Arun Janakiraman, Ankita Patel, Elias Iliadis
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2012)
Trends in Emergent Hernia Repair in the United States
Authors: Christopher A. Beadles, Ashley D. Meagher, Anthony G. Charles
Journal: JAMA Surgery (2015)

Abdominal wall hernia is one of the most common conditions encountered by general surgeons. Rising rates of abdominal wall hernia repair have been described; however, population-based evidence concerning incidence rates of emergent hernia repair and changes with time are unknown.To examine trends in rates of emergent abdominal hernia repair within the United States for inguinal, femoral, ventral, and umbilical hernias from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2010.A retrospective analysis of adults with emergent hernia repair using National Center for Health Statistics data, a nationally representative sample of inpatient hospitalizations in the United States that occurred from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2010. All emergent hernia repairs were identified during the study period.Incidence rates per 100,000 person-years, age, and sex adjusted to the 2010 US census population estimates were calculated for selected subcategories of emergent hernia repairs and time trends were evaluated.An estimated 2.3 million inpatient abdominal hernia repairs were performed from 2001 to 2010; of which an estimated 567,000 were performed emergently. A general increase in the rate of total emergent hernias was observed from 16.0 to 19.2 emergent hernia repairs per 100,000 person-years in 2001 and 2010, respectively. In 2010, emergent hernia rates were highest among adults 65 years and older, with 71.3 and 42.0 emergent hernia repairs per 100,000 person-years for men and women, respectively. As expected, femoral hernia rates were higher among women while emergent inguinal hernia rates were higher among men. Rates of emergent incisional hernia repair were high but relatively stable among older women, with 24.9 and 23.5 per 100,000 person-years in 2001 and 2010, respectively. However, rates of emergent incisional hernia repair among older men rose significantly, with 7.8 to 32.0 per 100,000 person-years from 2001 to 2010, respectively.These increasing rates of emergent incisional hernia repair are troublesome owing to the significantly increased risk morbidity and mortality associated with emergent hernia repair. While this increased mortality risk is multifactorial, it is likely associated with older age and the accompanying serious comorbidities.
Abstract 2318: <i>Azadirachta indica</i> leaf extract attenuates angiogenesis in endothelial cells
Authors: Saswati Mahapatra, Charles Y.F Young, Donald J. Tindall, Krishna Vanaja Donkena
Journal: Cancer Research (2012)

Abstract Azadirachta indica (common name: neem) leaves have been found to possess immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties. Neem leaves contain multiple bioactive compounds that could target multiple signaling pathways dysregulated in cancer. The present study evaluates anti-angiogenic potential of ethanol extract of neem leaves (EENL) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Treatment of HUVECs with EENL inhibited VEGF induced angiogenic response, assessed by the formation of tubes in vitro and the formation of vascular structure in the angioreactor in vivo. The in vitro proliferation, invasion and migration of HUVECs were suppressed with EENL. Nuclear fragmentation and abnormally small mitochondria with dilated cristae were observed in EENL treated HUVECs by transmission electron microscopy. Genome-wide mRNA expression profiling after treatment with EENL revealed differentially regulated genes. Expression changes for the 30 up-regulated and 30 down-regulated genes were validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Additionally, increase in the expression of HMOX1, ATF3 and EGR1 proteins were determined by immunoblotting. Analysis of the compounds in the EENL by mass spectrometry with mobile phase containing sodium acetate suggests the presence of nimbolide, 2′, 3′-dehydrosalannol, 6-desacetyl nimbinene and nimolinone. We further confirmed antiproliferative activity of nimbolide and 2′, 3′-dehydrosalannol in HUVECs. Our results suggest that EENL by regulating the genes involved in cellular development and cell death functions could control cell proliferation, attenuate the stimulatory effects of VEGF and exert antiangiogenic effects. EENL treatment could have a potential therapeutic role during cancer progression. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2318. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-2318
Characterization of specific IgE response <i>in vitro</i> against protein and drug allergens using atopic and normal donors
Authors: A. Åkesson, S. Ingvarsson, F. Karlsson, L. Leyva, M. Blanca, S. A. Cuerden, J. A. Smith, J. W. Coleman, C. A. K. Borrebaeck
Journal: Allergy (2002)

Background: As the incidence of allergy to different compounds increases in society, the need to understand and characterize specific IgE responses becomes obvious. Different cell culture systems have been evaluated for their ability to support such IgE secretion. Methods: One system employed human peripheral lymphocytes (PBL) from normal donors stimulated with anti‐CD3 activated T cells with or without the presence of allergens like benzylpenicillin (BP) and Phlenum pratense (PP). Secretion of IgE was analyzed in ELISA and compared to the IgG response to the nonallergenic antigen tetanus toxoid (TT). Another system employed stimulation of T and B cells with a heterotope, consisting of a T helper cell epitope derived from TT, and a B cell allergen epitope derived from BP. The specific IgE secretion was compared, using lymphocytes from normal as well as BP‐allergic donors. Results: Anti‐CD3 stimulated T cells supported BP‐specific IgE secretion in six of 11 normal donors. This response was inhibited in four donors and enhanced in two donors by the addition of the BP‐allergen to the culture. In contrast, addition of the protein allergen (PP) or antigen (TT) to the same culture system inhibited both IgE and IgG synthesis in all experiments. Cells from the majority (10/16) of the BP‐allergic donors failed to produce BP‐specific IgE in vitro , when cultured in the presence of allergen. Conclusions: An allergen specific immune response is readily generated in vitro . The differential response against benzylpenicillin between different donor categories most probably reflects the level of pre‐exposure to this allergen in vivo .
Clinical study of the lactational amenorrhoea method for family planning
Authors: A Pérez, M.H Labbok, J.T Queenan
Journal: The Lancet (1992)

The effect of breastfeeding on fertility is well known; however, its use as a method of family planning was, until recently, untested. In 1988, the Bellagio Consensus Conference proposed guidelines that became the basis for a method of family planning called the lactational amenorrhoea method (LAM). The principle of LAM is that a woman who continues to fully or nearly fully breastfeed her infant and who remains amenorrhoeic during the first 6 months postpartum is protected from pregnancy during that time. We have assessed this method in the context of a breastfeeding support intervention study of 422 middle-class women in urban Santiago, Chile. The cumulative 6-month life-table pregnancy rate was 0·45% among women who relied on LAM as their only family planning method (1 woman pregnant in month 6). The findings indicate that LAM, with its high acceptance and efficacy, is a viable method of family planning and can safely serve as an introductory method for breastfeeding women.
Hyperamylasemia in Patients with Eating Disorders
Authors: Laurie L. Humphries, Linas J. Adams, John H. Eckfeldt, Mike D. Levitt, Craig J. McCLAIN
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1987)

Hyperamylasemia, which has been reported in patients with the eating disorders anorexia nervosa and bulimia, generally has been thought to result from pancreatitis. To evaluate the mechanisms of hyperamylasemia, we measured amylase, lipase, and isoamylase activity in 17 consecutive patients admitted to the eating disorder unit. Six patients had elevated amylase activity, and 5 of these 6 had isolated increases in salivary isoamylase activity. Six other patients had normal serum total amylase activity but modest elevations in the salivary isoamylase fraction. No patient developed clinical evidence of pancreatitis during hospitalization. Thus, the hyperamylasemia in patients with anorexia and bulimia often is caused by increased salivary-type amylase activity. The appropriate diagnostic test for hyperamylasemia in patients with anorexia or bulimia is the simple measurement of serum lipase or pancreatic isoamylase activity. If these levels are found to be normal, further tests to exclude pancreatitis are unnecessary.
Hepatitis G virus in patients with cryptogenic liver disease undergoing liver transplantation
Authors: M G Pessoa, N A Terrault, L D Ferrell, J P Kim, J Kolberg, J Detmer, M L Collins, A J Yun, M Viele, J R Lake, J P Roberts, N L Ascher, T L Wright
Journal: Hepatology (1997)

To examine the prevalence of hepatitis G virus (HGV) in end-stage liver disease of unknown cause and the role of HGV infection in posttransplantation hepatitis, we studied 46 patients undergoing liver transplantation (mean age, 50 years; M: F, 18:28) with cryptogenic cirrhosis. HGV RNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and was quantified by a branched DNA (bDNA) assay. The prevalence of HGV RNA was determined in samples collected before and after liver transplantation and was found to be 22% and 67%, respectively. We evaluated the prevalence of posttransplantation hepatitis in 25 patients, 16 of whom were HGV-positive and 9 were HGV-negative. The proportion of patients with hepatitis was not significantly different in the two groups (38% in HGV-positive and 22% in HGV-negative patients). The median histological scores were significantly higher in liver biopsies from patients with HGV infection than in those without HGV infection (2 [range, 0-14] and 1 [range, 0-3]; P = .01), but the histological scores were low overall. The duration of follow-up was similar in the two groups. HGV RNA levels were not correlated with the severity of liver disease based on histological score (r = −.08). Graft survival and patient survival were not significantly different. We concluded that liver disease was frequent (32%) after transplantation in patients with a pretransplantation diagnosis of cryptogenic cirrhosis, although the disease was generally mild. Although HGV RNA was demonstrable in the majority (67%) of patients after transplantation, there was no relationship between the presence of HGV RNA and the presence of posttransplantation liver disease. The finding of posttransplantation hepatitis in the absence of known viruses (A-G), suggests that other, as-yet-unidentified viruses may be important.
Temperature and cardiovascular mortality
Authors: P Wilmshurst
Journal: BMJ (1994)

Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in most developed countries, but mortality is particularly high in some parts of Britain. These high rates can be lowered only if the causes are understood. Preventive campaigns have concentrated on smoking, hypertension, and hyperlipidaemia. These risk factors explain at most half of all myocardial infarctions.1

Deaths and hospital admissions for coronary heart disease and stroke are higher in winter than in summer in many temperate countries.2 In some winters mortality has been as much as 70% higher than in the summers. The size of the winter excess is related to the difference in environmental temperature. Excess winter cardiovascular mortality has fallen in recent years, but it remains numerically far more important than other causes of winter deaths such as respiratory infections or hypothermia.3 Seasonal fluctuations in cardiovascular events are greater in Britain than in some other countries with wider temperature variations and colder winters, and this suggests that the excess winter deaths may be preventable.2 Lesser seasonal variations may be related to more constant indoor temperatures in those countries. In Britain excess winter mortality is greatest in socially deprived people who have the worst domestic heating and the highest overall mortality.

Seasonal variations in vascular events do not necessarily result in an increase in annual mortality. Deaths …
Psilosis (Linguae et Mucosae Intestini)
Authors: G. Thin
Journal: BMJ (1890)

clots.In this case an ab9cess forms, and the poison of pyeemia is thus circulated.The necropsy showed that the left profunda femoris artery had been the seat of a small aneurysm about the size of a hazel nut, and that this had burst at last into the muscles of the thigh.In this way a column of blood was driven with peculiar force with each pulsation and injected into the muscles, compressing suddenly the anterior crural and the great sciatic nerves.This fully accounted for the agonising pain experienced.In this case there was no reason to believe that the valvular disease was of infective character; or, in other words, that it was an instance of so-called ulcerative or malignant endocarditis.The clinical, no less than the post-mortem, evidence was against this view of the case.In a mechanical sense, the profunda femoris artery presents a favourable position for an obstructing embolus, and I think it probable that a secondary thrombus may have ex- tended from this vessel along the external circumflex artery.And now in respect of treatment of this and such like cases.I regret to say there is little to be done.The indication is to secure rest and to maintain good nutrition of the cardiac walls.Without an exact diagnosis we acted rightly in this case.And here I would
American psychotherapy goes on the internet
Authors: Fred Charatan
Journal: BMJ (2000)

Websites offering mental health counselling and psychotherapy are springing up on the internet. Some sites are run by well respected, long established organisations offering free, confidential services; others are run by smaller, less well known bodies, which demand high fees.

The US National Mental Health Association, for example, offers a free, anonymous, and confidential screening test for clinical depression online at www.nmha.org. The website, which opened in February, says: “The interactive depression screening feature educates visitors about the symptoms and treatments for depression and guides them toward appropriate professional help …
A Randomized Study of Endobronchial Valves for Advanced Emphysema
Authors: Frank C. Sciurba, Armin Ernst, Felix J.F. Herth, Charlie Strange, Gerard J. Criner, Charles H. Marquette, Kevin L. Kovitz, Richard P. Chiacchierini, Jonathan Goldin, Geoffrey McLennan
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (2010)

Endobronchial valves that allow air to escape from a pulmonary lobe but not enter it can induce a reduction in lobar volume that may thereby improve lung function and exercise tolerance in patients with pulmonary hyperinflation related to advanced emphysema.We compared the safety and efficacy of endobronchial-valve therapy in patients with heterogeneous emphysema versus standard medical care. Efficacy end points were percent changes in the forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and the 6-minute walk test on intention-to-treat analysis. We assessed safety on the basis of the rate of a composite of six major complications.Of 321 enrolled patients, 220 were randomly assigned to receive endobronchial valves (EBV group) and 101 to receive standard medical care (control group). At 6 months, there was an increase of 4.3% in the FEV1 in the EBV group (an increase of 1.0 percentage point in the percent of the predicted value), as compared with a decrease of 2.5% in the control group (a decrease of 0.9 percentage point in the percent of the predicted value). Thus, there was a mean between-group difference of 6.8% in the FEV1 (P=0.005). Roughly similar between-group differences were observed for the 6-minute walk test. At 12 months, the rate of the complications composite was 10.3% in the EBV group versus 4.6% in the control group (P=0.17). At 90 days, in the EBV group, as compared with the control group, there were increased rates of exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) requiring hospitalization (7.9% vs. 1.1%, P=0.03) and hemoptysis (6.1% vs. 0%, P=0.01). The rate of pneumonia in the target lobe in the EBV group was 4.2% at 12 months. Greater radiographic evidence of emphysema heterogeneity and fissure completeness was associated with an enhanced response to treatment.Endobronchial-valve treatment for advanced heterogeneous emphysema induced modest improvements in lung function, exercise tolerance, and symptoms at the cost of more frequent exacerbations of COPD, pneumonia, and hemoptysis after implantation. (Funded by Pulmonx; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00129584.)
Cellular immunohistopathology of acute, subacute, and chronic synovitis in rheumatoid arthritis.
Authors: Y T Konttinen, V Bergroth, D Nordstrom, K Koota, B Skrifvars, G Hagman, C Friman, M Hamalainen, P Slatis
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (1985)

Cellular inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synovial membrane was studied in biopsy specimens taken at different stages of synovitis and disease. Patients were classified into three subgroups: acute RA, subacute RA, and chronic RA. Inflammatory cells were characterised by a histochemical esterase method and immunohistochemical peroxidase-antiperoxidase (PAP) and avidin-biotin-peroxidase (ABC) staining. The amounts and distribution of inflammatory cells were different in various stages of the synovitis. In acute onset RA monocytes and granulocytes predominated, suggesting that the beginning of rheumatoid inflammation is similar to inflammatory reaction in general. The presence of T cells and also of plasma cells in subacute RA suggests underlying subclinical changes also in apparently healthy joints in RA. The most typical feature of prolonged synovitis in chronic RA was its intensity, characterised by the presence of large T cell and plasma cell infiltrates. Our findings suggest that the immunological mechanisms are secondary to the tissue damage caused by the initial inflammatory events of unknown cause. However, the immunological mechanisms may still play a central role in the aetiopathogenesis, because findings in chronic RA suggest a defective down-regulation of the immune response.
Variable schedules of ibuprofen for ankle sprains.
Authors: G R McLatchie, C Allister, C MacEwen, G Hamilton, H McGregor, I Colquhuon, N J Pickvance
Journal: British Journal of Sports Medicine (1985)

In a study of 144 patients, with Grade 1 and 2 inversion injuries to the ankle sustained in sport, treatment with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory was considerably superior to placebo with respect to joint tenderness, level of training and injury severity. No difference in efficacy could be determined between ibuprofen 2400 mg given in two or four equally divided daily doses. Ten patients withdrew from the study because of side effects, five from ibuprofen twice daily, three from ibuprofen four times daily and two from the placebo group. This study confirms the efficacy, flexibility and tolerability of high dose ibuprofen.