tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Near infrared spectrometry for faecal fat measurement: comparison with conventional gravimetric and titrimetric methods.
Authors: L Benini, S Caliari, G C Guidi, B Vaona, G Talamini, I Vantini, L A Scuro
Journal: Gut (1989)

This investigation was aimed at comparing a new method for measuring faecal fat excretion, carried out with a semi-automated instrument by using near infrared analysis (NIRA), with the traditional titrimetric (Van de Kamer) and gravimetric (Sobel) methods. Near infrared analysis faecal fat was assayed on the three day stool collection from 118 patients (68 chronic pancreatitis, 19 organic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, 19 alcoholic liver disease, 12 functional gastrointestinal disorders). A strict linear correlation was found between NIRA and both the titrimetric (r = 0.928, p less than 0.0001) and the gravimetric (r = 0.971, p less than 0.0001) methods. On homogenised faeces, a mean coefficient of variation of 2.1 (SD 1.71)% was found. Before homogenisation (where a mean coefficient of variation of 7% was found) accurate results were obtained when the mean of five measurements was considered. In conclusion, the assay of faecal fat excretion by the near infrared reflessometry appears a simple, rapid and reliable method for measuring steatorrhoea.
57 MINIMAL-LENGTH SHRNAS ARE POTENT INHIBITORS OF HEPATITIS C VIRUS IN HCV-INFECTED CHIMERIC MICE
Authors: A. Dallas, H. Ma, H. Ilves, J. Shorenstein, M. Behlke, S.-P. Wong, R. Harbottle, I. Maclachlan, S. Kazakov, S. Sankuratri, K. Klumpp, B.H. Johnston
Journal: Journal of Hepatology (2012)
THE ULTRASTRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF THE CELLS IN LYMPH FOLLOWING ANTIGENIC STIMULATION
Authors: J. G. Hall, Bede Morris, Giuliana D. Moreno, Marcel C. Bessis
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1967)

When a lymph node receives an antigenic stimulus the cell population in the efferent lymph changes and large basophilic cells appear. During a secondary immune response cells of this type may account for over 50% of the cells present in lymph. When examined by electron microscopy, many of these cells were found to be primitive undifferentiated blast cells with many free ribosomes in their cytoplasm and only an occasional piece of endoplasmic reticulum. Their nuclear chromatin was sparse and the nuclei contained several nucleoli. Many other cells which were judged to be more differentiated had large numbers of ribosomes arranged in clusters which took the form of rosettes or spirals. These cells also had more ergastoplasm but this occurred usually in the form of short pieces of disorganized endoplasmic reticulum. No cells with the ultrastructure of classical plasma cells were found in efferent lymph although these cells were abundant in the stimulated lymph nodes. It was shown that when the lymph which contained these cells was collected quantitatively no systemic immunity developed even though a vigorous immune response took place in the lymph node with the formation of many plasma cells. Failure of the systemic immune response to develop could not be explained merely in terms of the loss of antibody. It was concluded that these basophilic cells rather than antigen are responsible for propagating the immune response throughout the body and that they depend on an intact lymphatic pathway for their immediate transport. This view was supported by experiments which showed that these cells are capable of initiating immune responses in other lymph nodes of the same animal and of transferring active immunity between chimeric twins. The most likely explanation of these results is that the basophilic lymphoid cells carry out their messenger function by developing into plasma cells at sites remote from the site at which antigen is localized. However this has yet to be proven and the possibility remains that these mobile, highly motile, RNA-rich cells may express their messenger function by transferring information to other effector cells.
Topical preparations for the treatment of psoriasis: a systematic review
Authors: J. Mason, A.R. Mason, M.J. Cork
Journal: British Journal of Dermatology (2002)

Summary Background There is clinical uncertainty about the appropriate use of first‐line topical treatments for psoriasis. Objectives To assess the relative effectiveness and tolerability of topical treatments for psoriasis suitable for use both in primary and secondary care. Methods All major medical databases of published literature were searched electronically; references of trial reports and recent reviews were searched; authors and companies were contacted for missing data from published reports. The study selection comprised: (1) randomized placebo‐controlled trials of topical treatments for psoriasis; and (2) randomized head‐to‐head studies of the new vitamin D3 derivative treatments for psoriasis that reported clinical outcome using a Total Severity Score (TSS), Psoriasis Area Severity Index or Investigator Assessment of Global Improvement. Eligibility and validity were assessed and data extracted independently by two authors. Clinical outcomes were pooled using a random effect standardized weighted mean difference (SWMD) metric, including 3380 patients randomized in 41 placebo (vehicle)‐controlled trials and 4898 patients randomized in 28 head‐to‐head studies. Results There was a significant benefit in favour of active treatments against vehicle, SWMD: −1·06 (95% confidence interval [CI]: −1·26 to −0·86), approximately a 2‐point improvement on a 12‐point TSS after 6–8 weeks of treatment. The only significantly different benefit was for very potent corticosteroids: SWMD: −1·51 (95% CI: −1·76 to −1·25), approximately a 3‐point improvement on a 12‐point TSS. Head‐to‐head studies support these findings, except that calcipotriol was estimated to be more effective than dithranol, coal tar and other vitamin D3 derivatives. Polytherapy, using a potent steroid and calcipotriol, was more effective than calcipotriol alone: SWMD 0·42 (95% CI: 0·12–0·72) approximately a 0·8‐point improvement on a 12‐point TSS. No important differences in withdrawal or reporting of adverse events were identified. Conclusions Trials of short duration neither adequately inform the management of chronic disease nor describe the sequelae of treatment. The evidence base for long‐term care, reflecting the disease pathway, should be improved. Combination therapy with topical vitamin D analogues and steroids, and maintenance therapy following treatment response merit further investigation.
FAILURE OF SULFONAMIDE DRUGS TO INTERFERE WITH ANTIBODY RESPONSE
Authors: Samuel C. Bukantz
Journal: JAMA (1942)

To the Editor:—  A recent editorial (The Journal, May 23, p. 346) comments on the failure of sulfonamide drugs to interfere with spontaneous antibody responses to pneumococcic infections as illustrated by Curnen and MacLeod's ( J. Exper. Med.  75 :77 [Jan.] 1942) experimental observations with rabbits. In the course of that editorial, papers of Kneeland and Mulliken ( J. Clin. Investigation  19 :307 [March], 735 [Sept.] 1940) and of Bukantz and de Gara ( J. Immunol.  39 :195 [Sept.] 1940) are quoted to illustrate unfavorable results of antibody study in cases of human pneumococcic pneumonia treated with sulfonamide drugs. The figures attributed to Bukantz and de Gara are somewhat misleading in this regard, since the figures had been incorporated in the paper quoted only in a discussion of a method of testing for pneumococcus precipitins in human serums. When the precipitin reaction is the sole immunologic test employed (as by Kneeland and Mulliken)
GMC reprimands consultant for terminating pregnancy without consent
Authors: O. Dyer
Journal: BMJ (2002)

A consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist was severely reprimanded by the General Medical Council last week for terminating a pregnancy without his patient's consent. Reginald Dixon, 65, elected to continue a hysterectomy after he discovered a previously unsuspected 11 week old fetus.

Mr Dixon performed the operation in 1993 and was acquitted of illegally procuring a miscarriage at Nottingham Crown Court in 1995. He retired last October. The GMC was not made aware of the case until a private complaint was lodged …
Hemodynamic Mechanisms of Emerging Portal Hypertension Caused by Schistosomiasis in the Hamster
Authors: James S. Morgan, Roberto J. Groszmann, Marcos Rojkind, Rosa Enriquez
Journal: Hepatology (1990)

A hamster model of schistosomiasis has provided the first opportunity to sequentially examine the early phases of the development of portal hypertension in a natural model of chronic liver disease. Groups of hamsters were infected with 50 cercariae of Schistosoma mansoni and underwent hemodynamic evaluation at intervals of 5, 8, 12 and 20 wk after infection. A progressive rise in intrahepatic resistance (from 4.0 ± 0.4 to 8.4 ± 1.0 mm Hg min. ml -1 . gm liver weight [p &lt;0.01]) appeared to play a major role in the initial stages of evolving portal hypertension. A gradual decline in portal blood flow (from 2.1 ± 0.3 to 1.3 ± 0.1 ml. min -1 gm -1 liver weight [p &lt;0.01]) was only partially compensated for by an increase in hepatic arterial flow. Accordingly, by week 20, total hepatic blood flow decreased 23%. Liver weight that increased markedly between 5 and 12 wk after infection, as a result of the acute accumulation of obstructing granulomas, stabilized between wk 12 and 20, while a gradual but progressive rise in hepatic collagen content was seen. Portal pressure increased 75% during the study period. Chronic examination of this natural model should help define the pathogenesis of the complications of portal hypertension and contribute to the basis for effective intervention in this disease process.
223 COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF A NEW MODEL OF SPECIALISTIC CAREGIVING FOR OUTPATIENTS WITH CIRRHOSIS AND ASCITES; A PROSPECTIVE STUDY
Authors: F. Morando, G. Maresio, S.S. Piano, S. Fasolato, M. Cavallin, A. Romano, S. Rosi, E. Gola, A. Sticca, A.C. Frigo, M. Stanco, C. Destro, G. Rupolo, D. Mantoan, P. Angeli, A. Gatta
Journal: Journal of Hepatology (2013)
Symptomatic significance of gastric mucosal changes after surgery for peptic ulcer.
Authors: A M Hoare, E L Jones, J Alexander-Williams, C F Hawkins
Journal: Gut (1977)

Eighty-four patients who had undergone different types of operation for duodenal ulcer have been studied by endoscopy and gastric biopsy. Half suffered from dyspepsia and vomiting but the other half had no symptoms and acted as controls. Endoscopic and histological abnormalities were found in both groups of patients. However, certain findings occurred more commonly in those with symptoms; severe and extensive hyperaemia, bile staining of the gastric mucus, and bile reflux seen on endoscopy were all significantly more common in those with symptoms than in those without. Active gastritis in the proximal stomach was also more common in those with symptoms. Gastritis of the stoma and antrum was found in 89% of all patients; as it was unconnected with symptoms it can be regarded as a "normal" finding. The incidences of contact bleeding, erosions, and oedema were not significantly different in the two groups.
Chronic cardiac rejection in the LEW to F344 rat model. Blockade of CD28-B7 costimulation by CTLA4Ig modulates T cell and macrophage activation and attenuates arteriosclerosis.
Authors: M E Russell, W W Hancock, E Akalin, A F Wallace, T Glysing-Jensen, T A Willett, M H Sayegh
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (1996)

CTLA4Ig, a fusion protein that blocks CD28-B7 costimulation, was studied in a LEW to F344 rat model of chronic cardiac rejection. In rats treated with a single dose of CTLA4Ig (0.5 mg intraperitoneally) 2 d after transplantation, allografts survived significantly longer ( > 70 d in 64%) than in untreated controls or rats treated with control Ig (all rejected within 25 d). Only 25% of grafts from rats treated with a single, high dose of cyclosporine A (25 mg/kg, 2 d after transplantation) survived longer than 70 d. Reverse transcriptase PCR and immunostaining analyses of tissue from 75-d, CTLA4Ig-treated allografts showed reduced expression of the T cell factor IFN-gamma and macrophage activation factors monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, inducible nitric oxide synthase, and galactose/N-acetylgalactosamine macrophage lectin, as well as TGF-beta. Grafts from longterm survivors ( > 120 d) treated with CTLA4Ig showed significant reductions in the frequency and severity of arteriosclerosis in comparison with cyclosporine A-treated rats. Thus, T cell activation is a proximal event in the cascade that culminates in the arteriosclerosis of chronic rejection. Strategies for blocking T cell costimulation may help prevent chronic rejection in clinical transplantation.
Hypercalcitonemia in Bronchogenic Cancer
Authors: Omega L. Silva
Journal: JAMA (1975)

Retrograde venous catheterization in a hypercalcitonemic patient with adenocarcinoma of the lung demonstrated that the thyroid gland was secreting a very large amount of hormone (14-fold higher than the peripheral level), while the venous drainage from the tumor deposits was similar in concentration to that of the periphery. Conceivably, the calcitonin is being elaborated in response to metastatic and humoral bone resorption or both. Radiotherapy resulted in a decrease in the calcitonin level. Further studies are needed to determine the diagnostic or prognostic implications of serum calcitonin in bronchogenic cancer. (<i>JAMA</i>234:183-185, 1975)
Stimulatory autoantibodies to PDGF receptor in patients with extensive chronic graft-versus-host disease
Authors: Silvia Svegliati, Attilio Olivieri, Nadia Campelli, Michele Luchetti, Antonella Poloni, Silvia Trappolini, Gianluca Moroncini, Andrea Bacigalupo, Pietro Leoni, Enrico V. Avvedimento, Armando Gabrielli
Journal: Blood (2007)
A molecule's right to choose: how diabetogenic class II MHC products bind peptides
Authors: H. L. Ploegh
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (2005)

The distinction between peptides that bind to class II MHC products under laboratory conditions and those that do so physiologically is important for the prediction of antigens recognized by autoreactive T cells. In this issue of the JCI, Suri et al., using antigen-presenting cells, compared the peptides that bound to human HLA-DQ8 and those that bound to mouse I-Ag7, both class II MHC products that predispose their carriers to type 1 diabetes. The rules of engagement for the peptide ligands of the DQ8 and I-Ag7 molecules involve similarities in their anchor residues, which mediate stable interaction with class II MHC products. The peptides identified derive from overlapping sets of self proteins.
DIAPHRAGMATIC PLEURISY: A DIAGNOSTIC TEST
Authors: Gerald B. Webb
Journal: JAMA (1927)

Haufbauer and Holzknecht<sup>1</sup>first noted that the diaphragm of the dependent side in a person lying on one side made a larger excursion and was relatively higher than the half of the diaphragm on the upper side. The probable explanation of this change is that the abdominal viscera drop to the dependent side and push up that half of the diaphragm. In a series of observations published with J. A. Sevier,<sup>2</sup>we noted that "in most subjects—but not in all—the diaphragm on the dependent side at first increases its excursion," and also "at the end of from thirty to sixty minutes the increase in the diaphragm excursion subsides and the diaphragm movement of the two sides may be equal or reversed." For several years I have found that this physiologic variation could be used as a diagnostic test for diaphragmatic pleurisy. It is well known that the
Prognostic value of early features in rheumatoid disease.
Authors: A Fleming, J M Crown, M Corbett
Journal: BMJ (1976)

<h3>Background/Aims</h3> To assess the effectiveness, burden and safety of two categories of treatment for central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO): intravitreal injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) and dexamethasone (Ozurdex). <h3>Methods</h3> A retrospective analysis of Medisoft electronic medical record (EMR) data from 27 National Health Service sites in the UK identified 4626 treatment-naive patients with a single mode of treatment for macular oedema secondary to CRVO. Statistics describing the overall CRVO patient cohort and individual patient subpopulations stratified by treatment type were generated. Mean age at baseline, gender, ethnicity, social deprivation and visual acuity (VA) follow-up was reported. Absolute and change in VA using ETDRS are used to describe treatment effectiveness, the number of injections and visits used to describe treatment burden and endophthalmitis rates as a marker of treatment safety. <h3>Results</h3> Mean VA was 47.9 and 45.3 EDTRS letters in the anti-VEGF and Ozurdex groups, respectively. This changed to 57.9/53.7 at 12 months, 58.3/46.9 at 18 months and 59.4/51.0 at 36 months. Mean number of injections were 5.6/1.6 at 12 months, 6.0/1.7 at 18 months and 7.0/1.8 at 36 months. Endophthalmitis rates were 0.003% (n=4) for the anti-VEGF group and 0.09% (n=1) for the Ozurdex group. <h3>Conclusions</h3> VA improvements were greater and more sustained with anti-VEGF treatment. Lower starting acuity resulted in bigger gains in both groups, while higher starting acuity resulted in higher VA at 36 months. Although treatment burden was greater with anti-VEGF, Ozurdex was associated with higher rates of endophthalmitis.
Risk factors for hamstring injuries in community level Australian football
Authors: B J Gabbe, C F Finch, K L Bennell, H Wajswelner
Journal: British Journal of Sports Medicine (2005)

Objectives: To identify risk factors for hamstring injury at the community level of Australian football. Methods: A total of 126 community level Australian football players participated in this prospective cohort study. To provide baseline measurements, they completed a questionnaire and had a musculoskeletal screen during the 2000 preseason. All were monitored over the season. Injury surveillance and exposure data were collected for the full season. Survival analysis was used to identify independent predictors of hamstring injury. Results: A hamstring injury was the first injury of the season in 20 players (16%). After adjustment for exposure, increasing age and decreased quadriceps flexibility were identified as significant independent predictors of the time to sustaining a hamstring injury. Older age (⩾23 years) was associated with an increased risk of hamstring injury (RR 3.8; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1 to 14.0; p = 0.044). Players with increased quadriceps flexibility (as measured by the modified Thomas test) were less likely to sustain a hamstring injury (RR 0.3; 95% CI 0.1 to 0.8; p = 0.022). Conclusions: The findings of this study can be used in the development of hamstring injury prevention strategies and to identify Australian football players at increased risk of hamstring injury.
RESEARCH WORK IN THE HYGIENIC LABORATORY OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND MARINE-HOSPITAL SERVICE.
Authors: H. D. GEDDINGS
Journal: JAMA (1904)

From small beginnings, research work in the laboratory of the service has grown to important proportions. It is believed that a short sketch of the growth of the laboratory woulld serve to show better than extended remarks the process of development through which it has passed. The laboratory was inaugurated as a laboratory of pathology and bacteriology, principally the latter, at the Marine-Hospital of the Port of New York, situated at Stapleton, Staten Island, in 1887. For several years it was in charge of one officer who devoted such time to it only as could be spared from his professional duties in the hospital. In 1891 the Marine-Hospital Service, having been provided with an office building for its exclusive use, the laboratory was removed from New York to Washington, and from 1891, to March, 1904, occupied one floor of the office building of the service, undergoing meanwhile a steady development.
KAI1, A new metastasis suppressor gene, is reduced in metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Xiao-Zhong Guo, Helmut Friess, Fabio F. Di Mola, Jean-Marc Heinicke, Mohamed Abou-Shady, Hans U. Graber, Hans U. Baer, Arthur Zimmermann, Murray Korc, Markus W. Büchler
Journal: Hepatology (1998)

Down–regulation of KAI1 expression has been shown to be associated with formation of metastases or disease progression in prostate and pancreatic cancer. In the present study we analyzed the expression pattern of KAI1 in metastatic and nonmetastatic hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) in comparison with normal livers to evaluate whether alteration of KAI1 also facilitates the metastatic ability in this malignancy. Thirty–nine primary HCCs and 10 normal liver tissue samples were studied for KAI1 messenger RNA (mRNA) expression with use of Northern blot analysis and in situ hybridization. By Northern blot analysis, moderate to strong KAI1 mRNA expression was present in normal liver samples. In contrast, KAI1 mRNA expression in tissue samples of primary HCCs was markedly decreased compared with normal controls. The normal/tumor ratio of KAI1 mRNA expression was 2.6:1 ( P &lt; .01). Primary HCCs that gave rise to metastasis showed significantly lower KAI1 mRNA levels than nonmetastasized HCCs ( P &lt; .05). As seen by in situ hybridization, moderate to strong cytoplasmic KAI1 mRNA staining was present in almost all normal hepatocytes. Bile ducts, blood vessels, and connective tissue showed no or only faint KAI1 mRNA expression in the normal liver samples. In nonmetastatic HCCs, the cancer cells exhibited in situ hybridization signals that were similar to the normal controls. In contrast, most of the primary HCC cells in samples with metastases showed only faint or moderate KAI1 mRNA expression predominantly in the perinuclear regions. When KAI1 mRNA expression of primary hepatocellular cancer cells was compared with metastasized cancer cells in lymph nodes, with intrahepatic satellite metastasis, or with peritoneal metastasis in the same patients, significantly lower ( P &lt; .01) KAI1 mRNA levels were present in the metastasized HCC cells. Reduced KAI1 mRNA in HCC cells seems to influence their metastatic ability and thereby enhances the malignant potential of HCC
Histoplasma Endocarditis Cured with Amphotericin
Authors: Carol Segal, C. Gene Wheeler, Ralph Tompsett
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (1969)

ENDOCARDITIS due to fungi is a rare disease and one in which little success has been achieved in therapy. Seventeen cases of endocarditis due to Histoplasma capsulatum have been reported,1 2 3 4 5 6 7 and in the main the diagnoses have been made on post-mortem examination. Only one case has been reported as cured with antimicrobial therapy.1 The purpose of this paper is to report a case of histoplasma endocarditis in which the diagnosis was first suggested by microscopical examination of tissue removed at femoral embolectomy. Confirmatory evidence was obtained with serum complement-fixation tests and by examination of the tissue with fluorescent-antibody staining. The . . .