tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Dr Johnson's animal passions
Authors: T. Dalrymple
Journal: BMJ (2010)

Doctor Johnson sometimes accused himself of idleness, though his collected works, even without his dictionary and his edition of Shakespeare, are several thousand pages long.

He wrote extensively about matters medical—so extensively, in fact, that this medical writing far exceeds in extent the writing of the overwhelming majority of doctors in history. He wrote biographies of the Dutch physician Herman Boerhaave, for example, and Thomas Sydenham; he reviewed many medical books. He believed that medicine was of the second greatest benefit to humankind—after religion—and he kept abreast of developments in medicine.

Dr Johnson’s brief essay in the Idler for Saturday 5 August 1758, however, is the strongest attack on vivisection written in the 18th century, perhaps indeed …
Herbert Abrams: how best to resolve uncertainty
Authors: B. J. Montgomery
Journal: JAMA (1979)

The imaging revolution has assumed great prominence in the medical world in the past year or two. Few organ systems or structures of the body remain inaccessible with at least one of the new tools of radiology, though improvements are still needed. Last year, in fact, radiology equipment claimed the greatest part of most hospital budgets. To comment on these major changes,<i>JAMA</i>MEDICAL NEWS sought out Herbert L. Abrams, MD, chairman of the Department of Radiology at Harvard Medical School and at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, Boston. For over 20 years, Abrams has been at the forefront of many advances that have led up to the present "revolution," particularly in the field of cardiovascular radiology. For example, while first teaching at Stanford more than two decades ago, he helped develop biplane cineangiocardiography linked to image amplification. "It's taken a while for the rest of the world to catch up,"
Cancer Susceptibility and Carcinogen Metabolism
Authors: Harry V. Gelboin
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (1977)

The geographic distribution of different cancer types and epidemiologic studies of migrants suggest that the environment markedly influences the incidence of cancer.1 In most cases specific causal agents are unknown. The agents may be related to aspects of life-style, diet or exposure to naturally occurring or man-made environmental carcinogens, such as pesticides, food contaminants or pollutants. Since we are exposed to numerous chemicals of proved carcinogenicity to animals, it is reasonable to assume that some human cancer results from this exposure. A more direct causal relation between chemicals and human cancer has been established for certain occupationally related cancers and . . .
Plasma endothelin concentrations in patients with pulmonary hypertension associated with congenital heart defects. Evidence for increased production of endothelin in pulmonary circulation.
Authors: M Yoshibayashi, K Nishioka, K Nakao, Y Saito, M Matsumura, T Ueda, S Temma, G Shirakami, H Imura, H Mikawa
Journal: Circulation (1991)

To elucidate the pathophysiological significance of endothelin in pulmonary hypertension associated with congenital heart defects, we measured plasma endothelin-like immunoreactivity (ET-LI) concentrations by using radioimmunoassay in 18 patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH group; age, 6 months to 12 years) in comparison with 27 patients without pulmonary hypertension (non-PH group; age, 6 months to 12 years).Blood samples were obtained from the vena cava, right atrium, right ventricle, left or right pulmonary artery, and pulmonary vein or the pulmonary arterial wedge position (pulmonary venous blood) during cardiac catheterization. Plasma ET-LI concentrations in the PH group were significantly higher than those in the non-PH group at all sampling sites. In the PH group, plasma ET-LI concentration showed a significant increase between the right ventricle and pulmonary artery and between the pulmonary artery and pulmonary vein. The increment of plasma ET-LI concentrations from the right ventricle to the pulmonary vein was significantly larger in the PH group than in the non-PH group and was significantly correlated with pulmonary artery pressure.Plasma ET-LI concentrations were elevated in patients with pulmonary hypertension; the elevation was due to the increased production of ET-LI in pulmonary circulation, indicating the possible involvement of endothelin in the pathophysiology of pulmonary hypertension.
EPIDEMIC CEREBROSPINAL MENINGITIS.
Authors: W. J. CLASS
Journal: JAMA (1899)

<h3>Case 27.</h3> —Male, aged 17, admitted June 7, 1898, had been sleeping in a room in which the sunlight never penetrated; was taken sick suddenly with nausea, vomiting, chill, severe headache, rise in temperature, pains in back and limbs, delirium; head retracted, tenderness along spine, herpes on lips; no paralysis; made a gradual recovery but his mental faculties have been disturbed, as he is dull and forgetful. <h3>Case 28.</h3> —Female, aged 1 year, 6 months, admitted July 5, 1898; had an attack of pneumonia previous to admission to hospital, followed by cerebrospinal meningitis, the acute symptoms of which had abated at time of admission; extremely emaciated; temperature 95.4 F.; pulse 120; rigidity of spinal muscles; July 6 temperature rose to 100.8 F. early in morning; pulse weak and rapid; another slight rise in the temperature on 7th; from this date to death, July 13, temperature not above normal;
New treatments for varicose veins
Authors: B. Campbell
Journal: BMJ (2002)

Recent press reports have generated considerable interest in new techniques for treating varicose veins, claiming major advantages over conventional surgery. Their main aim is to reduce operative trauma and bruising associated with stripping, leading to quicker postoperative recovery. All these methods depend on the use of duplex ultrasound scanning during surgery to monitor obliteration of the vein lumen. Evidence about these new techniques is limited to case series and registry data, largely in private practice settings. Many vascular surgeons have therefore regarded the claims for their success with some scepticism, especially when press reports have portrayed conventional surgery in a falsely unfavourable light. The new methods may well offer some advantages, but they need further stringent evaluation.

Surgical stripping of the long saphenous vein is by far the commonest form of treatment for varicose veins, with more than 60 000 operations each year in England alone. The reasons for treatment range from complications like bleeding or ulceration to the much commoner complaints of discomfort or unsightliness. Indications for specialist referral are the subject of recent advice …
Value of serum C-reactive protein measurement in the investigation of fever in systemic lupus erythematosus.
Authors: G J Becker, M Waldburger, G R Hughes, M B Pepys
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (1980)

The concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP) in the sera of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was higher when the disease was active than when it was inactive, but was only markedly raised in patients suffering from identifiable microbial infection. CRP levels greater than 60 mg/l suggest the presence of intercurrent infection and may therefore be a valuable aid to the differential diagnosis of pyrexia in SLE.
Delaying Generic Competition — Corporate Payoffs and the Future of Plavix
Authors: Miriam Shuchman
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (2006)

In August, pharmacies began selling a cheaper, generic version of the blockbuster antiplatelet agent Plavix (clopidogrel). This was good news for patients with cardiac disease or stroke who cannot afford to buy the medication at more than $4 a day. But to Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sanofi-Aventis, who produce and market the drug, it was a financial disaster. Plavix is the world's second-best-selling drug — 48 million Americans use it on a daily basis — and with sales of more than $6 billion last year, it accounts for about 30 percent of Bristol-Myers's total earnings. In an effort to keep the . . .
Role of nitric oxide in experimental obliterative bronchiolitis (chronic rejection) in the rat.
Authors: E A Kallio, P K Koskinen, E Aavik, K Vaali, K B Lemstöm
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (1997)

The role of nitric oxide in obliterative bronchiolitis development, i.e., chronic rejection, was investigated in the heterotopic rat tracheal allograft model. An increase in the intragraft inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA and mononuclear inflammatory cell iNOS immunoreactivity was demonstrated during progressive loss of respiratory epithelium and airway occlusion in nontreated allografts compared to syngeneic grafts. In nontreated allografts, however, intragraft nitric oxide production was decreased, most likely because of loss of iNOS epithelial expression. Treatment with aminoguanidine, a preferential inhibitor of inducible nitric oxide synthase, was associated with enhanced proliferation of alpha-smooth muscle actin immunoreactive cells and the intensity of obliterative bronchiolitis early after transplantation. Aminoguanidine treatment did not affect iNOS mRNA synthesis or intragraft nitric oxide production, but decreased iNOS immunoreactivity in smooth muscle cells. Treatment with L-arginine, a precursor of nitric oxide, significantly reduced obliterative changes. L-arginine supplementation enhanced intragraft iNOS mRNA synthesis and iNOS immunoreactivity in capillary endothelial and smooth muscle cells as well as intragraft nitric oxide production. Immunohistochemical analysis of allografts showed that neither iNOS inhibition nor supplementation of the nitric oxide pathway affected the number of graft-infiltrating CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, ED1+ and ED3+ macrophages, immune activation with expression of IL-2R or MHC class II, or production of macrophage or Th1 cytokines. In contrast, L-arginine treatment was associated with increased staining for Th2 cytokines IL-4 and IL-10. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that nitric oxide has a protective role in obliterative bronchiolitis development in this model, and suggests that nitric oxide either directly or indirectly inhibits smooth muscle cell proliferation and modulates immune response towards Th2 cytokines.
Cocaine-stimulated endothelin-1 release is decreased by angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in cultured endothelial cells
Authors: K. D. Hendricks-Munoz, R. P. Gerrets, R. D. Higgins, J. L. Munoz, V. V. Caines
Journal: Cardiovascular Research (1996)

The primary aim was to determine the action of pathophysiologically relevant cocaine concentrations (10(-7)-10(-5) M) on endothelin-1 (ET-1) release from cultured endothelial cells under various cellular conditions. Further aims were to evaluate the effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors on cocaine-treated endothelial cells, to assess their potential for inhibition of ET-1-stimulated release.Endothelin-1 release into the media was evaluated by radioimmunoassay under basal conditions and after 24 h treatment of endothelial cells with cocaine hydrochloride (HCl), or cocaine HCl and ACE inhibitors, captopril and lisinopril. The effect of serum and plasma under these conditions was also investigated.Cocaine HCl stimulated ET-1 release in a dose response fashion that was independent of plasma or serum factors. Furthermore, cocaine-stimulated ET-1 release was inhibited by administration of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors captopril and lisinopril.These findings suggest that cocaine can directly stimulate endothelial cells to release ET-1 and that the observed increase is independent of serum or plasma factors. Furthermore, cocaine-stimulated endothelin-1 release appears to be mediated at least in part by the angiotensin system. These observations provide a framework for understanding the cellular mechanisms involved in cocaine-induced vasoconstriction.
The Consult Guys - Clearing the Air: When to Stop Smoking Before Surgery
Authors: Geno J. Merli, Howard H. Weitz
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2014)

Web Exclusives18 November 2014The Consult Guys - Clearing the Air: When to Stop Smoking Before SurgeryFREEGeno J. Merli, MD and Howard H. Weitz, MDGeno J. Merli, MDSearch for more papers by this author and Howard H. Weitz, MDSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/G14-3011 SectionsSupplemental MaterialAboutVisual Abstract ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail The Consult Guys bring a new perspective to the art and science of medicine with lively discussion and analysis of real-world cases and situations.For more videos from and information on The Consult Guys, visit www.annals.org/ConsultGuys. Comments0 CommentsSign In to Submit A Comment MIke KositchNorthwest Permanente22 July 2015 error in question #1 Question #1 asks:"1. Inability to perform 4 METs of activity is associated with what change in the risk for pulmonary complications following non-cardiac surgery?A. Decreased riskB. Increased riskC. Unchanged riskD. Risk not known"The "correct" answer according to the test is "B. Increased risk." While this may be intuitive, the video emphasized that it is CARDIAC risk and mortality that is increased in the setting of a patient not able to perform 4 METS of activity.Did I miss something in the presentation, or is this an editing error? Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Disclosures: Geno J. Merli, MD, reports the following: Research grants/contracts: Bristol-Myers Squibb, Bayer, sanofi-aventis; Consultancies: Bristol-Myers Squibb, Bayer, sanofi-aventis. Howard H. Weitz, MD, reports that he has no financial relationships or interests to disclose. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics 18 November 2014Volume 161, Issue 10Page: CG11KeywordsDisclosureResearch grantsResearch reporting guidelinesSurgery ePublished: 18 November 2014 Issue Published: 18 November 2014 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2014 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.Loading ...
Referee's half-time analysis
Authors: I. Forgacs
Journal: BMJ (2003)

Honest, I was over the moon when asked to review this paper for the BMJ . Of course, I had to ask the boss if it was OK to review it (but she said it was alright). I dunno quite how I managed to do the review—it sort of just hit my head, Brian, and found the back of the net. I was dead gutted to find out I was only getting fifty quid for what was an hour's work. Me agent said I shouldn't get out of bed for less than eighty thousand quid a week. But wot I thought was… it's not often a player gets to be a referee and hold up a yellow or red card and get …
Immunological regulation of experimental cutaneous leishmaniasis. IV. Prophylactic effect of sublethal irradiation as a result of abrogation of suppressor T cell generation in mice genetically susceptible to leishmania tropica
Authors: JG Howard, C Hale, FY Liew
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1981)

The overwhelming susceptibility of BALB/c mice to infection with Leishmania tropica can be substantially reversed by immediately prior sub-lethal irradiation. This is related to radiation dosage, and at 550 rad, causes 60 percent complete cures and only 19 percent (instead of 100 percent) incidence of progressive disease. Irradiation 10 d before infection is only weakly prophylactic, whereas 10 d after is without effect. Control of lesion development is only apparent after the first 30 d, coincident with the analogous onset previously found in resistant strains and adult thymectomized, x-irradiated, bone marrow-reconstituted BALB/c mice. Instead of the specific suppression of DTH characteristic of L. tropica infection in the BALB/c strain, healed irradiated mice express strong anti-leishmanial DTH reactivity and resistance to reinfection. T cells from these mice transfer DTH reactivity which is suppressed by admixture with cells from nonhealed, nonreactive donors. Irradiated BALB/c mice again develop inexorable disease progression, after its transient arrest, when they are reconstituted with normal T cells. When the T cells are derived from uncontrollably-infected donors, the susceptibility regained is indistinguishable from that of normal mice. B cells do not modify the prophylactic effect of 550 rad, whereas T cells from healed mice confer strong protective immunity throughout the initial phase. Regression or progression of disease correlates completely with DTH reactivity in all these groups. Although BALB/c mice express an extreme level of genetic susceptibility to L. tropica infection, they are nevertheless capable of mounting a curative cell mediated immune response. That this is ineffective during pathogenesis of the disease was previously associated correlatively with potent specific suppressor T cell generation, which is now shown to be preventable by prior irradiation. Most important, however, a causal role for these cells in vivo has been demonstrated directly by reconstitution.
Abstract 2102: Exogenous microRNA-101 suppresses cell proliferation by downregulation of cyclooxygenase-2 expression in prostate cancer cell line
Authors: Yubin Hao, Xiaowu Pang, Yuan Zhao, Joseph A. Califano, Xinbin Gu
Journal: Cancer Research (2010)

Abstract MicroRNAs, ∼22 nt non-coding small RNAs, have been newly focused as a potential cancer diagnostic biomarker and therapy target, because aberrant expressions of miRNAs have been often found to involve in tumorigenesis, cancer development and progression. For instance, microRNA-101 (miR-101) is significantly down-regulated in several types of cancer. In this study, we investigated the function of miR-101 on regulation of gene expression in cancer cells. A stable miR-101 over-expressed prostate cancer cell line (BPH1CAFTDmiR101) was established by using lentivirus-delivery system. Over-expressed miR-101 level in the stable transfected cell can be detected after the 5th or 100th cell culture passages and approximately 10-fold higher than non-transfected BPH1CAFTD cells. We found that over-expressed miR-101 suppressed cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) protein expression in BPH1CAFTDmiR101 cells. The miR-101 targeted gene was determined by using luciferase reporter gene, which carry 3’-UTR (NM_000963 3’-UTR 1735-1741) of COX-2 mRNA. The results indicated that miR-101 directly targets COX-2 gene and down-regulates COX-2 protein expression by binding to 3’-UTR of COX-2 mRNA. Interestedly, the reduced COX-2 protein expression in BPH1CAFTDmiR101can be restored by transient transfection of COX-2 3′UTR fragment. Compared with BPH1CAFTD cells, BPH1CAFTDmiR101 proliferation and colony formation were significantly inhibited, and the expressions of a series of cell proliferation-related protein were significantly changed, such as the levels of EGFR, PCNA, and Bcl-2 were decreased and the level of p53 was increased. In addition, MMP-15 protein level, a metastasis related protein, was also noticeably reduced. Taking together, our finings demonstrate that miR-101 inhibits prostate cancer cell proliferation by directly targeting COX-2 to down-regulating its protein level. The miR-101 may function as tumor suppressor and a potential target for cancer diagnosis and therapy. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2102.
Elevated Serum Ferritin
Authors: Lisa B. VanWagner, Richard M. Green
Journal: JAMA (2014)

An elevated ferritin level was discovered during an anemia evaluation in a 46-year-old man with inflammatory arthritis. The patient reported pain in multiple joints for which he took indomethacin. He also consumed 2 alcoholic beverages daily. His mother had inflammatory arthritis and his sister had lupus. On physical examination, the patient’s blood pressure was 148/82 mm Hg, pulse was 92/min, and body mass index was 28. The liver was 7.0 cm and slightly firm. He was anicteric with no stigmata of chronic liver disease and the spleen was not palpable. Physical examination findings were otherwise unremarkable. The results of laboratory tests are shown in the Table.



Table

Serum Laboratory Tests
Vasodilator Therapy for Valvular Heart Disease
Authors: Barry H. Greenberg
Journal: JAMA (1981)

AS A result of their ability to unload the heart, drugs that reduce vasomotor tone in the periphery have been used in the treatment of a variety of cardiac disorders. In patients with left ventricular dysfunction, vasodilators improve cardiac performance and relieve symptoms of congestion and low output. They have also been used to treat patients who are symptomatic from severe valvular regurgitation. We review the recently published information describing the effects of vasodilators in patients with mitral and aortic regurgitation, and suggest some of the directions that future research is likely to take. A convenient and useful way of classifying vasodilators is according to their major site of action, since the hemodynamic effects of a particular drug depend on whether it reduces tone in peripheral arteries, in veins, or, in the case of dual-acting agents, in both. Nitroglycerin and isosorbide dinitrate (Isordil) are predominantly venodilators. By decreasing tone in
Mind the store: modulating Ca2+ reuptake with a leaky sarcoplasmic reticulum
Authors: William E. Louch, Alexander R. Lyon
Journal: Cardiovascular Research (2013)

This editorial refers to ‘Up-regulation of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ uptake leads to cardiac hypertrophy, contractile dysfunction and early mortality in mice deficient in CASQ2’ by A. Kalyanasundaram et al ., pp. 297–306, this issue. 

Abnormalities in cardiomyocyte intracellular calcium cycling, and specifically Ca2+ physiology of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), in cardiac disease states have been an intense focus of research over the past 30 years. It is increasingly apparent that alterations of SR function may contribute to the pathophysiological changes observed in several cardiac diseases including chronic heart failure, acute ischemia-reperfusion injury, atrial fibrillation, and ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Increasingly, experimental evidence suggests that the role of SR Ca2+ cycling extends beyond the traditional biophysical control of cardiomyocyte contraction and relaxation, with SR Ca2+ cycling contributing to the regulation of hypertrophic signalling, mitochondrial energetics, cell survival pathways, protein folding, autophagy, and gene expression.

Two changes to SR calcium physiology have been proposed to contribute to cardiac disease states: (i) abnormal SR Ca2+ uptake and (ii) abnormal SR calcium storage and release. Reported changes in end-stage human failing hearts include reduced expression and activity of the SR Ca2+ ATPase 2a (SERCA2a), which slows Ca2+ reuptake and cardiomyocyte relaxation. Reduced SERCA2a activity also decreases the Ca2+ content of the SR, reducing the magnitude of Ca2+ release and contraction. In addition, the SR Ca2+ release channel, called the ryanodine receptor (RyR), becomes ‘leaky’ in failing cardiomyocytes. Suggested mechanisms include oxidative modification of the RyR, and greater RyR phosphorylation by Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) or protein kinase A. The resulting increased RyR open probability further contributes to reduce the SR Ca2+ content during heart failure ( Figure 1 A ), and can promote triggered arrhythmias. Increased diastolic RyR opening is also believed to underlie arrhythmogenesis in …