tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Echocardiographic Detection of Supravalvular Aortic Stenosis
Authors: BRUCE W. USHER, DUDLEY GOULDEN, JOSEPH P. MURGO
Journal: Circulation (1974)

The echocardiographic features of supravalvular aortic stenosis of the segmental or hourglass variety is described for the first time. Utilizing a strip recorder and an M mode or sector scan the diameter of the aortic lumen is demonstrated to narrow at the stenotic area just distal to the aortic valve. As the transducer sweeps further cephalad the aortic root lumen widens to a normal diameter.
Polypoid Lesions of the Colon and Rectum with Special Reference to Early Detection of Polypoid Cancer
Authors: S. Kobayashi, T. Kasugai
Journal: Endoscopy (1973)

Early cancer in which cancer cells are confined to the mucosa and submucosa was seen in 12 (80%) of 15 patients with polypoid cancer of the large bowel operated on. More than half of the 12 early cancers appeared a benign polyp on both X-ray and endoscopic examinations. However, all the 12 lesions were correctly diagnosed by adding a direct vision biopsy to those two diagnostic methods.
Production of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 by bovine glomerular endothelial cells
Authors: Yoshiki Kakizaki, Shinobu Waga, Kazuhiko Sugimoto, Hiroshi Tanaka, Kiyotaka Nukii, Motohiro Takeya, Teizo Yoshimura, Masaru Yokoyama
Journal: Kidney International (1995)
Allergy to Birch Pollen and Apple, and Gross‐Reactivity of the Allergens Studied with the RAST
Authors: Arto Lahti, Fred Björksten, Matti Hannuksela
Journal: Allergy (1980)

Apple‐pulp allergens arc unstable, but fresh material can be used for skin testing. In this study stable allergens, probably of a protein nature, were extracted from apple seed and used in radioallergosorbent tests (RAST). Apple‐seed allergens were shown by RAST inhibition to cross‐react with birch pollen allergen(s). Cross‐reactivity may explain the frequent co‐occurrence of birch pollen and apple allergy. Approximately 50% of patients in a group with immediate hypersensitivity to birch pollen were also sensitive to apple as judged by a history of symptoms, skin tests with apple‐pulp and apple‐seed preparations, and apple‐seed RAST.
Reduced atherosclerosis in interleukin-18 deficient apolipoprotein E-knockout mice
Authors: R Elhage
Journal: Cardiovascular Research (2003)

Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which T helper 1 (Th1) immunity has been proposed to play an important role. Nai;ve CD4+ T cells differentiate into interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) producing Th1 effector cells when stimulated by interleukin-18 (IL-18) and IL-12. We wanted to directly test whether the Th1 pathway is proatherogenic.We bred IL-18(-/-) mice with apolipoprotein E(-/-) (apoE(-/-)) mice and assessed atherosclerosis in the aortic root of the offspring.24-week-old IL-18 deficient apoE(-/-) mice exhibited substantially reduced lesion size (93,866+/-11273 vs. 144,019+/-9667 microm(2) in IL-18(+/+)xapoE(-/-) mice, P=0.005). Lesion cells in compound knockout mice displayed reduced I-A(b) expression, implying reduced local IFN-gamma stimulation. These mice also had an increased proportion of alpha-SM-actin+ smooth muscle cells, compatible with a more stable lesion phenotype. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) subclass analysis of antibodies to malondialdehyde-modified low density lipoprotein indicated increased Th2 and reduced Th1 helper to B cell antibody production. Surprisingly, serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels were significantly higher in IL-18(-/-)xapoE(-/-) mice in spite of their reduced atherosclerosis. However, no changes in lipoprotein cholesterol patterns were registered.These data show reduced atherosclerosis and Th1 activity in spite of increased serum cholesterol in IL-18 deficient apoE(-/-) mice. They support a proatherogenic role for IL-18.
Ethics of clinical research: lessons for the future.
Authors: M. Baum, K. Zilkha, J. Houghton
Journal: BMJ (1989)

an anonymous article by an aggrieved patient com- plaining that she was entered into two clinical trials without informed consent.'The editor decided that all concerned should remain anonymous in order to concentrate on issues rather than personalities.The article was preceded by a fierce editorial depicting the perpetrators as being equivalent to Nazi war criminals and the patient to a survivor of Auschwitz.The rest of that issue of the Bulletin contained a carefully selected series of papers, letters, and reviews, all supporting the editorial prejudice.This case captured the attention of the media, and the cloak of anonymity was dropped when Adam Raphael of the Observer
Letter: Ulceration of small intestine and slow-release potassium tablets.
Authors: R A Moorhouse
Journal: BMJ (1975)

A survey of disabled persons' found the overall frequency of involved joints to be: knee 64 %, fingers 37 %, and hips 27 % (percentages not exclusive).While inpatient stays are shorter for finger joints, mean stays for total knee replacement are at least as long as for hips.
Chronic bronchitis in coal miners: ante-mortem/post-mortem comparisons
Authors: H. I. McKenzie, M. Glick, K. G. Outhred
Journal: Thorax (1969)

From bronchial measurements in 136 deceased coal miners a comparison with well-documented ante-mortem findings shows that with increasing clinical severity of chronic bronchitis there is increasing narrowing of intrapulmonary airways due to wall thickening at the expense of the lumen. With the aid of the Reid index (gland/wall ratio) and a new proposed index which more directly measures airway obstruction—the wall internal to cartilage/lumen radius ratio—both of which tend to be independent of bronchus size but change with increasing abnormality—it is possible to quantitate chronic bronchitis pathologically and to obtain satisfactory correlations with ante-mortem data. Chronic bronchitis may thereby be evaluated independently from pneumoconiosis and emphysema, thus facilitating the study of their separate relationships with cigarette smoking and with other possible aetiological factors.
National Health Insurance — The Triumph of Equivocation
Authors: S Levey, J Hill
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (1989)

"For the first time ever, national health insurance has a serious chance of passing the Senate during this Congress." So began an article in The Wall Street Journal on July 16, 1979.1 Just over a decade later, similar predictions of universal health coverage are heard, and a consensus on the subject seems to be forming. Yet, in view of the history of proposals for such insurance and the potential obstacles to further federal intervention, we are inclined to be skeptical that decisive action on this issue will soon be taken.So astronomical have health costs become, so disappointing the so-called . . .
Atrial fibrillation: Is NO an answer for refractoriness?
Authors: I BARO
Journal: Cardiovascular Research (2006)

See article by Nunez et al.  [11]  (pages 80–89) in this issue. 

The progressive nature of atrial fibrillation (AF) has been attributed to alteration in the electrophysiological properties of the atrial myocardium. As a net effect, a shortening in the refractory period contributes to the substrate, allowing ectopic complex arising and re-entry [1]. Transmembrane ion channel activity determines atrial action potential (AP) shape. Whereas Na+ and Ca2+ channels are responsible for depolarizing currents, K+ channels are responsible for repolarizing currents and therefore shortening of the AP duration. The refractory period is directly correlated to the AP duration. Class III antiarrhythmic drugs are predicted to lengthen AP duration and to prevent subsequent AF.

In human atrium, three components contribute to the late repolarizing K+ current: an ‘ultra-rapid’ component ( I Kur), a ‘rapid’ component ( I Kr), and a ‘slow’ component ( I Ks), referring to their voltage-dependent activation kinetics. Among the genes encoding the proteins underlying these currents, HERG codes for the K+ channel generating I Kr, the target of class III antiarrhythmic drugs. Since this gene is also expressed at the ventricular level, pharmacological intervention on I Kr … 

*Tel.: +33 240 41 28 48; fax: +33 240 41 29 50. Email address: isabelle.baro{at}nantes.inserm.fr
Nosocomial Infection — A Hazard of Newborn Intensive Care
Authors: Donald A. Goldmann
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (1976)

Advances in infant life-support technology and a better understanding of neonatal physiology have permitted the survival of critically ill newborns who would have died a few years ago. As a result, there has been a justifiably rapid proliferation of regional intensive-care units. In this issue of the Journal, Hemming, Overall and Britt focus on an unwanted by-product of modern neonatal intensive care: nosocomial infection. During a four-year period, nosocomial infection developed in 15.3 per cent of infants hospitalized for more than 48 hours in the University of Utah Medical Center newborn intensive-care unit. Many infants had minor infections, but . . .
Rapid testing for malaria in settings where microscopy is available and peripheral clinics where only presumptive treatment is available: a randomised controlled trial in Ghana
Authors: E. K Ansah, S. Narh-Bana, M. Epokor, S. Akanpigbiam, A. A. Quartey, J. Gyapong, C. J M Whitty
Journal: BMJ (2010)

<b>Objective</b> To test in West Africa the impact of rapid diagnostic tests on the prescription of antimalarials and antibiotics both where microscopy is used for the diagnosis of malaria and in clinical (peripheral) settings that rely on clinical diagnosis. <b>Design</b> Randomised, controlled, open label clinical trial. <b>Setting</b> Four clinics in the rural Dangme West district of southern Ghana, one in which microscopy is used for diagnosis of malaria ("microscopy setting") and three where microscopy is not available and diagnosis of malaria is made on the basis of clinical symptoms ("clinical setting"). <b>Participants</b> Patients with suspected malaria. <b>Interventions </b>Patients were randomly assigned to either a rapid diagnostic test or the current diagnostic method at the clinic (microscopy or clinical diagnosis). A blood sample for a research microscopy slide was taken for all patients. <b>Main outcome measures</b> The primary outcome was the prescription of antimalarials to patients of any age whose double read research slide was negative for malaria. The major secondary outcomes were the correct prescription of antimalarials, the impact of test results on antibiotic prescription, and the correct prescription of antimalarials in children under 5 years. <b>Results</b> Of the 9236 patients screened, 3452 were randomised in the clinical setting and 3811 in the microscopy setting. Follow-up to 28 days was 97.6% (7088/7263). In the microscopy setting, 722 (51.6%) of the 1400 patients with negative research slides in the rapid diagnostic test arm were treated for malaria compared with 764 (55.0%) of the 1389 patients in the microscopy arm (adjusted odds ratio 0.87, 95% CI 0.71 to 1.1; P=0.16). In the clinical setting, 578 (53.9%) of the 1072 patients in the rapid diagnostic test arm with negative research slides were treated for malaria compared with 982 (90.1%) of the 1090 patients with negative slides in the clinical diagnosis arm (odds ratio 0.12, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.38; P=0.001). The use of rapid diagnostic tests led to better targeting of antimalarials and antibiotics in the clinical but not the microscopy setting, in both children and adults. There were no deaths in children under 5 years at 28 days follow-up in either arm. <b>Conclusion</b> Where microscopy already exists, introducing rapid diagnostic tests had limited impact on prescriber behaviour. In settings where microscopy was not available, however, using rapid diagnostic tests led to a significant reduction in the overprescription of antimalarials, without any evidence of clinical harm, and to better targeting of antibiotics. <b>Trial registration</b> ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00493922.
TCT-800 Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement with a New Self-expanding Percutaneous Heart Valve and Motorized Delivery System
Authors: Ronald Binder, Ulrich Schäfer, Karl-Heinz Kuck, David Wood, Robert Moss, Jonathon Leipsic, Stefan Toggweiler, Melanie Freeman, Alex Willson, John Webb
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2012)
Sexual maturation in relation to polychlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons: Sharpe and Skakkebaek's hypothesis revisited.
Authors: Elly Den Hond, Harry A Roels, Karel Hoppenbrouwers, Tim Nawrot, Lutgarde Thijs, Corinne Vandermeulen, Gerhard Winneke, Dirk Vanderschueren, Jan A Staessen
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (2002)

Polychlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons (PCAHs) have been described as endocrine disruptors in animals and in accidentally or occupationally exposed humans. In the present study we examined the effect of moderate exposure to PCAHs on sexual maturation. Two hundred adolescents (mean age, 17.4 years) who resided in two polluted suburbs and a rural control area in Flanders (Belgium) participated. We measured the serum concentration of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners 138, 153, and 180 and dioxin-like compounds [chemically activated luciferase expression (CALUX) assay] as biomarkers of exposure. School physicians assessed the pubertal development of boys and girls and measured testicular volume. In one suburb near two waste incinerators, compared with the other suburb and the control area, fewer boys (p < 0.001) had reached the adult stages of genital development (62% vs. 92% and 100%, respectively) and pubic hair growth (48% vs. 77% and 100%). Also, in the same suburb, fewer girls (p = 0.04) had reached the adult stage of breast development (67% vs. 90% and 79%). In individual boys, a doubling of the serum concentration of PCB congener 138 increased the odds of not having matured into the adult stage of genital development by 3.5 (p = 0.04); similarly for PCB congener 153 in relation to male pubic hair growth, the odds ratio was 3.5 (p = 0.04). In girls, a doubling of the serum dioxin concentration increased the odds of not having reached the adult stage of breast development by 2.3 (p = 0.02). Left plus right testicular volume was lower in both polluted areas than in the control area (42.4 mL vs. 47.3 mL, p = 0.005) but was not related to the current exposure of the adolescents to PCAHs. Through endocrine disruption, environmental exposure to PCAHs may interfere with sexual maturation and in the long-run adversely affect human reproduction.
Environment and genetic link found
Authors: T. Richards
Journal: BMJ (1996)

The first association between a specific genotype and an increased risk of coronary artery disease is reported in an Australian study published in Nature Medicine (1996;2:415). The genotype is at the endothelial nitric oxide synthetase locus. The study found that patients who were homozygous for the rare allele (version of the gene), designated 4a, who either smoked or were ex-smokers had more severe coronary artery disease than those who had never smoked. The data suggest a possible interaction between genetic and environmental factors that increases the risk of coronary …
Capsule endoscopy with retention of the capsule in a duodenal diverticulum
Authors: P. Ordubadi, B. Blaha, A. Schmid, W. Krampla, W. Hinterberger, M. Gschwantler
Journal: Endoscopy (2008)

The most important complication of capsule endoscopy is retention of the capsule. Among patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding, capsule retention was reported in 1.5 %; in patients with suspected Crohn's disease or suspected stenosis of the small bowel the risk of capsule retention seems to be considerably higher (5 % and 21 % respectively) [1] [2]. To our best knowledge this is the first case of capsule retention in a duodenal diverticulum.
A Path Forward on Medicare Readmissions
Authors: Karen E. Joynt, Ashish K. Jha
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (2013)

Under Medicare's Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program, two thirds of U.S. hospitals will receive penalties of up to 1% of Medicare reimbursements. But the program could exacerbate disparities in care and create disincentives to providing care for the very ill.
Allergenic cross-reactivity among peach, apricot, plum, and cherry in patients with oral allergy syndrome: An in vivo and in vitro study
Authors: Elide A. Pastorello, Claudio Ortolani, Laura Farioli, Valerio Pravettoni, Marco Ispano, Åse Borga, Anders Bengtsson, Cristoforo Incorvaia, Candida Berti, Carlo Zanussi
Journal: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (1994)
The Role of Chemotherapy at the End of Life
Authors: Sarah Elizabeth Harrington, Thomas J. Smith
Journal: JAMA (2008)

Patients face difficult decisions about chemotherapy near the end of life. Such treatment might prolong survival or reduce symptoms but cause adverse effects, prevent the patient from engaging in meaningful life review and preparing for death, and preclude entry into hospice. Palliative care and oncology clinicians should be logical partners in caring for patients with serious cancers for which symptom control, medically appropriate goal setting, and communication are paramount, but some studies have shown limited cooperation. We illustrate how clinicians involved in palliative care and oncology can more effectively work together with the story of Mr L, a previously healthy 56-year-old man, who wanted to survive his lung cancer at all costs. He lived 14 months with 3 types of chemotherapy, received chemotherapy just 6 days before his death, and resisted entering hospice until his prognosis and options were explicitly communicated. Approaches to communication about prognosis and treatment options and questions that patients may want to ask are discussed.
Characterization of the Impaired Glucose Homeostasis Produced in C57BL/6 Mice by Chronic Exposure to Arsenic and High-Fat Diet
Authors: David S. Paul, Felecia S. Walton, R. Jesse Saunders, Miroslav Stýblo
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (2011)

Type 2 diabetes is characterized by glucose intolerance and insulin resistance. Obesity is the leading cause of type 2 diabetes. Growing evidence suggests that chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic (iAs) also produces symptoms consistent with diabetes. Thus, iAs exposure may further increase the risk of diabetes in obese individuals.Our goal was to characterize diabetogenic effects of iAs exposure and high-fat diet (HFD) in weaned C57BL/6 mice.Mice were fed HFD or low-fat diet (LFD) while exposed to iAs in drinking water (25 or 50 ppm As) for 20 weeks; control HFD and LFD mice drank deionized water. Body mass and adiposity were monitored throughout the study. We measured glucose and insulin levels in fasting blood and in blood collected during oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) to evaluate the diabetogenic effects of the treatment.Control mice fed HFD accumulated more fat, had higher fasting blood glucose, and were more insulin resistant than were control LFD mice. However, these diabetes indicators decreased with iAs intake in a dose-dependent manner. OGTT showed impaired glucose tolerance for both control and iAs-treated HFD mice compared with respective LFD mice. Notably, glucose intolerance was more pronounced in HFD mice treated with iAs despite a significant decrease in adiposity, fasting blood glucose, and insulin resistance.Our data suggest that iAs exposure acts synergistically with HFD-induced obesity in producing glucose intolerance. However, mechanisms of the diabetogenic effects of iAs exposure may differ from the mechanisms associated with the obesity-induced type 2 diabetes.
The effect of inspiratory maneuvers on expiratory flow rates in health and asthma: influence of lung elastic recoil.
Authors: J S Wanger, D N Ikle, R M Cherniack
Journal: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (1996)

We studied the effect of breath holding and inspiratory speed on airflow during the FVC maneuver in seven healthy subjects and eight patients with asthma. The purpose of the study was to determine whether the effects of inspiratory speed and breath holding on expiratory flow were greater in patients with asthma than in healthy individuals; whether these effects were lessened by inhalation of aerosolized bronchodilator in the patients with asthma; and whether were was a relationship between the lung elastic recoil pressure and the expiratory flow achieved during four different maneuvers. We found that peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) was significantly lower after both a slow inspiration and a breath hold than after a fast inspiration without a breath hold. In addition, a breath hold was associated with a significantly lower FEV1. The effects of inspiratory speed and breath holding in the patients with asthma were not significantly different from those observed in the healthy subjects. There was a significant relationship between lung elastic recoil pressure at the point of onset of the FVC maneuvers (Pel Blow) and expiratory flow in both healthy and asthmatic subjects. Also, the decrease in Pel Blow with equivalent breath-hold time was greater in asthmatic subjects, which is consistent with an increase in viscoelastic elements in the lung. These findings corroborate previous suggestions that inspiratory speed and the duration of breath holding have significant implications in the performance of spirometry and peak flow measurements, and indicate the importance of standardization of the preceding inspiration when determining FEV1 and PEFR.
Health ranks among top indicators of nation's wellbeing
Authors: M. Limb
Journal: BMJ (2011)

UK statisticians who are working to develop new indicators of national “wellbeing” say health is one of the things people most want to be measured. Other top favourites include relationships with friends and family, job satisfaction, the environment, and education (and training).

The findings were published in a report by the Office for National Statistics, which was commissioned by the government.

The office began a “national debate” in November 2010 when Prime Minister David Cameron announced plans for a “happiness index” to complement measures of national economic performance such as gross domestic product (GDP).

Some 34 000 people gave their views online and via a series of events held across the country on the things that mattered most to them for their …
BMA wins guarantees on primary care groups
Authors: J. Wise
Journal: BMJ (1998)

General practitioners in England have won substantial concessions from health minister Alan Milburn over the formation and running of primary care groups.

After extensive negotiations, the minister has agreed to allow GPs the right to decide locally whether they will be in the majority on primary care group boards. They will also be allowed to decide whether they wish a GP to chair the board. This was one of seven demands that the BMA's General Medical …
Acne drug is linked to severe depression
Authors: D. Josefson
Journal: BMJ (1998)

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States has warned doctors and patients that isotretinoin, a popular treatment for acne, may cause severe depression, psychosis, thoughts of committing suicide, and suicide attempts.

The warning was generated in response to reports of over 20 incidents of depression and some suicides associated with the …