tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Trial of Maintenance Therapy in Schizophrenia
Authors: J. P. Leff, J. K. Wing
Journal: BMJ (1971)

A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was carried out to determine the value of maintenance therapy with phenothiazines in a population of outpatients who had recently recovered from an acute episode of schizophrenia. The drug was shown to be significantly more effective than the placebo in preventing relapse. The relationship of the trial patients to the population from which they were selected was defined in terms of clinical, historical, and social data. Maintenance therapy seems of little value in patients with a good prognosis and in the severely ill, but it is of value in the indeterminate group between these two extremes.
Treatment of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis with High Doses of Synthetic Calcitriol
Authors: J. C. Gallagher, D. Goldgar
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1990)

Objective: To study the efficacy of synthetic 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D3 (calcitriol) in the treatment of osteoporosis. Design: Two-year, double-blind, randomized clinical trial. Setting: University medical center. Patients: Fifty postmenopausal women with vertebral fractures recruited by referral. Intervention: Calcium intake was adjusted to 25 mmol/d (1000 mg/d) at baseline. Patients were then randomized to treatment with either calcitriol or placebo. During the study, calcium intake was reduced to 15 mmol/d (600 mg/d) and the dose of calcitriol was adjusted to maintain serum calcium < 2.74 mmol/L (< 11.0 mg/dL) or urine calcium < 9.96 mmol/d (< 400 mg/d). Measurements and Main Results: After 2 years, the mean dose of calcitriol in the treated group was 0.62 µg/d. Bone mineral density of the spine increased 1.94% with calcitriol therapy and decreased 3.92% with placebo (P = 0.001). Total body calcium increased 0.21% with calcitriol therapy and decreased 1.85% with placebo (P = 0.004). Patients receiving placebo had significant decreases in spine density (P = 0.0007) and total body calcium (P = 0.0004). There were no differences in vertebral fracture rates between the groups. Renal function studies were not statistically different between the groups after 2 years. Conclusion: The treatment of postmenopausal osteoporotic women with synthetic calcitriol for 2 years was associated with increases in spine density and total body calcium. No adverse effects on renal function were seen after long-term calcitriol therapy.
Element of Surprise? Rice as a Source of Arsenic in Children’s Diets
Authors: Rebecca Kessler
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (2012)

Element of Surprise?Rice as a Source of Arsenic in Children's Diets Last winter, the discovery of arsenic in foods containing organic brown rice syrup, including toddler formulas, made headlines.Members of the same research team now report higher urinary arsenic concentrations in children who eat any type of rice than in children who don't, suggesting this food may be an important source of arsenic exposure for children in the United States [EHP 120(10):1418-1424; Davis et al.].Rice is an economic, nutritious staple food consumed around the world, and its popularity is growing in the United States.In addition, rice flours, syrups, and other products are widely used in processed foods.But rice plants are especially well suited to accumulating arsenic from the soil in which they grow.The arsenic content of rice varies widely depending on where it was grown and how it was processed.In the current study, researchers examined data for 2,323 children who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2003 and 2008.They compared concentrations of arsenic in the urine of children estimated to have eaten at least a quarter cup of cooked rice during the previous 24 hours and the urine of children estimated to have eaten none.These estimates were
Influence of changing travel patterns on child death rates from injury: trend analysis
Authors: C. DiGuiseppi, I. Roberts, L. Li
Journal: BMJ (1997)

<h3>Abstract</h3> <b>Objectives:</b> To examine trends in child mortality from unintentional injury between 1985 and 1992 and to find how changes in modes of travel contributed to these trends. <b>Design:</b> Poisson regression modelling using data from death certificates, censuses, and national travel surveys. <b>Setting:</b> England and Wales. <b>Subjects:</b> Resident children aged 0-14. <b>Main outcome measures:</b> Deaths from unintentional injury and poisoning. <b>Results:</b> Child deaths from injury declined by 34% (95% confidence interval 28% to 40%) per 100 000 population between 1985 and 1992. Substantial decreases in each of the leading causes of death from injury contributed to this overall decline. On average, children walked and cycled less distance and travelled substantially more miles by car in 1992 compared with 1985. Deaths from road traffic accidents declined for pedestrians by 24% per mile walked and for cyclists by 20% per mile cycled, substantially less than the declines per 100 000 population of 37% and 38% respectively. In contrast, deaths of occupants of motor vehicles declined by 42% per mile travelled by car compared with a 21% decline per 100 000 population. <b>Conclusions:</b> If trends in child mortality from injury continue the government9s target to reduce the rate by 33% by the year 2005 will be achieved. a substantial proportion of the decline in pedestrian traffic and pedal cycling deaths, however, seems to have been achieved at the expense of children9s walking and cycling activities. changes in travel patterns may exact a considerable price in terms of future health problems. <h3>Key messages</h3> Injuries are the leading cause of death in children over 1 year old, and we assessed the extent to which trends in mortality from transport related injury reflected changes in children9s travel patterns Child mortality from accidental injury declined by 34% between 1985 and 1992, while children walked and cycled less distance and travelled substantially more by car in 1992 compared with 1985 Substantial decreases in deaths from road traffic accidents for pedestrians and cyclists were at the expense of walking and cycling activities Car travel became safer for children, but the effect on mortality was largely nullified by large increases in the distances children travel by car Although these changes are in accordance with government targets to reduce child mortality from accidental injury, the associated decline in children9s physical activity may lead to future health problems
Late Intestinal Complications of Cystic Fibrosis
Authors: Fitzhugh Mullins
Journal: JAMA (1965)

Regardless of age, all patients with cystic fibrosis are subject to intestinal complications due to the abnormal character of their fecal contents. Five cases were studied. The patients ages ranged from 13 months to 31 years. Two patients had fecal masses, one with and the other without evidence of intestinal obstruction, and both responded to medical measures. In three surgical problems developed: ileocolic intussusception, small bowel volvulus, and obturation unresponsive to conservative management. Guiding principles for medical and surgical management are outlined, based on our own experiences and a review of 23 cases from the literature.
Lymphosarcoma Resembling the Burkitt Tumor in a Connecticut Girl
Authors: John L. Ziegler
Journal: JAMA (1966)

A white, 16-year-old girl from New Britain, Conn, had multicentric lymphosarcoma, resembling the childhood lymphoma of Africa (Burkitt tumor). She had a characteristic histologic picture at the onset of her illness with jaw and bilateral ovarian involvement. There was a transient complete response to treatment with cyclophosphamide, but she died six months later, after rapidly progressive disease and bone marrow involvement. This case adds documentation to the existence of Burkitt-like tumors outside of central Africa and demonstrates the unusual finding of a terminal reticulum cell leukemia.
Miosis, Trismus, and Dysphagia
Authors: EDGAR J. DESSER
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1969)

A 79-year-old man with temporal arteritis presented with trismus, miosis, and dysphagia but no other symptoms or signs suggestive of temporal arteritis. Clinical and early radiographic findings suggested cancer of the esophagus. After diagnostic temporal artery biopsy the administration of corticoids was followed by a rapid resolution of all symptoms and signs. Possible patho-anatomical mechanisms for this unusual syndrome are discussed.
Oocyst-Transmitted Toxoplasmosis Associated with Ingestion of Contaminated Water
Authors: Michael W. Benenson, Ernest T. Takafuji, Stanley M. Lemon, Robert L. Greenup, Alexander J. Sulzer
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (1982)

HUMAN infection with Toxoplasma gondii may result from the ingestion of either the tissue cyst, which is found in certain meats, or the oocyst, which is shed in the feces of cats.1 2 3 4 5 Although epidemic toxoplasmosis is uncommon, a large outbreak of acute toxoplasmosis has occurred in a battalion of U.S. Army soldiers trained in the Panama Canal area. Between January 27 and February 18, 1979, 600 soldiers of the 1st Battalion of the 508th Infantry attended a three-week training course in the jungle in Panama. During the two weeks after their return to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, 39 of the . . .
Widespread Receptivity to Neuropeptide PDF throughout the Neuronal Circadian Clock Network of Drosophila Revealed by Real-Time Cyclic AMP Imaging
Authors: Orie T. Shafer, Dong Jo Kim, Richard Dunbar-Yaffe, Viacheslav O. Nikolaev, Martin J. Lohse, Paul H. Taghert
Journal: Neuron (2008)
Amyloidosis in rheumatic diseases.
Authors: J Barash
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (1990)

Amyloidosis in rheumatic diseasesSir: I read with interest the excellent review on amyloidosis in rheumatic diseases by Dhillon et al.'In Israel we have had an opportunity to witness the outstanding results obtained with colchicine in preventing amyloidosis in familial Mediterranean fever2 and the relative safety of this drug.Furthermore, there are some reports on the beneficial effect of colchicine in primary amyloidosis3 and secondary amyloidosis of ulcerative colitis.4There is also experimental evidence that colchicine inhibits amyloid syn- thesis.5As stated by Dhillon, children with systemic onset, juvenile chronic arthritis and persistent disease activity are at high risk for developing amyloidosis.I feel, therefore, that, at least in this high risk group, treatment with colchicine should be added in an attempt to prevent this life threatening complication.
I-131 Localization in Hematocolpos: A Differential Diagnosis Consideration for Pelvic I-131 Uptake
Authors: Matthew Mattern, Edward Staab
Journal: Clinical Nuclear Medicine (2007)

A 14-year-old female with a history of papillary thyroid cancer underwent radioactive iodine surveillance imaging. Recurrent tumor identified in the neck was treated with 125 mCi I-131. Post-therapy scan revealed a large focus of I-131 uptake in the pelvis, not seen on the pretherapy I-123 scan. Postvoid imaging was unchanged, and there were no symptoms of urinary tract infection. No renal or ureteral activity was present to suggest delayed excretion or obstruction. Further history revealed the patient had not yet reached menarche. For concerns of an imperforate hymen possibly trapping radioactive blood, a pelvic ultrasound was performed and was compatible with hematocolpos. After the discovery of a transverse vaginal septum, a large amount of clotted blood was evacuated following incision. Hematocolpos as a cause of I-131 pelvic uptake and a potential false positive scan for metastatic thyroid cancer is probably rare. Findings concerning a genital tract outflow obstruction in a young female are generally treated without delay to prevent future reproductive problems. In this case, continued radiation exposure to the patient's ovaries heightened the urgency for surgical management.
The Association of American Physicians Celebrates Its Centennial
Authors: Arnold S. Relman
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (1986)

Next week, in Washington, D.C., the city where its earliest meetings were held, the Association of American Physicians (AAP) will celebrate its centennial anniversary. It is an occasion of considerable significance for the history of medicine because it commemorates the beginning of organized interest in clinical science.By the mid-1880s, the infant sciences of bacteriology and pathology were beginning to illuminate the biologic mechanisms of disease, but the practice of medicine was still largely empirical and relatively primitive. Medical education in America had not yet been much influenced by these sciences, and there was no professional organization promoting the new . . .
Variation in rates of oestrogen receptor positivity in breast cancer again
Authors: K. Miller
Journal: BMJ (2002)

EDITOR—Mayor reports the findings of a postal survey showing an alarming wide variation in rates of oestrogen receptor positivity in women with breast cancer.1 The results of this questionnaire showed that the rate of breast tumours positive for oestrogen receptor that were detected at different breast cancer centres varied from as low as 5% to around the expected 80%.

For several years the UK …
Understanding controlled trials: Randomisation methods: concealment
Authors: D. J Torgerson, C. Roberts
Journal: BMJ (1999)

Randomisation is the best method removing selection bias between two groups of patients.1 However, the process of randomisation can be compromised such that the allocation results in biased groups of patients. A trial which has had its randomisation compromised may apparently show a treatment effect that is entirely due to biased allocation. The results of such a study are more damaging than an explicitly unrandomised study, as bias in the latter is acknowledged and the statistical analysis and subsequent interpretation takes this into account. Changes in clinical management based on a compromised trial may, at best, waste valuable health care resources on a useless treatment; at worst, they may also damage patients' health. The randomisation process must therefore not be compromised.

In the past attempts were not generally made to conceal randomisation schedules from investigators …
Psychiatric effects of terrorist attacks are underestimated
Authors: F. Charatan
Journal: BMJ (2002)

Psychiatric casualties after terrorist attacks such as bombings are often underrated, according to studies presented at a recent meeting of the Florida Psychiatric Society.

The effects of terrorist attacks—including the psychological effects of bombings, biological weapons, and trauma—were the main topics at the spring meeting of the Florida Psychiatric Society in Sarasota last month. These subjects were high on the local agenda because Florida was the temporary home …
ECHINOCOCCUS CYST OF THE LIVERWITH REPORT OF A CASE WITH OPERATION AND RECOVERY.
Authors: BAYARD HOLMES
Journal: JAMA (1904)

There are two forms of hydatid cyst which show themselves in the human liver. The more common one is the<i>Echinococcus cysticus</i>; the rare one is the<i>Echinococcus alveolaris</i>. The life history of the<i>Echinococcus cysticus</i>has been very fully studied by Leuckart, and further studies may be consulted in Bulletin 19 of the Bureau of Animal Industries of the United States Department of Agriculture, published in 1898. <h3>LIFE HISTORY OF THE PARASITE.</h3> The position of the echinococcus cyst in the life history of the animal is extremely interesting. A tapeworm (Fig. 1) only 1.5 to 3.0 mm. long, which infests the intestinal tract of the dog and other canidæ, deposits its eggs by millions with the excreta. By natural processes the eggs are washed out of the excreta and fall on vegetation, which sooner or later becomes the food of man or other intermediary host, mostly
CXCR6 Promotes Atherosclerosis by Supporting T-Cell Homing, Interferon-γ Production, and Macrophage Accumulation in the Aortic Wall
Authors: Elena Galkina, Brian L. Harry, Andreas Ludwig, Elisa A. Liehn, John M. Sanders, Anthony Bruce, Christian Weber, Klaus Ley
Journal: Circulation (2007)

Background— T lymphocytes are thought to be important in atherosclerosis, but very little is known about the mechanisms of lymphocyte recruitment into atherosclerosis-prone aortas. In this study we tested the hypothesis that CXCR6, a chemokine receptor that is expressed on a subset of CD4 + T helper 1 cells and natural killer T cells, is involved in lymphocyte homing into the aortic wall and modulates the development and progression of atherosclerosis. Methods and Results— To investigate the role of CXCR6 in the development and progression of atherosclerosis, we bred CXCR6-deficient (CXCR6 GFP/GFP ) mice with apolipoprotein E–deficient (ApoE −/− ) mice. We found that CXCR6 GFP/GFP /ApoE −/− mice fed a Western diet for 17 weeks or a chow diet for 56 weeks had decreased atherosclerosis compared with ApoE −/− controls. Flow cytometry analysis of the aortas from CXCR6 GFP/GFP /ApoE −/− mice showed that the reduction of atherosclerosis was accompanied by a decreased percentage of CXCR6 + T cells within the aortas. Short-term homing experiments demonstrated that CXCR6 is involved in the recruitment of CXCR6 + leukocytes into the atherosclerosis-prone aortic wall. The reduced percentage of CXCR6 + T cells within the aortas resulted in significantly diminished production of interferon-γ and reduction of CD11b + /CD68 + macrophages in the aorta. Conclusions— These data provide evidence for a proatherosclerotic role of CXCR6. Absence of CXCR6 alters the recruitment of CXCR6 + leukocytes and modulates the local immune response within the aortic wall.
Aging Heart Adapts to Change; Researchers Begin to Unravel Some Mechanisms Involved
Authors: Phil Gunby
Journal: JAMA (1995)

ADAPTATION is the key word in the view of some researchers studying the aging heart today. The theory is that the older heart adapts to specific deficits in performance through compensatory adjustments in its other functional characteristics. Therefore, National Institute on Aging (NIA) researchers like Edward G. Lakatta, MD, Jerome L. Fleg, MD, and colleagues are seeking to unravel the aging heart's adaptive mechanisms. They are addressing adaptive changes in: Cardiac structure and resting performance; Response to acute and chronic stresses; and Sympathetic modulation of cardiovascular function. <h3>Costly to Older Persons' Health</h3> Richard J. Hodes, MD, the NIA's director on the parent National Institutes of Health (NIH) campus, Bethesda, Md, notes that cardiovascular disease accounts for four or more of every 10 deaths among persons in this country aged 65 to 74 years. In a recent NIA booklet (NIH publication 94-3738) on cardiovascular aging, Hodes writes that "research on the
Screening for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm in Men Ages 60 to 80 Years: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis
Authors: Paul S. Frame
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1993)

Purpose: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of screening by physical examination or abdominal ultrasonography for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in men aged 60 to 80 years. Data Sources: A systematic review of the pertinent literature by the Canadian Task Force on the Periodic Health Examination, augmented by an additional computerized search (MEDLINE) and references identified from bibliographies of pertinent articles. Several experts reviewed the data for completeness. Study Selection: Published English-language studies that present data relevant to screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm. Data Extraction: Several reviewers determined a range of data and the most probable value for each parameter. Data Synthesis: A computer spreadsheet model was constructed to simulate the costs and effectiveness of various screening protocols in a cohort of 10 000 men during a period of 20 years. The primary cost-effectiveness measure computed was incremental present-value dollar expenditures for screening and treatment per incremental present-value life-year saved by the screening program. Using the most probable values for the simulation parameters, a single screening procedure of abdominal palpation followed by abdominal ultrasound scan for patients with positive screening results is estimated to gain 20 life-years at a cost of $28 741 per life-year. A single ultrasound screen gains 57 life-years at a cost of $41 550 per life-year. A repeated ultrasound screen after 5 years gains 1 additional life-year at a cost of $906 769. Conclusions: A single screen for AAA by abdominal palpation in men from age 60 to 80 years might be considered cost-effective but of small benefit. A single screen with ultrasonography is at the high end of the cost-per-life-year range that might be considered cost-effective and also is of modest benefit. Repeated screening is not cost-effective.
Effect of Chronic Bile Duct Obstruction on Renal Handling of Salt and Water
Authors: Ori S. Better, Shaul G. Massry
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (1972)

Renal sodium reabsorption and the concentrating and diluting abilities of the kidney were evaluated in the same trained mongrel dogs before and after chronic common bile duct ligation (BDL). Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and C(PAH) were not altered by BDL. The natriuretic response to a standardized infusion of 0.45% solution of NaCl was markedly blunted by BDL (P < 0.01); calculated distal sodium delivery was significantly less in experiments after BDL than in control studies. Furthermore, the fractional reabsorption of sodium at the diluting segment for any given rate of distal delivery was enhanced by BDL. Similarly, C(H2O)/100 ml GFR for a given sodium delivery was higher after BDL than control values. Maximal urinary concentration (Uosm-max) was lower after BDL, and the mean Uosm-max for the whole group of animals was 60% of the control value (P < 0.001). Mean maximal T(H2O)/100 ml GFR after BDL was not different from control values; however, T(c) (H2O)/100 ml GFR for a given Cosm/100 ml GFR was lower after BDL in three dogs only. The sodium content of the inner part of renal medulla after BDL was significantly lower than the values obtained in control animals. The excretion of an oral water load in the conscious state was impaired after BDL; although all animals excreted hypotonic urine, urinary osmolality was usually higher after BDL than in control studies. Maximal urinary concentration and the excretion of an oral water load were not affected by sham operation. These studies demonstrate that chronic, common bile duct ligation is associated with (a) enhanced sodium reabsorption both in the proximal and diluting segments of the nephron, (b) a defect in attaining maximal urinary concentration, (c) diminished sodium content in the renal papilla, and (d) impaired excretion of a water load. The results suggest that decreased distal delivery of sodium may underlie the abnormality in the concentrating mechanism and in the inability to normally excrete a water load. In addition, antidiuretic activity despite adequate hydration, may contribute to the impaired water diuresis. Chronic, common bile duct ligation appears to provide a readily available and reproducible model for the study of liver-kidney functional interrelationship.