tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Researchers question ethics of diabetes drug trial
Authors: G. Mudur
Journal: BMJ (2002)

Indian scientists have questioned the ethics of clinical trials of a candidate drug for diabetes conducted by the European company Novo Nordisk in 32 countries, including India, before the drugwas fully tested in animals.

Novo Nordisk suspended clinical trials of the new molecule ragaglitazar in July after it discovered that several rats and one mouse treated with the drug had developed urinary bladder tumours. The company said it was suspending the trials until the cause …
THE MECHANISM BY WHICH EXPERIMENTAL NEPHRITIS IS PRODUCED IN RABBITS INJECTED WITH NEPHROTOXIC DUCK SERUM
Authors: Calvin F. Kay
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1940)

1. Glomerulonephritis was produced in rabbits by the injection of antirabbit-kidney duck serum. 2. The clinical and pathologic characteristics of the disease are discussed. 3. It was found possible by appropriate means either to accelerate the development of the nephritis or to prevent its appearance entirely. 4. An apparent correlation was found between the development of the nephritis and the formation of antibodies to duck serum by the injected rabbit. 5. The generally accepted concept of the mechanism of the disease does not appear to be in accordance with the facts here observed. A new hypothesis is presented.
Relation of Plasma Renin to Sodium Balance and Arterial Pressure in Experimental Renal Hypertension
Authors: Torrey C. Brown, James O. Davis, Michael J. Olichney, C. I. Johnston
Journal: Circulation Research (1966)

Measurements of plasma renin were made in unilaterally nephrectomized dogs with renal artery stenosis and hypertension. Plasma renin was elevated throughout the course of the malignant renal hypertensive disease, and during the first three days only in chronic hypertension. Hypertension was produced by renal artery constriction in unilaterally nephrectomized dogs with prior thoracic caval constriction and in sodium-depleted, left nephrectomized animals. Plasma renin was high in both dogs with caval constriction and sodium depletion before hypertension was added. When the renal artery was constricted, two of the dogs with thoracic caval constriction developed malignant hypertension and a further striking increase in plasma renin occurred. In two other dogs with caval constriction, chronic hypertension developed but plasma renin increased further in only one of the two animals; this occurred during the first four days of hypertension after which plasma renin returned to the high control level. The sodium-depleted dogs developed chronic hypertension following renal artery constriction but no further elevation in plasma renin occurred. Sodium repletion and sodium depletion of chronic hypertensive dogs produced marked changes in plasma renin without alterations in arterial pressure. The present findings revealed a striking correlation between plasma renin and sodium balance but neither bore any relation to the level of arterial pressure.
Assessment of Systolic Dyssynchrony for Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Is Not Clinically Useful
Authors: Raphael K. Sung, Elyse Foster
Journal: Circulation (2011)

C ardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is an effective treatment in patients with medically refractory heart failure.Several clinical trials have shown improvement in both left ventricular (LV) function and symptoms with CRT compared with controls, 1-4 with the 2 largest trials showing a reduction in rates of hospitalization and death. 5,62][3][4] One of the most frequently studied modalities for patient selection is echocardiographic measurement of LV systolic dyssynchrony based on the supposition that there is a threshold for mechanical dyssynchrony below which there is no therapeutic benefit.Despite these studies, we argue that current echocardiographic methods of measuring dyssynchrony should not be used to exclude patients who are otherwise candidates for CRT.Conversely, in patients with narrow QRS, echocardiographic evidence of dyssynchrony is insufficient to warrant CRT on the basis of current data.
Doctor, pharmacist, or specialist nurse: who are you?
Authors: Benjamin Harris
Journal: BMJ (2006)

As a newly qualified doctor, a cognitive assessment is part of my routine clerking of many patients. As part of the abbreviated mental test score, when I ask a patient to identify what my job might be, when dressed in a shirt and tie and with a stethoscope around my neck, a not uncommon answer is “specialist nurse.” Is this confusion or a detailed understanding of the complexity of modern healthcare roles that deserves extra marks?
Iraqi doctors seize first training opportunity in 20 years in unique UK programme
Authors: Z. Kmietowicz
Journal: BMJ (2009)

By the end of November, 330 doctors, 20 nurses, and 50 key policy makers from Iraq will have passed through the United Kingdom on a unique training programme designed to kick start the rebuilding of the country’s health system. Shadowing doctors in the NHS, the selected group of Iraqi doctors, most of them surgeons, are already passing on the skills they learnt during their visits to colleagues back home.

The Iraq Clinical Training and Development Programme is a response by the Department of Health to the conundrum of how to rebuild a health system from the rubble left by 30 years of war, invasions, sanctions, and civil unrest. 

Once a beacon of excellence in the Middle East, Iraq’s health service collapsed towards the end of the 1970s and is currently in need of a $1000bn investment to establish a functioning infrastructure, said Adel Abdullah, inspector general of the country’s Ministry …
Bone marrow–derived immune cells regulate vascular disease through a p27Kip1-dependent mechanism
Authors: Manfred Boehm, Michelle Olive, Andrea L. True, Martin F. Crook, Hong San, Xuan Qu, Elizabeth G. Nabel
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (2004)

The cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors are key regulators of cell cycle progression. Although implicated in carcinogenesis, they inhibit the proliferation of a variety of normal cell types, and their role in diverse human diseases is not fully understood. Here, we report that p27Kip1 plays a major role in cardiovascular disease through its effects on the proliferation of bone marrow–derived (BM-derived) immune cells that migrate into vascular lesions. Lesion formation after mechanical arterial injury was markedly increased in mice with homozygous deletion of p27Kip1, characterized by prominent vascular infiltration by immune and inflammatory cells. Vascular occlusion was substantially increased when BM-derived cells from p27–/– mice repopulated vascular lesions induced by mechanical injury in p27+/+ recipients, in contrast to p27+/+ BM donors. To determine the contribution of immune cells to vascular injury, transplantation was performed with BM derived from RAG–/– and RAG+/+ mice. RAG+/+ BM markedly exacerbated vascular proliferative lesions compared with what was found in RAG–/– donors. Taken together, these findings suggest that vascular repair and regeneration is regulated by the proliferation of BM-derived hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic cells through a p27Kip1-dependent mechanism and that immune cells largely mediate these effects.
NICE recommends faster, easier access to care for MS patients
Authors: A. Jain
Journal: BMJ (2003)

Every patient who is suspected of having multiple sclerosis should be seen by a neurologist within six weeks of referral, and investigations should be completed within another six weeks. These are recommendations in the new guidelines of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) that were issued this week.

The aim of the guidelines is to provide easier and faster access to specialised services for the 50 000 to 60 000 people with the condition. The guidelines …
Analysis of von Willebrand factor structure by multimer analysis
Authors: Marlies R. Ledford‐Kraemer
Journal: American Journal of Hematology (2010)

Analysis of von Willebrand factor (VWF) structure is achieved by performing a highly specialized procedure, VWF multimer analysis. The test is reserved for the reference or specialized laboratory environment. The assay is qualitative (though under some circumstances multimers may be quantified) in that it assesses the overall size distribution of VWF multimers as well as their individual internal structure. The test is used predominantly to type or subtype von Willebrand disease. The analysis of VWF multimers generally consists of four steps: (1) electrophoresis of plasma in an agarose gel, (2) either gel fixation or transfer of the electrophoretic protein product to a membrane, (3) immunodetection of the protein, and (4) evaluation of the protein in the gel or membrane. The assay is complex, time consuming, requires specialized equipment and technical expertise, and is not standardized.
Lifetime Risks for Cardiovascular Disease Mortality by Cardiorespiratory Fitness Levels Measured at Ages 45, 55, and 65 Years in Men
Authors: Jarett D. Berry, Benjamin Willis, Sachin Gupta, Carolyn E. Barlow, Susan G. Lakoski, Amit Khera, Anand Rohatgi, James A. de Lemos, William Haskell, Donald M. Lloyd-Jones
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2011)
Controlled Tissue Expansion in Periocular Reconstructive Surgery
Authors: David T. Tse, Leo R. McCafferty
Journal: Ophthalmology (1993)

Background: Soft tissue expansion is a technique useful in reconstruction when a shortage of tissue exists. This method allows the creation of skin similar in appearance and type to that immediately adjacent to the defect. The use of this technique as a stage in repairing large periocular defects is presented. The sequence of implant placement, expansion, and ensuing eyelid reconstruction is illustrated. Methods: The soft tissue adjacent to an eyelid defect was expanded by means of a subcutaneously implanted reservoir that was progressively inflated over several weeks by percutaneous injection of fluid. The prosthesis was removed after adequate expansion had been achieved. The expanded tissue was then used to fashion a local flap to resurface the defect. Results: Upper eyelid skin expansion was performed in one patient, and five patients received expansion in an adjacent area. The expanded tissue was then used to reconstruct the eyelid defect. The only complications encountered were tissue necrosis at the tip of an advancement flap in one patient and hematoma formation within the dissection pocket after expander insertion in another patient. Conclusions: This technique complements existing reconstructive methods and provides a valuable surgical alternative for managing various periocular defects. The potential application of this technique in eyelid and periocular reconstruction appears promising. Background: Soft tissue expansion is a technique useful in reconstruction when a shortage of tissue exists. This method allows the creation of skin similar in appearance and type to that immediately adjacent to the defect. The use of this technique as a stage in repairing large periocular defects is presented. The sequence of implant placement, expansion, and ensuing eyelid reconstruction is illustrated. Methods: The soft tissue adjacent to an eyelid defect was expanded by means of a subcutaneously implanted reservoir that was progressively inflated over several weeks by percutaneous injection of fluid. The prosthesis was removed after adequate expansion had been achieved. The expanded tissue was then used to fashion a local flap to resurface the defect. Results: Upper eyelid skin expansion was performed in one patient, and five patients received expansion in an adjacent area. The expanded tissue was then used to reconstruct the eyelid defect. The only complications encountered were tissue necrosis at the tip of an advancement flap in one patient and hematoma formation within the dissection pocket after expander insertion in another patient. Conclusions: This technique complements existing reconstructive methods and provides a valuable surgical alternative for managing various periocular defects. The potential application of this technique in eyelid and periocular reconstruction appears promising.
Simple formula can predict risk of childhood obesity at birth, study says
Authors: S. Mayor
Journal: BMJ (2012)

A simple formula can predict a baby’s risk at birth of becoming obese later in childhood, show the results of a new study.1 The researchers suggest that the formula could be used to target families who would benefit most from efforts to prevent obesity.

The formula, which is available as an online calculator (http://files-good.ibl.fr/childhood-obesity/), estimates the risk of obesity from the child’s birth weight, the body mass index (BMI) of the parents, the number of people in the household, …
The role of T lymphocytes and cytokines in the pathogenesis of pemphigoid gestationis
Authors: P. Fabbri, M. Caproni, S. Berti, B. Bianchi, L. Amato, O. De Pita, A. Frezzolini
Journal: British Journal of Dermatology (2003)

Pemphigoid gestationis (PG), also known as herpes gestationis, is a rare autoantibody-mediated bullous disease, usually associated with pregnancy and the postpartum period. However, infiltrating cells have recently been suggested to also contribute to the pathogenesis of cutaneous lesions.To evaluate the immunophenotype of T cells infiltrating the PG lesional skin and their prevalent cutaneous cytokine expression, as well as the presence and distribution of mast cells, eosinophils and neutrophils. Methods We performed an immunohistochemical study with a large panel of monoclonal antibodies to CD3, CD4, CD8, HLA-DR, CD25, myeloperoxidase, tryptase, eosinophil cationic protein EG2, human interleukin (IL)-2, -4, -5, -8, interferon (IFN)-gamma, and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor using the alkaline phosphatase-antialkaline phosphatase procedure on lesional skin of seven patients with PG. Skin from four subjects with pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy and three additional healthy donors were used as controls.The findings indicate that there is a T-cell population with a prevalent T-helper (Th) 2 phenotype in the lesional skin of PG subjects. We also found a number of eosinophils and neutrophils with clear signs of activation.These data suggest that an inflammatory infiltrate is involved in the production of PG bullous lesions. In particular, we assume that the Th2 cells might be implicated in the very early stages of autoimmune response and may exercise a broad influence in blister formation in this disease.
Acute Hemorrhagic Conjunctivitis
Authors: Chandler R. Dawson
Journal: JAMA (1974)

In 1969, an explosive epidemic of  with severe conjunctival hemorrhages swept through West Africa.1This new syndrome, acute hemorrhagic  (AHC), was originally referred to as  conjunctivitis by virtue of its appearance at the time of the Apollo 11 moon landing. In 1970 and 1971, similar epidemics occurred in North Africa, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Taiwan, with somewhat later outbreaks in Japan, Korea, India, and Europe.  Acute hemorrhagic  was immediately recognized as a new ocular disease by its clinical and epidemiological characteristics. Affected patients experience the sudden onset of  with lid swelling, tearing, serous discharge, and photophobia; the inflammation in the conjunctiva is accompanied by lymphoid follicles and spectacular hemorrhages as well as preauricular lymphadenopathy. The disease is self-limited, running its course in seven to ten days. Epidemics of AHC have occurred mainly in developing countries and have involved both urban and
Theories of structure versus theories of change
Authors: Melanie Mitchell
Journal: Behavioral and Brain Sciences (1998)

The dynamics/computation debate recalls a similar debate in the evolutionary biology community concerning the relative primacy of theories of structure versus theories of change. A full account of cognition will require a rapprochement between such theories and will include both computational and dynamical notions. The key to making computation relevant to cognition is not making it analog, but rather understanding how functional information-processing structures can emerge in complex dynamical systems.
Regular Physical Exercise Corrects Endothelial Dysfunction and Improves Exercise Capacity in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure
Authors: Rainer Hambrecht, Eduard Fiehn, Claudia Weigl, Stephan Gielen, Caroline Hamann, Ralf Kaiser, Jiangtao Yu, Volker Adams, Josef Niebauer, Gerhard Schuler
Journal: Circulation (1998)

Background —The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of systemic exercise training on endothelium-mediated arteriolar vasodilation of the lower limb and its relation to exercise capacity in chronic heart failure (CHF). Endothelial dysfunction is a key feature of CHF, contributing to increased peripheral vasoconstriction and impaired exercise capacity. Local handgrip exercise has previously been shown to enhance endothelium-dependent vasodilation in conduit and resistance vessels in CHF. Methods and Results —Twenty patients were prospectively randomized to a training group (n=10, left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF] 24±4%) or a control group (n=10, LVEF 23±3%). At baseline and after 6 months, peak flow velocity was measured in the left femoral artery using a Doppler wire; vessel diameter was determined by quantitative angiography. Peripheral blood flow was calculated from average peak velocity (APV) and arterial cross-sectional area. After exercise training, nitroglycerin-induced endothelium-independent vasodilation remained unaltered (271% versus 281%, P =NS). Peripheral blood flow improved significantly in response to 90 μg/min acetylcholine by 203% (from 152±79 to 461±104 mL/min, P &lt;0.05 versus control group) and the inhibiting effect of L-NMMA increased by 174% (from −46±25 to −126±19 mL/min, P &lt;0.05 versus control group). Peak oxygen uptake increased by 26% ( P &lt;0.01 versus control group). The increase in peak oxygen uptake was correlated with the endothelium-dependent change in peripheral blood flow (r=0.64, P &lt;0.005). Conclusions —Regular physical exercise improves both basal endothelial nitric oxide (NO) formation and agonist-mediated endothelium-dependent vasodilation of the skeletal muscle vasculature in patients with CHF. The correction of endothelium dysfunction is associated with a significant increase in exercise capacity.
Vertebral osteomyelitis due to coccobacilli of the HB group.
Authors: M Farrington, S J Eykyn, M Walker, R E Warren
Journal: BMJ (1983)

Three cases of pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis occurred in which unusual, fastidious, Gram negative coccobacilli belonging to the "HB" group were isolated. The organisms were Haemophilus aphrophilus in case 1, intermediate between H aphrophilus and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans in case 2, and Eikenella corrodens in case 3. All HB bacteria are sensitive to a wide range of antibiotics.
Mother-to-child transmission of a hepatitis C virus variant with an insertional mutation in its hypervariable region
Authors: Hideki Aizaki, Akihiko Saito, Isao Kusakawa, Yoshihisa Ashiwara, Seishi Nagamori, Gotaro Toda, Tetsuro Suzuki, Koji Ishii, Yoshiharu Matsuura, Tasuo Miyamura
Journal: Journal of Hepatology (1996)
Tc-99m HMPAO SPECT Appearance of an Atypical Laminar Heterotopia
Authors: KARL G. SIEG, GARY R. GAFFNEY, DAVID F. PRESTON, TERI L. OʼDONNELL
Journal: Clinical Nuclear Medicine (1991)

Heterotopic formations represent the partial failure of neuronal precursors to migrate to designated surface locations in the cerebral cortex. The characteristic result is an ectopic nodule of gray matter either in the white matter tracts or along the ventricular wall. With advances in magnetic resonance imaging, additional forms of abnormal neuronal migration are being identified. Tc-99m HMPAO SPECT imaging of an atypical, laminar form of heterotopia is presented.
ATMOSPHERIC PHENOMENA IN RELATION TO THE PREVALENCE OF ASIATIC CHOLERA
Authors: J. A. Hingeston
Journal: BMJ (1853)

THE Asiatic cholera seems to be associated with a particular state of air, in which it finds its nest for being engendered, fostered, and diffused.This state of the atmosphere is indi- cated by an overcast sky, a high barometer.a torpid mist, and, for the most part, though not invariably, a high tem- perature.The mercury in the barometer rises up to thirty inches, although, at the same time, the sky, instead of being Fair, as the instrument denotes, is, on the contrary, shrouded with a veil of clouds-cirro-strati, strati, or indo- lent cirro-cumuli, of a dull opaque colour.The wind sub- sides, a calm prevails, and a moisture bedews everything, both in-doors and out.This state of the atmosphere is so unmistakeable, that, when the disease has once broken out, we may be sure of hearing of its increase during-the con- tinuance of this sort of weather, and of its diminution the moment a chaiige takes place, and the wind rises, and the barometer sinks, and the mist is dispersed.But the over- cast sky and a high temperature are not so requisite to the propagrationi of the disease as the high barometer, the calm, and the mist.This disagreeable mist is most remarkable: it lies low, rolls off the higher places, descends into the vales and hollows, and settles in corners secluded from thoroughfare and draughts of air.IHence it has been in- ferred that.cholera originates from siUks, sewers, etc.; but, as these offensive recesses are generally set apart by themn- selves in somne enclosed spot, they only afford an undis-
Précis of <i>Principles of Brain Evolution</i>
Authors: Georg F. Striedter
Journal: Behavioral and Brain Sciences (2006)

Brain evolution is a complex weave of species similarities and differences, bound by diverse rules and principles. This book is a detailed examination of these principles, using data from a wide array of vertebrates but minimizing technical details and terminology. It is written for advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and more senior scientists who already know something about “the brain,” but want a deeper understanding of how diverse brains evolved. The book's central theme is that evolutionary changes in absolute brain size tend to correlate with many other aspects of brain structure and function, including the proportional size of individual brain regions, their complexity, and their neuronal connections. To explain these correlations, the book delves into rules of brain development and asks how changes in brain structure impact function and behavior. Two chapters focus specifically on how mammal brains diverged from other brains and how Homo sapiens evolved a very large and “special” brain.
Highlights of the meeting on prevention of gallstones
Authors: Scott M. Grundy, Sarah C. Kalser
Journal: Hepatology (1987)

The topic of gallstone prevention was the subject of a 2-day advisory meeting to assist the leadership of the Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Division of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases in assessing promising areas of research.It was held July 29-30,1986 in Bethesda, Maryland.In introducing the meeting, Chairman Scott Grundy proposed that, for discussion purposes, prevention might be considered as primary, secondary or tertiary prevention.Primary prevention would be inhibition of formation of stones in persons who have not previously had gallstones.It could be most productively focused on subjects at increased risk for gallstone formation, e.g., those with obesity, pregnancy, diseases such as diabetes, hypothyroidism and hyperlipidemia, or during therapy with various drugs or hormones such as estrogens or antilipidemic drugs.Secondary prevention might be considered as the successful management of silent gallstones, e.g., the prevention of their clinical complications by dissolving them, flushing them out of the gallbladder with choleretics or preventing their further growth.Tertiary prevention might be considered as the prevention of gallstone recurrence once chemical dissolution of gallstones had taken place.Primary prevention was the main topic of the meeting, adthough some ideas relevant to secondary and tertiary prevention also emerged.