tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Assessing potential risk of heavy metal exposure from consumption of home-produced vegetables by urban populations.
Authors: Rupert L Hough, Neil Breward, Scott D Young, Neil M J Crout, Andrew M Tye, Ann M Moir, Iain Thornton
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (2003)

We performed a risk assessment of metal exposure to population subgroups living on, and growing food on, urban sites. We modeled uptake of cadmium, copper, nickel, lead, and zinc for a selection of commonly grown allotment and garden vegetables. Generalized linear cross-validation showed that final predictions of Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn content of food crops were satisfactory, whereas the Pb uptake models were less robust. We used predicted concentrations of metals in the vegetables to assess the risk of exposure to human populations from homegrown food sources. Risks from other exposure pathways (consumption of commercially produced foodstuffs, dust inhalation, and soil ingestion) were also estimated. These models were applied to a geochemical database of an urban conurbation in the West Midlands, United Kingdom. Risk, defined as a "hazard index," was mapped for three population subgroups: average person, highly exposed person, and the highly exposed infant (assumed to be a 2-year-old child). The results showed that food grown on 92% of the urban area presented minimal risk to the average person subgroup. However, more vulnerable population subgroups (highly exposed person and the highly exposed infant) were subject to hazard index values greater than unity. This study highlights the importance of site-specific risk assessment and the "suitable for use" approach to urban redevelopment.
Australia moves to boost private health cover
Authors: C. Zinn
Journal: BMJ (2000)

Australians are being urged to “run for cover” by the federal government before a 1 July deadline or face higher, age related payments for private health insurance.

In the biggest private health insurance push in the country's history, the government aims to lock Australians into lifetime cover. It is the culmination of a “stick and carrot” approach to encourage more affluent people to return to the private health insurance funds that have suffered a large decline in membership since the 1950s.

Lifetime cover …
Lipoprotein(a) and Risk of Myocardial Infarction-Reply
Authors: Paul M. Ridker
Journal: JAMA (1994)

<h3>In Reply.</h3> —Dr Gaw appropriately points out that racial breakdown and age are important issues to be considered when interpreting our article. With regard to race or ethnic origin, we have no direct evidence from the Physicians' Health Study. However, in a pilot study performed for this prospective trial, which included a random sampling of male physicians aged 40 to 84 years in 1982, greater than 99% of respondents were white. As discussed in our article and reiterated by Gaw, racial differences have been reported in the distribution of Lp(a). Thus, further prospective studies of adequate sample size will be required to confirm or refute our findings for other populations. Cases and controls in our study were matched within 1 year for age, making it implausible that this variable confounded our results. It is important to point out, however, that the average age at time of first MI in our
Climate variability and change in the United States: potential impacts on water- and foodborne diseases caused by microbiologic agents.
Authors: J B Rose, P R Epstein, E K Lipp, B H Sherman, S M Bernard, J A Patz
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (2001)

Exposure to waterborne and foodborne pathogens can occur via drinking water (associated with fecal contamination), seafood (due to natural microbial hazards, toxins, or wastewater disposal) or fresh produce (irrigated or processed with contaminated water). Weather influences the transport and dissemination of these microbial agents via rainfall and runoff and the survival and/or growth through such factors as temperature. Federal and state laws and regulatory programs protect much of the U.S. population from waterborne disease; however, if climate variability increases, current and future deficiencies in areas such as watershed protection, infrastructure, and storm drainage systems will probably increase the risk of contamination events. Knowledge about transport processes and the fate of microbial pollutants associated with rainfall and snowmelt is key to predicting risks from a change in weather variability. Although recent studies identified links between climate variability and occurrence of microbial agents in water, the relationships need further quantification in the context of other stresses. In the marine environment as well, there are few studies that adequately address the potential health effects of climate variability in combination with other stresses such as overfishing, introduced species, and rise in sea level. Advances in monitoring are necessary to enhance early-warning and prevention capabilities. Application of existing technologies, such as molecular fingerprinting to track contaminant sources or satellite remote sensing to detect coastal algal blooms, could be expanded. This assessment recommends incorporating a range of future scenarios of improvement plans for current deficiencies in the public health infrastructure to achieve more realistic risk assessments.
Stent Thrombosis in Randomized Clinical Trials of Drug-Eluting Stents
Authors: Laura Mauri, Wen-hua Hsieh, Joseph M. Massaro, Kalon K.L. Ho, Ralph D'Agostino, Donald E. Cutlip
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (2007)

Definitions of stent thrombosis that have been used in clinical trials of drug-eluting stents have been restrictive and have not been used in a uniform manner.We applied a hierarchical classification of stent thrombosis set by the Academic Research Consortium (ARC) across randomized trials involving 878 patients treated with sirolimus-eluting stents, 1400 treated with paclitaxel-eluting stents, and 2267 treated with bare-metal stents. We then pooled 4 years of follow-up data. All events were adjudicated by an independent clinical-events committee.The cumulative incidence of stent thrombosis according to the original protocol definitions was 1.2% in the sirolimus-stent group versus 0.6% in the bare-metal-stent group (P=0.20; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.4 to 1.5) and 1.3% in the paclitaxel-stent group versus 0.8% in the bare-metal-stent group (P=0.24; 95% CI, -0.3 to 1.4). The incidence of definite or probable stent thrombosis as defined by the ARC was 1.5% in the sirolimus-stent group versus 1.7% in the bare-metal-stent group (P=0.70; 95% CI, -1.5 to 1.0) and 1.8% in the paclitaxel-stent group versus 1.4% in the bare-metal-stent group (P=0.52; 95% CI, -0.7 to 1.4). The incidence of definite or probable events occurring 1 to 4 years after implantation was 0.9% in the sirolimus-stent group versus 0.4% in the bare-metal-stent group and 0.9% in the paclitaxel-stent group versus 0.6% in the bare-metal-stent group.The incidence of stent thrombosis did not differ significantly between patients with drug-eluting stents and those with bare-metal stents in randomized clinical trials, although the power to detect small differences in rates was limited.
Restrictive dermopathy: a disorder of fibroblasts
Authors: D.G. PAIGE, B.D. LAKE, A.J. BAILEY, P. RAMANI, J. I. HARPER
Journal: British Journal of Dermatology (1992)

Journal Article Restrictive dermopathy: a disorder of fibroblasts Get access D.G. PAIGE, D.G. PAIGE Department of Dermatology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street, London U.K. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar B.D. LAKE, B.D. LAKE Department of Histopathology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street, London U.K. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar A.J. BAILEY, A.J. BAILEY Muscle and Collagen Research Group, University of Bristol, Langford, Bristol U.K. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar P. RAMANI, P. RAMANI Department of Histopathology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street, London U.K. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar J. I. HARPER J. I. HARPER Department of Dermatology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street, London U.K. Dr J. I. Harper, Consultant Dermatologist, The Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street, London WC1N 3JH, U.K Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar British Journal of Dermatology, Volume 127, Issue 6, 1 December 1992, Pages 630–634, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2133.1992.tb14878.x Published: 01 December 1992
Mines still cause thousands of casualties despite ban
Authors: Peter Moszynski
Journal: BMJ (2004)

As campaigners celebrate the seventh anniversary of the signature of the Ottawa protocol on banning landmines and prepare for the protocol's first review conference in Nairobi at the end of November, they warn that much still needs to be done to clear mines and to address the needs of thousands of new victims each year.

The first treaty in history to ban an entire class of weapons, the protocol was based on an initiative of a coalition of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, the Red Cross, Human Rights Watch, medical charities such as Handicap International, and specialist …
Ten Years On — The Human Genome and Medicine
Authors: Harold Varmus
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (2010)

On a June day nearly 10 years ago, the leaders of the United States and the United Kingdom, accompanied by the leaders of the public and private teams deciphering the human genome, announced that a draft sequence had been completed. That occasion was rich with promises of new and more powerful ways to understand, diagnose, prevent, and treat disease. Two years later, the Journal published a series of articles that reviewed the status of medical genetics and the prospects for a new era of “genomic medicine.” The tone was cautionary, if hopeful. An editorial (full disclosure: written by me) that . . .
Structures of surfactant films: a scanning force microscopy study
Authors: R Grunder, P Gehr, H Bachofen, S Schurch, H Siegenthaler
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (1999)

The alveolar lining layer is thought to consist of a continuous duplex layer, i.e., an aqueous hypophase covered by a thin surfactant film which is a monolayer with dipalmitoyl-phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) as its most important component. Findings obtained by electron microscopy and results from in vitro experiments suggest, however, that the structure and hence the structure-function relations of surfactant films are more complex. In order to better define their structures films of surfactants were studied by scanning force microscopy. Four different surfactants were spread on a Langmuir-Wilhelmy balance, and then transferred onto a solid mica plate by the Langmuir-Blodgett technique, under various states of film compression. Imaging of the films by scanning force microscopy was performed in the contact (repulsive) mode in air. The scanning force micrographs revealed that surfactant films are not homogeneous, but rather undergo phase transitions depending on the surface pressures. Even at comparable surface pressures different surfactants show quite different surface patterns. Differences in surface structure can even be observed in films containing surfactant proteins (SP)-B and SP-C. These observations give further evidence that the widely accepted hypothesis of a regular monolayer of phospholipids governing the surface tension probably does not hold true, but that the structure-function relationship of surface active surfactant films is even more complex than hitherto thought.
Consent forms for "no surgery" as ramification of landmark ruling
Authors: Ossie F Uzoigwe
Journal: BMJ (2015)

Sokol’s instructive account of the landmark Supreme Court ruling of Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board does not mention one ramification of this ruling.1 Clinicians must now give as much attention to consent for patients who follow a non-operative course as for those who undergo an intervention.

Montgomery presages a future where consent forms will be needed for non-operative management. In the case in question an induced vaginal delivery was …
Adenovirus-mediated transfer of siRNA against PTTG1 inhibits liver cancer cell growth<i>in vitro</i>and<i>in vivo</i>
Authors: Cho-Rok Jung, Jinsang Yoo, Ye Jin Jang, Sangsoo Kim, In-Sun Chu, Young Il Yeom, Jong Young Choi, Dong-Soo Im
Journal: Hepatology (2006)

The pituitary tumor transforming (PTTG) gene family comprises PTTG1, 2, and 3. Forced expression of PTTG1 (securin) induces cellular transformation and promotes tumor development in animal models. PTTG1 is overexpressed in various human cancers. However, the expression and pathogenic implications of the PTTG gene family in hepatocellular carcinoma are largely unknown. Gene silencing using short interfering RNA (siRNA) has become an efficient means to study the functions of genes and has been increasingly used for cancer gene therapy approaches. We report that PTTG1, but not PTTG2 and 3, was highly and frequently expressed in liver cancer tissues from patients and highly in SH-J1, SK-Hep1, and Huh-7 hepatoma cell lines. Adenoviral vector encoding siRNA against PTTG1 (Ad.PTTG1-siRNA) depleted PTTG1 specifically and efficiently in SH-J1 hepatoma cells, which resulted in activation of p53 that led to increased p21 expression and induction of apoptosis. The depletion of PTTG1 in HCT116 colorectal cancer cells exhibited a cytotoxic effect in a p53-dependent manner. Ad.PTTG1-siRNA-mediated cytotoxic effect was dependent on expression levels of PTTG1 and p53 in hepatoma cell lines. Huh-7 hepatoma cells, once transduced with Ad.PTTG1-siRNA, displayed markedly attenuated growth potential in nude mice. Intra-tumor delivery of Ad.PTTG1-siRNA led to significant inhibition of tumor growth in SH-J1 tumor xenograft established in nude mice. In conclusion, PTTG1 overexpressed in hepatoma cell lines negatively regulates the ability of p53 to induce apoptosis. PTIG1 gene silencing using siRNA may be an effective modality to treat liver cancer, in which PTTG1 is abundantly expressed. Supplementary material for this article can be found on the HEPATOLOGY website (http://interscience.wiley.com/jpages/0270-9139/ suppmat/index.html).
Long-term outcomes of nonconditioned patients with severe combined immunodeficiency transplanted with HLA-identical or haploidentical bone marrow depleted of T cells with anti-CD6 mAb
Authors: Niraj C. Patel, Javier Chinen, Howard M. Rosenblatt, Imelda C. Hanson, Betty S. Brown, Mary E. Paul, Stuart L. Abramson, Jerome Ritz, William T. Shearer
Journal: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (2008)
Daniel Isn't Talking
Authors: Charles Essex
Journal: BMJ (2006)

D aniel Isn't Talking is about autism among the chattering classes, a novel that chronicles two ways of coping with a life changing diagnosis, and the breakdown of a marriage when a child has special educational needs.

Daniel's mother, Melanie, is pursuing every therapeutic option, usually privately, yet unquestioningly adopts unproven and expensive diets.

Daniel's father, on the other hand, is in denial; he wants the professionals to deal with this, and …
Phase II study of a 3-weekly liposome-encapsulated doxorubicin/docetaxel/pegfligrastrim in combination with weekly trastuzumab as primary treatment in HER2 positive early stage breast cancer patients (II-IIIa). GEICAM 2003-03 study.
Authors: A Anton, A Ruiz-Simon, A Plazaola, L Calvo, M Segui, A Santaballa, M Muñoz, P Sanchez, A De Miguel, B Cirauqui, A Arcusa, A Oltra, T Puertolas, A Guerrero
Journal: Cancer Research (2009)

Abstract Abstract #5117 Objective: To assess the safety and efficacy of Myocet (M), Docetaxel (T), Trastuzumab (H) with prophylactic Pegfilgrastrim (N) as neoadjuvant chemotherapy in operable breast cancer patients (pts). The primary efficacy end point was pathologic complete response in the breast. Methods: Eligible pts had pathologically confirmed stage II or IIIA untreated breast cancer and HER2 overexpression determined by FISH in a central laboratory. M 50 mg/m2 and T 60 mg/m2 were given on day 1 and N on day 2 every 3 weeks for 6 cycles (Cy); H (4mg/Kgr loading dose, then 2 mg/Kgr/week) was given intravenously for 17 weeks, recommended dose in a phase I study (Proc ASCO 2007,25:596s Abstr.# 11.032). After all chemotherapy was completed, clinical responses were assessed. After surgery, pathological responses were evaluated using the Miller Payne scoring scale (MPSS). Results: 59 pts have been evaluated. Median age was 47.6 years (range 24-71) and median clinical tumour size 47.5 mm (range, 10-80). 19 pts (32.2%) presented with stage IIIA disease and 40 pts (67.8%) with stage II, 36 pts (61.0%) were premenopausal; 50 pts (84.8%) had histological grade 2-3 tumours; and 29 (49.2%) were ER-PgR-negative. All the pts received M and T 6 Cy with medium relative doses intense of 98.9% and 99.1% respectively. Objective clinical response rate was 84.7% (CI: 75.5-93.9) with 31 (52.5%) complete responses and 19 (32.2%) partial responses. 42 pts (71.2%) underwent conservative surgery, 17 pts (28.8%) achieved a pathological complete response in breast (Grade 5 in MPSS), of these, 16 pts (27.1%) achieved a pathological complete response in breast and axilar (Grade 5A+Grade 5D). Main grades (G) toxicities during MTHN treatment: leucopenia G3/4 was present in 18 pts (30.5%); neutropenia G3/4 in 17 pts (28.8%); febrile neutropenia G3 in 3 pts (5.1%); diarrhea G3 was present in 3 pts (5.1%); G2 rash in 2 pts (3.4%); G3 asthenia in 5 pts (8.5%) and stomatitis G3 in 1 pt (1.7%). 8 pts (13.6%) experienced asymptomatic and reversible cardiac left ventricular function G2. Conclusions: Concomitant administration of M plus THN is highly effective and active regimen with little toxicity in pts with HER2+ and early stage breast cancer. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(2 Suppl):Abstract nr 5117.
Relationship Between Absorption of Radiolabeled Soluble Insulin, Subcutaneous Blood Flow, and Anthropometry
Authors: Jiten P Vora, Anna Burch, John R Peters, David R Owens
Journal: Diabetes Care (1992)

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the interrelationships between the rate of absorption of soluble insulin, SCBF, and anthropometry in normal subjects. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS In 12 normal men (age range 23–30 yr, BMI 18.2–41.3 kg/m2), simultaneous assessment of the absorption of 125I-labeled soluble insulin and SCBF (99mTc clearance) was performed, on separate study days, for the anterior abdominal wall, anterior midthigh, and the upper arm sites. Each site was examined in a randomized order on two separate occasions. Absorption of 125I-soluble insulin was determined by external monitoring of residual radioactivity levels at the injection site for 6 h postinjection. Residual radioactivity level-time curves, including the characteristic early phase of slow absorption of soluble insulin (the lag phase), were described using two- and three-parameter biexponential models. Anthropometric measurements included BMI, ultrasonic measurement of the subcutaneous adipose tissue layer, and caliper skin fold thickness at the anterior abdominal wall, biceps, triceps, anterior midthigh, and subscapular sites. RESULTS A highly significant positive relationship was observed between the rate of absorption of 125I-soluble insulin and SCBF (rS =0.44–0.52; P &amp;lt; 0.01–0.001). The duration of the lag phase was inversely correlated with SCBF (rS = −0.34 – −0.51; P &amp;lt; 0.01–0.001). Inverse relationships also were observed for the subjects' degree of adiposity with the rate of soluble insulin absorption (rs = −0.43–−0.71; P &amp;lt; 0.001) and SCBF (rS = −0.27–−0.62; P &amp;lt; 0.05–0.001). Significantly shorter lag phase was observed for the abdominal site compared with thigh and arm injection sites (P &amp;lt; 0.05–0.01). CONCLUSIONS The rate of absorption of soluble insulin, including during the lag phase, is positively correlated with SCBF. Increasing adiposity prolongs the duration of the early lag phase and reduces the rate of absorption of soluble insulin and SCBF.
Sensitivity to insect stings in patients taking anti-inflammatory drugs.
Authors: A A Bernard, J B Kersley
Journal: BMJ (1986)

Sensitivity to insect stings in patients taking anti-inflammatory drugs Bee sting are known to cause various reactions in different patients as well as on different occasions in the same patient.Anaphylactic reactions have been described in people who had previously developed no reaction to bee stings, and apparent spontaneous cure of their sen=sitivity has been reported.'We report two cases of sensitivity to bee stings occurring while patients were taking anti-inflammatory drugs. Case reportsCase I-A 66 year old beekeeper had developed apparent immunity to bee stings over six years.She was prescribed diclofenac 50 mg three times daily for severe bilateral hip osteoarthrosis, not taking other drugs andnever having taken steroids.Some.months after -starting the anti-inflammatory treatment, how- ever, she was stung on the wrists while attending her beehives and within 15 minutes developed an aarming reaction with palpitations, a rash over the trunk and limbs, and swelling ofthe mouth and tongue causing dyspnoea.This settled spontaneously within a few hours.The following day she did not take any drugs but again sustained several bee sings, and although a similar reaction developed, it was much mildern The next day-48 hours after her last dose of the diclofenac-fluther bee stings had no effect.She took no more anti-inflammatory drugs and had no further reactions.Case 2-The 48 year old wife of a beekeeper had previously had only local reactions towasp stings.She had taken ibuprofen for osteoarthritis of the spine for five mhonths before she was stung by a wasp.Within two minutes generalised swelling, red itchy rash, palpitations, and shortness of breath developed, with a senseofimpendingdoom. Tr¢atmentinhospitalfor24hoursincluded parenteral adrenaline, antihistamine, and hydrocortisone.Another waspstnmg her two days Later, after she had stopped takting ibuprofen, and a less severe reaction developed, possibly helped by speedier transfer to-hospital.-Furtheranti-
THE ADMINISTRATION OF CALCIUM SALTS IN NEPHROLITHIASIS DUE TO URIC ACID CALCULI.
Authors: ALFRED C. CROFTAN
Journal: JAMA (1903)

THE UNDERLYING FACTS AND PRINCIPLES.  Phosphoric acid forms three salts with sodium, as follows :  H 3 PO 4 , phosphoric acid.  NaH 2 PO 4 , mono-sodium-phosphate.  Na 2 HPO 4 , di-sodium-phosphate.  Na 3 PO 4 , tri-sodium-phosphate.  The mono- and the di-sodium phosphate normally occur in the urine. Uric acid is readily soluble in di-sodium phosphate, but it is not soluble in mono-sodium phosphate. The addition, in fact, of mono-sodium phosphate to a solution of uric acid in di-sodium phosphate will cause the precipitation of the uric acid.  It is clear, therefore, that the solubility of uric acid in the urine is enhanced by the presence of di-sodium phosphate and that the tendency to the formation of uric acid concretions increases in proportion to the amount of mono-sodium phosphate that is excreted through the kidneys.  It is also clear that any endeavor directed toward preventing the precipitation of uric acid in the urinary passages must be concerned with increasing the amount of
MOUTH BREATHING NOT THE CAUSE OF CONTRACTED JAWS AND HIGH VAULT.Read Before the Section of Laryngology and Otology, at the Forty-second Annual Meeting of the American Medical Association, at Washington, D. C., May, 1891.
Authors: EUGENE S. TALBOT
Journal: JAMA (1891)

Mouth breathing was not known among the early races, the present pure races or modern un¬ civilized races, neither are deformities of the jaws and teeth.You will all admit that mouth breathing is becoming a very common occurrence among our own people, and so are also irregular¬ ities of the jaws and teeth.It stands to reason, then, that the causes which will produce the one must necessarily, in many cases, produce the other.