tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Accuracy and Utility of Commercially Available Amplification and Serologic Tests for the Diagnosis of Minimal Pulmonary Tuberculosis
Authors: K. AL ZAHRANI, H. AL JAHDALI, L. POIRIER, P. RENÉ, M. L. GENNARO, D. MENZIES
Journal: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (2000)

Diagnosis of patients with minimal active tuberculosis (TB) is difficult, as there is no single test with high sensitivity and specificity. The yield and clinical utility of a combination of diagnostic tests were prospectively studied among 500 consecutive patients referred for sputum induction for diagnosis of possible active TB. Patients underwent sputum induction, chest X-ray, tuberculin testing, and had blood drawn for serologic testing (Detect-TB test; Biochem ImmunoSystems). Sputum was examined with fluorescent microscopy and PCR (Amplicor MTB–Roche) and cultured for mycobacteria using liquid (BACTEC) and solid media. For the diagnosis of the 60 cases of active TB, sensitivity and specificity, respectively, of the following diagnostic tests were mycobacterial culture, 73% and 100%; PCR, 42% and 100%; chest X-ray, 67–77% and 66–76%; tuberculin testing, 94% and 20%; and serology, 33% and 87%. After consideration of PCR and radiographic and clinical characteristics, a positive serologic test was independantly associated with diagnosis of active disease (adjusted odds of disease if positive, 2.6; 95% confidence limits, 1.1,6.1). No currently available test has sensitivity and specificity high enough for the accurate diagnosis of minimal pulmonary TB. Utilization of a combination of tests, together with consideration of key clinical characteristics, could improve diagnostic accuracy.
Shake test on amniotic fluid and the respiratory distress syndrome.
Authors: P M Fisher, H W Sutherland, R Dinwiddie, G Russell
Journal: BMJ (1973)

found in practice to be of equal value and also safe in the diagnosis of two small series of mute psychiatric inpatients.2 "Poor-risk" patients, especially those sus- ceptible to respiratory or cardiovascular depression, will need extra care, but even then intravenous diazepam and lorazepam have been shown to be less hazardous than intravenous barbiturates.4Care is also necessary with epileptics receiving parenteral barbiturates or paraldehyde,5 patients taking Mandrax6 and during curarization.7Apnoea with diazepam alone has been reported in an 80-year-old patient.8Such risks must be balanced against the importance of diagnosing and treating the underlying cause of the mutism.-Iam, etc., H.
Outpatient Gatifloxacin Therapy and Dysglycemia in Older Adults
Authors: Laura Y. Park-Wyllie, David N. Juurlink, Alexander Kopp, Baiju R. Shah, Therese A. Stukel, Carmine Stumpo, Linda Dresser, Donald E. Low, Muhammad M. Mamdani
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (2006)

Gatifloxacin has been associated with both hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia. We examined dysglycemia-related health outcomes associated with various antibiotics in a population of approximately 1.4 million Ontario, Canada, residents 66 years of age or older.We conducted two population-based, nested case-control studies. In the first, case patients were persons treated in the hospital for hypoglycemia after outpatient treatment with a macrolide, a second-generation cephalosporin, or a respiratory fluoroquinolone (gatifloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, or ciprofloxacin). In the second, case patients were persons who received hospital care for hyperglycemia. For each case patient, we identified up to five controls matched according to age, sex, the presence or absence of diabetes, and the timing of antibiotic therapy.Between April 2002 and March 2004, we identified 788 patients treated for hypoglycemia within 30 days after antibiotic therapy. As compared with macrolide antibiotics, gatifloxacin was associated with an increased risk of hypoglycemia (adjusted odds ratio, 4.3; 95 percent confidence interval, 2.9 to 6.3). Levofloxacin was also associated with a slightly increased risk (adjusted odds ratio, 1.5; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.2 to 2.0), but no such risk was seen with moxifloxacin, ciprofloxacin, or cephalosporins. We then identified 470 patients treated for hyperglycemia within 30 days after antibiotic therapy. As compared with macrolides, gatifloxacin was associated with a considerably increased risk of hyperglycemia (adjusted odds ratio, 16.7; 95 percent confidence interval, 10.4 to 26.8), but no risk was noted with the other antibiotics. Risks were similar in the two studies regardless of the presence or absence of diabetes.As compared with the use of other broad-spectrum oral antibiotics, including other fluoroquinolones, the use of gatifloxacin among outpatients is associated with an increased risk of in-hospital treatment for both hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia.
Kids, Cholesterol, Carotids, and Coronaries-Reply
Authors: Gerald S. Berenson
Journal: JAMA (1991)

In Reply.  —We concur with Dr Weintraub that research is needed to elucidate early biologic markers for determining future risk of coronary artery disease. However, this issue has little, if anything, to do with the specific points raised in our commentary or, in general, with the need to establish an effective public health policy for early detection and treatment of coronary artery disease.  Epidemiologic studies of atherosclerosis and hypertension, unfortunately, do not provide direct causal risk factor-disease relationships. Similarly, serum lipids and lipoproteins and blood pressure in children are risk factor variables just as in adults, but their predictive values are less apt to be as precise since the timing of observations with morbidity and end-stage events is more distant. The closest our data correlate with disease is to show strong relationships of antemortem risk factors to fatty streaks and the more advanced raised coronary fibrous plaque lesions in autopsies
Ronald McDonald Clark
Authors: M. Thacker
Journal: BMJ (2013)

Ronald McDonald Clark (“Ron”) was born in Darlington and grew up in Coatham Hall, the fourth child of William and Catherine McDonald Clark. His father was a chest physician at Bishop Auckland Hospital, County Durham.

Ron was educated at Barnard Castle School and then went to Glasgow University to study medicine. He qualified in 1973 before undertaking house jobs at the Stirling Royal Infirmary and …
Kenyan doctors face dismissal over strike
Authors: B Mseteka
Journal: BMJ (1994)

Doctors working in the public sector in Kenya, who have been on strike for two months in protest at the government's refusal to register their trade union, have now been sacked. The doctors, who are also demanding better wages and improved housing, had been given a one week ultimatum by the president, Daniel Arap Moi, to return to work or be fired. The government's decision to go ahead with the mass …
Abstract 3366: Significance of a stemness factor, Sox2, in gastric cancer
Authors: Junko Matsuoka, Masakazu Yashiro, Shinichiro Kashiwagi, Yukihiro Kato, Yuhiko Fuyuhiro, Yosuke Doi, Satoru Noda, Naoshi Kubo, Hiroaki Tanaka, Kazuya Muguruma, Toru Inoue, Nobuya Yamada, Tetsuji Sawada, Masaichi Ohira, Tetsuro Ishikawa, Kosei Hirakawa
Journal: Cancer Research (2010)

Abstract Introduction: Sox genes encode a family of high-mobility group transcription factors that play critical roles in organogenesis. Sox2 is suggested to be one of stemness factors that render the reprogramming capability of adult cells into germ-line-competent induced pluripotent stem cells. Sox2 might be associated with cancer stem cells that are the only cells with unlimited proliferation potential and with the capability of driving tumor progression. Recently, a number of studies have reported the correlation between Sox transcription factors and human cancers. Since little is known about the efficacy of Sox2 as a potential biomarker for gastric cancer, we investigated the significance of Sox2 expression in human gastric cancer. Material and Methods: A total of 260 patients who had undergone resection of a primary gastric cancer at our institute were enrolled. Sox2 expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Sox2 expression was evaluated by intensity of staining and percentage of stained tumor cells: intensity was given scores 0-3 (0=no,1=weak, 2=moderate 3= intense) and population was given scores 0-5 (0=0%, 1=1-25%, 2=26-35%, 3=36-45%, 4=46-65%, 5=66-100%) The two scores were then added to obtain the final result of 0-8. Expression of Sox2 was considered high expression when scores were ≥5 and low expression when scores were ≤4. Results: Sox2 expression was positive in 153 (58.8%) of 260 gastric cancers. There was a statistically significant correlation between Sox2 expression and depth of tumor invasion (p=0.002) and lymphatic invasion (p=0.002). The prognosis of patients with Sox2 expression positive tumors was significantly (p=0.046) worse, while a multivariate analysis revealed that Sox2 expression was not an independent prognostic factor. Conclusion: Sox2 expression might be associated with invasion of gastric cancer. Sox2 expression might be a useful prognosis marker for patients with gastric cancer. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3366.
Chronic and Initiation/Promotion Skin Bioassays of Petroleum Refinery Streams.
Authors: C Skisak, EM Furedi-Machacek, SS Schmitt, MS Swanson, EH Vernot
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (1994)

Nine refinery streams were tested in both chronic and initiation/promotion (I/P) skin bioassays. In the chronic bioassay, groups of 50 C3H/HeJ mice received twice weekly applications of 50 microl of test article for at least 2 years. In the initiation phase of the I/P bioassay, groups of CD-1 mice received an initiating dose of 50 microl of test article for 5 consecutive days, followed by promotion with 50 microl of phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (0.01% w/v in acetone) for 25 weeks. In the promotion phase of the I/P bioassay, CD-1 mice were initiated with 50 microl of 7,12-dimethylbenzanthracene (0.1% w/v in acetone) or acetone, followed by promotion with 50 microl of test article twice weekly for 25 weeks. The most volatile of the streams, sweetened naphtha, and the least volatile, vacuum residuum, were noncarcinogenic in both assays. Middle distillates, with a boiling range of 150 degrees-370 degreesC, demonstrated carcinogenic activity in the chronic bioassay and acted as promoters but not initiators in the I/P bioassay. Untreated mineral oil streams displayed initiating activity and were carcinogenic in the chronic bioassay, presumably due to the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons of requisite size and structure. A highly solvent-refined mineral oil stream lacked initiating activity. These results indicate that the I/P bioassay, which takes 6 months to complete, may be a good qualitative predictor of the results of a chronic bioassay, at least for petroleum streams. Furthermore, the I/P bioassay can provide insight into possible mechanisms of tumor development.
Bioengineering a Multicomponent Spinal Motion Segment Construct—A 3D Model for Complex Tissue Engineering
Authors: Tsz Kit Chik, Wai Hon Chooi, Yuk Yin Li, Fu Chak Ho, Hiu Wa Cheng, Tsz Hang Choy, Kam Yim Sze, Keith Kei Dip Luk, Kenneth Man Chi Cheung, Barbara Pui Chan
Journal: Advanced Healthcare Materials (2014)

Intervertebral disc degeneration is an important clinical problem but existing treatments have significant drawbacks. The ability to bioengineer the entire spinal motion segment (SMS) offers hope for better motion preservation strategies but is extremely challenging. Here, fabrication of a multicomponent SMS construct with complex hierarchical organization from mesenchymal stem cells and collagen‐based biomaterials, using a module‐based integrative approach, is reported. The construct consists of two osteochondral subunits, a nucleus pulposus (NP‐)‐like core and a multi‐lamellae annulus fibrosus (AF‐)‐like component. Chondrogenic medium is crucial for stabilizing the osteochondral subunits, which are shown to allow passive nutrient diffusion, while cyclic compression is necessary for better fiber matrix organization. Cells adhere, survive, and interact with the NP‐like core. Cyclic torsional loading stimulates cell alignment in the AF‐like lamellae and the number of lamellae affects the mechanical properties of the construct. This work represents an important milestone in SMS tissue engineering and provides a 3D model for studying tissue maturation and functional remodeling.
National nutrition council is needed to tackle childhood obesity
Authors: Susan Mayor
Journal: BMJ (2005)

A national obesity institute should be set up to coordinate measures by different agencies to reduce the growing epidemic of obesity in children, the BMA has recommended in anaction plan published this week.

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Parents and children should have a better understanding of the benefits of healthy living, says the BMA

Credit: IMAGE SOURCE/REX

The report says that a key step in reducing obesity in children is to establish a national obesity institute or nutrition council to improve collaboration among the different stakeholder groups to reduce the problem effectively. It also calls on the government to mount a “sustained and consistent” public education campaign to improve parents' …

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Opening hours of general practices in England
Authors: T. E. Cowling, M. J. Harris, M. A. Soljak, A. Majeed
Journal: BMJ (2013)

The head to head debate on general practice opening hours does not specify the number of additional opening hours.1 Similarly, the proposal for GPs in England to see patients from 8 am to 8 pm, seven days a week, tells us little about how much longer GPs would provide consultations.2 We analysed NHS Choices data, obtained on 1 October 2013, on surgery (rather than reception) …
Personal paper: Risk language and dialects
Authors: S. K. C Calman, G. Royston
Journal: BMJ (1997)

During the 1990s Sweden has embarked on a series of changes to health policy heavily influenced by the British NHS reforms.These have included the separation of purchasers and providers, an internal market regulated by contracts, competitive tendering, and the encouragement of the private sector.We discuss the origins and main features of the Swedish reforms, examine the subsequent developments which have led to a rethink, and consider what other countries can learn from this experience.To help answer these questions we interviewed senior politicians and policy makers in Stockholm County, as well as analysing official policy documents and carrying out empirical analysis of activity and cost data.
Donor cell derived acute myeloid leukemia after allogeneic cord blood transplantation in a patient with adult T-cell lymphoma
Authors: Takuya Matsunaga, Kazuyuki Murase, Makoto Yoshida, Akihito Fujimi, Satoshi Iyama, Kageaki Kuribayashi, Tsutomu Sato, Katsuhisa Kogawa, Yasuo Hirayama, Sumio Sakamaki, Kyuhei Kohda, Yoshiro Niitsu
Journal: American Journal of Hematology (2005)

We report a patient with adult T-cell lymphoma who developed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) after allogeneic cord blood transplantation (CBT). Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) studies and molecular analysis using short tandem repeat (STR) sequences proved the AML to be of donor origin. Although 25 cases of donor cell leukemia (DCL) occurring after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation have previously been reported, there have been no reports of DCL after CBT. This case is the first-reported DCL patient after CBT. Am. J. Hematol. 79:294–298, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Heart and Circulation of the African Lungfish
Authors: JAN P. SZIDON, SUKHAMAY LAHIRI, MAURICE LEV, ALFRED P. FISHMAN
Journal: Circulation Research (1969)

Cardiovascular structure and function were studied in the African lungfish, Protopterus aethiopicus , by a combination of anatomical and physiological techniques. Particular emphasis was placed on mechanisms which operate under natural conditions in which air-breathing alternates with water-breathing. For such studies, awake, unrestrained fish were used after implanting devices for measuring blood pressure and flow. The results indicated that, despite ample anatomical opportunity for intracardiac mixing of the oxygenated and deoxygenated streams, in life the two streams were remarkably well separated. Also, using simultaneous pressure records from the consecutive cardiac chambers, the role of the pericardium in promoting venous return to the heart was clarified. On the basis of these observations, a hypothesis was formulated concerning the mechanisms by which the circulation is adjusted to the life habits of the lungfish, not only under its natural conditions as a water- and air-breather, but also during forced submersion and estivation.
Dual Masking of Specific Negative Splicing Regulatory Elements Resulted in Maximal Exon 7 Inclusion of SMN2 Gene
Authors: Peng Wen Pao, Keng Boon Wee, Woon Chee Yee, Zacharias Aloysius DwiPramono
Journal: Molecular Therapy (2013)

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a fatal autosomal recessive disease caused by survival motor neuron (SMN) protein insufficiency due to SMN1 mutations. Boosting SMN2 expression is a potential therapy for SMA. SMN2 has identical coding sequence as SMN1 except for a silent C-to-T transition at the 6th nucleotide of exon 7, converting a splicing enhancer to a silencer motif. Consequently, most SMN2 transcripts lack exon 7. More than ten putative splicing regulatory elements (SREs) were reported to regulate exon 7 splicing. To investigate the relative strength of each negative SRE in inhibiting exon 7 inclusion, antisense oligonucleotides (AONs) were used to mask each element, and the fold increase of full-length SMN transcripts containing exon 7 were compared. The most potent negative SREs are at intron 7 (in descending order): ISS-N1, 3' splice site of exon 8 (ex8 3'ss) and ISS+100. Dual-targeting AONs were subsequently used to mask two nonadjacent SREs simultaneously. Notably, masking of both ISS-N1 and ex8 3'ss induced the highest fold increase of full-length SMN transcripts and proteins. Therefore, efforts should be directed towards the two elements simultaneously for the development of optimal AONs for SMA therapy.
Cocaine differentially inhibits neuronal differentiation and proliferation in vitro.
Authors: D Zachor, J K Cherkes, C T Fay, I Ocrant
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (1994)

The outcome of in utero cocaine exposure is unclear. To determine if cocaine affects neuronal growth and differentiation, we used PC-12 cells, which have a mitogenic response to IGF-I and differentiate into neurons on exposure to nerve growth factor. Differentiation was quantified as neurite extension after a 72-h exposure to 20 ng/ml nerve growth factor (dosage at 50% maximal effectiveness) and cocaine doses ranging from 0.01 to 10 micrograms/ml. The results were 49 +/- 2, 40 +/- 3, 29 +/- 2, 23 +/- 2, and 12 +/- 2% differentiation with respective cocaine concentrations of 0, 0.01, 0.1, 1, and 10 micrograms/ml (P < 0.0001). Cocaine stability studies showed insignificant spontaneous hydrolysis under the conditions of this study. Cocaine did not affect cell viability or number, but had a relatively modest, statistically significant (P < 0.001) inhibitory effect on IGF-I-stimulated thymidine incorporation. The dose-response curves for differentiation vs mitogenic response differed significantly (P = 0.021). Therefore, cocaine inhibition of these processes is probably mediated by different mechanisms, and not caused by generalized toxicity. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of cocaine effects on neuronal multiplication and differentiation in vitro. The results suggest in utero exposure may directly impair brain development.
Genetic Regulation of Pituitary Gland Development in Human and Mouse
Authors: Daniel Kelberman, Karine Rizzoti, Robin Lovell-Badge, Iain C. A. F. Robinson, Mehul T. Dattani
Journal: Endocrine Reviews (2009)

Normal hypothalamopituitary development is closely related to that of the forebrain and is dependent upon a complex genetic cascade of transcription factors and signaling molecules that may be either intrinsic or extrinsic to the developing Rathke's pouch. These factors dictate organ commitment, cell differentiation, and cell proliferation within the anterior pituitary. Abnormalities in these processes are associated with congenital hypopituitarism, a spectrum of disorders that includes syndromic disorders such as septo-optic dysplasia, combined pituitary hormone deficiencies, and isolated hormone deficiencies, of which the commonest is GH deficiency. The highly variable clinical phenotypes can now in part be explained due to research performed over the last 20 yr, based mainly on naturally occurring and transgenic animal models. Mutations in genes encoding both signaling molecules and transcription factors have been implicated in the etiology of hypopituitarism, with or without other syndromic features, in mice and humans. To date, mutations in known genes account for a small proportion of cases of hypopituitarism in humans. However, these mutations have led to a greater understanding of the genetic interactions that lead to normal pituitary development. This review attempts to describe the complexity of pituitary development in the rodent, with particular emphasis on those factors that, when mutated, are associated with hypopituitarism in humans.
Statins for all? A question for society
Authors: D. Barer
Journal: BMJ (2014)

The debate about extending the use of statins to those with an (unreliably) estimated 1% annual risk of cardiovascular disease is degenerating into an unseemly row about side effects,1 2 3 largely promoted by the tabloid press on one side and drug companies on the other. This is a dispute that the medical profession should keep out of, at least until the relevant evidence is …
Hepatic histological findings after transplantation for chronic hepatitis B virus infection, including a unique pattern of fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis
Authors: Susan E. Davies, Bernard C. Portmann, John G. O′grady, Peter M. Aldis, Kanchan Chaggar, Graeme J. M. Alexander, Roger Williams
Journal: Hepatology (1991)

Long-term follow-up of 27 patients with hepatitis B virus-related chronic liver disease treated by transplantation showed that 23 had hepatitis B virus recurrence. In 13 patients late changes in the grafts were similar to those described in other series: minor abnormalities in five cases, chronic active hepatitis in five cases and non-hepatitis B virus-related graft dysfunction in three cases. Three patients had incomplete histological follow-up. Analysis of the histological changes and viral antigen expression in six cases revealed a distinct and novel pattern termed fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis. Development of fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis was associated with rapidly progressive graft dysfunction. It is postulated that this pattern of fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis develops because of a high cytoplasmic expression of viral antigens, including HBsAg. The remaining case had some features of fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis. The main histological features of this unique syndrome include thin, perisinusoidal bands of fibrosis extending from portal tracts to surround plates of ductular-type epithelium; prominent cholestasis; ground-glass transformation; and ballooning of hepatocytes with cell loss and mild mixed inflammatory reaction.