tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Abstract 5054: Smoking prevention intervention with school classes at a university hospital by thoracic surgeon und pulmonologist
Authors: Sandra Tomaszek, Macé M. Schuurmans, Didier Schneiter, Walter Weder, Sven Hillinger
Journal: Cancer Research (2014)

Abstract Purpose: Smoking prevention in schoolchildren with the aim to inform and prevent smoking initiation has been widely studied and has shown variable results. Interventions provided by physicians in a hospital setting have been rarely reported. Here we show the feasibility and gain of knowledge of our smoking prevention project in a hospital setting. Methods: Interventions performed from November 2009 - February 2013 were evaluated. Overall 470 children participated in our preventive intervention. A 7-item questionnaire was provided to the school classes (Grades 6 to 10) before and after a two-hour smoking prevention intervention consisting of anatomical models, oral presentations, videos, patient interviews and hands-on lung function tests. The goal was to show the anatomical and physiological basics as well as age-based information about the harms of smoking. During the intervention the children have been motivated to be actively involved. Class selection has been performed for groups of children in a highly vulnerable phase of age before smoking initiation. Results: The baseline questionnaire was completed by 457 children, the one after intervention by 426. The knowledge about which organs are affected by smoking increased from 6.8-99.6% to 65.5-99.5% (p&amp;lt;0.01). While only 59.5% knew that only a minority of people is able to quit smoking successfully, 94.1% answered the question correctly after intervention (p&amp;lt;0.001). Prior to the intervention only 78.1% believed that minor tobacco consumption is not damaging which increased to 89.4% after the teaching session (p&amp;lt;0.05). Smoking hookah was believed to be less harmful than cigarettes by 30.2% of children decreasing to 7.7% after the intervention (p&amp;lt;0.001). Conclusion: Information on health effects provided by lung specialists in the hospital leads to a statistically significant increase in knowledge as assessed by a short questionnaire. The intervention is feasible and well received. This kind of interventions might help to prevent schoolchildren from smoking in a highly vulnerable phase of age. Citation Format: Sandra Tomaszek, Macé M. Schuurmans, Didier Schneiter, Walter Weder, Sven Hillinger. Smoking prevention intervention with school classes at a university hospital by thoracic surgeon und pulmonologist. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 5054. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-5054
The last choice
Authors: Douglas Kamerow
Journal: BMJ (2007)

This is the final US editor's choice column. It's been a pleasure reviewing the journal each week from an American perspective. Here are some attributes of the BMJ that I think make it especially interesting to US readers, with examples from this week's issue.

The journal's global focus is well represented by two articles on HIV testing in resource-poor countries (doi: 10.1136/bmj.39210.582801.BE, doi: 10.1136/bmj.39268.719780.BE) and an international survey to determine cut-offs to define thinness in children and …
Let's pension off the "major breakthrough"
Authors: G. Watts
Journal: BMJ (2007)

Look, I know we all love lists, competitions, prizes, and so on and that choosing the top 15 milestones in medicine is just a bit of fun. But, like the artistic and literary types who get sniffy about the Turner prize for art and the Orange prize for fiction, I'm going to be po-faced and argue that in one respect this enterprise is not only daft but damaging. 

It plays to the “breakthrough” view of science: a wholly misguided notion that seeks to portray science as a kind of intellectual trawler. Under the guidance of its steersmen—the elite scientists high up on the bridge—the vessel charts a steady and calculated course across our sea of ignorance. Triumphant figures call down periodically to report that they have fished out another drifting barrel of knowledge and have drunk of the wisdom discovered therein. When what's found in the barrel is deemed exceptionally valuable—a “major breakthrough”—the crew members win medals. 

In reality there is not one vessel but many; not one course but a thousand. And the information …
Treating nausea and vomiting during pregnancy: case outcome
Authors: Nicola Harker, Alan Montgomery, Tom Fahey
Journal: BMJ (2004)

Five weeks ago (31 January, p 276) we presented the case of Ms Reynolds, a 25 year old woman who presented to her general practitioner when eight weeks pregnant complaining of nausea and vomiting with light headedness.After an unsuccessful trial of prochlorperazine, she asked about alternatives to conventional drugs, and we suggested a trial of vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine) to relieve her symptoms (7 February, p 337).Because of the paucity of evidence for or against the use of vitamin B-6, we suggested an n of 1 trial as an objective way to assess whether it was effective.The table shows that vitamin B-6 did not have a significant treatment effect compared with placebo for Ms Reynolds's four most important symptoms.After being shown the results of her n of 1 study, Ms Reynolds stopped taking vitamin B-6.Vitamin B-6 in the form of pyridoxal-5-phosphate acts as an important coenzyme in the transamination of amino acids, with deficiency leading to polyneuropathy and convulsions. 2Vitamin B-6 has an important role in protein metabolism and transporting many amino acids across cell membranes.The mode of action in alleviating nausea in pregnancy is not known.No clear relation has been found between indicators of vitamin B-6 status and nausea and vomiting. 2ausea and vomiting are the commonest symptoms experienced in the first trimester of pregnancy, affecting 70-85% of women. 3Hyperemesis gravidarum, persistent vomiting that is sufficient to cause fluid and electrolyte disturbance, is much less common, with an incidence of 3.5/1000 deliveries. 3Despite the relative lack of evidence, use of complementary or alternative medicines, including vitamins and herbal remedies, is popular.One study found that nearly a third of pregnant women use such remedies, with 13% of women specifically taking them to alleviate symptoms of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. 1In most instances patients do not tell their doctors that they are taking complementary medicines. 1n n of 1 trial in a patient with hyperemesis gravidarum showed that prednisolone 50 mg daily was no more effective than ascorbic acid. 4The results of our n of 1 trial-that vitamin B-6 had no clinically important effect on vomiting-concurred with those of a systematic review, based on evidence from three randomised controlled trials. 5Vitamin B-6 was also ineffective in alleviating our patient's three other most important symptoms of dizziness, daily activities, and general wellbeing.We believe an n of 1 trial is a useful means of helping patients decide on which treatment to take in situations where evidence is poor or equivocal.
Heavy Uterine Bleeding
Authors: J. M. Gate
Journal: BMJ (1967)

<h3>Abstract</h3> <h3>Objective</h3> To measure the energy content of frequently ordered meals from full service and fast food restaurants in five countries and compare values with US data. <h3>Design</h3> Cross sectional survey. <h3>Setting</h3> 223 meals from 111 randomly selected full service and fast food restaurants serving popular cuisines in Brazil, China, Finland, Ghana, and India were the primary sampling unit; 10 meals from five worksite canteens were also studied in Finland. The observational unit was frequently ordered meals in selected restaurants. <h3>Main outcome measure</h3> Meal energy content, measured by bomb calorimetry. <h3>Results</h3> Compared with the US, weighted mean energy of restaurant meals was lower only in China (719 (95% confidence interval 646 to 799) kcal versus 1088 (1002 to 1181) kcal; P&lt;0.001). In analysis of variance models, fast food contained 33% less energy than full service meals (P&lt;0.001). In Finland, worksite canteens provided 25% less energy than full service and fast food restaurants (mean 880 (SD 156) versus 1166 (298); P=0.009). Country, restaurant type, number of meal components, and meal weight predicted meal energy in a factorial analysis of variance (R<sup>2</sup>=0.62, P&lt;0.001). Ninety four per cent of full service meals and 72% of fast food meals contained at least 600 kcal. Modeling indicated that, except in China, consuming current servings of a full service and a fast food meal daily would supply between 70% and 120% of the daily energy requirements for a sedentary woman, without additional meals, drinks, snacks, appetizers, or desserts. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Very high dietary energy content of both full service and fast food restaurant meals is a widespread phenomenon that is probably supporting global obesity and provides a valid intervention target.
The Use of Intravenous Fat Emulsions in Surgical Patients
Authors: Herndon B. Lehr
Journal: JAMA (1962)

A fat emulsion for intravenous injection has been used in parenteral therapy of 237 surgical patients at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in the past 8 years. All of the patients receiving the intravenous fat emulsion were considered to be in need of parenteral feedings; it was not given to volunteer subjects. Fifty of these patients each received 10 or more units of 500 ml. All patients were observed closely for an immediate reaction to the fat emulsion, such as chills or fever, and for signs of a "late reaction," such as jaundice or hemorrhage. The incidence of immediate reactions in these patients was low and no definite"late reactions" occurred. This fat emulsion seems to be a valuable nutritional adjunct in the management of surgical patients.
Successful Treatment of Adrenal Metastases From Large-Cell Carcinoma of the Lung
Authors: Patrick Twomey
Journal: JAMA (1982)

Although on a weight basis the adrenal gland is the most common site of extranodal spread from lung cancer, antemortem diagnosis and successful therapy of adrenal metastasis are rare. We have treated two patients with apparently solitary metastases in the adrenal gland from large-cell carcinoma of the lung using a combination of adrenalectomy and vigorous therapy to the primary site. Both patients experienced symptomatic relief, and, in contrast to the expected short survival in lung cancer with distant metastasis, they remain well six years and 14 years after treatment. (<i>JAMA</i>1982;248:581-583)
Imprint switching on human chromosome 15 may involve alternative transcripts of the SNRPN gene
Authors: Bärbel Dittrich, Karin Buiting, Bernd Korn, Sarah Rickard, Jessica Buxton, Shinji Saitoh, Robert D. Nicholls, Annemarie Poustka, Andreas Winterpacht, Bernhard Zabel, Bernhard Horsthemke
Journal: Nature Genetics (1996)
Careers in academic general practice: problems, constraints, and opportunities
Authors: A Rashid, J Allen, B Styles, D P Gray
Journal: BMJ (1994)

Changing priorities in the NHS have underlined the crucial importance of academic general practice in providing quality training and research to underpin developments in general practice. Unfortunately, several problems and constraints mean that the full potential of general practitioners to make a contribution to teaching and research has not been realised. These issues are examined and recommendations for improvements are made. Obstacles to career development for academics in general practice should be removed. The funding of academic general practice should be the same as for other medical disciplines. Vocational training for general practice should be extended to include research and audit methods, particularly for doctors interested in an academic career. Above all, the long term objective should be to integrate undergraduate and post-graduate general practice to increase the overall effectiveness of teaching and research and hence the quality of service general practice.
Electron irradiation slows down wound repair in rat skin: a morphological investigation
Authors: Q. WANG, G.R. DICKSON, W.P. ABRAM, K.E. CARR
Journal: British Journal of Dermatology (1994)

To date, there have been few morphological investigations of the effect of electron radiation on the healing of skin wounds in rats. The present morphological study examines the wound repair process in electron‐irradiated rat skin by electron microscopy. Standardized, full‐thickness, incisional wounds were made in the lower dorsal skin of animals which had been locally irradiated with 9·6 Gy electron radiation 7 days previously. The irradiation dose was maximal at 3 mm depth. Twenty‐four rats were used in the investigation: 12 were irradiated and 12 sham‐irradiated. Three rats from each experimental group were killed at 1, 3, 7 and 14‐day time intervals after wounding. The morphological effect of electron irradiation on the repair of each wound was investigated by light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). New granulation tissue visualized by SEM was quantified using computerized image analysis. The results suggest that a single, partial‐body, controlled depth dose of electron irradiation delays wound repair. LM showed that there is a depression of the inflammatory cell and tissue exudate response, slowing of epithelial migration, and a decrease in fibroblast representation, together with a delay in the formation of collagen bundles. Granulation tissue formation was impaired up to 7 days post‐wounding, but was restored to around control values by day 14, indicating that healing was delayed. However, as the healing of normal tissue was not prevented, this study supports a preoperative role for the use of low‐dose electron irradiation therapy for the treatment of electron‐sensitive superficial pathologies in surgical practice.
Patchy villous atrophy in adult patients with suspected gluten-sensitive enteropathy: is a multiple duodenal biopsy strategy appropriate?
Authors: A. Hopper, S. Cross, D. Sanders
Journal: Endoscopy (2007)

See also: Commentaire de travail de A. D. Hopper et al., pp. 219Endoscopy 2008; 40(03): 357-357DOI: 10.1055/s-0032-1306819
DISSEMINATED AND ZOSTERIFORM CUTANEOUS SCHISTOSOMIASIS
Authors: G. H. FINDLAY, D. A. WHITING
Journal: British Journal of Dermatology (1971)

Five cases of cutaneous schistosomlasis are described with lesions on the trunk. A histological picture resembling granuloma annulare was seen, whose interpretation was clarified by finding schistosome ova in the areas of necrobiosis. Some interpretations for these aberrant cases are offered.
RUBBER DERMATITIS.
Authors: HAROLD T. H. WILSON
Journal: British Journal of Dermatology (1969)

SUMMARY.— One hundred and six rubber sensitive patients are described. Seventy had developed dermatitis from specific rubber articles such as household gloves, condoms, footwear and girdles. In the remaining 36 cases dermatitis was due to contact with rubber in various different forms. A formidable number of chemical additives are used by the rubber industry and many of these are potential skin sensitizers. In the present series, however, sensitivity was attributed to a thiuram accelerator or mercaptobenz-thiazole in all but 2 cases
Hospitals in north of England outperform those in south
Authors: A. Gulland
Journal: BMJ (2002)

A north-south divide is emerging in the NHS, with hospitals in the north and the Midlands performing better than those in the south, according to the Commission for Health Improvement.

A summary of the commission's 175 inspections since its inception two years ago shows that trusts in the north and the Midlands have fewer areas of concern and stronger …
Dorothy Terry (née Halstead)
Authors: Alan Gilston
Journal: BMJ (2005)

Former general practitioner Worcester (b Farsley, near Leeds, 1903; q Leeds 1928; MSc), d 4 February 2005. 

After qualifying Dorothy did house jobs at Leeds General Infirmary, midwifery in Glasgow, one year at Ethel Hedley Children's Orthopaedic Hospital at Windermere, and then a series of locum GP jobs, the last of which extended to three years in single-handed practice at Osmotherly, North Yorkshire. In 1935 she married Oliver Terry and moved to Worcester. Dorothy's career was interrupted to bring up her family until 1940, when she joined the practice in which her husband was a partner. She retired in 1963. Predeceased by her husband, she leaves two children and four grandchildren.
Digenic Inheritance of Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor-1α and -1β With Maturity-Onset Diabetes of the Young, Polycystic Thyroid, and Urogenital Malformations
Authors: Beate Karges, Carsten Bergmann, Katrina Scholl, Eberhard Heinze, Franz Maximilian Rasche, Klaus Zerres, Klaus-Michael Debatin, Martin Wabitsch, Wolfram Karges
Journal: Diabetes Care (2007)

Heterozygous mutations of the POU A/homeodomain transcription factors hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF)-1α and -1β cause maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) in humans (1). HNF-1α and -1β act in a complex network of transcription factors regulating tissue-specific gene expression in the pancreas and other epithelial organs. Patients with mutations of HNF-1β (MODY5) are characterized by urogenital malformations, while extrapancreatic manifestations in patients with diabetes and HNF-1α mutations (MODY3) are not well known (2).

After an occasional blood glucose reading of 13.4 mmo/l, the diagnosis of diabetes was established in a 13-year-old girl. She was asymptomatic except for mild chronic lower abdominal discomfort. Her fasting glucose was 9.3 mmol/l, A1C was 8.5% (normal 4.2–6.1), and urine ketones were negative. After brief insulin treatment, she received 0.5 mg/day glimepiride, with a current A1C of 5.6%.

Her father (Fig. 1), diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 27 years, has received insulin since the age of 38 years. The paternal grandmother had diabetes treated with glibenclamide until she died 20 years ago, aged 62 years. Two asymptomatic sisters of the index patient were diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 14 years and 19 years. Their fasting serum glucose was 7.3 and 6.8 mmol/l, respectively, and A1C was 6.0 and 6.1%. Two hours after a 75-g oral glucose challenge, their glucose levels were 10.1 and 13.1 mmol/l, respectively. …
Characterization of physical entrapment and chemical conjugation of adriamycin in polymeric micelles and their design for in vivo delivery to a solid tumor
Authors: Masayuki Yokoyama, Shigeto Fukushima, Ryuji Uehara, Kazuya Okamoto, Kazunori Kataoka, Yasuhisa Sakurai, Teruo Okano
Journal: Journal of Controlled Release (1998)
Preparticipation cardiovascular screening among National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Institutions
Authors: Eric Emmanuel Coris, Frances Sahebzamani, Anne Curtis, Jason Jennings, Stephen M Walz, Dylan Nugent, Erika Reese, Kira K Zwygart, Jeff G Konin, Michele Pescasio, Jonathan A Drezner
Journal: British Journal of Sports Medicine (2012)

Background Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in competitive athletes during sport, and screening strategies for the prevention of sudden cardiac death are debated. The purpose of this study was to assess the incorporation of routine non-invasive cardiovascular screening (NICS), such as ECG or echocardiography, in Division I collegiate preparticipation examinations. Methods Cross-sectional survey of current screening practices sent to the head athletic trainer of all National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I football programmes listed in the National Athletic Trainers’ Association directory. Results Seventy-four of 116 (64%) programmes responded. Thirty-five of 74 (47%) of responding schools have incorporated routine NICS testing. ECG is the primary modality for NICS in 31 (42%) of schools, and 17 (49%) also utilise echocardiography. Sixty-four per cent of the programmes that do NICS routinely screen their athletes only once as incoming freshmen. Of institutions that do not conduct NICS, American Heart Association guidelines against routine NICS and cost were the most common reasons reported. Conclusions While substantial debate exists regarding protocols for cardiovascular screening in athletes, nearly half of NCAA Division I football programmes in this study already incorporate NICS into their preparticipation screening programme. Additional research is needed to understand the impact of NICS in collegiate programmes.
Calpain activation by hepatitis C virus proteins inhibits the extrinsic apoptotic signaling pathway
Authors: Yannick Simonin, Olivier Disson, Hervé Lerat, Etienne Antoine, Fabien Binamé, Arielle R. Rosenberg, Solange Desagher, Patrice Lassus, Paulette Bioulac-Sage, Urszula Hibner
Journal: Hepatology (2009)

An unresolved question regarding the physiopathology of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the remarkable efficiency with which host defenses are neutralized to establish chronic infection. Modulation of an apoptotic response is one strategy used by viruses to escape immune surveillance. We previously showed that HCV proteins down-regulate expression of BH3-only Bcl2 interacting domain (Bid) in hepatocytes of HCV transgenic mice. As a consequence, cells acquire resistance to Fas-mediated apoptosis, which in turn leads to increased persistence of experimental viral infections in vivo. This mechanism might participate in the establishment of chronic infections and the resulting pathologies, including hepatocellular carcinoma. We now report that Bid is also down-regulated in patients in the context of noncirrhotic HCV-linked tumorigenesis and in the HCV RNA replicon system. We show that the nonstructural HCV viral protein NS5A is sufficient to activate a calpain cysteine protease, leading to degradation of Bid. Moreover, pharmacological inhibitors of calpains restore both the physiological levels of Bid and the sensitivity of cells toward a death receptor-mediated apoptotic signal. Finally, human HCV-related tumors and hepatocytes from HCV transgenic mice that display low Bid expression contain activated calpains.Calpains activated by HCV proteins degrade Bid and thus dampen apoptotic signaling. These results suggest that inhibiting calpains could lead to an improved efficiency of immune-mediated elimination of HCV-infected cells.
Fighting doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity with adiponectin
Authors: C. F. McTiernan
Journal: Cardiovascular Research (2010)

This editorial refers to ‘Adiponectin protects against doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy by anti-apoptotic effects through AMPK up-regulation’ by M. Konishi et al. , pp. 309–319, this issue.

Doxorubicin, an anthracycline drug widely used for the treatment of various solid-organ tumours and haematological malignancies, has significant cardiac toxicity that limits its utilization. Doxorubicin can cause both an acute and a chronic form of cardiotoxicity and heart failure. Chronic cardiotoxicity, which ranges from an incidence of ∼1% at a cumulative dose of 550 mg/m2 to >30% at cumulative doses above 560–1160 mg/m2, can occur at any time after initiation of treatment and even years after cessation of therapy.1 The clinical presentation is that of classic progressive idiopathic heart failure, with histological evidence of cardiac damage defined by swelling of the sarcoplasmic reticulum and myofibrillar loss. However, the occurrence of doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity can vary widely regardless of cumulative drug dosage, and the assessment of parameters that modify risk is of great interest. Doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity and heart failure can also be induced in mice, presenting a model system to identify the mechanisms by which doxorubicin-induced heart failure occurs and to test therapeutic approaches by which this toxicity may be prevented.

Despite the availability of model systems, the anti-neoplastic and cardiotoxic mechanisms of doxorubicin are not entirely clear. Doxorubicin is reduced by NADPH oxidase2 to a semi-quinone free radical that can, in the presence of iron, interact with oxygen to …