tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Adult and child asylum seekers should be treated with humanity
Authors: Margaret McCartney
Journal: BMJ (2011)

The last time I wrote about healthcare for asylum seekers, a year ago, it was in the midst of a vigorous expression of outrage ( BMJ 2010;341:c4106, doi:10.1136/bmj.c4106). Previously, petitions had been endorsed by the royal colleges of paediatricians, psychiatrists, and general practitioners, calling for children to no longer be detained in immigration detention centres. In 2008 and 2009 at least 1315 children were detained in the Dungavel and Yarl’s Wood immigration removal centres. In December 2010 Nick Clegg, deputy prime minister, who had previously said that the detention of children was a “moral outrage,” (www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-10715149) declared that “we will ensure it never happens again” (www.libdems.org.uk/latest\_news\_detail.aspx?title=Nick\_Clegg\_confirms\_end\_to\_child\_detention&pPK=f497afc5-04ef-4197-81b3-342bc46dba78).

He gave a date of May 2011 and confirmed that the family wing of Yarl’s Wood was closing. Guilt seemed to have caught up with the coalition government. There was agreement that change was needed—and a promise to do it.

All sorted? How I wish it was. Asylum seekers are multiply vulnerable, escaping from environments we can be glad we have never experienced, often damaged by what they have endured, and now in …
Response to Comment on Monnier et al. Magnitude of the Dawn Phenomenon and Its Impact on the Overall Glucose Exposure in Type 2 Diabetes: Is This of Concern? Diabetes Care 2013;36:4057–4062
Authors: Louis Monnier, Claude Colette, Sylvie Dejager, David Owens
Journal: Diabetes Care (2014)

Carr and Alexander (1) raise the question as to why we have classified dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors as insulin secretagogues and not taken into account the features that differentiate DPP-4 inhibitors from older insulin secretagogues. First, there is cogent evidence that the actions of DPP-4 inhibitors are not solely restricted to a stimulatory effect on the insulin release by β-cells and that these agents also act through several additional effects, such as their inhibitory action on glucagon release (2). As a consequence, these drugs represent a new class of antidiabetes agents; for that reason, we …
Down-regulation of Akt/PKB in senescent cardiac fibroblasts impairs PDGF-induced cell proliferation
Authors: C Diez
Journal: Cardiovascular Research (2001)

Objective: Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in the Western World, especially in the elder population. One pathophysiological component of cardiovascular disease is myocardial fibrosis, primarily derived from cardiac fibroblasts. Here we investigated the regulation of proliferation of fibroblasts from hearts of adult rats by platelet derived growth factor AA (PDGF-AA). Methods: Cardiac fibroblasts were isolated from adult Wistar rats. PDGF-induced cell proliferation was analysed by FACS. PDGF-receptor numbers were analysed by receptor binding assays. Using differential display, differentially expressed kinases were identified during ageing in vitro and confirmed by Northern and Western blotting. Transient overexpression of IRES–GFP constructs was used to analyse the role of the akt kinase on proliferation by FACS. Results: During in vitro senescence/aging of primary fibroblasts, the growth response to PDGF-AA was greatly reduced without alterations in its receptor number or affinity and without changes in downstream signalling via the MAP-kinase pathway. By using a differential display strategy selective for protein kinases, we identified reduced expression of Akt-1 kinase (PKB-alpha) in senescent rat cardiac fibroblasts. These findings were supported by data showing reduced expression of Akt-1 in heart samples from old humans. Overexpression of activated Akt-1 almost completely reconstituted PDGF-AA dependent cell proliferation in aged fibroblasts. Conclusion: These results support an important role for Akt in senescence and regulation of cardiac fibroblast cell proliferation.
The Proposed Leprosy Congress.
Authors: Dr. Ehlers
Journal: JAMA (1896)

New York, Oct. 19, 1896. <h3>To the Editor:</h3> —I enclose some copies of letters relating to the proposed leprosy congress. The first idea was to hold it in Bergen, Norway, out of compliment to Hansen. The latter has now renounced his personal claims, and the opinions are now divided between London and Moscow. As you will see, we were happy enough to secure the interest of Queen Victoria, and we have a well grounded hope that the British government will take an active part in the enterprise. Dr. Hutchinson thinks that the Prince of Wales will almost to a certainty consent to act as president of the Congress if held in London. As the British empire is more interested than any other country in the question of leprosy, it seems but natural, especially with these great advantages, that London should be chosen. Dr. Morrow, who is the committee appointed by
Causality and the Interpretation of Epidemiologic Evidence
Authors: Michael Kundi
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (2006)

There is an ongoing debate regarding how and when an agent's or determinant's impact can be interpreted as causation with respect to some target disease. The so-called criteria of causation, originating from the seminal work of Sir Austin Bradford Hill and Mervyn Susser, are often schematically applied disregarding the fact that they were meant neither as criteria nor as a checklist for attributing to a hazard the potential of disease causation. Furthermore, there is a tendency to misinterpret the lack of evidence for causation as evidence for lack of a causal relation. There are no criteria in the strict sense for the assessment of evidence concerning an agent's or determinant's propensity to cause a disease, nor are there criteria to dismiss the notion of causation. Rather, there is a discursive process of conjecture and refutation. In this commentary, I propose a dialogue approach for the assessment of an agent or determinant. Starting from epidemiologic evidence, four issues need to be addressed: temporal relation, association, environmental equivalence, and population equivalence. If there are no valid counterarguments, a factor is attributed the potential of disease causation. More often than not, there will be insufficient evidence from epidemiologic studies. In these cases, other evidence can be used instead that increases or decreases confidence in a factor being causally related to a disease. Even though every verdict of causation is provisional, action must not be postponed until better evidence is available if our present knowledge appears to demand immediate measures for health protection.
Pathognomonic Scintigraphic Finding of Hepatic Cavernous Hemangioma
Authors: SUNG M. KIM, CHAN H. PARK, SHUIN-LIN YANG, FRANCIS ROSATO
Journal: Clinical Nuclear Medicine (1987)

Hemangioma is the most common benign tumor of the liver. An accurate diagnosis of such tumor is essential for proper management of patients with hepatic cavernous hemangioma (HCH). Noninvasive diagnosis of HCH can be made using sequential Tc-99m RBC scintigraphy by demonstrating a “perfusion-blood pool mismatch.” In addition, a case of HCH was observed which demonstrated peripheral enhancement with subsequent central enhancement on a sequential Tc-99m RBC blood pool scintigraphy. It is felt that this scintigraphic finding is pathognomonic for HCH.
Late stent malapposition after brachytherapy: An assessment of the incidence and mechanisms using volumetric intravascular ultrasound
Authors: Jerzy Pregowski, Lukasz Kalinczuk, Gary S. Mintz, Christian E. Dilcher, Rosanna C. Chan, Jun-ichi Kotani, Vivek Shah, Ron Waksman, Neil J. Weissman
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2003)
Mid-arm circumference as simple means of identifying malnutrition in Crohn's disease.
Authors: A D Harries, L Jones, R V Heatley, J Rhodes, E Fitzsimons
Journal: BMJ (1982)

concentration was 7-9 t 2-6 mmol/l (142-2 L46-8 mg/100 ml) (mean SD, n = 3871), range 4-4 to 20-2 mmol/l (79-2 L 363-6 mg/100 ml).In the four days before treatment with the Biostator the blood glucose concentration was 149j1 8-9 mmol/l (268-2 £160-2 mg/100 ml) (n-61) and the range 1-44 mmol/l (18-792 mg/100 ml).After this period of relative stability it was much easier to control her diabetes with intravenous and then subcutaneous infusions of insulin, and she went home on 5 February 1982 taking her usual subcutaneous dose.*Comparison with three other groups: p<0 001 (Student's t test). CommentPatients with Crohn's disease with a mid-arm circumference less than 90% of the ideal standard had appreciably reduced laboratory and anthropometric variables compared with well-nourished patients whose mid-arm circumference was greater than 90% of the ideal standard.The impaired nutrition probably reflects more extensive small-bowel disease.Well-nourished patients with Crohn's disease were in turn similar to the two control groups.There was no significant difference in steroid treatment between the two groups with Crohn's disease, so that any steroid effect would not invalidate the result.
The interleukin (IL)-31/IL-31R axis contributes to tumor growth in human follicular lymphoma
Authors: E Ferretti, C Tripodo, G Pagnan, C Guarnotta, D Marimpietri, M V Corrias, D Ribatti, S Zupo, G Fraternali-Orcioni, J L Ravetti, V Pistoia, A Corcione
Journal: Leukemia (2014)
A SIMPLE SIGMOIDOSCOPIC ASPIRATOR
Authors: William Z. Fradkin
Journal: JAMA (1934)

The recent outbreaks of amebiasis have made many physicians "ameba conscious." This added interest has afforded an opportunity to evaluate methods of collecting specimens from the diseased colon. It soon became apparent that a stool specimen sent to the laboratory is not the most desirable material for examination. It is rarely fresh. It is cold. The preparation of a suspension is not a pleasant task and often is very revolting to the technician or physician. Specimens obtained through the sigmoidoscope not only obviated these disadvantages but resulted in many more positive examinations. Paulson and Andrews<sup>1</sup>have had similar experiences. Recently I described a sigmoid aspirator<sup>2</sup>for procuring fresh sigmoidal contents. That instrument is particularly valuable in cases of diarrhea, in the preulcerative stages of colitis or in debilitated cases in which a sigmoidoscopic examination is objectionable. However, when ulcerations are seen through the sigmoidoscope, direct aspiration of the
Behcet's syndrome with neurological manifestations in two sisters.
Authors: T. J. Fowler, D. J. Humpston, A. M. Nussey, M. Small
Journal: BMJ (1968)

Hyperkalaemic periodic paralysis without myotonic features is uncommon (Layzer et al., 1967).However, though the cases described by McArdle (1962) all showed some form of myotonia at some time, in a proportion of the cases myotonia was commonly absent.In our patient a characteristic feature of the attack was his difficulty in moving his eyes.This observa- tion has already been made by Gamstorp (1956).Commonly there is a rise in serum potassium during attacks, though some patients have severe weakness when the level is no higher than 4 mEq/l., whereas in normal people a level of 8 mEq/l. is necessary before weakness develops (Walton, 1966).The serum potassium levels obtained during attacks in this case were on the whole higher than those usually recorded.We checked with control specimens submitted for electrolyte estimation at the same time as blood from the patient, and the results obtained were normal.His potassium levels in between attacks were always within normal limits.Attacks of hyperkalaemic periodic paralysis usually start in infancy and early childhood (McArdle, 1962 ; van't Hoff, 1962), though in one recorded case the initial attack occurred at the age of 20 (Layzer et al., 1967).The attacks in our patient started at a much later age than those reported.Most of the cases described in the literature have a familial history, but sporadic cases, though rare, have been reported.Investigation into a possible familial tendency has been negative in the above case.The patient's father died at the age of 83 from broncho- pneumonia, and his mother died from myocardial infarction at the age of 68.Four of his siblings are abroad but are reported to be well.The remaining five were investigated, with negative results, though his 37-year-old sister had a serum potassium level of 6.2 mEq/l.on one occasion.She was completely symptom-free.It is still possible that she may develop the condition at a later age.
Cardiovascular Disease in Syphilis
Authors: W. V. Macfarlane, W. G. A. Swan, R. E. Irvine
Journal: BMJ (1956)

his experience the most frequent serious and destructive lesion caused by syphilis is syphilitic aortitis with or without aortic insufficiency or aneurysm formation.It is an accepted fact that the bulb and lower portions of the ascending aorta are the centre of the most striking and characteristic patho- logical changes in syphilis of the vascular system (Stokes et al., 1946) which take the form of a supravalvular sclerosis (Martland, 1930).Involvement of the more distal part of the aortic arch is commoner in simple arteriosclerosis, while valvular involvement alone is more suggestive of rheumatic or other non-specific cardiac disease.Gordon et al. (1942) in a study of 360 cases of chronic syphilitic aortitis noted that atheromatous changes had taken place over the area affected by the syphilitic lesions, and suggest that chronic syphilitic lesions of the aorta predispose to the development of local arteriosclerosis.It would thus appear that, whether or not calcification is present in the aortic valve or in the more distal portions of the aortic arch, calcification of the first part of the ascending aorta is highly suggestive of an underlying or predisposing syphilitic lesion.Thus the radio- logical sign under discussion appears to have a sound patho- logical basis. SummaryThe importance of the radiological demonstration of calcification of the ascending portion of the aortic arch as an aid to the diagnosis of chronic syphilis is pointed out.Nineteen cases in which this sign was present are reviewed.The limitations of other diagnostic tests are noted.Of the 19 cases, 7 were serologically negative before treatment and 5 remained positive in spite of treatment.We are indebted to Dr.
Medication Helps Make Therapy Work for Teens Addicted to Prescription Opioids
Authors: Bridget M. Kuehn
Journal: JAMA (2010)

ALBUQUERQUE—For social workers like Shannon Garrett, MSW, at the Mountain Manor Treatment Center in Baltimore, the greatest challenge in treating young people addicted to prescription opioids may be getting them to therapy in the first place. “No treatment tool can work if a patient doesn’t show up,” said Garrett at the Blending Addiction Science and Practice meeting here in April, organized by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Yet medications, such as buprenorphine, can greatly improve patients’ adherence to treatment. Garrett, who acknowledged that he was initially skeptical of using prescription drugs to treat patients with these addictions, explained that talk and behavioral therapies can do little to ease the symptoms of withdrawal and strong drug craving that often lead patients to relapse to drug use. But buprenorphine, a partial opioid agonist often paired with naloxone to reduce abuse potential, has been demonstrated in a randomized controlled trial to increase patient retention and improve outcomes (Woody GE et al. JAMA. 2008;300[17]:2003-2011). Now scientists are working to build on this and other emerging evidence to develop therapies targeted to the unique needs of this patient population. To encourage clinicians to treat youths with opioid addiction, NIDA released a training DVD, Buprenorphine Treatment for Young Adults, at the meeting. Such treatment tools are essential to help the growing numbers of teens and young adults seeking help for prescription opioid addiction, and to reach the tens of thousands who may go untreated. Geetha Subramaniam, MD, of NIDA’s division of clinical neuroscience and behavioral research and a psychiatrist who specializes in treating adolescents with addiction, said that only about 1400 youths aged 12 to 17 years were admitted for treatment of prescription opioid addiction in the United States in 2007, based on data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Treatment Episode Data Set. These individuals represent a small fraction of the young people who may be addicted to these drugs, based on the widespread nonmedical use of prescription opioids by this patient population, she said. “These patients are going to be coming in your door,” said Subramaniam at the meeting. “You must know how to treat them.”
Allies and Adversaries: The Impact of Managed Care on Mental Health Services
Authors: James H. Kocsis
Journal: JAMA (1994)

This is an intelligently written and even sometimes entertaining primer on the title subject. The evils, tensions, potentials, and promises of interactions between the managed care industry and the mental health care delivery system in America are covered in a pithy fashion enriched by clinical anecdote. The authors represent a range of divergent interests, from psychiatrists in private practice to hospital administrators, CEOs of managed care companies, and family members of patients with severe mental illness. The observations are often refreshingly frank and outspoken. In his chapter, Daniel Y. Patterson, MD, a psychiatrist in private practice, opines, "To remove the emperor's clothes, no utilization review program has workable criteria for reviewing outpatient care." Steven S. Sharfstein, MD, a hospital administrator, says, "Unfortunately, much of the denial of hospitalization has been a form of deinstitutionalization of the insured or middle class." Laurie M. Flynn, executive director of the National Alliance for
The Course of Peripheral Vascular Disease in Non-insulin-dependent Diabetes
Authors: Kenneth Kreines, Eugene Johnson, Margaret Albrink, Genell L Knatterud, Marvin E Levin, Alexander Lewitan, William Newberry, Frederick A Rose
Journal: Diabetes Care (1985)

The present report is an analysis of the course of peripheral vascular disease (PVD) in 619 patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes (NIDDM) recruited within 1 yr of diagnosis and followed quarterly for up to 14 yr (X = 10.5 yr). At 13 yr duration, the actuarially determined cumulative risks for intermittent claudication (IC), nonpalpable dorsalis pedis pulse (NPUL), and arterial calcification (CALC) were, respectively, 37.9%, 34.5%, and 60.9% for men and 24.3%, 37.6%, and 32.2% for women. Major amputations (AMP) occurred in only 1.3% of the patients, equivalent to approximately one case per 1000 patients per year. The corresponding incidences of IC, NPUL, and CALC were, respectively, 29, 27, and 47 per 1000 men and 19, 27, and 25 per 1000 women per year. CALC and NPUL were strongly related to mortality. Baseline risk factors with probability levels that suggest a relationship to PVD were, in women, age versus CALC (P &amp;lt; 0.01), age versus NPUL (P &amp;lt; 0.05), weight versus NPUL (P &amp;lt; 0.05), systolic BP versus CALC (P &amp;lt; 0.01), summed glucose tolerance test versus CALC (P &amp;lt; 0.01), and triglyceride level versus CALC (P &amp;lt; 0.05). In men, the only significant risk factors were diminished vibration perception, which was related to NPUL (P &amp;lt; 0.05), and the serum triglyceride level, which was related to IC (P &amp;lt; 0.05). In patients who are carefully followed prospectively, IC is far more common, but AMP is far less common than has been generally appreciated. Further studies are needed to clarify the roles of the diverse risk factors that are possibly related.
Observations on blood viscosity changes after acute myocardial infarction.
Authors: K M Jan, S Chien, J T Bigger
Journal: Circulation (1975)

Serial blood rheologic measurements were made in 25 patients with acute myocardial infarction; measurements included blood and plasma viscosities, hematological data and plasma protein concentrations. The blood viscosity was elevated on admission and for more than 21 days after acute myocardial infarction. However, the cause of the elevated viscosity was changed as a function of time after acute myocardial infarction. During the first three days after admission, the high blood viscosity was mainly attributable to high hematocrit values. Thereafter, the hematocrit fell, but blood viscosity remained high. High blood viscosity after the first three days of acute myocardial infarction can be correlated with increases in plasma viscosity and red cell aggregation, which in turn are explained by elevations of alpha 2 globulin and fibrinogen concentrations. Patients with higher blood viscosity on admission had a significantly higher incidence of complications, i.e., shock, thromboembolism and left ventricular failure.
Role of Surgeon Volume in Radical Prostatectomy Outcomes
Authors: Jim C. Hu, Karen F. Gold, Chris L. Pashos, Shilpa S. Mehta, Mark S. Litwin
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2003)

To examine the effect of hospital and surgeon volume on postoperative outcomes and to determine whether hospital or surgeon volume is the stronger predictor.Using 1997 to 1998 claims data from a national 5% random sample of Medicare beneficiaries, we identified 2,292 men who underwent radical prostatectomy at 1,210 hospitals by 1,788 surgeons. Hospitals were classified as high (> or = 60 per year) or low (< 60 per year) volume according to radical prostatectomy experience over the 2-year period. Surgeons were classified as high (> or = 40 per year) or low (< 40 per year) volume. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to control for patient demographics and comorbidities when assessing the association of hospital and surgeon volume with in-hospital complications, length of stay, and anastomotic stricture rates. In-hospital complications included cardiac, respiratory, vascular, wound, genitourinary, and miscellaneous surgical and medical conditions.High-volume surgeons had half the complication risk (odds ratio [OR] = 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.32 to 0.89) and shorter lengths of stay (4.1 v 5.2 days, P =.03) compared with low-volume surgeons. High-volume hospital patients tended to have fewer anastomotic strictures (OR = 0.72; 95% CI, 0.49 to 1.04). Patient age (> or = 75 years) was associated with more complications (OR = 1.9; 95% CI, 1.39 to 2.70), more anastomotic strictures (OR = 2.2; 95% CI, 1.54 to 3.15), and longer hospital stays (parameter estimate = 2.26; 95% CI, 1.75 to 2.77).Surgeon volume is inversely related to in-hospital complications and length of stay in men undergoing radical prostatectomy. Hospital volume is not significantly associated with outcomes after adjusting for physician volume. Further study is necessary to elucidate the mechanism of the volume-outcome effect.
Effects of a new aldose reductase inhibitor, (2S, 4S)-6-fluoro-2′,5′-dioxospiro[chroman-4,4′-imidazolidine]-2-carboxamide (SNK-860), on the slowing of motor nerve conduction velocity and metabolic abnormalities in the peripheral nerve in acute streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats
Authors: Kuniharu Mizuno, Noriaki Kato, Akira Matsubara, Kazumasa Nakano, Masayasu Kurono
Journal: Metabolism (1992)
THE CLINICAL BENEFITS OF DEVICE OPTIMIZATION AT LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP IN CARDIAC RESYNCHRONIZATION THERAPY: RESULTS FROM THE CRT UTILIZATION BY INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGISTS (CUBIC) STUDY
Authors: Yuko Toyoshima, Koichi Inoue, Koji Tanaka, Toshinari Onishi, Nobuaki Tanaka, Takafumi Oka, Yohei Sotomi, Yoichi Nozato, Katsuomi Iwakura, Kenshi Fujii, Takaaki Isshki, Takeshi Kimura, Masakiyo Nobuyoshi, Ando Kenji, Satoshi Shizuta, Takeshi Arita, Satoki Fujii
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2014)