tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Do corticosteroids prevent post-herpetic neuralgia?
Authors: KALMAN KECZKES, A. M. BASHEER
Journal: British Journal of Dermatology (1980)

SUMMARY Forty otherwise healthy patients over 50 years of age with early, severe painful herpes zoster were randomly allocated to two groups for treatment. Twenty patients received prednisolone 40 mg daily with gradual reduction over a period of 4 weeks, whilst the other twenty patients received carbamazepine 100 mg four times daily. Thirteen of the twenty patients (65%) in the carbamazepine treated group developed post-herpetic neuralgia lasting up to 2 years, whilst only three of the twenty prednisolone treated patients (15%) had post-herpetic neuralgia lasting up to 6 months only. Thus the incidence and duration of post-herpetic neuralgia were considerably reduced in the prednisolone treated group. In neither group did disseminated zoster or other complications occur.
A Trial of Laetrile Now
Authors: Charles G. Moertel
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (1978)

Although the ability of Laetrile to produce any therapeutic effect for the patient with cancer is highly questionable, there can be little doubt concerning the ability of this drug to produce a remarkable effect in the pages of the Journal. Within the past year we have read the words of a renowned surgeon (295:116, 1976) amplified by the former Journal editor (295:838, 1976), both advocating uncontrolled release of Laetrile on the open market. In contrast, we have read two clinical scientists at the National Institutes of Health vigorously condemning any clinical trial of Laetrile on the grounds that it would . . .
Absence of DNA from Mycobacteria of the<i>M. tuberculosis</i> Complex in Sarcoidosis
Authors: MARTIN VOKURKA, DENISE LECOSSIER, ROLAND M. du BOIS, BENOIT WALLAERT, MARIANNE KAMBOUCHNER, ABDELLATIF TAZI, ALLAN J. HANCE
Journal: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (1997)

To evaluate the role of mycobacterial infection in the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis, several groups have attempted to identify mycobacterial DNA in clinical samples from these patients by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), but widely divergent results have been obtained. It has been suggested that differences in the sensitivity of the procedures used may explain these discrepant results. To test this possibility, the presence of mycobacterial DNA was sought in biopsies from patients with sarcoidosis using sequence capture-PCR, a procedure that is 100-fold more sensitive in detecting mycobacterial DNA in paucibacillary samples than standard PCR protocols. Using this approach, DNA corresponding to two different sequences specific for organisms of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (the IS6110 insertion element and the DR region) could not be detected in any of the 15 biopsies from patients with sarcoidosis, whereas a high proportion of positive results was obtained for tissue biopsies and other clinical samples from patients with active tuberculosis, including samples that were smear-negative/culture-positive and smear-negative/culture-negative. These results support prior studies suggesting that M. tuberculosis does not play a pathogenic role in sarcoidosis in most patients.
1014. Regulation of Extracellular Matrix Gene Expression in Renal Mesangial Cells by Transcription Factors Sp1 and CREB
Authors: Davis W. Cheng, Lalit P. Singh
Journal: Molecular Therapy (2006)

We have previously demonstrated that high glucose, glucosamine and growth factors increase extracellular matrix (ECM) protein synthesis, such as laminin and fibronectin, in renal mesangial cells and that the transcription factor cyclic AMP responsive element (CRE) binding protein CREB may participate in their expression. However, the molecular mechanism(s) of ECM gene regulation in mesangial cells still remains unknown. Laminin g1 and fibronectin genes are known to contain GC and CRE cis-elements in their promoters. In this study, we investigate the role of GC binding transcription factor Sp1 and CREB in ECM gene expression using laminin g1 promoter reporter (LAMC1-Luciferase) and CRE-SEAP (secretary alkaline phosphatase) plasmids, and their potential involvement in laminin g1 and fibronectin mRNA expression. In a double-transfection experiment using the LAMC1-Luciferase and pcDNA-Sp1 vectors, we observe that Sp1 expression increases luciferase activity 4.0-fold in 24 h when compared to pcDNA3.1 controls. On the other hand, siRNA silencers targeted against Sp1 significantly reduces LAMC1-luciferase activity (2.5-fold) against the control. Similarly, transient expression of the pcDNA-CREB vector in CRE-SEAP transfected mesangial cells induces the SEAP activity in the culture medium 1.5-fold when compared to pcDNA3.1 controls while transfection of a dominant negative K-CREB plasmid inhibits CRE-SEAP activity significantly (2-fold versus the control). In addition, we found that CREB overexpression increases laminin g1 and fibronectin mRNA levels 3.2- and 1.9- fold against respective controls as revealed by real-time quantitative PCR while the expression of K-CREB reduces the level of both mRNAs. Furthermore, treatment of mesangial cells for 48 h with high glucose (25 mM), glucosamine (1.5 mM) or with IGF-1 (100 ng/ml for 2 h) increases the expression of laminin g1 and fibronectin messages in mesangial cells significantly, and K-CREB completely impedes their effects. These results suggest that transcription factors Sp1 and CREB are involved in the regulation of ECM gene expression in renal mesangial cells and that they may participate in ECM accumulation and basement membrane thickening in the diabetic kidney. The materials and methods developed in this study may provide a platform for a potential gene therapy of diabetes and other renal diseases in the future.
In-vitro studies of ineffective erythropoiesis in rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: R. A. Williams, D. Samson, J. Tikerpae, H. Crowne, J. M. Gumpel
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (1982)

Ineffective erythropoiesis was assessed in a series of 32 patients with rheumatoid arthritis by means of a new in-vitro method which measures the release of haem from a labelled cohort of erythroblasts in culture. Haem release was significantly increased in patients with the anaemia of chronic disorders but was normal in those who were not anaemic or who had an iron-deficiency anaemia. In 2 patients with anaemia of chronic disorders haem release returned to normal after successful antirheumatic therapy. The increased ineffective erythropoiesis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and anaemia of chronic disorders appeared to be unrelated to functional iron deficiency and was not attributable to a serum factor.
The case of the misleading funnel plot
Authors: Joseph Lau, John P A Ioannidis, Norma Terrin, Christopher H Schmid, Ingram Olkin
Journal: BMJ (2006)

Prevention is better than cureGiven the above considerations, plagiarism is better dealt with by concentrating on an instructional system of prevention.Many institutions have begun to implement courses on the responsible conduct of research, exploring a range of research integrity issues.Although this is a step in the right direction, such instruction benefits mainly students.Legions of seasoned researchers continue to operate without such instruction.Clearly, research integrity needs to be incorporated into continuing education targeted at this group.Training on responsible conduct of research must go beyond the "high crimes" of fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism, all three of which are thankfully still relatively rare in science.Zigmond and Fischer have argued that misdemeanours make up the bulk of the ethical transgressions. 10Instruction on plagiarism should focus on the principles of ethical writing. 11This approach assumes that each of our written works represents an implicit contract between us and our readers in which the reader assumes that, unless otherwise noted, we are the sole authors of the work, the words and ideas are our own, and the ideas, concepts and theories described are accurately and objectively represented to the best of our ability.Since it is doubtful that we will ever eliminate plagiarism or other forms of intentional misconduct, we need to increase our ability to detect these transgressions and effectively prosecute and punish offenders.Instruction in ethical writing indirectly touches on several other traditional forms of misconduct.Consequently, I believe that when we internalise and apply its basic principles they will significantly reduce plagiarism and generalise to other areas of scientific research and personal conduct.I thank Maryellen Reardon for comments on an earlier draft of this article.
Iron-Chelating Therapy for Transfusional Iron Overload
Authors: Gary M. Brittenham
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (2011)

A 16-year-old boy with sickle cell anemia requires long-term red-cell transfusion. Prophylactic iron-chelating therapy is recommended. Iron chelators bind to plasma and intracellular iron and cause its excretion into urine or bile.
Review: Counseling and educational methods that target multiple CV risk factors do not reduce mortality in adults without CHD
Authors: Mahesh J. Patel, L. Kristin Newby
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2011)

ACP Journal Club21 June 2011Review: Counseling and educational methods that target multiple CV risk factors do not reduce mortality in adults without CHDMahesh J. Patel, MD, L. Kristin Newby, MD, MHSMahesh J. Patel, MDDuke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA (M.J.P., L.K.N.)Search for more papers by this author, L. Kristin Newby, MD, MHSDuke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA (M.J.P., L.K.N.)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-154-12-201106210-02004 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Source CitationEbrahim S, Taylor F, Ward K, et al. Multiple risk factor interventions for primary prevention of coronary heart disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2011;(1):CD001561. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21249647Clinical Impact RatingsGIM/FP/GP: Cardiology: References1 Hypertension Detection and Follow-up Program Cooperative Group. Five-year findings of the hypertension detection and follow-up program. I. Reduction in mortality of persons with high blood pressure, including mild hypertension. JAMA. 1979;242:2562-71. [PMID: 490882] Google Scholar2 World Health Organisation European Collaborative Group. European collaborative trial of multifactorial prevention of coronary heart disease: final report on the 6-year results. World Health Organisation European Collaborative Group. Lancet. 1986;1:869-72. [PMID: 2870351] Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA (M.J.P., L.K.N.)This article was published at Annals.org on 7 June 2011. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics 21 June 2011Volume 154, Issue 12Page: JC6-4KeywordsBehaviorCardiovascular disease riskClinical trialsCoronary heart diseaseDeath ratesFactor analysisMedical risk factorsStroke ePublished: 21 June 2011 Issue Published: 21 June 2011 CopyrightCopyright © 2011 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...
Serum High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and Risk of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
Authors: Unhee Lim, Travis Gayles, Hormuzd A. Katki, Rachael Stolzenberg-Solomon, Stephanie J. Weinstein, Pirjo Pietinen, Philip R. Taylor, Jarmo Virtamo, Demetrius Albanes
Journal: Cancer Research (2007)

Lymphoma patients often exhibit abnormal lipid metabolism. Recent evidence, however, suggests that a decrease in circulating high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) may occur during lymphomagenesis, reflecting underlying etiology such as inflammation. We investigated the relationship between prediagnostic HDL-C and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in the Alpha-Tocopherol Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study cohort. At baseline, serum HDL-C and total cholesterol concentrations from fasting blood, information on diet and lifestyle, and direct measurements of height, weight, and blood pressure were obtained from 27,074 healthy male smokers of ages 50 to 69 years. Cox proportional hazards models with age as underlying time metric was used to estimate relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). We found no association between total or non-HDL cholesterol and the 201 incident NHL cases ascertained during the follow-up (1985-2002), but observed an inverse association between HDL-C and NHL, which changed with length of follow-up. High HDL-C was associated with lower risk of all NHL during the first 10 years (n = 148; RR for 5th versus 1st quintile, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.19-0.62; P(trend) < 0.0001), but not with diagnoses during later follow-up (n = 53; RR, 1.31; 95% CI, 0.55-3.10). The inverse association was similar for NHL subtypes and was not modified by obesity, blood pressure, physical activity, or alcohol intake, but seemed to be stronger in men with lower duration of smoking (P(interaction) = 0.06). Our findings implicate HDL-C as a preclinical indicator of NHL and warrant further prospective investigations for its etiologic contribution.
Studies in a Hyperthyroid Subject After Hypophysectomy
Authors: Raul Grinberg
Journal: JAMA (1966)

Studies were carried out in a hyperthyroid patient before, during, and after hypophysectomy as follows: (1) Levels of protein-bound iodine (PBI), butanol-extractable iodine serum (BEI), cholesterol, and<sup>131</sup>I uptake were the clinical measurements chosen to evaluate the function of the thyroid gland. (2) Metabolic studies were conducted after the administration of thyroxine I 131 and sodium iodide I 131. (3) Levels of thyrotropic hormone (TSH) and long-acting thyroid stimulator (LATS) in the serum provided information about pituitary function. (4) Detailed histopathologic studies of the brain, midbrain, pituitary, pituitary stalk, median eminence, and thyroid gland were performed. (5) Serial sections of the sella turcica revealed that the hypophysectomy was total. This study revealed that the thyroid gland of the patient was able to increase the<sup>131</sup>I uptake, maintain a normal PBI level and incorporate<sup>131</sup>I into organ systems several months after hypophysectomy. Chromatographic studies of the pituitary gland after the administration of thyroxine I 131 showed iodine, tetraiodothyronine and triiodothyronine. The median eminence and hypothalamic areas were histologically normal.
Tropism and replication of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus from dromedary camels in the human respiratory tract: an in-vitro and ex-vivo study
Authors: Renee W Y Chan, Maged G Hemida, Ghazi Kayali, Daniel K W Chu, Leo L M Poon, Abdelmohsen Alnaeem, Mohamed A Ali, Kin P Tao, Hoi Y Ng, Michael C W Chan, Yi Guan, John M Nicholls, J S Malik Peiris
Journal: The Lancet Respiratory Medicine (2014)
"America's Doctor" Dr Oz fights back against critics
Authors: M. McCarthy
Journal: BMJ (2015)

Mehmet Oz, the popular television doctor known as Dr Oz and who has been dubbed “America’s Doctor” by the television personality Oprah Winfrey, has said that he will not be silenced by critics who have alleged that he misleads the public, promoting miracle cures of no proven value.

Last week in an opinion article in Time magazine,1 and later on his television show, Oz defended his promotion of practices that are often considered outside mainstream medical practice: “I have spent my entire career searching for ways to lessen the suffering of my patients. The best and safest paths have generally been the traditions …
RADIUM IN SURGERY
Authors: S. Forsdike
Journal: BMJ (1929)

<h3>Background</h3> Despite increases in cannabis use generally and for pain management, data regarding cannabis use in patients undergoing surgery are lacking. This study examined the prevalence of cannabis use among patients undergoing elective surgery and explored differences in clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes between cannabis users and non-cannabis users. <h3>Methods</h3> This prospective study included 1335 adults undergoing elective surgery. Participants completed self-report questionnaires preoperative and at 3-month and 6-month postsurgery to assess clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes. <h3>Results</h3> Overall, 5.9% (n=79) of patients reported cannabis use (53.2% medical, 19.0% recreational and 25.3% medical and recreational). On the day of surgery, cannabis users reported worse pain, more centralized pain symptoms, greater functional impairment, higher fatigue, greater sleep disturbances and more symptoms of anxiety and depression versus non-cannabis users (all p&lt;0.01). Additionally, a larger proportion of cannabis users reported opioid (27.9%) and benzodiazepine use (19.0%) compared with non-cannabis users (17.5% and 9.2%, respectively). At 3 and 6 months, cannabis users continued to report worse clinical symptoms; however, both groups showed improvement across most domains (p≤0.05). At 6 months, the groups did not differ on surgical outcomes, including surgical site pain (p=0.93) or treatment efficacy (p=0.88). <h3>Conclusions</h3> Cannabis use is relatively low in this surgical population, yet cannabis users have higher clinical pain, poorer scores on quality of life indicators, and higher opioid use before and after surgery. Cannabis users reported similar surgical outcomes, suggesting that cannabis use did not impede recovery.
837-3 Real-time three-dimensional echocardiographic assessment of endocardial surface can quantitate the size of myocardial infarction
Authors: Koichi Inoue, Hiroshi Ito, Katsuomi Iwakura, Shigeo Kawano, Atsunori Okamura, Koji Tanaka, Yuya Nishida, Kenshi Fujii
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2004)
The Poetry of Healing: A Doctor's Education in Empathy, Identity, and Desire
Authors: Jay A. Liveson
Journal: JAMA (1997)

The medical profession is not overrepresented in the field of literature, possibly because of the demands of time, John Keats and Robert Bridges even sacrificing careers in medicine to write. A physician who does wander beyond the boundaries of scientific reporting becomes a treasured spokesperson. Even among these, many tend to the spectral, weighted toward restraint and analytic description (such as William Carlos Williams, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, A. J. Cronin, Oliver Sacks, and Lewis Thomas). Possibly there's an underlying prejudice that "a physician who writes poems is certainly suspect—soft, impossible to prove." In any case, Rafael Campo can be numbered among the limited group of physicians who write about their own medical experiences from the gut (like Richard Selzer, Marc Straus, Jon Mukand, Dannie Abse, and Perri Klass). He writes poems and essays that are both passionately advocatory and sensuously confessional. His evolving writing was catalyzed by his
BM-01 * DOSIMETRIC HOTSPOTS ARE THE MOST POWERFUL DOSIMETRIC PREDICTOR OF LOCAL CONTROL IN NSCLC BRAIN METASTASES
Authors: C. Abraham, A. Garsa, S. Badiyan, R. Dryzmala, D. Yang, T. DeWees, J. Simpson, S. Fouke, C. Robinson
Journal: Neuro-Oncology (2014)

BACKGROUND: There is scant data on actionable parameters that may improve local control (LC) after SRS for brain metastases. We evaluated the impact of various patient, tumor, and dosimetric variables on LC of NSCLC brain metastases with SRS. METHODS: Patients with NSCLC brain metastases treated with single fraction SRS without prior metastasectomy or SRS to the same lesion were identified. Brain MRI imaging was reviewed from time of SRS until death or last follow up. LC was scored for each lesion as stability or decrease in the size of the treated metastasis. Dose volume histograms (DVH) were collected for each lesion and evaluated with a custom DVH tool. V18-V50Gy, D10, D50, D90, dose mean, maximum, minimum, and median were extracted as were dose gradient index and RTOG conformity index. Univariate and multivariate Cox Regression were used to identify factors predictive of LC, and LC was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: 612 brain metastases in 299 patients were identified, yielding 122 local failures. On univariate analysis, lack of prior whole brain, lack of whole brain < 2 months, Perfexion machine model, increasing dose, increasing isodose, fewer shots, increasing V18-V40, decreasing volume, and increasing conformity index were associated with increased LC (p < 0.05). On multivariate analysis (MVA), decreasing volume (HR 1.359, 95% CI 1.197-1.543), increasing V32Gy (HR 0.069 95% CI 0.018-0.264), and increasing isodose (HR 0.953, 95% CI 0.911-0.996. were associated with increased LC (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Significant plan quality variation exists for a given prescription dose for SRS, and prescription dose is not predictive of LC. Optimizing the volume of tumor receiving high dose (such as V32) for a given prescription dose represents an actionable variable to drive treatment planning during SRS for brain metastases. Analysis of a larger number of lesions within a multi-institutional registry (CONDR-IMD) will further clarify such parameters.
Whole blood aggregation, thromboxane release and the lyso derivative of platelet activating factor in myocardial infarction and unstable angina
Authors: S. M NIDORF, M. STURM, J. STROPHAIR, P. J KENDREW, R. R TAYLOR
Journal: Cardiovascular Research (1989)

To investigate the pathophysiology of intracoronary thrombus formation we measured whole blood aggregation in response to ADP, platelet activating factor (PAF) and collagen, along with thromboxane B2 (TXB2) production during collagen induced aggregation, plasma TXB2 and plasma levels of lyso-PAF, in 38 subjects with and without ischaemic heart disease (12 with acute myocardial infarction, 9 with prolonged ischaemic chest pain without infarction and 17 normals). Lyso-PAF was measured, after in vitro acetylation to active PAF, by bioassay using 14C-serotonin labelled rabbit platelets. TXB2 was measured by radioimmunoassay. Plasma TXB2 was elevated at presentation only in patients with myocardial infarction (p less than 0.01). While impedance aggregation was similar in the three groups, aggregation to collagen resulted in greater release of TXB2 in subjects with myocardial infarction (p less than 0.01), an abnormality persisting 2-4 months later. Plasma lyso-PAF levels were significantly depressed throughout the first week in subjects with infarction (p less than 0.002), but after 2 to 4 months the level was greater than in normal subjects (p less than 0.001), changes presently unexplained. It is possible that the disorder of platelet function preceded and predisposed to coronary thrombosis. The findings strengthen the grounds for aspirin therapy in acute myocardial infarction.
National Patient Safety Foundation Studies Systems
Authors: Marsha F. Goldsmith
Journal: JAMA (1997)

TO ERR is human—and though health care practitioners who make mistakes in treating patients may count on divine forgiveness, current opinion holds that instituting quality safeguards is preferable to seeking absolution. Promoting patient safety by using a systems approach to analyze human or organizational errors that may lead to patient injuries and thereby discover—and eliminate—their root cause is the goal of a new group launched by the American Medical Association (AMA). The National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) at the AMA is, said its executive director Martin J. Hatlie, JD, an unprecedented initiative to enhance the safety of the US health care system. Its organizational structure encourages the interaction of safety experts, public health advocates, patient representatives, medical ethicists, physicians and other health care practitioners, managed care organizations, government, researchers, employers, lawyers, and liability insurers, among others. The not-for-profit foundation is a collaborative effort of the AMA and founding sponsors