tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Prevention of Hypertension and Its Complications
Authors: John M. Flack, Rosalind Peters, Tariq Shafi, Hisham Alrefai, Samar A. Nasser, Errol Crook
Journal: Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (2003)

Hypertension is a nutritional-hygienic disease. Long-term caloric intake in excess of energy expenditures, chronic supraphysiological intake of dietary sodium, excessive alcohol consumption, and psychosocial stressors all contribute to the development of hypertension throughout the world. Elevated BP, particularly systolic BP, has been linked to multiple adverse clinical outcomes including stroke, heart failure, myocardial infarction, renal insufficiency/failure, peripheral vascular disease, retinopathy, dementia, and premature mortality. These undesirable clinical outcomes are typically, although not invariably, preceded by pressure-related target-organ injury such as left ventricular hypertrophy, renal insufficiency and proteinuria. The relation of BP and CKD and, in turn, the prevention of CKD or forestalling its progression by hypertension treatment, will be the focus of this manuscript. In hypertensive persons with reduced kidney function and/or proteinuria, lowering BP with multidrug therapy that is inclusive of pharmacologic modulators of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-kinin system is an effective strategy to forestall the progressive loss of kidney function. The totality of data support low therapeutic BP targets for persons with proteinuria >1 g/d. Nevertheless, in persons with CKD, even those with proteinuria below the dipstick positive level (approximately 300 mg/d or urine protein to creatinine ratio of 0.22), aggressive BP control also may be warranted because of the high risk of nonrenal cardiovascular disease. Multiple antihypertensive drugs will be required in the vast majority of patients with diabetes and/or reduced kidney function to attain BP goal. Renin-angiotensin system (RAS) modulator therapy is indicated among persons with diabetes mellitus and CKD. Available data support the use of angiotensin receptor blockers in persons with type 2 diabetes and overt nephropathy for preservation of kidney function. Among persons with type I diabetes with or without overt nephropathy, type 2 diabetes without overt nephropathy and in nondiabetic CKD, the available clinical data support the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors as the RAS modulator of choice. Low therapeutic target BP levels <130/80 mmHg in persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus also appear warranted based on available data mostly for reducing the risk of nonrenal cardiovascular disease and overall mortality.
Meat Consumption and Risk of Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Ann Chao
Journal: JAMA (2005)

ContextConsumption of red and processed meat has been associated with colorectal cancer in many but not all epidemiological studies; few studies have examined risk in relation to long-term meat intake or the association of meat with rectal cancer.ObjectiveTo examine the relationship between recent and long-term meat consumption and the risk of incident colon and rectal cancer.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsA cohort of 148 610 adults aged 50 to 74 years (median, 63 years), residing in 21 states with population-based cancer registries, who provided information on meat consumption in 1982 and again in 1992/1993 when enrolled in the Cancer Prevention Study II (CPS II) Nutrition Cohort. Follow-up from time of enrollment in 1992/1993 through August 31, 2001, identified 1667 incident colorectal cancers. Participants contributed person-years at risk until death or a diagnosis of colon or rectal cancer.Main Outcome MeasureIncidence rate ratio (RR) of colon and rectal cancer.ResultsHigh intake of red and processed meat reported in 1992/1993 was associated with higher risk of colon cancer after adjusting for age and energy intake but not after further adjustment for body mass index, cigarette smoking, and other covariates. When long-term consumption was considered, persons in the highest tertile of consumption in both 1982 and 1992/1993 had higher risk of distal colon cancer associated with processed meat (RR, 1.50; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-2.17), and ratio of red meat to poultry and fish (RR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.08-2.18) relative to those persons in the lowest tertile at both time points. Long-term consumption of poultry and fish was inversely associated with risk of both proximal and distal colon cancer. High consumption of red meat reported in 1992/1993 was associated with higher risk of rectal cancer (RR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.15-2.52; P = .007 for trend), as was high consumption reported in both 1982 and 1992/1993 (RR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.00-2.05).ConclusionsOur results demonstrate the potential value of examining long-term meat consumption in assessing cancer risk and strengthen the evidence that prolonged high consumption of red and processed meat may increase the risk of cancer in the distal portion of the large intestine.
Financial incentives for hospitals show only short term benefits to patients, study finds
Authors: A. O'Dowd
Journal: BMJ (2014)

Schemes that financially reward NHS hospitals for improving the quality of care and reducing death rates seem to have only short term benefits, new research has found.

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the effectiveness of “pay for performance” schemes in UK hospitals was questionable, as schemes did not maintain their initial promise or their early success.1 A range of these programmes, which reward hospitals financially for improving the quality of care provided to patients, have been introduced in the United Kingdom over the past decade, with mixed results.

Advancing Quality, a programme imported from the United States, was introduced in the North West region of England in 2008 and …
Pulmonary outcome in juvenile dermatomyositis: a case-control study
Authors: H. Sanner, T. M. Aalokken, J. T. Gran, I. Sjaastad, B. Johansen, B. Flato
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2010)

<h3>Objectives</h3> To compare pulmonary function in patients with juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) with that of matched controls; and to examine associations between pulmonary function impairment, high-resolution CT (HRCT) abnormalities and other disease variables in patients with JDM. <h3>Methods</h3> A total of 59 patients with JDM clinically examined a median 16.8 years (range 2–38 years) after disease onset were compared with 59 age-matched and sex-matched controls. Pulmonary function tests included spirometry, diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) and body plethysmography. In patients with JDM, HRCT scans were performed and cumulative organ damage and patient-reported health status assessed. <h3>Results</h3> Patients with JDM had lower total lung capacity (TLC) and DLCO compared to controls (p=0.003 and &lt;0.001, respectively). A low TLC was found in 26% of patients versus 9% of controls (p=0.026), and a low DLCO in 49% of patients versus 9% of controls (p&lt;0.001). HRCT abnormalities were found in 37% of patients, and included interstitial lung disease (ILD) (14%), chest wall calcinosis (14%) and airway disease (15%). Three patients were diagnosed as having ILD prior to the follow-up visit. A low TLC was more often found in patients with than without abnormal HRCT (50% vs 12%, p=0.002). HRCT abnormality correlated with cumulative organ damage (r<sub>s</sub>=0.346, p=0.008) and patient-reported health status at follow-up (p&lt;0.005). <h3>Conclusions</h3> Patients with JDM had smaller lung volumes than controls; a restrictive ventilatory defect was found in 26% and HRCT abnormality in 37% of the patients, and these findings were associated. Although mostly subclinical, the relatively high frequency of pulmonary involvement highlights the systemic nature of JDM.
Molecular mechanisms of ovulation: co-ordination through the cumulus complex
Authors: Darryl L. Russell, Rebecca L. Robker
Journal: Human Reproduction Update (2007)

Successful ovulation requires that developmentally competent oocytes are released with appropriate timing from the ovarian follicle. Somatic cells of the follicle sense the ovulatory stimulus and guide resumption of meiosis and release of the oocyte, as well as structural remodelling and luteinization of the follicle. Complex intercellular communication co-ordinates critical stages of oocyte maturation and links this process with release from the follicle. To achieve these outcomes, ovulation is controlled through multiple inputs, including endocrine hormones, immune and metabolic signals, as well as intrafollicular paracrine factors from the theca, mural and cumulus granulosa cells and the oocyte itself. This review focuses on the recent advances in understanding of molecular mechanisms that commence after the gonadotrophin surge and culminate with release of the oocyte. These mechanisms include intracellular signalling, gene regulation and remodelling of tissue structure in each of the distinct ovarian compartments. Most critical ovulatory mediators exert effects through the cumulus cell complex that surrounds and connects with the oocyte. The convergence of ovulatory signals through the cumulus complex co-ordinates the key mechanistic processes that mediate and control oocyte maturation and ovulation.
Idiopathic Myocardial Failure in the Last Trimester of Pregnancy and the Puerperium
Authors: W. R. MEADOWS
Journal: Circulation (1957)

Instances of congestive heart failure due to unexplained myocardial disease are not infrequently discussed in the literature. The present study, an extension of a similar study reported by Hull in 1937, relates this type of case to the terminal aspects of pregnancy and the puerperium with an incidence of 1 in 1300 deliveries. Four case reports with necropsy findings, together with the clinical observations made on a total of 15 cases are presented. The frequency of recurrence of the syndrome with subsequent pregnancies and the predominance in the puerperium of this type of congestive failure over those of the usual etiologies suggests that the relationship to pregnancy is not fortuitous.
The gene encoding alsin, a protein with three guanine-nucleotide exchange factor domains, is mutated in a form of recessive amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Authors: Yi Yang, Afif Hentati, Han-Xiang Deng, Omar Dabbagh, Toru Sasaki, Makito Hirano, Wu-Yen Hung, Karim Ouahchi, Jianhua Yan, Anser C. Azim, Natalie Cole, Generoso Gascon, Ayesha Yagmour, Mongi Ben-Hamida, Margaret Pericak-Vance, Fayçal Hentati, Teepu Siddique
Journal: Nature Genetics (2001)
Interleukin 1 induces prolonged L-arginine-dependent cyclic guanosine monophosphate and nitrite production in rat vascular smooth muscle cells.
Authors: D Beasley, J H Schwartz, B M Brenner
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (1991)

The cytokine interleukin 1 (IL-1) inhibits contractile responses in rat aorta by causing endothelium-independent and prolonged activation of soluble guanylate cyclase. The present study tested whether IL-1 activates guanylate cyclase by inducing prolonged production of nitric oxide in cultured rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). IL-1 induced a marked time-dependent increase in cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) in VSMC which was significant at 6 h, and increased progressively for up to 36 h. This effect of IL-1 was abolished when protein synthesis was inhibited with cycloheximide or actinomycin D, suggesting that the effect of IL-1 involves new protein synthesis. IL-1-induced cGMP accumulation was inhibited by the soluble guanylate cyclase inhibitors, methylene blue, LY83583, and hemoglobin and by the L-arginine analogue NGmonomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA). The inhibitory effect of L-NMMA was reversed by a 10-fold excess of L-arginine, but not by D-arginine. Nitrite, an oxidation product of nitric oxide, accumulated in the media of VSMC incubated with IL-1 for 24 h in the presence of L-arginine, whereas both IL-1-induced cGMP accumulation and nitrite production were attenuated in VSMC incubated in L-arginine-deficient medium. In L-arginine-depleted VSMC, IL-1-induced cGMP accumulation was restored to control levels by a 15-min incubation with L-arginine. These results demonstrate that IL-1 activates guanylate cyclase in rat VSMC by inducing production of nitric oxide via a pathway dependent on extracellular L-arginine.
Identification of Cancer Care and Protocol Characteristics Associated With Recruitment in Breast Cancer Clinical Trials
Authors: Julie Lemieux, Pamela J. Goodwin, Kathleen I. Pritchard, Karen A. Gelmon, Louise J. Bordeleau, Thierry Duchesne, Stéphanie Camden, Caroline H. Speers
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2008)

Purpose It is estimated that only 5% of patients with cancer participate in a clinical trial. Barriers to participation may relate to available protocols, physicians, and patients, but few data exist on barriers related to cancer care environments and protocol characteristics. Methods The primary objective was to identify characteristics of cancer care environments and clinical trial protocols associated with a low recruitment into breast cancer clinical trials. Secondary objectives were to determine yearly recruitment fraction onto clinical trials from 1997 to 2002 in Ontario, Canada, and to compare recruitment fraction among years. Questionnaires were sent to hospitals requesting characteristics of cancer care environments and to cooperative groups/pharmaceutical companies for information on protocols and the number of patients recruited per hospital/year. Poisson regression was used to estimate the recruitment fraction. Results Questionnaire completion rate varied between 69% and 100%. Recruitment fraction varied between 5.4% and 8.5% according to year. More than 30% of patients were diagnosed in hospitals with no available trials. In multivariate analysis, the following characteristics were associated with recruitment: use of placebo versus not (relative risk [RR] = 0.80; P = .05), nonmetastatic versus metastatic trial (RR = 2.80; P &lt; .01), and for nonmetastatic trials, protocol allowing an interval of 12 weeks or longer versus less than 12 weeks (from diagnosis, surgery, or end of therapy) before enrollment (RR = 1.36; P &lt; .01). Conclusion Allowable interval of 12 weeks or longer to randomly assign patients in clinical trials could help recruitment. In our study, absence of an available clinical trial represented the largest barrier to recruitment.
Complement biosynthesis by the human hepatoma-derived cell line HepG2.
Authors: K M Morris, D P Aden, B B Knowles, H R Colten
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (1982)

The human hepatoma-derived cell line, HepG2, synthesized and secreted functional complement proteins C1r, C1s, C2, C3, C4, C5, factor B, C1 inhibitor, C3b inactivator, a small amount of C6, and trace amounts of C8; but failed to produce detectable C1q, C7, or C9. Immunochemically, C2, C3, C4, C5, and B were isolated from culture medium as proteins with molecular sizes and subunit structures identical to the corresponding components isolated from serum. C2 and factor B from cellular lysates had slightly lower molecular weights than the corresponding proteins in culture medium. C3, C4, and C5 were detected as single chain precursor molecules in cellular lysates. These results demonstrate that human C5, like C3 and C4, is synthesized as a single chain precursor that is converted by limited proteolysis to the native two-chain molecule. It also establishes the precursor-product relationship for human pro-C4 and native C4, pro-C5, and native C5.
Myocardial perforation by flexible Elema endocardial pacing catheters
Authors: B. J. Hurwitz, M. M. Zion, I. W. P. Obel
Journal: Thorax (1974)

<b>Hurwitz, B. J., Zion, M. M., and Promund Obel, I. W. (1974).</b><i>Thorax</i>, <b>29</b>, 678-684. <b>Myocardial perforation by flexible Elema endocardial pacing catheters.</b> Myocardial perforation as a complication of permanent endocardial pacing with flexible Elema catheters is described in nine patients. In eight patients pacing failed, but there were no other serious ill-effects. Diaphragmatic pacing occurred in five patients. Radiological evidence of movement, either posteriorly and/or laterally, of the electrode tip was detected in five patients. In only two of them was the electrode seen to be definitely extracardiac in position. A change in the pacing wave form aided the diagnosis in two patients. In a further two patients electrode tip electrocardiograms helped to confirm the diagnosis where, upon withdrawal of the perforating electrode, small Q waves disappeared, RS complexes enlarged, and the ST segments became more elevated, with deeply inverted T waves. Withdrawal and repositioning of the electrode catheters was performed in seven patients. In one, a new catheter was inserted, and in another, where uninterrupted cardiac pacing was accompanied by intermittent diaphragmatic pacing, the pacing system was left unaltered. The follow-up is from six months to four and a half years with one late death apparently unrelated to pacing failure.
THE FAMILY DOCTOR'S NEW ROLE ON THE TREATMENT TEAM
Authors: LEON ZUSSMAN, LOUIS LINN
Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry (1963)

1. The psychosomatic role of the family doctor is reviewed. 2. Psychopharmacology has opened up a broader role for the family doctor. 3. Treatment of selected patients with major mental illnesses can now be carried out under psychiatric supervision by the family physician whom the patient has known and trusted for many years, while keeping the patient in contact with family, friends, and work responsibilities. 4. The psychiatric consultant's role includes the following responsibilities: He selects the cases amenable to this combined approach. He recommends the proper medications and supervises their administration. He guides the family doctor in the details of supportive psychotherapy. He helps the family doctor in relation to his own anxieties in the management of these difficult cases. 5. Late-life depressive reactions constitute the major diagnostic category that can be successfully treated by the family doctor. 6. Schizophrenic reactions occurring in certain supportive family settings can also be treated. 7. Selection of cases for treatment by the family doctor must be made in consultation with a psychiatrist. Follow-up Psychiatric consultations are extremely important. 8. Intensified suicidal drives and hyperactive psychotic states are some of the complications of unsupervised psychopharmacotherapy. 9. Some psychiatric problems which cannot be properly carried by the family doctor are reviewed. 10. The complexities of the clinical psychiatric issues are emphasized and the central planning role of the psychiatric consultant is pointed out. 11. The organization of a psychiatric consultation service is in progress to implement the new role of the family doctor.
Delivery of a Healthy Infant Following Nonsurgical Ovum Transfer
Authors: Maria Bustillo
Journal: JAMA (1984)

<h3>To the Editor.—</h3> We wish to announce the birth of a healthy infant to an infertile nulligravid woman following nonsurgical recovery and transfer of an in vivo fertilized donated ovum.<sup>1,2</sup> The infertile recipient, a woman in her 30s with an eight-year history of infertility and multiple operations for endometriosis, experienced a spontaneous luteinizing hormone (LH) peak two days prior to the donor. The donor was a healthy, fertile woman who matched the recipient couple for blood type and Rh and hair and eye color. On the day of the LH peak, the donor was inseminated with semen from the recipient's husband. Five days later uterine lavage was performed on the donor. The recovered blastocyst was transferred to the uterus of the infertile woman. Six days later, beta human chorionic gonadotropin was detected in the recipient's serum. Thirty-three days after the transfer, pelvic ultrasound revealed a well-developed uterine sac with
Characteristics of Airway Hyperresponsiveness in Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Authors: D. S. POSTMA, H. A. M. KERSTJENS
Journal: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (1998)

Section:ChooseTop of pageAbstract <<HYPERRESPONSIVENESS AND T...RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SEVE...MAXIMAL AIRWAY NARROWINGUNDERLYING MECHANISMS OF ...INFLAMMATION IN CENTRAL A...CONSEQUENCES OF THE INFLA...AIRWAY WALL THICKNESSDIFFERENCES IN HYPERRESPO...CONCLUSIONSReferencesCITING ARTICLES
MicroRNA-132 enhances transition from inflammation to proliferation during wound healing
Authors: Dongqing Li, Aoxue Wang, Xi Liu, Florian Meisgen, Jacob Grünler, Ileana R. Botusan, Sampath Narayanan, Erdem Erikci, Xi Li, Lennart Blomqvist, Lei Du, Andor Pivarcsi, Enikö Sonkoly, Kamal Chowdhury, Sergiu-Bogdan Catrina, Mona Ståhle, Ning Xu Landén
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (2015)

Wound healing is a complex process that is characterized by an initial inflammatory phase followed by a proliferative phase. This transition is a critical regulatory point; however, the factors that mediate this process are not fully understood. Here, we evaluated microRNAs (miRs) in skin wound healing and characterized the dynamic change of the miRNome in human skin wounds. miR-132 was highly upregulated during the inflammatory phase of wound repair, predominantly expressed in epidermal keratinocytes, and peaked in the subsequent proliferative phase. TGF-β1 and TGF-β2 induced miR-132 expression in keratinocytes, and transcriptome analysis of these cells revealed that miR-132 regulates a large number of immune response– and cell cycle–related genes. In keratinocytes, miR-132 decreased the production of chemokines and the capability to attract leukocytes by suppressing the NF-κB pathway. Conversely, miR-132 increased activity of the STAT3 and ERK pathways, thereby promoting keratinocyte growth. Silencing of the miR-132 target heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF) phenocopied miR-132 overexpression in keratinocytes. Using mouse and human ex vivo wound models, we found that miR-132 blockade delayed healing, which was accompanied by severe inflammation and deficient keratinocyte proliferation. Together, our results indicate that miR-132 is a critical regulator of skin wound healing that facilitates the transition from the inflammatory to the proliferative phase.
Accumulation of acetylcholine receptors and acetylcholinesterase at newly formed nerve-muscle synapses.
Authors: G D Fischbach, E Frank, T M Jessell, L L Rubin, S M Schuetze
Journal: Pharmacological Reviews (1978)

Nerve-muscle synapses form and the postsynaptic membrane begins to differentiate rapidly in vitro. New clusters of AChRs have been located at transmitting synapses within 3 hours after a competent neurite contacted a receptive myotube. Receptors within new subneural clusters are not identical with receptors at adult end-plates: they are metabolized rapidly and their mean channel open time is prolonged. In this sense synapse formation must be considered a drawn out affair. AChE also accumulates at synapses soon after functional contacts are established. The cleft enzyme is apparently regulated differently than receptors in the postsynaptic membrane. Muscle activity is necessary for the early accumulation of AChE, but not for the clustering of receptors. Further studies in vitro should be useful for analysis of the role of muscle activity, of the local neural influence on the postsynaptic membrane, and of the mechanism of the muscle response.
Vertical transmission of hepatitis G virus (HGV) and TT virus (TTV) in anti-HCV positive mothers. HGV and TTV can decrease the vertical transmission of HCV?
Authors: A. Ruiz Extremera, C. Torres, E. Cervilla, P. Muñoz de Rueda, D. Quintero, A. Palacios, M.A. Lopez Garrido, J. Salmerón
Journal: Journal of Hepatology (2000)