tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Exposure to Dioxins as a Risk Factor for Soft Tissue Sarcoma: A Population - Based Case-Control Study
Authors: M. Eriksson, L. Hardell, H.-O. Adami
Journal: JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute (1990)

In a case-control study including 237 cases with soft tissue sarcoma and 237 controls, previous jobs and exposures to different agents, including pesticides, were assessed. Exposure to phenoxyacetic acids or chlorophenols gave a statistically significant increased rate ratio (RR) of 1.80 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.02–3.18] for soft tissue sarcoma. Exposure to phenoxyacetic acids of all types gave a nonsignificantly increased RR of 1.34 (95% CI = 0.70–2.56). During the 1950s, exposure to 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid gave a threefold significantly increased risk. High-grade exposure to chlorophenols, which are also contaminated by dioxins, gave an RR of 5.25 (95% CI = 1.69–16.34). The increased risk was thus attributed to dioxin-contaminated phenoxy-acetic acids or chlorophenols that gave an RR of 2.43 (95% CI = 1.30–4.54). [J Natl Cancer Inst 82:486–490, 1990]
Concurrent Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy for Organ Preservation in Advanced Laryngeal Cancer
Authors: Arlene A. Forastiere, Helmuth Goepfert, Moshe Maor, Thomas F. Pajak, Randal Weber, William Morrison, Bonnie Glisson, Andy Trotti, John A. Ridge, Clifford Chao, Glen Peters, Ding-Jen Lee, Andrea Leaf, John Ensley, Jay Cooper
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (2003)

Induction chemotherapy with cisplatin plus fluorouracil followed by radiotherapy is the standard alternative to total laryngectomy for patients with locally advanced laryngeal cancer. The value of adding chemotherapy to radiotherapy and the optimal timing of chemotherapy are unknown.
Night-to-night variation of the oxygen desaturation index in sleep apnoea syndrome
Authors: I. Fietze, K. Dingli, K. Diefenbach, N.J. Douglas, M. Glos, M. Tallafuss, W. Terhalle, C. Witt
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2004)

The current study investigated the night-to-night variability and diagnostic accuracy of the oxygen desaturation index (ODI), as measured by ambulatory monitoring, in the diagnosis of mild and moderate obstructive sleep apnoea–hypopnoea syndrome. To assess the variability of the ODI, 35 patients were monitored at home during 7 consecutive nights by means of a portable recording device, the MESAM-IV®. The ODI variability factor and the influence of age, body mass index (BMI), alcohol, and body position were assessed. Furthermore, the diagnostic accuracy of the MESAM-IV was measured by comparison with polysomnographical outcomes in 18 patients. During home recording, the median ODI was 10.9 (interquartile range: 5.8–16.1) across the patients. Although the reliability of the ODI was adequate, the probability of placing the patient in the wrong severity category (ODI ≤15 or ODI &gt;15) when only one single recording was taken is 14.4%. ODI variability was not significantly influenced by age, BMI, time spent in a supine position, or mild dosages of alcohol. A good correlation was found between the apnoea–hypopnoea index and the ODI. In conclusion, the findings suggest that the diagnostic accuracy of the MESAM-IV is strong, since the oxygen desaturation index is correlated with the apnoea–hypopnoea index. In most obstructive sleep apnoea–hypopnoea syndrome patients, oxygen desaturation index variability is rather small, and screening could be reliably based on single 1-night recordings.
Delayed end ejection increases isovolumic ventricular relaxation rate in isolated perfused canine hearts.
Authors: M Hori, M Kitakaze, Y Ishida, M Fukunami, A Kitabatake, M Inoue, T Kamada, D T Yue
Journal: Circulation Research (1991)

We sought to determine the ejection variables that are principally responsible for increases in isovolumic ventricular relaxation rate observed with increases in stroke volume. In nine isolated canine hearts, left ventricular ejection was controlled by patterns specially designed to isolate the ejection parameters most critical to isovolumic relaxation rate. When stroke volume was augmented by increases in end-diastolic volume (EDV) with end-systolic volume (ESV) held constant, isovolumic ventricular relaxation rate was unchanged, as gauged by the time constants of single-exponential fits to decaying pressure. In contrast, when ESV was decreased with EDV held constant, isovolumic relaxation time constants decreased significantly, from approximately 100 to 70 msec (protocol I). The important difference in these two situations might have been that the time of end ejection was delayed in the case with faster isovolumic relaxation. To rule out other parameters that may have influenced isovolumic relaxation, ejection velocity was varied in another protocol (protocol II) by either delays in time of the onset of ejection or advances in end-ejection time, always with constant ESV and EDV. Here isovolumic relaxation was progressively slowed as end ejection occurred earlier, whereas isovolumic relaxation rate was insensitive to changes in the onset of ejection, consistent with the unique importance of end ejection to isovolumic relaxation. In fact, our analysis reveals the remarkable finding that changes in isovolumic relaxation time constant produced by either protocol I or protocol II could be related quantitatively to end ejection by a single curve.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Adapalene gel 0.3% for the treatment of acne vulgaris: A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, controlled, phase III trial
Authors: Diane Thiboutot, David M. Pariser, Nancy Egan, Javier Flores, James H. Herndon, Norman B. Kanof, Steven E. Kempers, Stuart Maddin, Yves P. Poulin, David C. Wilson, Joyce Hwa, Yin Liu, Michael Graeber
Journal: Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (2006)
Constitutive homing of mast cell progenitors to the intestine depends on autologous expression of the chemokine receptor CXCR2
Authors: J. Pablo Abonia, K. Frank Austen, Barrett J. Rollins, Sunil K. Joshi, Richard A. Flavell, William A. Kuziel, Pandelakis A. Koni, Michael F. Gurish
Journal: Blood (2005)
Concomitant Tumor Resistance: The Role of Tyrosine Isomers in the Mechanisms of Metastases Control
Authors: Raúl A. Ruggiero, Juan Bruzzo, Paula Chiarella, Oscar D. Bustuoabad, Roberto P. Meiss, Christiane D. Pasqualini
Journal: Cancer Research (2012)

Abstract Concomitant tumor resistance (CR) is a phenomenon in which a tumor-bearing host is resistant to the growth of secondary tumor implants and metastasis. Although previous studies indicated that T-cell–dependent processes mediate CR in hosts bearing immunogenic small tumors, manifestations of CR induced by immunogenic and nonimmunogenic large tumors have been associated with an elusive serum factor. In a recently published study, we identified this factor as meta-tyrosine and ortho-tyrosine, 2 isomers of tyrosine that would not be present in normal proteins. In 3 different murine models of cancer that generate CR, both meta- and ortho-tyrosine inhibited tumor growth. Additionally, we showed that both isoforms of tyrosine blocked metastasis in a fourth model that does not generate CR but is sensitive to CR induced by other tumors. Mechanistic studies showed that the antitumor effects of the tyrosine isomers were mediated in part by early inhibition of the MAP/ERK pathway and inactivation of STAT3, potentially driving tumor cells into a state of dormancy in G0-phase. Other mechanisms, putatively involving the activation of an intra–S-phase checkpoint, would also inhibit tumor proliferation by accumulating cells in S-phase. By revealing a molecular basis for the classical phenomenon of CR, our findings may stimulate new generalized approaches to limit the development of metastases that arise after resection of primary tumors or after other stressors that may promote the escape of metastases from dormancy, an issue that is of pivotal importance to oncologists and their patients. Cancer Res; 72(5); 1043–50. ©2012 AACR.
Cancer Survivorship Care: How Primary Care Providers Perceive Their Role.
Authors: P. Robinson, K. Rychlik, P. Mumby, S. Lo, K. Albain, P. Friend
Journal: Cancer Research (2009)

Abstract Background: The majority of cancer survivors are breast cancer patients since about 80% live five years beyond diagnosis. It is projected that by 2020, demand for medical oncologists will exceed supply, in large part due to this increased number of cancer survivors. One proposed solution to address the disparity of resources is to enlist primary care physicians (PCP) in the care of cancer survivors. This pilot study aims to describe the perceptions of primary care physicians relative to cancer survivorship care.Materials and Methods: We conducted a prospective, cross sectional survey of PCPs including internists, family practitioners and gynecologists in the outpatient setting. The primary outcome measure was a 45 item measure of knowledge and perceived role of the PCP in the care of cancer survivors.Results: A total of 84 PCPs of 200 surveyed (42%) responded. Overall, 66 PCPs stated they are interested in participating in the care of cancer survivors (79%); however, only a minority of the PCPs commonly discuss the survivorship phase of the cancer control continuum (n=8, 10%). The majority of PCPs believe that the medical oncologist should remain active in the follow up care in association with the PCP (n=28, 36%) or as a single provider (n=17, 20%). Only 20 PCPs (25%) agreed or strongly agreed that survival outcomes are similar for PCPs and medical oncologists. Most PCPs felt that cancer survivors are more compliant with survivorship care recommendations when proposed by the medical oncologist versus PCP (n=42, 55%). The majority of PCPs felt that survivorship follow up care guidelines would be extremely helpful or very helpful (n=61, 81%), a treatment summary of care document would be extremely helpful or very helpful (n=60, 80%), and a treatment summary care plan would change current practice (n=67, 90%). PCPs treat co-morbidities such as diabetes mellitus, obesity and hypertension; however only a minority of PCPs are aware of the relationship between co-morbidities and cancer survivorship. A little over a third of the PCPs strongly agreed that co-morbidities impacted upon the incidence of cancer, incidence of cancer recurrence and overall cancer mortality; n=30, (39%), n=27 (35%), and n=41 (42%) respectively.Discussion: Although PCPs recognize the opportunity to favorably impact on cancer survivorship issues, there appears to be a level of uncertainty regarding their role. PCPs are receptive to participating in the care of cancer survivors provided that they are given the necessary educational resources to do so. Interventions need to be developed and validated to improve the role of the PCP cancer survivorship care. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(24 Suppl):Abstract nr 1061.
A New Evolutionary Paradigm for the Parkinson Disease Gene DJ-1
Authors: J. I. Lucas, I. Marin
Journal: Molecular Biology and Evolution (2006)

The DJ-1 gene is extensively studied because of its involvement in familial Parkinson disease. DJ-1 belongs to a complex superfamily of genes that includes both prokaryotic and eukaryotic representatives. We determine that many prokaryotic groups, such as proteobacteria, cyanobacteria, spirochaetes, firmicutes, or fusobacteria, have genes, often incorrectly called "Thij," that are very close relatives of DJ-1, to the point that they cannot be clearly separated from the eukaryotic DJ-1 genes by phylogenetic analyses of their sequences. In addition, and contrary to a previous study that suggested that DJ-1 genes were animal specific, we show that DJ-1 genes are found in at least 5 of the 6 main eukaryotic groups: opisthokonta (both animals and fungi), plantae, chromalveolata, excavata, and amoebozoa. Our results thus provide strong evidence for DJ-1 genes originating before the origin of eukaryotes. Interestingly, we found that some fungal species, among them the model yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, have DJ-1-like genes, most likely orthologous to the animal genes. This finding opens new ways for the analysis of the functions of this group of genes.
Increased Rates of Sequence Evolution in Endosymbiotic Bacteria and Fungi with Small Effective Population Sizes
Authors: Megan Woolfit, Lindell Bromham
Journal: Molecular Biology and Evolution (2003)

Mutualistic, maternally transmitted endosymbiotic microorganisms undergo severe population bottlenecks at each host generation, resulting in a reduction in effective population size (Ne). Previous studies of Buchnera, the primary endosymbiont of aphids, and of several other species of endosymbiotic bacteria have shown that these species exhibit an increase in the rate of substitution of slightly deleterious mutations, among other predicted effects of increased drift due to small Ne, such as reduced codon bias. However, these studies have been limited in taxonomic scope, and it was therefore not clear whether the increase in rate is a general feature of endosymbiont lineages. Here, we test the prediction that a long-term reduction in Ne causes an increase in substitution rate using DNA sequences of the 16S rRNA gene from 13 phylogenetically independent comparisons between taxonomically diverse endosymbiotic microorganisms and their free-living relatives. Maximum likelihood and distance-based methods both indicate a significant increase in substitution rate in a wide range of bacterial and fungal endosymbionts compared to closely related free-living lineages. We use the same data set to test whether 16S genes from endosymbionts display increased A + T content, another indicator of increased genetic drift, and find that there is no significant difference in base composition between endosymbiont and nonendosymbiont 16S genes. However, analysis of an additional data set of whole bacterial genomes demonstrates that, while host-dependent bacteria have significantly increased genomic A + T content, the base content of the 16S gene tends to vary less than that of the whole genome. It is possible that selection for stability of rRNA is strong enough to overcome the effects of drift toward increased A + T content in endosymbiont 16S genes, despite the reduced effective population sizes of these organisms.
Mutations in the Tyrosine Kinase Domain of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor in Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Sei Hoon Yang, Leah E. Mechanic, Ping Yang, Maria Teresa Landi, Elise D. Bowman, Jason Wampfler, Daoud Meerzaman, Kyeong Man Hong, Felicia Mann, Tatiana Dracheva, Junya Fukuoka, William Travis, Neil E. Caporaso, Curtis C. Harris, Jin Jen
Journal: Clinical Cancer Research (2005)

We evaluated somatic genetic alterations in the kinase domain of the EGFR gene in the tumors of 219 non-small cell lung cancer patients of primarily Caucasian and African American origins. We identified 26 patients (12%) whose tumors had a mutation in the EGFR gene, and 11 (5%) patients carried novel genomic variations consistent with germ-line polymorphisms. All but one mutation were identified in Caucasian patients affected with adenocarcinoma. EGFR mutations were more frequent in women and in nonsmokers, but a significant portion of the affected patients were men (12 of 26) and current or past smokers accounted for half of the patients affected (13 of 26). Screening subjects with EGFR mutations may identify patients whose tumors could respond to targeted therapy using tyrosine kinase inhibitors.
Report highlights abuse of older people's human rights in hospitals and homes
Authors: Adrian O'Dowd
Journal: BMJ (2007)

Doctors, managers, and pressure groups have condemned the abuse of older people's human rights in hospitals and care homes, after a highly critical report by peers and MPs.

Urgent legal and cultural changes are needed to stop widespread abuse of older people in these settings, said politicians on the joint select committee on human rights.

After investigating they concluded that older people in hospitals and care homes experienced abuse, sexual assaults, rough treatment, malnutrition, dehydration, bullying, and neglect.

More than a fifth (21%) of care homes did not meet minimum standards of privacy and dignity required, they said, and the MPs criticised the Department of Health and the Ministry …
Football boot insoles and sensitivity to extent of ankle inversion movement
Authors: G Waddington, R Adams
Journal: British Journal of Sports Medicine (2003)

Background: The capacity of the plantar sole of the foot to convey information about foot position is reduced by conventional smooth boot insoles, compared with barefoot surface contact. Objective: To test the hypothesis that movement discrimination may be restored by inserting textured replacement insoles, achieved by changing footwear conditions and measuring the accuracy of judgments of the extent of ankle inversion movement. Methods: An automated testing device, the ankle movement extent discrimination apparatus (AMEDA), developed to assess active ankle function in weight bearing without a balance demand, was used to test the effects of sole inserts in soccer boots. Seventeen elite soccer players, the members of the 2000 Australian Women’s soccer squad (34 ankles), took part in the study. Subjects were randomly allocated to start testing in: bare feet, their own football boots, own football boot and replacement insole, and on the left or right side. Subjects underwent six 50 trial blocks, in which they completed all footwear conditions. The sole inserts were cut to size for each foot from textured rubber “finger profile” sheeting. Results: Movement discrimination scores were significantly worse when subjects wore their football boots and socks, compared with barefoot data collected at the same time. The substitution of textured insoles for conventional smooth insoles in the football boots was found to restore movement discrimination to barefoot levels. Conclusions: The lower active movement discrimination scores of athletes when wearing football boots with smooth insoles suggest that the insole is one aspect of football boot and sport shoe design that could be modified to provide the sensory feedback needed for accurate foot positioning.
Centrosome-associated regulators of the G2/M checkpoint as targets for cancer therapy
Authors: Yingmei Wang, Ping Ji, Jinsong Liu, Russell R Broaddus, Fengxia Xue, Wei Zhang
Journal: Molecular Cancer (2009)

Abstract In eukaryotic cells, control mechanisms have developed that restrain cell-cycle transitions in response to stress. These regulatory pathways are termed cell-cycle checkpoints. The G 2 /M checkpoint prevents cells from entering mitosis when DNA is damaged in order to afford these cells an opportunity to repair the damaged DNA before propagating genetic defects to the daughter cells. If the damage is irreparable, checkpoint signaling might activate pathways that lead to apoptosis. Since alteration of cell-cycle control is a hallmark of tumorigenesis, cell-cycle regulators represent potential targets for therapy. The centrosome has recently come into focus as a critical cellular organelle that integrates G 2 /M checkpoint control and repairs signals in response to DNA damage. A growing number of G 2 /M checkpoint regulators have been found in the centrosome, suggesting that centrosome has an important role in G 2 /M checkpoint function. In this review, we discuss centrosome-associated regulators of the G 2 /M checkpoint, the dysregulation of this checkpoint in cancer, and potential candidate targets for cancer therapy.
Molecular circuits shared by placental and cancer cells, and their implications in the proliferative, invasive and migratory capacities of trophoblasts
Authors: C. Ferretti, L. Bruni, V. Dangles-Marie, A.P. Pecking, D. Bellet
Journal: Human Reproduction Update (2006)

Trophoblast research over the past decades has underlined the striking similarities between the proliferative, migratory and invasive properties of placental cells and those of cancer cells. This review recapitulates the numerous key molecules, proto-oncogenes, growth factors, receptors, enzymes, hormones, peptides and tumour-associated antigens (TAAs) expressed by both trophoblastic and cancer cells in an attempt to evaluate the genes and proteins forming molecular circuits and regulating the similar behaviours of these cells. Among the autocrine and paracrine loops that might be involved in the strong proliferative capacity of trophoblastic and cancer cells, epidermal growth factor (EGF)/EGF receptor (EGFR), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)/HGF receptor (HGFR) (Met) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)/VEGF receptor (VEGFR) loops may play a predominant role. Similar mechanisms of migration and invasion displayed by trophoblastic and malignant cells comprise alterations in the adhesion molecule phenotype, including the increased expression of alpha1beta1 and alphavbeta3 integrin receptors, whereas another critical molecular event is the down-regulation of the cell adhesion molecule E-cadherin. Among proteases that may play an active role in the invasive capacities of these cells, accumulating evidence suggests that matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) expression/activation is a prerequisite. Finally, an overview of molecular circuitries shared by trophoblast and cancer cells reveals that the activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase (PI3K)/AKT axis has recently emerged as a central feature of signalling pathways used by these cells to achieve their proliferative, migratory and invasive processes.
Improving Imperfect Data from Health Management Information Systems in Africa Using Space–Time Geostatistics
Authors: Peter W Gething, Abdisalan M Noor, Priscilla W Gikandi, Esther A. A Ogara, Simon I Hay, Mark S Nixon, Robert W Snow, Peter M Atkinson
Journal: PLoS Medicine (2006)

Background Reliable and timely information on disease-specific treatment burdens within a health system is critical for the planning and monitoring of service provision. Health management information systems (HMIS) exist to address this need at national scales across Africa but are failing to deliver adequate data because of widespread underreporting by health facilities. Faced with this inadequacy, vital public health decisions often rely on crudely adjusted regional and national estimates of treatment burdens. Methods and Findings This study has taken the example of presumed malaria in outpatients within the largely incomplete Kenyan HMIS database and has defined a geostatistical modelling framework that can predict values for all data that are missing through space and time. The resulting complete set can then be used to define treatment burdens for presumed malaria at any level of spatial and temporal aggregation. Validation of the model has shown that these burdens are quantified to an acceptable level of accuracy at the district, provincial, and national scale. Conclusions The modelling framework presented here provides, to our knowledge for the first time, reliable information from imperfect HMIS data to support evidence-based decision-making at national and sub-national levels.
Factors Influencing The Adherence Of Asthmatic Children And Caregivers To Corticosteroid Inhalation Therapy
Authors: K. Satsuka, Y. Saran, A. Miyazaki, A. Manki, K. Nakatani, K. Horimukai, T. Suda, I. Nomura, M. Narita, M. Futamura, H. Watanabe, Y. Morisawa, I. Masuko, A. Akasawa, Y. Ohya
Journal: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (2009)