tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
French 19th century contributions to the development of treatments for diphtheria
Authors: Annick Opinel, Gabriel Gachelin
Journal: Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine (2011)

Diphtheria most often leads to death if left untreated because of obstruction of the upper airways by an adherent membrane. Pierre-Fidele Bretonneau – who introduced the term diphtheria in 1817 – is usually credited with having documented the first successful use of tracheotomy to relieve laryngeal obstruction caused by the disease. After two unsuccessful operations in 1818 and 1820, his third (done in 1825) was successful. Bretonneau’s pupil, Emile Trousseau, also had two failed operations (in 1826 and 1828) before succeeding in 1831. In 1855, Trousseau reported on the fate of 216 children in whom he had used tracheotomy at the Hopital des EnfantsMalades in Paris. Forty-seven children (22%) had survived, a result that he rated as remarkable given the dire natural history of laryngeal obstruction caused by diphtheria:
Omental Adipose Tissue–Derived Stromal Cells Promote Vascularization and Growth of Endometrial Tumors
Authors: Ann H. Klopp, Yan Zhang, Travis Solley, Felipe Amaya-Manzanares, Frank Marini, Michael Andreeff, Bisrat Debeb, Wendy Woodward, Rosemarie Schmandt, Russell Broaddus, Karen Lu, Mikhail G. Kolonin
Journal: Clinical Cancer Research (2011)

Abstract Purpose: Adipose tissue contains a population of tumor-tropic mesenchymal progenitors, termed adipose stromal cells (ASC), which engraft in neighboring tumors to form supportive tumor stroma. We hypothesized that intra-abdominal visceral adipose tissue may contain a uniquely tumor-promoting population of ASC to account for the relationship between excess visceral adipose tissue and mortality of intra-abdominal cancers. Experimental Design: To investigate this, we isolated and characterized ASC from intra-abdominal omental adipose tissue (O-ASC) and characterized their effects on endometrial cancer progression as compared with subcutaneous adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (SC-ASC), bone marrow–derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSC), and lung fibroblasts. To model chronic recruitment of ASC by tumors, cells were injected metronomically into mice bearing Hec1a xenografts. Results: O-ASC expressed cell surface markers characteristic of BM-MSC and differentiated into mesenchymal lineages. Coculture with O-ASC increased endometrial cancer cell proliferation in vitro. Tumor tropism of O-ASC and SC-ASC for human Hec1a endometrial tumor xenografts was comparable, but O-ASC more potently promoted tumor growth. Compared with tumors in SC-ASC–injected mice, tumors in O-ASC–injected mice contained higher numbers of large tortuous desmin-positive blood vessels, which correlated with decreased central tumor necrosis and increased tumor cell proliferation. O-ASC exhibited enhanced motility as compared with SC-ASC in response to Hec1a-secreted factors. Conclusions: Visceral adipose tissue contains a population of multipotent MSCs that promote endometrial tumor growth more potently than MSCs from subcutaneous adipose tissue. We propose that O-ASCs recruited to tumors express specific factors that enhance tumor vascularization, promoting survival and proliferation of tumor cells. Clin Cancer Res; 18(3); 771–82. ©2011 AACR.
Systematic reviews of t'ai chi: an overview
Authors: Myeong Soo Lee, Edzard Ernst
Journal: British Journal of Sports Medicine (2011)

Several systematic reviews (SRs) have assessed the effectiveness of t'ai chi for many conditions including hypertension, osteoarthritis and fall prevention; however, their conclusions have been contradictory. The aim of this overview was to critically evaluate the SRs of t'ai chi for any improvement of medical conditions or clinical symptoms. English, Chinese and Korean electronic databases were searched for relevant articles, and data were extracted according to predefined criteria; 35 SRs met our inclusion criteria. They were related to the following conditions: cancer, older people, Parkinson's disease, musculoskeletal pain, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), muscle strength and flexibility, improving aerobic capacity, cardiovascular disease and risk factors, lowering resting blood pressure, osteoporosis or bone mineral density, type 2 diabetes, psychological health, fall prevention and improving balance, and any chronic conditions. In several instances, the conclusions of these articles were contradictory. Relatively clear evidence emerged to suggest that t'ai chi is effective for fall prevention and improving psychological health and was associated with general health benefits for older people. However, t'ai chi seems to be ineffective for the symptomatic treatment of cancer and RA. In conclusion, many SRs of t'ai chi have recently been published; however, the evidence is convincingly positive only for fall prevention and for improvement of psychological health.
Plasmacytic differentiation of circulating Epstein-Barr virus-infected B lymphocytes during acute infectious mononucleosis.
Authors: J E Robinson, D Smith, J Niederman
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1981)

During the acute phase (1 wk of symptoms or less) of infectious mononucleosis (IM), 70--80% of circulating Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen (EBNA)-positive cells have differentiated toward plasma cells. Thus the characteristics of the infected cells in the majority of IM patients during early disease are indistinguishable from EBNA-positive tumor cells of a previously reported child who developed lymphoma during IM. IgA and IgG were the most frequent and IgM the least frequent immunoglobulin isotypes detected in EBNA-positive cells. In acute disease EBNA was present in 5.5--20% of T cell-depleted blood lymphocytes but in the 2nd or 3rd wk of illness the number of EBNA-positive cells sharply decreased to 0.4--1.4%. At the same time the fraction of antigen-positive cells containing cytoplasmic immunoglobulins also diminished, suggesting either that differentiation of infected cells was altered during the disease or that nondifferentiated antigen-positive cells had a survival advantage. Both the high proportion of plasmacytic EBNA-positive cells seen during acute disease and the apparent loss of differentiation by these cells later in disease may be regulated by host immunologic factors. Immunoglobulin-producing EBNA-positive cells may be the source of heterophile antibodies and other seemingly inappropriate antibodies usually found in serum during IM; however, increased numbers of noninfected plasma cells were present in some patients and may also be a potential source of these unusual antibodies.
Primary Sjögren's Syndrome Is Characterized by Distinct Phenotypic and Transcriptional Profiles of IgD+ Unswitched Memory B Cells
Authors: Mustimbo E. P. Roberts, Denise Kaminski, Scott A. Jenks, Craig Maguire, Kathryn Ching, Peter D. Burbelo, Michael J. Iadarola, Alexander Rosenberg, Andreea Coca, Jennifer Anolik, Iñaki Sanz
Journal: Arthritis & Rheumatology (2014)

Objective The significance of distinct B cell abnormalities in primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS) remains to be established. We undertook this study to analyze the phenotype and messenger RNA (mRNA) transcript profiles of B cell subsets in patients with primary SS and to compare them with those in sicca syndrome patients and healthy controls. Methods CD19+ B cells from 26 patients with primary SS, 27 sicca syndrome patients, and 22 healthy controls were analyzed by flow cytometry. Gene expression profiles of purified B cell subsets (from 3–5 subjects per group per test) were analyzed using Affymetrix gene arrays. Results Patients with primary SS had lower frequencies of CD27+IgD− switched memory B cells and CD27+IgD+ unswitched memory B cells compared with healthy controls. Unswitched memory B cell frequencies were also lower in sicca syndrome patients and correlated inversely with serologic hyperactivity in both disease states. Further, unswitched memory B cells in primary SS had lower expression of CD1c and CD21. Gene expression analysis of CD27+ memory B cells separated patients with primary SS from healthy controls and identified a subgroup of sicca syndrome patients with a primary SS–like transcript profile. Moreover, unswitched memory B cell gene expression analysis identified 187 genes differentially expressed between patients with primary SS and healthy controls. Conclusion A decrease in unswitched memory B cells with serologic hyperactivity is characteristic of both established primary SS and a subgroup of sicca syndrome, which suggests the value of these B cells both as biomarkers of future disease progression and for understanding disease pathogenesis. Overall, the mRNA transcript analysis of unswitched memory B cells suggests that their activation in primary SS takes place through innate immune pathways in the context of attenuated antigen‐mediated adaptive signaling. Thus, our findings provide important insight into the mechanisms and potential consequences of decreased unswitched memory B cells in primary SS.
Diagnostic value of BAL fluid cellular profile and enzymes in infectious pulmonary disorders
Authors: N.A.m. Cobben, J.a. Jacobs, M.p. van Dieijen-Visser, P.G.h Mulder, E.F.m. Wouters, M. Drent
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (1999)

Determination of the cellular profile of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) appeared to be useful in monitoring pulmonary damage. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the cellular profile, LDH, its isoenzyme pattern and/or ALP in BALF are useful in the diagnostic work-up of patients with suspected pneumonia. The BALF specimens of 80 patients were studied. Group I consisted of patients with a pulmonary infection (n=33) and group II of patients without signs of a pulmonary infection (n=47). Differentiation between these two groups was based upon the results of microscopy and quantitative cultures. The absolute as well as relative numbers of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) was significantly higher in group I compared to group II (p&lt;0.0001). The absolute number of PMNs showed a sensitivity of predicting the correct group of 95.7% and a specificity of 84.8%. The LDH activity in BALF was significantly higher in group I than in group II (p&lt;0.0001). The LDH4/LDH5 ratio in BALF was lower in group I compared to group II (p&lt;0.0001) and appeared to be the best discriminator between the two groups with a sensitivity of 93.6% and a specificity of 93.9%. In conclusion, the number of polymorphonuclear neutrophils as well as the lactate dehydrogenase activity, particularly its isoenzymes, in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid appeared to be of potential practical value to distinguish between infectious and noninfectious pulmonary disorders.
A Descriptive Analysis of Minor Depression
Authors: Mark Hyman Rapaport, Lewis L. Judd, Pamela J. Schettler, Kimberly Ann Yonkers, Michael E. Thase, David J. Kupfer, Ellen Frank, John M. Plewes, Gary D. Tollefson, A. John Rush
Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry (2002)

OBJECTIVE: The authors provide a detailed clinical description of minor depression: its symptoms, level of disability, stability, and relationship to patient and family history of major depressive disorder. METHOD: Rigorous criteria for minor depression, including functional disability, were used to identify 226 individuals for a three-phase treatment study. This report presents data obtained on that study group during the first study phase, a 4-week placebo lead-in period. RESULTS: One hundred sixty-two subjects (72% of the initial study group) remained in the study for 4 weeks and continued to meet criteria for minor depression. Minor depression in these subjects was primarily characterized by mood and cognitive symptoms, not the classical neurovegetative signs and symptoms of depression. Approximately one-third of the subjects with minor depression had a past history of major depressive disorder, and nearly half had a family history of unipolar depressive disorder; however, neither factor affected the severity or quality of minor depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that 1) minor depression is not evanescent; 2) minor depression is characterized by mood and cognitive symptoms rather than neurovegetative symptoms; 3) minor depression may occur either independently of a lifetime history of major depressive disorder or as a stage of illness in the course of recurrent unipolar depressive disorder; and 4) depressive disorders should be conceptualized as a continuum of severity.
LIFETIME SEXUAL AND PHYSICAL ABUSE AMONG ELITE ATHLETIC ATHLETES: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY OF PREVALENCE AND CORRELATES WITH ATHLETICS INJURY
Authors: T Timpka, S Janson, J Jacobsson, J Kowalski, J Ekberg, M Mountjoy, CG Svedin
Journal: British Journal of Sports Medicine (2014)

Background Sexual and physical abuse have been reported from all levels of sports. Associations between abuse victimization and sports injury have not been fully investigated. Objective To examine the lifetime prevalence of sexual and physical abuse in elite athletics athletes and explore associations with prevalence of athletics injuries. Design Cross-sectional study using e-epidemiological survey methods. Setting Swedish male and female youth and adult elite athletics athletes. Participants Athletes ranked in the national top-15 with recorded email addresses (n=507) were invited. 198 (39%) athletes returned complete data. Risk factor assessment Gender, age, sexual orientation, event group, lifetime physical abuse, lifetime sexual abuse (noncontact sexual abuse (indecent exposure), contact sexual abuse without penetration, penetrating sexual abuse) within and outside sports. Main outcome measurements One-year prevalence of injury causing at least three consecutive weeks of full or partial time loss from athletics. Results 27 (14%) athletes reported lifetime exposure to sexual abuse and 36 (18%) athletes to physical abuse. More women than men (P=.005; Cramer's V=0.21) reported lifetime sexual abuse. Non-heterosexual athletes tended to more often be lifetime physical abuse victims than their heterosexual peers (P=.058). 6 (3%) athletes reported having been sexually abused in the athletics setting. The perpetrators of sexual abuse in athletics were both men and women extending from coaches to peers in mid-adolescence; two athletes reported suicidal ideation as a consequence of the abuse. The one-year prevalence of 3-week athletics injuries was higher for physical abuse victims among women (P=.021; Cramer's V=0.23), but not for male victims (P=.90). Sexual abuse was not found to be statistically associated with athletics injury. Conclusions Physical abuse victimization was associated with higher injury prevalence among female athletics athletes. Sexual and physical abuse victims are common in elite athletics and further studies of abuse, abuse victims, and abuse prevention are needed.
Assessment of Prediction Confidence and Domain Extrapolation of Two Structure–Activity Relationship Models for Predicting Estrogen Receptor Binding Activity
Authors: Weida Tong, Qian Xie, Huixiao Hong, Leming Shi, Hong Fang, Roger Perkins
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (2004)

Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) methods have been widely applied in drug discovery, lead optimization, toxicity prediction, and regulatory decisions. Despite major advances in algorithms and software, QSAR models have inherent limitations associated with a size and chemical-structure diversity of the training set, experimental error, and many characteristics of structure representation and correlation algorithms. Whereas excellent fit to the training data may be readily attainable, often models fail to predict accurately chemicals that are outside their domain of applicability. A QSAR's utility and, in the case of regulatory decisions, justification for usage increasingly depend on the ability to quantify a model's potential for predicting unknown chemicals with some known degree of certainty. It is never possible to predict an unknown chemical with absolute certainty. Here we report on two QSAR models based on different data sets for classification of chemicals according to their ability to bind to the estrogen receptor. The models were developed by using a novel QSAR method, Decision Forest, which combines the results of multiple heterogeneous but comparable Decision Tree models to produce a consensus prediction. We used an extensive cross-validation process to define an applicability domain for model predictions based on two quantitative measures: prediction confidence and domain extrapolation. Together, these measures quantify the accuracy of each prediction within and outside of the training domain. Despite being based on large and diverse training sets, both QSAR models had poor accuracy for chemicals within the domain of low confidence, whereas good accuracy was obtained for those within the domain of high confidence. For prediction in the high confidence domain, accuracy was inversely proportional to the degree of domain extrapolation. The model with a larger training set of 1,092, compared with 232 for the other, was more accurate in predicting chemicals at larger domain extrapolation, and could be particularly useful for rapidly prioritizing potential endocrine disruptors from large chemical universe.
Comparison of performance of four instruments in evaluating the effects of salmeterol on asthma quality of life
Authors: MP Rutten-van Molken, F Custers, EK van Doorslaer, CC Jansen, L Heurman, FP Maesen, JJ Smeets, AM Bommer, JA Raaijmakers
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (1995)

Quality of life measures are increasingly used as important efficacy endpoints in studies of drugs for asthma. The purpose of this study was to assess both the sensitivity to change and the construct validity of four different quality of life instruments in patients with asthma. In a double-blind, parallel group study, 120 moderate asthma patients, aged between 18-70 yrs, received either inhaled salmeterol 50 micrograms b.i.d. or inhaled salbutamol 400 micrograms b.i.d. In addition to respiratory outcomes, quality of life was measured at a 6 weeks follow-up using: 1) Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ); 2) Living With Asthma Questionnaire (LWAQ); 3) Sickness Impact Profile (SIP); 4) Rating Scale (RS); and Standard Gamble (SG) utilities. Salmeterol led to significant improvements over salbutamol on virtually all clinical outcomes. Although all the quality of life instruments showed the same trend in favour of salmeterol, only the AQLQ and RS utilities showed significantly greater improvement on salmeterol than on salbutamol. Except for the AQLQ, the correlation between change in lung function and change in quality of life was generally low. Whereas, the AQLQ correlated well with the patient's overall assessment of efficacy (r = 0.64), the LWAQ, SIP and utilities failed to show such a correlation. The AQLQ showed the best correlation with symptom scores. The cross-sectional correlation between the AQLQ and the LWAQ was 0.73, whereas the longitudinal correlation was only 0.29. The SG generally showed poor correlation with other measures, including the RS. In conclusion, patients given salmeterol showed a greater improvement in quality of life compared to patients given salbutamol. Of the disease-specific questionnaires the Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire was found to be more responsive to change than the Living With Asthma Questionnaire and showed greater validity. Of the generic instruments, the rating scale utilities were most responsive. The Standard Gamble showed poor correlation with other measures.
Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Myelodysplastic Syndrome After Doxorubicin-Cyclophosphamide Adjuvant Therapy for Operable Breast Cancer: The National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project Experience
Authors: Roy E. Smith, John Bryant, Arthur DeCillis, Stewart Anderson
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2003)

We reviewed data from all adjuvant NSABP breast cancer trials that tested regimens containing both doxorubicin (A) and cyclophosphamide (C) to characterize the incidence of subsequent acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).Six complete NSABP trials have investigated AC regimens (B-15, B-16, B-18, B-22, B-23, and B-25). Six distinct AC regimens have been tested and are distinguished by differences in cyclophosphamide intensity and cumulative dose and by the presence or absence of mandated prophylactic support with growth factor and ciprofloxacin. In all regimens, A was given at 60 mg/m(2) q 21 days x 4. C was given as follows: 600 mg/m(2) q 21 days x 4 ("standard AC"); 1,200 mg(2) q 21 days x 2; 1,200 mg/m(2) q 21 days x 4; 2,400 mg/m(2) q 21 days x 2; and 2,400 mg/m(2) q 21 days x 4. Occurrence of AML/MDS was summarized by incidence per 1,000 patient-years at risk and by cumulative incidence. Rates were compared across regimens, by age, and by treatment with or without breast radiotherapy.The incidence of AML/MDS was sharply elevated in the more intense regimens. In patients receiving two or four cycles of C at 2,400 mg/m(2) with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) support, cumulative incidence of AML/MDS at 5 years was 1.01% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.63% to 1.62%), compared with 0.21% (95% CI, 0.11% to 0.41%) for patients treated with standard AC. Patients who received breast radiotherapy experienced more secondary AML/MDS than those who did not (RR = 2.38, P=.006), and the data indicated that G-CSF does may possibly also be independently correlated with increased risk.AC regimens employing intensified doses of cyclophosphamide requiring G-CSF support were characterized by increased rates of subsequent AML/MDS, although the incidence of AML/MDS was small relative to that of breast cancer relapse. Breast radiotherapy appeared to be associated with an increased risk of AML/MDS.
Delayed Anaphylaxis and Urticaria Associated with Eating Mammalian Meat: Are IgE Antibodies to a Common Carbohydrate Capable of Mediating Systemic Reactions?
Authors: S.P. Commins, S.M. Satinover, J.M. Roper, T.A.E. Platts-Mills
Journal: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (2009)
Pulmonary hypertension in interstitial lung disease
Authors: J. Behr, J. H. Ryu
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2008)

In the lungs, parenchymal and vascular remodelling share pathomechanisms that may explain the relatively high prevalence (30–40%) of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in interstitial lung disease (ILD) patients. Notably, PH significantly contributes to exercise limitation and dismal prognosis of ILD patients. The absence of specific clinical symptoms commonly leads to delayed diagnosis. Besides clinical judgment and out-of-proportion reduction in diffusing capacity, severe hypoxaemia or exercise oxygen desaturation, echocardiography and biomarkers such as B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal pro-hormone BNP are potentially helpful tools in identifying PH. However, right heart catheterisation is still necessary to confirm the diagnosis. Management of PH in ILD comprises treatment of the underlying disease process and long-term oxygen therapy. Affected patients should be listed for lung transplantation without delay, when appropriate. However, due to age and comorbidities only a minority of ILD patients will be eligible for lung transplantation. In the absence of satisfactory therapies for many ILDs, and considering the clinical burden of PH in affected patients, specific vasomodulatory therapies presently approved for PAH may be promising options for ILD patients. Consequently, there is an urgent need for adequately designed clinical trials to assess the effectiveness of specific PH therapy in the context of ILDs.