tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Is exercise testing useful in a community based asthma survey?
Authors: T K Ninan, G Russell
Journal: Thorax (1993)

BACKGROUND--In hospital clinics exercise challenge is used as a simple, non-invasive, non-pharmacological test for asthma in childhood. Little is known of its value in a community setting. An exercise test was therefore evaluated as an adjunct to a respiratory questionnaire in the course of an asthma survey. METHODS--From a cohort of 4003 primary school children, 607 of 799 with respiratory symptoms answered a detailed respiratory questionnaire. From the same cohort 135 of 229 randomly selected asymptomatic children were also interviewed. A stratified selection of one in four of the children interviewed was then invited to take part in a six minute cold air enhanced exercise challenge test; 128 symptomatic and 26 asymptomatic children attended. RESULTS--Bronchial hyperreactivity, a fall of FEV1 &gt; or = 10% at five, 10, or 15 minutes following the exercise challenge, was identified in 15 of 128 symptomatic children and in one of 26 asymptomatic children. Bronchial hyperreactivity was found in only one of three children with frequent shortness of breath and one of five with frequent wheeze. It was found in 13 of 58 children whose parents were aware of the diagnosis of asthma; in 10 of 26 children who were on regular prophylactic treatment; in only 11 of 70 children with a history of exercise induced symptoms; and seldom in children with mild symptoms. Gestational age and ventilator support in the neonatal period were significant predictors of bronchial hyperreactivity. CONCLUSIONS--Exercise testing enhanced by cold air adds very little to a well designed respiratory questionnaire in community studies of asthma in childhood.
Video Capsule Endoscopy in a Patient with a Billroth II Gastrectomy and Obscure Bleeding
Authors: G. Spera, C. Spada, M. Riccioni, V. Perri, G. Costamagna
Journal: Endoscopy (2004)

We report a case of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding in a 68-year-old man who was admitted to hospital with melena. In the past he had undergone a Billroth II gastrectomy for duodenal ulcer. Since then he had experienced several episodes of gastrointestinal bleeding. Esophagogastroduodenoscopies, push enteroscopy, ileocolonoscopies, small-bowel barium enema, angiographic computed tomography, and blood pool scintigraphy were all performed, but the bleeding source was never found.
Regional Lung Function in Patients with Obstructive Lung Diseases
Authors: D. Gaziano, A. Seaton, C. Ogilvie
Journal: BMJ (1970)

Regional lung function was measured, using radioactive xenon-133, in a group of normal subjects and in three carefully defined groups of patients with obstructive lung disease. When compared with the normal subjects, patients in the emphysematous group showed a relative reduction of ventilation and perfusion to the upper zones, while patients having chronic bronchitis without cardiac or respiratory failure showed a predominantly lower zone defect. In the group of patients with chronic bronchitis with cardiac and respiratory failure no consistent pattern was found.
Trends and Disparities in Coronary Heart Disease, Stroke, and Other Cardiovascular Diseases in the United States
Authors: Richard Cooper, Jeffrey Cutler, Patrice Desvigne-Nickens, Stephen P. Fortmann, Lawrence Friedman, Richard Havlik, Gary Hogelin, John Marler, Paul McGovern, Gregory Morosco, Lori Mosca, Thomas Pearson, Jeremiah Stamler, Daniel Stryer, Thomas Thom
Journal: Circulation (2000)

A workshop was held September 27 through 29, 1999, to address issues relating to national trends in mortality and morbidity from cardiovascular diseases; the apparent slowing of declines in mortality from cardiovascular diseases; levels and trends in risk factors for cardiovascular diseases; disparities in cardiovascular diseases by race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and geography; trends in cardiovascular disease preventive and treatment services; and strategies for efforts to reduce cardiovascular diseases overall and to reduce disparities among subpopulations. The conference concluded that coronary heart disease mortality is still declining in the United States as a whole, although perhaps at a slower rate than in the 1980s; that stroke mortality rates have declined little, if at all, since 1990; and that there are striking differences in cardiovascular death rates by race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and geography. Trends in risk factors are consistent with a slowing of the decline in mortality; there has been little recent progress in risk factors such as smoking, physical inactivity, and hypertension control. There are increasing levels of obesity and type 2 diabetes, with major differences among subpopulations. There is considerable activity in population-wide prevention, primary prevention for higher risk people, and secondary prevention, but wide disparities exist among groups on the basis of socioeconomic status and geography, pointing to major gaps in efforts to use available, proven approaches to control cardiovascular diseases. Recommendations for strategies to attain the year 2010 health objectives were made.
Radiation-Related Health Risks
Authors: Geoffrey R. Howe
Journal: JAMA (1995)

This issue ofTHE JOURNALincludes articles on the therapeutic uses of ionizing radiation and the long-term adverse health consequences of radiation exposure. The balancing of benefit and risk is critical both in assessing the utility of medical applications of radiation and nonmedical applications, such as nuclear power generation, where the Chernobyl incident demonstrated the potentially disastrous consequences of unsafe operation.<sup>1</sup>In many medical applications, such as radiotherapy for treating selected patients with cervical cancer as reported herein by Rotman et al,<sup>2</sup>direct benefits may often outweigh any long-term risk. However, some medical uses, such as mammographic screening, require a careful and quantitative analysis of the benefits and risks involved. Thus, a critical need exists to determine as precisely as possible the risks of subsequent adverse health outcomes following exposure to ionizing radiation. See also pp 387, 402, and 425. To date, the majority of data on such
Interferon-α delays S-phase progression in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells via inhibition of specific cyclin-dependent kinases
Authors: Derek Murphy, Katharina M. Detjen, Martina Welzel, Bertram Wiedenmann, Stefan Rosewicz
Journal: Hepatology (2001)

The potential antiproliferative effects of interferon–α (IFN–α) in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are controversial, and the growth inhibitory mechanisms remain poorly understood. Therefore, the current study was designed to delineate the molecular mechanisms responsible for direct antiproliferative actions of IFN–α in HCC cells. IFN–α receptor expression and signal transduction were examined by RT–PCR, immunoprecipitation, Western analysis, and transient transactivation assays. Effects of IFN–α on cell growth and cell–cycle distribution were evaluated based on cell numbers and flow cytometry. Composition and activity of cyclin–dependent kinase complexes were determined by immunoblotting and histone–H1–kinase assays. Expression of IFN–α receptors was found in all 3 HCC cell lines. IFN–α binding initiated phosphorylation of Jak1 and Tyk2 kinases leading to Stat1/Stat2 activation, nuclear translocation, and transactivation of an ISRE–luciferase reporter gene construct. IFN–α treatment resulted in a time– and dose–dependent reduction of proliferation. Cell cycle analysis of G1–synchronized, IFN–α–treated HCC cells revealed a substantial delay in S–phase progression but no alteration of G 1 /S–phase transition or evidence of apoptotic cell death. Reflecting the time course of S–phase accumulation, cell cycle–dependent induction of Cyclin A and Cyclin B was impaired, resulting in reduced activity of Cdk2 and Cdc2 kinases. Furthermore, Cdc25C was selectively down–regulated. IFN–α treatment inhibits growth of HCC cells by specifically delaying S–phase progression, most likely because of inhibition of Cyclin A induction, resulting in decreased activity of the associated Cdk2 and Cdc2 kinases.
NCEPOD: more training needed.
Authors: P. F. Jones
Journal: BMJ (1992)

of proteins.Assays for total protein show poor performance in quality assurance schemes because of the diversity of methods and standards.2At all levels of protein excretion caused by glomerular disorders albumin is the main contributor.Albu- min is a discrete protein, and specific methods for measuring it are now widely available.Shihabi et al suggested that both urine total protein and albumin should be routinely esti- mated.3In our experience, in a laboratory that receives more than 2500 requests for measurement of urine protein each year, there is a linear relation between urine total protein and albumin concen- trations (r=0 924; p<0001).We consider that urine albumin concentration should replace total protein concentration for the assessment of glome- rular proteinuria.
Naproxen Follow-Up
Authors: HERBERT R. DYER
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1976)

Comments and Corrections1 February 1976Naproxen Follow-UpHERBERT R. DYER, M.D.HERBERT R. DYER, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-84-2-221_1 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptTo the editor: Since the original articles on new drugs very rarely give accurate information as to what the final usefulness of the drug in disease treatment will be, a longer term follow-up on naproxen in rheumatoid arthritis may be useful to your readers.Of 15 patients begun in the naproxen study reported in the October issue (Ann Intern Med83:470-475, 1975), 4 got better on placebo during the washout period. Seven patients took naproxen. A 60-year-old man who had previously been well maintained on aspirin died of an acute myocardial infarction several weeks after starting thestudy and being changed... This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Baton Rouge Clinic 8415 Goodwood Boulevard Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70806 PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics 1 February 1976Volume 84, Issue 2Page: 221-221KeywordsAcute myocardial infarctionAspirinDrugsRheumatoid arthritis Issue Published: 1 February 1976 PDF DownloadLoading ...
Government says that UK does not need an external regulator to oversee research integrity
Authors: S. Mayor
Journal: BMJ (2011)

The UK government has agreed to support a voluntary integrity concordat that all employers of researchers will be encouraged to sign but argues there is no need for an external regulator to improve research integrity.

The government was responding to recommendations made by the Science and Technology Committee in its inquiry published in July into the peer review process ( BMJ 2011;343:d4851, doi:10.1136/bmj.d4851). It followed several cases of research fraud, including Andrew Wakefield’s study alleging a link between MMR vaccine and autism.

To improve the integrity of research publications, the committee asked the government to implement a research …
The Current Status of Cardiac Surgery
Authors: M V Braimbridge
Journal: BMJ (1975)

the most important things for further research.Inevitably in a book with over 60 authors there is some variation in approach and emphasis.For example, the sections on treatment vary from a detailed account to a very brief reference.The coverage of non- infectious diseases is rather uneven and perhaps inevitably reflects areas of personal interest and recent research.Such criticisms are, however, unimportant when considered against the overall value of this book, not only for all medical workers in Kenya but also for those in adjacent countries who share similar problems.The countries of the developing world urgently require books written for their own situation by those who have worked for many years in the region.The editors of this book and the East African Literature Bureau are to be congratulated on producing such a comprehen- sive book at the present time.The softcovered edition is surprisingly cheap for a book which contains large numbers of maps and figures.It is to be hoped that the authors will revise and extend the book as more information becomes available.If they do so the addition of a subject index, although a great labour, would enhance its value to the reader.
MORPHOLOGICAL AND QUANTITATIVE COMPARISON BETWEEN INFECTIOUS AND NON-INFECTIOUS FORMS OF INFLUENZA VIRUS
Authors: Georges H. Werner, R. Walter Schlesinger
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1954)

Electron microscopic study has revealed the morphological entity responsible for the rise in viral hemagglutinin observed in brains of mice after intracerebral inoculation of non-neurotropic strains of influenza virus. This rise in hemagglutinin, although dependent on inoculation of fully infectious virus, is not associated with an increase in infectious titer. The hemagglutinating principle is functionally similar to the "incomplete" influenza virus which can be obtained from chick embryos by serial egg-to-egg transfer of undiluted, infected allantoic fluid according to the method of von Magnus. A method has been described which facilitates selective adsorption of viral particles recovered from organ extracts on saponine-lysed ghosts of fowl erythrocytes. This procedure has been utilized in studying the morphology of non-infectious, hemagglutinating virus from chorio-allantoic membranes or mouse brains and in comparing these two forms with each other and with ordinary, infectious (standard) influenza virus. Standard virus isolated from allantoic fluids or membranes of infected eggs was found to contain uniform particles of predominantly spherical shape with smooth surface and even density, resembling those described by others. The appearance of such particles was not affected by the procedure of extraction and concentration used. In contrast, non-infectious, hemagglutinating virus obtained either from allantoic sacs ("undiluted passages") or from mouse brain was pleomorphic and seemed to consist of disintegrating particles. The majority appeared flattened and bag-like and had a rough, granular surface and reduced, uneven density. 37 per cent of the non-infectious particles isolated from mouse brain infected with the non-neurotropic strain WS had diameters in excess of 170 mµ, as compared with only 2 per cent of the particles of the parent strain itself. Regardless of whether or not the contrast in appearance of standard and of non-infectious particles was due to differing resistance to the preparatory treatment, it indicated the existence of basic structural differences between the two types of virus. Correlation of particle counts with hemagglutinin titers has shown that the non-infectious virus obtained from mouse brain is, unit for unit, an equivalent counterpart of standard virus derived from infected eggs. The end-point of hemagglutination in a pattern test corresponds for both forms to that dilution at which the ratio virus particles/red cells approaches one. The quantitative data based on particle counts support the assumption that non-infectious virus arises in mouse brain as a product of viral multiplication.
ABC of oral health: Improving occlusion and orofacial aesthetics: tooth repair and replacement
Authors: K. Hemmings
Journal: BMJ (2000)

There have been tremendous advances in restorative dentistry, particularly with the development of adhesive materials to replace lost tooth structure and jaw implants on which to place prostheses securely.



Patient with badly worn and spaced teeth (top) and appearance after restoration (bottom)



Individuals vary in tooth shade and shape, and teeth yellow with age. Teeth are damaged by caries, wear, failed restorations, trauma, and congenital and developmental defects. Patients usually demand treatment for pain, when appearance is compromised, or when there are occlusal problems (see previous article).

Restorative dental care is indicated to treat pain, poor aesthetic appearance, and poor occlusal function 

Most older adults have had restorations (fillings), but, with the benefits of health education and fluoride, many younger people have unrestored teeth.



Tooth damage by trauma (top) and appearance after restoration (bottom)



Most restorations are placed to treat caries. The decay is removed mechanically, the cavity shaped to retain the filling, and material is packed into the cavity and then sets hard. Even high quality restorations have a finite life span. If the pulp is diseased, root canal treatment is necessary, which involves removing the pulp and cleansing and filling the chamber.

Amalgam contains silver, copper, tin, and zinc mixed with mercury, and sets within a few minutes. Exposure to mercury vapour is hazardous. Mercury is neurotoxic, and even in people with low level chronic exposure, subtle preclinical effects on symptoms, mood, motor function, and cognition have been identified. Pregnant dental staff have special concerns related to any daily occupational exposure to mercury (or nitrous oxide).



Dental amalgams and a composite restoration in molars to treat caries



However, any risk to patients from dental amalgams is less clear. Twenty two million amalgams are placed annually in the United Kingdom, with no reliable evidence of associations with systemic disease, …
Methylmercury in the environment: a review of current understanding.
Authors: W Stopford, L J Goldwater
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (1975)

The danger of methylmercury poisoning appears to be slight when the environment is not directly contaminated with methylmercury. Sediments rapidly bind mercury and decrease its availability to aquatic organisms. Sediments further have a greater propensity to demethylate than to methylate mercury. In noncontaminated aquatic ecosystems, the concentrations of methylmercury and inorganic mercury are many times lower than those that have been found to cause toxicity, even in the most sensitive organisms. Methylmercury bound to protein is comparatively less toxic than methylmercury salts, and selenium present in this protein appear to be one of the major detoxifying agents for methylmercury. This is particularly important in seafood, where there is an excess of selenium compared to methylmercury.
EFFECT OF FORMALIN ON THE VIRUS OF VESICULAR STOMATITIS OF HORSES
Authors: Peter K. Olitsky, Perrin H. Long
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1928)

The virus of vesicular stomatitis is not readily killed by formalin. This chemical is one of a group which coagulates the proteins of the medium in which the virus is usually contained. It has already been found7 that other reagents of the protein-coagulating group are not actively virucidal) and the effect of formalin in this instance is therefore characteristic of the group. The so called formalinized vaccines which give rise to immunity can be shown to have done so because of the presence of living virus. A single injection of such so called "vaccine," or of other material containing living virus, is capable of inducing immunity in guinea pigs. No protection, however, follows a single injection of dead virus. Furthermore, repeated inoculations of virus killed by formalin likewise fail to induce resistance against subsequent injections of the living virus. It is concluded, with respect to the virus of vesicular stomatitis, that the use of formalin has failed to solve the problem of active immunization with dead virus.
Dental and periodontal phenotype in sclerostin knockout mice
Authors: Ulrike Kuchler, Uwe Y Schwarze, Toni Dobsak, Patrick Heimel, Dieter D Bosshardt, Michaela Kneissel, Reinhard Gruber
Journal: International Journal of Oral Science (2014)

Sclerostin is a Wnt signalling antagonist that controls bone metabolism. Sclerostin is expressed by osteocytes and cementocytes; however, its role in the formation of dental structures remains unclear. Here, we analysed the mandibles of sclerostin knockout mice to determine the influence of sclerostin on dental structures and dimensions using histomorphometry and micro-computed tomography (μCT) imaging. μCT and histomorphometric analyses were performed on the first lower molar and its surrounding structures in mice lacking a functional sclerostin gene and in wild-type controls. μCT on six animals in each group revealed that the dimension of the basal bone as well as the coronal and apical part of alveolar part increased in the sclerostin knockout mice. No significant differences were observed for the tooth and pulp chamber volume. Descriptive histomorphometric analyses of four wild-type and three sclerostin knockout mice demonstrated an increased width of the cementum and a concomitant moderate decrease in the periodontal space width. Taken together, these results suggest that the lack of sclerostin mainly alters the bone and cementum phenotypes rather than producing abnormalities in tooth structures such as dentin. A protein that alters bone and dental support structures does not affect tooth development, which has been reported by researchers in Austria and Switzerland. A team led by Reinhard Gruber, from both the Medical University of Vienna, Austria, and the University of Bern, Switzerland, analysed the lower jaws of mice engineered to lack a functioning copy of a gene called Sost. This gene encodes the protein sclerostin, which inhibits bone formation. Scientists knew that sclerostin was expressed by bone-resorbing cells called osteocytes and cementocytes, which form the modified bone found around the root of teeth. Gruber and colleagues found abnormalities in the structures surrounding the first molars of the mice lacking sclerostin. However, they found no significant defects in tooth dimensions. The work has implications for periodontal regeneration, implant dentistry and dentin formation.
Florida's Licensure Requirements
Authors: George S. Palmer
Journal: JAMA (1973)

<h3>To the Editor.—</h3> In the article on medical licensure (225:299, 1973), the following statement is made: However, there are now three conditions under which the Florida Board will waive the ECFMG certificate for foreign educated physicians: (1) if they hold a certificate issued by a US specialty board, (2) if they have had three years of AMA-approved graduate training, and (3) if they have had four years of meritorious practice in a state during the five years preceding application for a Florida license. This statement gives the impression that if an applicant fulfills any one of these three statements he is eligible for waiving the need for the ECFMG certificate. This is not the case. Our law reads as follows: However, a graduate of a foreign medical school need not present the certificate by said Educational Council (ECFMG) or pass the American Medical Examination for foreign medical graduates if: (a)
Different Endocrinal and Hemodynamic Response Patterns to Various Noxious Stimuli
Authors: J.M. Herrmann, O.W. Schonecke, H. Wagner, J. Rosenthal, T.H. Schmidt
Journal: Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics (1980)

Various endocrinal and hemodynamic parameters of 5 patients during a cardiovascular investigation were assessed in and after the adaptation phase, and together with the following noxious stimuli in random order: reading a confusion color chart based on the principle of interference in color perception, cold pressure test, isometric stress with a hand ergometer. The following parameters were assessed: arginine vasopressin, renin, heart rate, systolic, diastolic and mean arterial blood pressure, cardiac index, stroke volume and total peripheral resistance in the adaptation phase and during the various psychological and physical demand situations as well as 5 min afterwards. The results show that the organism reacts to the various stimuli with endocrinal and hemodynamic responses in a differentiated pattern in contrast to the model of the "alarm reaction" which, according to Cannon, states a homogeneous directed response with regard to the various parameters.