tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Predictive factors of hand radiographic lesions in systemic sclerosis: a prospective study
Authors: J Avouac, G Mogavero, H Guerini, J L Drapé, A Mathieu, A Kahan, Y Allanore
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2010)

To examine the outcomes of hand radiographic x-rays in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and to identify risk factors for the progression of hand radiographic lesions in a prospective cohort.Dual time-point x-rays were systematically performed after a median interval of 5 years (range 4-7 years) in 103 consecutively recruited patients with SSc. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models evaluated predictors of progression of hand radiographic lesions.Radiographic progression of erosive arthritis, acro-osteolysis, calcinosis and flexion contracture occurred in 24, 22, 27 and 18 patients, respectively. Multivariate Cox regression analysis did not identify any predictor of the progression of erosive arthritis. Digital ulcers were shown independently to predict the progression of acro-osteolysis and calcinosis (HR 12.43, 95% CI 1.97 to 88.40 and 3.16, 95% CI 1.22% to 9.43%, respectively). The diffuse cutaneous subset was shown to be an independent predictor of the progression of flexion contracture (HR 7.52, 95% CI 1.21 to 43.93).The results highlight the striking level of hand radiographic lesions in SSc and suggest close monitoring of patients with the diffuse cutaneous subset for the occurrence or worsening of this complication. The results also show that severe peripheral vascular involvement predicts both acro-osteolysis and calcinosis, highlighting their vascular background.
The media and cancer survival
Authors: H. Goodare
Journal: Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine (2007)

Surviving cancer presents several challenges: coping with the side effects of treatment, dodging the sword of Damocles, and decoding cancer stories in the media are just some of them.' ''Critical error'' in cancer patient's treatment' was a recent headline in the national papers.The story of Lisa Norris, the schoolgirl who received 19 radiotherapy overdoses for her brain tumour at the Beatson Oncology Centre in Glasgow and died a year later, is no doubt a rare occurrence, and can be attributed to the errors of an 'under-qualified and undertrained treatment planner'.Unfortunately such stories are by no means unprecedented.Members of Radiotherapy Action Group Exposure (RAGE), an organization of breast cancer survivors founded in 1991, can also tell stories of deaths and second cancers attributed to the long-term effects of radiotherapy. 1 Surely such serious problems arise from treatment errors, not standard treatment, and techniques are better now than they were 20 years ago?But high-dose treatment such as many of the RAGE women underwent is still regarded as 'standard', and administered not just
UV Radiation Protection by Handheld Umbrellas
Authors: Josette R. McMichael, Emir Veledar, Suephy C. Chen
Journal: JAMA Dermatology (2013)

The handheld umbrella (HU) is a commonly employed method of sun protection by women in many countries in Asia (45% in China1) and the Middle East. In Turkey, hats and umbrellas were found to be the most common photoprotection accessories.2
Treatment of bullous pemphigoid with dapsone: Retrospective study of thirty-six cases
Authors: Fabrice Bouscarat, Olivier Chosidow, Catherine Picard-Dahan, Véronique Sakiz, Béatrice Crickx, Catherine Prost, Jean Claude Roujeau, Jean Revuz, Stéphane Belaich
Journal: Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (1996)
Assays that Predict Outcomes Make Slow Progress Toward Prime Time
Authors: Charlie Schmidt
Journal: JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute (2010)

A ssays that predict outcomes in chemotherapy or monitor the effects of treatment in real time, such as Oncotype DX and Mammaprint, could see increasing use with the current emphasis on personalized medicine and avoiding unnecessary treatments. Unlike diagnostic assays, such as prostate-specific antigen measurements , these tools are intended specifically to guide decisions about when, and when not, to use chemotherapy. “We could save a lot of money and avoid a lot of side effects if these tests were more broadly adopted,” said Lee Newcomer, M.D. , senior vice president for oncology at Minneapolis-based United Healthcare, one of the largest U.S. health insurance companies. But clinicians have been slow to endorse and adopt such assays. The reasons have partly to do with continued doubt about the validity of the evidence. Most studies to date have been retrospective analyses, and although large, prospective trials are currently under way on both sides of the Atlantic, none has yet completed accrual. Also, some experts say, practice-related reasons may be behind the slow uptake of the assays.
Response to Letter Regarding Article, “Urinary N-terminal Prohormone Brain Natriuretic Peptide Excretion in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure”
Authors: Gerard C.M. Linssen, Kevin Damman, Hans L. Hillege, Dirk J. van Veldhuisen, Adriaan A. Voors, Gerjan Navis
Journal: Circulation (2010)

Excretion in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure"We appreciate the valuable comments by Van Kimmenade and colleagues on our recent article. 1 In our study we observed a low urinary excretion of N-terminal prohormone brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) in comparison with healthy control individuals.We agree that the total amount of this peptide that we measured in 24-h urine collections from CHF patients is extremely low.As Van Kimmenade and colleagues pointed out in their comment, the actual amount of NT-proBNP, a small-molecular-weight protein that is found in urine, is determined by several circulatory and renal processes comprising plasma concentration, renal blood flow, glomerular filtration fraction, tubular processes (catabolization, secretion, and reabsorption), and degradation in urine.However, the exact contribution of each step in the clearance of NT-proBNP is still unknown.Furthermore, extrarenal clearance contributes substantially to the total body clearance of NT-proBNP. 2As van Kimmenade and colleagues pointed out, tubular damage seems to play a role in the altered handling of NT-proBNP as well.Recently, we demonstrated that tubular damage was indeed present in CHF. 3 We indicated that the altered tubular handling of NT-proBNP, related to impaired renal perfusion in heart failure, is an important and probably a predominant factor in explaining the net low excretion of NT-proBNP.Therefore, we fully agree that the diagnostic and prognostic value of urine levels of NT-proBNP in CHF should be interpreted with caution.We expect that the combined information from plasma and urinary levels of NT-proBNP and tubular damage markers (eg, neutrophil gelactinase-associated lipocalin) may augment prognostication in CHF.In general, the natriuretic peptide system provides a compensatory mechanism to the overactivated renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in patients with heart failure.The reduced excretion of NT-proBNP in CHF may signal an important step in the maintenance of high circulatory levels as a protective mechanism.
What about the neural basis of crystallized intelligence?
Authors: Kun Ho Lee, Yu Yong Choi, Jeremy R. Gray
Journal: Behavioral and Brain Sciences (2007)

Abstract General intelligence is largely based on two distinguishable mental abilities: crystallized intelligence ( gC ) and fluid reasoning ability ( gF ). The target article authors' P-FIT model emphasizes a network of regions throughout the brain as the neural basis for fluid reasoning and/or working memory. However, it provides little significant insight into the neural basis of gC , or how or why gC is more stable than gF across the life span.
THE CYTOTOXIC ACTION OF IMMUNE GAMMA GLOBULIN AND COMPLEMENT ON KREBS ASCITES TUMOR CELLS
Authors: H. Green, R. A. Fleischer, P. Barrow, B. Goldberg
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1959)

The in vitro exposure of Krebs ascites tumor cells to the action of rabbit immune gamma globulin alone does not result in any changes in the cell concentration of amino acids, ribonucleotides, RNA, DNA, or protein, nor in the rate of entry of potassium into the cell. The exposure of the cells to antibody + complement results in the following changes within a few minutes:- (a) Loss of about two-thirds of the free amino acids and ribonucleotides. (b) Loss of about 90 per cent of the intracellular potassium. (c) Loss of about three-quarters of the cell RNA to the medium, part appearing as TCA-soluble and the rest as TCA-insoluble products. There were no changes detectable in DNA. (d) A small increase in total free amino acid of the cell suspension. (e) Loss of from 30 to 60 per cent of the cell protein. The loss of these substances is believed to occur through a cell membrane which is still intact, as judged by phase and electron microscopy, and still able to discriminate to a small degree against passage of larger molecules.
Ultimate and proximate influences on human sex differences
Authors: Drew H. Bailey, Jonathan K. Oxford, David C. Geary
Journal: Behavioral and Brain Sciences (2009)

Abstract We agree with Archer that human sex differences in aggression are well explained by sexual selection, but note that “social learning” explanations of human behaviors are not logically mutually exclusive from “evolutionary” explanations and therefore should not be framed as such. We discuss why this type of framing hinders the development of both social learning and evolutionary theories of human behavior.
Autophagy Enhanced by Microtubule- and Mitochondrion-Associated MAP1S Suppresses Genome Instability and Hepatocarcinogenesis
Authors: Rui Xie, Fen Wang, Wallace L. McKeehan, Leyuan Liu
Journal: Cancer Research (2011)

Abstract Dysfunctional autophagy is associated with tumorigenesis; however, the relationship between the two processes remains unclear. In the present study, we showed that MAP1S levels immediately become elevated in response to diethylnitrosamine-induced or genome instability-driven metabolic stress in a murine model of hepatocarcinoma. Upregulation of MAP1S enhanced autophagy to remove aggresomes and dysfunctional organelles that trigger DNA double-strand breaks and genome instability. The early accumulation of an unstable genome before signs of tumorigenesis indicated that genome instability caused tumorigenesis. After tumorigenesis, tumor development triggered the activation of autophagy to reduce genome instability in tumor foci. We, therefore, conclude that an increase in MAP1S levels triggers autophagy to suppress genome instability such that both the incidence of diethylnitrosamine-induced hepatocarcinogenesis and malignant progression are suppressed. Taken together, the data establish a link between MAP1S-enhanced autophagy and suppression of genomic instability and tumorigenesis. Cancer Res; 71(24); 7537–46. ©2011 AACR.
Ethical and legal constraints on data sharing between countries in multinational epidemiological studies in Europe report from a joint workshop of the European League Against Rheumatism standing committee on epidemiology with the "AutoCure" project
Authors: A Zink, A J Silman
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2008)

<h3>Background:</h3> We report on a workshop on ethical and legal constraints on data sharing between countries in multinational epidemiologic research in Europe that was held in January 2007 in Potsdam, Germany. The participants were experienced epidemiologic and clinical researchers from eight European countries. The aim of the workshop was to share current knowledge on the above-mentioned topics, to identify areas for joint action and to enhance the likelihood of success for the new funding programmes. <h3>Methods:</h3> Workshop sessions and review of findings. <h3>Results:</h3> Key elements and recommendations have been drawn up. <h3>Conclusions:</h3> Epidemiologic and clinical studies are increasingly planned and conducted on a European level, and funds are available for this kind of studies. However, data sharing in multi-centre clinical and epidemiological studies is hampered by the different legal and ethical constraints individual national researchers face.
<i>miR-634</i> Activates the Mitochondrial Apoptosis Pathway and Enhances Chemotherapy-Induced Cytotoxicity
Authors: Naoto Fujiwara, Jun Inoue, Tatsuyuki Kawano, Kousuke Tanimoto, Ken-ichi Kozaki, Johji Inazawa
Journal: Cancer Research (2015)

Some tumor-suppressing miRNAs target multiple oncogenes concurrently and therefore may be useful as cancer therapeutic agents. Further, such miRNAs may be useful to address chemotherapeutic resistance in cancer, which remains a primary clinical challenge in need of solutions. Thus, cytoprotective processes upregulated in cancer cells that are resistant to chemotherapy are a logical target for investigation. Here, we report that overexpression of miR-634 activates the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway by direct concurrent targeting of genes associated with mitochondrial homeostasis, antiapoptosis, antioxidant ability, and autophagy. In particular, we show how enforced expression of miR-634 enhanced chemotherapy-induced cytotoxicity in a model of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, where resistance to chemotherapy remains clinically problematic. Our findings illustrate how reversing miR-634-mediated cytoprotective processes may offer a broadly useful approach to improving cancer therapy.
Human Breast Tumor Cells Induce Self-Tolerance Mechanisms to Avoid NKG2D-Mediated and DNAM-Mediated NK Cell Recognition
Authors: Emilie Mamessier, Aude Sylvain, François Bertucci, Rémy Castellano, Pascal Finetti, Gilles Houvenaeghel, Emmanuelle Charaffe-Jaufret, Daniel Birnbaum, Alessandro Moretta, Daniel Olive
Journal: Cancer Research (2011)

Abstract Breast cancer is the leading cause of death for women between the ages of 35 to 65. This is mostly due to intertumor heterogeneity and the lack of specific therapies for all subtypes. However, some breast cancers with an unexpected good prognosis are associated with enhanced antitumor immunity in situ. We studied whether breast cancer subtypes might have different susceptibilities to natural killer (NK) cells' antitumor immunity. We collected a large public set of microarray data for primary breast tumors and determined NK cell ligand expression. We found that despite heterogeneous levels of inhibitory HLA members, NKG2D ligands and DNAM ligands are expressed in virtually all breast tumor subtypes. Functional experiments in breast cancer subtypes expressing various levels of NK cell ligands showed that NK-mediated cytotoxicity is mainly HLA, NKG2D, and DNAM dependent. In parallel, we showed that cell lines and primary breast tumor cells secrete soluble inhibitory factors that alter NK cell functions. Finally, we showed that these mechanisms of escape occur in vivo in the MMTV-Neu model of spontaneous murine breast cancer. Our study shows that breast cancer cells, independent of the subtype, have developed different mechanisms to escape from NK cells' antitumor immunity. These results emphasize the role of NK cells in breast tumor clearance and underlie the importance of devising future therapy aiming at enhancing NK cell–mediated recognition in parallel with the prevention of the tumor-editing process. Cancer Res; 71(21); 6621–32. ©2011 AACR.
Education to improve the health of the nation: Who should we educate?
Authors: A. D WOOLF
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2000)

The overall purpose of health care is to maintain health—to prevent and to treat disorders effectively to secure the greatest possible gain in health. Education is an important means of achieving this. In this issue of the Annals is the first of a series of articles on education, each focusing on different aspects that will result in the improvement of outcome of those with musculoskeletal conditions.

Any strategy that is aimed at influencing health must be based on evidence of clinical and cost effectiveness, but also it must be effectively implemented. Implementation requires compliance by the public and patients, in addition to priority and funding. Patients must have faith and confidence based on knowledge. This is especially important with chronic disorders that cannot be cured, are often progressive and, at most points of their natural history, have an effect on a person's quality of life. The enormous expenditure on alternative and complementary treatments testifies to our inability to meet the expectations of the public and to what lengths they will go to try to achieve their desired goals. This gap between what is desired to be achieved and what can be achieved needs to be closed by better treatments developed by research. However, the gap can more rapidly be narrowed by the better application of existing treatments and by more realistic expectations by patients and public. The more the public drives the provision of care, the more it chases the ideal and not the realistic. Public pressure is important to prevent complacency, but it must be balanced against …
Cardiac Arrest Among Surgical Patients
Authors: Hadiza S. Kazaure, Sanziana A. Roman, Ronnie A. Rosenthal, Julie A. Sosa
Journal: JAMA Surgery (2013)

<h3>Objectives</h3>To describe the incidence, characteristics, and outcomes of surgical patients who experience cardiac arrest requiring cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).<h3>Design</h3>Retrospective cohort study.<h3>Setting</h3>American College of Surgeons–National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP), 2005-2010.<h3>Main Outcome Measures</h3>Incidence of CPR, complications, mortality, and survival to hospital discharge at 30 days or less after surgery.<h3>Results</h3>A total of 6382 nontrauma patients (mean age, 68 years) underwent CPR; 85.9% of events occurred postoperatively, of which 49.8% occurred within 5 days after surgery. Overall incidence of CPR was 1 in 203 surgical cases but varied by specialty (1 in 33 for cardiac surgery vs 1 in 258 for general surgery). The mortality rates varied by specialty (45.0%-74.5%) and were associated with comorbidity burden (58.7% for no comorbidity, 63.1% for 1 comorbidity, and 72.8% for ≥2 comorbidities; P &lt; .001). A total of 77.6% of CPR patients experienced a complication; approximately 75.0% occurred before or on the day of CPR, and septicemia (26.7%), ventilator dependence (22.1%), significant bleeding (13.9%), and renal impairment (11.9%) were the most common. The overall 30-day mortality was 71.6%. Survival to discharge in 30 postoperative days or less was 19.2%; 9.2% of CPR patients were alive but hospitalized at postoperative day 30. Older age, a preexisting do-not-resuscitate order, renal impairment, disseminated cancer, preoperative sepsis, and postoperative arrest were among the factors independently associated with worse survival.<h3>Conclusions</h3>One in 203 surgical patients undergoes CPR, and more than 70.0% of patients die in 30 postoperative days or less. Complications commonly precede arrest; prevention or aggressive treatment of these complications may potentially prevent CPR and improve outcomes. These data could aid discussions regarding advance directives among surgical patients.
Development of Circulating Tumor Cell-Endocrine Therapy Index in Patients with Hormone Receptor–Positive Breast Cancer
Authors: Costanza Paoletti, Maria C. Muñiz, Dafydd G. Thomas, Kent A. Griffith, Kelley M. Kidwell, Nahomi Tokudome, Martha E. Brown, Kimberly Aung, M. Craig Miller, Dorothy L. Blossom, Anne F. Schott, N. Lynn Henry, James M. Rae, Mark C. Connelly, David A. Chianese, Daniel F. Hayes
Journal: Clinical Cancer Research (2014)

Abstract Background: Endocrine therapy (ET) fails to induce a response in one half of patients with hormone receptor (HR)–positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC), and almost all will eventually become refractory to ET. Circulating tumor cells (CTC) are associated with worse prognosis in patients with MBC, but enumeration alone is insufficient to predict the absolute odds of benefit from any therapy, including ET. We developed a multiparameter CTC-Endocrine Therapy Index (CTC-ETI), which we hypothesize may predict resistance to ET in patients with HR-positive MBC. Methods: The CTC-ETI combines enumeration and CTC expression of four markers: estrogen receptor (ER), B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2), Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2), and Ki67. The CellSearch System and reagents were used to capture CTC and measure protein expression by immunofluorescent staining on CTC. Results: The feasibility of determining CTC-ETI was initially established in vitro and then in a prospective single-institution pilot study in patients with MBC. CTC-ETI was successfully determined in 44 of 50 (88%) patients. Eighteen (41%), 9 (20%), and 17 (39%) patients had low, intermediate, and high CTC-ETI scores, respectively. Interobserver concordance of CTC-ETI determination was from 94% to 95% (Kappa statistic, 0.90–0.91). Inter- and cell-to-cell intrapatient heterogeneity of expression of each of the CTC markers was observed. CTC biomarker expression was discordant from both primary and metastatic tissues. Conclusions: CTC expression of ER, BCL-2, HER2, and Ki67 can be reproducibly measured with high analytical validity using the CellSearch System. The clinical implications of CTC-ETI, and of the heterogeneity of CTC biomarker expression, are being evaluated in an ongoing prospective trial. Clin Cancer Res; 21(11); 2487–98. ©2014 AACR. See related commentary by Mathew et al., p. 2421
Macrophage migration inhibition factor in peripheral blood and induced sputum in patients with COPD
Authors: Gao Xinglin, Liu Chenchen, Luo Zeru
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2014)

BACKGROUND : Macrophage migration inhibition factor (MIF) induce many inflammatory mediators that involved in the pathogenesis of COPD, we reason that MIF may contribute to the process of COPD.  OBJECTIVE :To assess the expression of MIF in peripheral blood(PB) and induced sputum(IS) of patients with COPD.  METHODS :Subjects were classified into three groups: acute exacerbation of COPD(AECOPD), stable COPD(SCOPD) and normal smokers(NS). Gene expressions of MIF were measured by RT-PCR in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), concentrations of MIF were measured in plasma using ELISA. Use Flow cytometry to count the percentage of MIF-expressing T cells (CD8 +  or CD4 + ) in PB and IS . RESULTS :The percentage of MIF-expressing T cells was significantly increased in both PB and IS of AECOPD as compared with SCOPD and NS;but only MIF + CD8 + T% in IS from SCOPD was also increased compared with NS:MIF + CD8 + T% in PB: 76.94 ± 19.96% VS 58.48±25.28% VS 55.92±29.90%,in IS: 66.9±20.2% VS 48.2±11.2%VS 34.0±14.2% ;MIF + CD4 + T% in PB:76.81 ± 14.65% VS 60.09±16.03% VS 65.88± 16.64%,in IS:66.7±19.3%VS 51.5±19.2%VS 50.7±24.4%;MIF-mRNA were increased in PBMC of AECOPD (0.0303±0.03075 ) as compared with SCOPD ( 0.0140±0.01819 )and NS ( 0.0186±0.00711 );Concentrations of MIF got no significant difference in plasma among groups :128.94±30.31 VS 119.57± 17.64 VS 123.22±33.55 (pg/ml); There was a negative correlation between FEV 1 % and MIF + CD8 + T%( both PB and IS),MIF + CD4 + T% (only in PB) and MIF in plasma ,CAT score and mMRC Grade were positively correlated with percentage of MIF-expressing T cells (both CD8 +  and CD4 + ) in IS. CONCLUSION :MIF may play an important role in the process of COPD especially the acute period.