tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Outcomes of Children Bridged to Heart Transplantation With Ventricular Assist Devices
Authors: Elizabeth D. Blume, David C. Naftel, Heather J. Bastardi, Brian W. Duncan, James K. Kirklin, Steven A. Webber
Journal: Circulation (2006)

Background— Current ventricular assist devices (VADs) in the United States are designed primarily for adult use. Data on VADs as a bridge to transplantation in children are limited. Methods and Results— A multi-institutional, prospectively maintained database of outcomes in children after listing for heart transplantation (n=2375) was used to analyze outcomes of VAD patients (n=99, 4%) listed between January 1993 and December 2003. Median age at VAD implantation was 13.3 years (range, 2 days to 17.9 years); diagnoses were cardiomyopathy (78%) and congenital heart disease (22%). Mean duration of support was 57 days (range, 1 to 465 days). Seventy-three percent were supported with a long-term device, with 39% requiring biventricular support. Seventy-seven patients (77%) survived to transplantation, 5 patients were successfully weaned from support and recovered, and 17 patients (17%) died on support. In the recent era (2000 to 2003), successful bridge to transplantation with VAD was achieved in 86% of patients. Peak hazard for death while waiting was the first 2 weeks after VAD placement. Risk factors for death while awaiting a transplant included earlier era of implantation ( P =0.05), female gender ( P =0.02), and congenital disease diagnosis ( P =0.05). There was no difference in 5-year survival after transplantation for patients on VAD at time of transplantation as compared with those not requiring VAD. Conclusions— VAD support in children successfully bridged 77% of patients to transplantation, with posttransplantation outcomes comparable to those not requiring VAD. These encouraging results emphasize the need to further understand patient selection and to delineate the impact of VAD technology for children.
P206 Asbestos related diffuse pleural thickening; Likelihood of progression in the secondary care setting: Abstract P206 Table 1.
Authors: JL Hoyle, S Gudur
Journal: Thorax (2013)

<h3>Introduction</h3> There is a lack of recent evidence in terms of progression and prognosis in subjects with asbestos induced diffuse pleural thickening (DPT). We reviewed those with a diagnosis of DPT to look at radiological progression and prognosis. <h3>Methods</h3> A local database search identified those registered with DPT as agreed by a Multidisciplinary Meeting (MDT) and defined by Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) as including obliteration of a costophrenic angle on chest x-ray (CXR) and mesothelioma previously ruled out. Years of follow-up and progression on radiology defined as a measureable increase in thickening unilaterally on CXR, or new obliteration of a costophrenic angle contralaterally. All causes of death were recorded. <h3>Results</h3> 39 of 48 subjects registered, all male had local follow up. Radiological follow-up occurred for between 1 and 10 years, mean 3.9 yrs. In total 16/39 (41%) had radiological progression on CXR. 7 (18%) died, 6/39 (15%) from respiratory related illness. 6/39 had coexistent asbestosis. 28/39 (72%) presented with unilateral DPT of whom 5/28 (18%) had asbestosis on CT. 11/28 (39%) progressed from unilateral to bilateral DPT including 3 with asbestosis, 4/28 (14%) died, (1 with DPT and asbestosis developed mesothelioma), 1of non-respiratory cancer, 2 died respiratory failure; however 35% (8/23) of the unilateral DPT only cohort also progressed or died. 5/11 (45%) presenting with bilateral DPT progressed or died. 2 (18%) increased thickening on CXR. 3/11 (27%) died, 1 lung cancer (with asbestosis) and 2 respiratory failure. <h3>Discussion</h3> Although DPT is considered benign, 41% progressed including 39% with unilateral DPT who developed bilateral disease. 15% had coexistent asbestosis and as expected were more likely to progress or die. 11% of those presenting with unilateral disease on CXR and over 27% with bilateral disease died of respiratory cause over the follow–up period. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Not withstanding the limitations of this study, the likelihood of radiological progression with a diagnosis of DPT is 2 in 5, including those with unilateral disease. The risk of death from a respiratory cause with bilateral DPT diagnosed on CXR (27%) is more than twice that for unilateral disease on CXR (11%).
The occurrence of a protein in the extracellular products of streptococci isolated from patients with acute glomerulonephritis.
Authors: H Villarreal, V A Fischetti, I van de Rijn, J B Zabriskie
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1979)

The present report compares the extracellular proteins of streptococci by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide electrophoresis. A marked variation in the streptococcal extracellualr proteins (SEP) of different strains was detected, even in strains of similar serotypes. It was possible, however, to identify a single protein band that occurred predominantly in the SEP of strains isolated from patients with acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis (APSGN). This protein was generally not produced by streptococci obtained from patients without this disease. It appears to be immunologically similar in the various serotypes of streptococci isolated from patients with APSGN and can be demonstrated by immunofluorescence techniques to be present in the glomeruli of these patients.
Functional Effects of Rho-Kinase–Dependent Phosphorylation of Specific Sites on Cardiac Troponin
Authors: Susan Vahebi, Tomoyoshi Kobayashi, Chad M. Warren, Pieter P. de Tombe, R. John Solaro
Journal: Circulation Research (2005)

We tested the hypothesis that activation of Rho-A-dependent kinase (ROCK-II) alters cardiac myofilament response to Ca2+ by mechanisms involving phosphorylation of thin filament proteins. We determined effects of a constitutively active form of ROCK-II on ATPase activity and tension development in detergent-extracted (skinned) fiber bundles isolated from mouse left ventricular papillary muscles. ROCK-II induced a depression in maximum ATPase rate and tension, which was associated with phosphorylation of troponin T (TnT), troponin I (TnI), and myosin-binding protein C (C-protein). This effect of ROCK-II was retained in fiber bundles isolated from transgenic (TG) mice in which phosphorylation sites (S14, S15, and S19) of myosin light chain 2 were mutated to alanine. Moreover, exchange of ROCK-II-phosphorylated Tn complex with the native Tn complex in the fiber bundles resulted in inhibition of maximal Ca2+ activation of tension and ATPase activity. Mass spectrometric analysis demonstrated that ROCK-II phosphorylated cardiac TnI (cTnI) at S23, S24, and T144 and cardiac TnT (cTnT) at S278 and T287. An important role for these cTnT sites is indicated by results demonstrating that ROCK-II induced a depression in tension and ATPase activity in skinned fiber bundles from a TG model in which cTnI is replaced by slow skeletal TnI, which lacks S23 and S24 and in which T144 is replaced by proline. Our data provide the first evidence that ROCK-II phosphorylation of the Tn complex, most likely at cTnT, has an important role in functional effects of signaling through the Rho-A pathway.
ABCG2, a novel antigen to sort luminal progenitors of BRCA1- breast cancer cells
Authors: Felicia Leccia, Luigi Del Vecchio, Elisabetta Mariotti, Rosa Di Noto, Anne-Pierre Morel, Alain Puisieux, Francesco Salvatore, Stéphane Ansieau
Journal: Molecular Cancer (2014)

Tumor-initiating cells (TICs), aka "cancer stem cells", are believed to fuel tumors and to sustain therapy resistance and systemic metastasis. Breast cancer is the first human carcinoma in which a subpopulation of cells displaying a specific CD44+/CD24-/low/ESA+ antigenic phenotype was found to have TIC properties. However, CD44+/CD24-/low/ESA+ is not a universal marker phenotype of TICs in all breast cancer subtypes. The aim of this study was to identify novel antigens with which to isolate the TIC population of the basal-A/basal-like breast cancer cell lines. We used polychromatic flow-cytometry to characterize the cell surface of several breast cancer cell lines that may represent different tumor molecular subtypes. We next used fluorescence-activated cell sorting to isolate the cell subpopulations of interest from the cell lines. Finally, we explored the stem-like and tumorigenic properties of the sorted cell subpopulations using complementary in vitro and in vivo approaches: mammosphere formation assays, soft-agar colony assays, and tumorigenic assays in NOD/SCID mice. The CD44+/CD24+ subpopulation of the BRCA1-mutated basal-A/basal-like cell line HCC1937 is enriched in several stemness markers, including the ABCG2 transporter (i.e., the CD338 antigen). Consistently, CD338-expressing cells were also enriched in CD24 expression, suggesting that coexpression of these two antigenic markers may segregate TICs in this cell line. In support of ABCG2 expression in TICs, culturing of HCC1937 cells in ultra-low adherent conditions to enrich them in precursor/stem-cells resulted in an increase in CD338-expressing cells. Furthermore, CD338-expressing cells, unlike their CD338-negative counterparts, displayed stemness and transformation potential, as assessed in mammosphere and colony formation assays. Lastly, CD338-expressing cells cultured in ultra-low adherent conditions maintained the expression of CD326/EpCAM and CD49f/α6-integrin, which is a combination of antigens previously assigned to luminal progenitors. Collectively, our data suggest that CD338 expression is specific to the tumor-initiating luminal progenitor subpopulation of BRCA1-mutated cells and is a novel antigen with which to sort this subpopulation.
Von Willebrand Factor in Cardiovascular Disease
Authors: Alexander O. Spiel, James C. Gilbert, Bernd Jilma
Journal: Circulation (2008)

von Willebrand factor (VWF) plays a pivotal role in platelet adhesion and aggregation at sites of high shear rates (eg, in coronary arteries that have stenotic or ruptured atherosclerotic plaque lesions). Numerous studies have investigated the relationship between VWF plasma levels and thromboembolic cardiovascular events. In contrast to the rather weak association in the general population, in patients with preexisting vascular disease, VWF is significantly predictive for adverse cardiac events, including death. Likewise, VWF typically rises during the course of acute coronary syndrome, and the extent of this VWF release is an independent predictor of adverse clinical outcome in these patients. Various lines of evidence indicate that VWF is not only a marker but also actually an important effector in the pathogenesis of myocardial infarction. This central role of VWF in thrombogenesis has made it a promising target for research into new antiplatelet therapies that specifically inhibit VWF. This review focuses on the role of VWF in acute coronary syndrome and further outlines the relevance of therapeutic interventions targeting VWF for acute coronary syndrome patients.
The impact of body mass index on semen parameters and reproductive hormones in human males: a systematic review with meta-analysis
Authors: A.A. MacDonald, G.P. Herbison, M. Showell, C.M. Farquhar
Journal: Human Reproduction Update (2009)

It has been suggested that body mass index (BMI), especially obesity, is associated with subfertility in men. Semen parameters are central to male fertility and reproductive hormones also play a role in spermatogenesis. This review aimed to investigate the association of BMI with semen parameters and reproductive hormones in men of reproductive age.MEDLINE, EMBASE, Biological Abstracts, PsycINFO and CINAHL databases and references from relevant articles were searched in January and February 2009. Outcomes included for semen parameters were sperm concentration, total sperm count, semen volume, motility and morphology. Reproductive hormones included were testosterone, free testosterone, estradiol, FSH, LH, inhibin B and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). A meta-analysis was conducted to investigate sperm concentration and total sperm count.In total, 31 studies were included. Five studies were suitable for pooling and the meta-analysis found no evidence for a relationship between BMI and sperm concentration or total sperm count. Overall review of all studies similarly revealed little evidence for a relationship with semen parameters and increased BMI. There was strong evidence of a negative relationship for testosterone, SHBG and free testosterone with increased BMI.This systematic review with meta-analysis has not found evidence of an association between increased BMI and semen parameters. The main limitation of this review is that data from most studies could not be aggregated for meta-analysis. Population-based studies with larger sample sizes and longitudinal studies are required.
Device-Specific Risk of Needlestick Injury in Italian Health Care Workers
Authors: Giuseppe Ippolito, Gabriella De Carli, Vincenzo Puro, Nicola Petrosillo, Claudio Arici, Roberto Bertucci, Luca Bianciardi, Lucio Bonazzi, Adriano Cestrone, Marinella Daglio, Massimo Desperati, Mauro Francesconi, Massimo Migliori, Anna Monti, Maria Carmela Perna, Francesco Pietrobon, Janine Jagger
Journal: JAMA (1994)

To identify the types of medical devices causing needlestick injuries among Italian health care workers, to document the device-specific injury rates and time trends for different hollow-bore needles, and to compare injury rates from these devices with those reported in the United States.Longitudinal survey.Twelve Italian acute care public hospitals.Data were obtained from a multihospital surveillance database on the number of total injuries reported in each device category. Hospitals provided the corresponding number of devices used annually for each needle type.Number of needlestick injuries by type of hollow-bore needle per 100,000 devices used per year.A total of 2524 injuries from hollow-bore needles were reported. Disposable syringes/hypodermic needles accounted for 59.3% of injuries, followed by winged steel needles (33.1%), intravenous catheter stylets (5.4%), and vacuum-tube phlebotomy needles (2.2%). Intravenous catheter stylets had the highest needlestick injury rate (15.7/100,000 devices used), and disposable syringes had the lowest needlestick injury rate (3.8/100,000). In contrast to the other devices, the injury rate from winged steel needles increased from 6.2 per 100,000 in 1990 to 13.9 per 100,000 in 1992.The device-specific needlestick injury rates in Italy are similar to those reported in the United States, suggesting similar exposure experience in two countries. However, in contrast to the United States, needleless intravenous access is standard practice in Italy and thus eliminates one potential risk to Italian health workers. Implementation of safer equipment, such as shielded or retracting needles, and continuing training programs are needed to further reduce the hazards that health care workers face.
Endosymbiont Phylogenesis in the Dryophthoridae Weevils: Evidence for Bacterial Replacement
Authors: Cédric Lefèvre, Hubert Charles, Agnès Vallier, Bernard Delobel, Brian Farrell, Abdelaziz Heddi
Journal: Molecular Biology and Evolution (2004)

Intracellular symbiosis is widespread in the insect world where it plays an important role in evolution and adaptation. The weevil family Dryophthoridae (Curculionoidea) is of particular interest in intracellular symbiosis evolution with regard to the great economical and ecological features of these invasive insects, and the potential for comparative studies across a wide range of host plants and environments. Here, we have analyzed the intracellular symbiotic bacteria of 19 Dryophthoridae species collected worldwide, representing a wide range of plant species and tissues. All except one (Sitophilus linearis) harbor symbiotic bacteria within specialized cells (the bacteriocytes) assembled as an organ, the bacteriome. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rDNA gene sequence of the Dryophthoridae endosymbionts revealed three endosymbiotic clades belonging to gamma3-Proteobacteria and characterized by different GC contents and evolutionary rate. The genus name Candidatus Nardonella was proposed for the ancestral clade infesting Dryophthoridae 100 MYA and represented by five of nine bacterial genera studied. For this clade showing low GC content (40.5% GC) and high evolutionary rate (0.128 substitutions/site per 100 Myr), a single infection and subsequent cospeciation of the host and the endosymbionts was observed. In the two other insect lineage endosymbionts, with relatively high GC content (53.4% and 53.8% GC), competition with ancestral pathogenic bacteria might have occurred, leading to endosymbiont replacement in present-day last insects.
Treatment and outcomes of acute basilar artery occlusion in the Basilar Artery International Cooperation Study (BASICS): a prospective registry study
Authors: Wouter J Schonewille, Christine AC Wijman, Patrik Michel, Christina M Rueckert, Christian Weimar, Heinrich P Mattle, Stefan T Engelter, David Tanne, Keith W Muir, Carlos A Molina, Vincent Thijs, Heinrich Audebert, Thomas Pfefferkorn, Kristina Szabo, Perttu J Lindsberg, Gabriel de Freitas, L Jaap Kappelle, Ale Algra
Journal: The Lancet Neurology (2009)
From Hyperglycemia to Diabetic Kidney Disease: The Role of Metabolic, Hemodynamic, Intracellular Factors and Growth Factors/Cytokines
Authors: Bieke F. Schrijvers, An S. De Vriese, Allan Flyvbjerg
Journal: Endocrine Reviews (2004)

At present, diabetic kidney disease affects about 15–25% of type 1 and 30–40% of type 2 diabetic patients. Several decades of extensive research has elucidated various pathways to be implicated in the development of diabetic kidney disease. This review focuses on the metabolic factors beyond blood glucose that are involved in the pathogenesis of diabetic kidney disease, i.e., advanced glycation end-products and the aldose reductase system. Furthermore, the contribution of hemodynamic factors, the renin-angiotensin system, the endothelin system, and the nitric oxide system, as well as the prominent role of the intracellular signaling molecule protein kinase C are discussed. Finally, the respective roles of TGF-β, GH and IGFs, vascular endothelial growth factor, and platelet-derived growth factor are covered. The complex interplay between these different pathways will be highlighted. A brief introduction to each system and description of its expression in the normal kidney is followed by in vitro, experimental, and clinical evidence addressing the role of the system in diabetic kidney disease. Finally, well-known and potential therapeutic strategies targeting each system are discussed, ending with an overall conclusion.
Effect of preoperative oral immune-enhancing nutritional supplement on patients at high risk of infection after cardiac surgery: a randomised placebo-controlled trial
Authors: Robert Tepaske, Henk te Velthuis, Heleen M Oudemans-van Straaten, Siem H Heisterkamp, Sander JH van Deventer, Can Ince, León Eysman, Jozef Kesecioglu
Journal: The Lancet (2001)
Thyroxin substitution and the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis; results from the Swedish population-based EIRA study
Authors: Camilla Bengtsson, Leonid Padyukov, Henrik Källberg, Saedis Saevarsdottir
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2013)

<h3>Objectives</h3> Hypothyroidism in iodine-repleted areas is usually of autoimmune nature and leads to chronic thyroxin substitution. It shares some risk factors with anti-citrullinated peptide antibodies (ACPA)-positive rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We asked whether thyroxin substitution associated with risk of ACPA-positive or ACPA-negative RA, and whether interactions with established risk factors were present. <h3>Methods</h3> Data from a population-based case-control study with incident RA cases were analysed (1998 adult cases, 2252 controls). Individuals reporting thyroxin substitution were compared with those without thyroxin, by calculating OR with 95% CI, excluding participants reporting non-autoimmune causes for thyroxin substitution (thyroid cancer, iodine-containing drugs). Interaction was evaluated by attributable proportion (AP) with 95% CI. <h3>Results</h3> Thyroxin substitution was associated with a twofold risk of both ACPA-positive (OR=1.9, 95% CI 1.4 to 2.6) and ACPA-negative RA (OR=2.1, 95% CI 1.5 to 3.1). For ACPA-positive RA, the risk associated with the combination thyroxin+ HLA-DRB1 shared epitope alleles (SE) was much higher (OR=11.8, 95% CI 6.9 to 20.0) than for thyroxin (OR=1.4, 95% CI 0.7 to 3.0) or SE (OR=5.7, 95% CI 4.6 to 6.9) alone, indicating a strong interaction (AP=0.5, 95% CI 0.2 to 0.8). Thyroxin substitution interacted non-significantly with smoking (AP=0.4, 95% CI 0.0 to 0.7; OR thyroxin+smoking=3.6, thyroxin only=1.5, smoking only=1.8). Thyroxin did not interact with the PTPN22*R620W allele. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Thyroxin users had a doubled risk of both ACPA-positive and ACPA-negative RA. The risk of ACPA-positive RA was manifold if they smoked or carried the SE. Furthermore, although joint symptoms can be a manifestation of hypothyroidism, physicians might consider whether it could be an early manifestation of RA.
Letter by Padfield et al Regarding Article, “Randomized Trial of Atorvastatin for Reduction of Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery: Results of the ARMYDA-3 (Atorvastatin for Reduction of Myocardial Dysrhythmia After Cardiac Surgery) Study”
Authors: Gareth J. Padfield, Nathaniel M. Hawkins, Michael R. MacDonald
Journal: Circulation (2007)
Global Methylation Profiling for Risk Prediction of Prostate Cancer
Authors: Saswati Mahapatra, Eric W. Klee, Charles Y.F. Young, Zhifu Sun, Rafael E. Jimenez, George G. Klee, Donald J. Tindall, Krishna Vanaja Donkena
Journal: Clinical Cancer Research (2012)

Abstract Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the promoter hypermethylation as diagnostic markers to detect malignant prostate cells and as prognostic markers to predict the clinical recurrence of prostate cancer. Experimental Design: DNA was isolated from prostate cancer and normal adjacent tissues. After bisulfite conversion, methylation of 14,495 genes was evaluated using the Methylation27 microarrays in 238 prostate tissues. We analyzed methylation profiles in four different groups: (i) tumor (n = 198) versus matched normal tissues (n = 40), (ii) recurrence (n = 123) versus nonrecurrence (n = 75), (iii) clinical recurrence (n = 80) versus biochemical recurrence (n = 43), and (iv) systemic recurrence (n = 36) versus local recurrence (n = 44). Group 1, 2, 3, and 4 genes signifying biomarkers for diagnosis, prediction of recurrence, clinical recurrence, and systemic progression were determined. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to predict risk of recurrence. We validated the methylation of genes in 20 independent tissues representing each group by pyrosequencing. Results: Microarray analysis revealed significant methylation of genes in four different groups of prostate cancer tissues. The sensitivity and specificity of methylation for 25 genes from 1, 2, and 4 groups and 7 from group 3 were shown. Validation of genes by pyrosequencing from group 1 (GSTP1, HIF3A, HAAO, and RARβ), group 2 (CRIP1, FLNC, RASGRF2, RUNX3, and HS3ST2), group 3 (PHLDA3, RASGRF2, and TNFRSF10D), and group 4 (BCL11B, POU3F3, and RASGRF2) confirmed the microarray results. Conclusions: Our study provides a global assessment of DNA methylation in prostate cancer and identifies the significance of genes as diagnostic and progression biomarkers of prostate cancer. Clin Cancer Res; 18(10); 2882–95. ©2012 AACR.