tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Do farming exposures cause or prevent asthma? Results from a study of adult Norwegian farmers
Authors: W Eduard
Journal: Thorax (2004)

<b>Background:</b> A protective effect of endotoxin exposure on atopy and asthma in farmers' children has been postulated. Studies of adult farmers have shown conflicting results but often lack exposure data. The prevalence of asthma in farmers with different exposure levels to microbial agents and irritant gases was compared. <b>Methods:</b> Atopy was defined as a positive response to multiple radioallergosorbent tests (RAST) with a panel of 10 common respiratory allergens, and asthma was ascertained by a questionnaire using a stratified sample (n = 2169) of a farming population from south-eastern Norway. Exposure of farmers to total dust, fungal spores, bacteria, endotoxins, and ammonia was assessed by exposure measurements. <b>Results:</b> The prevalence of asthma was 3.7% for physician diagnosed asthma and 2.7% for current asthma. The prevalence of atopy was 14%, but most asthmatic subjects were non-atopic (80%). Compared with farmers without livestock, (1) asthma was significantly higher in cattle farmers (OR<sub>adj</sub> 1.8, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.8) and pig farmers (OR<sub>adj</sub> 1.6, 95% CI 1.0 to 2.5), (2) non-atopic asthma was significantly higher in pig farmers (OR<sub>adj</sub> 2.0, 95% CI 1.2 to 3.3) and in farmers with two or more types of livestock (OR<sub>adj</sub> 1.9, 95% CI 1.1 to 3.3), and (3) atopic asthma was less common in farmers with two or more types of livestock (OR<sub>adj</sub> 0.32, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.97). Exposure to endotoxins, fungal spores, and ammonia was positively associated with non-atopic asthma and negatively associated with atopic asthma. No associations were found with atopy. <b>Conclusions:</b> Exposure to endotoxins and fungal spores appears to have a protective effect on atopic asthma but may induce non-atopic asthma in farmers.
Noninvasive ventilation for chest wall and neuromuscular disorders
Authors: J.M. Shneerson, A.K. Simonds
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2002)

Neuromuscular and chest wall disorders are individually uncommon but together form an important group of conditions that can lead to chronic ventilatory failure. This is best recognised in scoliosis, kyphosis, following a thoracoplasty, in muscular dystrophies, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), and myotonic dystrophy, after poliomyelitis and with motor neurone disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). If bulbar function is impaired, tracheostomy ventilation may be required, but in other situations, noninvasive ventilation is preferable. Positive pressure techniques using nasal and face masks are usually the first choice, but negative pressure ventilation is an alternative. There are no randomised-controlled trials regarding the indications for initiating noninvasive ventilation, but this is usually provided if there are symptoms due to nocturnal hypoventilation or right heart failure in the presence of a raised carbon dioxide tension in arterial blood ( P a,CO 2 ) either at night or, more usually, in the daytime as well. There is no evidence that “prophylactic” ventilatory support is of benefit if this is provided before ventilatory failure has appeared. Careful selection of patients is required, especially in the presence of progressive neuromuscular disorders such as DMD and motor neurone disease. There are no randomised-controlled trials concerning the outcome of noninvasive ventilation in these conditions, but studies have shown an improved quality of life, physical activity and haemodynamics, normalisation of blood gases and slight improvement in other physiological measures, such as the vital capacity and maximal mouth pressures. Survival in chest wall disorders is ∼90% at 1 yr and 80% at 5 yrs, and similar figures have been obtained in nonprogressive neuromuscular conditions. If, however, the underlying disorder is deteriorating, particularly if it involves the bulbar muscles, it may limit survival despite the provision of adequate noninvasive ventilatory support.
Effects of enalapril on disseminated intravascular thrombin formation during systemic inflammation
Authors: C Marsik
Journal: Cardiovascular Research (2003)

Tissue factor (TF), the main trigger of coagulation is important in the propagation of cardiovascular diseases. Based on an in vitro study, we hypothesised that enalapril may blunt the endotoxin-induced, TF-triggered coagulation in humans.In a randomised, controlled trial, 30 healthy male volunteers received 2 ng/kg of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) after pre-treatment with placebo or enalapril for 5 days or with enalapril 2 h before LPS infusion.Infusion of LPS increased interleukin-6 levels 400 fold, and induced a 10-fold increase in prothrombin fragment, a fourfold increase in D-dimer, and a fivefold increase in plasmin-antiplasmin complexes. However, pre-treatment with enalapril did not blunt LPS-induced coagulation.Our trial provides evidence against a modulatory role of angiotensin converting enzyme in LPS-induced, TF-triggered coagulation.
Mucosal antibodies in inflammatory bowel disease are directed against intestinal bacteria.
Authors: A Macpherson, U Y Khoo, I Forgacs, J Philpott-Howard, I Bjarnason
Journal: Gut (1996)

In contrast with normal subjects where IgA is the main immunoglobulin in the intestine, patients with active inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) produce high concentrations of IgG from intestinal lymphocytes, but the antigens at which these antibodies are directed are unknown. To investigate the specificities of these antibodies mucosal immunoglobulins were isolated from washings taken at endoscopy from 21 control patients with irritable bowel syndrome, 10 control patients with intestinal inflammation due to infection or ischaemia, and 51 patients with IBD: 24 Crohn9s disease (CD, 15 active, nine quiescent), 27 ulcerative colitis (UC, 20 active, seven inactive). Total mucosal IgG was much higher (p &lt; 0.001) in active UC (median 512 micrograms/ml) and active CD (256 micrograms/ml) than in irritable bowel syndrome controls (1.43 micrograms/ml), but not significantly different from controls with non-IBD intestinal inflammation (224 micrograms/ml). Mucosal IgG bound to proteins of a range of non-pathogenic commensal faecal bacteria in active CD; this was higher than in UC (p &lt; 0.01); and both were significantly greater than controls with non-IBD intestinal inflammation (CD p &lt; 0.001, UC p &lt; 0.01) or IBS (p &lt; 0.001 CD and UC). This mucosal IgG binding was shown on western blots and by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to be principally directed against the bacterial cytoplasmic rather than the membrane proteins. Total mucosal IgA concentrations did not differ between IBD and controls, but the IgA titres against faecal bacteria were lower in UC than controls (p &lt; 0.01). These experiments show that there is an exaggerated mucosal immune response particularly in active CD but also in UC directed against cytoplasmic proteins of bacteria within the intestinal lumen; this implies that in relapse of IBD there is a breakdown of tolerance to the normal commensal flora of the gut.
Levels Of Siga And Lysozyme Are Associated With Increased Th2 And Decreased Th1 Gingival Responses During Exacerbations Of Chronic Purulent Gingivitis In Children
Authors: Y.A. Bisyuk, G.V. Bisyuk, N. Sysoyev, I.V. DuBuske, L.M. DuBuske
Journal: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (2010)
Photodynamic Therapy of Murine Mastocytoma Induces Specific Immune Responses against the Cancer/Testis Antigen P1A
Authors: Pawel Mroz, Fatma Vatansever, Angelika Muchowicz, Michael R. Hamblin
Journal: Cancer Research (2013)

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) involves the intravenous administration of photosensitizers followed by illumination of the tumor with visible light, leading to local production of reactive oxygen species that cause vascular shutdown and tumor cell death. Antitumor immunity is stimulated after PDT because of the acute inflammatory response that involves activation of the innate immune system, leading to stimulation of adaptive immunity. We carried out PDT using benzoporphyrin derivative and 690-nm light after 15 minutes, in DBA/2 mice bearing either the mastocytoma, P815, which expresses the naturally occurring cancer/testis antigen P1A, or the corresponding tumor P1.204 that lacks P1A expression. Tumor cures, significantly higher survival, and rejection of tumor rechallenge were obtained with P815, which were not seen with P1.204 or seen with P815 growing in nude mice. Both CD4 and CD8 T cells had higher levels of intracellular cytokines when isolated from mice receiving PDT of P815 tumors than P1.204 tumors and CD8 T cells from P815-cured mice recognized the peptide epitope of the P1A antigen (LPYLGWLVF) using pentamer staining. Taken together, these findings show that PDT can induce a potent antigen- and epitope-specific immune response against a naturally occurring mouse tumor antigen.
CLINICAL EXPERIENCE WITH HYDROCORTISONE OINTMENT.
Authors: F. D. MALKINSON, G. C. WELLS
Journal: British Journal of Dermatology (1954)

Journal Article CLINICAL EXPERIENCE WITH HYDROCORTISONE OINTMENT. Get access F. D. MALKINSON, F. D. MALKINSON Section of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. (Chief of Service: Stephen Rothman, M.D.) Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar G. C. WELLS G. C. WELLS Section of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. (Chief of Service: Stephen Rothman, M.D.) Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar British Journal of Dermatology, Volume 66, Issue 8-9, 1 August 1954, Pages 300–303, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2133.1954.tb12638.x Published: 01 August 1954
Environmental Influences on Eating and Physical Activity
Authors: Simone A French, Mary Story, Robert W Jeffery
Journal: Annual Review of Public Health (2001)

▪ Abstract Obesity has increased dramatically over the past two decades and currently about 50% of US adults and 25% of US children are overweight. The current epidemic of obesity is caused largely by an environment that promotes excessive food intake and discourages physical activity. This chapter reviews what is known about environmental influences on physical activity and eating behaviors. Recent trends in food supply, eating out, physical activity, and inactivity are reviewed, as are the effects of advertising, promotion, and pricing on eating and physical activity. Public health interventions, opportunities, and potential strategies to combat the obesity epidemic by promoting an environment that supports healthy eating and physical activity are discussed.
Prognostic Factors in Ewing’s Tumor of Bone: Analysis of 975 Patients From the European Intergroup Cooperative Ewing’s Sarcoma Study Group
Authors: S.J. Cotterill, S. Ahrens, M. Paulussen, H.F. Jürgens, P.A. Voûte, H. Gadner, A.W. Craft
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2000)

To further elaborate on prognostic factors for Ewing's sarcoma of bone and to document improvements in relapse-free survival (RFS) and trends in local therapy over the study period (1977 to 1993).A retrospective analysis was performed on a combined Gesellschaft Für Pädiatrische Onkologie und Hämatologie/Cooperative Ewing Sarcoma Study and United Kingdom Children's Cancer Study Group/Medical Research Council data set of 975 patients registered with the respective trial offices before the current collaborative European Intergroup Cooperative Ewing's Sarcoma Study trial. Both groups independently undertook studies with similar chemotherapy during the period.The key adverse prognostic factor is metastases at diagnosis (5-year RFS, 22% of patients with metastases at diagnosis v 55% of patients without metastases at diagnosis; P: <.0001). For the group with metastases, there was a trend for better survival for those with lung involvement compared with those with bone metastases or a combination of lung and bone metastases (P: <.0001). In the group of patients with no metastases at diagnosis, multivariate analysis demonstrated that site (axial v other), age-group (< 15 v > or = 15 years), and period of diagnosis had significant influence on RFS (all P: <.005). RFS was superior in the period after 1985 compared with the period before 1985 for nonmetastatic patients (45% v 60%, respectively; P: <.0001) and for metastatic patients (16% v 30%, respectively; P: =.016). Patients who relapsed within 2 years of diagnosis had a less favorable prognosis than patients who relapsed later (5-year survival after relapse, 4% v 23%, respectively; P: <. 0001). There were other changes over the period; in particular, radiotherapy or amputation were more common in the period before 1986, whereas endoprosthetic surgery was widely used in the later period.Survival and RFS improved over the period. Prognostic factors are metastases at diagnosis, primary site, and age.
Retained stenting material
Authors: William E Bolger, James Crawford, Kimberly Peele Cockerham
Journal: Ophthalmology (1999)

Objective To highlight a troubling cause of dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) failure and to alert ophthalmologists to the potential problems that can result when stenting material is not removed and becomes retained after DCR. Design Consecutive noncomparative case series. Participants Twelve patients who underwent revision DCR from February 1994 to January 1997. Intervention Endoscopic DCR, pre- and postoperative nasal endoscopy, preoperative computerized tomography (CT), and pre- and postoperative Jones testing. Results Fourteen revision endoscopic procedures were performed on 12 patients with recurrent epiphora following DCR. Failure was due to retained stenting material in six patients, a small bony rhinostomy in three patients, excessive scar formation within the rhinostomy in two patients, and improper location of the rhinostomy in one patient. Preoperative endoscopy and CT scan each correctly identified the retained sponge or tubing in four of six patients. Conclusions Fastening a small sponge to Silastic tubing and positioning it within the DCR site in an attempt to retard DCR stenosis can be associated with a poor outcome and should be avoided. The nasal endoscope provided excellent visualization of pathology within the lacrimal sac and was a valuable tool. Retained stenting material should be considered in patients with persistent epiphora following DCR or intubation prior to any decision to commit a patient to permanent Jones tube placement.
Appropriate Use Criteria for Coronary Revascularization and the Learning Health System
Authors: Robert A. Harrington
Journal: JAMA (2015)

“Quality,” “safety,” “value,” “cost,” “measurement,” “alignment,” “performance,” “incentives,” “triple aim.” These words and phrases, among others, are now part of the standard lexicon of contemporary health care delivery in the United States. Clinical and scientific journals have published many articles studying and discussing these topics, and the popular press has described the notion of “overkill” in referring to unnecessary medical care.1 A key word in all of these discussions is “appropriate.” According to Hendel et al, “an appropriate diagnostic or therapeutic procedure is one in which the expected clinical benefit exceeds the risks of the procedure by a sufficiently wide margin such that the procedure is generally considered acceptable or reasonable care.”2 Are health care professionals recommending, ordering, or performing diagnostic tests or therapeutic interventions supported by high-quality evidence? Or, as noted in this definition, are they ordering tests and performing interventions more likely to be helpful than harmful? Given the annual cost of US health care, these are important practice and policy conversations. It is known from longstanding research conducted as part of the Dartmouth Atlas Project that tremendous variations exist in cardiology practice across the country3 that are readily explained neither by differences in patient characteristics nor by disease severity. In a field as evidence-driven as cardiovascular medicine, this surprises many who assume that practice guidelines4 provide sufficient recommendations for most of the common conditions and procedures in clinical cardiology. But it is also clear that for the vast majority of diagnostic and therapeutic tests clinicians perform in the daily practice of clinical cardiology, the evidence base lacks sufficient high-quality studies to provide definitive recommendations (classes 1 and 3, the “dos and don’ts” of practice).5 Yet clinicians and patients must still make recommendations and decisions about diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, and policy makers and payers require data on which to base allocations of resources or decisions for reimbursement. The “triple aim” in health care captures some of this as the goal to improve care and health while reducing per capita costs.6 To achieve this laudable goal, the Institute of Medicine has put forward the notion of the learning health care system: “a health care system designed to generate and apply the best evidence for the collaborative health care choices of each patient and provider; to drive the process of discovery as a natural outgrowth of patient care; and to ensure innovation, quality, safety, and value in health care.”7 The American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) have an ongoing 30-year commitment to produce clinical practice guidelines to provide the clinical and patient communities with evidence-based recRelated article page 2045 Editorial Opinion
A METABOLIC STUDY OF A DIABETIC PATIENT: THE EFFECT OF VARIATIONS IN THE DOSAGE OF INSULIN UPON ADRENAL CORTICAL ACTIVITY AND UPON WATER, ELECTROLYTE AND NITROGEN EXCRETION 1
Authors: J. W. McArthur, D. H. C. Chao, E. A. MacLachlan, M. F. Morrill, A. M. Campbell, M. D. Wood, A. Zygmuntowicz, F. C. Goetz, S. L. Sveinsson
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (1952)
Centromere-Associated Protein E: A Motor That Puts the Brakes on the Mitotic Checkpoint
Authors: Kenneth W. Wood, Penelope Chua, David Sutton, Jeffrey R. Jackson
Journal: Clinical Cancer Research (2008)

Abstract Cell cycle checkpoints have long been recognized as important nodes for regulating cell proliferation and maintaining genomic integrity. These checkpoints are often altered in cancer and represent promising points for therapeutic intervention. Until recently, direct targeting of the mitotic checkpoint has been an untapped area for cancer drug discovery. Regulation of the mitotic checkpoint is complex, but many of the critical players have been identified and functionally characterized. A substantial number of these proteins can be localized to the kinetochore, a structure located at the centromeric region of each mitotic chromosome. The kinetochore mediates chromosome attachment to spindle microtubules and subsequent chromosome movement. The mitotic checkpoint monitors microtubule attachment and chromosome position on the mitotic spindle, inhibiting progression into anaphase until proper attachment and metaphase positioning is achieved. Centromere-associated protein E is a kinesin microtubule motor protein that plays an essential role in integrating the mechanics of microtubule-chromosome interactions with mitotic checkpoint signaling, and has emerged as a novel target for cancer therapy.
Isolation, characterization, and propagation in vitro of human glomerular endothelial cells.
Authors: G E Striker, C Soderland, D F Bowen-Pope, A M Gown, G Schmer, A Johnson, D Luchtel, R Ross, L J Striker
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1984)

Human glomerular endothelial cells have been isolated, cloned, and characterized. They appeared as the first outgrowth from human glomeruli in the presence of platelet-derived growth factor, which was also a requirement for continuous growth. By phase microscopy they appeared as monolayers of polygonal cells. Von Willebrand's factor (VWF) was detected in the cytoplasm of all clones. Their intermediate filaments differed antigenically from that present in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Like other endothelial cells, they demonstrated high levels of membrane-associated angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE).
C3 LEUKOTACTIC FACTORS PRODUCED BY A TISSUE PROTEASE
Authors: Jeffrey H. Hill, Peter A. Ward
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1969)

When various rat tissues are incubated in homologous serum, a factor chemotactic in vitro for neutrophils is generated. The amount of chemotactic activity is a function of duration of incubation and the quantity of heart tissue or serum employed. Addition of trypsin inhibitor or antibody to the third component of complement (C3) precludes generation of chemotactic activity. In addition, antibody to C3 ablates chemotactic activity even after its formation. Purified human C3 (ß1C-globulin) effectively substitutes for serum in the generation of chemotactic activity by heart tissue. The active product, as determined by gel filtration or by ultracentrifugal analysis in a sucrose density gradient, appears to be a cleavage product of C3 with a molecular weight of approximately 14,000. In addition, a larger C3 fragmentation product varying in molecular weight, depending upon experimental conditions, is also found. The protease in rat heart tissue capable of cleaving C3 into chemotactic fragments is a serine esterase with trypsin-like properties and can be inhibited by organophophorous compounds or trypsin inhibitors. The use of amino acid esters in the manner of competitive substrate inhibition confirms the trypsin-like nature of the protease. The presence of a protease in heart, and presumably in other normal tissues, capable of fragmenting C3 into factors with chemotactic activities may explain the development of the acute inflammatory response when tissues are non-specifically injured. If true, this would reinforce the role of the complement system in the mediation of nonimmunologically induced inflammation.
Premenopausal Mammographic Density in Relation to Cyclic Variations in Endogenous Sex Hormone Levels, Prolactin, and Insulin-like Growth Factors
Authors: Kate Walker, Olivia Fletcher, Nichola Johnson, Ben Coupland, Valerie A. McCormack, Elizabeth Folkerd, Lorna Gibson, Stephen G. Hillier, Jeff M. Holly, Sue Moss, Mitchell Dowsett, Julian Peto, Isabel dos Santos Silva
Journal: Cancer Research (2009)

Abstract Mammographic density is strongly associated with breast cancer risk, and endogenous hormones, which are risk factors for breast cancer, may be involved in the mechanism. This cross-sectional study of 494 premenopausal women is the first to account for cyclic variations in estrogen levels, by measuring urinary estrone glucuronide (E1G) in the periovulatory and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle, and to assess the role of androgens. Computer-assisted density readings were obtained from digitized mammograms. Mean ovulatory E1G level and daily E1G load were both positively associated with percent density before adjustment for body mass index (BMI), with women in the top fourth having 10.2% (95% CI: 2.9%, 18.1%) and 8.9% (1.7%, 16.7%), respectively, higher density than those in the bottom fourth (Ptrend before/after BMI adjustment = 0.006/0.11 and 0.01/0.13, respectively). Neither the peak nor luteal E1G levels were predictive of density after adjustment for E1G levels at other points in the cycle. The plasma androgens testosterone, androstenedione, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate were negatively associated with density. In mutually adjusted analyses, density was positively associated with insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and negatively with IGF-II (Ptrend = 0.006 for both) but not with IGF binding protein-3. There was also weak evidence of a positive association of prolactin with density. The study supports the hypothesis that endogenous hormones affect density in premenopausal women; in particular, it shows a positive association between estrogen levels and density and suggests that the mean level throughout the cycle is the most biologically relevant measure. Most of these hormone-density associations were attenuated with further adjustment for BMI. [Cancer Res 2009;69(16):6490–99]