tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Are children who play a sport or a musical instrument better at motor imagery than children who do not?: Figure 1
Authors: Abhishikta Dey, Nadia Barnsley, Rahul Mohan, Marianne McCormick, James H McAuley, G Lorimer Moseley
Journal: British Journal of Sports Medicine (2012)

Objective Playing a sport or a musical instrument is presumed to improve motor ability. One would therefore predict that children who play a sport or music are better at motor imagery tasks, which rely on an intact cortical proprioceptive representation and precise motor planning, than children who do not. The authors tested this prediction. Methods This study involved an online questionnaire and then a motor imagery task. The task measured the reaction time (RT) and the accuracy for left/right-hand judgements in children aged 5 to 17 years. Forty pictured hands (20 left), held in various positions and rotated zero, 90°, 180° or 270°, were displayed on a screen. Participants indicated whether the displayed hands were left or right by pressing keys on a keyboard. Results Fifty-seven children (30 boys; mean±SD age=10±3.3 years) participated. The mean±SD RT was 3015.4±1330.0 ms and the accuracy was 73.9±16.6%. There was no difference in RT between children who played sport, music, neither or both (four-level one-way analysis of variance, p=0.85). There was no difference in accuracy between groups either (Kruskal–Wallis, p=0.46). In a secondary analysis, participants whose parents rated them as being ‘clumsy’ were no slower (n.s.) but were about 25% less accurate than those rated coordinated or very coordinated (p&lt;0.05). Conclusion The authors conclude against the intuitively sensible and widely held view that participation in a sport or music is associated with better cortical proprioceptive representation and motor planning. Secondary analyses suggest that parent-rated clumsiness is negatively related to motor imagery performance.
Angiotensin II Activates Collagen Type I Gene in the Renal Vasculature of Transgenic Mice During Inhibition of Nitric Oxide Synthesis
Authors: Jean-Jacques Boffa, Pierre-Louis Tharaux, Sandrine Placier, Raymond Ardaillou, Jean-Claude Dussaule, Christos Chatziantoniou
Journal: Circulation (1999)

Background —Hypertension is frequently associated with renal vascular fibrosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether angiotensin II (Ang II) is involved in this fibrogenic process. Methods and Results —Experiments were performed on transgenic mice harboring the luciferase gene under the control of the collagen I-α 2 chain promoter [procolα 2 (I)]. Hypertension was induced by chronic inhibition of NO synthesis ( N G -nitro- l -arginine methyl ester, L-NAME). Procolα 2 (I) activity started to increase in the renal vasculature after 4 weeks of L-NAME treatment ( P &lt;0.01) and at 14 weeks reached 3- and 8-fold increases over control in afferent arterioles and glomeruli, respectively ( P &lt;0.001). Losartan, an AT 1 receptor antagonist, given simultaneously with L-NAME prevented the increase of procolα 2 (I) levels and attenuated the development of renal vascular fibrosis without normalizing systolic pressure increase. Because we found previously that endothelin mediated renal vascular fibrosis in the L-NAME model, the interaction between Ang II, endothelin, and procolα 2 (I) was investigated in ex vivo and short-term in vivo experiments. In both conditions, the Ang II–induced activation of procolα 2 (I) in renal cortex was blocked by an endothelin receptor antagonist. Conclusions —During chronic inhibition of NO, the collagen I gene becomes activated, leading to the development of renal vascular fibrosis. Ang II is a major player in this fibrogenic process, and its effect on collagen I gene is independent of systemic hemodynamics and is at least partly mediated by the profibrogenic action of endothelin.
Experts voice concerns over safety of prostate cancer monitoring
Authors: A. O'Dowd
Journal: BMJ (2014)

Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF) is upregulated after nerve injury, causes pain on injection, and its blockade reduces pain behavior resulting from nerve injury; thus it is strongly implicated in neuropathic pain. We investigated responses of intact and nerve-injured dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons to locally applied TNF using parallel<i>in vivo</i> and <i>in vitro</i> paradigms. <i>In vivo</i>, TNF (0.1–10 pg/ml) or vehicle was injected into L5 DRG in naive rats and in rats that had received L5 and L6 spinal nerve ligation (SNL) immediately before injection. In naive rats, TNF, but not vehicle, elicited long-lasting allodynia. In SNL rats, subthreshold doses of TNF synergized with nerve injury to elicit faster onset of allodynia and spontaneous pain behavior. Tactile allodynia was present in both injured and adjacent uninjured (L4) dermatomes. Preemptive treatment with the TNF antagonist etanercept reduced SNL-induced allodynia by almost 50%. <i>In vitro</i>, the electrophysiological responses of naive, SNL-injured, or adjacent uninjured DRG to TNF (0.1–1000 pg/ml) were assessed by single-fiber recordings of teased dorsal root microfilaments. <i>In vitro</i> perfusion of TNF (100–1000 pg/ml) to naive DRG evoked short-lasting neuronal discharges. In injured DRG, TNF, at much lower concentrations, elicited earlier onset, markedly higher, and longer-lasting discharges. TNF concentrations that were subthreshold in naive DRG also elicited high-frequency discharges when applied to uninjured, adjacent DRG. We conclude that injured and adjacent uninjured DRG neurons are sensitized to TNF after SNL. Sensitization to endogenous TNF may be essential for the development and maintenance of neuropathic pain.
G-Protein-Coupled Receptors in Adult Neurogenesis
Authors: Van A. Doze, Dianne M. Perez
Journal: Pharmacological Reviews (2012)

The importance of adult neurogenesis has only recently been accepted, resulting in a completely new field of investigation within stem cell biology. The regulation and functional significance of adult neurogenesis is currently an area of highly active research. G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) have emerged as potential modulators of adult neurogenesis. GPCRs represent a class of proteins with significant clinical importance, because approximately 30% of all modern therapeutic treatments target these receptors. GPCRs bind to a large class of neurotransmitters and neuromodulators such as norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin. Besides their typical role in cellular communication, GPCRs are expressed on adult neural stem cells and their progenitors that relay specific signals to regulate the neurogenic process. This review summarizes the field of adult neurogenesis and its methods and specifies the roles of various GPCRs and their signal transduction pathways that are involved in the regulation of adult neural stem cells and their progenitors. Current evidence supporting adult neurogenesis as a model for self-repair in neuropathologic conditions, adult neural stem cell therapeutic strategies, and potential avenues for GPCR-based therapeutics are also discussed.
Examination performance of graduate entry medical students compared with mainstream students
Authors: Melanie J Calvert, Nick M Ross, Nick Freemantle, Yong Xu, Remigio Zvauya, Jim V Parle
Journal: Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine (2009)

Summary Objectives To assess whether medical students on graduate entry/fast- track programmes perform as well as students on standard courses. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting University of Birmingham Medical School. Participants Medical students on graduate entry/fast-track course and standard (5-year) course (‘mainstream’). Main outcome measures Examination marks from all assessments taken simultaneously by graduate entry course (GEC) and mainstream course students once the cohorts have combined: i.e. for the final three years of the programme. Honours awards for 2007 and 2008 graduates. Results In total 19,263 examination results were analysed from 1547 students. Of these 161 were GEC students and 1386 were mainstream medical students. On average mainstream students, male students, overseas students and students of South Asian ethnicity obtained lower examination marks than graduate entry students, female students, home or EU students and students of non-South Asian ethnicity, respectively. Graduate entry students were significantly more likely to achieve honours degrees than mainstream students. Conclusion On average the academic performance of Graduate Entry medical students at the University of Birmingham is better than mainstream medical students.
Physical Activity and Inflammatory Markers Over 10 Years
Authors: Mark Hamer, Severine Sabia, G. David Batty, Martin J. Shipley, Adam G. Tabák, Archana Singh-Manoux, Mika Kivimaki
Journal: Circulation (2012)

Background— Inflammatory processes are putative mechanisms underlying the cardioprotective effects of physical activity. An inverse association between physical activity and inflammation has been demonstrated, but no long-term prospective data are available. We therefore examined the association between physical activity and inflammatory markers over a 10-year follow-up period. Methods and Results— Participants were 4289 men and women (mean age, 49.2 years) from the Whitehall II cohort study. Self-reported physical activity and inflammatory markers (serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and interleukin-6) were measured at baseline (1991) and follow-up (2002). Forty-nine percent of the participants adhered to standard physical activity recommendations for cardiovascular health (2.5 h/wk moderate to vigorous physical activity) across all assessments. Physically active participants at baseline had lower C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 levels, and this difference remained stable over time. Compared with participants who rarely adhered to physical activity guidelines over the 10-year follow-up, the high-adherence group displayed lower log e C-reactive protein (β=−0.07; 95% confidence interval, −0.12 to −0.02) and log e interleukin-6 (β=−0.07; 95% confidence interval, −0.10 to −0.03) at follow-up after adjustment for a range of covariates. Compared with participants who remained stable, those who reported an increase in physical activity of at least 2.5 h/wk displayed lower log e C-reactive protein (β coefficient=−0.05; 95% confidence interval, −0.10 to −0.001) and log e interleukin-6 (β coefficient=−0.06; 95% confidence interval, −0.09 to −0.03) at follow-up. Conclusions— Regular physical activity is associated with lower markers of inflammation over 10 years of follow-up and thus may be important in preventing the proinflammatory state seen with aging.
A Case of Lymphatic Fistula Following Excision of Tuberculous Lymphatic Glands: Cure
Authors: H. M. Jordan
Journal: BMJ (1895)

cepting chemical analysis as a test of digestibilitv, and thoroughly trusting in the permanency of the artificiallypeptonised state of foods and the nutritive quality of desic- cated and pulverised albumen and fibrin?It is evident that there is much in the ethical aspects of the pharmacy of to-day that concerns medical men and has important bearings on the practice of medicine.Pharmacy is undergoing considerable change, but in the midst of the healthy development there is a growth which, in excessive production and the tendency to invade all surrounding interests, is verily of the nature of a cancer.It is destroying the professional spirit in pharmacy.By means savouring of chicanery and advertisements emulating in a refined manner the example of quacks, it is deceiving the public, and it has the effrontery to solicit the aid of medical men by asking them to be the touting agents for its goods.
Validation of the Gail et al. Model for Predicting Individual Breast Cancer Risk
Authors: D. Spiegelman, G. A. Colditz, D. Hunter, E. Hertzmark
Journal: JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute (1994)

Background : The Gail et al. model is considered the best available means for estimating an individual woman's risk of developing breast cancer. Such estimates are useful in decision making on the part of women, in designing prevention trials, and in targeting screening and prevention efforts. Purpose : Our purpose was to evaluate the ability of the model to accurately predict individual breast cancer risk, using a large population independent of the one from which the model was derived. Methods : We compared the number of cancer cases predicted by the model to the actual number of cases observed in the Nurses' Health Study. The study population was 115 172 women who did not have breast cancer at the beginning of the study. Questionnaires were sent to participants every 2 years, seeking data on risk factors and diagnoses of breast cancer. Follow-up compliance was 95% over the 12-year study period. Results : The model overpredicted absolute breast cancer risk by 33% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 28%–39%), with the overprediction more than twofold among premenopausal women (95% CI = 1.9–2.2), among women with extensive family history of breast cancer (95% CI = 1.1–3.9), and among women with age at first birth younger than 20 years (95% CI = 1.3–4.7). The correlation coefficient between observed and predicted risk was 0.67, indicating that the model is less than satisfactory for ranking individual levels of breast cancer risk. Overprediction occurred at all deciles of predicted risk. Conclusions : The model's performance is unsatisfactory for estimating breast cancer risk for individual women aged 25–61 years who do not participate in annual screening. Lower mammography screening rates in the Nurses' Health Study may account for some, but not all, of the discrepancy between observed and predicted cases. Implications : A recent modification of the model by the tamoxifen trial investigators is likely to have provided accurate power calculations. This modified form of the model should be useful for planning other large, population-based studies. [J Natl Cancer Inst 86: 600–607, 1994]
Discovery of cytochrome P450 1B1 inhibitors as new promising anti‐cancer agents
Authors: Young‐Jin Chun, Sanghee Kim
Journal: Medicinal Research Reviews (2003)

Abstract Human cytochrome P450 (CYP)1B1 is a major enzyme for carcinogenic estrogen metabolism and involved in the metabolic activation of procarcinogens of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). CYP1B1 is known to be expressed at a high frequency in various human cancers, but not in normal tissues. It also plays an important role in the metabolism of various anti‐cancer drugs. These findings suggest inhibition of CYP1B1 as a new oncological therapeutic strategy. Several natural and synthetic compounds have been studied in an effort to find the isoform‐specific inhibitors of the CYP1 subfamily. A survey of the inhibitors of CYP1B1 and other related inhibitors of the CYP1 subfamily is provided in this review. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Med Res Rev, 23, No. 6, 657–668, 2003
Possible Association of Body Dysmorphic Disorder With an Occupation or Education in Art and Design
Authors: David Veale, Michelle Ennis, Christina Lambrou
Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry (2002)

OBJECTIVE: The authors hypothesized that because patients with body dysmorphic disorder are preoccupied with their appearance and aesthetics, they are more likely to have an occupation or education in art and design than patients with other psychiatric disorders. METHOD: Information on occupation and higher education or training was extracted from the case notes of 100 consecutive patients with body dysmorphic disorder and compared with the same information for 100 patients with a major depressive episode, 100 with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and 100 with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). RESULTS: Twenty percent of the patients with body dysmorphic disorder had an occupation or education in art or design, compared with 4% of the patients with major depressive episode, 3% of those with OCD, and 0% of those with PTSD. CONCLUSIONS: Onset of body dysmorphic disorder is usually gradual during adolescence, and an education in art and design may be a contributory factor to its development in some patients. An equally plausible explanation is that patients with body dysmorphic disorder tend to have an interest in aesthetics.
The Physician's Role in Minimizing Prehospital Delay in Patients at High Risk for Acute Myocardial Infarction: Recommendations from the National Heart Attack Alert Program
Authors: Kathleen Dracup
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1997)

Physicians and other health care professionals play an important role in reducing the delay to treatment in patients who have an evolving acute myocardial infarction. A multidisciplinary working group has been convened by the National Heart Attack Alert Program (which is coordinated by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health) to address this concern. The working group's recommendations target specific groups of patients: those who are known to have coronary heart disease, atherosclerotic disease of the aorta or peripheral arteries, or cerebrovascular disease. The risk for acute myocardial infarction or death in such patients is five to seven times greater than that in the general population. The working group recommends that these high-risk patients be clearly informed about symptoms that they might have during a coronary occlusion, steps that they should take, the importance of contacting emergency medical services, the need to report to an appropriate facility quickly, treatment options that are available if they present early, and rewards of early treatment in terms of improved quality of life. These instructions should be reviewed frequently and reinforced with appropriate written material, and patients should be encouraged to have a plan and to rehearse it periodically. Because of the important role of the bystander in increasing or decreasing delay to treatment, family members and significant others should be included in all instruction. Finally, physicians' offices and clinics should devise systems to quickly assess patients who telephone or present with symptoms of a possible acute myocardial infarction.
Streptococcal cell walls and synovial cell activation. Stimulation of synovial fibroblast plasminogen activator activity by monocytes treated with group A streptococcal cell wall sonicates and muramyl dipeptide.
Authors: J A Hamilton, J B Zabriskie, L B Lachman, Y S Chen
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1982)

Group A streptococcal peptidoglycan has previously been shown to be arthritogenic in rats and has been implicated as a structure present in a class of possible etiologic agents for rheumatoid arthritis. The present study reports that conditioned medium from human monocytes, after interaction with cell wall sonicates of four group A streptococcal strains, stimulates the plasminogen activator (PA) activity of nonrheumatoid synovial fibroblasts. Low concentrations of N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanyl-D isoglutamine (muramyl dipeptide) can also generate this synovial activator (SA) activity from human monocytes. Preliminary biochemical data suggest that the SA activity is distinct from interferon-gamma, interleukin 1, and interleukin 2. These results indicate that agents that are arthritogenic in rats can modulate human synovial fibroblast functions via monocytes. The findings are proposed to have possible significance for an understanding of the cellular interactions involved in the formation and function of the rheumatoid pannus, because PA has been invoked as possibly being generally important for the processes of cell migration, tissue remodeling, and inflammation.
Prevalence and Determinant Factors of Sarcopenia in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Tae Nyun Kim, Man Sik Park, Sae Jeong Yang, Hye Jin Yoo, Hyun Joo Kang, Wook Song, Ji A. Seo, Sin Gon Kim, Nan Hee Kim, Sei Hyun Baik, Dong Seop Choi, Kyung Mook Choi
Journal: Diabetes Care (2010)

OBJECTIVE We examined prevalence of sarcopenia in Korean patients with type 2 diabetes and compared body compositional parameters between subjects with and without type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The Korean Sarcopenic Obesity Study (KSOS) included 810 subjects (414 patients with diabetes and 396 control subjects) who were examined using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Prevalence of sarcopenia was defined using the skeletal muscle index (SMI). RESULTS Prevalence in patients with diabetes and in the control group was 15.7 and 6.9%, respectively. In both men and women, SMI values were significantly decreased in patients with diabetes compared with subjects without diabetes. Furthermore, multiple logistic regression analysis showed that type 2 diabetes was independently associated with sarcopenia. CONCLUSIONS Type 2 diabetes was associated with increased risk of sarcopenia. These characteristics may contribute to physical disability and metabolic disorders in older adults with diabetes.
MIF production of lymphocytes from patients with rheumatoid arthritis with antigen-antibody complexes.
Authors: M M Eibl, C Sitko
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (1975)

Immune complexes, human erythrocytes coated with human IgG antibody, inhibit the migration of lymphocytes from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. No correlation could be observed between migration inhibition and Waaler-Rose titre (sheep cell agglutination titre) in inidvidual patients. Production of migration inhibitory factor (MIF) could be detected in 16 of 20 cultures of RA lymphocytes incubated with antigen-antibody complexes, when the supernates were tested with guinea pig macrophages. Only two supernates of healthy persons showed migration inhibition activity under these conditions. The results suggest that migration inhibition by antigen antibody complexes in RA represents a true reaction of delayed hypersensitivity.
Maximal Proliferation of Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes Requires Reverse Signaling through Fas Ligand
Authors: Ivy Suzuki, Pamela J. Fink
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1998)

Fas ligand (FasL/CD95L) is best known for its role in delivering apoptotic signals through its receptor, Fas (APO-1/CD95). In this study, we present evidence that FasL has a second role as a signaling receptor. Alloantigen-specific proliferation by multiple FasL− murine CTL lines is depressed compared to that of FasL+ CTL lines. FasL− CTLs kill efficiently on a per recovered cell basis and can achieve wild-type levels of proliferation upon stimulation by optimal doses of anti-CD3, suggesting the lack of a costimulatory signal during antigen stimulation. To test this hypothesis directly, soluble FasIgG, a fusion protein of murine Fas and human IgG1, was added to FasL+ CTLs to demonstrate that blocking cell surface Fas–FasL interactions mimics the depression observed for FasL− CTLs. In addition, plate-bound FasIgG in conjunction with suboptimal anti-CD3 stimulation augments proliferative signals in FasL+ but not FasL− CTLs. In contrast to these results with CD8+ T cells, alloantigen-stimulated FasL− CD4+ T cells proliferate vigorously compared to FasL+ cells. These data demonstrate that reverse signaling through FasL is required for CTLs to achieve maximal proliferation and may provide clues to differences in the homeostatic regulation of activated CD4+ and CD8+ T cells during an immune response.