tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Idiopathic facial aseptic granuloma: a multicentre prospective study of 30 cases
Authors: F. Boralevi, C. Léauté-Labrèze, S. Lepreux, S. Barbarot, J. Mazereeuw-Hautier, C. Eschard, A. Taïeb
Journal: British Journal of Dermatology (2007)

Background Idiopathic facial aseptic granuloma (IFAG) was recently described in a single-centre retrospective study as a skin condition that occurs specifically in childhood. Objectives To improve our epidemiological, clinical and pathological knowledge on IFAG, to search for an infectious aetiology, and to assess therapeutic recommendations. Methods Children presenting with one or several acquired nodules on the face, lasting for at least 1 month, with no evidence of any other recognizable clinical entity such as infantile acne, pilomatrixoma, furuncle, tumour or vascular malformation, were enrolled in a prospective multicentre study from June 2001 to June 2004, involving the main French paediatric dermatology outpatient units. We recorded clinical details about the nodule and its duration, ultrasound study pattern, cultures for bacteria and mycobacteria, and Bartonella henselae and Afipia felis antibody testing. Results Thirty children (17 boys and 13 girls, mean age 3·8 years) were enrolled. Ultrasound studies revealed a solid well-demarcated hypoechoic lesion without calcium deposit. Cultures for bacteria were negative in 70% of cases. Cultures for mycobacteria and cat scratch disease serologies were negative. Antibiotic therapy was ineffective; the lesion healed spontaneously with a mean duration of 11 months. Histological examination, performed in five cases, showed a chronic dermal lymphohistiocytic granuloma with numerous foreign body-type giant cells. Conclusions IFAG is characterized by a painless facial nodule, presenting as a single lesion localized on the cheek, with a prolonged course but spontaneous healing. Oral or local antibiotics are usually ineffective. Regarding the pathophysiology, our study rules out a primary infectious disease, and allows considering IFAG either as a granulomatous process appearing around an embryological residue or as a manifestation to include in the spectrum of granulomatous rosacea in childhood.
Adherence to advance directives: GMC's advance directive is commendable
Authors: A. G Higgs
Journal: BMJ (2003)

Editor—Thompson et al's article on adherence to advance directives is a telling exploration of an increasingly relevant issue.1 The vignette they constructed was comprehensive and robust, leaving no reasonable person in any doubt about the nature and severity of conditions for which the patient would refuse intervention.

The arguments for treating the patient in the face of such a clear instruction seem to amount to no more than seeking loopholes, or high handedly insisting that doctors know best. Both sit uneasily in an era when doctors call for patients to take more responsibility for their illnesses.

Some of the variation in adherence to patients' wishes which they identify may be because, until recently, there was a perceived lack of explicit guidance on what doctors are to do when faced with what, in the United Kingdom, is a contemporary development.

The General Medical Council has recently produced thorough guidelines that intensivists have found useful.2,3 These say that any valid advance refusal is legally binding and must be respected when it is applicable to the patient's present circumstances and when there is no reason to believe that the patient has changed his or her mind.

In contrast, doctors may be lulled into a false sense of security if they take at face value the conclusion of Thompson et al that successful prosecution is unlikely if an advance directive is ignored. The guidelines remove much room for manoeuvre clinicians once thought they had when following patients' instructions. The GMC has produced a compelling advance directive itself, which is to be commended to all those involved in making such decisions.
S121 Individual cell tracking in a transgenic zebrafish inflammation model reveals the fates of inflammatory neutrophils during inflammation resolution
Authors: G. Dixon, C. A. Loynes, X. Wang, P. W. Ingham, M. K. B. Whyte, S. A. Renshaw
Journal: Thorax (2010)

Removal of inflammatory neutrophils from sites of inflammation can occur by a number of routes; into exudates, by apoptosis followed by macrophage clearance and by retrograde chemotaxis. The relative contribution of these disposal mechanisms in vivo has been hard to define, and the lifespan of an in vivo tissue neutrophil has been hard to directly measure. We have generated transgenic zebrafish expressing the fluorescent photo-convertible protein, Kaede, in neutrophils. <h3>Objective</h3> To label individual inflammatory neutrophils and track their fate during inflammation resolution in vivo. <h3>Method</h3> Individual neutrophils were marked by photoconverting the Kaede protein using 405 nm laser light restricted to the individual cell profiles. Known numbers of neutrophils were photoconverted and visualised over 48 h. In subsequent experiments, an inflammatory reaction was induced by sterile tail transection of transparent zebrafish larvae. Kaede labelled neutrophils are recruited to the site of injury where they can be photoconverted and followed using time lapse video microscopy. <h3>Results</h3> By counting the number of remaining photoconverted neutrophils over time, the half-life of a neutrophil was calculated. Our data suggest the lifespan of a zebrafish neutrophil in the tissues is 117.7 (CI 95.67 to 157.8) h, a figure comparable to that inferred for human tissue neutrophils. Timelapse videos reveal a population of neutrophils that migrate away from the site of injury, undergoing retrograde chemotaxis. Whilst neutrophils can migrate away from the site of injury, they are not completely free to do so. The apparent restriction on their behaviour may be due to the presence of a persisting chemical gradient or may reflect an intrinsic feature of neutrophil behaviour. <h3>Conclusions</h3> These data demonstrate the power of this model to inform our understanding of phagocyte behaviour and interaction in vivo.
Helicobacter bilis: bacterial provocateur orchestrates host immune responses to commensal flora in a model of inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: J G Fox
Journal: Gut (2007)

Helicobacter bilis can elicit heterologous immune responses to lower gut flora

The gastrointestinal tracts of mammals, including mice, are colonised with a diverse microecosystem. The caeca of normal conventional mice have been estimated to contain from 100 to 1000 individual species, and the number of bacteria can reach levels of up to 1011 bacteria/g of faeces.1,2 These microorganisms provide essential nutrients for their host and also colonise mucosal niches, which may partly influence the host response against microbial pathogens.2–7 By far, the greatest concentration and different types of bacteria comprising the gastrointestinal microflora of mice and humans reside in the caecum and colon.8,9,10 The fusiform-shaped bacteria, spirochetes and spiral-shaped bacteria were shown by histology to be almost exclusively located in the mucinous secretion overlaying the epithelium of the large bowel, and apparently in intimate association with the epithelial barrier.10 In the 1960s, Schaedler et al 11 colonised germ-free mice with selected bacteria isolated from “normal” mice. He then supplied animal breeders with this series of microorganisms12,13 for use in colonising their mouse colonies. The one known as the Schaedler flora (SF) was the most popular. It contained eight anaerobic bacteria. In 1978, National Cancer Institute revised the SF of eight anaerobic bacteria to standardise the microbiota to be used in colonising axenic (germ-free) rodents. The newly defined microbiota, now known as altered Schaedler flora (ASF), consisted of two lactobacilli, a Bacteroides sp, a spiral-shaped bacterium and four fusiform-shaped, extremely oxygen-sensitive bacteria.14

In the past, monitoring of the gnotobiotic animals relied on examining the morphology of the microorganisms with a limited evaluation of the organisms, biochemical traits and growth characteristics. Most published mouse studies evaluating the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) therefore simply refer to gut flora as …
Discordant Trends in Microvascular Complications in Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes From 1990 to 2002
Authors: Fauzia Mohsin, Maria E Craig, Janine Cusumano, Albert K.F. Chan, Stephen Hing, Jennifer W. Lee, Martin Silink, Neville J. Howard, Kim C. Donaghue
Journal: Diabetes Care (2005)

OBJECTIVE—Since the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial, diabetes management goals have changed. The aims of the present study were to assess complication rates, including nerve abnormalities, in adolescents from 1990 to 2002 and to investigate associated risk factors. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—Cross-sectional analysis of complications was assessed in three study periods (1990–1994 [T1], 1995–1998 [T2], and 1999–2002 [T3]) in adolescents matched for age and diabetes duration (n = 878, median age 14.6 years, median duration 7.5 years). Retinopathy was assessed by seven-field stereoscopic fundal photography, albumin excretion rate (AER) from three consecutive timed overnight urine collections, peripheral nerve function by thermal and vibration thresholds, and autonomic nerve function by cardiovascular reflexes. RESULTS—Retinopathy declined significantly (T1, 49%; T2, 31%; and T3, 24%; P &amp;lt; 0.0001), early elevation of AER (≥7.5 μg/min) declined (38, 30, and 25%, respectively, P = 0.022), and microalbuminuria (AER ≥20 μg/min) declined (7, 3, and 3%, respectively; P = 0.017, T1 vs. T2 and T3). Autonomic nerve abnormalities were unchanged (18, 21, and 18%, respectively; P = 0.60), but peripheral nerve abnormalities increased (12, 19, and 24%, respectively; P = 0.0017). More patients were treated with three or more injections per day (12, 46, and 67%, respectively; P &amp;lt; 0.0001) and insulin dose increased (1.08, 1.17, and 1.22 units · kg−1 · day−1, respectively; P &amp;lt; 0.0001), but median HbA1c (A1C) was unchanged (8.5, 8.5, and 8.4%, respectively). BMI and height SD score increased: BMI 0.46, 0.67, and 0.79, respectively (P &amp;lt; 0.0001), and height −0.09, 0.05, and 0.27, respectively (P &amp;lt; 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS—Retinopathy and microalbuminuria declined over time in this cohort, but the increased rate of peripheral nerve abnormalities is of concern. Despite intensified management (higher insulin dose and more injections), A1C has not changed and remains well above the recommended targets for adolescents.
Preliminary survey of respiratory alterations caused by smoke inhalation in survivors of the Kiss nightclub fire in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Authors: Isabella Albuquerque, Maria Elaine Trevisan, Adriane Pasqualoto, Marisa Gonçalves, Ana Fátima Badaró, Jefferson Moraes, Ana Lucia Prado
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2013)

Background: The Kiss nightclub fire on 27 January 2013 in Santa Maria, Brazil left more than 1000 injured people and 242 deaths in consequence of asphyxiation caused by carbon monoxide and cyanide poisoning and extensive cutaneous burns. The long term respiratory effects caused by smoke inhalation cyanide still poorly understood.  Objective: To identify early respiratory alterations in smoke-inhalation victims.  Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study from assessments carried out by multidisciplinary team of the Integrated Center for Victims of Accident in the University Hospital of Santa Maria in the period from February to May. The physiotherapy assessment consisted of demographic profile, respiratory signs and symptoms (standardized questionnaire), maximal inspiratory pressure (Pimax) and submaximal functional capacity (three-minute step test).  Results: 233 subjects (102F, 131M, mean age 26,94±9,84 years, BMI 23,55 ± 5,99 kg/m2) were evaluated. The most prevalent signs and symptoms were: dry and productive cough (39,91%), alteration of respiratory rhythm (25,75%), fatigue (20,17%), breathlessness (18,02%) and chest pain (14,59%). Among 171 subjects who underwent Pimax measurement, 95 obtained values greater than 80% predicted value, 23 obtained between 60 and 80% of predicted e 56 less than 60% of predicted. The number of steps climbed in 3 minute step test (n=180) was 68,4±16,48 steps.  Conclusions: These preliminary results emphasize the important role of long-term follow up of respiratory symptoms among survivors of the Kiss nightclub fire.
Early interactions of Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium with human small intestinal epithelial explants
Authors: A Haque
Journal: Gut (2004)

<b>Background:</b><i>Salmonella enterica</i> serovar <i>typhimurium</i> (<i>S</i><i>typhimurium</i>) causes invasive gastroenteritis in humans, a disease involving significant penetration of the intestinal mucosa. However, few studies have been undertaken to investigate this interaction directly using differentiated human gut tissue. <b>Aims:</b> To investigate the early interactions of an enteropathogenic strain of <i>S typhimurium</i> with human intestinal mucosa using human intestinal in vitro organ culture (IVOC). <b>Methods:</b> Wild-type and mutant derivatives of <i>S typhimurium</i> TML were used to compare interactions with cultured human epithelial cells, bovine ligated loops, and human intestinal IVOC. <b>Results:</b><i>S typhimurium</i> TML was shown to attach to cultured Caco-2 brush border expressing cells and cause tissue damage and fluid accumulation in a ligated bovine loop model<i>.</i><i>S</i><i>typhimurium</i> TML bound predominantly to the mucus layer of human IVOC explants during the first four hours of IVOC incubation. From four to eight hours of IVOC incubation, small but characteristic foci of attaching and invading <i>S</i><i>typhimurium</i> TML were detected as clusters of bacteria interacting with enterocytes, although there was no evidence for large scale invasion of explant tissues. Ruffling of enterocyte membranes associated with adherent <i>Salmonella</i> was visualised using electron microscopy. <b>Conclusions:</b> Human IVOC can be used as an alternative model for monitoring the interactions between <i>S typhimurium</i> and human intestinal epithelium, thus potentially offering insight into the early stages of human <i>Salmonella</i> induced gastroenteritis.
Progressive Decline in Plethysmographic Lung Volumes in Infants
Authors: Georg Hülskamp, Ah-fong Hoo, Henrik Ljungberg, Sooky Lum, J. Jane Pillow, Janet Stocks
Journal: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (2003)

During the last 30 years, there has been an unexplained trend toward declining values for plethysmographic assessments of lung volume at functional residual capacity (FRC) in infants. The aim of this study was to compare data collected from healthy infants using contemporary equipment with published reference data and to explore reasons for discrepancies. Lung volumes were measured in 32 healthy infants (age, 4-93 weeks; weight, 3.9-12.4 kg) using a new, commercially available infant plethysmograph. Mean (SD) FRC was 19.6 (3.4) ml/kg (within subject coefficient of variation 3.4 [2.3%]), which was on average 7.0 [3.5] ml/kg and 2.3 [1.2] SD (Z) scores lower than the recently collated reference data from an American Thoracic Society task force. A total of 66% of these healthy infants had a FRC that was below the predicted normal range. Comparison of equipment, software, and protocols with those from previous reports revealed the importance of minimization of dead space and of adequate subtraction of all compressible occluded volume when calculating FRC in infants. These findings emphasize the need to establish reference data for lung function tests in infants that are appropriate for the equipment and protocols in current use.
Diagnostic accuracy of enthesis ultrasound in the diagnosis of early spondyloarthritis
Authors: Eugenio de Miguel, Santiago Muñoz-Fernández, Concepción Castillo, Tatiana Cobo-Ibáñez, Emilio Martín-Mola
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2010)

Objective To determine the sensitivity and specificity of enthesis ultrasound for the diagnostic classification of early spondyloarthritis. Methods A cross-sectional, blinded and controlled study. Standardised bilateral ultrasound of six entheses (Madrid sonography enthesitis index (MASEI)) was performed. Accepted diagnostic classification criteria were used as the gold standard. Validity was analysed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Values of p&lt;0.05 were considered significant. Results 113 early spondyloarthritis patients were included (58 women/55 men), 57 non-inflammatory control individuals (29 women/28 men) and 24 inflammatory control individuals (11 women/13 men). The evolution time of spondyloarthritis was 10.9±7.1 months. At least some grade of sacroiliitis on x-ray was present in 59 patients, but only five fulfilled the radiographic sacroiliitis New York criteria. Human leucocyte antigen B27 (HLA-B27) was positive in 42% of patients. No statistical differences were found for the enthesis score among diagnostic spondyloarthritis subtypes form of presentation (axial, peripheral or mixed) or HLA-B27 positivity. The MASEI score achieved statistical significance for gender. The ultrasound score was 23.36±11.40 (mean±SD) in spondyloarthritis patients and 12.26±6.85 and 16.04±9.94 in the non-inflammatory and inflammatory control groups (p&lt;0.001), respectively. The ROC area under the curve was 0.82, and a cut-off point of ≥20 points achieved a likelihood ratio of 5.30 and a specificity of 89.47%. Conclusions Entheses are affected early in spondyloarthritis, and the incidence of involvement is higher in men and independent of the spondyloarthritis diagnostic subtype, HLA-B27 status or presentation pattern. The enthesis ultrasound score seems to have diagnostic accuracy and may be useful for improving the diagnostic accuracy of early spondyloarthritis.
Lack of Association Between Behavioral Inhibition and Psychosocial Adversity Factors in Children at Risk for Anxiety Disorders
Authors: Dina R. Hirshfeld-Becker, Joseph Biederman, Stephen V. Faraone, Natasha Segool, Jennifer Buchwald, Jerrold F. Rosenbaum
Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry (2004)

In a previous controlled study of offspring at risk for anxiety disorders, the authors found that parental panic disorder with comorbid major depression was associated with child behavioral inhibition, the temperamental tendency to be quiet and restrained in unfamiliar situations. To explore whether this association was mediated by environmental factors, the authors examined associations between psychosocial adversity variables and behavioral inhibition in this group of children.Subjects included 200 offspring of parents with panic disorder and/or major depression and 84 comparison children of parents without mood or anxiety disorders. Behavioral inhibition was assessed through laboratory observations. The associations between behavioral inhibition and the following psychosocial factors were examined: socioeconomic status; an index of adversity factors found in previous studies to be additively associated with child psychopathology; family intactness, conflict, expressiveness, and cohesiveness; exposure to parental psychopathology; sibship size; birth order; and gender.The results showed no associations between behavioral inhibition and any of the psychosocial factors in the study group as a whole, despite adequate power to detect medium effect sizes. Among low-risk comparison children only, some definitions of behavioral inhibition were associated with low socioeconomic status, low family cohesion, and female gender.The results suggest that the psychosocial adversity factors examined in this study do not explain the previous finding that offspring of parents with panic disorder are at high risk for behavioral inhibition.
Behavioral toxicology of carbon disulfide and toluene.
Authors: B Weiss, R W Wood, D A Macys
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (1979)

Organic solvents are pervasive in the communal and industrial environments. Although many are potent central nervous system agents, clearly delineated behavioral effects have played only a minor role in the formation of exposure standards. A comprehensive behavioral pharmacology and toxicology of these compounds is one aim of US/USSR collaboration. The current report describes some actions of carbon disulfide and toulene. Earlier data about the actions of carbon disulfide on pigeon operant performance indicated disruption of schedule-controlled key-pecking. Primate data are now described from a situation designed to determine aversive thresholds to electrical stimulation. Effective concentrations of carbon disulfide produced both a rise in the amount of electric shock tolerated and a diminution of the response force exerted by the monkeys. In experiments with toluene, pigeons were shown to elevate key-pecking rate in an operant situation at certain concentrations. Toluene also was studied for its capacity to maintain self-administration in the same way as drugs of abuse. Monkeys worked to gain access to toulene vapor just as they work for opiates or amphetamines. The current experiments demonstrate how comprehensive the range of behavioral toxicology needs to be to deal with environmental health issues.
Baseline Dietary Fiber Intake and Colorectal Adenoma Recurrence in the Wheat Bran Fiber Randomized Trial
Authors: E. T. Jacobs
Journal: JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute (2002)

Background: The Wheat Bran Fiber (WBF) trial was a double-blind, high-fiber versus low-fiber phase III intervention trial in which participants were randomly assigned to receive a cereal fiber supplement of either 2.0 g/day or 13.5 g/day to assess whether a high-fiber supplement could decrease risk of recurrent colorectal adenomas. Although no effect of the supplement on polyp recurrence was observed, participants consumed a baseline average of 17.5 grams of fiber per day, which may have been sufficient to protect against adenoma recurrence. Therefore, we examined whether baseline fiber intake affected colorectal adenoma recurrence or modified the effect of treatment group in the WBF trial participants. Methods: Quartiles of baseline fiber intake were calculated on the basis of the distribution in the study population. Odds ratios (ORs) for adenoma recurrence were calculated using the lowest quartile of fiber intake as the reference. The effect of fiber from specific food sources on adenoma recurrence was also assessed. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results: Adjusted ORs (95% confidence intervals) for adenoma recurrence were 0.79 (0.56 to 1.12), 0.76 (0.54 to 1.08), and 0.83 (0.57 to 1.19) for the second, third, and fourth quartiles, respectively. Fiber from the three primary food sources (fruits; breads, cereals and crackers; and vegetables) had no appreciable effect on adenoma recurrence. Baseline fiber intake also had little effect on adenoma recurrence when the population was stratified by treatment group. In addition, there was no interaction between treatment group and quartile of baseline fiber intake. Conclusions: No association was found between amount of fiber consumed at baseline and adenoma recurrence in the WBF trial participants. The baseline fiber intake, whether considered as a whole or from specific sources, did not modify the effect of treatment group.
Blocking Immunosuppressive Checkpoints for Glioma Therapy: The More the Merrier!
Authors: Maria G. Castro, Gregory J. Baker, Pedro R. Lowenstein
Journal: Clinical Cancer Research (2014)

Immunosuppressive checkpoints mediated by IDO, CTLA4, and PD1/PDL1 play a critical role in glioma progression and the efficacy of immunotherapies. Combined blockade of these immunosuppressive checkpoints in a glioma model elicited long-term survival. This combined blockade adds to the armamentarium of anti-glioma therapies, which could be implemented in clinical trials. Clin Cancer Res; 20(20); 5147-9. ©2014 AACR.