tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Seasonality of birth in children with diabetes in Europe: multicentre cohort study
Authors: P M Rothwell, S A Gutnikov, P A McKinney, E Schober, C Ionescu-Tirgoviste, A Neu
Journal: BMJ (1999)

There is increasing evidence that environmental factors in early life, particularly viral infections, influence the risk of developing type 1 (insulin dependent) diabetes.1 The high incidence of diabetes in the congenital rubella syndrome suggests that intrauterine infection may be important,1 and the high incidence of enteroviral infection during pregnancy in the mothers of children who subsequently develop type 1 diabetes suggests that other viruses may also be involved.2 Since most common viral infections are seasonal, if a significant proportion of cases of childhood diabetes were caused by intrauterine infection it might be expected that the pattern of dates of birth of affected individuals would be abnormal. We previously reported abnormal seasonality of birth in three large independent populations of children with type 1 diabetes in the United Kingdom,3 and a similar pattern has since been reported in the Netherlands.4 To determine whether regional variation in …
Primary Care Internal Medicine: A Challenging Career Choice for the 1990s
Authors: Mack Lipkin
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1990)

A career in primary care internal medicine can be challenging and rewarding, yet during the last decade fewer medical students have selected training in internal medicine. We wish to inform medical students, their advisors, and other physicians about the field of primary care internal medicine. We define the discipline, compare it with traditional internal medicine and with family practice, and describe features of strong primary care internal medicine training programs. We discuss common misconceptions and concerns about training programs and the career and give examples of career paths chosen by graduates of primary care programs. We encourage students to consider the option of primary care internal medicine when making career decisions and provide faculty advisors unfamiliar with primary care internal medicine training programs with a reference resource.
Lead Poisoning from Glazes
Authors: ANN A. BROWDER
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1972)

Editorial Notes1 April 1972Lead Poisoning from GlazesANN A. BROWDER, M.D., F.A.C.P.ANN A. BROWDER, M.D., F.A.C.P.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-76-4-665_1 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptIn recent years sporadic cases of poisoning involving lead leached from glazes have been reported (1, 2). In 1970 two children in Montreal were poisoned, one of them fatally, by drinking apple juice stored in a handcrafted earthenware jug (3). The previous year all five members of a physician's family were seriously poisoned by lead from Mexican pottery (4). Affected children and adults have had symptoms with a puzzling lack of specificity, including anorexia, abdominal pains, change in bowel habits, fatigue, headache, and convulsions. In retrospect, all these complaints are quite characteristic of the disease.The glazes responsible are the...References1. HARRIS R and ELSEA U: Ceramic glaze as a source of lead poisoning. JAMA 202:544-546, 1967 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. WHITEHEAD T and PRIOR A: Lead poisoning from home-made wine. Lancet 2:1343-1344, 1960 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. KLEIN M, NAMER R, and HARPUR E: Earthenware containers as a source of fatal lead poisoning. N Engl J Med 283:669-672, 1970 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. BLOCK J: The accident that saved five lives. Good House-keeping 169:60-70, 1969 Google Scholar5. MEIKLEJOHN A: The successful prevention of lead poisoning in the glazing of earthenware in the North Staffordshire potteries. Br J Ind Med 20:169-180, 1963 MedlineGoogle Scholar6. Facts About Lead Glazes for Art Potters and Hobbyists. Lead Industries Association, Inc., New York, N.Y., 1971 Google Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: ANN A. BROWDER, M.D., F.A.C.P.Affiliations: College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey at Newark Newark, N.J. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byUse of lead-glazed ceramic ware and lead-based folk remedies in a rural community of Baja California, MexicoAssociation of dental enamel lead levels with risk factors for environmental exposureFood-Associated ToxicantsFurther cases of lead poisoning from wineSevere lead poisoning in a 6-month-old infant 1 April 1972Volume 76, Issue 4Page: 665-665KeywordsAbdominal painChildrenConvulsionsFatigueHabitsHeadachesSpecificity ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 April 1972 PDF downloadLoading ...
Evolutionary sleight of hand: Then, they saw it; now we don't
Authors: Peter F. MacNeilage, Barbara L. Davis
Journal: Behavioral and Brain Sciences (2005)

Arbib's gestural-origins theory does not tell us why or how a subsequent switch to vocal language occurred, and shows no systematic concern with the signalling affordances or constraints of either medium. Our frame/content theory, in contrast, offers both a vocal origin in the invention of kinship terms in a baby-talk context and an explanation for the structure of the currently favored medium.
Barnett (“Barney”) Shanson
Authors: David Shanson
Journal: BMJ (2007)

Soil erosion on southern Piedmont soils remains a problem without application of sound conservation practices. This study was conducted to compare a no-tillage (NT) system with a conventional-tillage (CT) system in row-cropped land under natural rainfall conditions for six continuous years. Runoff and soil loss were continuously monitored from May 1995 to April 2001 from four erosion plots (7.3 m × 12.2 m [24 ft × 40 ft]) in CT and four plots in NT under a corn (<i>Zea mays</i> L.)-soybean (<i>Glycine max</i> L.) rotation in a Mecklenburg sandy clay loam and Enon clay loam (fine mixed, active, thermic, Ultic Hapludalfs) at a Piedmont location. Runoff was significantly less for NT than for CT in three study years; in the other three years no differences between treatments where found. The NT six-year runoff average was 33% lower than the six-year runoff average of CT. The tolerable soil loss level of 7.0 Mg ha<sup>-1</sup> y<sup>-1</sup> (3.1 tn ac<sup>-1</sup> yr<sup>-1</sup>) was exceeded in CT in four study years, while annual NT losses were always below 7.0 Mg ha<sup>-1</sup> y<sup>-1</sup> The six-year soil loss average was 74.7 Mg ha<sup>-1</sup> (33.3 tn ac<sup>-1</sup>) and 2.6 Mg ha<sup>-1</sup> (1.2 tn ac<sup>-1</sup>) for CT and NT, respectively. In CT, most of the soil lost during the six-year study period occurred during rain storms of high intensity. No-till was highly effective at protecting against soil loss during these rain storms.
Evaluating Contrast-Enhancing Brain Lesions in Patients with AIDS by Using Positron Emission Tomography
Authors: Mark A. Pierce
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1995)

Objective: To determine whether a noninvasive method for evaluating contrast-enhancing brain lesions in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) can accurately differentiate between lymphoma and nonlymphoma diagnoses. This method is based on Toxoplasma serologic testing and positron emission tomography. Design: Prospective, nonrandomized, criterion standard clinical study. Setting: An academic center in the mid-southeastern United States. Patients: 20 patients with AIDS and contrast-enhancing brain lesions. Interventions: Positron emission tomographic scanning and Toxoplasma serologic testing. Main Outcome Measure: Diagnoses were confirmed by clinical response, autopsy, or brain biopsy. Results: Eight patients had a confirmed diagnosis of toxoplasmosis, six had lymphoma, four had other diagnoses, and two were not evaluable. Seven of eight patients with toxoplasmosis had positron emission tomographic scans; all of these scans showed hypometabolic lesions consistent with a nonlymphoma diagnosis. The six patients with lymphoma all had hypermetabolic lesions on positron emission tomographic scans. The difference between these two sets of results was statistically significant (P < 0.001, Fisher exact test, two-tailed). The anti-Toxoplasma titer was ≥ 1:4 in all patients with confirmed toxoplasmosis who had serologic testing and in three of six patients with lymphoma. Conclusions: Evaluating contrast-enhancing brain lesions in patients with AIDS by using Toxoplasma serologic testing and positron emission tomography can accurately guide therapy and obviate the need for most brain biopsies in these patients. A larger, national, multicenter study is needed to confirm our findings and to determine the effect of earlier diagnosis and treatment on morbidity and mortality in patients with AIDS and primary central nervous system lymphoma.
SSRIs and persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn
Authors: G. Koren, H. Nordeng
Journal: BMJ (2011)

Observational evidence suggests a link, but causation is yet to be established

Persistent pulmonary hypertension in the newborn is a life threatening neonatal syndrome characterised by failure of reversal at birth of the high vascular resistance seen in the fetal pulmonary circulation.1 The syndrome occurs in 1-2 per 1000 live births, typically in full term babies. The resulting ineffective oxygenation and respiratory failure necessitate respiratory support and drug treatment in an attempt to induce vasodilation of the pulmonary vessels. A cause can be established in some cases, and meconium aspiration, perinatal asphyxia, sepsis, and cardiac malformations are the leading known causes.2 Different series have reported a mortality of 5-10%.1

In 2006 a case-control study found that significantly more mothers of babies with this syndrome than mothers of healthy neonates had reportedly used selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in late pregnancy.3 Subsequent studies assessing this association have produced conflicting results.4 5 6 7

In the linked cohort study (doi:10.1136/bmj.d8012), Kieler and colleagues collected data from more than 1.6 million mother-infant pairs. They found that exposure to SSRIs after 20 weeks’ gestation was associated …
Abstract B18: Western diet-fed mice with inherited cancer predisposition reveal early epigenetic changes and protein markers for colon oncogenesis
Authors: Denis Dermadi Bebek, Satu Valo, Marjaana Pussila, Nima Reyhani, Laura Sarantaus, Minna Nystrom
Journal: Cancer Research (2013)

Abstract Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the Western world. Interactions between genetic and environmental factors, such as diet, are suggested to play a critical role in its etiology. However, the mechanisms that mediate the effects of diet on oncogenesis are largely unknown. We conducted a long-term feeding experiment in the mouse to address epigenetic changes arising in normal colonic mucosa and their functional consequences as putative cancer-predisposing events available for early detection. The quantitative analysis of proteomes and the expression of 94 growth-regulatory genes previously linked to human CRC and aberrant hypermethylation were studied at two time points (5 weeks and 12 months of age) in the heterozygote Mlh1+/- mice analogous to human Lynch syndrome, and wild type Mlh1+/+ littermates, fed with Western-style (WD) or AIN-93G control diet. In the proteome study the most significant expression changes were found in the Mlh1+/- WD mice compared to mice fed with AIN-93G control diet and the 19 identified proteins mainly point to abnormities in energy metabolism and protein unfolding. We further found that in mice carrying Mlh1 mutation and/or fed with WD, histologically normal proximal colonic mucosa exhibited a significant expression decrease in tumor suppressor genes, Dkk1, Slc5a8, Hoxd1, and Socs1. Especially in Dkk1, a secreted antagonist of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway the reduced expression was associated with its promoter hypermethylation. The fact that changes in Dkk1 seem to predispose to neoplasia in the proximal colon and that 5 out of 6 mice with neoplastic colonic lesions were fed with WD suggests that the found expression changes are early markers for oncogenesis. Citation Format: Denis Dermadi Bebek, Satu Valo, Marjaana Pussila, Nima Reyhani, Laura Sarantaus, Minna Nystrom. Western diet-fed mice with inherited cancer predisposition reveal early epigenetic changes and protein markers for colon oncogenesis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Chromatin and Epigenetics in Cancer; Jun 19-22, 2013; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(13 Suppl):Abstract nr B18.
NICE's recommendations for thromboembolism are not evidence based
Authors: M. Welfare
Journal: BMJ (2011)

A Radio 4 Face the Facts programme earlier this year placed hospitals and doctors who do not assess patients for risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in the dock alongside fraudsters (www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b012fqss). But do the facts support prophylaxis for the largest group at risk—medical inpatients? Deaths from VTE are important and tragic for individuals and families. I support government led safety initiatives, and actively participated in the Clostridium difficile reduction programme. But we need targets and treatments to be driven by evidence—not politics.

A House of Commons health committee report in 2005, partly in response to lobbying by the thrombosis charity Lifeblood, recommended prophylaxis, with an unreferenced claim that 25?000 people die each year from VTE that is contracted in hospital. A report from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) made almost the same recommendations. In the Radio 4 programme Bruce Keogh described the adoption of these recommendations his first priority as NHS director. NICE has a reputation for robust analysis of risk benefit and in particular cost benefit, and claims, “We always use the best available evidence in all our work and we are free from …
Cytosine Deamination Plays a Primary Role in the Evolution of Mammalian Isochores
Authors: Karl J. Fryxell, Emile Zuckerkandl
Journal: Molecular Biology and Evolution (2000)

DNA melting is rate-limiting for cytosine deamination, from which we infer that the rate of cytosine deamination should decline twofold for each 10% increase in GC content. Analysis of human DNA sequence data confirms that this is the case for 5-methylcytosine. Several lines of evidence further confirm that it is also the case for unmethylated cytosine and that cytosine deamination causes the majority of all C→T and G→A transitions in mammals. Thus, cytosine deamination and DNA base composition each affect the other, forming a positive feedback loop that facilitates divergent genetic drift to high or low GC content. Because a 10°C increase in temperature in vitro increases the rate of cytosine deamination 5.7-fold, cytosine deamination must be highly dependent on body temperature, which is consistent with the dramatic differences between the isochores of warm-blooded versus cold-blooded vertebrates. Because this process involves both DNA melting and positive feedback, it would be expected to spread progressively (in evolutionary time) down the length of the chromosome, which is consistent with the large size of isochores in modern mammals.
Harnessing FOXP3+ regulatory T cells for transplantation tolerance
Authors: Herman Waldmann, Robert Hilbrands, Duncan Howie, Stephen Cobbold
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (2014)

Early demonstrations that mice could be tolerized to transplanted tissues with short courses of immunosuppressive therapy and that with regard to tolerance to self, CD4+FOXP3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) appeared to play a critical role, have catalyzed strategies to harness FOXP3-dependent processes to control rejection in human transplantation. This review seeks to examine the scientific underpinning for this new approach to finesse immunosuppression.
ETIOLOGY OF OROYA FEVER
Authors: Hideyo Noguchi
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1927)

The pathological changes observed in the organs in Macacus rhesus monkeys which have succumbed to severe infection with Bartonella bacilliformis are similar to those found in human organs in persons dying of Oroya fever. The characteristic changes in the liver are the zonal necrosis of the cells around the hepatic veins, involving active macrophagocytosis of invading polymorphonuclear leucocytes in the necrotic areas, and a marked endothelial hyperplasia in the sinusoids or around the portal veins. In some instances there is fatty infiltration of hepatic cells. In the spleen persistent hyperplasia of the endothelial cells of the capillaries leads to the formation of minute foci of infarction, owing to occlusion of the lumina. The follicles are dispersed or reduced, and there is an active macrophagocytosis of cellular débris, polymorphonuclear leucocytes, and erythrocytes. In some specimens an increase in normoblasts is noted. Pigment is sometimes present. The lymphatic system shows general progressive endothelial hyperplasia, with active invasion of macrophages which contain polymorphonuclear leucocytes, erythrocytes, and greenish or dark pigments. In the bone marrow there is increased activity of macrophagocytes. Numerous normoblasts are found in some instances. In one monkey, sacrificed during the course of infection, small, verruga-like nodules were found in the lungs and spleen. Bartonella bacilliformis has been detected microscopically, though in small numbers, in all tissues showing histological changes. Parallel cultural determinations of the presence of Bartonella bacilliformis in the blood, liver, spleen, lymphatic glands, bone marrow, and local lesions established the relationship between the pathological conditions and the presence of the parasite. The organism seems to persist longest in the lymphatic glands. Cultural methods offer a simple and conclusive means for the determination of the presence or absence of the infecting organism.
Troponin-I and C-reactive protein have independent value for prediction of long-term risk after acute coronary syndromes: Utility of troponin-I is increased for women
Authors: Mahtab Sohrevardi, Joseph B. Muhlestein, Heath U. Jones, Donald L. Lappé, Dale G. Renlund, Benjamin D. Horne, Tami L. Bair, Robert R. Pearson, Chloe A. Allen Maycook, Stephanie V. Moore, John F. Carlquist, Jeffrey L. Anderson
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2003)
Cardiac Metallothionein Induction Plays the Major Role in the Prevention of Diabetic Cardiomyopathy by Zinc Supplementation
Authors: Jianxun Wang, Ye Song, Laila Elsherif, Zhenyuan Song, Guihua Zhou, Sumanth D. Prabhu, Jack T. Saari, Lu Cai
Journal: Circulation (2006)

Background— Our previous studies showed that transgenic mice that overexpress cardiac-specific metallothionein (MT) are highly resistant to diabetes-induced cardiomyopathy. Zinc is the major metal that binds to MT under physiological conditions and is a potent inducer of MT. The present study therefore explored whether zinc supplementation can protect against diabetic cardiomyopathy through cardiac MT induction. Methods and Results— Diabetes was induced in mice (C57BL/6J strain) by a single injection of streptozotocin. Half were supplemented intraperitoneally with zinc sulfate (5 mg/kg) every other day for 3 months. After zinc supplementation, mice were maintained for 3 more months and then examined for cardiomyopathy by functional and morphological analysis. Significant increases in cardiac morphological impairment, fibrosis, and dysfunction were observed in diabetic mice but not in diabetic mice supplemented with zinc. Zinc supplementation also induced a significant increase in cardiac MT expression. The role of MT in cardiac protection by zinc supplementation was examined in cultured cardiac cells that were directly exposed to high levels of glucose (HG) and free fatty acid (FFA) (palmitate), treatment that mimics diabetic conditions. Cell survival rate was significantly decreased for cells exposed to HG/FFA but did not change for cells exposed to HG/FFA and pretreated with zinc or low-dose cadmium, each of which induces significant MT synthesis. When MT expression was silenced with the use of MT small-interfering RNA, the preventive effect of pretreatment with zinc or low-dose cadmium was abolished. Conclusions— These results suggest that the prevention of diabetic cardiomyopathy by zinc supplementation is predominantly mediated by an increase in cardiac MT.
Characterizing Vulnerable Plaque Features With Intravascular Elastography
Authors: Johannes A. Schaar, Chris L. de Korte, Frits Mastik, Chaylendra Strijder, Gerard Pasterkamp, Eric Boersma, Patrick W. Serruys, Anton F.W. van der Steen
Journal: Circulation (2003)

Background— In vivo detection of vulnerable plaques is presently limited by a lack of diagnostic tools. Intravascular ultrasound elastography is a new technique based on intravascular ultrasound and has the potential to differentiate between different plaques phenotypes. However, the predictive value of intravascular elastography to detect vulnerable plaques had not been studied. Methods and Results— Postmortem coronary arteries were investigated with intravascular elastography and subsequently processed for histology. In histology, a vulnerable plaque was defined as a plaque consisting of a thin cap (&lt;250 μm) with moderate to heavy macrophage infiltration and at least 40% of atheroma. In elastography, a vulnerable plaque was defined as a plaque with a high strain region at the surface with adjacent low strain regions. In 24 diseased coronary arteries, we studied 54 cross sections. In histology, 26 vulnerable plaques and 28 nonvulnerable plaques were found. Receiver operator characteristic analysis revealed a maximum predictive power for a strain value threshold of 1.26%. The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve was 0.85. The sensitivity was 88%, and the specificity was 89% to detect vulnerable plaques. Linear regression showed high correlation between the strain in caps and the amount of macrophages ( P &lt;0.006) and an inverse relation between the amount of smooth muscle cells and strain ( P &lt;0.0001). Plaques, which are declared vulnerable in elastography, have a thinner cap than nonvulnerable plaques ( P &lt;0.0001). Conclusions— Intravascular elastography has a high sensitivity and specificity to detect vulnerable plaques in vitro.
Human somatic mutation assays as biomarkers of carcinogenesis.
Authors: P J Compton, K Hooper, M T Smith
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (1991)

This paper describes four assays that detect somatic gene mutations in humans: the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase assay, the glycophorin A assay, the HLA-A assay, and the sickle cell hemoglobin assay. Somatic gene mutation can be considered a biomarker of carcinogenesis, and assays for somatic mutation may assist epidemiologists in studies that attempt to identify factors associated with increased risks of cancer. Practical aspects of the use of these assays are discussed.