tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
UK government outlines details of free personal care for people most in need
Authors: A. O'Dowd
Journal: BMJ (2009)

The UK government has promised to introduce free personal and social care for older people and disabled adults as part of its legislative plans for the remainder of the current parliament before a general election next year.

In the Queen’s speech on 18 November the government announced details of the Personal Care at Home Bill for England that it intends to introduce. But doubts have been raised about how much can be achieved before an election, which is likely to take place in May 2010.

An anticipated Health Bill, to give legal status to maximum waiting times for some NHS surgery and consultations, was not included in the speech …
Uniphasic insulin responses to secretin stimulation in man
Authors: Roger L. Lerner, Daniel Porte
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (1970)

Secretin-stimulated insulin release was studied in normal subjects. In response to rapid intravenous injections (pulses) of secretin, insulin levels reached a peak between 2 and 5 min and returned to basal levels with 15 min. In contrast to large glucose pulses, increasing secretin pulses did not elicit sustained or prolonged insulin responses. In addition, insulin responses to a pulse and infusion were essentially identical with that of a pulse alone. Increasing secretin pulses given in 1 day were associated with decreasing insulin responses but not when the same pulses of secretin were given over a 2 day period. When time was the sole variable, insulin responses progressively decreased after identical 15-U secretin pulses given every 30 min, but were unchanged when the interval was 105 min. These observations indicate that secretin in contrast to glucose stimulates insulin release which is uniphasic. They suggest that release occurs only from a stored, readily available pool. This insulin pool appears to be relatively small and can be discharged faster than it refills.
Percutaneous portal-systemic shunts: Promise and problems
Authors: David S. Zimmon
Journal: Hepatology (1988)

Original Gianturco expandable stents and their modifications were used to create an experimental intra-hepatic portacaval anastomosis (EIPCA) in 30 young domestic swine without portal hypertension. The study focused on the design of a suitable stent, the technique of its application, the the evaluation of short-term patency of the EIPCA. A stent with a 2.5-cm-long body and wire skirts on both ends was most suitable for EIPCA creation. Well-positioned stents shunted most of the portal blood in the inferior vena cava circulation and remained patent for 4-6 weeks. Ingrowth of liver parenchyma and abundant proliferation of the intima and connective tissue inside the stent lumen in these rapidly growing animals gradually decreased EIPCA patency, and thrombus formation with diminished blood flow closed them completely.
Surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering nanostars for high-precision cancer imaging
Authors: Stefan Harmsen, Ruimin Huang, Matthew A. Wall, Hazem Karabeber, Jason M. Samii, Massimiliano Spaliviero, Julie R. White, Sébastien Monette, Rachael O’Connor, Kenneth L. Pitter, Stephen A. Sastra, Michael Saborowski, Eric C. Holland, Samuel Singer, Kenneth P. Olive, Scott W. Lowe, Ronald G. Blasberg, Moritz F. Kircher
Journal: Science Translational Medicine (2015)

Surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering gold nanostars allow detection of macro- and microscopic foci of premalignant and cancerous lesions in vivo.
Multiple Primary Neoplasms in Blacks Compared to Whites. I. Further Cancers in Patients With Hodgkin's Disease, Leukemia, and Myeloma 2
Authors: Guy R. Newell, Edward T. Krermentz, Jane D. Roberts, B. Kay Kinnear
Journal: JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute (1974)

Incidence of multiple primary neoplasms in patients with Hodgkin's disease, leukemia, and myeloma was determined from 23 years' experience of the Charity Hospital Tumor Registry. Expected cancers were calculated by application of age-, sex-, and race-specific incidence rates to the person-years experience in the registry; these rates were compared to observed cancers. Whites with both Hodgkin's disease and leukemia had an increased risk for subsequent development of skin cancer, but this was thought due to artifacts of reporting. Blacks with leukemia had a significantly increased risk of later lung cancer. White males with myeloma had a 6.6-fold increased risk of subsequent cancer, and, although not statistically significant, this might be accounted for by subsequent cancer of the stomach.
The importance of modeling comorbidity using an intra-individual, time-series approach
Authors: Dana Tzur-Bitan, Nachshon Meiran, Golan Shahar
Journal: Behavioral and Brain Sciences (2010)

We suggest that the network approach to comorbidity (Cramer et al.) is best examined by using longitudinal, multi-measurement, intra-individual data. Employment of time-series analysis to the examination of the generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder comorbidity enables a detailed appreciation of fluctuations and causal trajectories in terms of both symptoms and cognitive vulnerability.
EWS-FLI1 Induces Developmental Abnormalities and Accelerates Sarcoma Formation in a Transgenic Mouse Model
Authors: Patrick P. Lin, Manoj K. Pandey, Fenghua Jin, Shunbin Xiong, Michael Deavers, John M. Parant, Guillermina Lozano
Journal: Cancer Research (2008)

Abstract Ewing's sarcoma is characterized by the t(11;22)(q24:q12) reciprocal translocation. To study the effects of the fusion gene EWS-FLI1 on development and tumor formation, a transgenic mouse model was created. A strategy of conditional expression was used to limit the potentially deleterious effects of EWS-FLI1 to certain tissues. In the absence of Cre recombinase, EWS-FLI1 was not expressed in the EWS-FLI1 transgenic mice, and they had a normal phenotype. When crossed to the Prx1-Cre transgenic mouse, which expresses Cre recombinase in the primitive mesenchymal cells of the embryonic limb bud, the EF mice were noted to have a number of developmental defects of the limbs. These included shortening of the limbs, muscle atrophy, cartilage dysplasia, and immature bone. By itself, EWS-FLI1 did not induce the formation of tumors in the EF transgenic mice. However, in the setting of p53 deletion, EWS-FLI1 accelerated the formation of sarcomas from a median time of 50 to 21 weeks. Furthermore, EWS-FLI1 altered the type of tumor that formed. Conditional deletion of p53 in mesenchymal cells (Prx1-Cre p53lox/lox) produced osteosarcomas as the predominant tumor. The presence of EWS-FLI1 shifted the tumor phenotype to a poorly differentiated sarcoma. The results taken together suggest that EWS-FLI1 inhibits normal limb development and accelerates the formation of poorly differentiated sarcomas. [Cancer Res 2008;68(21):8968–75]
Prolonged manometric recordings of oesophagus and lower oesophageal sphincter in achalasia patients
Authors: M A van Herwaarden
Journal: Gut (2001)

Conventional short term manometry is a valuable tool in the diagnosis of achalasia but the technique may fail to detect intermittent motor events. The aim of this study was to investigate the pattern of lower oesophageal sphincter (LOS) and oesophageal pressures during prolonged recording in patients with achalasia.Eleven patients with idiopathic achalasia were studied. Prolonged combined oesophageal pH and manometric recordings of the pharynx, LOS, and stomach were performed using a pH glass electrode and a multiple lumen assembly incorporating a Dent sleeve connected to a portable water perfused manometric system.LOS pressure varied during the day. Postprandial LOS pressures were lower than those recorded preprandially (1.2 v 1.8 kPa; p=0.005) and basal LOS pressures were significantly higher during phase III of the migrating motor complex than during the subsequent phase I (3.3 v 1.8 kPa; p=0.028). Complete LOS relaxations were occasionally observed in seven patients (0.48/h). Complete LOS relaxations were longer in duration than incomplete LOS relaxations (10.8 v 2.8 s; p=0.01) and 57% of complete relaxations fulfilled the criteria of a transient LOS relaxation (TLOSR). Complete LOS relaxations were associated with oesophageal pressure waves with higher amplitudes and longer durations. In addition, a higher proportion of these oesophageal pressure waves were spontaneous (55.6% v 0%; p<0.02) and multipeaked (72.7% v 0%). During prolonged manometry, high amplitude oesophageal pressure waves (>10 kPa) were recorded in six patients and retrograde oesophageal pressure waves in four, phenomena which were not observed during short term manometry.In contrast with short term stationary manometry, prolonged manometry in achalasia patients revealed the occurrence of complete LOS relaxations, TLOSRs, variations in LOS pressure associated with a meal or phase III, and high amplitude and retrograde oesophageal pressure waves.
Recurrence of hidradenitis suppurativa after surgical management: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Ali Mehdizadeh, Paul G. Hazen, Falk G. Bechara, Nora Zwingerman, Marzyeh Moazenzadeh, Morteza Bashash, R. Gary Sibbald, Afsaneh Alavi
Journal: Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (2015)
Factors influencing quality of life in adult patients with primary brain tumors
Authors: R. Jalali, D. Dutta
Journal: Neuro-Oncology (2012)

We performed a literature review with respect to factors influencing health-related quality of life (QOL) in adults with primary brain tumors. A comprehensive, peer-reviewed literature search was performed including studies examining QOL in adults with high-grade gliomas and low-grade gliomas and in routine neuro-oncology practice. The interpretation and implication of QOL domain scores may be different in high-grade, low-grade, and benign brain tumors. Several patient-related, treatment-related, and sociocultural factors influence QOL scores. Pretreatment baseline QOL domain scores have been shown to be a predictive parameter for survival function. Implementation of QOL scores in routine clinical practice is underused. QOL is an important outcome measure in the treatment of patients with brain tumors and should be incorporated as a surrogate end point along with traditional end points, such as disease-free and overall survival in most current trials.
Rapidly Evolving Physician-Payment Policy — More Than the SGR
Authors: Paul B. Ginsburg
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (2010)

Since 2002, the physician-payment policy that has been closest to home for practicing physicians has involved repeated down-to-the-wire congressional interventions to avert large Medicare payment rate cuts specified by the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula. Less visible, but potentially as important or more important over the longer term, has been a series of steps to revamp the resource-based relative-value scale (RBRVS) underpinning the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS), with the goal of more accurately reflecting the relative costs of providing different physician services. The recently enacted health care reform law, known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), . . .
Comment on Predictors of preterm birth in patients with mild systemic lupus erythematosus by Clowse<i>et al</i>
Authors: Ryo Rokutanda, Mitsumasa Kishimoto, Gautam A Deshpande, Kenichi Yamaguchi, Masato Okada
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2013)

Clowse et al 1 report that ferritin, oestradiol and uric acid level at mid-gestation may predict preterm delivery in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with mild-moderate disease activity. This is a well-done study, but we believe that the authors fail to …
Osteopontin neutralisation abrogates the liver progenitor cell response and fibrogenesis in mice
Authors: J D Coombes, M Swiderska-Syn, L Dollé, D Reid, B Eksteen, L Claridge, M A Briones-Orta, S Shetty, Y H Oo, A Riva, S Chokshi, S Papa, Z Mi, P C Kuo, R Williams, A Canbay, D H Adams, A M Diehl, L A van Grunsven, S S Choi, W K Syn
Journal: Gut (2014)

<h3>Background</h3> Chronic liver injury triggers a progenitor cell repair response, and liver fibrosis occurs when repair becomes deregulated. Previously, we reported that reactivation of the hedgehog pathway promotes fibrogenic liver repair. Osteopontin (OPN) is a hedgehog-target, and a cytokine that is highly upregulated in fibrotic tissues, and regulates stem-cell fate. Thus, we hypothesised that OPN may modulate liver progenitor cell response, and thereby, modulate fibrotic outcomes. We further evaluated the impact of OPN-neutralisation on murine liver fibrosis. <h3>Methods</h3> Liver progenitors (603B and bipotential mouse oval liver) were treated with OPN-neutralising aptamers in the presence or absence of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, to determine if (and how) OPN modulates liver progenitor function. Effects of OPN-neutralisation (using OPN-aptamers or OPN-neutralising antibodies) on liver progenitor cell response and fibrogenesis were assessed in three models of liver fibrosis (carbon tetrachloride, methionine-choline deficient diet, 3,5,-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydrocollidine diet) by quantitative real time (qRT) PCR, Sirius-Red staining, hydroxyproline assay, and semiquantitative double-immunohistochemistry. Finally, OPN expression and liver progenitor response were corroborated in liver tissues obtained from patients with chronic liver disease. <h3>Results</h3> OPN is overexpressed by liver progenitors in humans and mice. In cultured progenitors, OPN enhances viability and wound healing by modulating TGF-β signalling. In vivo, OPN-neutralisation attenuates the liver progenitor cell response, reverses epithelial-mesenchymal-transition in Sox9+ cells, and abrogates liver fibrogenesis. <h3>Conclusions</h3> OPN upregulation during liver injury is a conserved repair response, and influences liver progenitor cell function. OPN-neutralisation abrogates the liver progenitor cell response and fibrogenesis in mouse models of liver fibrosis.
CARTOONS KILL: casualties in animated recreational theater in an objective observational new study of kids' introduction to loss of life
Authors: I. Colman, M. Kingsbury, M. Weeks, A. Ataullahjan, M.-A. Belair, J. Dykxhoorn, K. Hynes, A. Loro, M. S. Martin, K. Naicker, N. Pollock, C. Rusu, J. B. Kirkbride
Journal: BMJ (2014)

<b>Objectives</b> To assess the risk of on-screen death of important characters in children's animated films versus dramatic films for adults. <b>Design</b> Kaplan-Meier survival analysis with Cox regression comparing time to first on-screen death. <b>Setting</b> Authors' television screens, with and without popcorn. <b>Participants</b> Important characters in 45 top grossing children's animated films and a comparison group of 90 top grossing dramatic films for adults. <b>Main outcome measures</b> Time to first on-screen death. <b>Results</b> Important characters in children's animated films were at an increased risk of death compared with characters in dramatic films for adults (hazard ratio 2.52, 95% confidence interval 1.30 to 4.90). Risk of on-screen murder of important characters was higher in children's animated films than in comparison films (2.78, 1.02 to 7.58). <b>Conclusions</b> Rather than being the innocuous form of entertainment they are assumed to be, children's animated films are rife with on-screen death and murder.
Self healing hydrogels composed of amyloid nano fibrils for cell culture and stem cell differentiation
Authors: Reeba S. Jacob, Dhiman Ghosh, Pradeep K. Singh, Santanu K. Basu, Narendra Nath Jha, Subhadeep Das, Pradip K. Sukul, Sachin Patil, Sadhana Sathaye, Ashutosh Kumar, Arindam Chowdhury, Sudip Malik, Shamik Sen, Samir K. Maji
Journal: Biomaterials (2015)
Activation of human macrophages. Comparison of other cytokines with interferon-gamma.
Authors: C F Nathan, T J Prendergast, M E Wiebe, E R Stanley, E Platzer, H G Remold, K Welte, B Y Rubin, H W Murray
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1984)

Cytokines affecting mononuclear phagocytes were screened for activation of human macrophages to secrete H2O2 and kill toxoplasmas. In contrast to recombinant interferon-gamma (rIFN gamma), the following factors, tested in partially or highly purified form and over a wide range of concentrations, did not augment these functions: native interferon-alpha (nIFN alpha), rIFN alpha A, rIFN alpha D, rIFN beta, colony stimulating factor (type 1) (CSF-1), CSF for granulocytes and macrophages (GM-CSF), pluripotent CSF (p-CSF), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), native interleukin 2 (nIL-2), and rIL-2. Partially purified migration inhibitory factor (MIF) enhanced H2O2-releasing capacity submaximally without inducing antitoxoplasma activity, and warrants further study.
Induction of hair growth by skin irritants and its relation to skin protein kinase C isoforms
Authors: None LI, None FIEDLER, None KUMAR
Journal: British Journal of Dermatology (1999)

Induction of hair growth by skin irritants and its relation to skin protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms were evaluated. Dorsal skin of BALB/c mice was shaved and anthralin (0.1% in corn oil) was applied on one side of the shaved backs in 20 mice daily for 5 days. The corresponding opposite side treated with corn oil served as a control. In another 20 mice, sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS, 10% in water) was applied on one side of the shaved backs for 5 days by the same procedure as above and the corresponding opposite side treated with water served as control. Visible acceleration of hair growth on anthralin‐treated skin was observed as early as 14 days after the application of anthralin and significant hair growth was observed at about 17–20 days. Enhancement of hair growth on SDS‐treated skin was observed at about 3 weeks from the beginning of the treatment. None of the mice showed remarkable hair growth on the control side in either group. Mouse skin PKC isoforms levels detected by Western blot showed a similar pattern in both treatment groups. PKC α was downregulated initially, and was then elevated from 3 days after anthralin treatment and 14 days after SDS application. PKC β was unchanged initially, decreased at 8 and 14 days after anthralin and SDS treatment, respectively, and reverted to the control level at 25 days after anthralin treatment, when it was still lower than the control in SDS‐treated skin. PKC δ was also unchanged at first, but was elevated from 3 days after anthralin treatment and 14 days after SDS application. These results suggest that involvement of PKC may be a general phenomenon in irritant‐induced hair growth in mice. Considering the stimulatory effect of PKC α and inhibitory effect of PKC δ on cell growth, we postulate that PKC α may be responsible for enhancement of hair growth while PKC δ may inhibit hair growth to keep the hair growth in balance.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure in oesophageal tissue and risk of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma in north-eastern Iran
Authors: B. Abedi-Ardekani, F. Kamangar, S. M. Hewitt, P. Hainaut, M. Sotoudeh, C. C. Abnet, P. R. Taylor, P. Boffetta, R. Malekzadeh, S. M. Dawsey
Journal: Gut (2010)

<h3>Objective</h3> To evaluate the association between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure in oesophageal epithelial tissue and oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) case status in an ESCC case–control study in a high-risk population in north-eastern Iran. <h3>Methods</h3> Tissue microarrays (TMAs) of non-tumoral oesophageal biopsies from patients with biopsy-proven ESCC and gastrointestinal clinic patients with no endoscopic or biopsy evidence of ESCC (control subjects) in a rural region in north-eastern Iran were immunohistochemically stained. Immunohistochemistry was performed using monoclonal antibodies 8E11 and 5D11 raised against benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) diol epoxide (BPDE)-I-modified guanosine and BPDE-I-modified DNA, respectively. Staining intensity was quantified by image analysis and the average staining in three replicates was calculated. The main outcome measure was adjusted ORs with 95% CIs for the association between antibody staining intensity and ESCC case status. <h3>Results</h3> Cultured ESCC cells exposed to B[a]P in vitro showed dose-dependent staining with 8E11 but not with 5D11. With 8E11, sufficient epithelial tissue was available in the TMA cores to analyse 91 cases and 103 controls. Compared with the lowest quintile of 8E11 staining in the controls, adjusted ORs for the 2nd to 5th quintiles were 2.42, 5.77, 11.3 and 26.6 (95% CI 5.21 to 135), respectively (p for trend &lt;0.001). With 5D11, 89 cases and 101 controls were analysed. No association between staining and case status was observed (ORs for the 2nd to 5th quintiles were 1.26, 0.88, 1.06 and 1.63 (95% CI 0.63 to 4.21), p for trend=0.40). <h3>Conclusions</h3> Dramatically higher levels of 8E11 staining were observed in non-tumoral oesophageal epithelium from patients with ESCC than from control subjects. This finding strengthens the evidence for a causal role for PAHs in oesophageal carcinogenesis in north-eastern Iran.
Positive selection and interallelic recombination at the merozoite surface antigen-1 (MSA-1) locus of Plasmodium falciparum.
Authors: A L Hughes
Journal: Molecular Biology and Evolution (1992)

DNA sequences of alleles at the merozoite surface antigen-1 (MSA-1) gene locus of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum show evidence of repeated past recombination events between alleles. These include both (1) nonreciprocal recombination events that have homogenized certain gene regions among alleles and (2) reciprocal recombination events that have combined allelic segments with divergent evolutionary histories, thereby enhancing allelic diversity. In three different gene regions, the rate of nonsynonymous nucleotide substitution significantly exceeds that of synonymous nucleotide substitution, implying that positive Darwinian selection has acted to diversify alleles at the amino acid level. The MSA-1 polymorphism seems to be quite ancient; the two major allelic types have been maintained for approximately 35 Myr.
Book: The Health of Nations: Infectious Disease, Environmental Change, and Their Effects on National Security and Development
Authors: K. Lee
Journal: BMJ (2002)

Andrew T Price-Smith ![Graphic][1]</img>MIT Press, £15.95, pp 220 ISBN 0 262 66123 3 Rating:![Graphic][2]</img>![Graphic][3]</img> Health matters have increasingly been discussed in recent years within the higher echelons of international policy making, largely as a result of rapidly emerging concerns about health security. Health security is a post cold war concept that recognises the need to address non-military threats to national security. Other non-military threats, such as environmental degradation, population movements, economic instability, and terrorism, are now among the concerns that keep strategic planners awake at night. The growing literature on health security has encouraged non-health specialists to enter the health field and offer the … [1]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif [2]: /embed/inline-graphic-2.gif [3]: /embed/inline-graphic-3.gif