tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Effect of improved home ventilation on asthma control and house dust mite allergen levels
Authors: G. R. Wright, S. Howieson, C. McSharry, A. D. McMahon, R. Chaudhuri, J. Thompson, I. Donnelly, R. G. Brooks, A. Lawson, L. Jolly, L. McAlpine, E. M. King, M. D. Chapman, S. Wood, N. C. Thomson
Journal: Allergy (2009)

The warm, humid environment in modern homes favours the dust mite population, but the effect of improved home ventilation on asthma control has not been established. We tested the hypothesis that a domestic mechanical heat recovery ventilation system (MHRV), in addition to allergen avoidance measures, can improve asthma control by attenuating re-colonization rates.We conducted a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled parallel group trial of the installation of MHRV activated in half the homes of 120 adults with asthma, allergic to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus. All homes had carpets steam cleaned and new bedding and mattress covers at baseline. The primary outcome was morning peak expiratory flow (PEF) at 12 months.At 12 months, the primary end-point; change in mean morning PEF as compared with baseline, did not differ between the MHRV group and the control group (mean difference 13.5 l/min, 95% CI: -2.6 to 29.8, P = 0.10). However, a secondary end-point; evening mean PEF, was significantly improved in the MHRV group (mean difference 24.5 l/min, 95% CI: 8.9-40.1, P = 0.002). Indoor relative humidity was reduced in MHRV homes, but there was no difference between the groups in Der p 1 levels, compared with baseline.The addition of MHRV to house dust mite eradication strategies did not achieve a reduction in mite allergen levels, but did improve evening PEF.
HOW NOT TO BE NERVOUS.
Authors: HUGH T. PATRICK
Journal: JAMA (1903)

Nervousness seems to be the stepchild of medical practice—somewhat disliked, half understood, certainly neglected. For the average practitioner no problem in the theory of organic disease is too profound for attempted solution, no law of life too exalted for his aspiration, no bacillus so small as to elude his pursuit, but with such a triviality as nervousness, its nature, prevention and cure, he seldom seriously occupies his mind. To acquire a working knowledge of the brain is too much bother. To ponder the plain facts of heredity, development and child-rearing is too uninteresting. To cultivate a familiarity with the various passions and emotions, to search out manners of thought and feeling, or even to discover the dominating element in the life of a patient is quite impractical. To take the time to counsel those about to marry or to instruct the mother how not to spoil her children
Myocardial contrast two-dimensional echocardiography: comparison of contrast disappearance rates in normal and underperfused myocardium.
Authors: G Maurer, K Ong, R Haendchen, M Torres, C Tei, F Wood, S Meerbaum, P Shah, E Corday
Journal: Circulation (1984)

A computer algorithm was developed and applied to measure brightness decay rates of myocardial contrast opacification observed with two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE). An agitated mixture of diatrizoate meglumine and saline (Renografin-saline) was injected into the left main coronary artery of 17 closed-chest dogs during the control state as well as after placement of an intracoronary plug to induce 85% stenosis in the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) in five dogs. In 12 dogs, injections were also performed distally to complete intracoronary balloon occlusion of the LAD. For each injection, up to 35 electrocardiographic-gated, end-diastolic 2DE frames were digitized into an image-processing computer that determined mean pixel brightness of each of 12 myocardial segments per 2DE short-axis cross-section. Time-activity curves for each segment were generated, and contrast decay half-life (t 1/2) was calculated. Mean t 1/2 for control-state injections was found to be 24.1 +/- 7.7 sec, as opposed to 293.8 +/- 164.5 sec after complete coronary occlusion (p less than .001). In the five dogs in which 85% LAD stenosis was induced, prolongation of contrast t 1/2 from 18.3 +/- 8.9 sec during control to 44.3 +/- 21.0 sec (p less than .001) after plug insertion occurred in myocardial segments subserved by the stenosed vessel. No significant change occurred in segments that were not supplied by the stenosed vessel (21.9 +/- 9.1 sec during control vs 24.9 +/- 11.6 after plug insertion into the LAD). A reproducibility study of injection-to-injection t 1/2 in the control state indicated a correlation coefficient of r = .84 and a standard error of the estimate (SEE) equal to 5.86 sec, while interobserver t 1/2 reproducibility was r = .91 and SEE = 5.21 sec. The t 1/2 measurement derived by computer analysis of myocardial contrast 2DE may serve as an index for characterization of regional myocardial blood flow and may be applicable to evaluate interventions that alter perfusion.
Hepatitis B Virus Transmission Between Heterosexuals
Authors: Richard Vogt
Journal: JAMA (1987)

<h3>To the Editor.—</h3> The article by Alter et al<sup>1</sup>provided some valuable data on the risk for hepatitis B infection in heterosexual populations. We investigated a cluster of cases of apparently heterosexually transmitted disease in Vermont that sheds additional light on the risk of heterosexually transmitted hepatitis B. <h3>Study.—</h3> Three young heterosexually active young men living in the same small area developed acute cases of hepatitis B between May and July of this year. In the course of identifying sexual contacts who might need hepatitis B immune globulin, the primary physician identified the same sexual contact common to all three cases. The same physician interviewed the index case and determined that she had had eight sexual contacts within the previous six months. Five of her eight sexual contacts were interviewed by the Vermont Department of Health. Serum specimens were obtained from the index case and six contacts. The index
New Diagnostic Skills: Costs and Choices
Authors: JACK A. VENNES
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1977)

Editorial Notes1 May 1977New Diagnostic Skills: Costs and ChoicesJACK A. VENNES, M.D.JACK A. VENNES, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-86-5-650_2 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptSophisticated diagnostic methods are proliferating rapidly. Fiberoptic endoscopy is giving us accurate information in body spaces, from the lateral ventricles to the knees. Month by month, new diagnostic criteria emerge from radionuclide imaging, computerized tomographic (CT) scanning, and ultrasonography. The trend is toward increasing precision, less morbidity, and less invasiveness, with surgery increasingly being reserved for management of preoperatively defined disease. But initial diagnostic costs are higher.The precision and applicability of a diagnostic method are determined in part by the creativity and engineering skills of those who produce the hardware it requires. One of the major determinants of the... This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Veterans Administration Hospital Minneapolis, Minnesota PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics 1 May 1977Volume 86, Issue 5Page: 650-651KeywordsComputed axial tomographyComputersCreativityEndoscopyKneesMorbidityRadionuclide imagingSurgeryUltrasound imaging Issue Published: 1 May 1977 PDF downloadLoading ...
B cells are required for induction of T cell abnormalities in a murine retrovirus-induced immunodeficiency syndrome.
Authors: A Cerny, A W Hügin, R R Hardy, K Hayakawa, R M Zinkernagel, M Makino, H C Morse
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1990)

The role of B cells in induction of phenotypic and functional abnormalities of T cells in a murine retrovirus-induced immunodeficiency syndrome, MAIDS, was evaluated in mice depleted of mature B cells from birth with anti-IgM antibodies (mu-suppressed) and infected at 4 wk of age. Multicolor FACS analyses of CD4+ T cell subsets showed that development of phenotypic abnormalities of these cells at 9 wk after infection was completely inhibited by mu-suppression. Furthermore, induction of impaired proliferative responses to Con A and alloantigens and CTL responses to alloantigens was fully blocked in antibody-treated animals. The extent of virus replication was comparable in spleens of untreated and mu-suppressed mice. Retroviral induction of T cell dysfunction in MAIDS is thus dependent on the presence of B cells, and high level virus expression in mice without B cells has little or no effect on T cell function.
Cellular electrophysiological basis for oxygen radical-induced arrhythmias. A patch-clamp study in guinea pig ventricular myocytes.
Authors: E Cerbai, G Ambrosio, F Porciatti, M Chiariello, A Giotti, A Mugelli
Journal: Circulation (1991)

BACKGROUND Oxygen radicals have been implicated in the pathogenesis of reperfusion arrhythmias. However, the basic electrophysiological alterations accompanying the effects of oxygen radicals on action potential (AP) are poorly understood. METHODS AND RESULTS We investigated the effects of oxygen radicals generated by dihydroxyfumarate (DHF, 5 mM) on AP parameters and on ionic currents in patch-clamped guinea pig ventricular myocytes. DHF consistently caused a marked prolongation of AP duration, which was already significant after 60 seconds of exposure and continued to increase over time. Within 5 minutes, the majority of cells developed early afterdepolarizations (EADs) or became unexcitable. Both AP prolongation and occurrence of EADs were completely prevented in the presence of the oxygen radical scavengers superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). Prolongation of AP duration was accompanied by a marked decreased in time-dependent potassium current (IK) and calcium current (ICa). The inward rectifier K current (IK1) was unaffected, suggesting no widespread changes in membrane properties. IK and ICa alterations were also significantly reduced by SOD and CAT. In additional experiments, intracellular calcium levels were kept constantly low by addition of 200 microM ethyleneglycol-bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetra-acetic acid (EGTA) to the pipette solution. Under these conditions, the effects of DHF on AP duration and the occurrence of EADs were largely prevented. However, EGTA did not prevent cells from becoming unexcitable, nor did it affect the decrease in both IK and ICa upon exposure to DHF. CONCLUSIONS Exposure to an exogenous source of oxygen radicals may induce major electrophysiological alterations in isolated myocytes, which might be related to changes in specific ionic currents and in level of intracellular calcium. These alterations occur with a time course consistent with the rapid onset of ventricular arrhythmias in reperfused hearts.
Functional profile of the isolated uremic nephron: potassium adaptation in the rabbit cortical collecting tubule.
Authors: L G Fine, N Yanagawa, R G Schultze, M Tuck, W Trizna
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (1979)

As a renal function declines in patients and experimental animals with chronic renal disease, potassium homeostasis is maintained by a progressive increase in potassium secretion by the surviving nephrons, a phenomenon known as potassium adaptation. To determine the nephron site and the underlying mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon, studies were performed on normal and 75% nephrectomized rabbits maintained on normal or high-potassium diets. Cortical collecting tubules (CCT) were dissected from the normal and remnant kidneys and perfused in vitro in an artificial solution. In normal CCT mean (+/- SE) net K secretion, JK, (peq/cm per s) was 1.26 +/- 0.43 (normal diet) and 3.27 +/- 0.66 (high-K diet). In uremic CCT, JK was 3.55 +/- 0.60 (normal diet) and 6.83 +/- 0.58 (high-K diet). By reducing the dietary intake of potassium in proportion to the reduction of renal mass in these uremic animals, the adaptation in K secretion was prevented (JK: 1.22 +/- 0.40). Transepithelial potential difference was similar in CCT from normal and uremic animals on a normal diet despite the fact that JK was significantly greater in the latter group. However, in both normal and uremic CCT, the increase in JK caused by potassium loading was associated with an increase in luminal negativity. Uremic CCT underwent significant compensatory hypertrophy regardless of the dietary intake or potassium secretory rates. Plasma aldosterone levels were elevated only in the uremic-high potassium rabbits suggesting that a mineralocorticoid effect on the CCT may be exaggerated when potassium loading is superimposed upon decreased excretory capacity. The activity of Na-K ATPase was comparable in normal and uremic CCT from rabbits on either normal or high-K diets indicating that potassium adaptation may occur independently of changes in the activity of this enzyme. Intracellular potassium content measured chemically and by 42K exchange, was not significantly altered in either normal or uremic CCT when dietary potassium intake was increased, despite the fact the JK was increased under these circumstances. These data indicate that the CCT is an important site of potassium adaptation in the surviving nephrons of animals with reduced renal mass. This adaptation is an intrinsic property of the CCT and is expressed in the absence of a uremic milieu. Potassium adaptation by the uremic CCT is not fixed according to the degree of compensatory hypertrophy but varies according to the excretory requirements of the animal. Transepithelial potential difference and circulating aldosterone levels contribute to the adaptation but neither factor can entirely account for the phenomenon. Potassium adaptation by the CCT occurs in the absence of changes in Na-K ATPase activity and intracellular potassium content.
Syndrome of Rapid Irregular Movements of Eyes and Limbs in Childhood
Authors: G. Pampiglione, M. Maia
Journal: BMJ (1972)

Electroencephalographic (E.E.G.), polyelectromyographic (poly-E.M.G.), and electro-oculographic (E.O.G.) studies were made of 16 young children and babies referred because of prolonged episodes of rapid irregular movements of eyes and limbs (R.I.M.E.L.) sometimes involving also the trunk and head. This unusual syndrome of unknown aetiology developed over a period of a few days and persisted for months or years. In the E.E.G. there were only minor changes, without discharges of any kind during the episodes of involuntary movements, and during sleep the spindles were unusually fast. In the poly-E.M.G. single or multiple spikes appeared as electrical concomitants of brief myoclonic phenomena at irregular intervals and independently in the various groups of muscles examined. In the E.O.G. the frequent episodes of irregular jerky movements of the eyeballs occurred at various intervals and without rhythmicity. On clinical observation alone this syndrome may not be easily separated from other conditions such as myoclonic epilepsy, gross ataxia, tremors, or choreiform syndromes in young children; the peculiar combination of neurophysiological findings is essential in the identification of this unusual disorder.
Inhibition of nuclear factor kappa B activation by intramyocardial adenovirus-mediated gene transfer attenuates ventricular remodelling following myocardial infarction
Authors: Karola Trescher, Oliver Bernecker, Barbara Fellner, Severin Semsroth, Mariann Gyöngyösi, Roman Gottardi, Rainer DeMartin, Ernst Wolner, Bruno Podesser
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2003)
Alcohol: Use and Abuse in America
Authors: Donald W. Goodwin
Journal: JAMA (1987)

Americans may be drinking less alcohol today than at any time since the Pilgrims arrived nearly four centuries ago. One cannot be sure because data on alcohol consumption come from tax records, and some consumption never gets recorded. But probably less untaxed alcohol (moonshine) is consumed today than ever before, and taxed consumption in the 1980s is less than half of what it was in 1791, when alcohol was first taxed. Why the decline? Some Americans prefer marijuana, and this may be one reason. The slimness fad may be another. Nobody knows, but one thing is certain: Americans have always been deeply involved with alcohol. In this richly informative book, Jack Mendelson and Nancy Mello tell just how deeply involved Americans are with drinking. First there was cider, which was pretty tame. Then came the distilled beverages, rum and whiskey, and America quickly acquired a reputation as a "nation of
Antibodies in malarial sera to parasite antigens in the membrane of erythrocytes infected with early asexual stages of Plasmodium falciparum.
Authors: H Perlmann, K Berzins, M Wahlgren, J Carlsson, A Björkman, M E Patarroyo, P Perlmann
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1984)

Monolayers of human erythrocytes (E) infected with Plasmodium falciparum were briefly fixed with 1% glutaraldehyde and air dried. They were then exposed to sera from patients with P. falciparum malaria or from donors immune to this parasite and tested in an indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA). Parasites in infected E were made visible by counterstaining with ethidium bromide. Immunofluorescence (IF) was restricted to the surface of infected E. No antibody binding was detected unless the E were dried, suggesting that the relevant antigens were not available on the outer layers of the E surface. Staining over large parts of the E surface was seen already when the merozoite penetrated noninfected cells and was strong in E containing early stages of the parasite (rings, trophozoites). It was weak or absent from E containing schizonts. Antibodies in sera from different parts of Africa, Colombia, or Sweden reacted similarly with E infected with a Tanzanian P. falciparum strain kept in culture for many years and with parasitized E freshly drawn from African, Swedish, or Colombian patients. All sera from residents of a holoendemic area (Liberia) were IFA positive. In contrast, some sera from Colombian or Swedish patients with primary infection gave negative results. The results of the IFA and of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in which fixed and dried E were the targets were well-correlated, suggesting that the same antibodies were detected by these assays. The antigens involved in the IFA were susceptible to pronase but not to trypsin or neuraminidase. E surface IF was inhibited by lysates of infected E, merozoite extracts, or soluble antigens present in P. falciparum culture supernatants but not by lysates of normal E or ghost extracts. The inhibitory antigens were heat stable (100 degrees C, 5 min). Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by immunoblotting of either antigen-enriched preparations from culture supernatants or merozoite extracts showed that antibodies eluted from monolayers of infected E reacted consistently with a predominant polypeptide of Mr 155,000 and two to four minor polypeptides of lower molecular weights. Metabolic labeling of the parasites with 75Se-methionine indicated that these antigens were parasite derived. We conclude that the antigens involved in these reactions are released from bursting schizonts or merozoites and are deposited in the E membrane in the course of invasion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Instant colour photography in dermatology.
Authors: A Y Finlay, R Marks, E Waddington
Journal: BMJ (1977)

service 50 pence, and several of these are considerably cheaper than the capital outlay required for an insulin syringe pump.We have estimated plasma glucose concentration two-hourly on seven patients.We found that the range of results obtained was less than that of Drs T E T West and C Lowy (14 May, p 1252) and that the plasma glucose concentration at delivery, 5-6±0 3 mmol/l (101 +5-4 mg/100 ml), was lower than they reported.We also measured plasma potassium and found that this did not change.No patient became ketonuric.This demonstrates that it is possible to attain
Indian Rock Art
Authors: Aldona Jonaitis
Journal: JAMA (1978)

<h3>To the Editor.—</h3> As one of the few individuals in the United States who holds a doctorate in American Indian art history, I feel that I must respond to the article by Klaus F. Wellmann, MD, "North American Indian Rock Art and Hallucinogenic Drugs" (239:1524, 1978). While Dr Wellmann admits that his conclusions relating Indian rock art to altered states of consciousness are tentative, he seems unaware that his premise is not only unverifiable, but also that a substantial amount of data suggests that it is wrong. This premise is that certain "wierd," "mysterious" images illustrate a drug-induced, shamanic trance. Although scattered reports of such drug-induced creative activities exist, a careful study of the available literature on shamanism and art demonstrates that rarely does an individual express his visionary experience in an artwork. Ethnographic art, which contains many images that may be strange to Western eyes, is made for a
Adverse Effects of Diabetes on Multiple Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Women: The Strong Heart Study
Authors: Barbara V Howard, Linda D Cowan, Oscar Go, Thomas K Welty, David C Robbins, Elisa T Lee
Journal: Diabetes Care (1998)

OBJECTIVE Many studies have shown that diabetes increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women to a greater extent than in men. One explanation could be that diabetes has more adverse effects on CVD risk factors in women than in men. We compared diabetes-associated differences in CVD risk factors in men and women in the Strong Heart Study, a population-based study of CVD and its risk factors in American Indians. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A total of 1,846 men and 2,703 women between the ages of 45 and 74 years from 13 American Indian communities in three geographic areas underwent an examination that included a medical history; an electrocardiogram; anthropometric and blood pressure measurements; an oral glucose tolerance test; and measurements of fasting plasma lipoproteins, fibrinogen, insulin, HbA1c, and urinary albumin. RESULTS Statistically significantly greater adverse differences in those with diabetes versus those without diabetes were observed in women than in men for waist-to-hip ratio, HDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein (apo)B, apoA1, fibrinogen, and LDL size. In multiple linear regression models adjusting for age, center, sex, and diabetes, the diabetes by sex interaction terms were statistically significant for waist-to-hip ratio, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, apoB, apoA1, fibrinogen, and LDL size. CONCLUSIONS Compared with diabetes-associated differences in men, diabetes in women was related to greater adverse differences in levels of several CVD risk factors. Although the magnitude of the individual diabetes-related differences between men and women was not large, the combined effects of these risk factor differences in diabetic women may be substantial. The apparent greater negative impact of diabetes on CVD risk factors in women may explain, in part, the greater risk for CVD in diabetic women.