tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Efonidipine Simultaneously Improves Blood Pressure, Endothelial Function, and Metabolic Parameters in Nondiabetic Patients With Hypertension
Authors: Kwang Kon Koh, Michael J. Quon, Sang Jin Lee, Seung Hwan Han, Jeong Yeal Ahn, Jeong-a Kim, Wook-Jin Chung, Yonghee Lee, Eak Kyun Shin
Journal: Diabetes Care (2007)

Hypertension is characterized by endothelial dysfunction and frequently clusters with metabolic disorders that are characterized by insulin resistance (1,2). These comorbidities may be explained, in part, by reciprocal relationships between endothelial dysfunction and insulin resistance (1). By contrast with calcium channel blockers (CCBs), treatment of hypertension with β-blockers and diuretics is associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes (3). This advantage of CCBs may relate to specific mechanisms that target the vicious synergy between endothelial dysfunction and insulin resistance. CCBs activate nitric oxide (NO) synthase in vitro and enhance NO production in vivo (4). This may impact on the roles of adiponectin, leptin, and resistin to influence metabolic signals, inflammation, and atherosclerosis (5–7).

Efonidipine hydrochloride is a 1,4-dihydropyridine–type CCB with long-lasting vasodilator actions and little reflex tachycardia (8). Efonidipine improves endothelial function in patients with hypertension when compared with doses of nifedipine that result in comparable decreases in mean blood pressure (9). Therefore, we hypothesized that efonidipine therapy may simultaneously improve endothelial dysfunction, adipocytokine profiles, and other metabolic parameters in nondiabetic patients with hypertension.

We evaluated effects of efonidipine in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. Thirty-nine hypertensive patients (systolic blood pressure [SBP] <180 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure [DBP] <110 mmHg) were considered eligible for this study. We excluded patients with severe hypertension, unstable angina, acute myocardial infarction, or renal insufficiency. None of our subjects were diabetic (based on history or criteria according to the Report of the Expert Committee on the Diagnosis and Classification of Diabetes Mellitus [10]) or smokers. To …
Australian Senate votes to allow therapeutic cloning
Authors: Stephen Pincock
Journal: BMJ (2006)

Politicians in Australia's upper house of parliament have voted to lift the country's ban on somatic cell nuclear transfer (cloning), deciding that any moral doubts over the technology were outweighed by the potential for medical advances. 

In a rare vote of conscience last week, 34 of 76 senators voted in favour of a private member's bill sponsored by the former health minister Senator Kay Patterson, and 31 voted against. Eight senators were absent and three abstained. 

If the House of Representatives follows the senators' lead later this month, as most observers expect, scientists will be allowed to use therapeutic cloning to generate stem …
Whither are We Tending?
Authors: Theo. L. Hatch
Journal: JAMA (1899)

Owatonna, Minn., Dec. 13, 1898. <h3>To the Editor:</h3> —Apropos of the commission evil, which is being discussed in theJournal, I can not resist the inclination to say a few words upon this and other evils that pervade the profession. Undoubtedly, there is not a State in the Union that is not infected with the commission evil to a greater or less extent. It may be accounted for in various ways, the principal of which is the overcrowding of the profession everywhere and the consequent scramble for business by many of its members. Probably there are always men in every profession who will stoop to such practices for money, but this is peculiarly true of the medical fraternity. Nor is this the limit to the sacrifice of honor and dignity which the profession is daily making. We have men in the profession who personally go on the street and solicit
Nonselective β-Adrenergic Blockade With Carvedilol Does Not Hinder the Benefits of Exercise Training in Patients With Congestive Heart Failure
Authors: Laura Demopoulos, Michael Yeh, Marco Gentilucci, Marco Testa, Rachel Bijou, Stuart D. Katz, Donna Mancini, Margaret Jones, Thierry H. LeJemtel
Journal: Circulation (1997)

Background Long-term β-adrenergic blockade does not appear to be associated with drug-induced training in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF); whether exercise training can increase peak aerobic capacity in patients with CHF who are treated with β-adrenergic blockers is currently unknown. Methods and Results We studied 23 patients with CHF who were treated with carvedilol or propranolol in addition to ACE inhibitors, furosemide, and digoxin. Of the patients treated with carvedilol, 8 underwent exercise training and 8 remained sedentary. All 7 patients treated with propranolol underwent exercise training. Peak oxygen consumption (mL·kg −1 ·min −1 ) was serially measured in trained and sedentary patients. Peak reactive hyperemia (mL·min −1 ·100 mL −1 ) was determined in the calf and forearm immediately before and after 12 weeks of training. The peak oxygen consumption of trained patients treated with either carvedilol or propranolol increased from 12.9±1.4 to 16.0±1.6 ( P &lt;.001) and 12.4±1.0 to 15.7±0.9 ( P &lt;.001) mL·kg −1 ·min −1 , respectively, whereas it did not change in the sedentary patients. Peak reactive hyperemia increased significantly in the calves but not the forearms of trained patients. Conclusions Long-term, nonselective β-adrenergic blockade with carvedilol or propranolol does not prevent patients with CHF from deriving systemic and regional benefits from physical training.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance–based Metabolomics Discriminates Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia from Cystic Fibrosis
Authors: Paolo Montuschi, Debora Paris, Silvia Montella, Dominique Melck, Virginia Mirra, Giuseppe Santini, Nadia Mores, Enza Montemitro, Fabio Majo, Vincenzina Lucidi, Andrew Bush, Andrea Motta, Francesca Santamaria
Journal: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (2014)
Three Cheers for Logrolling — The Demise of the SGR
Authors: Henry J. Aaron
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (2015)

Interview with Dr. Henry Aaron on new legislation that reforms physician reimbursement under Medicare. (13:00)Download Thanks to old-fashioned vote trading, Congress has finally scrapped the sustainable growth rate formula for calculating Medicare's physician fees, replacing it with new but promising incentives that could catalyze increased efficiency and greater cost control.
Tumor-initiating and promoting activities of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate in vivo and in vitro.
Authors: J M Ward, B A Diwan, M Ohshima, H Hu, H M Schuller, J M Rice
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (1986)

The carcinogenic effects of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), including its potential as an initiator and as a promoter of carcinogenesis, were studied in mouse liver and skin and in rat liver in vivo, and in mouse epidermis-derived JB6 cells in vitro. A mouse model for liver initiation and promotion involved initiation by injection of N-nitrosodiethylamine (DEN) intraperitoneally into male B6C3F1 mice at 4 weeks of age, followed by exposure to either DEHP in the diet (3000, 6000, or 12,000 ppm) or phenobarbital in the drinking water (500 ppm), beginning 1 to 2 weeks later and continuing for periods of from 1 day to 18 months. Female F344/NCr rats were subjected to a similar protocol in which promotion continued for 14 weeks. DEHP promoted focal hepatocellular proliferative lesions (FHPL), including hyperplastic foci and neoplasms initiated by DEN in mice but not in rats. Skin-painting studies in female CD-1 or SENCAR mice involved initiation by a single topical exposure to 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]-anthracene (DMBA) applied to the dorsal skin, followed by repeated percutaneous exposure to a tumor promoter, either DEHP or 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). To test for two-stage skin tumor promotion, SENCAR mice were initiated with DMBA and then TPA was administered for only 2 weeks, after which DEHP was subsequently administered for 26 weeks. DEHP displayed very weak complete promoting activity and definite second stage promoting activity in SENCAR mouse skin, but was inactive under our conditions on CD-1 mouse skin. In vitro promoting activity of DEHP and its hydrolysis products, mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP) and 2-ethylhexanol (EH), was studied by using promotable mouse epidermis-derived JB6 cells. DEHP and MEHP promoted JB6 cells to anchorage independence, while EH did not.
902 LONG-TERM EFFICACY OF NUCLEOS(T)IDE ANALOGS AND CLINICAL USEFULNESS OF HIGHLY SENSITIVE HBV-DNA QUANTIFICATION IN PREDICTING LAMIVUDINE-RESISTANT HBV
Authors: Y. Asahina, N. Tamaki, I. Hirayama, Y. Yasui, T. Tanaka, M. Sato, T. Hosokawa, K. Ueda, H. Ikeda, K. Tsuchiya, H. Nakanishi, J. Itakura, M. Kurosaki, N. Izumi
Journal: Journal of Hepatology (2009)
161 HEPATOPROTECTIVE EFFECT OF CITRULLINE AGAINST ISCHEMIA-REPERFUSION INJURY IN RAT
Authors: F. Moussaoui, A. Binimbi, C.H. Cottart, N. Amen, M. Vamy, V. Nivet-Antoine, L. Cynober, J.P. De Bandt
Journal: Journal of Hepatology (2009)
Magnesia-doped HA/β-TCP ceramics and evaluation of their biocompatibility
Authors: Hyun-Seung Ryu, Kug Sun Hong, Jung-Kun Lee, Deug Joong Kim, Jae Hyup Lee, Bong-Soon Chang, Dong-ho Lee, Choon-Ki Lee, Sung-Soo Chung
Journal: Biomaterials (2003)
Rehabilitation for Frail Nursing Home Residents-Reply
Authors: Meghan B. Gerety
Journal: JAMA (1994)

<h3>In Reply.</h3> —Conservative interpretation of our results is warranted. This is the first randomized trial of PT in nursing home residents and was limited to residents without severe cognitive impairment. Gains in mobility were modest and were not accompanied by significant improvements in other areas of physical function. Significant cost benefits associated with the mobility gains were not discerned, as neither nursing home costs nor total health care costs were lower in the PT group compared with the control group. Physical function (the primary outcome) was evaluated in a comprehensive and reliable manner using a battery of instruments that included performance-based, observer-rated, and self-perceived measures. Specifically, the PDI is a performance-based measure that incorporates areas that are routinely used in practice and research. Range of motion items are performed with standard goniometric techniques. Strength measures use the Nicholas Manual Muscle Tester, which has been shown to be reliable with trained
Magnetic resonance mammography
Authors: M. R. Kell
Journal: BMJ (2010)

Routine use in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients is unsupported

Magnetic resonance imaging enables high definition scanning of tissue without the use of ionising radiation. In the past decade it has become widely used in breast imaging and is a sensitive method of visualising the breast parenchyma and highlighting areas of pathology. Magnetic resonance mammography is now the optimum imaging modality when combined with mammography and ultrasound for screening women at high risk as a result of genetic abnormalities that predispose them to breast cancer.1 The technique can detect occult carcinoma not seen with conventional imaging; it is a useful imaging tool for patients who present with metastatic axillary lymphadenopathy and an occult primary tumour in the breast; and it is useful when assessing response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. However, its routine use in the management of patients with early stage breast cancer may be unwarranted—we have no evidence to support a clear benefit in this setting⇓.



National Cancer Institute/Science Photo Library

The Comparative Effectiveness of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Breast Cancer (COMICE) trial was a multicenter randomised controlled trial conducted in the United Kingdom to assess the impact of magnetic resonance mammography in patients with breast cancer who …
Role of the retinal vascular endothelial cell in ocular disease
Authors: Arpita S. Bharadwaj, Binoy Appukuttan, Phillip A. Wilmarth, Yuzhen Pan, Andrew J. Stempel, Timothy J. Chipps, Eric E. Benedetti, David O. Zamora, Dongseok Choi, Larry L. David, Justine R. Smith
Journal: Progress in Retinal and Eye Research (2012)
Protective effect of apolipoprotein E type 2 allele for late onset Alzheimer disease
Authors: E. H. Corder, A. M. Saunders, N. J. Risch, W. J. Strittmatter, D. E. Schmechel, P. C. Gaskell, J. B. Rimmler, P. A. Locke, P. M. Conneally, K. E. Schmader, G. W. Small, A. D. Roses, J. L. Haines, M. A. Pericak-Vance
Journal: Nature Genetics (1994)
Multicenter Comparison of 18F-FDG and 68Ga-DOTA-Peptide PET/CT for Pulmonary Carcinoid
Authors: Filippo Lococo, Germano Perotti, Giuseppe Cardillo, Chiara De Waure, Angelina Filice, Paolo Graziano, Giulio Rossi, Giorgio Sgarbi, Antonella Stefanelli, Alessandro Giordano, Pierluigi Granone, Guido Rindi, Annibale Versari, Vittoria Rufini
Journal: Clinical Nuclear Medicine (2015)

Purpose The aims of this study were to retrospectively evaluate and compare the detection rate (DR) of 68Ga-DOTA-peptide and 18F-FDG PET/CT in the preoperative workup of patients with pulmonary carcinoid (PC) and to assess the utility of various functional indices obtained with the 2 tracers in predicting the histological characterization of PC, that is, typical versus atypical. Methods Thirty-three consecutive patients with confirmed PC referred for 18F-FDG and 68Ga-DOTA-peptide PET/CT in 2 centers between January 2009 and April 2013 were included. The semiquantitative evaluation included the SUVmax, the SUV of the tumor relative to the maximal liver uptake for 18F-FDG (SUVT/L) or the maximal spleen uptake for 68Ga-DOTA-peptides (SUVT/S), the ratio between SUVmax of 68Ga-DOTA-peptides PET/CT, and the SUVmax of 18F-FDG PET/CT (SUVmax ratio). Histology was used as reference standard. Results Definitive diagnosis consisted of 23 typical carcinoids (TCs) and 10 atypical carcinoids. 18F-FDG PET/CT was positive in 18 cases and negative in 15 (55% DR). 68Ga-DOTA-peptide PET/CT was positive in 26 cases and negative in 7 (79% DR). In the subgroup analysis, 68Ga-DOTA-peptide PET/CT was superior in detecting TC (91% DR; P < 0.001), whereas 18F-FDG PET/CT was superior in detecting atypical carcinoid (100% DR; P = 0.04). The SUVmax ratio was the most accurate semiquantitative index in identifying TC. Conclusions Overall diagnostic performance of PET/CT in detecting PC is optimal when integrating 18F-FDG and 68Ga-DOTA-peptide PET/CT findings. In the subgroup analysis, the SUVmax ratio seems to be the most accurate index in predicting TC. Both methods should be performed when PC is suspected or when the histological subtype is undefined.
Principles of General Neurology: An Introduction to the Basic Principles of Medical and Surgical Neurology
Authors: Frank R. Freemon
Journal: JAMA (1970)

Geared to neither beginner nor expert, this review of basic neurophysiology and neurochemistry addresses the silent majority of clinicians concerned with neurological function but unable to devote a life-time to its study. The author, steering clear of any direct comments on diagnosis and treatment, examines principles of neuronal metabolism, synaptic transmission, electroencephalography, drug action, cerebral blood flow and metabolism, and cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) production. Brain changes during learning are not discussed, nor are functions of various brain subsystems such as cerebellum or limbic system. References to the original literature are not included within the text but an exhaustive list of articles for further reading follows each group of chapters. A complete index allows ready reference to the text material. Though the printing date is 1969, the book reads as if it were written years earlier. For example, the bibliography covering the rapidly changing field of synaptic transmission contains no
A New Approach to the Treatment of Nocturnal Hypoglycemia Using Alpha-Glucosidase Inhibition
Authors: David K McCulloch, Anthony B Kurtz, Robert B Tattersall
Journal: Diabetes Care (1983)

Nocturnal hypoglycemia is common in the diabetic patient on twice-daily regular and intermediate (NPH or lente) insulin regimens because intermediate-acting insulins before the main evening meal produce “unopposed” free insulin peaks around 0300 h, food absorption having been completed much earlier. Fourteen insulin-dependent diabetic patients were treated for 6 wk with the alpha-glucosidase inhibitor, acarbose, in a double-blind crossover study to see whether the drug would delay absorption of the evening meal sufficiently to correct the mismatch and prevent nocturnal hypoglycemia. On 200 mg acarbose (six patients), inhibition of carbohydrate digestion was so profound as to lead to midevening hypoglycemia with severe flatulence and abdominal colic. With a smaller dose of 100 mg before the evening meal (eight patients) there was a significant reduction in MAGE and MBG coupled with a clinically significant reduction in midevening and nocturnal hypoglycemic reactions. Alpha-glucosidase inhibition therefore provides a promising new approach to the problem of nocturnal hypoglycemia although a preparation that is safe for long-term clinical use remains to be found.
Tumor necrosis factor-induced, superoxide-mediated neutrophil accumulation in cold ischemic/reperfused rat liver
Authors: H Shibuya
Journal: Hepatology (1997)

The mechanisms of hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury are complicated and multifactorial. This study was designed to examine superoxide generation and neutrophil accumulation in cold ischemic-reperfused rat livers after elimination of Kupffer cells and to determine the role of superoxide/tumor necrosis factor (TNF) interactions. Rat Kupffer cells were eliminated by liposome-encapsulated dichloromethylene diphosphonate injected intravenously. Livers from control and treated rats were isolated and preserved in University of Wisconsin solution (4°C) for 0, 12, and 24 hours and then perfused for 60 minutes with oxygenated Krebs-Henseleit bicarbonate buffer (37°C) by adding neutrophils into the perfusate. Superoxide generation was measured by using real-time chemiluminescence (CL) during perfusion, and neutrophil accumulation was assessed by measuring myeloperoxidase activity in the liver tissue. In the control livers, CL intensity markedly increased on reoxygenation, and after neutrophil infusion it increased again with a lag period of 10 minutes. Total CL intensity and myeloperoxidase activity increased with the duration of cold preservation. TNF release into the effluent perfusate was detectable only after 24 hours of preservation, and lactate dehydrogenase release was high. Elimination of Kupffer cells attenuated CL intensity and TNF and lactate dehydrogenase release and resulted in reduced myeloperoxidase activity. Electron microscopy revealed amelioration of hepatocyte swelling and endothelial cell disruption when Kupffer cells were eliminated. After 24 hours of preservation, superoxide generation was inhibited in the control livers by anti-TNF antiserum, whereas TNF release was not inhibited by superoxide dismutase. These results suggest that TNF induces superoxide generation by Kupffer cells, which mediates neutrophil accumulation and causes cellular injury in the initial phase of reperfusion.
A Case of Malignant Tumour of the Brain Originating in the Middle Ear: Symptoms Simulating Temporo-Sphenoidal Abscess: Opening of Mastoid Antrum and Cranium: Partial Removal of Tumour: Cessation of Respiration under Chloroform: Tracheotomy: Death Two and a Half Months after Operation
Authors: T. Barr, J. H. Nicoll
Journal: BMJ (1897)

covery takes place, so that treatment by massage, etc., must on no account be relaxed, but kept up for long periods.PATHOLOGICAL ANATOATY.In several cases the nerves have been examined after death, and well-marked evidence of neuritis has been found.Thus Korsakoff and Serbski, ' in a case of septic origin, found degenerative neuritis in both sensory and mixed nerves, the changes being most marked at points furthest from the nerve centres; the ulnar, median, phrenic, and vagus nerves were much degenerated, and there was slight degeneration of the abducens.Lindemann, 12 in his case in which vomiting was the apparent cause, found well-marked general polyneuritis.In a case of Mader's,13 commencing with persistent vomiting of pregnancy, there was found extensive neuritis of the sciatic, tibial, and peroneal nerves, and pigmentalT atrophy of the extensor muscles of the thigh; but by Marchi's method no changes were found in the spinal cord.Finally, in Solowieff's"4 case associated with vomiting in pregnancy, there was neuritis of the phrenic, vagus, peroneal, and median nerves.
Binding of Complement Factor H to Loop 5 of Porin Protein 1A: A Molecular Mechanism of Serum Resistance of Nonsialylated <i>Neisseria gonorrhoeae </i>
Authors: Sanjay Ram, Daniel P. McQuillen, Sunita Gulati, Christopher Elkins, Michael K. Pangburn, Peter A. Rice
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1998)

Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolated from patients with disseminated infection are often of the porin (Por1A) serotype and resist killing by nonimmune normal human serum. The molecular basis of this resistance (termed stable serum resistance) in these strains has not been fully defined but is not related to sialylation of lipooligosaccharide. Here we demonstrate that Por1A bearing gonococcal strains bind more factor H, a critical downregulator of the alternative complement pathway, than their Por1B counterparts. This results in a sevenfold reduction in C3b, which is &amp;gt;75% converted to iC3b. Factor H binding to isogenic gonococcal strains that differed only in their porin serotype, confirmed that Por1A was the acceptor molecule for factor H. We identified a surface exposed region on the Por1A molecule that served as the binding site for factor H. We used gonococcal strains with hybrid Por1A/B molecules that differed in their surface exposed domains to localize the factor H binding site to loop 5 of Por1A. This was confirmed by inhibition of factor H binding using synthetic peptides corresponding to the putative exposed regions of the porin loops. The addition of Por1A loop 5 peptide in a serum bactericidal assay, which inhibited binding of factor H to the bacterial surface, permitted 50% killing of an otherwise completely serum resistant gonococcal strain. Collectively, these data provide a molecular basis to explain serum resistance of Por1A strains of N. gonorrhoeae.