tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
The Adjuvant Effect of Ambient Particulate Matter Is Closely Reflected by the Particulate Oxidant Potential
Authors: Ning Li, Meiying Wang, Lori A. Bramble, Debra A. Schmitz, James J. Schauer, Constantinos Sioutas, Jack R. Harkema, Andre E. Nel
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (2009)

It has been demonstrated that ambient particulate matter (PM) can act as an adjuvant for allergic sensitization. Redox-active organic chemicals on the particle surface play an important role in PM adverse health effects and may determine the adjuvant effect of different particle types according to their potential to perturb redox equilibrium in the immune system.We determined whether the adjuvant effect of ambient fine particles versus ultrafine particles (UFPs) is correlated to their prooxidant potential.We have established an intranasal sensitization model that uses ambient PM as a potential adjuvant for sensitization to ovalbumin (OVA), which enhances the capacity for secondary OVA challenge to induce allergic airway inflammation.UFPs with a greater polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) content and higher oxidant potential enhanced OVA sensitization more readily than did fine particles. This manifests as enhanced allergic inflammation upon secondary OVA challenge, leading to eosinophilic inflammation and mucoid hyperplasia starting at the nasal turbinates all the way down to the small pulmonary airways. The thiol antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine was able to suppress some of these sensitization events.The adjuvant effects of ambient UFP is determined by their oxidant potential, which likely plays a role in changing the redox equilibrium in the mucosal immune system.
Antigenic Variation in Lentiviral Diseases
Authors: Janice E. Clements, Susan L. Gdovin, Ronald C. Montelaro, Opendra Narayan
Journal: Annual Review of Immunology (1988)

Exhausted CD8 T (Tex) cells are a distinct cell lineage that arise during chronic infections and cancers in animal models and humans. Tex cells are characterized by progressive loss of effector functions, high and sustained inhibitory receptor expression, ...Read More
CD14 and IL4R gene polymorphisms modify the effect of day care attendance on serum IgE levels
Authors: Yoichi Suzuki, Satoshi Hattori, Yoichi Mashimo, Makiko Funamizu, Yoichi Kohno, Yoshitaka Okamoto, Akira Hata, Naoki Shimojo
Journal: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (2009)
Risk Factors for Metabolic Syndrome Independently Predict Arterial Stiffness and Endothelial Dysfunction in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease and Minimal Comorbidity
Authors: Pajaree Lilitkarntakul, Neeraj Dhaun, Vanessa Melville, Debbie Kerr, David J. Webb, Jane Goddard
Journal: Diabetes Care (2012)

OBJECTIVE Metabolic syndrome (MS) is common in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), but its contribution to arterial stiffness and endothelial dysfunction in CKD is not well defined. We hypothesized that risk factors for MS would independently predict arterial stiffness and endothelial dysfunction in CKD patients. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Risk factors for MS, carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (CF-PWV) and flow-mediated dilation (FMD) as measures of arterial stiffness and endothelial dysfunction, respectively, were assessed in 113 minimally comorbid CKD patients and in 23 matched control subjects. RESULTS CF-PWV correlated with systolic blood pressure (SBP), waist circumference, and plasma glucose (r2 = 0.25, 0.09, and 0.09; P &amp;lt; 0.01 for all). FMD correlated with SBP (r2 = 0.09; P &amp;lt; 0.01) and waist circumference (r2 = 0.03; P &amp;lt; 0.05). CF-PWV increased progressively (r2 = 0.07; P &amp;lt; 0.01) with increasing number of risk factors for MS. In multiple linear regression, SBP and waist circumference were independent determinants of CF-PWV, whereas only SBP predicted FMD. CONCLUSIONS The number of MS risk factors is an important determinant of arterial stiffness in CKD patients irrespective of the degree of renal impairment. Although BP remains the major determinant of arterial stiffness and endothelial dysfunction, waist circumference independently predicts arterial stiffness. MS risk factors, particularly abdominal girth, are potential targets for future interventional studies in patients with CKD.
Intensity modulated radiotherapy for sinonasal malignancies with a focus on optic pathway preservation
Authors: Alexander Chi, Nam P Nguyen, William Tse, Gill Sobremonte, Patrick Concannon, Angela Zhu
Journal: Journal of Hematology & Oncology (2013)

To assess if intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) can possibly lead to improved local control and lower incidence of vision impairment/blindness in comparison to non-IMRT techniques when treating sinonasal malignancies; what is the most optimal dose constraints for the optic pathway; and the impact of different IMRT strategies on optic pathway sparing in this setting. A literature search in the PubMed databases was conducted in July, 2012. Clinical studies on IMRT and 2D/3D (2 dimensional/3 dimensional) RT for sinonasal malignancies suggest improved local control and lower incidence of severe vision impairment with IMRT in comparison to non-IMRT techniques. As observed in the non-IMRT studies, blindness due to disease progression may occur despite a lack of severe toxicity possibly due to the difficulty of controlling locally very advanced disease with a dose ≤ 70 Gy. Concurrent chemotherapy's influence on the the risk of severe optic toxicity after radiotherapy is unclear. A maximum dose of ≤ 54 Gy with conventional fractionation to the optic pathway may decrease the risk of blindness. Increased magnitude of intensity modulation through increasing the number of segments, beams, and using a combination of coplanar and non-coplanar arrangements may help increase dose conformality and optic pathway sparing when IMRT is used. IMRT optimized with appropriate strategies may be the treatment of choice for the most optimal local control and optic pathway sparing when treating sinonasal malignancy.
Premenopausal Fat Intake and Risk of Breast Cancer
Authors: E. Cho, D. Spiegelman, D. J. Hunter, W. Y. Chen, M. J. Stampfer, G. A. Colditz, W. C. Willett
Journal: JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute (2003)

Background: International comparisons and case–control studies have suggested a positive relation between dietary fat intake and breast cancer risk, but prospective studies, most of them involving postmenopausal women, have not supported this association. We conducted a prospective analysis of the relation between dietary fat intake and breast cancer risk among premenopausal women enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study II. Methods: Dietary fat intake and breast cancer risk were assessed among 90 655 premenopausal women aged 26 to 46 years in 1991. Fat intake was assessed with a food-frequency questionnaire at baseline in 1991 and again in 1995. Breast cancers were self-reported and confirmed by review of pathology reports. Multivariable relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results: During 8 years of follow-up, 714 women developed incident invasive breast cancer. Relative to women in the lowest quintile of fat intake, women in the highest quintile of intake had a slight increased risk of breast cancer (RR = 1.25, 95% CI = 0.98 to 1.59; Ptrend = .06). The increase was associated with intake of animal fat but not vegetable fat; RRs for the increasing quintiles of animal fat intake were 1.00 (referent), 1.28, 1.37, 1.54, and 1.33 (95% CI = 1.02 to 1.73; Ptrend = .002). Intakes of both saturated and monounsaturated fat were related to modestly elevated breast cancer risk. Among food groups contributing to animal fat, red meat and high-fat dairy foods were each associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. Conclusions: Intake of animal fat, mainly from red meat and high-fat dairy foods, during premenopausal years is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.
TWO NEW DRUGS IN EPILEPSY THERAPY
Authors: WILLIAM G. LENNOX
Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry (1946)

Two new drugs increase the range and the effectiveness of the control of epileptic seizures. Trimethyloxazolidine dione (tridione) used alone has proved wonderfully effective in controlling seizures of the petit mal triad; petit mal (pykno-epilepsy), myoclonic jerks and akinetic seizures. In contrast, grand mal convulsions were not helped or were made worse. Psychomotor seizures were occasionally aided by tridione combined with an anticonvulsant drug. Methyl phenyl ethyl hydantoin (mesantoin) used in 35 patients, did not help petit mal, but in approximately one-third of patients subject to frequent major seizures it has replaced diphenyl hydantoin (dilantin) with profit, the benefit resulted either from a reduction in the frequency of convulsions or from an absence of the unpleasant side effects of either muscular incoordination or gum hypertrophy. Generalized rash or somnolence were side effects which limited the usefulness of the drug in many patients.
Pediatric delirium in critical illness: phenomenology, clinical correlates and treatment response in 40 cases in the pediatric intensive care unit
Authors: Jan N. M. Schieveld, Piet L. J. M. Leroy, Jim van Os, Joost Nicolai, Gijs D. Vos, Albert F. G. Leentjens
Journal: Intensive Care Medicine (2007)

To study the phenomenology, clinical correlates, and response to treatment of delirium in critically ill children in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).Descriptive study of a cohort of child psychiatric consultations from a tertiary PICU between January 2002 and December 2005. Demographic data, clinical presentation, and response to treatment of children subsequently diagnosed with delirium were analyzed.Out of 877 admissions (age distribution 0-18 years) arose 61 requests for psychiatric assessment. Of the 61 children, 40 (15 girls and 25 boys) were diagnosed with delirium (cumulative incidence 5%; mean age 7.6 years). Age-specific incidence rates varied from 3% (0-3 years) to 19% (16-18 years). In addition to the classical hypoactive and hyperactive presentations, a third presentation was apparent, characterized mainly by anxiety, with a higher prevalence in boys. All but 2 of the 40 children received antipsychotic medication: 27 (68%) haloperidol, 10 (25%) risperidone, and 1 both in succession. Two children treated with haloperidol experienced an acute torticollis as side effect. All children made a complete recovery from the delirium; five, however, died of their underlying disease.The rate of delirium in critically ill children on a PICU is not negligible, yet prospective studies of the phenomenology, risk factors and treatment of childhood delirium are very rare. Once pediatric delirium has been recognized, it generally responds well to treatment.
Twitch pressures in the assessment of diaphragm weakness.
Authors: A Mier, C Brophy, J Moxham, M Green
Journal: Thorax (1989)

To assess the value of phrenic nerve stimulation in the investigation of diaphragm function, transdiaphragmatic pressures were measured in 20 healthy subjects and in 15 patients with diaphragm weakness, during unilateral and bilateral transcutaneous phrenic nerve stimulation at 1 Hz at functional residual capacity (twitch Pdi). Diaphragm function was initially assessed by measuring transdiaphragmatic pressure during a voluntary manoeuvre, the maximal sniff (sniff Pdi); normal readings were confirmed in the control subjects (102-157 (normal greater than 98) cm H2O in the 10 men, 79-102 (normal greater than 70) cm H2O in the 10 women) and reduced values were found in the 15 patients with diaphragm weakness (7.5-90 cm H2O in the 13 men, 23 and 53 cm H2O in the two women). Twitch Pdi during bilateral phrenic nerve stimulation ranged from 8.8 to 33 cm H2O in the control subjects and from 3.1 to 27 cm H2O in the 10 patients in whom a measurement could be obtained. Bilateral twitch Pdi correlated with sniff Pdi both in the control subjects and in the patients with diaphragm weakness (r = 0.75). Only four patients had a bilateral twitch Pdi below the lowest value seen in the control group, including the three with the lowest sniff Pdi (3.1-8.5 cm H2O). These results indicate that transdiaphragmatic pressure recorded during bilateral phrenic nerve stimulation discriminated between control subjects and patients with known weakness of the diaphragm only when this was severe.
Physiological and Nutritional Regulation of Enzymes of Triacylglycerol Synthesis
Authors: Rosalind A. Coleman, Tal M. Lewin, Deborah M. Muoio
Journal: Annual Review of Nutrition (2000)

Although triacylglycerol stores play the critical role in an organism's ability to withstand fuel deprivation and are strongly associated with such disorders as diabetes, obesity, and atherosclerotic heart disease, information concerning the enzymes of triacylglycerol synthesis, their regulation by hormones, nutrients, and physiological conditions, their mechanisms of action, and the roles of specific isoforms has been limited by a lack of cloned cDNAs and purified proteins. Fortunately, molecular tools for several key enzymes in the synthetic pathway are becoming available. This review summarizes recent studies of these enzymes, their regulation under varying physiological conditions, their purported roles in synthesis of triacylglycerol and related glycerolipids, the possible functions of different isoenzymes, and the evidence for specialized cellular pools of triacylglycerol and glycerolipid intermediates.
On the value of team medical staff: can the “Moneyball” approach be applied to injuries in professional football?
Authors: J W Orchard
Journal: British Journal of Sports Medicine (2009)

How important is the performance of the medical staff to professional sporting team success? Given that medicine is a science, it is surprising that there is no obvious scientific answer to this question. Achieving success in professional sport has traditionally been considered an “art” of coaching rather than a science. If a scientific revolution ever occurs in sports performance analysis, you can read about its early genesis in Moneyball by Michael Lewis.1 Moneyball details the management strategy behind the Oakland Athletics baseball team for about 5 years from the late 1990s. In that time, they were one of the most successful teams in Major League Baseball (MLB), despite having one of the lowest payrolls. An equivalent achievement in the English Premier League (EPL) would be a team like Bolton or Wigan staying in the top echelon for 5 years straight. How did Oakland do it? The cynics would say that they got lucky. Michael Lewis’s story is that they made their own luck. They statistically analysed (with multifactorial regression analysis for the stats geeks) what the real factors were behind winning a baseball game, not necessarily what the coaches thought were the important factors. After looking at the analyses, they worked out that the baseball market for players was inefficient. There were some players who were particularly undervalued in the market (from Oakland’s perspective, including those batters who were very good at drawing walks and had a high on-base percentage2). Oakland’s philosophy is to buy players that are undervalued statistically and, vice versa, to sell overvalued players. They still punch above their weight but less so than they did in the Moneyball years. The cynics would say that their luck has run out. The Moneyball advocates would say that a side effect of Oakland’s success is that the …
Argument Against Hemoperfusion in Drug Overdose
Authors: C. Dumont
Journal: JAMA (1979)

<h3>To the Editor.—</h3> The editorial by Michael C. Gelfand, MD (240:2762, 1979), in a recent issue ofThe Journalpromotes the use of charcoal hemoperfusion in patients with drug overdose and stage IV coma. This more aggressive therapeutic approach was rationalized by a mortality of 34% in such patients, as reported by Arieff and Friedman<sup>1</sup>in 1973. In our experience, patients with severe drug overdose in stage IV coma have had a much lower mortality than that reported by these latter-mentioned authors. This has been accomplished with conservative care, an approach that others<sup>2,3</sup>have shown results in excellent survival. At the Montreal General Hospital, we have had an ongoing prospective study of adult suicidal drug overdose, conducted by the Division of Clinical Pharmacology, which supervises patient care from admission to discharge. Data for the four-year period from 1975 to 1979 show that 942 patients came to the emergency room
QUANTITATION OF CALCIUM METABOLISM. THEORY*
Authors: J.-P. Aubert, F. Bronner, L. J. Richelle
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (1963)

There is general agreement among all who have used Ca45 for kinetic studies in either man or ex- perimental animals that the decrease with time of specific activity of serum calcium can be ex- pressed mathematically by a series of exponential terms.Beyond this, however, opinions diverge, and there is no agreement on either the number of exponential terms needed, the scheme of the body's calcium economy, or the analytical ap- proach for solving the scheme.This paper aims at presenting a general scheme of calcium metab- olism, its resolution by a combination of balance and isotope technics, and a critical review of past work. DEFINITIONS AND NOTATIONGeneral definitions and notation, those that apply to kinetic analysis generally, regardless of whether and how Ca metabolism is analyzed, are as follows: The pool, P, is the sum of two or more compartments, M, in units of mass, between which various exchange processes occur.Exchange is the bidirectional movement of ions between two compartments of a pool without detectable change in compartment size.Isoexchange is the movement of ions of the same element, e.g., Ca45 4=k Ca4O; heteroexchange is that of different elements.This paper will consider only isoionic exchange.Unidirectional entries to and losses from a pool are detectable movements into or out of a pool that may or may not result in a change of pool size.If the amount that enters equals the amount that leaves, pool size does not change, and the pool is in dynamic equilibrium.V designates the rate in units of mass per unit time of an exchange process, and v, that of a unidirectional process.R indicates radioactivity measurements, in counts per minute, or per cent dose; R. indicates specific radioactivity (SA), in counts per minute per milligram Ca, or per cent dose per milligram Ca.Definitions and notations specific to the scheme of Ca metabolism shown in Figure 1 follow.The system under analysis is a central Ca pool, the skeleton and the intestine,
Effectiveness of clinical guidelines for the presumptive treatment of streptococcal pharyngitis in Egyptian children
Authors: Mark C Steinhoff, Mohamed Khalil Abd EI Khalek, Nagwa Khallaf, Hala Salah Hamza, Ahmed El Ayadi, Azza Orabi, Hala Fouad, Moamena Kamel
Journal: The Lancet (1997)

BackgroundPrimary prevention of acute rheumatic fever requires antibiotic treatment of acute streptococcal pharyngitis. In developing countries, clinicians must rely on clinical guidelines for presumptive treatment of streptococcal pharyngitis since bacterial culture and rapid diagnostic tests are not feasible. We evaluated the WHO Acute Respiratory Infection guideline in a large urban paediatric clinic in Egypt.MethodsChildren between 2 and 13 years of age who had a sore throat and pharyngeal erythema were enrolled in the study. Clinical, historical, and demographic information was recorded and a throat culture for group A β-haemolytic streptococci was done. Sensitivity (% of true-positive throat cultures) and specificity (% of true-negative throat cultures) were calculated for each clinical feature. The effect of various guidelines on correct presumptive treatment for throat-culture status was calculated.FindingsOf 451 children with pharyngitis, 107 (24%) had group A β-haemolytic streptococci on throat culture. A purulent exudate was seen in 22% (99/450) of these children and this sign was 31% sensitive and 81% specific for a positive culture. The WHO Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI) guidelines, which suggest treatment for pharyngeal exudate plus enlarged and tender cervical node, were 12% sensitive and 94% specific; 13/107 children with a positive throat culture would correctly receive antibiotics and 323/344 with a negative throat culture would, correctly, not receive antibiotics. Based on our data we propose a modified guideline whereby exudate or large cervical nodes would indicate antibiotic treatment, and this guideline would be 84% sensitive and 40% specific; 90/107 children with a positive throat culture would correctly receive antibiotics and 138/344 with a negative throat culture would, correctly, not receive antibiotics.InterpretationThe WHO ARI clinical guideline has a high specificity but low sensitivity that limits the unnecessary use of antibiotics, but does not treat 88% of children with a positive streptococcal throat culture who are at risk of acute rheumatic fever. A modified guideline may be more useful in this population. Prospective studies of treatment guidelines from many regions are needed to assess their use since the frequency of pharyngitis varies.
Zinc Finger Nucleases Targeting the Human Papillomavirus <i>E7</i> Oncogene Induce <i>E7</i> Disruption and a Transformed Phenotype in HPV16/18-Positive Cervical Cancer Cells
Authors: Wencheng Ding, Zheng Hu, Da Zhu, Xiaohui Jiang, Lan Yu, Xiaoli Wang, Changlin Zhang, Liming Wang, Teng Ji, Kezhen Li, Dan He, Xi Xia, Dan Liu, Jianfeng Zhou, Ding Ma, Hui Wang
Journal: Clinical Cancer Research (2014)

Cervical cancer is mainly caused by infections of high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV). Persistent expression of HR-HPV oncogenes E6 and E7 is implicated in malignant transformation. The aim was to provide proof-of-concept data to support use of zinc finger nucleases (ZFN) targeting HPV E7 to treat HPV-related cervical cancer.We designed and constructed ZFNs that could specifically recognize and cleave HPV16/18 E7 DNA. We tested the cleavage efficiency of selected ZFN16-E7-S2 and ZFN18-E7-S2 by using single-strand annealing (SSA) assay. Cell viability and colony formation assays were used to estimate the inhibition of cell growth that received treatments of ZFNs. Gene disruption of HPV E7 and downstream genes were examined by Western blotting. Cell apoptosis assay was used to test the specificity and efficiency of induction of HPV type-specific apoptosis. We also introduced xenograft formation assays to estimate the potential of inhibition of HPV-related disease.We found ZFN16-E7-S2 and ZFN18-E7-S2 disrupted HPV E7 oncogenes in HPV16/18-positive cervical cancer cells. Both ZFNs effectively led to inhibition of type-specific cervical cancer cell growth, and specifically induced apoptosis of corresponding HPV16- and HPV18-positive cervical cancer cell lines. ZFN16-E7-S2 and ZFN18-E7-S2 also repressed xenograft formation in vivo.ZFNs targeting HPV16/18 E7 could effectively induce disruption of E7 oncogenes and lead to type-specific and efficient growth inhibition and apoptosis of HPV-positive cells. ZFNs targeting HPV16/18 E7 oncogenes could be used as novel therapeutic agents for the treatment of HPV-related cervical cancer.