tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Long-term results of catheter ablation of idiopathic right ventricular tachycardia.
Authors: F Morady, A H Kadish, L DiCarlo, W H Kou, S Winston, M deBuitlier, H Calkins, S Rosenheck, J Sousa
Journal: Circulation (1990)

Ten consecutive patients with recurrent episodes of symptomatic, idiopathic, sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (VT) originating in the right ventricle underwent an attempt at catheter ablation of the ventricular tachycardia. There were seven women and three men, with a mean age of 39 +/- 14 years (+/- SD). None of the patients had any evidence of structural heart disease. The VT had a left bundle branch block configuration and an inferior axis in each patient, and the mean cycle length was 313 +/- 75 msec. Based on the methods of induction of the VT and the response of the VT to verapamil, the VT mechanism was presumed to be reentry in six patients, triggered activity in three patients, and catecholamine-sensitive automaticity in one patient. Sites for ablation were guided by pace mapping, and an appropriate target site was identified in the right ventricular outflow tract in each patient. From one to three shocks of 100-360 J (mean total, 336 +/- 195 J) were delivered from a defibrillator between the tip of the ablation catheter (cathode) and a patch electrode on the anterior chest (anode). An electrophysiology test 7-9 days after ablation demonstrated that VT was still inducible in only one patient, who was treated with amiodarone. One other patient had a recurrence of VT 3 weeks after ablation and was treated with verapamil. Eight of 10 patients were not treated with antiarrhythmic medications and have had no episodes of symptomatic VT during 15-68 months of follow-up (mean follow-up, 33 +/- 18 months). There were no acute or long-term complications.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
THE EFFECT OF CELLS TRANSFERRED INTO THE MOUSE BLASTOCYST ON SUBSEQUENT DEVELOPMENT
Authors: R. L. Brinster
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1974)

Bone marrow cells from CBA T6T6 mice and testicular teratocarcinoma cells from 129 SvSl mice were transferred into blastocysts from random-bred Swiss albino mice. The blastocysts were allowed to develop in foster mothers and the adults resulting from these blastocysts were studied for evidence of an effect of the transferred cells. A total of 137 adults resulted from the experiments, and one of the mice that had received teratocarcinoma cells in the blastocyst stage showed several thin stripes of agouti hair. All the adult animals received grafts of skin from animals identical to those supplying the cells. In all cases the animals that resulted from blastocysts into which cells had been transferred maintained skin grafts for a significantly longer period than controls. In a number of cases the graft developed agouti hair and in two cases the graft was maintained for approximately 2 mo. These experiments indicate that the transferred cells were able to establish small colonies in the embryos and that some of these cells persisted into the adult.
Obesity in Adults Is Associated With Reduced Lung Function in Metabolic Syndrome and Diabetes
Authors: Fawn Yeh, Anne E. Dixon, Susan Marion, Carl Schaefer, Ying Zhang, Lyle G. Best, Darren Calhoun, Everett R. Rhoades, Elisa T. Lee
Journal: Diabetes Care (2011)

OBJECTIVE The purposes of this study were to investigate whether reduced lung function is associated with metabolic syndrome (MS) and diabetes (DM) in American Indians (AIs) and to determine whether lower pulmonary function presents before the development of DM or MS. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The Strong Heart Study (SHS) is a multicenter, prospective study of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its risk factors among AI adults. The present analysis used lung function assessment by standard spirometry at the SHS second examination (1993–1995) in 2,396 adults free of overt lung disease or CVD, with or without DM or MS. Among MS-free/DM-free participants, the development of MS/DM at the SHS third examination (1996–1999) was investigated. RESULTS Significantly lower pulmonary function was observed for AIs with MS or DM. Impaired pulmonary function was associated with MS and DM after adjustment for age, sex, abdominal obesity, current smoking status, physical activity index, hypertension, and SHS field center. Both forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) were negatively associated with insulin resistance or DM severity and with serum markers of inflammation (P &amp;lt; 0.05). FVC and FEV1-to-FVC ratio both predicted DM in unadjusted analyses but not when adjusted for covariates, including waist circumference. In the adjusted model, abdominal obesity predicted both MS and DM. CONCLUSIONS Reduced lung function is independently associated with MS and with DM, and impaired lung function presents before the development of MS or DM; these associations may result from the effects of obesity and inflammation.
Similarity of Blood Flow in the Normal and the Sympathectomized Dog Hind Limb during Graded Exercise
Authors: DAVID E. DONALD, DEREK J. ROWLANDS, DAVID A. FERGUSON
Journal: Circulation Research (1970)

The possibility of sympathetic vasoconstrictor control of blood flow to active muscles was studied in dogs during graded exercise by comparing the blood flow in the normal with that in the Sympathectomized hind limb. Blood flow was measured by electromagnetic flow transducers around each external iliac artery, or inferred from the oxygen saturation of blood samples from the common iliac veins. The dogs either ran for successive periods of 3 minutes at 5.5 km/hr and grades of 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28% or ran each level of exercise separately. Unilateral lumbar sympathectomy (L-2 through L-7) was performed when the flow transducers were implanted or later by a snare technique. The latter allowed observations during exercise as early as 4 hours after sympathectomy. The magnitude of limb blood flow during exercise and the decline of exercise hyperemia were similar in the normal and the sympathectomized limb, as were the changes in the oxygen saturation of limb venous blood. However, electric stimulation of the lumbar sympathetic chain at the L-5 level in the conscious dog by a chronically implanted electrode reduced limb blood flow at all levels of exercise, the maximal flow of 1,000 ml/min was almost halved.
Physiological upper limits of ventricular cavity size in highly trained adolescent athletes
Authors: J Makan, S Sharma, S Firoozi, G Whyte, P G Jackson, W J McKenna
Journal: British Journal of Sports Medicine (2005)

To define physiological upper limits of left ventricular (LV) cavity size in trained adolescent athletes.

Cross sectional echocardiographic study.

British national sports training grounds and Olympic Medical Institute.

900 elite adolescent athletes (77% boys) aged 15.7 (1.2) years participating in ball, racket, and endurance sports and 250 healthy …
Effect of Subendocardial Resection on Sinus Rhythm Endocardial Electrogram Abnormalities
Authors: John M. Miller, George S. Tyson, W. Clark Hargrove, Joseph A. Vassallo, Mark E. Rosenthal, Mark E. Josephson
Journal: Circulation (1995)

Patients with sustained ventricular tachycardia after acute myocardial infarction frequently have characteristic abnormalities of left ventricular endocardial electrical activity, including fractionated (prolonged, multicomponent, low-amplitude), split (having discrete widely separated deflections), and late (extending after the end of the QRS complex) electrograms. The exact cause and source of these electrograms are not clear.In this study, endocardial electrograms from 18 patients were recorded with a 20-electrode array from the same area immediately before and immediately after resection of subendocardial tissue at the time of surgery for ventricular tachycardia. Electrograms could be compared before and after resection from 298 of 360 (83%) of the electrodes. Before resection, split electrograms were present in 130 (44%) and late components in 81 (27%) of the recordings. Recordings made after resection showed fewer abnormalities, including complete absence of split electrograms as well as all previously recorded late components (P < .02). Mean electrogram amplitude increased from 0.5 +/- 0.8 to 1.0 +/- 1.6 mV (P < .0001) because of removal of the attenuating effect of endocardial scar; mean duration decreased from 112 +/- 38 to 65 +/- 27 ms (P < .0001) mainly because of loss of late and split components. Overall electrogram contour was very similar aside from these changes.These data show that (1) some of the signal recorded on the endocardial surface is derived from deeper tissue layers and (2) split and late electrogram components appear to be generated by cells in the superficial endocardial layers, since they are eradicated by removal of this tissue. These findings correspond well with previous histological studies of resection specimens that show bundles of surviving muscle cells separated by layers of dense scar that act as an insulator.
Phenotypic Modulation of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells Induced by Unsaturated Lysophosphatidic Acids
Authors: Ken’ichiro Hayashi, Masanori Takahashi, Wataru Nishida, Kenji Yoshida, Yasuyuki Ohkawa, Akira Kitabatake, Junken Aoki, Hiroyuki Arai, Kenji Sobue
Journal: Circulation Research (2001)

The phenotypic modulation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) from the differentiated state to the dedifferentiated one is critically involved in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. Although many cytokines and growth factors have been reported as atherogenic factors, the critical pathogens for inducing atherosclerosis remain unknown, largely because proper examining systems of them have not been developed. We recently established primary culture systems for visceral SMCs and VSMCs in which both SMCs, when cultured on laminin with insulin-like growth factor-I, show a differentiated phenotype, as indicated by a spindle-like shape, ligand-induced contractility, and a high level of SMC differentiation marker gene expression. In this study, we searched for critical dedifferentiation factors for these SMCs using our culture system. We found that polar lipids extracted from human serum markedly induced VSMC dedifferentiation, and this activity was solely present in the lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) fraction. Among several LPA species detected in human serum lipids, unsaturated LPAs were identified as major contributors to the induction of VSMC dedifferentiation. Signaling and phenotype analyses revealed that unsaturated LPA–induced VSMC dedifferentiation is mediated through the coordinated activation of extracellular signal–regulated kinase and p38 mitogen–activated protein kinase. Thus, this report demonstrates the first finding that unsaturated LPAs, but not saturated LPAs, specifically induce VSMC phenotypic modulation, suggesting that these molecules could function as atherogenic factors.
Health service complaint numbers double in a year
Authors: A. O'Dowd
Journal: BMJ (2010)

The number of complaints about the health service forwarded to the ombudsman has more than doubled in the past year, according to a report published this week.

The annual report by the parliamentary and health service ombudsman Ann Abraham details the first year of the new NHS complaints system, which came into being on 1 April 2009.

Health complaints received by Ms Abraham rose from 6780 in 2008-9 to 14 429 in 2009-10. The ombudsman’s office—which also deals with other complaints unrelated to the health service—received 23 667 complaints overall in 2009-10, a rise of 45% on the previous year.

The annual report makes it clear that …
The Isolation of HIV- Positive Patients
Authors: Leah Smith
Journal: JAMA (1989)

To the Editor.—  We read with interest the March 17 JAMA article by Dr Gostin 1 entitled Public Health Strategies for Confronting AIDS [acquired immunodeficiency syndrome] and felt a need to share with you a problem related to quarantining AIDS patients in state mental hospitals.  The prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus seropositivity (enzymelinked immunosorbent assay and Western blot test positivity) among hospitalized patients in a study of sentinel hospitals throughout the country was 0.3%. 2 The prevalence of positivity among all patients tested through the South Dakota Health Department's laboratory during 1988 was 0.32% (R. Louchart, RN, personal communication, February 1989).  The South Dakota Human Services Center, with a census of nearly 430 patients, is the sole general psychiatric hospital in the state. Staff physicians there did no routine testing for AIDS during 1988, but rather performed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays on patients deemed to be at high risk. High-risk status
GENETIC CONTROL OF THE ANTIBODY RESPONSE TO POLY-<scp>L</scp>(TYR,GLU)-POLY-<scp>D,L</scp>-ALA--POLY-<scp>L</scp>-LYS IN C3H↔CWB TETRAPARENTAL MICE
Authors: Kathleen B. Bechtol, John H. Freed, Leonard A. Herzenberg, Hugh O. McDevitt
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1974)

In order to further delineate the mechanisms underlying genetic unresponsiveness, tetraparental mice were constructed from immune response-1A gene high responder and low responder parental genotypes, then were immunized with poly-L-(Tyr,Glu)-poly-D,L-Ala--poly-L-Lys ((T,G)-A--L). An analysis of the total serum allotype mixture and of the antigen-binding capacity of the separated allotypes demonstrated that in the milieu of a tetraparental mouse, both high and low responder B cells could be stimulated equally to produce identical high titered anti-(T,G)-A--L responses. Furthermore, these studies show that effective stimulation could occur across a histocompatibility disparity.
MET increased gene copy number and primary resistance to gefitinib therapy in non-small-cell lung cancer patients
Authors: F. Cappuzzo, P.A. Jänne, M. Skokan, G. Finocchiaro, E. Rossi, C. Ligorio, P.A. Zucali, L. Terracciano, L. Toschi, M. Roncalli, A. Destro, M. Incarbone, M. Alloisio, A. Santoro, M. Varella-Garcia
Journal: Annals of Oncology (2008)
Mice overexpressing BAFF develop a commensal flora–dependent, IgA-associated nephropathy
Authors: Douglas D. McCarthy, Julie Kujawa, Cheryl Wilson, Adrian Papandile, Urjana Poreci, Elisa A. Porfilio, Lesley Ward, Melissa A.E. Lawson, Andrew J. Macpherson, Kathy D. McCoy, York Pei, Lea Novak, Jeannette Y. Lee, Bruce A. Julian, Jan Novak, Ann Ranger, Jennifer L. Gommerman, Jeffrey L. Browning
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (2011)

B cell activation factor of the TNF family (BAFF) is a potent B cell survival factor. BAFF overexpressing transgenic mice (BAFF-Tg mice) exhibit features of autoimmune disease, including B cell hyperplasia and hypergammaglobulinemia, and develop fatal nephritis with age. However, basal serum IgA levels are also elevated, suggesting that the pathology in these mice may be more complex than initially appreciated. Consistent with this, we demonstrate here that BAFF-Tg mice have mesangial deposits of IgA along with high circulating levels of polymeric IgA that is aberrantly glycosylated. Renal disease in BAFF-Tg mice was associated with IgA, because serum IgA was highly elevated in nephritic mice and BAFF-Tg mice with genetic deletion of IgA exhibited less renal pathology. The presence of commensal flora was essential for the elevated serum IgA phenotype, and, unexpectedly, commensal bacteria-reactive IgA antibodies were found in the blood. These data illustrate how excess B cell survival signaling perturbs the normal balance with the microbiota, leading to a breach in the normal mucosal-peripheral compartmentalization. Such breaches may predispose the nonmucosal system to certain immune diseases. Indeed, we found that a subset of patients with IgA nephropathy had elevated serum levels of a proliferation inducing ligand (APRIL), a cytokine related to BAFF. These parallels between BAFF-Tg mice and human IgA nephropathy may provide a new framework to explore connections between mucosal environments and renal pathology.
A woman in her mid 30s with a dry cough and breathlessness
Authors: H K Ramadan, C I Mackinlay, A G Nicholson
Journal: Thorax (2009)

A woman in her mid 30s with a dry cough and breathlessness A female non-smoker in her thirties was referred to the chest clinic with a 6-month history of a dry cough, breathlessness and general malaise.Her chest x ray showed diffuse bilateral ground-glass opacity (fig 1).Her autoimmune profile was negative.An HIV test was negative.Lung function tests showed a restrictive pattern with moderately reduced transfer factor.A high resolution CT (HRCT) showed bilateral ground-glass opacity, more marked on the right, with no evidence of mediastinal or hilar lymphadenopathy (fig 2).A bronchoscopy showed a normal tracheobronchial tree.Bronchoalveolar lavage contained large numbers of foamy macrophages and increased neutrophils, and microbiogical tests were negative.A surgical lung biopsy was undertaken (fig 3).Ultrastructural analysis showed giant lamellar structures within the cytoplasm of the alveolar macrophages, and subsequent biochemistry showed sphingomyelinase activity at only 15% of the normal range, which is consistent with Niemann-Pick disease type B. Abdominal ultrasound showed no organomegaly.Niemann-Pick disease type B is an inborn error of metabolism where reduced levels of the enzyme sphingomyelinase lead to multisystem disease though with survival into adulthood. 1In the lung, this leads to progressive pulmonary infiltrates with significant morbidity.Classically, there are three types.Type A is the most common disorder and begins shortly after birth with rapid, progressive and fatal neurological involvement and hepatosplenomegaly.Type B is more benign and patients often survive into adulthood, although diagnosis is typically made in childhood due to involvement of other organs such as liver and spleen.In types A and B there is absence or deficiency of the enzyme sphingomyelinase which results in accumulation of sphingomyelin in the target organs.Niemann-Pick disease type C is associated with lysosomal accumulation of cholesterol due to a defect in intracellular utilisation of cholesterol, and sphingomyelinase is usually not deficient.There is no definite treatment for Niemann-Pick disease, although steroids have been used to improve the respiratory symptoms.Our patient subsequently underwent whole lung lavage and she has benefited symptomatically from this novel treatment.
Manic-Depressive Illness: Linkage with the Xg Blood Group
Authors: RONALD R. FIEVE, JULIEN MENDLEWICZ, JOSEPH L. FLEISS
Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry (1973)

Manic-depressive illness and the Xg blood group, a genetic marker located on the X chromosome, showed measurable linkage in successive generations of six families. These data suggest that a dominant X-linked factor is involved in the transmission of manic-depressive illness within the families studied.
An unusual cause of haematochezia
Authors: A. Hokama, K. Kishimoto, K. Azama, H. Chinen, F. Kinjo, S. Kato, J. Fujita
Journal: Gut (2010)

An 80-year-old woman presented with sudden onset of painless haematochezia. She had a 20 year history of hypertension. Physical examination showed no tenderness on palpation in the abdomen. Routine laboratory …
Boost radiotherapy in young women with ductal carcinoma in situ: a multicentre, retrospective study of the Rare Cancer Network
Authors: Aurelius Omlin, Maurizio Amichetti, David Azria, Bernard F Cole, Philippe Fourneret, Philip Poortmans, Diana Naehrig, Robert C Miller, Marco Krengli, Cristina Gutierrez Miguelez, David Morgan, Hadassah Goldberg, Luciano Scandolaro, Pauline Gastelblum, Mahmut Ozsahin, Dagmar Dohr, David Christie, Ulrich Oppitz, Ufuk Abacioglu, Guenther Gruber
Journal: The Lancet Oncology (2006)
Desmoplasia: A Response or a Niche?
Authors: Yves A. DeClerck
Journal: Cancer Discovery (2012)

Abstract Summary: Desmoplasia—the presence of a rich stroma around a tumor—has long been associated with a poor clinical outcome in patients with cancer. It is considered to be a response to the presence of invasive tumor cells. There is now evidence that desmoplasia is the result of coordinated changes in several stromal cells under the control of a single gene product, CD36, whose repression leads to a decrease in fat accumulation and an increase in matrix deposition. The presence of these changes in tumor-free human breast tissue strongly suggests that desmoplasia may precede and not always follow the presence of malignant cells. This concept has an important clinical implication for women at high risk of developing breast carcinoma, considering that the presence of desmoplasia in normal breast tissue detected in the form of mammographic density is one of the strongest risk factors. Cancer Discov; 2(9); 772–4. ©2012 AACR. Commentary on DeFilippis et al., p. 826.
Regulators' roles allow for gaps or duplication in monitoring NHS, say MPs
Authors: A. O'Dowd
Journal: BMJ (2013)

The parallel roles of the two main regulators of the NHS in England, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Monitor, are confusing and could cause gaps in regulation or duplication of work, MPs have warned.

The government should urgently clarify the roles of the regulators to avoid the dangers of confusion that played a part in the failures at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, said MPs on the parliamentary health select committee.

In its report, published on 5 March, the committee said that a review to clarify the roles of Monitor and the CQC was urgently needed before government changes to the NHS that …
Somatic Mutations Lead to an Oncogenic Deletion of Met in Lung Cancer
Authors: Monica Kong-Beltran, Somasekar Seshagiri, Jiping Zha, Wenjing Zhu, Kaumudi Bhawe, Nerissa Mendoza, Thomas Holcomb, Kanan Pujara, Jeremy Stinson, Ling Fu, Christophe Severin, Linda Rangell, Ralph Schwall, Lukas Amler, Dineli Wickramasinghe, Robert Yauch
Journal: Cancer Research (2006)

Activating mutations in receptor tyrosine kinases play a critical role in oncogenesis. Despite evidence that Met kinase is deregulated in human cancer, the role of activating mutations in cancers other than renal papillary carcinoma has not been well defined. Here we report the identification of somatic intronic mutations of Met kinase that lead to an alternatively spliced transcript in lung cancer, which encodes a deletion of the juxtamembrane domain resulting in the loss of Cbl E3-ligase binding. The mutant receptor exhibits decreased ubiquitination and delayed down-regulation correlating with elevated, distinct Met expression in primary tumors harboring the deleted receptor. As a consequence, phospho-Met and downstream mitogen-activated protein kinase activation is sustained on ligand stimulation. Cells expressing the Met deletion reveal enhanced ligand-mediated proliferation and significant in vivo tumor growth. A hepatocyte growth factor competitive Met antagonist inhibits receptor activation and proliferation in tumor cells harboring the Met deletion, suggesting the important role played by ligand-dependent Met activation and the potential for anticancer therapy. These results support a critical role for Met in lung cancer and somatic mutation-driven splicing of an oncogene that leads to a different mechanism for tyrosine kinase activation through altered receptor down-regulation in human cancer.