tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Is rituximab effective for IgG4-related disease in the long term? Experience of cases treated with rituximab for 4 years
Authors: Motohisa Yamamoto, Teruhito Awakawa, Hiroki Takahashi
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2015)

Military service requires individuals who are free from ill-health and who are physically and mentally robust, and throughout history those who have become unfit for service have been discharged on medical grounds. This paper uses published historical records to examine trends in the rate of discharge for six key conditions for the period 1861-1998 and to draw conclusions. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, communicable diseases such as tuberculosis and syphilis were a major problem together with illdefined conditions such as "disordered action of the heart". By the mid-20th century, psychiatric and gastrointestinal disorders had become the principal causes of medical discharge, whereas in the late 20th century, the majority of discharges resulted from injuries and musculoskeletal disorders. The pattern of conditions leading to medical discharge from the Army tends to mirror conditions which are prevalent at that time in the civilian population.
Development of [11C]erlotinib Positron Emission Tomography for <i>In Vivo</i> Evaluation of EGF Receptor Mutational Status
Authors: Idris Bahce, Egbert F. Smit, Mark Lubberink, Astrid A. M. van der Veldt, Maqsood Yaqub, Albert D. Windhorst, Robert C. Schuit, Erik Thunnissen, Daniëlle A. M. Heideman, Pieter E. Postmus, Adriaan A. Lammertsma, N. Harry Hendrikse
Journal: Clinical Cancer Research (2012)

To evaluate whether, in patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), tumor uptake of [(11)C]erlotinib can be quantified and imaged using positron emission tomography and to assess whether the level of tracer uptake corresponds with the presence of activating tumor EGF receptor (EGFR) mutations.Ten patients with NSCLCs, five with an EGFR exon 19 deletion, and five without were scanned twice (test retest) on the same day with an interval of at least 4 hours. Each scanning procedure included a low-dose computed tomographic scan, a 10-minute dynamic [(15)O]H(2)O scan, and a 1-hour dynamic [(11)C]erlotinib scan. Data were analyzed using full tracer kinetic modeling. EGFR expression was evaluated using immunohistochemistry.The quantitative measure of [(11)C]erlotinib uptake, that is, volume of distribution (V(T)), was significantly higher in tumors with activating mutations, that is, all with exon 19 deletions (median V(T), 1.76; range, 1.25-2.93), than in those without activating mutations (median V(T), 1.06; range, 0.67-1.22) for both test and retest data (P = 0.014 and P = 0.009, respectively). Good reproducibility of [(11)C]erlotinib V(T) was seen (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.88). Intergroup differences in [(11)C]erlotinib uptake were not correlated with EGFR expression levels, nor tumor blood flow.[(11)C]erlotinib V(T) was significantly higher in NSCLCs tumors with EGFR exon 19 deletions.
Who's Taking Care of the Caregiver?
Authors: Ann O'Mara
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2005)

Throughout the last decade, caring for a loved one with a cancer diagnosis has developed both in the sheer numbers of people providing the service and in the complexity of tasks required by cancer patients. Between 1997 and 2005, the number of Americans diagnosed with cancer has grown from 900,000 to 1.3 million, and the number of survivors has grown from 7.4 million to 9 million. 1 With cancer care now routinely being delivered on an outpatient basis, informal caregivers’ responsibilities have gone far beyond the tasks of transportation, shopping, household chores, and personal care. Administering oral and parenteral medications, performing wound care, and monitoring signs and symptoms are a few of the more demanding, yet routine tasks. The selection of an informal caregiver, like the diagnosis of cancer itself, is a random event, and there are no training programs to prepare individuals to be one. Thus, it comes as no surprise when we read of a new study, once again, highlighting the physical, emotional, and economic burdens that caregiving has placed on families and friends. What have these studies taught us throughout the years? Just as we have learned that cancer is not one disease,
Aplastic anemia complicating systemic lupus erythematosus: Response to androgens in two patients
Authors: Raphael B. Stricker, Marc A. Shuman
Journal: American Journal of Hematology (1984)

Abstract We describe two female patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who developed severe aplastic anemia. Although each patient had received multiple medications including diphenylhydantoin, the relationship of these drugs to the development of marrow aplasia was unclear. After administration of an oral androgen (oxymethalone) and corticosteroids, there was complete hematologic recovery. Both patients relapsed when oxymethalone was withdrawn, and both recovered when androgen therapy was reinstituted, with or without high‐dose prednisone. In both patients, there was complete reversal of pancytopenia despite the presence of initially severe marrow aplasia (less than 10% cellularity). However, in both cases, prolonged androgen therapy (2 months) was required before hematologic improvement occurred. Androgens are known to stimulate hematopoiesis in man, and they appear to influence immune function in a mouse model of SLE. Thus androgens may be particularly useful in the treatment of SLE‐associated aplastic anemia.
Validity of the Mood Disorder Questionnaire: A General Population Study
Authors: Robert M.A. Hirschfeld, Charles Holzer, Joseph R. Calabrese, Myrna Weissman, Michael Reed, Marilyn Davies, Mark A. Frye, Paul Keck, Susan McElroy, Lydia Lewis, Jonathan Tierce, Karen D. Wagner, Elizabeth Hazard
Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry (2002)

This study tested the validity in the adult general population of the Mood Disorder Questionnaire, a screening instrument for bipolar I and II disorders. The Mood Disorder Questionnaire has been validated in a psychiatric outpatient study group.A total of 711 subjects (stratified by Mood Disorder Questionnaire score) were randomly selected from a group of 85,358 adult respondents in a nationwide epidemiological general population sample that was balanced for key demographic variables. Of these, 695 subjects received a telephone interview involving an abbreviated version of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV.A sensitivity of 0.281 and a specificity of 0.972 were obtained for the Mood Disorder Questionnaire.The Mood Disorder Questionnaire is a useful screening instrument for bipolar I and II disorders in the community. The operating characteristics of the Mood Disorder Questionnaire in the general population differ substantially from its characteristics in outpatient psychiatric settings.
Taurocholate transport by basolateral plasma membrane vesicles isolated from human liver
Authors: Donald A. Novak, Frederick C. Ryckman, Frederick J. Suchy
Journal: Hepatology (1989)

Transport of taurocholate into the hepatocyte against unfavorable chemical and electrical gradients occurs via a sodium-dependent, carrier-mediated transport system. Although this cotransporter has been characterized in the rodent, it has not been demonstrated in man. Therefore, we utilized human liver, obtained via multiorgan donation but not used for transplantation, to prepare basolateral (sinusoidal) liver plasma membrane vesicles by a Percoll gradient method. Na+,K+ -ATPase, a marker enzyme for the basolateral domain, was enriched 28.9-fold in the final membrane fraction compared with homogenate, whereas the bile canalicular membrane enzymes Mg++ -ATPase and alkaline phosphatase were enriched only 3.4- and 6.4-fold, respectively. Marker enzyme activities for endoplasmic reticulum, lysosomes and mitochondria were not enriched compared with homogenate. Integrity of the membrane vesicles was confirmed by the demonstration of Na+ -dependent concentrative uptake of the amino acid L-alanine (estimated intravesicular volume of 0.59 μl per mg protein). An inwardly directed 100 mM Na+ gradient stimulated the initial rate of 2.5 μM taurocholate uptake and energized a transient 2-fold accumulation of the bile acid above equilibrium ("overshoot"). In contrast, uptake was slower and no overshoot occurred with a K+ gradient. A negative intravesicular potential, created by altering accompanying anions or by valinomycin-induced K+ diffusion potentials, did not enhance taurocholate uptake, suggesting an electroneutral cotransport mechanism. Chloride as the accompanying anion stimulated the initial rate of uptake compared with anions of lesser or greater lipid permeability. Na+ -dependent taurocholate (4 μM) uptake was significantly inhibited by 250 μM cholate, taurocholate, glycocholate, taurochenodeoxycholate and bromsulfophthalein. Conversely, in the presence of a K+ gradient, only taurochenodeoxycholate and bromsulfophthalein significantly inhibited taurocholate uptake. The initial rate (5 sec) of Na+ -dependent taurocholate uptake, measured as a function of extravesicular taurocholate concentration (1 to 200 μM), demonstrated Michaelis-Menten kinetics with a Km of 33.8 ± 4.4 μM and a Vmax of 1.25 ± 0.99 nmoles per mg protein per min. We conclude from these studies that taurocholate uptake by basolateral plasma membrane vesicles from human liver is sodium dependent, electroneutral, inhibitable by other bile acids and saturable, with an apparent Km near the concentration of taurocholate found in human portal blood.
Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist Synthesis by Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells
Authors: VAIDYANATHAPURAM S. BALAKRISHNAN, CHRISTOPHER H. SCHMID, BERTRAND L. JABER, SVETLOZAR N. NATOV, ANDREW J. KING, BRIAN J. G. PEREIRA
Journal: Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (2000)

Abstract. Proinflammatory cytokines have been implicated in the short- and long-term morbidity experienced by hemodialysis (HD) patients. The present study, which is based on long-term follow-up of a cohort of 37 patients, relates peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) synthesis (a reliable marker of IL-1β synthesis in HD patients) and plasma levels of an acute phase reactant, lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP), to clinical outcomes. In July 1993, predialysis blood samples from these patients were collected and IL-1Ra synthesis by PBMC and plasma LBP was measured. Hospital records were reviewed and patient follow-up data were obtained until December 1997 (54 mo) or death, whichever occurred earlier. The effect of age, diabetes, endotoxin- and IgG-stimulated IL-1Ra synthesis, and plasma LBP levels on mortality was assessed using the Cox proportional hazard regression model. Poisson regression was used to determine potential relationships between the number of outcome events and each continuous risk factor. Twenty-two patients (59%) died during the follow-up period. Mortality was unrelated to IL-1Ra synthesis but did increase with age (relative risk, 1.05/yr; P = 0.01) and diabetes (relative risk, 3.00/yr; P = 0.03). Cardiovascular event rates were higher among older individuals and in those with higher endotoxin-stimulated PBMC IL-1Ra synthesis. Cardiovascular events increased with plasma LBP levels in the range of 9,000 to 12,000 pg/ml but then seemed to decrease. In contrast, older age and low IgG-stimulated IL-1Ra synthesis were associated with an increased risk of infectious events. The results of this study demonstrate an interesting link between stimulus-dependent variability in IL-1Ra synthesis by PBMC and clinical outcomes among patients on chronic HD and provide interesting targets for therapeutic interventions in this vulnerable patient population.
Sex Differences in Neuropsychological Functioning of First-Episode and Chronically Ill Schizophrenic Patients
Authors: Anne L. Hoff, Mary Wieneke, William O. Faustman, Robert Horon, Michael Sakuma, Howard Blankfeld, Scott Espinoza, Lynn E. DeLisi
Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry (1998)

Objective:The purpose of this study was to determine whether men and women with schizophrenia demonstrate differences in cognitive abilities.Method:Two cohorts of patients with schizophrenia, an acute first-episode and a chronically hospitalized group, were evaluated with a neuropsychological battery and compared with a normal group of subjects.Results:After adjustment for age, age at onset, and premorbid IQ, male chronic patients performed worse than female chronic patients on measures of visual memory. These differences were eliminated after control for symptom severity. No other differences were found in cognitive function between men and women in either cohort.Conclusions:Sex differences in cognitive function in schizophrenic patients are not robust findings. Am J Psychiatry 1998; 155: 1437-1439
Bilateral Negative Sentinel Nodes Accurately Predict Absence of Lymph Node Metastasis in Early Cervical Cancer: Results of the SENTICOL Study
Authors: Fabrice Lécuru, Patrice Mathevet, Denis Querleu, Eric Leblanc, Philipe Morice, Emile Daraï, Henri Marret, Laurent Magaud, Florence Gillaizeau, Gilles Chatellier, Daniel Dargent
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2011)

Purpose Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy may be used to target lymph node metastases in patients with early cervical cancer. Whether SLN biopsy only is acceptable in the staging and surgical management of early cervical cancer remains unknown. This prospective multicenter study (SENTICOL [Ganglion Sentinelle dans le Cancer du Col]) assessed the sensitivity and negative predictive value (NPV) of SLN biopsy. Patients and Methods Adults with cervical carcinoma who met the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics criteria for stage IA1 with lymphovascular space invasion to stage IB1 underwent technetium 99 lymphoscintigraphy and Patent Blue injection followed by laparoscopic lymph node mapping, SLN removal, and lymph node dissection. Only surgeons trained in SLN biopsy in cervical carcinoma participated in the study. SLNs and nonsentinel lymph nodes underwent routine staining. Negative SLNs were subjected to ultrastaging. The reference method was pelvic and/or para-aortic lymphadenectomy with histologic examination of all nodes. Results One hundred forty-five patients were enrolled, and 139 were included in a modified intention-to-diagnose analysis. Intraoperative radioisotope-blue dye mapping detected at least one SLN in 136 patients (97.8%; 95% CI, 93.8% to 99.6%), 23 of whom had true-positive results and two who had false-negative results, yielding 92.0% sensitivity (23 of 25; 95% CI, 74.0% to 99.0%) and 98.2% NPV (111 of 113; 95% CI, 74.0% to 99.0%) for node metastasis detection. No false-negative results were observed in the 104 patients (76.5%) in whom SLN were identified bilaterally. Conclusion Combined labeling for node mapping was associated with high rates of SLN detection and with high sensitivity and NPV for metastasis detection. However, SLN biopsy was fully reliable only when SLNs were detected bilaterally.
Prevalence and severity of food allergyneed for control
Authors: J. O'B. Hourihane
Journal: Allergy (1998)

Food allergy is an increasingly recognized manifestation of atopy. Patient and public awareness of food allergy is also increasing. Justifiable demands are being made for better medical guidance of the practice of food labelling for industry and catering businesses. Such advice must bear in mind the relative frequency and severity of allergies to certain foods. Some commonly allergenic foods (milk, egg, soya, wheat) are staple components of the diets of populations, used widely in prepared foods. The frequency of the allergies to these foods and their widespread uses means they and their derivatives must be declared on food labels. Less commonly used foods such as fish, shellfish, peanut, and tree nuts demand declaration due to the severity of reactions induced in the admittedly more rare, but increasingly common, sufferers of these allergies. Reactions to more unusual foods are increasingly being identified, and the "minimum" list is likely to be extended in the future.
Contrasting US and European approaches to colorectal cancer screening: which is best?
Authors: G. Hoff, J. A. Dominitz
Journal: Gut (2010)

In the recent 1–2 decades, we have seen a considerable development in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening modalities and programme implementation, but major challenges remain. While CRC is still the second leading cause of cancer death in both the USA and Europe, there are limited data on the efficacy and effectiveness of all screening modalities except for the faecal occult blood test (FOBT). Newer screening tests, such as faecal immunochemical tests, molecular markers and CT colonography are being introduced and variably adopted, though overall rates of screening are suboptimal. Professional societies and governmental bodies have endorsed screening, though recommended approaches are quite variable, which may help to explain the great variation in screening practices. Unfortunately, quality assurance programmes are underutilised. Comparing the USA and Europe there may be more variation in CRC screening recommendation and practice within each continent than between them, but there seems to be a stronger emphasis on programmatic screening in Europe, facilitating quality assurance. The much debated need for randomised trials as new screening modalities emerge could be more easily handled if running screening programmes are regarded as natural platforms for testing out and evaluating presumed improvements in the service—including new emerging screening modalities.
Molecular Markers in Key Steroidogenic Pathways, Circulating Steroid Levels, and Prostate Cancer Progression
Authors: Éric Lévesque, Shu-Pin Huang, Étienne Audet-Walsh, Louis Lacombe, Bo-Ying Bao, Yves Fradet, Isabelle Laverdière, Mélanie Rouleau, Chao-Yuan Huang, Chia-Cheng Yu, Patrick Caron, Chantal Guillemette
Journal: Clinical Cancer Research (2012)

Prostate cancer is a heterogeneous genetic disease, and molecular methods for predicting prognosis in patients with aggressive form of the disease are urgently needed to better personalize treatment approaches. The objective was to identify host genetic variations in candidate steroidogenic genes affecting hormone levels and prostate cancer progression.The study examined two independent cohorts composed of 526 Caucasian men with organ-confined prostate cancer and 601 Taiwanese men on androgen-deprivation therapy. Caucasians were genotyped for 109 haplotype-tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in CYP17A1, ESR1, CYP19A1, and HSD3B1, and their prognostic significance on disease progression was assessed using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox regression models. Positive findings, including previously identified SRD5A1, SRD5A2, HSD17B2, HSD17B3, and HSD17B12 polymorphisms, were then explored in Taiwanese men (n = 32 SNPs). The influence of positive markers on the circulating hormonal levels was then appraised in Caucasians using specific and sensitive mass spectrometry-based methods.After adjusting for known risk factors, variants of CYP17A1 (rs6162), HSD17B2 (rs4243229 and rs7201637), and ESR1 (rs1062577) were associated with progressive disease in both cohorts. Indeed, the presence of these variations was significantly associated with progression in Caucasians (HR, 2.29-4.10; P = 0.0014-2 × 10(-7)) and survival in Taiwanese patients [HR = 3.74; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.71-8.19, P = 0.009]. Remarkably, the CYP17A1 rs6162 polymorphism was linked to plasma dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S) levels (P = 0.03), HSD17B2 rs7201637 with levels of dihydrotestosterone (P = 0.03), and ESR1 rs1062577 with levels of estrone-S and androsterone-glucuronide (P ≤ 0.05).This study identifies, in different ethnic groups and at different disease stages, CYP17A1, HSD17B2, and ESR1 as attractive prognostic molecular markers of prostate cancer progression.
Does running protect against knee osteoarthritis? Or promote it? Assessing the current evidence
Authors: Richard D Leech, Kim L Edwards, Mark E Batt
Journal: British Journal of Sports Medicine (2015)

Running is extremely popular and knee osteoarthritis is one of the most common musculoskeletal conditions requiring healthcare intervention, thus the question of whether recreational (non-elite) running is associated with knee osteoarthritis has considerable personal and public health significance. The potential exists for a paradox relating to recreational running and joint health: promoting running may have unknown consequences for knee joint health, conversely, discouraging physical activity will negatively impact overall health, increasing the burden on healthcare systems. Additionally, risks (and/or benefits) associated with recreational running may not remain static but vary throughout life. Much remains unknown and the running research base to inform clinical decision-making is thin.

We aim to highlight the limitations of the current body of research and stimulate a wider debate regarding how this evidence is interpreted and conveyed. We also provide guidance on how future research should be structured and implemented to produce more robust science.

Wellness research often examines physical activity across …
Properties of Myocardium in Cardiomegaly
Authors: ARTHUR F. GRIMM, RYO KUBOTA, WILLIAM V. WHITEHORN
Journal: Circulation Research (1963)

The adult rat's ventricular myocardium is able to increase its mass markedly while maintaining its unit quality. It does so by maintaining constant the design of the sarcomeres: an increase in length is accomplished by the addition of sarcomeres in series; an increase in tension production is accomplished by the addition of more cross-sectional area of a uniform quality. This was shown by the almost constant concentration of the contractile protein, actomyosin, as well as by the histologic evidence of the constancy in the sarcomere lengths. Functional support was obtained by the finding of an identity in the parameters of the length-tension curves; the curves differed only in the absolute magnitude of the tensions, a difference that completely disappeared when suitable corrections were made for the size of the muscle. The electrical parameters also indicated a lack of change in the quality of the excitatory membrane phenomena. However, some data were presented that suggest that the myocardium may show altered properties dependent on the age of the animal. No evidence was found in support of the concept of detrimental consequences at least with this degree of cardiomegaly. It is rather concluded that this degree of cardiomegaly is accomplished without change in the basic architecture, properties, or concentration of the contractile mechanism.