tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Prognostic Value of Intracoronary Flow Velocity and Diameter Stenosis in Assessing the Short- and Long-term Outcomes of Coronary Balloon Angioplasty
Authors: Patrick W. Serruys, Carlo di Mario, Jan Piek, Erwin Schroeder, Christian Vrints, Peter Probst, Bernard de Bruyne, Claude Hanet, Eckart Fleck, Michael Haude, Edoardo Verna, Vasilis Voudris, Herbert Geschwind, Håkan Emanuelsson, V. Mühlberger, Giambattista Danzi, Hans O. Peels, Andrew J. Ford, Eric Boersma
Journal: Circulation (1997)

Background The aim of this prospective, multicenter study was the identification of Doppler flow velocity measurements predictive of clinical outcome of patients undergoing single-vessel balloon angioplasty with no previous Q-wave myocardial infarction. Methods and Results In 297 patients, a Doppler guidewire was used to measure basal and maximal hyperemic flow velocities proximal and distal to the stenosis before and after angioplasty. In 225 patients with an angiographically successful percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), postprocedural distal coronary flow reserve (CFR) and percent diameter stenosis (DS%) were correlated with symptoms and/or ischemia at 1 and 6 months, with the need for target lesion revascularization, and with angiographic restenosis (defined as DS ≥50% at follow-up). Logistic regression and receiver operator characteristic curve analyses were applied to determine the prognostic cutoff value of CFR and DS separately and in combination. Optimal cutoff criteria for predictors of these clinical events were DS, 35%; CFR, 2.5. A distal CFR after angioplasty &gt;2.5 with a residual DS ≤35% identified lesions with a low incidence of recurrence of symptoms at 1 month (10% versus 19%, P =.149) and at 6 months (23% versus 47%, P =.005), a low need for reintervention (16% versus 34%, P =.024), and a low restenosis rate (16% versus 41%, P =.002) compared with patients who did not meet these criteria. Conclusions Measurements of distal CFR after PTCA, in combination with DS%, have a predictive value, albeit modest for the short- and long-term outcomes after PTCA, and thus may be used to identify patients who will or will not benefit from additional therapy such as stent implantation.
Nerve activity recordings in routine human intestinal biopsies
Authors: Carla Cirillo, Jan Tack, Pieter Vanden Berghe
Journal: Gut (2012)

Most direct understanding of enteric nerve (patho)physiology has been obtained by electrode and imaging techniques in animal models and human surgical samples. Until now, neuronal activity recordings from a more accessible human tissue source have remained a true challenge.To record nerve activity in human intestinal biopsies using imaging techniques.Submucous plexus was isolated from duodenal biopsies. Enteric nerves were functionally and morphologically examined using calcium (Ca(2+)) imaging and immunohistochemistry. Exogenous application of high-K(+) solution, the nicotinic cholinergic receptor agonist (1,1-dimethyl-4-phenylpiperazinium; DMPP) or serotonin (5-HT), and electrical stimulation of interganglionic fibre tracts were used to activate the neurons, and intracellular Ca(2+) concentrations ([Ca(2+)](i)) were monitored. Enteric ganglia were stained with neuronal and glial markers.Using high-K(+) solution, 146 neurons were identified in 70 ganglia (44 biopsies from 29 subjects). The exogenous application of DMPP or 5-HT caused a transient [Ca(2+)](i) increase, respectively, in 68% and 63% of the neurons identified by high-K(+). Electrical stimulation evoked responses in 57% of the neurons; these responses were totally or partly suppressed by tetrodotoxin or zero-Ca(2+) solution, respectively. Immunohistochemical analysis showed both isolated neurons and ganglia interconnected by typical interganglionic fibre bundles. The average number of ganglia was 7.7±6.0 per biopsy and each ganglion contained on average 4.5±1.2 neurons.In this study, for the first time, live recordings were performed of nerve activity in intestinal biopsies. This novel approach is of key importance to study living neurons in both health and disease and to test newly developed compounds in an in-vitro human tissue model.
The effects of respiratory muscle fatigue on swallowing physiology in healthy young adults: Preliminary results
Authors: Ioanna Malatra, Carol E. Garber, Georgia Malandraki, John H. Saxman
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2012)

Introduction: Fatigue of the respiratory muscles has been associated with swallowing disorders in many respiratory and neurological diseases, however, the mechanism with which fatigue affects the swallowing function remains unclear.

Aims: The aim of the present pilot study was to examine the effects of respiratory muscle fatigue on swallowing physiology in healthy adults.

Method: Participants included 10 healthy young adults randomly assigned in two groups: an expiratory and an inspiratory muscle group. Respiratory and electrophysiological measurements were obtained during the following tasks: three a)5ml water swallows, b)100ml continuous water swallows and c)solid swallows (cracker), at three time points: at baseline, immediately post exercise-induced fatigue, and finally, after a 15-min rest period. A loaded breathing device was used to induce fatigue. Surface electromyography was employed to capture muscle activity of the submental and the infrahyoid muscles during swallowing.

Results: Electromyographical findings showed that, for the submental muscle group, the integral was found to be significantly higher during the immediate post- fatigue condition compared to both the baseline and post- rest conditions (p<0.05) in all tasks for both the inspiratory and expiratory groups.

Conclusion: These preliminary results suggest that fatigue of the expiratory muscles has an effect on selective electrophysiological measures of swallowing. The greater impact of the submental muscles during swallowing compared to the infrahyoids could be a compensatory strategy, given the fatigue of the lower respiratory muscles.
Prognosis and Conditional Disease-Free Survival Among Patients With Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Michelle L. Kurta, Robert P. Edwards, Kirsten B. Moysich, Kathleen McDonough, Marnie Bertolet, Joel L. Weissfeld, Janet M. Catov, Francesmary Modugno, Clareann H. Bunker, Roberta B. Ness, Brenda Diergaarde
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2014)

Traditional disease-free survival (DFS) does not reflect changes in prognosis over time. Conditional DFS accounts for elapsed time since achieving remission and may provide more relevant prognostic information for patients and clinicians. This study aimed to estimate conditional DFS among patients with ovarian cancer and to evaluate the impact of patient characteristics.Patients were recruited as part of the Hormones and Ovarian Cancer Prediction case-control study and were included in the current study if they had achieved remission after a diagnosis of cancer of the ovary, fallopian tube, or peritoneum (N = 404). Demographic and lifestyle information was collected at enrollment; disease, treatment, and outcome information was abstracted from medical records. DFS was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Conditional DFS estimates were computed using cumulative DFS estimates.Median DFS was 2.54 years (range, 0.03-9.96 years) and 3-year DFS was 48.2%. The probability of surviving an additional 3 years without recurrence, conditioned on having already survived 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years after remission, was 63.8%, 80.5%, 90.4%, 97.0%, and 97.7%, respectively. Initial differences in 3-year DFS at time of remission between age, stage, histology, and grade groups decreased over time.DFS estimates for patients with ovarian cancer improved dramatically over time, in particular among those with poorer initial prognoses. Conditional DFS is a more relevant measure of prognosis for patients with ovarian cancer who have already achieved a period of remission, and time elapsed since remission should be taken into account when making follow-up care decisions.
Bilateral symmetrical pilar leiomyomas on the breasts
Authors: G. Dawn, S. Handa, A. Das, B. Kumar
Journal: British Journal of Dermatology (1995)

Journal Article Bilateral symmetrical pilar leiomyomas on the breasts Get access G. Dawn, G. Dawn Department of Dermatology, Venereology, Leprology, Chandigarh‐160012, India Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar S. Handa, S. Handa Department of Dermatology, Venereology, Leprology, Chandigarh‐160012, India Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar A. Das, A. Das Department of Pathology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh‐160012, India Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar B. Kumar B. Kumar Department of Dermatology, Venereology, Leprology, Chandigarh‐160012, India Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar British Journal of Dermatology, Volume 133, Issue 2, 1 August 1995, Pages 331–332, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2133.1995.tb02645.x Published: 01 August 1995
New imaging techniques in the treatment guidelines for lung cancer
Authors: C. Schaefer-Prokop, M. Prokop
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2002)

Computed tomography (CT) remains the main imaging technique for the preoperative staging and post-therapeutic evaluation of bronchogenic carcinoma. Spiral CT has already overcome some of the problems encountered with central or more extensive tumours. Multislice CT offers further improvement and allows for scanning of the whole chest within a single breath-hold using a thin-section high-resolution technique. Problem-adapted sections in arbitrary directions become available and provide an excellent spatial resolution. One can expect improved accuracy for the evaluation of transfissural tumour growth, chest wall involvement, mediastinal infiltration and lymph node staging. Despite recent advances in magnetic resonance (MR) techniques for imaging the chest, the role of MR for staging of bronchogenic carcinoma remains limited. It offers advantages such as the assessment of chest-wall involvement or mediastinal involvement in patients in whom CT remains equivocal. Lymph-node-specific MR contrast agents offer new diagnostic potential for the assessment of metastatic disease. New techniques for the display of three-dimensional data sets include volume rendering and virtual bronchoscopy. These techniques represent new tools for the evaluation and demonstration of pathology within the central tracheobronchial tree. Their most important application is the guidance of bronchoscopic biopsies. The assessment of an indeterminate pulmonary nodule is frequently based on positron emission tomography imaging. As an alternative, nodule vascularization (contrast enhancement patterns on CT or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)), calcifications (absorption characteristics at various X‐ray energies on CT or dual energy radiography), and morphological features (high resolution imaging at CT) can be used as the basis for nodule differentiation. The dynamics of contrast enhancement in CT or MRI can also be used for the assessment of tumour viability after chemotherapy. Lung cancer screening programmes are still controversial. Low-dose computed tomography scanning and computed assisted detection algorithms based on chest radiographs or computed tomography scans form the technical basis for such projects.
Association of prematurity, lung disease and body size with lung volume and ventilation inhomogeneity in unsedated neonates: a multicentre study
Authors: G Hulskamp, S Lum, J Stocks, A Wade, A F Hoo, K Costeloe, J Hawdon, K Deeptha, J J Pillow
Journal: Thorax (2008)

<h3>Background:</h3> Previous studies have suggested that preterm birth with or without subsequent chronic lung disease is associated with reduced functional residual capacity (FRC) and increased ventilation inhomogeneity in the neonatal period. We aimed to establish whether such findings are associated with the degree of prematurity, neonatal respiratory illness and disproportionate somatic growth. <h3>Methods:</h3> Multiple breath washout measurements using an ultrasonic flowmeter were obtained from 219 infants on 306 test occasions during the first few months of life, at three neonatal units in the UK and Australia. Tests were performed during unsedated sleep in clinically stable infants (assigned to four exclusive diagnostic categories: term controls, preterm controls, respiratory distress syndrome and chronic lung disease). The determinants of neonatal lung function were assessed using multivariable, multilevel modelling. <h3>Results:</h3> After adjustment for age and body proportions, the factors gestation, intrauterine growth restriction and days of supplemental oxygen were all significantly associated with a reduced FRC. In contrast, increased ventilation inhomogeneity (elevated lung clearance index) was only significantly associated with duration of supplemental oxygen. After adjusting for continuous variables, diagnostic category made no further contribution to the models. Despite using identical techniques, unexpected inter-centre differences occurred, associated with the equipment used; these did not alter the negative association of preterm delivery and disease severity with lung function outcomes. <h3>Conclusion:</h3> Reduction in FRC is independently associated with prematurity, intrauterine growth restriction and severity of neonatal lung disease. Determinants of lung function shortly after birth are highly complex in different disease groups.
Glycated and Oxidized Protein Degradation Products Are Indicators of Fasting and Postprandial Hyperglycemia in Diabetes
Authors: Naila Ahmed, Roya Babaei-Jadidi, Scott K. Howell, Paul J. Thornalley, Paul J. Beisswenger
Journal: Diabetes Care (2005)

OBJECTIVE—To assess the relative importance of fasting and postprandial hyperglycemia to vascular dysfunction in diabetes, we have measured indicators of glycation, oxidative and nitrosative stress in subjects with type 1 diabetes, and different postprandial glucose patterns. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—Plasma and urinary levels of specific arginine- and lysine-derived advanced glycation end products, as well as oxidative and nitrosative products, were measured by liquid chromatography with triple quadrupole mass spectrometric detection (LC-MS/MS) after 2 months of treatment with insulin lispro or human regular insulin in 21 subjects participating in a cross-over study. Hb-bound early glycation (Amadori) products were also measured after each treatment period by high-performance liquid chromatography (fructosyl-valine Hb or HbA1c [A1C]:Diamat) and fructosyl-lysine Hb by LC-MS/MS (A1C:fructosyl-lysine). RESULTS—In diabetic patients, the concentrations of protein glycation and oxidation-free adducts increased up to 10-fold, while urinary excretion increased up to 15-fold. Decreasing postprandial hyperglycemia with lispro gave 10–20% decreases of the major free glycation adducts, hydroimidazolones derived from methylglyoxal and 3-deoxyglucosone, and glyoxal-derived Nε-carboxymethyl-lysine. No differences were observed in A1C:Diamat or A1C:fructosyl-lysine with lispro or regular insulin therapy in spite of significant decreases in postprandial glycemia with lispro. CONCLUSIONS—We conclude that the profound increases in proteolytic products of proteins modified by advanced glycation endproducts in diabetic patients are responsive to changes in mean hyperglycemia and also show responses to changes in postprandial hyperglycemia.
CD27 signaling on chronic myelogenous leukemia stem cells activates Wnt target genes and promotes disease progression
Authors: Christian Schürch, Carsten Riether, Matthias S. Matter, Alexandar Tzankov, Adrian F. Ochsenbein
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (2012)

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) results from a chromosomal translocation in hematopoietic stem or early progenitor cells that gives rise to the oncogenic BCR/ABL fusion protein. Clinically, CML has a chronic phase that eventually evolves into an accelerated stage and blast crisis. A CML-specific immune response is thought to contribute to the control of disease. Whether the immune system can also promote disease progression is not known. In the present study, we investigated the possibility that the TNF receptor family member CD27 is present on leukemia stem cells (LSCs) and mediates effects of the immune system on CML. In a mouse model of CML, BCR/ABL+ LSCs and leukemia progenitor cells were found to express CD27. Binding of CD27 by its ligand, CD70, increased expression of Wnt target genes in LSCs by enhancing nuclear localization of active β-catenin and TRAF2- and NCK-interacting kinase (TNIK). This resulted in increased proliferation and differentiation of LSCs. Blocking CD27 signaling in LSCs delayed disease progression and prolonged survival. Furthermore, CD27 was expressed on CML stem/progenitor cells in the bone marrow of CML patients, and CD27 signaling promoted growth of BCR/ABL+ human leukemia cells by activating the Wnt pathway. Since expression of CD70 is limited to activated lymphocytes and dendritic cells, our results reveal a mechanism by which adaptive immunity contributes to leukemia progression. In addition, targeting CD27 on LSCs may represent an attractive therapeutic approach to blocking the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in CML.
Not too little, not too much: problems of selecting oral antibiotic dose for children
Authors: J A Bielicki, C I S Barker, S Saxena, I C K Wong, P F Long, M Sharland
Journal: BMJ (2015)

J A Bielicki and colleagues compare common strategies for selecting antibiotic dose for children and discuss how best to balance usability with accuracy 

Globally, antibiotics are the most common drugs used to treat acutely ill children.1 2 Antibiotic doses should be selected to achieve optimal killing of bacteria with minimal undesirable effects, such as drug toxicity or the selection of resistant pathogens. Given the challenges associated with increasing antibiotic resistance, optimal use of antibiotics for children is important for global antimicrobial stewardship.3

Drug dosing in children is more complex than in adults. As the organs and immune system develop throughout childhood, the way in which drugs are absorbed, transported, and eliminated by the body (pharmacokinetics) changes, which in turn affects the drug’s action on the body (pharmacodynamics).4 During the first two years of life, the evolution of renal function and hepatic metabolism have an important effect on the optimal antibiotic dose. Inaccurate dosing can lead to problems because higher antibiotic doses potentiate undesirable side effects, especially diarrhoea, and may promote the selection of resistant bacteria.5

Finding suitable formulations for children is also more challenging than for adults. Antibiotic doses need to be titrated to achieve optimal effectiveness and be adapted to maturational changes.6 Achieving the correct dose may require splitting or crushing tablets, for example.7 Although liquid antibiotic preparations are the most flexible to dose, measuring small volumes can be inaccurate.8 Generally, syringes have been found to be more accurate than dosing cups or spoons,9 and the use of pictures to demonstrate correct dosing can further improve accuracy.10 Nevertheless, in one US study more than two thirds of preventable adverse drug events outside hospital were due to parental errors in administering drugs, indicating the difficulties of providing easy to follow instructions. …
Disparities in Infant Mortality and Effective, Equitable Care: Are Infants Suffering from Benign Neglect?
Authors: Diane L. Rowley, Vijaya Hogan
Journal: Annual Review of Public Health (2012)

Quality care for infant mortality disparity elimination requires services that improve health status at both the individual and the population level. We examine disparity reduction due to effective care and ask the following question: Has clinical care ameliorated factors that make some populations more likely to have higher rates of infant mortality compared with other populations? Disparities in postneonatal mortality due to birth defects have emerged for non-Hispanic black and Hispanic infants. Surfactant and antenatal steroid therapy have been accompanied by growing disparities in respiratory distress syndrome mortality for black infants. Progesterone therapy has not reduced early preterm birth, the major contributor to mortality disparities among non-Hispanic black and Puerto Rican infants. The Back to Sleep campaign has minimally reduced SIDS disparities among American Indian/Alaska Native infants, but it has not reduced disparities among non-Hispanic black infants. In general, clinical care is not equitable and contributes to increasing disparities.
A population-based study on the association between rheumatoid arthritis and erectile dysfunction
Authors: Joseph J Keller, Herng-Ching Lin
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2012)

<h3>Abstract</h3> The nature of the neural code underlying conceptual knowledge remains a major unsolved problem in cognitive neuroscience. Three main types of information have been proposed as candidates for the neural representations of lexical concepts: taxonomic (i.e., information about category membership and inter-category relations), distributional (i.e., information about patterns of word co-occurrence in natural language use), and experiential (i.e., information about sensory-motor, affective, and other features of phenomenal experience engaged during concept acquisition). In two experiments, we investigated the extent to which these three types of information are encoded in the neural activation patterns associated with hundreds of English nouns from a wide variety of conceptual categories. Participants made familiarity judgments on the meaning of written nouns while undergoing functional MRI. A high-resolution, whole-brain activation map was generated for each noun in each participant's native space. These word-specific activation maps were used to evaluate different representational spaces corresponding to the three types of information described above. In both studies, we found a striking advantage for experience-based models in most brain areas previously associated with concept representation. Partial correlation analyses revealed that only experiential information successfully predicted concept similarity structure when inter-model correlations were taken into account. This pattern of results was found independently for object concepts and event concepts. Our findings indicate that the neural representation of conceptual knowledge primarily encodes information about features of experience, and that - to the extent that it is represented in the brain - taxonomic and distributional information may rely on such an experience-based code. <h3>Significance Statement</h3> The ability to identify individual objects or events as members of a kind (e.g., "knife", "dog", "party") is a fundamental aspect of human cognition. It allows us to quickly access a wealth of information pertaining to a newly encountered object or event and use it to guide our behavior. How is this information represented in the brain? We used functional MRI to analyze patterns of brain activity corresponding to hundreds of familiar concepts, and quantitatively characterized the informational structure of these patterns. Our results indicate that, throughout the brain, conceptual knowledge is stored as patterns of neural activity that encode primarily experiential information grounded in modality-specific neural systems, challenging the idea that concept representations are independent of sensory-motor experience.