tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Effect of carbohydrate rich versus fat rich loads on gas exchange and walking performance in patients with chronic obstructive lung disease.
Authors: J Efthimiou, P J Mounsey, D N Benson, R Madgwick, S J Coles, M K Benson
Journal: Thorax (1992)

BACKGROUND: High calorie intakes, especially as carbohydrate, increase carbon dioxide production (VCO2) and may precipitate respiratory failure in patients with severe pulmonary disease. Energy obtained from fat results in less carbon dioxide and thus may permit a reduced level of alveolar ventilation for any given arterial blood carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2). METHODS: Ten patients with stable severe chronic obstructive lung disease underwent a six minute walk before and 45 minutes after taking 920 kcal of a fat rich drink, an isocalorific amount of a carbohydrate rich drink, and an equal volume of a non-calorific control liquid on three separate days, in a double blind randomised crossover study. Borg scores of the perceived effort to breathe were measured at the beginning and end of each six minute walk. Minute ventilation (VE2), VCO2, oxygen consumption (VO2), respiratory quotient (RQ), arterial blood gas tensions, and lung function were measured before and 30 minutes after each test drink. RESULTS: Baseline measurements were similar on all three test days and the non-calorific control drink resulted in no changes in any of the measured variables. The carbohydrate rich drink resulted in significantly greater increases in VE, VCO2, VO2, RQ, PaCO2, and Borg score and a greater fall in the distance walked in six minutes than the fat rich drink (mean fall after carbohydrate rich drink 17 m v 3 m after fat rich drink and the non-calorific control). The increase in VCO2 correlated significantly with the decrease in six minute walking distance and the increase in Borg score after the carbohydrate rich drink. The only significant change after the fat rich drink when compared with the non-calorific control was an increase in VCO2. CONCLUSIONS: Comparatively small changes in the carbohydrate and fat constitution of meals can have a significant effect on VCO2, exercise tolerance, and breathlessness in patients with chronic obstructive lung disease.
Cell-free fetal DNA in maternal blood: kinetics, source and structure
Authors: Farideh Z. Bischoff, Dorothy E. Lewis, Joe Leigh Simpson
Journal: Human Reproduction Update (2004)

The kinetics and structure of cell-free fetal DNA in maternal plasma is currently under investigation. Plasma fetal DNA seems quite stable albeit cleared rapidly following birth, suggesting continuous fetal DNA release into the maternal circulation during pregnancy. However, to understand better the kinetics of circulating DNA, studies to determine the biological (structural) form in which fetal and maternal DNA exist and the mechanisms underlying variation in plasma are warranted to ensure quantitative diagnostic reliability. It is likely that circulating fetal DNA is released from fetal and/or placental cells undergoing apoptosis. Thus, the majority of fetal DNA is proposed to circulate in membrane-bound vesicles (apoptotic bodies). This review summarizes the latest reports in this field.
Severe bacterial non-aids infections in HIV-positive persons: Incidence rates and risk factors
Authors: O.S. Søgaard, J. Reekie, M. Ristola, D. Jevtovic, I. Karpov, M. Beniowski, S. Servitskiy, P. Domingo, P. Reiss, A. Mocroft, O. Kirk
Journal: Journal of Infection (2013)
Rapid evolution of a primate sperm protein: relaxation of functional constraint or positive Darwinian selection?
Authors: A. P. Rooney, J. Zhang
Journal: Molecular Biology and Evolution (1999)

Protamines are arginine-rich proteins that replace histones and bind sperm DNA during spermatogenesis in vertebrates. Previous studies have shown that protamine exons evolve faster than does the protamine intron. It has been suggested that this is a result of a relaxation of functional constraint. However, a more likely explanation is that the evolutionary rate of exons has been accelerated by positive Darwinian selection, because introns are generally believed to evolve in a neutral fashion. Therefore, we examined the possibility that positive selection has been acting on the protamine genes of three groups of placental mammals: primates (hominoids and Old World monkeys), rodents (mice, rats, and guinea pigs), and pecoran ruminants (deer and bovids). We found that the nucleotide substitution rate at nonsynonymous sites is significantly higher than the rate at synonymous and intron sites for protamine P1 of hominoids and Old World monkeys. This result suggests that positive selection has been operating on protamine P1 of these species. In contrast, no clear-cut evidence of positive selection was found for protamine P1 of ruminants and rodents or protamine P2 of primates. The agent of positive selection on primate protamine P1 remains unknown, though sperm competition is a possibility. Further investigations on the function and intraspecific polymorphism of this protein are needed in order to identify the selection agent.
Novel Susceptibility Variants at 10p12.31-12.2 for Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Ethnically Diverse Populations
Authors: Heng Xu, Wenjian Yang, Virginia Perez-Andreu, Meenakshi Devidas, Yiping Fan, Cheng Cheng, Deqing Pei, Paul Scheet, Esteban González Burchard, Celeste Eng, Scott Huntsman, Dara G. Torgerson, Michael Dean, Naomi J. Winick, Paul L. Martin, Bruce M. Camitta, W. Paul Bowman, Cheryl L. Willman, William L. Carroll, Charles G. Mullighan, Deepa Bhojwani, Stephen P. Hunger, Ching-Hon Pui, William E. Evans, Mary V. Relling, Mignon L. Loh, Jun J. Yang
Journal: JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute (2013)

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common cancer in children and the incidence of ALL varies by ethnicity. Although accumulating evidence indicates inherited predisposition to ALL, the genetic basis of ALL susceptibility in diverse ancestry has not been comprehensively examined.We performed a multiethnic genome-wide association study in 1605 children with ALL and 6661 control subjects after adjusting for population structure, with validation in three replication series of 845 case subjects and 4316 control subjects. Association was tested by two-sided logistic regression.A novel ALL susceptibility locus at 10p12.31-12.2 (BMI1-PIP4K2A, rs7088318, P = 1.1 × 10(-11)) was identified in the genome-wide association study, with independent replication in European Americans, African Americans, and Hispanic Americans (P = .001, .009, and .04, respectively). Association was also validated at four known ALL susceptibility loci: ARID5B, IKZF1, CEBPE, and CDKN2A/2B. Associations at ARID5B, IKZF1, and BMI1-PIP4K2A variants were consistent across ethnicity, with multiple independent signals at IKZF1 and BMI1-PIP4K2A loci. The frequency of ARID5B and BMI1-PIP4K2A variants differed by ethnicity, in parallel with ethnic differences in ALL incidence. Suggestive evidence for modifying effects of age on genetic predisposition to ALL was also observed. ARID5B, IKZF1, CEBPE, and BMI1-PIP4K2A variants cumulatively conferred strong predisposition to ALL, with children carrying six to eight copies of risk alleles at a ninefold (95% confidence interval = 6.9 to 11.8) higher ALL risk relative to those carrying zero to one risk allele at these four single nucleotide polymorphisms.These findings indicate strong associations between inherited genetic variation and ALL susceptibility in children and shed new light on ALL molecular etiology in diverse ancestry.
Receptor synergy of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and insulin-like growth factor-I in myeloma cells that highly express IL-6 receptor α
Authors: Saeid Abroun, Hideaki Ishikawa, Naohiro Tsuyama, Shangqin Liu, Fu-Jun Li, Ken-ichiro Otsuyama, Xu Zheng, Masanori Obata, Michio M. Kawano
Journal: Blood (2003)
Randomised trial of telephone intervention in chronic heart failure: DIAL trial
Journal: BMJ (2005)

<h3>Abstract</h3> <b>Objective</b> To determine whether a centralised telephone intervention reduces the incidence of death or admission for worsening heart failure in outpatients with chronic heart failure. <b>Design</b> Multicentre randomised controlled trial. <b>Setting</b> 51 centres in Argentina (public and private hospitals and ambulatory settings). <b>Participants</b> 1518 outpatients with stable chronic heart failure and optimal drug treatment randomised, stratified by attending cardiologist, to telephone intervention or usual care. <b>Intervention</b> Education, counselling, and monitoring by nurses through frequent telephone follow-up in addition to usual care, delivered from a single centre. <b>Main outcome measure</b> All cause mortality or admission to hospital for worsening heart failure. <b>Results</b> Complete follow-up was available in 99.5% of patients. The 758 patients in the usual care group were more likely to be admitted for worsening heart failure or to die (235 events, 31%) than the 760 patients who received the telephone intervention (200 events, 26.3%) (relative risk reduction = 20%, 95% confidence interval 3 to 34, P = 0.026). This benefit was mostly due to a significant reduction in admissions for heart failure (relative risk reduction = 29%, P = 0.005). Mortality was similar in both groups. At the end of the study the intervention group had a better quality of life than the usual care group (mean total score on Minnesota living with heart failure questionnaire 30.6 <i>v</i> 35, P = 0.001). <b>Conclusions</b> This simple, centralised heart failure programme was effective in reducing the primary end point through a significant reduction in admissions to hospital for heart failure.
Predictors of Overweight During Childhood in Offspring of Parents With Type 1 Diabetes
Authors: Sandra Hummel, Maren Pflüger, Susanne Kreichauf, Michael Hummel, Anette-G. Ziegler
Journal: Diabetes Care (2009)

OBJECTIVE To study which perinatal factors affect the risk of childhood overweight in offspring with a first-degree relative (FDR) with type 1 diabetes and to determine whether maternal diabetes is an independent contributor to overweight risk. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Data on a child's weight and height were collected at age 2, 5, and 8 years from 1,214 children participating in the prospective BABYDIAB study. All children had an FDR with type 1 diabetes, including 783 whose mothers had type 1 diabetes. Overweight was defined as BMI percentile ≥90. Data on birth size, breast-feeding, maternal age, and smoking during pregnancy were collected by questionnaires. Risk estimates were calculated by logistic regression analyses. RESULTS Breastfeeding duration and birth size both contributed significantly to overweight risk at all age intervals. Full breast-feeding &amp;gt;4 months or any breast-feeding &amp;gt;6 months reduced risk of overweight (aged 8 years: odds ratio 0.3 [95% CI 0.2–0.7], P = 0.004; and 0.3 [0.1–0.6], P = 0.001). Large-for-gestational-age status increased risk of overweight (aged 8 years: 2.4 [1.4–4.3], P = 0.002). Importantly, no evidence was found for an independent contribution of maternal type 1 diabetes to childhood overweight. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that maternal type 1 diabetes is not an independent risk factor for overweight during childhood in offspring of type 1 diabetic mothers but that factors associated with maternal type 1 diabetes, such as short breast-feeding duration and high birth size, predispose children to overweight during childhood.
Nursing Home Safety: Current Issues and Barriers to Improvement
Authors: Andrea Gruneir, Vincent Mor
Journal: Annual Review of Public Health (2008)

The past few decades have seen increasing concern about the quality of nursing home (NH) care. As with other health care sectors, NHs have attempted to embrace a culture of safety, but the additional barriers that they face place the NH industry at a distinct disadvantage. In this review, we provide a summary of current models of NH quality and an overview of two important clinical areas for quality improvement: pressure ulcers and falls. Despite heavy regulation of the NH industry, hoped-for improvements in quality have been limited. We argue that systemic barriers, such as staffing shortages, NH organization, and an adversarial regulatory environment, preclude advances in NH quality.
Are Metabolically Normal but Obese Individuals at Lower Risk for All-Cause Mortality?
Authors: Jennifer L. Kuk, Chris I. Ardern
Journal: Diabetes Care (2009)

OBJECTIVE The clinical relevance of the metabolically normal but obese phenotype for mortality risk is unclear. This study examines the risk for all-cause mortality in metabolically normal and abnormal obese (MNOB and MAOB, respectively) individuals. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The sample included 6,011 men and women from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) with public-access mortality data linkage (follow-up = 8.7 ± 0.2 years; 292 deaths). Metabolically abnormal was defined as insulin resistance (IR) or two or more metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) criteria (excluding waist). RESULTS A total of 30% of obese subjects had IR, and 38.4% had two or more MetSyn factors, whereas only 6.0% (or 1.6% of the whole population) were free from both IR and all MetSyn factors. By MetSyn factors or IR alone, MNOB subjects (hazard ratio [HR]MetSyn 2.80 [1.18–6.65]; HRIR 2.58 [1.00–6.65]) and MAOB subjects (HRMetSyn 2.74 [1.46–5.15]; HRIR 3.09 [1.55–6.15]) had similar elevations in mortality risk compared with metabolically normal, normal weight subjects. CONCLUSIONS Although a rare phenotype, obesity, even in the absence of overt metabolic aberrations, is associated with increased all-cause mortality risk.
Suicide in Psychiatric Patients Who Have Received Hospital Treatment
Authors: GEORGE C. WILSON
Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry (1968)

The records of two groups of psychiatric patients were studied: 17 patients who committed suicide while in the hospital or within one year after discharge and 29 suicide-risk patients who did not commit suicide. A five-factor psychosocial evaluation showed that the suicides were characterized by lack of constructive plans for the future, high chaotic energy levels, and general social isolation; the suicide-risk patients were characterized by adequate planning, low energy levels, and positive relationships with other people. Both groups showed depressive mood and lack of moral restraints against suicide.
Increased responsiveness to cholinergic stimulation of small compared to large diameter cartilaginous bronchi
Authors: HW Mitchell, MP Sparrow
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (1994)

Model studies incorporating known morphological properties of the airways predict different narrowing characteristics between large and small bronchi. However, the flow-response characteristics of airways from different regions in the bronchial tree are still unknown. We compared the responsiveness of large and small bore bronchi of the pig to luminal or adventitial stimulation by acetylcholine (ACh) during perfusion of the airways at optimal driving pressure. Subsequently, each segment was measured morphometrically. Resting flow through the lumen was directly related to the fourth power of the segment internal diameter (ID). The sensitivity of small bronchi (2.00 mm ID) to ACh applied adventitially was about 870 times greater than large (5.85 mm ID) with a longer latency time of contraction in large bronchi. When perfused luminally the sensitivity difference was 42 fold, and after removing the epithelium the sensitivity difference was reduced to approximately five fold. Maximum concentrations of ACh produced airway closure in small segments (100% reduction in flow) but in large segments a plateau developed at 60-90% flow reduction. Similar findings were obtained with carbachol. Morphometry of the airway wall showed increasing cartilage, mucosal and smooth muscle thickness with increasing diameter, but a decreasing relative wall area. The marked differences in sensitivity to narrowing between large and small bronchi are, in part, related to differences in morphological properties of the mucosa (the epithelium) and adventitia, and to airway location. Airway size plays an important role in the maximum response of airway narrowing, with small airways showing closure and large airways a plateau.
Intravenous glucose tolerance test—derived glucose effectiveness in strength-trained humans
Authors: Junzo Fujitani, Yasuki Higaki, Toshiko Kagawa, Makoto Sakamoto, Akira Kiyonaga, Munehiro Shindo, Ataru Taniguchi, Yoshikatu Nakai, Kumpei Tokuyama, Hiroaki Tanaka
Journal: Metabolism (1998)
Microscopic emphysema in relation to age and smoking habit.
Authors: M Gillooly, D Lamb
Journal: Thorax (1993)

The increases in airspace size within the human lung associated with microscopic emphysema can be assessed by measuring the airspace wall surface area per unit volume of lung tissue (AWUV). In a previous study the limits of normality of AWUV with age were estimated in lifelong non-smokers by the 95% prediction limits of the regression line for these variables. The aims of this study were to study the incidence of microscopically assessed emphysema in a group of smokers and to examine the influence of smoking habit on the susceptibility to and severity of microscopically assessed emphysema.AWUV was measured on tissue sections from 125 lung specimens obtained from tobacco smokers (mean age 61.1 (range 33-85) years) with the fast interval processor, a rapid automatic scanning device. The mean AWUV value was calculated for each specimen and this figure was plotted against the age of the subject. The limits of normal AWUV were plotted, and AWUV values below these limits were taken as indicative of microscopically assessed emphysema. Details of the number of cigarettes smoked each day were obtained for 97 of the smokers. These subjects were grouped according to smoking habit: group 1, 1-19 cigarettes/day; group 2, 20-29 cigarettes/day; group 3, at least 30 cigarettes/day. The AWUV results from each of these groups were then assessed.Mean AWUV decreased with age in this group of smokers, but only 26% had microscopically assessed emphysema, indicating that within the group there were two subgroups of smokers with differing susceptibility to microscopically assessed emphysema. There were no sex differences in the incidence of microscopically assessed emphysema, nor were the incidence and severity increased with increased daily cigarette consumption.Susceptibility to microscopically assessed emphysema was found to be similar in male and female smokers. Daily cigarette consumption did not appear to be the primary factor influencing the susceptibility to or severity of microscopically assessed emphysema. Susceptibility differences within the smoking population should be taken into consideration in studies of the pathogenesis of emphysema.
Direct targeting of Sec23a by miR-200s influences cancer cell secretome and promotes metastatic colonization
Authors: Manav Korpal, Brian J Ell, Francesca M Buffa, Toni Ibrahim, Mario A Blanco, Toni Celià-Terrassa, Laura Mercatali, Zia Khan, Hani Goodarzi, Yuling Hua, Yong Wei, Guohong Hu, Benjamin A Garcia, Jiannis Ragoussis, Dino Amadori, Adrian L Harris, Yibin Kang
Journal: Nature Medicine (2011)
Endothelial Damage in Long-Term Survivors of Childhood Cancer
Authors: Cornelia A.J. Brouwer, Aleida Postma, H. Louise H. Hooimeijer, Andries J. Smit, Judith M. Vonk, Arie M. van Roon, Maarten P. van den Berg, Wil V. Dolsma, Joop D. Lefrandt, Margreet T.E. Bink-Boelkens, Nynke Zwart, Elisabeth G.E. de Vries, Wim J.E. Tissing, Jourik A. Gietema
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2013)

To evaluate the presence of vascular damage in long-term childhood cancer survivors (CCS) and sibling controls, and to evaluate the association between vascular damage parameters and cancer treatment and influence of cardiovascular risk factors.Vascular assessment was performed in 277 adult CCSs (median age at diagnosis, 9 years; range, 0 to 20 years; median current age, 28 years; range, 18 to 48 years) treated with potentially cardiovascular toxic anticancer treatment (ie, anthracyclines, platinum, and/or radiotherapy [RT]). Measurements included carotid- and femoral-wall intima-media thickness (IMT), flow-mediated vasodilatation of the brachial artery by ultrasound, assessment of endothelial and inflammatory marker proteins (including tissue-type plasminogen activator [t-PA], plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 [PAI-I]), and cardiovascular risk factors. CCS assessments were compared with those of 130 sibling controls (median age, 26 years; range, 18 to 51 years).At a median of 18 years (range, 5 to 31 years) after treatment, carotid and femoral IMTs in CCSs were not different from those of controls. However, CCSs who received RT as part of their treatment regimen had increased carotid and femoral IMTs and higher t-PA and PAI-I levels, indicating vascular damage and persistent endothelial activation. Patients treated with RT to the neck or chest also had greater femoral IMT. Greater IMT was associated with presence of cardiovascular risk factors (eg, hypertension and overweight).After potentially cardiovascular toxic anticancer treatment, CCSs who received RT showed signs of endothelial damage and an unfavorable cardiovascular risk profile compared with controls. CCSs treated with localized RT had increased IMT outside the primary irradiation field. These abnormalities are probably involved in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular morbidity in CCSs.
Randomized, Blinded, Sham-Controlled Trial of Acupuncture for the Management of Aromatase Inhibitor–Associated Joint Symptoms in Women With Early-Stage Breast Cancer
Authors: Katherine D. Crew, Jillian L. Capodice, Heather Greenlee, Lois Brafman, Deborah Fuentes, Danielle Awad, Wei Yann Tsai, Dawn L. Hershman
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2010)

PURPOSE Women with breast cancer (BC) treated with aromatase inhibitors (AIs) may experience joint symptoms that can lead to discontinuation of effective therapy. We examined whether acupuncture improves AI-induced arthralgias in women with early-stage BC. METHODS We conducted a randomized, controlled, blinded study comparing true acupuncture (TA) versus sham acupuncture (SA) twice weekly for 6 weeks in postmenopuasal women with BC who had self-reported musculoskeletal pain related to AIs. TA included full body/auricular acupuncture and joint-specific point prescriptions, whereas SA involved superficial needle insertion at nonacupoint locations. Outcome measures included the Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form (BPI-SF), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), and Modified Score for the Assessment of Chronic Rheumatoid Affections of the Hands (M-SACRAH) obtained at baseline and at 3 and 6 weeks. Results Of 51 women enrolled, 43 women were randomly assigned and 38 were evaluable. Baseline characteristics were comparable between the two groups. Our primary end point was the difference in mean BPI-SF worst pain scores at 6 weeks, which was lower for TA compared with SA (3.0 v 5.5; P < .001). We also found differences between TA and SA in pain severity (2.6 v 4.5; P = .003) and pain-related interference (2.5 v 4.5; P = .002) at 6 weeks. Similar findings were seen for the WOMAC and M-SACRAH scores. The acupuncture intervention was well-tolerated. CONCLUSION Women with AI-induced arthralgias treated with TA had significant improvement of joint pain and stiffness, which was not seen with SA. Acupuncture is an effective and well-tolerated strategy for managing this common treatment-related side effect.