tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Interleukin‐31 does not induce immediate itch in atopic dermatitis patients and healthy controls after skin challenge
Authors: T. Hawro, R. Saluja, K. Weller, S. Altrichter, M. Metz, M. Maurer
Journal: Allergy (2013)

The most intriguing function attributed to interleukin-31 (IL-31) is its ability to induce pruritus in pathologic conditions, such as atopic dermatitis (AD). As of today, this feature of IL-31 was tested in vivo only in animal models.Ten patients with AD and 10 healthy controls were challenged with IL-31 and NaCl (negative control) by skin prick testing. Twenty additional healthy controls were subjected to skin prick testing with histamine. Itch and local inflammatory responses of the skin were assessed for up to 72 h.All of the histamine-challenged subjects developed immediate pruritus (i.e. within the first 5 min). In contrast, only one IL-31- and two of the NaCl-challenged subjects reported immediate itch at the provocation site (short lasting, for 2-6 min). Nine subjects (five patients with AD) reported late itch responses to IL-31 challenges with a mean delay of 143 min. No subject reported late itch responses to histamine or NaCl testing. There was no significant difference in IL-31-induced itch start time, duration and intensity between patients with AD and healthy volunteers.IL-31 does not induce immediate itch responses in humans. The late onset of IL-31-induced itch supports the notion that IL-31 exerts its pruritic effect indirectly via keratinocytes and secondary mediators, rather than through its receptors on cutaneous nerves.
Brain imaging and its implications for studying centrally targeted treatments in irritable bowel syndrome: a primer for gastroenterologists
Authors: D A Drossman
Journal: Gut (2005)

Research into brain-gut interactions, and the use of brain imaging, as potential investigative tools for functional gastrointestinal disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome, is a promising new area. Studies are beginning to identify the structure and function of regions of the brain and their relationships to pain perception, stress, and other psychosocial variables. These imaging modalities may also have diagnostic potential, and perhaps even therapeutic applications, particularly with regard to understanding the benefit of centrally targeted modalities such as antidepressants and psychological treatments.
Measurement of joint inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis with indium-111 chloride.
Authors: R H Shmerling, J A Parker, W D Johns, D E Trentham
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (1990)

Studies in the collagen and rabbit models of arthritis have indicated that indium-111 chloride (111InCl3) scintigraphy objectively measures synovial inflammation. Indium-111 chloride scans, with imaging three days after 19 MBq intravenous injection, were performed on 21 patients with definite or classical rheumatoid arthritis (RA), all of whom were functional class II. Standard clinical indices of disease activity were recorded at the time of imaging by the same investigator, who was unaware of the results of joint scans. In addition, eight patients with severe osteoarthritis, four of whom were considered to need hip or knee joint replacement, were similarly scanned. In each patient 16 joints were graded as 0 to 5, based on increasing degrees of 111InCl3 uptake, by a single investigator blinded to the patient9s diagnosis and clinical status. In the group with RA significant correlations were observed between individual joint uptake on scan and peripheral joints with swelling, joints reported to be painful, and joints with any abnormality on physical examination. In the group with osteoarthritis joints positive on scan correlated with the presence of pain. A total scan score (sum of individual joint scores) was calculated for each patient. In the patients with RA values ranged from 0 to 42 with a mean (SEM) of 20.7 (2.7) and correlated with the number of swollen joints and decreasing grip strength. In the group with osteoarthritis the mean total scan score (9.2 (1.5), range 3-14) was significantly lower than in the patients with RA. These data show that 111InCl3 scanning can measure joint involvement by RA.
The black mink (Mustela vison). A natural model of immunologic male infertility.
Authors: K S Tung, L Ellis, C Teuscher, A Meng, J C Blaustein, S Kohno, R Howell
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1981)

Breeding for fine black fur has generated a colony of mink wherein 20-30% of the males are infertile. Two clinical groups are distinguishable: one being infertile from the start (primary infertility), and the other infertile after one or more years of fertility (secondary fertility). Although the etiology of primary infertility is unknown, the available data indicate that secondary infertility is associated with an autoimmune disease of the testis. Thus, male mink with secondary infertility have (a) higher prevalence and levels of anti-sperm antibody when compared with animals with primary infertility, and the antibody prevalence varies with fur color; (b) severe monocytic orchitis (47%) and/or aspermatogenesis (75%) with negative cultures for bacterial, fungal, mumps, or Coxsackie B viral organisms; (c) massive and extensive granular deposits of mink IgG and/or C3 (71%), typical of immune complexes, along the basal lamina of seminiferous tubules; (d) testes that when eluted with buffer or low pH yielded IgG that was 10-fold enriched in anti-sperm antibody activity as compared with serum IgG; and (e) no immunopathologic evidence of Aleutian mink disease. Although the sperm antigen-antibody complexes in the testis may be important as a pathogenetic mechanism of the testicular disease, there is no correlation between fluorescent anti-sperm antibody detection in the serum and the infertile state. The infertile black mink is a new model of infertility associated with naturally occurring autoimmune disease of the testis.
JunB Protects against Myeloid Malignancies by Limiting Hematopoietic Stem Cell Proliferation and Differentiation without Affecting Self-Renewal
Authors: Marianne Santaguida, Koen Schepers, Bryan King, Amit J. Sabnis, E. Camilla Forsberg, Joanne L. Attema, Benjamin S. Braun, Emmanuelle Passegué
Journal: Cancer Cell (2009)
Power Analysis of Tests for Loss of Selective Constraint in Cave Crayfish and Nonphotosynthetic Plant Lineages
Authors: Jim Leebens-Mack, Claude dePamphilis
Journal: Molecular Biology and Evolution (2002)

Loss of selective constraint on a gene may be expected following changes in the environment or life history that render its function unnecessary. The long-term persistence of protein-coding genes after the loss of known functional necessity can occur by chance or because of selective maintenance of an unknown gene function. The selective maintenance of an alternative gene function is not demonstrated by the failure of statistical tests to reject the hypothesis that there has been no change in the degree of constraint on the evolution of coding genes. Maintenance may be inferred, however, when power analyses of such tests demonstrate that there has been a sufficient number of nucleotide substitutions to detect the loss of selective constraint. Here, we describe a power analysis for tests of loss of constraint on protein-coding genes. The power analysis was applied to loss-of-constraint tests for opsin gene evolution in cave-dwelling crayfish and rbcL evolution in nonphotosynthetic parasitic plants. The power of previously applied tests for loss of constraint on cave crayfish opsin genes was insufficient to distinguish between chance retention and selective maintenance of opsin genes. However, the power of codon-based likelihood ratio tests for change in d(N)/d(S) (=omega) (nonsynonymous to synonymous change) did have sufficient power to detect a loss of constraint on rbcL associated with a loss of photosynthesis in most examples but failed to detect such a change in three independent lineages. We conclude that rbcL has been selectively maintained in these holoparasitic plant lineages. This conclusion suggests that either these taxa are photosynthetic for at least a part of their life or rbcL may have an unknown function in these plants unrelated to photosynthesis.
No Prognostic Impact of the <i>WT1</i> Gene Single Nucleotide Polymorphism rs16754 in Pediatric Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Authors: Iris H.I.M. Hollink, Marry M. van den Heuvel-Eibrink, Martin Zimmermann, Brian V. Balgobind, Susan T.C.J.M. Arentsen-Peters, Marielle Alders, Andre Willasch, Gert-Jan J.L. Kaspers, Jan Trka, Andre Baruchel, Ursula Creutzig, Rob Pieters, Dirk Reinhardt, C. Michel Zwaan
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2010)
Divisions within the posterior parietal cortex help touch meet vision
Authors: Catherine L. Reed
Journal: Behavioral and Brain Sciences (2007)

Abstract The parietal cortex is divided into two major functional regions: the anterior parietal cortex that includes primary somatosensory cortex, and the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) that includes the rest of the parietal lobe. The PPC contains multiple representations of space. In Dijkerman &amp; de Haan's (D&amp;dH's) model, higher spatial representations are separate from PPC functions. This model should be developed further so that the functions of the somatosensory system are integrated with specific functions within the PPC and higher spatial representations. Through this further specification of the model, one can make better predictions regarding functional interactions between somatosensory and visual systems.
Clinical Model for Management of Pulmonary Embolism
Authors: Jeffrey Pickard
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1999)

Letters21 September 1999Clinical Model for Management of Pulmonary EmbolismJeffrey Pickard, MDJeffrey Pickard, MDUniversity of Colorado Health Sciences Center; Denver, CO 80218 (Pickard)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-131-6-199909210-00016 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITORI read with interest the excellent articles by Wells, Ginsberg, and colleagues (1, 2) and would like to make a few comments. First, a small matter. The left side of Figure 3 in Wells and colleagues' article is incorrect: It indicates that a normal follow-up ultrasonogram establishes the diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis (1). Similarly, the figure in Ginsberg and colleagues' article incorrectly indicates that a negative compression ultrasonogram after a normal perfusion lung scan diagnoses pulmonary embolism (2).Why were pregnant women excluded from the studies? As the authors are aware, pregnant women are at significant ...References1. Wells PS, Ginsberg JS, Anderson DR, Kearon C, Gent M, Turpie AG, et al . Use of a clinical model for safe management of patients with suspected pulmonary embolism. Ann Intern Med. 1998;129:997-1005. LinkGoogle Scholar2. Ginsberg JS, Wells PS, Kearon C, Anderson D, Crowther M, Weitz JI, et al . Sensitivity and specificity of a rapid whole-blood assay for d-dimer in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. Ann Intern Med. 1998;129:1006-11. LinkGoogle Scholar3. Barbour LA, Pickard J. Controversies in thromboembolic disease during pregnancy: a critical review. Obstet Gynecol. 1995;86:621-33. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Jeffrey Pickard, MDAffiliations: University of Colorado Health Sciences Center; Denver, CO 80218 (Pickard) PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoUse of a Clinical Model for Safe Management of Patients with Suspected Pulmonary Embolism Philip S. Wells , Jeffrey S. Ginsberg , David R. Anderson , Clive Kearon , Michael Gent , Alexander G. Turpie , Janis Bormanis , Jeffrey Weitz , Michael Chamberlain , Dennis Bowie , David Barnes , and Jack Hirsh Clinical Model for Management of Pulmonary Embolism John F. Whitney Clinical Model for Management of Pulmonary Embolism Stephen J. Jay Clinical Model for Management of Pulmonary Embolism Paul Egermayer Clinical Model for Management of Pulmonary Embolism Philip Wells , David Anderson , and Jeffrey Ginsberg Metrics 21 September 1999Volume 131, Issue 6Page: 474KeywordsD-dimerDeep vein thrombosisLungsPregnancyPulmonary embolismSigns and symptomsVenous thromboembolism ePublished: 15 August 2000 Issue Published: 21 September 1999 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 1999 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...
Atmospheric circulation types and daily mortality in Athens, Greece.
Authors: P Kassomenos, A Gryparis, E Samoli, K Katsouyanni, S Lykoudis, H A Flocas
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (2001)

We investigated the short-term effects of synoptic and mesoscale atmospheric circulation types on mortality in Athens, Greece. The synoptic patterns in the lower troposphere were classified in 8 a priori defined categories. The mesoscale weather types were classified into 11 categories, using meteorologic parameters from the Athens area surface monitoring network; the daily number of deaths was available for 1987-1991. We applied generalized additive models (GAM), extending Poisson regression, using a LOESS smoother to control for the confounding effects of seasonal patterns. We adjusted for long-term trends, day of the week, ambient particle concentrations, and additional temperature effects. Both classifications, synoptic and mesoscale, explain the daily variation of mortality to a statistically significant degree. The highest daily mortality was observed on days characterized by southeasterly flow [increase 10%; 95% confidence interval (CI), 6.1-13.9% compared to the high-low pressure system), followed by zonal flow (5.8%; 95% CI, 1.8-10%). The high-low pressure system and the northwesterly flow are associated with the lowest mortality. The seasonal patterns are consistent with the annual pattern. For mesoscale categories, in the cold period the highest mortality is observed during days characterized by the easterly flow category (increase 9.4%; 95% CI, 1.0-18.5% compared to flow without the main component). In the warm period, the highest mortality occurs during the strong southerly flow category (8.5% increase; 95% CI, 2.0-15.4% compared again to flow without the main component). Adjusting for ambient particle levels leaves the estimated associations unchanged for the synoptic categories and slightly increases the effects of mesoscale categories. In conclusion, synoptic and mesoscale weather classification is a useful tool for studying the weather-health associations in a warm Mediterranean climate situation.
Comparison of early and late asthmatic responses between patients with allergic rhinitis and mild asthma
Authors: M Bonavia, E Crimi, A Quaglia, V Brusasco
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (1996)

Allergic rhinitic subjects without symptoms of asthma show airway hyperresponsiveness, but to a lesser degree than asthmatics. As airway responsiveness is a determinant of the bronchial response to allergen, rhinitic subjects should also respond to allergen challenge, but to a lesser extent than asthmatics. However, studies have so far failed to show quantitative differences in allergen responses between patients with rhinitis and patients with asthma. We studied 123 allergic subjects classified, on the basis of a scored symptom questionnaire, as follows: pure rhinitics without any symptom of asthma (Group 1, n = 39), true asthmatics with or without rhinitis (Group 2, n = 41), and subjects with borderline symptoms of asthma (Group 3, n = 43). All subjects underwent both methacholine and allergen inhalation challenges, with pollen challenges performed out of season. When the three groups were pooled, the asthma symptom score was directly correlated with the sensitivities both to methacholine and allergen, whilst both the sensitivity to allergen and the severity of late-phase response were correlated with the sensitivity to methacholine. The percentage of subjects with a positive early-phase asthmatic response to allergen was similar in Groups 1 and 2. Group 2 had higher sensitivities both to methacholine and to allergen than Group 1. A late-phase asthmatic response occurred more frequently in Group 2 than in Group 1, and this difference was due to a higher occurrence of late-phase response in subjects allergic to house dust mite in Group 2. This study confirms that the bronchial response to allergen can be predicted, in rhinitic as well as in asthmatic allergic subjects, on the basis of airway responsiveness to methacholine. We conclude that the presence or the absence of asthma symptoms in allergic subjects may be related to a quantitatively different airway responsiveness to allergen.
Novel Polymorphism in the Gene Region Encoding the Carboxyl-Terminal Intracellular Domain of the NMDA Receptor 2B Subunit: Analysis of Association With Schizophrenia
Authors: N Nishiguchi, O Shirakawa, H Ono, T Hashimoto, K Maeda
Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry (2000)

OBJECTIVE: N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists are known to produce a syndrome resembling schizophrenia, probably due to their blockade of NMDA receptors. The NMDA receptor 2B (NR2B) subunit has been identified as one of the major proteins in the postsynaptic density at glutamatergic synapses, suggesting that the carboxyl-terminal domain of the NR2B subunit may play a significant role in intracellular signal transduction. METHOD: The authors screened for genetic variations in the region of the NR2B subunit gene encoding the carboxyl-terminal intracellular domain in patients with schizophrenia and studied the association between schizophrenia and a novel polymorphism of the NR2B subunit gene. RESULTS: One silent mutation (2664C/T) was identified. No significant differences in the frequencies of 2664C/T genotypes and alleles were found between patients with schizophrenia and healthy comparison subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The findings provided no evidence of an association between schizophrenia and the 2664C/T polymorphism of the NR2B subunit gene.
Identification of an intrahepatic transcriptional signature associated with self-limiting infection in the woodchuck model of hepatitis B
Authors: Simon P. Fletcher, Daniel J. Chin, Donavan T. Cheng, Palanikumar Ravindran, Hans Bitter, Lore Gruenbaum, Paul J. Cote, Han Ma, Klaus Klumpp, Stephan Menne
Journal: Hepatology (2012)

Abstract The woodchuck model of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection displays many characteristics of human infection and has particular value for characterizing the host immune responses during the development of chronic infection. Using the newly developed custom woodchuck microarray platform, we compared the intrahepatic transcriptional profiles of neonatal woodchucks with self-limiting woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) infection to those woodchucks progressing to persistent WHV infection. This revealed that WHV does not induce significant intrahepatic gene expression changes during the early-acute stage of infection (8 weeks), suggesting it is a stealth virus. At the mid-acute phase of infection (14 weeks), resolution was associated with induction of a prominent cytotoxic T-cell signature. Strikingly, this was accompanied by high-level expression of PD-1 and various other inhibitory T-cell receptors, which likely act to minimize liver damage by cytotoxic T cells during viral clearance. In contrast to the expression of perforin and other cytotoxic effector genes, the interferon-γ (IFN-γ) signaling response in the mid-acute phase was comparable to that in chronically infected adult animals. The absence of a strong IFN-α/β transcriptional response indicated that type I IFN is not a critical mediator of self-limiting infection. Nevertheless, a number of antiviral genes, including viperin , were differentially expressed during resolving infection, suggesting that a subset of IFN-stimulated genes (ISG) may play a role in the control of WHV replication. Conclusion : We identified new immune pathways associated with the clearance of hepadnavirus infection revealing novel molecular targets with potential for the therapeutic treatment of chronic hepatitis B. (Hepatology 2013)
Economic analysis of a transesophageal echocardiography-guided approach to cardioversion of patients with atrial fibrillation
Authors: Allan L Klein, R Daniel Murray, Edmund R Becker, Steven D Culler, William S Weintraub, Susan E Jasper, Elizabeth A Lieber, Carolyn Apperson-Hansen, Adrienne M Heerey, Richard A Grimm
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2004)
Prevalence of Chronic Pain After Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors: Devi E Nampiaparampil
Journal: JAMA (2008)

<h3>Context</h3>The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that approximately 1.4 million US individuals sustain traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) per year. Previous reports suggest an association between TBI and chronic pain syndromes (eg, headache) thought to be more common in patients with mild TBI and in those who have sustained brain injury from violent rather than unintentional trauma. Comorbid psychiatric disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may also mediate chronic pain symptoms.<h3>Objectives</h3>To determine the prevalence of chronic pain as an underdiagnosed consequence of TBI and to review the interaction between chronic pain and severity of TBI as well as the characteristics of pain after TBI among civilians and combatants.<h3>Evidence Acquisition</h3>The Ovid/MEDLINE database was searched for articles published between 1951 and February 2008 using any combination of the terms brain injury, pain, headache, blast injury, and combat (combat disorders, war, military medicine, wounds and injuries, military personnel, veterans). The PubMed and MD Consult databases were searched in a similar fashion. The Cochrane Collaboration, National Institutes of Health Clinical Trials Database, Meta-Register of Current Controlled Trials, and CRISP databases were searched using the keyword brain injury. All articles in peer-reviewed journals reporting original data on pain syndromes in adult patients with TBI with regard to pain prevalence, pain category, risk factors, pathogenesis, and clinical course were selected, and manual searches were performed of their reference lists. The data were pooled and prevalence rates calculated.<h3>Evidence Synthesis</h3>Twenty-three studies (15 cross-sectional, 5 prospective, and 3 retrospective) including 4206 patients were identified. Twelve studies assessed headache pain in 1670 patients. Of these, 966 complained of chronic headache, yielding a prevalence of 57.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 55.5%-60.2%). Among civilians, the prevalence of chronic pain was greater in patients with mild TBI (75.3% [95% CI, 72.7%-77.9%]) compared with moderate or severe TBI (32.1% [95% CI, 29.3%-34.9%]). Twenty studies including 3289 civilian patients with TBI yielded a chronic pain prevalence of 51.5% (95% CI, 49.8%-53.2%). Three studies assessed TBI among 917 veterans and yielded a pain prevalence of 43.1% (95% CI, 39.9%-46.3%). PTSD may mediate chronic pain, but brain injury appears to have an independent correlation with chronic pain.<h3>Conclusions</h3>Chronic pain is a common complication of TBI. It is independent of psychologic disorders such as PTSD and depression and is common even among patients with apparently minor injuries to the brain.
Accumulation of apoE-enriched triglyceride-rich lipoproteins in patients with coronary artery disease
Authors: Carlo M. Barbagallo, Manfredi Rizzo, Davide Noto, Arian Frasheri, Vincenzo Pernice, Antonio Rubino, Daniele Pieri, Vito Pinto, Angelo B. Cefalù, Carla Giordano, Alberto Notarbartolo, Maurizio R. Averna
Journal: Metabolism (2006)