tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
What's new in the other general journals
Authors: Alison Tonks
Journal: BMJ (2006)

Omega 3 fatty acids are unlikely to prevent cancer, write researchers from the United States. In 38 cohort studies they found 65 estimates of the association between omega 3 intake and 11 types of cancer. Only 10 of the estimates were statistically significant, and six of those suggested an increased not a decreased risk of cancer. Credit: JAMA The studies were all prospective and reported the effects of omega 3 intake—often from fish—in 20 cohorts of more than 700 000 people who were followed up for up to 30 years. More than half the studies were of breast, prostate, or colorectal cancer. If a literature spanning at least 20 years is essentially negative, where did the original notion come from? Probably the laboratory: omega 3 fatty acids influence angiogenesis, cell proliferation, apoptosis, and the immune system, so a link with cancer is biologically plausible. Experiments on laboratory animals also suggest that these fatty acids can suppress some kinds of tumours, although not much. Finally, epidemiological work has hinted that populations with a diet rich in omega 3 fatty acids have a lower prevalence of cancer. This early circumstantial evidence was probably wrong, write the authors. Laboratory animals eating a diet spiked with toxic doses of fatty acids are very different from ordinary people eating more or less fish. Despite a thorough and detailed search, they could find no good evidence that omega 3 fatty acids protect humans from cancer. JAMA 2006; 295: 403–15 [OpenUrl][1][CrossRef][2][PubMed][3][Web of Science][4] You can tell a lot about a patient from the way he or she smells, writes one US doctor. It's often the most obvious thing about them, particularly when they are confined in a closed room. In his first year as a resident he quickly learnt to identify infected diabetic feet or the whiff of a mucky tracheostomy. The telltale smell … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DJAMA%26rft.stitle%253DJAMA%26rft.issn%253D0002-9955%26rft.aulast%253DMacLean%26rft.auinit1%253DC.%2BH.%26rft.volume%253D295%26rft.issue%253D4%26rft.spage%253D403%26rft.epage%253D415%26rft.atitle%253DEffects%2Bof%2BOmega-3%2BFatty%2BAcids%2Bon%2BCancer%2BRisk%253A%2BA%2BSystematic%2BReview%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1001%252Fjama.295.4.403%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F16434631%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1001/jama.295.4.403&link_type=DOI [3]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=16434631&link_type=MED&atom=%2Fbmj%2F332%2F7536%2F289.atom [4]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=000234838600021&link_type=ISI
Body mass index cut offs to define thinness in children and adolescents: international survey
Authors: Tim J Cole, Katherine M Flegal, Dasha Nicholls, Alan A Jackson
Journal: BMJ (2007)

<b>Objective</b> To determine cut offs to define thinness in children and adolescents, based on body mass index at age 18 years. <b>Design</b> International survey of six large nationally representative cross sectional studies on growth. <b>Setting</b> Brazil, Great Britain, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Singapore, and the United States. <b>Subjects</b> 97 876 males and 94 851 females from birth to 25 years. <b>Main outcome measure</b> Body mass index (BMI, weight/height<sup>2</sup>). <b>Results</b> The World Health Organization defines grade 2 thinness in adults as BMI &lt;17. This same cut off, applied to the six datasets at age 18 years, gave mean BMI close to a z score of −2 and 80% of the median. Thus it matches existing criteria for wasting in children based on weight for height. For each dataset, centile curves were drawn to pass through the cut off of BMI 17 at 18 years. The resulting curves were averaged to provide age and sex specific cut-off points from 2-18 years. Similar cut offs were derived based on BMI 16 and 18.5 at 18 years, together providing definitions of thinness grades 1, 2, and 3 in children and adolescents consistent with the WHO adult definitions. <b>Conclusions</b> The proposed cut-off points should help to provide internationally comparable prevalence rates of thinness in children and adolescents.
Post-therapy Serum Prostate-Specific Antigen Level and Survival in Patients With Androgen-Independent Prostate Cancer
Authors: H I Scher, W M Kelly, Z F Zhang, P Ouyang, M Sun, M Schwartz, C Ding, W Wang, I D Horak, A B Kremer
Journal: JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute (1999)

BACKGROUND: With an hypothesis that post-chemotherapy changes in serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels might serve as a surrogate marker for assessing prostate cancer outcome (i.e., survival), we studied the relationship between pretherapy and post-therapy prognostic factors and survival in patients with androgen-independent prostate cancer. METHODS: A prognostic model for survival based on pretherapy and post-therapy parameters was developed from the clinical data on 254 patients with androgen-independent prostate cancer treated with 11 different protocol therapies at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. The model was validated by use of an independent dataset of 541 patients enrolled in two randomized phase III trials. RESULTS: In multivariate analysis, a post-therapy decline in PSA levels of 50% achieved in 12 weeks was a statistically significant factor associated with survival (two-sided P = .0012). A similar outcome was obtained with the use of an 8-week time frame. Elevated pretherapy level of serum lactate dehydrogenase (two-sided P = .0001), lower pretherapy level of hemoglobin ( P = .0001), and younger age (two-sided P = .0430) had a statistically significant negative impact on outcome. Median survival times were 23, 17, and 9 months for low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups of patients defined by the prognostic model, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study confirms the prognostic value of a post-therapy decline in PSA of 50% or greater from baseline in relation to survival in patients with androgen-independent prostate cancer treated with a variety of therapies. Two consecutive determinations at 4-week intervals can be used as an end point for efficacy in phase II trials of therapies in this disease.
Pancreas divisum as a predisposing factor for chronic and recurrent idiopathic pancreatitis: initial in vivo survey
Authors: W. Gonoi, H. Akai, K. Hagiwara, M. Akahane, N. Hayashi, E. Maeda, T. Yoshikawa, M. Tada, K. Uno, H. Ohtsu, K. Koike, K. Ohtomo
Journal: Gut (2011)

<h3>Background</h3> It is a controversial issue whether pancreas divisum (PD) induces pancreatitis. All previous studies have investigated this issue based on endoscopic procedures, which inevitably involve a selection bias. <h3>Objectives</h3> To determine the unbiased prevalence rate of PD in a community population and to investigate the effect of PD on idiopathic pancreatitis using a non-invasive magnetic resonance (MR) technique. <h3>Design</h3> Cross-sectional study. <h3>Patients</h3> The study enrolled 504 subjects from the community who participated in the medical check-up programme and 46 patients with idiopathic pancreatitis (8 acute, 23 chronic, 15 recurrent) extracted from 70 122 consecutive MR studies performed at an academic tertiary care hospital. <h3>Interventions</h3> All subjects underwent magnetic resonance (MR) scanning and medical examination. <h3>Main outcome measures</h3> Statistical comparison between subjects from the community and patients with idiopathic pancreatitis was made for the rate of PD (and its subtypes: classical PD, PD with absent ventral duct, and incomplete PD), MR findings, and clinical features. <h3>Results</h3> Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed PD as a significant factor that induces pancreatitis (OR 23.4; p&lt;0.0001). The PD rate was significantly higher for all/chronic/recurrent idiopathic pancreatitis patients (35%/43%/33%; p&lt;0.001 for all) than for subjects in the community group (2.6%), but was not higher for acute pancreatitis (13%; p=0.357). All PD subtypes were indicated to induce idiopathic pancreatitis but showed different associations with each onset type of pancreatitis. <h3>Conclusions</h3> This is the first study to describe the prevalence of PD and PD subtypes in a community population and their association with idiopathic pancreatitis in vivo based on the findings of non-invasive MR and with minimal selection bias. It is concluded that PD should be considered a predisposing factor for chronic and recurrent pancreatitis.
Cruelty's utility: The evolution of same-species killing
Authors: Malcolm Potts
Journal: Behavioral and Brain Sciences (2006)

Human beings, like chimpanzees, deliberately kill their own species in order to expand their territory. For a self-aware social animal to attack its own kind, it would need to evolve a mechanism to dehumanize, or “dechimpanzee-ize” those it attacks. It is suggested that cruelty reflects such an evolved predisposition. The implications for violence prevention are discussed.
Lactation After Normal Pregnancy Is Not Associated With Blood Glucose Fluctuations
Authors: Rhonda Bentley-Lewis, Allison B. Goldfine, Dina E. Green, Ellen W. Seely
Journal: Diabetes Care (2007)

Breastfeeding is the preferred method of feeding infants up to 12 months of age (1). Breastfed infants experience fewer and less severe infections and may be protected against future disease development (2). Mothers who breastfeed potentially experience accelerated weight loss (3), a lower risk of breast and ovarian cancer (3), and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes than mothers who do not breastfeed (4).

Breastfeeding is recommended for all women, including those with gestational (5) or pregestational (6) diabetes. However, data suggest that diabetic women may experience hypoglycemia during breastfeeding; subsequently, they have been advised to eat before or during breastfeeding to avoid hypoglycemia (6). Because data on blood glucose fluctuations in normoglycemic women are limited, we tested the hypothesis that lactation in healthy normoglycemic women will not cause significant blood glucose fluctuations.

Women were recruited randomly from the Pregnancy Program at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH). The BWH Human Research Committee approved the study protocol, and all women provided informed written consent before participation. Healthy women were included if they were 18–40 years of age, 6 weeks to 6 months postpartum, free of a history of gestational or pregestational diabetes, and breastfeeding with no more than one bottle per day of supplementation. Women were excluded if they had an abnormal 1-h glucose challenge test during pregnancy (5), were taking …
Endoscopic sclerotherapy using absolute alcohol.
Authors: S K Sarin, G K Sachdeva, R Nanda, J C Vij, B S Anand
Journal: Gut (1985)

To assess the efficacy of absolute alcohol as a sclerosant, endoscopic sclerotherapy was carried out using a conventional endoscope and an indigenously designed injector. Forty three patients with portal hypertension who had presented with history of variceal bleeding were included in the study. Portal hypertension was caused by cirrhosis in 30 (69.8%), non-cirrhotic portal fibrosis in eight (18.6%) and extra-hepatic obstruction in five (11.8%). Acute bleeding was successfully controlled in all 11 patients, seven with a fresh bleed and four who rebled while on endoscopic sclerotherapy regimen. All patients with fresh, recent, or old bleeding were treated with a weekly endoscopic sclerotherapy schedule. Reduction in variceal size of two or more grades was achieved in all 20 patients who had completed at least four endoscopic sclerotherapy courses with total eradication of varices in 16 (80%). The mean (+/- SD) number of endoscopic sclerotherapy courses and time required for variceal eradication was 6.06 (+/- 1.87) and 9.1 (+/- 4.69) weeks respectively. None of these patients has shown appearance of fresh varices in a follow up of 18.47 +/- 8.50 weeks (range six to 38 weeks). Six patients died; all deaths were caused by progressive hepatic encephalopathy. Complications usually seen were dysphagia, retrosternal pain and fever; these were mild and easily tolerated by the patients. Rebleeding occurred in four patients who had received less than four endoscopic sclerotherapy courses. Absolute alcohol appears to be an effective, safe, economical, and freely available sclerosant. advocate endoscopic sclerotherapy as the first line of treatment for acute variceal bleeding and recommend a weekly schedule for the early eradication of varices.
T-T cell interactions during in vitro cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses. V. Precursor frequencies and specificity of alloreactive helper T cells.
Authors: M Krönke, P Scheurich, K Pfizenmaier, M Röllinghoff, H Wagner
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1982)

We assessed the quantitative representation and specificity of alloreactive helper T lymphocytes (HTL) within murine spleen cells by three different limiting dilution systems. For the induction of primary cytolytic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses towards alloantigens, a Lyt-1+23- HTL precursor (HTLp) could be defined, which occurred at frequencies of 1/2.000-1/50,000, depending on the alloantigen in question. The HTLp limiting for interleukin-2 (Il-2) production also expressed the Lyt-1+ phenotype and occurred in similar frequencies. This cell type was concluded to be the limiting HTLp for the overall helper activity required for the induction of primary CTL responses. HTLp reactive to Mlsa -encoded antigens occurred at higher frequencies (1/500) than those reactive towards whole allogeneic H-2 haplotypes (1/4,000-1/7,000). Within the H-2 complex, I region-encoded alloantigens activated approximately 10 times more HTLp than did H-2K or H-2D regions. When alloreactive HTL were tested for antigen specificity at the clonal level, approximately 80% of the HTL clones proved to be specific to the alloantigen used for immunization, whereas approximately 20% reacted also towards third-party alloantigens. The data are discussed with respect to putative T-T interactions within the helper T cell population and the precision of alloantigen recognition by HTL.
Randomized Phase III Trial of Cisplatin With or Without Topotecan in Carcinoma of the Uterine Cervix: A Gynecologic Oncology Group Study
Authors: Harry J. Long, Brian N. Bundy, Edward C. Grendys, Jo Ann Benda, D. Scott McMeekin, Joel Sorosky, David S. Miller, Lynne A. Eaton, James V. Fiorica
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2005)

On the basis of reported activity of methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin (MVAC) or topotecan plus cisplatin in advanced cervix cancer, we undertook a randomized trial comparing these combinations versus cisplatin alone, to determine whether survival is improved with either combination compared with cisplatin alone, and to compare toxicities and quality of life (QOL) among the regimens.Eligible patients were randomly allocated to receive cisplatin 50 mg/m(2) every 3 weeks (CPT); cisplatin 50 mg/m(2) day 1 plus topotecan 0.75 mg/m(2) days 1 to 3 every 3 weeks (CT); or methotrexate 30 mg/m(2) days 1, 15, and 22, vinblastine 3 mg/m(2) days 2, 15, and 22, doxorubicin 30 mg/m(2) day 2, and cisplatin 70 mg/m(2) day 2 every 4 weeks (MVAC). Survival was the primary end point; response rate and progression-free survival (PFS) were secondary end points. QOL data are reported separately.The MVAC arm was closed by the Data Safety Monitoring Board after four treatment-related deaths occurred among 63 patients, and is not included in this analysis. Two hundred ninety-four patients enrolled onto the remaining regimens: 146 to CPT and 147 to CT. Grade 3 to 4 hematologic toxicity was more common with CT. Patients receiving CT had statistically superior outcomes to those receiving CPT, with median overall survival of 9.4 and 6.5 months (P = .017), median PFS of 4.6 and 2.9 months (P = .014), and response rates of 27% and 13%, respectively.This is the first randomized phase III trial to demonstrate a survival advantage for combination chemotherapy over cisplatin alone in advanced cervix cancer.
Properties of the Plasma Very Low and Low Density Lipoproteins in Tangier Disease
Authors: Robert J. Heinen, Peter N. Herbert, Donald S. Fredrickson, Trudy Forte, Frank T. Lindgren
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (1978)

The absence of normal high density lipoproteins (HDL) in Tangier disease is well established, but the properties of very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) and low density lipoproteins (LDL) in this disorder have not been well defined. The profiles obtained by analytic ultracentrifugation and the chemical composition, morphology, and electrophoretic mobility of Tangier and normal VLDL and LDL were compared. Apolipoproteins were fractionated by gel chromatography and characterized by amino acid analysis, polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis, and immunochemical reactivity.
Targeted ablation of IKK2 improves skeletal muscle strength, maintains mass, and promotes regeneration
Authors: Foteini Mourkioti, Paschalis Kratsios, Tom Luedde, Yao-Hua Song, Patrick Delafontaine, Raffaella Adami, Valeria Parente, Roberto Bottinelli, Manolis Pasparakis, Nadia Rosenthal
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (2006)

NF-κB is a major pleiotropic transcription factor modulating immune, inflammatory, cell survival, and proliferative responses, yet the relevance of NF-κB signaling in muscle physiology and disease is less well documented. Here we show that muscle-restricted NF-κB inhibition in mice, through targeted deletion of the activating kinase inhibitor of NF-κB kinase 2 (IKK2), shifted muscle fiber distribution and improved muscle force. In response to denervation, IKK2 depletion protected against atrophy, maintaining fiber type, size, and strength, increasing protein synthesis, and decreasing protein degradation. IKK2-depleted mice with a muscle-specific transgene expressing a local Igf-1 isoform (mIgf-1) showed enhanced protection against muscle atrophy. In response to muscle damage, IKK2 depletion facilitated skeletal muscle regeneration through enhanced satellite cell activation and reduced fibrosis. Our results establish IKK2/NF-κB signaling as an important modulator of muscle homeostasis and suggest a combined role for IKK inhibitors and growth factors in the therapy of muscle diseases.
ON THE ORIGINS AND TREATMENT OF DYSPEPSIA
Authors: L. Jas. Picton
Journal: BMJ (1929)

MEDICALJOURNperiod of hypocoatgulability to result.Wlhile in the case of adults tlhe size of thle (lose has been fairly definitely laid down, in chliildrei the miiatter is by n-o means so clear, anld ii some cases we haive p)ossibly erred in liot reducing the a.dult dose suifficiently.The only forii of tr eatmtienlt ihat was founid to be of ainy real valuie wa-as intravenous injection of eitlher citrated -whole blood or citrated humlllani p)lasnma; citrated plasmiia giveln intraperitoieallv or intramutscutlarly waas without effect.Citr.ate(d h aiiiiiz.llplasmia, as pointed ou-t by Feissl]y,3 has the advantta.oe of niot requiring a, l)prlliliuiaLv blood grotuping, a11(l time use of hiiiiiuani plasmiia pievemits aniy (lainger of amialayla xis.Furtlher im-ore, blotll with whliole blood atid plasm-a, no stage of lhv-pocoaguflabilitv occurs.Accordig to Clhristie anid GOullaiid, fresh intravells lhtumiani 4.rimi has only a ve+ry smallt effect as colilpared witlh whriole b)lood(i, as Shown by coagulation timiles; iii fact, both1 14eissiv and Chlistie anid Gullaiud find thlat 1o -siibstaices-Oether tlhanll w-hole blood(l o plasma hiave anry utLdtIe slightest effect oni the coagullation time.Enmile-"Veil5 states, hiow- e,ver, that iioInthilvy stubcuitaneouis inijections of Ioma1nTla oi- a1i1inmal serUm11i prevent sponitan1eotis haemorr1liages and(l jeduce the coagulatioii timiie, buit apparently n1o1t to tIme sam11e extenit as plasmiia or wholeblood. SUMMARY.The bleed(lingtime is of nio value in inidicating the liability to haemlorrhage ini hnemoophilia.No mmmetlmo(l excepb tile iinjectioni of initraveniouis whole lo)Od or plas01 a produImced inor-e tlhlan a tranisient ullilll- potrtanmt inmirovemelit in the coa'gulation timie.In the iiajorityv of cases a period of (leerease(l coagulabilit occurredl of loniger dutration ammEd greater magnituide than flhe precediig sta_ge (if a1ny) of incr-eased coagullability.The miiost effective algenlts, Wlm for tieatiimeiit anid pie- operative proplhylaXis, are, citrated whole blood amld citrated pla.smaiv. (i-eni initraveniouislv.-We aire inidebted to 1)r.R. Frew anid Mr. 0. L. Addison amrd MAr.Tyrrell Gray for permi-sion to use their cases, and also to Miss
Hydrophilic Agarose Macrobead Cultures Select for Outgrowth of Carcinoma Cell Populations That Can Restrict Tumor Growth
Authors: Barry H. Smith, Lawrence S. Gazda, Bryan L. Conn, Kanti Jain, Shirin Asina, Daniel M. Levine, Thomas S. Parker, Melissa A. Laramore, Prithy C. Martis, Horatiu V. Vinerean, Eric M. David, Suizhen Qiu, Alison J. North, C. Guillermo Couto, Gerald S. Post, David J. Waters, Carlos Cordon-Cardo, Richard D. Hall, Bruce R. Gordon, Carolyn H. Diehl, Kurt H. Stenzel, Albert L. Rubin
Journal: Cancer Research (2011)

Cancer cells and their associated tumors have long been considered to exhibit unregulated proliferation or growth. However, a substantial body of evidence indicates that tumor growth is subject to both positive and negative regulatory controls. Here, we describe a novel property of tumor growth regulation that is neither species nor tumor-type specific. This property, functionally a type of feedback control, is triggered by the encapsulation of neoplastic cells in a growth-restricting hydrogel composed of an agarose matrix with a second coating of agarose to form 6- to 8-mm diameter macrobeads. In a mouse cell model of renal adenocarcinoma (RENCA cells), this process resulted in selection for a stem cell-like subpopulation which together with at least one other cell subpopulation drove colony formation in the macrobeads. Cells in these colonies produced diffusible substances that markedly inhibited in vitro and in vivo proliferation of epithelial-derived tumor cells outside the macrobeads. RENCA cells in monolayer culture that were exposed to RENCA macrobead-conditioned media exhibited cell-cycle accumulation in S phase due to activation of a G(2)/M checkpoint. At least 10 proteins with known tumor suppression functions were identified by analysis of RENCA macrobead-conditioned media, the properties of which offer opportunities to further dissect the molecular basis for tumor growth control. More generally, macrobead culture may permit the isolation of cancer stem cells and other cells of the stem cell niche, perhaps providing strategies to define more effective biologically based clinical approaches to treat neoplastic disease.