tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Comparing Yoga, Exercise, and a Self-Care Book for Chronic Low Back Pain
Authors: Karen J. Sherman, Daniel C. Cherkin, Janet Erro, Diana L. Miglioretti, Richard A. Deyo
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2005)

Chronic low back pain is a common problem that has only modestly effective treatment options.To determine whether yoga is more effective than conventional therapeutic exercise or a self-care book for patients with chronic low back pain.Randomized, controlled trial.A nonprofit, integrated health care system.101 adults with chronic low back pain.12-week sessions of yoga or conventional therapeutic exercise classes or a self-care book.Primary outcomes were back-related functional status (modified 24-point Roland Disability Scale) and "bothersomeness" of pain (11-point numerical scale). The primary time point was 12 weeks. Clinically significant change was considered to be 2.5 points on the functional status scale and 1.5 points on the bothersomeness scale. Secondary outcomes were days of restricted activity, general health status, and medication use.After adjustment for baseline values, back-related function in the yoga group was superior to the book and exercise groups at 12 weeks (yoga vs. book: mean difference, -3.4 [95% CI, -5.1 to - 1.6] [P < 0.001]; yoga vs. exercise: mean difference, -1.8 [CI, -3.5 to - 0.1] [P = 0.034]). No significant differences in symptom bothersomeness were found between any 2 groups at 12 weeks; at 26 weeks, the yoga group was superior to the book group with respect to this measure (mean difference, -2.2 [CI, -3.2 to - 1.2]; P < 0.001). At 26 weeks, back-related function in the yoga group was superior to the book group (mean difference, -3.6 [CI, -5.4 to - 1.8]; P < 0.001).Participants in this study were followed for only 26 weeks after randomization. Only 1 instructor delivered each intervention.Yoga was more effective than a self-care book for improving function and reducing chronic low back pain, and the benefits persisted for at least several months.
Immunoglobulin light chain repertoire in chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Authors: Kostas Stamatopoulos, Chrysoula Belessi, Anastasia Hadzidimitriou, Tatjana Smilevska, Evangelia Kalagiakou, Katerina Hatzi, Niki Stavroyianni, Anastasia Athanasiadou, Aliki Tsompanakou, Theodora Papadaki, Garyfallia Kokkini, George Paterakis, Riad Saloum, Nikolaos Laoutaris, Achilles Anagnostopoulos, Athanasios Fassas
Journal: Blood (2005)
Duration of Lactation and Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Alison M. Stuebe
Journal: JAMA (2005)

Lactation is associated with improved glucose and insulin homeostasis, independent of weight change.To evaluate the association between lactation history and incidence of type 2 diabetes.Prospective observational cohort study of 83,585 parous women in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) and retrospective observational cohort study of 73,418 parous women in the Nurses' Health Study II (NHS II).Incident cases of type 2 diabetes mellitus.In the NHS, 5145 cases of type 2 diabetes were diagnosed during 1,239,709 person-years of follow-up between 1986 and 2002, and in the NHS II, 1132 cases were diagnosed during 778,876 person-years of follow-up between 1989 and 2001. Among parous women, increasing duration of lactation was associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. For each additional year of lactation, women with a birth in the prior 15 years had a decrease in the risk of diabetes of 15% (95% confidence interval, 1%-27%) among NHS participants and of 14% (95% confidence interval, 7%-21%) among NHS II participants, controlling for current body mass index and other relevant risk factors for type 2 diabetes.Longer duration of breastfeeding was associated with reduced incidence of type 2 diabetes in 2 large US cohorts of women. Lactation may reduce risk of type 2 diabetes in young and middle-aged women by improving glucose homeostasis.
Fluconazole Susceptibility and Genotypic Heterogeneity of Oral Candida albicans Colonies from the Patients with Cancer Receiving Chemotherapy in China
Authors: Jing Sun, Cheng Qi, Micheal D Lafleur, Qing‐guo Qi
Journal: International Journal of Oral Science (2009)

To identify heterogeneity of Candida albicans (C. albicans) isolated from the population with cancer in China by using identification medium, subculture molecular typing, and antifungal susceptibility test.Oral cheek mucosal specimens from 52 cancer patients receiving chemotherapy were cultured on CHROMagar Candida plates for Candida identification. All the C. albicans colonies on the plates were subcultured and reconfirmed by API20C, then submitted to the antifungal drug susceptibility test with fluconazole and molecular typing using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA-PCR (RAPD) with primers RSD6 and RSD12.54% (28/52) patients were oral yeast carriage in which C. albicans predominated. More than 7 C. albicans colonies were isolated from each of 12 patients (Group A), while less than 5 colonies were isolated from each of 16 patients (Group B). RSD6 and RSD12 were successful in eliciting 17 (A1-A17) and 2 (B1-B2) genotypes, respectively from among the 205 isolates. The two primers were combined to generate 21 genotypes. The C. albicans isolates obtained from the same patient and episode showed a diversity for fluconazole revealed by MIC50 and MIC90.The heterogeneity of the C. albicans colonies isolated from the same patients can be detected. C. albicans with varied fluconazole susceptibility and genotypic characteristics may coexist in the same oral Candida population.
Morphometry of the small arteries and arterioles in the rat heart: effects of chronic hypertension and exercise
Authors: K. Rakusan, P. Wicker
Journal: Cardiovascular Research (1990)

The aim of the study was to characterise small coronary arteries and arterioles quantitatively in rat left ventricle and septum under various experimental conditions.Morphometric analysis of resistance vessels was carried out in rats divided into four experimental groups: (1) control animals sedentary; (2) control animals exercised (moderate swimming); (3) renal hypertensive animals sedentary; (4) renal hypertensive rats exercised. Hypertensive animals received the two kidney/one clip Goldblatt procedure; control animals were sham operated.Experimental animals were 28 female Sprague-Dawley rats.In hypertensive rats, there was a significant increase in left ventricular mass and a reduced coronary reserve. Morphometric analysis of 10,000 resistance vessels in the coronary bed showed that cardiac hypertrophy in hypertensive rats was characterised by increased wall thickness in arterioles and small arteries and an increased lumen to wall ratio, particularly in vessels of 30-100 microns size. The number of capillary profiles per arteriole in cross section was also decreased in the hypertensive rat. Chronic exercise increased the number of capillaries per arteriole in controls but not in hypertensive rats. Swimming did not affect the architecture of the resistance vessels.Chronic renal hypertension, but not swimming, produces subtle but significant changes in structure of coronary resistance vessels.
Patients with Fabry Disease after Enzyme Replacement Therapy Dose Reduction and Switch–2-Year Follow-Up
Authors: Malte Lenders, Sima Canaan-Kühl, Johannes Krämer, Thomas Duning, Stefanie Reiermann, Claudia Sommer, Jörg Stypmann, Daniela Blaschke, Nurcan Üçeyler, Hans-Werner Hense, Stefan-Martin Brand, Christoph Wanner, Frank Weidemann, Eva Brand
Journal: Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (2015)

Because of the shortage of agalsidase-β supply between 2009 and 2012, patients with Fabry disease either were treated with reduced doses or were switched to agalsidase-α. In this observational study, we assessed end organ damage and clinical symptoms with special focus on renal outcome after 2 years of dose-reduction and/or switch to agalsidase-α. A total of 89 adult patients with Fabry disease who had received agalsidase-β (1.0 mg/kg body wt) for >1 year were nonrandomly assigned to continue this treatment regimen (regular-dose group, n=24), to receive a reduced dose of 0.3–0.5 mg/kg and a subsequent switch to 0.2 mg/kg agalsidase-α (dose-reduction-switch group, n=28), or to directly switch to 0.2 mg/kg agalsidase-α (switch group, n=37) and were followed-up for 2 years. We assessed clinical events (death, myocardial infarction, severe arrhythmia, stroke, progression to ESRD), changes in cardiac and renal function, Fabry-related symptoms (pain, hypohidrosis, diarrhea), and disease severity scores. Determination of renal function by creatinine and cystatin C–based eGFR revealed decreasing eGFRs in the dose-reduction-switch group and the switch group. The Mainz Severity Score Index increased significantly in these two groups (P=0.02 and P<0.001, respectively), and higher frequencies of gastrointestinal pain occurred during follow-up. In conclusion, after 2 years of observation, all groups showed a stable clinical disease course with respect to serious clinical events. However, patients under agalsidase-β dose-reduction and switch or a direct switch to agalsidase-α showed a decline of renal function independent of the eGFR formula used.
Configuring Balanced Scorecards for Measuring Health System Performance: Evidence from 5 Years' Evaluation in Afghanistan
Authors: Anbrasi Edward, Binay Kumar, Faizullah Kakar, Ahmad Shah Salehi, Gilbert Burnham, David H. Peters
Journal: PLoS Medicine (2011)

Background In 2004, Afghanistan pioneered a balanced scorecard (BSC) performance system to manage the delivery of primary health care services. This study examines the trends of 29 key performance indicators over a 5-year period between 2004 and 2008. Methods and Findings Independent evaluations of performance in six domains were conducted annually through 5,500 patient observations and exit interviews and 1,500 provider interviews in >600 facilities selected by stratified random sampling in each province. Generalized estimating equation (GEE) models were used to assess trends in BSC parameters. There was a progressive improvement in the national median scores scaled from 0–100 between 2004 and 2008 in all six domains: patient and community satisfaction of services (65.3–84.5, p<0.0001); provider satisfaction (65.4–79.2, p<0.01); capacity for service provision (47.4–76.4, p<0.0001); quality of services (40.5–67.4, p<0.0001); and overall vision for pro-poor and pro-female health services (52.0–52.6). The financial domain also showed improvement until 2007 (84.4–95.7, p<0.01), after which user fees were eliminated. By 2008, all provinces achieved the upper benchmark of national median set in 2004. Conclusions The BSC has been successfully employed to assess and improve health service capacity and service delivery using performance benchmarking during the 5-year period. However, scorecard reconfigurations are needed to integrate effectiveness and efficiency measures and accommodate changes in health systems policy and strategy architecture to ensure its continued relevance and effectiveness as a comprehensive health system performance measure. The process of BSC design and implementation can serve as a valuable prototype for health policy planners managing performance in similar health care contexts. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary
Treatment of extensive-stage small cell lung carcinoma: current status and future prospects
Authors: I. K. Demedts, K. Y. Vermaelen, J. P. van Meerbeeck
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2009)

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive lung tumour strongly associated with cigarette smoking, with patients often presenting with metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis. Although SCLC is very chemoradiosensitive and high response rates are obtained with treatment, relapse rates are high and the prognosis remains very poor. In limited-stage SCLC, the overall survival rate has been significantly improved by adding dose-hyperfractionated thoracic radiotherapy and prophylactic cranial irradiation to systemic chemotherapy. In contrast, little progress has been made in the treatment of extensive-stage SCLC (ES-SCLC), apart from the recently documented survival gain by the addition of prophylactic cranial irradiation. First-line therapy in ES-SCLC currently consists of chemotherapy, combining a platinum drug with either etoposide or irinotecan as a possible alternative. New treatments are needed in order to improve the prognosis of ES-SCLC, as median survival with current standard treatment is still only 9-10 months from diagnosis. The present review focuses on the management of ES-SCLC, with special attention to the development of new treatment options.
PWE-139 Tace In The Management Of Hcc In A Regional Centre: 5 Year Analysis And Assessment Of Predictors Of Outcome
Authors: ID Morrison, R Kasthuri, EH Forrest, S Barclay, R Gillespie, PR Mills, M Priest, J Evans, AJ Stanley
Journal: Gut (2014)

<h3>Introduction</h3> Transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE) is a useful treatment for selected patients unsuitable for surgical management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The Hepatoma Arterial-embolization Prognostic (HAP) score has been proposed to be a a better predictor of post-TACE outcome than the Child-Pugh or BCLC (Barcelona clinic liver cancer) scores.<sup>1</sup> <h3>Methods</h3> Patients diagnosed with HCC from January 2008 until December 2012 were identified from a prospectively compiled regional MDT database. Patients were risk stratified by Child Pugh grade, BCLC and HAP scores. Response to treatment was assessed by the mRECIST criteria (modified response evaluation criteria in solid tumours).<sup>2</sup> Relationship between risk scores and outcomes were assessed using Log-Rank tests and median survivals. <h3>Results</h3> 282 patients were diagnosed with HCC during the study period. 101 of these patients (81 male, 20 female) mean age 66.0 (SD 10.1 years, range 37 to 85) were treated locally with TACE. Aetiology was alcoholic liver disease in 30%, unknown in 21%, non alcoholic liver disease 15%, viral hepatitis 12%, haemochromatosis 8%, other and mixed aetiology 14%. Baseline Child-Pugh grades A, B and C were 76, 21 and 3% respectively. BCLC Staging was A, B, C and D in 25, 58, 13 and 4% respectively. HAP Scores A, B, C and D were 14, 39, 37 and 11% respectively. A total of 228 TACE procedures were performed (mean 2.3 per patient; range 1–6). In 10 (10 %) of patients, TACE was used in combination with radiofrequency ablation and in two (2%) cases it was successfully used as a bridge to transplant. 88% of patients had TACE as sole therapy. Radiological follow-up post TACE was performed in 208 occasions with 18% having a mRECIST complete response, 43% a partial response, 26% static disease and 14% progressive disease. Analysis of the HCC risk stratification scores demonstrates the HAP Score predicted post-TACE survival (p = 0.002), but the Child Pugh (p = 0.192) and BCLC scores (p = 0.210) did not. There was a 3 fold increase in median survival in patients in the HAP A group when compared to those in the HAP D group (36.6 vs. 12.3 months). <h3>Conclusion</h3> We report patient survival following TACE for treatment of HCC which compares favourably with published studies.<sup>1</sup> The HAP score for TACE appears promising in our population and superior to existing scores. <h3>Reference</h3> Kadalayil <i>et al</i>. A simple prognostic scoring systems for patients receiving transarterial embolisation for hepatocellular cancer. <i>Annals of Oncology</i> 2013;24:2565–2570 <h3>Disclosure of Interest</h3> None Declared.
High Rate of Consent to Bank Biologic Samples for Future Research: The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Experience
Authors: T. Malone
Journal: JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute (2002)

The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) requires patient consent for the storage and future use of samples left over from its therapeutic cancer clinical trials. The ECOG consent instrument evolved from a simple statement requiring a signature to a more detailed three-question format. Between February 1998 and October 2000, more than 7000 patients were accrued to studies using one of the two consent forms. We analyzed our consent response data by consent type, demographic information, disease site, and institution type to determine the assent rates for future storage and research on biologic samples and to identify possible factors predicting patient refusal. The assent rate for the original banking consent statement was 89.4%, whereas that for the more detailed consent form was 93.7%. Higher assent rates were statistically significant for the detailed consent form versus the original consent form (P= .001), for community-based practices versus academic centers (P<.001), and for patients aged at least 65 years versus those younger (P= .002). The results show that increased patient protection does not result in decreased availability of biologic samples for future research purposes.
Monocytes coexpress endothelial and macrophagocytic lineage markers and form cord-like structures in Matrigel® under angiogenic conditions
Authors: A Schmeisser
Journal: Cardiovascular Research (2001)

Objectives: It has been shown that circulating human non-adherent CD34+ cells coexpressing vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-R2 and AC133 have the capacity to differentiate into adherent mature endothelial cells. However, prior studies have demonstrated that a much bigger subset of primary adherent mononuclear cells can also form endothelial progenitor cells (EPC). To determine the origin of the latter cell population we tested the hypothesis: do monocytes as a firmly adherent and plastic cell type have the potential to differentiate into an endothelial phenotype. Methods: CD34−/CD14+ monocytes were isolated from human peripheral blood by adherence separation and magnetic bead selection (purity <90%) and cultured on fibronectin-coated plastic dishes (medium containing VEGF 10 ng/ml, basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) 2 ng/ml, insulin like growth factor (IGF-1) 1 ng/ml, 20% fetal calf serum). Results: After 2 weeks of culture, using fluorescence activated cell analysis we observed a new expression of the endothelial markers von Willebrand factor (vWf), VE-cadherin (VE) and ec-NOS in 45.2, 12.4 and 9.8% of the cells, respectively. The proportion of cells expressing these markers further increased after 4 weeks (94.2, 89.7 and 58.8% of these cells, respectively). The proportion of CD45 expressing cells remained unchanged during this period. However, after 14 days the specific macrophage antigen CD68 was newly expressed in 62% of the analysed cells with a further increase to 90% after 28 days of culture. In three-dimensional gel (Matrigel®) the formation of cord- and tubular-like structures was observed. Conclusion: The present data indicate that under angiogenic stimulation macrophages develop an endothelial phenotype with expression of specific surface markers and even form cord- and tubular-like structures in vitro suggesting that this cell population may be recruited for vasculogenesis.
Desmoglein 3–specific CD4+ T cells induce pemphigus vulgaris and interface dermatitis in mice
Authors: Hayato Takahashi, Michiyoshi Kouno, Keisuke Nagao, Naoko Wada, Tsuyoshi Hata, Shuhei Nishimoto, Yoichiro Iwakura, Akihiko Yoshimura, Taketo Yamada, Masataka Kuwana, Hideki Fujii, Shigeo Koyasu, Masayuki Amagai
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (2011)

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a severe autoimmune disease involving blistering of the skin and mucous membranes. It is caused by autoantibodies against desmoglein 3 (Dsg3), an adhesion molecule critical for maintaining epithelial integrity in the skin, oral mucosa, and esophagus. Knowing the antigen targeted by the autoantibodies renders PV a valuable model of autoimmunity. Recently, a role for Dsg3-specific CD4+ T helper cells in autoantibody production was demonstrated in a mouse model of PV, but whether these cells exert cytotoxicity in the tissues is unclear. Here, we analyzed 3 Dsg3-specific TCRs using transgenic mice and retrovirus induction. Dsg3-specific transgenic (Dsg3H1) T cells underwent deletion in the presence of Dsg3 in vivo. Dsg3H1 T cells that developed in the absence of Dsg3 elicited a severe pemphigus-like phenotype when cotransferred into immunodeficient mice with B cells from Dsg3-/- mice. Strikingly, in addition to humoral responses, T cell infiltration of Dsg3-expressing tissues led to interface dermatitis, a distinct form of T cell-mediated autoimmunity that causes keratinocyte apoptosis and is seen in various inflammatory/autoimmune skin diseases, including paraneoplastic pemphigus. The use of retrovirally generated Dsg3-specific T cells revealed that interface dermatitis occurred in an IFN-γ- and TCR avidity-dependent manner. This model of autoimmunity demonstrates that T cells specific for a physiological skin-associated autoantigen are capable of inducing interface dermatitis and should provide a valuable tool for further exploring the immunopathophysiology of T cell-mediated skin diseases.
Screening of inherited breast cancer with DNA markers
Authors: Philippe Lalle, Yves-Jean Bignon, Dominique Stoppa-Lyonnet, StevenA Narod, Sylvie Mazoyer, Pascale Rio, Frank Courjal, Pierre Bartholin, Hagay Sobol, TrevorJ Powles, Michael Baum
Journal: The Lancet (1993)
Ten days of simulated live high:train low altitude training increases Hbmass in elite water polo players
Authors: Laura A Garvican-Lewis, Sally A Clark, Ted Polglaze, Greg McFadden, Christopher J Gore
Journal: British Journal of Sports Medicine (2013)

Water polo requires high aerobic power to meet the demands of match play. Live high:train low (LHTL) may enhance aerobic capacity at sea level. Before the Olympics, the Australian women's water polo team utilised LHTL in an attempt to enhance aerobic fitness.Over 6 months, 11 players completed three normobaric LHTL exposures (block 1:11 days at 3000 m; block 2+3:9 days at 2500 m, 11 days normoxia, 10 days at 2800 m). Haemoglobin mass (Hbmass) was measured through carbon monoxide-rebreathing. Before each block, the relationship between Hbmass and water polo-specific aerobic fitness was investigated using the Multistage Shuttle Swim Test (MSST). Effect size statistics were adopted with likely, highly likely and almost certainly results being >75%, >95%, >99%, respectively. A Pearson product moment correlation was used to characterise the association between pooled data of Hbmass and MSST.Hbmass (mean ± SD, pre 721 ± 66 g) likely increased after block 1 and almost certainly after block 2+3 (% change; 90% confidence limits: block 1: 3.7%; 1.3-6.2%, block 2+3: 4.5%; 3.8-5.1%) and the net effect was almost certainly higher after block 2+3 than before block 1 (pre) by 8.5%; 7.3-9.7%. There was a very large correlation between Hbmass (g/kg) and MSST score (r=0.73).LHTL exposures of <2 weeks induced approximately 4% increase in Hbmass of water polo players. Extra Hbmass may increase aerobic power, but since match performance is nuanced by many factors it is impossible to ascertain whether the increased Hbmass contributed to Australia's Bronze medal.