tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Blood volume studies in chronic obstructive non-specific lung disease
Authors: J. B. Cocking, C. S. Darke
Journal: Thorax (1972)

Blood volume studies in chronic hypoxic lung disease have produced conflicting results. Some have demonstrated that the red cell volume-hypoxic relationship is similar to that in normal subjects, whereas others have found that it is subnormal. Plasma volume has not been shown to be related to hypoxia. To elucidate this further, 45 patients with chronic obstructive bronchitis were studied. They were on average hypoxic at rest and on exertion, but mean values of red cell volume, plasma volume, venous haematocrit, red cell count, and haemoglobin concentration were normal. Red cell volume was linearly related to the degree of hypoxia, but the response was subnormal. Arterial oxygen saturation rather than tension was the main determinant of red cell volume, and resting values correlated better than exercise values with red cell volume. The best correlations were obtained when red cell volume was expressed as a function of the lean body mass rather than the total body weight. Red cell volume was also linearly related to arterial Co<sub>2</sub> tension. Plasma volume did not correlate with any of the blood gases. The subnormal polycythaemic response to hypoxia may have been caused partially by latent iron deficiency and chronic infection; but severe hypoxia, hypercapnia, and gastrointestinal bleeding were not aetiological factors. The importance of tissue hypoxia in the regulation of the erythropoietic response and the reasons why previous blood volume studies have produced conflicting results are discussed.
Childhood exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and chronic respiratory symptoms in non-smoking adults: The Singapore Chinese Health Study
Authors: G L David
Journal: Thorax (2005)

<b>Background:</b> Childhood exposure to environmental tobacco smoke has been extensively associated with childhood respiratory illness; fewer studies have addressed the effects on adults. <b>Methods:</b> Childhood environmental tobacco smoke exposure in relation to chronic cough, phlegm, and asthma diagnosis was studied in never smokers from a cohort of Singaporeans of Chinese ethnicity aged 45–74 years at enrolment from 1993 to 1998. From 1999 to 2004 subjects were interviewed regarding environmental tobacco smoke exposure before and after the age of 18 and the presence and duration of current symptoms of chronic cough and phlegm production and asthma diagnosis. <b>Results:</b> Among 35 000 never smokers, fewer had smoking mothers (19%) than fathers (48%). Although few subjects currently lived (20%) or worked (4%) with smokers, 65% reported living with a daily smoker before the age of 18 years. Living with a smoker before the age of 18 increased the odds of chronic dry cough (149 cases, odds ratio 2.1, 95% CI 1.4 to 3.3) and, to a lesser extent, phlegm, after adjustment for age, sex, dialect group, and current and past exposure to smokers at home and at work after the age of 18. Associations strengthened with higher numbers of smokers in childhood. There was no association with asthma or chronic bronchitis. There was evidence to suggest a stronger association among subjects with a lower adult intake of fibre which has previously been found to be protective for respiratory symptoms. <b>Conclusions:</b> In this large study of non-smokers, living with a smoker in childhood was associated with chronic dry cough and phlegm in adulthood, independent of later exposures to environmental tobacco smoke.
Lung function response to omalizumab in severe allergic asthma patients in UK clinical practice: APEX II study
Authors: Dinesh Saralaya, Andrew Menzies-Gow, Ian Clifton, Adel H. Mansur, Alan Hart-Thomas, Rob Niven
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2014)

A previous retrospective study of routine UK clinical practice demonstrated omalizumab improves lung function and reduces asthma exacerbations and oral corticosteroid (OCS) burden. The aim of this multicentre observational study was to confirm these findings prospectively. Retrospective data were collected in the 12 months prior to omalizumab initiation, while prospective data were collected at 16 weeks, 8 and 12 months following initiation. The primary endpoint was the change in mean daily OCS dosage (reported previously). Secondary endpoints included changes in mean exacerbations and lung function. 235 patients were enrolled in the study as at end of December 2013. Interim analysis data were for patients who had 12 months assessment of lung function. Average (16 week, 8 month, 12 month combined data) FEV1% predicted improved from 68.3 to 73.6 (n=84, p<0.01) in the 12 months pre and post omalizumab initiation respectively. Changes in mean FEV1 % at 16 weeks, 8 months and 12 months are reported in table 1.

View this table:

Changes in mean FEV1% predicted





This study confirms that omalizumab improved lung function. Statistically significant results were achieved at 16 weeks and 8 months. Statistical significance was not achieved at 12 months in this interim analysis.
Benefit of Complete Response in Multiple Myeloma Limited to High-Risk Subgroup Identified by Gene Expression Profiling
Authors: Jeffrey Haessler, John D. Shaughnessy, Fenghuang Zhan, John Crowley, Joshua Epstein, Frits van Rhee, Elias Anaissie, Mauricio Pineda-Roman, Maurizio Zangari, Klaus Hollmig, Abid Mohiuddin, Yazan Alsayed, Antje Hoering, Guido Tricot, Bart Barlogie
Journal: Clinical Cancer Research (2007)

Abstract Experimental Design: To determine whether the clinical benefit of complete remission (CR) may depend on prognostic subgroups of patients with multiple myeloma. Patients and Methods: Newly diagnosed patients with myeloma received a tandem autotransplant regimen. Using multivariate regression analyses, we examined the prognostic implications of time-dependent onset of CR on overall survival and event-free survival in the context of standard prognostic factors (SPF) and gene expression profiling–derived data available for 326 patients. Results: CR benefited patients regardless of risk status when only SPFs were examined. With knowledge of gene array data, a survival (and event-free survival) benefit of CR only pertained to the small high-risk subgroup of 13% of patients (hazard ratio, 0.23; P = 0.001), whereas the majority of patients with low-risk disease had similar survival expectations whether or not CR was achieved (hazard ratio, 0.68; P = 0.128). Conclusions: Access to gene expression information permitted the recognition of a small very high-risk subgroup of 13% of patients, in whom prolonged survival critically depended on achieving CR. Absence of such benefit in the remainder should lead to a reassessment of clinical trial designs that rely on this end point as a surrogate for long-term prognosis.
Antiabortion laws take hold in US
Authors: J Roberts
Journal: BMJ (1994)

Supporters of abortion rights in the US may be losing a war of attrition against the Catholic church and other antiabortion groups, even though the federal government still considers abortion to be an issue of a woman's right to privacy. In July a doctor who performed abortions was shot dead in Pensacola, Florida - the second to be killed in a year. But violence other than shooting has grown more common. According to the National Abortion Federation, more than 2500 violent incidents were carried out against abortion clinics in 1993, nearly four times the number in 1990.

The war against abortion often focuses on Washington, but the battles are carried to virtually every state government and abortion clinic in the country. In 1973 the US Supreme Court legalised …
Mouse strain determines the outcome of wound healing after myocardial infarction
Authors: Susanne W.M. van den Borne, Veerle A.M. van de Schans, Agnieszka E. Strzelecka, Helena T.M. Vervoort-Peters, Peter M. Lijnen, Jack P.M. Cleutjens, Jos F.M. Smits, Mat J.A.P. Daemen, Ben J.A. Janssen, W. Matthijs Blankesteijn
Journal: Cardiovascular Research (2009)

AimsOur objective was to study the effect of the genetic background on the wound healing process after myocardial infarction (MI) in mice.
Bisphosphonate Use and Atypical Fractures of the Femoral Shaft
Authors: Jörg Schilcher, Karl Michaëlsson, Per Aspenberg
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (2011)

Studies show conflicting results regarding the possible excess risk of atypical fractures of the femoral shaft associated with bisphosphonate use.In Sweden, 12,777 women 55 years of age or older sustained a fracture of the femur in 2008. We reviewed radiographs of 1234 of the 1271 women who had a subtrochanteric or shaft fracture and identified 59 patients with atypical fractures. Data on medications and coexisting conditions were obtained from national registries. The relative and absolute risk of atypical fractures associated with bisphosphonate use was estimated by means of a nationwide cohort analysis. The 59 case patients were also compared with 263 control patients who had ordinary subtrochanteric or shaft fractures.The age-adjusted relative risk of atypical fracture was 47.3 (95% confidence interval [CI], 25.6 to 87.3) in the cohort analysis. The increase in absolute risk was 5 cases per 10,000 patient-years (95% CI, 4 to 7). A total of 78% of the case patients and 10% of the controls had received bisphosphonates, corresponding to a multivariable-adjusted odds ratio of 33.3 (95% CI, 14.3 to 77.8). The risk was independent of coexisting conditions and of concurrent use of other drugs with known effects on bone. The duration of use influenced the risk (odds ratio per 100 daily doses, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.1 to 1.6). After drug withdrawal, the risk diminished by 70% per year since the last use (odds ratio, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.21 to 0.38).These population-based nationwide analyses may be reassuring for patients who receive bisphosphonates. Although there was a high prevalence of current bisphosphonate use among patients with atypical fractures, the absolute risk was small. (Funded by the Swedish Research Council.).
CCL19 and CCL21 Induce a Potent Proinflammatory Differentiation Program in Licensed Dendritic Cells
Authors: Benjamin J. Marsland, Patrick Bättig, Monika Bauer, Christiane Ruedl, Ute Lässing, Roger R. Beerli, Klaus Dietmeier, Lidia Ivanova, Thomas Pfister, Lorenz Vogt, Hideki Nakano, Chiara Nembrini, Philippe Saudan, Manfred Kopf, Martin F. Bachmann
Journal: Immunity (2005)
Developing an instrument to assess the endoscopic severity of ulcerative colitis: the Ulcerative Colitis Endoscopic Index of Severity (UCEIS)
Authors: Simon P L Travis, Dan Schnell, Piotr Krzeski, Maria T Abreu, Douglas G Altman, Jean-Frédéric Colombel, Brian G Feagan, Stephen B Hanauer, Marc Lémann, Gary R Lichtenstein, Phillippe R Marteau, Walter Reinisch, Bruce E Sands, Bruce R Yacyshyn, Christian A Bernhardt, Jean-Yves Mary, William J Sandborn
Journal: Gut (2011)

<h3>Background</h3> Variability in endoscopic assessment necessitates rigorous investigation of descriptors for scoring severity of ulcerative colitis (UC). <h3>Objective</h3> To evaluate variation in the overall endoscopic assessment of severity, the intra- and interindividual variation of descriptive terms and to create an Ulcerative Colitis Endoscopic Index of Severity which could be validated. <h3>Design</h3> A two-phase study used a library of 670 video sigmoidoscopies from patients with Mayo Clinic scores 0–11, supplemented by 10 videos from five people without UC and five hospitalised patients with acute severe UC. In phase 1, each of 10 investigators viewed 16/24 videos to assess agreement on the Baron score with a central reader and agreed definitions of 10 endoscopic descriptors. In phase 2, each of 30 different investigators rated 25/60 different videos for the descriptors and assessed overall severity on a 0–100 visual analogue scale. κ Statistics tested inter- and intraobserver variability for each descriptor. A general linear mixed regression model based on logit link and β distribution of variance was used to predict overall endoscopic severity from descriptors. <h3>Results</h3> There was 76% agreement for ‘severe’, but 27% agreement for ‘normal’ appearances between phase I investigators and the central reader. In phase 2, weighted κ values ranged from 0.34 to 0.65 and 0.30 to 0.45 within and between observers for the 10 descriptors. The final model incorporated vascular pattern, (normal/patchy/complete obliteration) bleeding (none/mucosal/luminal mild/luminal moderate or severe), erosions and ulcers (none/erosions/superficial/deep), each with precise definitions, which explained 90% of the variance (pR<sup>2</sup>, Akaike Information Criterion) in the overall assessment of endoscopic severity, predictions varying from 4 to 93 on a 100-point scale (from normal to worst endoscopic severity). <h3>Conclusion</h3> The Ulcerative Colitis Endoscopic Index of Severity accurately predicts overall assessment of endoscopic severity of UC. Validity and responsiveness need further testing before it can be applied as an outcome measure in clinical trials or clinical practice.
Emotional intelligence and patient-centred care
Authors: Y. F Birks, I. S Watt
Journal: Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine (2007)

The principles of patient-centred care are increasingly stressed as part of health care policy and practice.Explanations for why some practitioners seem more successful in achieving patient-centred care vary, but a possible role for individual differences in personality has been postulated.One of these, emotional intelligence (EI), is increasingly referred to in health care literature.This paper reviews the literature on EI in health care and poses a series of questions about the links between EI and patientcentred outcomes.Papers concerning empirical examinations of EI in a variety of settings were identified to determine the evidence base for its increasing popularity.The review suggests that a substantial amount of further research is required before the value of EI as a useful concept can be substantiated.
An astrocytic basis of epilepsy
Authors: Guo-Feng Tian, Hooman Azmi, Takahiro Takano, Qiwu Xu, Weiguo Peng, Jane Lin, NancyAnn Oberheim, Nanhong Lou, Xiaohai Wang, H Ronald Zielke, Jian Kang, Maiken Nedergaard
Journal: Nature Medicine (2005)
An experimental model of pneumonia induced by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in ventilated piglets
Authors: P. Martínez-Olondris, O. Sibila, C. Agustí, M. Rigol, D. Soy, C. Esquinas, R. Piñer, N. Luque, L. Guerrero, M.Á. Quera, F. Marco, J.P. de la Bellacasa, J. Ramirez, A. Torres
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2010)

The objectives of the study were to validate a model of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pneumonia in ventilated piglets and to study the time-course of biological markers and histopathological changes. 12 piglets were intubated and inoculated with 15 mL of a suspension of 10 6 colony forming units of MRSA in every lobe through the bronchoscope channel. The piglets were ventilated for 12 h (n = 6) and 24 h (n = 6). Clinical parameters were assessed every 6 h and pro-inflammatory cytokines were measured in serum and in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) at baseline and sacrifice. Histopathology of each lobe and cultures from blood, lungs and BAL were performed. Animals developed histopathological evidence of pneumonia at necropsy. At 12 h, pneumonia was present in all animals and was severe pneumonia at 24 h. Microbiological studies confirmed the presence of MRSA. A significant increase in interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8 and tumour necrosis factor-α values was seen in BAL at 24 h and IL-6 at 12 h. In serum, only IL-6 levels had increased significantly at 24 h. In ventilated piglets, bronchoscopic inoculation of MRSA induces pneumonia at 12 h and severe pneumonia at 24 h. This severity was associated with a corresponding increase in systemic and local inflammatory response.
Exercise on both sides of the curriculum
Authors: Nick Halpin, David Snadden
Journal: British Journal of Sports Medicine (2000)

<h3>AIMS</h3> To determine the prevalence of ocular manifestations in AIDS patients hospitalised in Bujumbura, Burundi, according to their CD4+ lymphocyte count, serological status for CMV and VZV, and general health status. <h3>METHODS</h3> Prospective study of 154 consecutive patients who underwent general and ophthalmological examinations, including dilated fundus examination. AIDS was diagnosed on the basis of Bangui criteria and HIV-1 seropositivity. CD4+ lymphocyte counts were determined by the Capcellia method. CMV and VZV antibodies were detected with ELISA methods. <h3>RESULTS</h3> The mean age was 37 (SD 9) years and 65% of the patients were male. Active tuberculosis was the most frequent underlying disease (61%). Almost all the patients (99%) were seropositive for CMV and VZV. Among the 115 patients for whom CD4+ lymphocyte counts were available, 86 (75%) had more than 100 cells ×10<sup>6</sup>/l. Ocular involvement comprised 16 cases of microangiopathy, six of opalescence of the anterior chamber, five of retinal perivasculitis, two of zoster ophthalmicus, two of viral retinitis, and one of opalescence of the vitreous. <h3>CONCLUSION</h3> In Africa, the prevalence of ocular involvement in HIV infection is far lower than in Europe and the United States, possibly because most African patients die before ocular opportunistic infections occur.
A NOVEL APPROACH TO IDENTIFY WOMEN WITH CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS: RESULTS FROM THE OB/GYN SCREENING PILOT PROGRAM
Authors: Jennifer Yu, Kleanthis Theodoropoulos, Sudhir Mungee, Michele Couri, Robert Wild, David Dobies, Nikhil Martis, Samantha Sartori, Ziad Sergie, Usman Baber, Roxana Mehran
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2012)
Optimizing the Detection of Lung Cancer Patients Harboring Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (<i>ALK</i>) Gene Rearrangements Potentially Suitable for ALK Inhibitor Treatment
Authors: D. Ross Camidge, Scott A. Kono, Antonella Flacco, Aik-Choon Tan, Robert C. Doebele, Qing Zhou, Lucio Crino, Wilbur A. Franklin, Marileila Varella-Garcia
Journal: Clinical Cancer Research (2010)

Abstract Purpose: Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangements, associated with sensitivity to an experimental ALK/MET inhibitor, occur in 3% to 5% of non–small cell lung cancers. Intratumoral fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) heterogeneity has been reported. We explored the heterogeneity basis, the requirements for accurately determining ALK FISH positivity, and the effect of enriching the tested population using clinical and molecular factors. Experimental Design: Lung cancer patients were screened by ALK and MET FISH and for EGFR and KRAS mutations. Results: Thirteen ALK-positive cases were identified from 73 screened patients. Gene copy number increases occurred together with classic rearrangements. All positive cases were adenocarcinomas, 12 were EGFR/KRAS wild-type, and 1 had a coexistent EGFR exon 20 mutation. No association with MET amplification occurred. ALK positivity was associated with &amp;lt;10–pack-year smoking status (P = 0.0004). Among adenocarcinomas, without KRAS or EGFR mutations, with &amp;lt;10–pack-year history, 44.8% of cases were ALK positive. ALK FISH positivity was heterogeneous, but mean values in tumor areas from ALK-positive patients (54% of cells; range, 22-87%) were significantly higher than in adjacent normal tissue or tumor/normal areas from ALK-negative patients (mean, 5-7%). Contiguous sliding field analyses showed diffuse heterogeneity without evidence of focal ALK rearrangements. One hundred percent sensitivity and specificity occurred when four or more fields (∼60 cells) were counted. Conclusions: Intratumoral ALK FISH heterogeneity reflects technique, not biology. The clinical activity of ALK/MET inhibitors in ALK-positive patients probably reflects ALK, but not MET, activity. Prescreening by histology, EGFR/KRAS mutations, and smoking status dramatically increases the ALK-positive hit rate compared with unselected series. Clin Cancer Res; 16(22); 5581–90. ©2010 AACR.
Randomized Trial of Myeloablative Conditioning Regimens: Busulfan Plus Cyclophosphamide Versus Busulfan Plus Fludarabine
Authors: Je-Hwan Lee, Young-Don Joo, Hawk Kim, Hun Mo Ryoo, Min Kyoung Kim, Gyeong-Won Lee, Jung-Hee Lee, Won-Sik Lee, Jae-Hoo Park, Sung-Hwa Bae, Myung Soo Hyun, Dae-Young Kim, Sung-Doo Kim, Young Joo Min, Kyoo-Hyung Lee
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2012)

We conducted a phase III randomized clinical trial to compare two myeloablative conditioning regimens for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in patients with leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome.After randomization, 64 patients received busulfan (3.2 mg/kg per day × 4 days) plus cyclophosphamide (60 mg/kg per day × 2 days; BuCy), and 62 patients received busulfan (same dose and schedule) plus fludarabine (30 mg/m(2) per day × 5 days; BuFlu).The median age was 41 years (range, 17 to 59 years). Five patients in the BuFlu arm experienced graft failure (primary, n = 1; secondary, n = 4). At 4 weeks after HCT, the median percentage of recipient hematopoietic chimerism was significantly greater in the BuFlu arm (0% v 5.5%; P < .001), and complete donor chimerism was greater in the BuCy arm (97.2% v 44.4%; P < .001). Severe (grade 3 or higher) infection and gastrointestinal adverse events were significantly more common in the BuCy arm, but the frequencies of hepatic adverse events were similar in the two arms. Nonrelapse mortality was similar in the two arms, but the BuCy arm had better overall survival (OS), relapse-free survival (RFS), and event-free survival (EFS; OS at 2 years, 67.4% v 41.4%, P = .014; RFS, 74.7% v 54.9%, P = .027; EFS, 60.7% v 36.0%, P = .014).Our results indicate that the BuFlu regimen is not a suitable replacement for the BuCy regimen in young adults who are eligible for myeloablative conditioning therapy for allogeneic HCT.
INDUCED ANTIBODIES THAT REACT IN VITRO WITH SEDIMENTABLE CONSTITUENTS OF NORMAL AND NEOPLASTIC TISSUE CELLS
Authors: William F. Friedewald, John G. Kidd
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1945)

Antibodies were found in the blood of certain rabbits carrying one or another of four transplanted cancers (Brown-Pearce and V2 carcinomas; RSI and Kato sarcomas) which will fix complement in vitro in mixture with saline extracts of various normal and neoplastic rabbit tissues-including liver, kidney, spleen, and the four tumors mentioned-and chick embryo tissue as well. These antibodies, which have been called induced tissue antibodies, are similar to the natural antibodies previously described (2) in that they react with those constituents of the various tissue cells that prove readily sedimentable in the high speed centrifuge; they differ from the natural antibodies in being absent from the blood of normal rabbits and in withstanding 65 degrees C. for 30 minutes. Certain quantitative differences suggest that the induced tissue antibodies have somewhat various affinities, depending in part upon the type of neoplasm carried by the host. They may perhaps be consequent on antigenic differences between the sedimentable constituents of the tumor cells and those of the new hosts; for they were not found in the blood of rabbits carrying papillomas and cancers composed of the animals' own cells, and not in that of rabbits in which multiple vaccinia or fibroma virus lesions had recently regressed. The characters of the sedimentable constituents of normal and neoplastic tissue cells, as revealed thus far by chemical, morphological, and serological studies, have recently been discussed (2,8). In this relation, it has seemed essential to recognize the induced antibodies here described, particularly since they may complicate serological studies aimed at disclosing distinctive sedimentable substances in tissue cells. In an associated paper experiments are reported which bear upon the relation between the induced tissue antibodies and an antibody that reacts specifically with a distinctive sedimentable constituent of Brown-Pearce carcinoma cells (7).