tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Nasal airflow resistance measurement: forced oscillation technique versus posterior rhinomanometry
Authors: AM Lorino, F Lofaso, F Abi-Nader, I Drogou, E Dahan, F Zerah, A Harf, H Lorino
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (1998)

This study was designed to determine whether nasal airflow resistance (Rn) which is nonlinear during tidal breathing, can be assessed by the forced oscillation (FO) technique. Rn values obtained by the FO technique and extrapolated to 0 Hz (Rn,FO) were compared to those assessed by posterior rhinomanometry at maximal tidal inspiratory flow (Rn,m), at a 0.5 L x s(-1) flow (Rn,F), and at a 1 hPa transnasal pressure (Rn,P). All Rn estimates were derived from the same inspiratory and expiratory nasal flow and transnasal pressure signals obtained during tidal nasal breathing whilst a forced flow was applied at the nose via a rigid nasal mask in 23 healthy volunteers, of whom 14 had additional measurements after vasoconstrictor treatment. In the basal state, no significant difference, and significant correlations (p<0.0001) were found between Rn,FO and the other Rn estimates. Only the regression line of Rn,FO versus Rn,m was not significantly different from the identity line. After nasal decongestion, Rn,P became significantly higher than the other Rn estimates (p<0.005). The regression line of Rn,FO versus Rn,m remained nonsignificantly different from the identity line. Similar results were observed regarding the percentage values of the different Rn estimates after decongestant treatment. This study shows that, despite its nonlinearity, Rn can be assessed by the FO technique, and that Rn,FO and Rn,m could be indifferently used as physiological indices of nasal patency. As the FO technique is more difficult to implement than the conventional rhinomanometry, its interest in rhinology appears not to be obvious.
ImOSM: Intermittent Evolution and Robustness of Phylogenetic Methods
Authors: Minh Anh Thi Nguyen, Tanja Gesell, Arndt von Haeseler
Journal: Molecular Biology and Evolution (2011)

Among the criteria to evaluate the performance of a phylogenetic method, robustness to model violation is of particular practical importance as complete a priori knowledge of evolutionary processes is typically unavailable. For studies of robustness in phylogenetic inference, a utility to add well-defined model violations to the simulated data would be helpful. We therefore introduce ImOSM, a tool to imbed intermittent evolution as model violation into an alignment. Intermittent evolution refers to extra substitutions occurring randomly on branches of a tree, thus changing alignment site patterns. This means that the extra substitutions are placed on the tree after the typical process of sequence evolution is completed. We then study the robustness of widely used phylogenetic methods: maximum likelihood (ML), maximum parsimony (MP), and a distance-based method (BIONJ) to various scenarios of model violation. Violation of rates across sites (RaS) heterogeneity and simultaneous violation of RaS and the transition/transversion ratio on two nonadjacent external branches hinder all the methods recovery of the true topology for a four-taxon tree. For an eight-taxon balanced tree, the violations cause each of the three methods to infer a different topology. Both ML and MP fail, whereas BIONJ, which calculates the distances based on the ML estimated parameters, reconstructs the true tree. Finally, we report that a test of model homogeneity and goodness of fit tests have enough power to detect such model violations. The outcome of the tests can help to actually gain confidence in the inferred trees. Therefore, we recommend using these tests in practical phylogenetic analyses.
Hypoxia/Reoxygenation Stimulates Intracellular Calcium Oscillations in Human Aortic Endothelial Cells
Authors: Qinghua Hu, Roy C. Ziegelstein
Journal: Circulation (2000)

Background —We have previously shown that hydrogen peroxide stimulates endothelial [Ca 2+ ] i oscillations. This study was performed to determine whether posthypoxic reoxygenation stimulates [Ca 2+ ] i oscillations in vascular endothelial cells. Methods and Results —Hypoxia (glucose-free 95% N 2 /5% CO 2 bicarbonate buffer for 60 minutes) stimulated an increase in [Ca 2+ ] i from 111.9±7.9 to 161.7±17.7 nmol/L (n=12, P &lt;0.01) in indo 1–loaded human aortic endothelial cells. On reoxygenation (glucose-containing 95% air/5% CO 2 bicarbonate buffer), 13 of 16 cells responded with repetitive [Ca 2+ ] i oscillations with an average amplitude of 570.6±59.3 nmol/L, occurring at a mean interval of 0.28±0.04/min and persisting for ≥60 minutes. [Ca 2+ ] i oscillations were still observed in 4 of 7 cells studied in Ca 2+ -free buffer but did not occur when the intracellular Ca 2+ store was first depleted during hypoxia by either 1 μmol/L thapsigargin or by 10 mmol/L caffeine (n=6 for each). Reoxygenation-induced [Ca 2+ ] i oscillations were abolished by 10 μmol/L diphenyleneiodonium, an inhibitor of NAD(P)H oxidase (n=7), and by polyethylene glycol (PEG)–catalase (5000 U/mL, n=4) but were not prevented by inhibitors of xanthine oxidase (n=5), cyclooxygenase (n=4), nitric oxide synthase (n=5), the mitochondrial electron transport chain (n=4), or by PEG–superoxide dismutase (n=5). Conclusions —Posthypoxic reoxygenation stimulates repetitive [Ca 2+ ] i oscillations that are dependent on Ca 2+ release from an intracellular pool and require extracellular Ca 2+ to be maintained. These oscillations may be initiated by NAD(P)H oxidase–derived hydrogen peroxide and may play a role in signal transduction during ischemia/reperfusion in vivo.
ANTIBODY SYNTHESIS AT THE CELLULAR LEVEL
Authors: Göran Möller, Hans Wigzell
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1965)

The suppressing activity of passively transferred antibodies on antibody synthesis against sheep red cells was investigated at the cellular level by the agar-plaque technique developed by Jerne. Humoral antibodies injected prior to the antigen suppressed the appearance of plaque-forming spleen cells producing 19S antibodies completely. Antibodies given during the first 4 days after antigen injection also showed such action, but only after a latency period of 40 hours. The inhibiting efficiency of 7S antibodies was about 100 to 200 times greater than that of 19S antibodies. The results support the conclusion that humoral antibodies inhibit the immune response by removing the stimulus for the proliferation of the antibody producing cells and not by directly depressing antibody synthesis in already committed cells. Passively transferred antibodies inhibited the 7S response if given prior to, or 24 hours after the antigen injection, in analogy with previous results concerning 19S response. In contrast to these previous results on 19S synthesis, antibody transfer had no detectable effect during the early exponential phase of 7S production (5 to 7 days after antigen injection). Only limited inhibition was observed 3 days after the antigen. One possible explanation of this difference is that 7S-producing cells do not divide, or divide at a slow rate. Antigen injection would stimulate the proliferation of 19S-producing cells. Subsequently these would switch to the synthesis of 7S antibodies. These would inhibit the initiation of new 19S-producing cells by combining with the antigen. They would thus suppress the recruitment of their own precursors. A steady state of 7S antibody production by cells with a long lifetime would be the result. This hypothesis ascribes an important regulatory function to 7S antibodies. They would be parts of a feed-back system preventing excessive cell multiplication in response to a single antigen.
Phase III Trial of Protracted Compared With Split-Course Chemoradiation for Esophageal Carcinoma: Fédération Francophone de Cancérologie Digestive 9102
Authors: Gilles Crehange, Philippe Maingon, Karine Peignaux, Tan Dat N′guyen, Xavier Mirabel, Christian Marchal, Pierre Verrelle, Bernard Roullet, Franck Bonnetain, Laurent Bedenne
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2007)

Chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is an alternative to surgery for resectable locally advanced esophageal carcinoma (RLA-EC). We investigated the heterogeneity of the treatment benefits across subgroups of patients, defined according to the radiation scheme.Between February 1993 and December 2000, 451 patients were enrolled. The following two schemes were allowed: protracted radiotherapy (P-RT), which scheduled 46 Gy over 4.5 weeks or split-course radiotherapy (SC-RT) with two 1-week courses of 15 Gy. Two courses of cisplatin and fluorouracil were delivered concomitantly. In case of exclusive CRT, a further course of 20 Gy over 2 weeks in the P-RT group and one 1-week course of 15 Gy in the SC-RT group were delivered with three courses of chemotherapy. SC-RT and P-RT were administered to 285 patients (64%) and 161 patients (36%), respectively.For P-RT versus SC-RT, the response rate to induction CRT was 67% v 68%, respectively (P = .09), and 2-year local relapse-free survival rate was 76.7% v 56.8%, respectively (P = .002). Shorter tumor length and P-RT were associated with better local control in multivariate analysis (P = .002 for both). After a median follow-up time of 47.4 months, 2-year overall survival rate was 37.1% for P-RT compared with 30.5% for SC-RT (P = .25). Independent prognostic factors on survival were tumor diameter (P = .02), weight loss of 10% or less (P = .05), and response to induction CRT (P = .002).Patients with RLA-EC treated with P-RT had better local control than patients treated with SC-RT. Response to induction CRT is a determinant prognostic factor on survival.
Lack of feedback inhibition of V kappa gene rearrangement by productively rearranged alleles.
Authors: K Harada, H Yamagishi
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1991)

Circular DNAs excised by immunoglobulin kappa chain gene rearrangements were cloned and characterized. 16 of 17 clones examined were double recombination products containing a V kappa-J kappa rearrangement (coding joint) as well as the reciprocal element (signal joint) of another V kappa-J kappa rearrangement. These products suggested multiple recombination, primary inversion, and secondary excision. In primary events, 5 of 16 translational reading frames were in-phase. Thus, V kappa gene rearrangement may not be inhibited by the presence of a productively rearranged allele. An unusually large trinucleotide (P) insertion forming a palindrome of 12 nucleotides was also observed in one of the coding joints.
NERVE DEGENERATION IN CHRONIC ARSENIC, LEAD, AND ALCOHOLIC POISONING.
Authors: JOHN FERGUSON
Journal: JAMA (1890)

The whole question of neuritis and nerve degeneration is one of very great importance; and all cases that throw light upon it are of value. The three following examples are of considerable interest in this respect. The first case, the detailed account of which was read before the On tario Medical Association in 1887, is now given in a very condensed form. The patient, a consumptive, had been taking large doses, m. 20 and 30, three times a day for a lengthy period, of liquor arsenicalis. She had been advised to do this by some one as a cure for consumption. She continued the use of the drug, in spite of much gastro-intestinal irritation, and headache. At last severe pains began in the legs. These pains extended to other parts of the body, and were very intense. At this stage I saw her. There was evidence of neuritis. There was
The Application of Starling's Law of Capillary Exchange to the Lungs*
Authors: O. Robert Levine, Robert B. Mellins, Robert M. Senior, Alfred P. Fishman
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (1967)

The forces governing the movement of water across the pulmonary capillaries were studied in 39 intact, spontaneously breathing dogs. A situation favoring the net movement of water out of the pulmonary capillaries was created by means of partial pulmonary venous obstruction (left atrial balloon catheter) followed by rapid saline hemodilution. A predetermined difference between pulmonary capillary and plasma colloid osmotic pressures was maintained for periods of 1 to 2 hours. Left atrial (P(LA)) and plasma colloid osmotic pressures (pi(pl)) were measured directly. The water content of the lungs was measured serially by an indicator-dilution technique, and at autopsy by drying the lungs. The rate of accumulation of lung water was measured in four groups of animals: in three of the groups, the capillary hydrostatic and colloid osmotic pressures were varied; in the fourth group, the right lymphatic duct was obstructed in addition. The average rate of water accumulation in the lungs varied in a nonlinear way with the level of the capillary hydrostatic-plasma colloid osmotic pressure difference and was unaffected by the level of the capillary hydrostatic pressure. At low levels of P(LA) - pi(pl), water accumulated in the lung at an average rate of 0.09 g per g dry lung per hour per mm Hg pressure difference. At higher levels of P(LA) - pi(pl) the average rate of accumulation was 0.22 g per g per hour per mm Hg DeltaP; in most of the experiments in this group water accumulated in the lungs slowly during the first 30 minutes of the test period and more rapidly as the period was extended. Obstruction of right lymphatic duct outflow did not alter the rate of water accumulation. Based on the control data of the present experiments, the pericapillary pressure in normal lungs is estimated to be of the order of - 9 mm Hg in the normal dog lung. The filtration coefficient for the pulmonary capillaries is estimated to be of the order of one-tenth to one-twentieth of that for canine muscle capillaries. The data of the present study indicate that edema formation in lung tissue cannot be defined solely in terms of intravascular forces, but may be governed to a significant degree by changes in pericapillary forces in the pulmonary interstitium.
Diagnostic value of procalcitonin for differentiation between bacterial infection and non-infectious inflammation in febrile patients with active adult-onset Still's disease
Authors: D-Y Chen, Y-M Chen, W-L Ho, H-H Chen, G-H Shen, J-L Lan
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2009)

Adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD) has been recognised as an important cause of fever of unknown origin. Over 99% of AOSD patients displayed fever during their disease course.1 The diagnosis of bacterial infection in febrile AOSD patients is challenging because traditional markers of infection are often misleading. This prompted us to search for a reliable marker that allows early discrimination between non-infectious inflammation and bacterial infection in febrile AOSD patients.

Procalcitonin, a novel marker that can distinguish disease activity from infection, has been investigated in febrile patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).2 3 Procalcitonin has proved to be a diagnostic marker of infection in critically ill patients compared with other inflammatory parameters.4 Serum procalcitonin is normally undetectable (<0.05 ng/ml) and procalcitonin levels of 0.5 ng/ml or greater can distinguish infection from non-infectious inflammation.3 5 Contradictory results for procalcitonin have recently been reported in …
A Phase II Clinical and Pharmacodynamic Study of E7070 in Patients with Metastatic, Recurrent, or Refractory Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck
Authors: Robert I. Haddad, Lisa J. Weinstein, Tad J. Wieczorek, Nandita Bhattacharya, Harry Raftopoulos, Martin W. Oster, Xinxin Zhang, Vaughan M. Latham, Rosemary Costello, Jarrod Faucher, Carolyn DeRosa, Murray Yule, Linda P. Miller, Massimo Loda, Marshall R. Posner, Geoffrey I. Shapiro
Journal: Clinical Cancer Research (2004)

Abstract Purpose: E7070 is a synthetic sulfonamide cell cycle inhibitor that induces hypophosphorylation of the retinoblastoma (Rb) protein and G1 arrest in vitro. This Phase II study was conducted to explore the efficacy, safety, and pharmacodynamics of E7070 in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Experimental Design: Patients with metastatic, recurrent, or refractory SCCHN, treated with no more than one prior therapy for recurrent disease, received E7070 at 700 mg/m2 over 1 h every 3 weeks. Pre- and posttreatment tumor fine needle aspirates were subjected to immunohistochemistry with a panel of phospho-specific anti-Rb antibodies. End points included progression-free survival, response rate and duration, overall survival, toxicity profile, and inhibition of Rb phosphorylation. Results: Because none of the first 15 patients achieved progression-free survival &amp;gt; 4 months, the early stopping rule was invoked. Eleven patients had oropharyngeal cancer and 12 were male. Median age was 59 years (range, 49–73 years). Thirty-nine cycles of E7070 were delivered (median, 2.6 cycles/patient; range, 1–5 cycles). Six patients had stable disease after 2 cycles and 2 patients each subsequently received 1, 2, and 3 additional cycles, respectively, before experiencing progression. Immunohistochemistry of tumor cell aspirates from 3 patients demonstrated reduced Rb phosphorylation posttreatment. Conclusions: At this dose and schedule, E7070 is unlikely to be superior over single-agent chemotherapy in SCCHN. However, the data suggest that cdk activity can be inhibited in tumor cells, resulting in posttreatment modulation of Rb phosphorylation. In the absence of cytotoxicity, more frequent administration of E7070 may be required to sustain Rb hypophosphorylation and cytostatic growth arrest.
Nucleolin inhibits Fas ligand binding and suppresses Fas-mediated apoptosis in vivo via a surface nucleolin-Fas complex
Authors: Jillian F. Wise, Zuzana Berkova, Rohit Mathur, Haifeng Zhu, Frank K. Braun, Rong-Hua Tao, Anita L. Sabichi, Xue Ao, Hoyoung Maeng, Felipe Samaniego
Journal: Blood (2013)
Prognostic Factors in Follicular Lymphoma
Authors: Thomas Relander, Nathalie A. Johnson, Pedro Farinha, Joseph M. Connors, Laurie H. Sehn, Randy D. Gascoyne
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2010)

Follicular lymphoma (FL) is one of the most common types of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. It is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage, for which many treatment options exist, however, no curative standard therapy has been identified. The outcome is highly variable with a median survival of approximately 10 years. The life expectancy of patients with FL has been extended with the use of rituximab, a monoclonal antibody targeting the CD20 antigen on FL cells, but there remains a group of patients who fail to respond to chemoimmunotherapy and die early of their disease. Transformation of FL to an aggressive histology is an important event with high morbidity and mortality. The Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index has become the clinically useful prognostic tool, but gives only a rough estimate of expected outcome. There is a need for useful biomarkers for prediction of the disease course of single patients to individualize therapy, especially in the new era of chemoimmunotherapy.
OCCURRENCE OF R ANTIGEN SPECIFIC FOR GROUP A TYPE 3 STREPTOCOCCI
Authors: Rebecca C. Lancefield
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1958)

Approximately 50 per cent of Group A, Type 3 streptococci contain a hitherto undescribed antigen found only in Group A, Type 3 organisms. It is serologically distinct from Type 3 M antigen and is designated as 3 R antigen. Strains containing 3 R antigen but no Type 3 M antigen are "glossy," avirulent Type 3 variants. These strains can be obtained by repeated transfers of virulent M-containing streptococci in artificial media under unfavorable conditions of growth. These degraded streptococci recover Type 3 M antigen during serial passage through mice. The amount of 3 R antigen in a strain is not affected by a decrease or increase in M antigen. The 3 R antigen is unrelated to virulence. Antibodies to this antigen do not protect mice against infection or promote phagocytosis in bactericidal tests. The 3 R antigen-antibody system can give rise to confusion in M-precipitin reactions. In all these properties 3 R antigen is similar to 28 R antigen, although in certain other properties the two R antigens are not identical. They are serologically distinct. Virulence and ability to grow in normal human blood under the conditions of the bactericidal test are correlated with the presence of M antigen of Group A, Type 3 streptococci. Mouse protection and specific inhibition of growth of Type 3 streptococci by phagocytosis in bactericidal tests are associated with the presence of Type 3 anti-M antibodies.
Evidence of Interaction Network Evolution by Whole-Genome Duplications: A Case Study in MADS-Box Proteins
Authors: A. S. Veron, K. Kaufmann, E. Bornberg-Bauer
Journal: Molecular Biology and Evolution (2006)

Recent investigations on metazoan transcription factors (TFs) indicate that single-gene duplication events and the gain and loss of protein domains are 2 crucial factors in shaping their protein–protein interaction networks. Plant genomes, on the other hand, have a history of polyploidy and whole-genome duplications (WGDs), and thus, their study helps to understand whether WGDs have also had a significant influence on protein network evolution. Here we investigate the evolution of the interaction network in the well-studied MADS domain MIKC-type proteins, a TF family which plays an important role in both the vegetative and the reproductive phases of plant life. We combine phylogenetic reconstruction, protein domain analysis, and interaction data from different species. We show that, unlike previously analyzed interaction networks, the MIKC-type protein network displays a characteristic topology, with overall high inter-subfamily connectivity, shared interactors between paralogs, and conservation of interaction patterns across species. The evaluation of the number of MIKC-type proteins at key time points throughout the evolution of land plants in the lineage leading to Arabidopsis suggested that most duplicates were retained after each round of WGD. We provide evidence that an initial network, formed by 9–11 homodimerizing proteins interacting with each other, existed in the common ancestor of all seed plants. This basic structure has been conserved after each round of WGD, adding layers of paralogs with similar interaction patterns. We thus present the first model where we can show that a network of eukaryotic TFs has evolved via rounds of WGD. Furthermore, we found that in subfamilies in which the K domain is most diverged, the interactions with other subfamilies have been largely lost. We discuss the possibility that such a high proportion of genes were retained after each WGD because of their capacity to form higher order complexes involving proteins from different subfamilies. The simultaneous duplications allowed for the conservation of the quantitative balance between the constituents and facilitated sub- and neofunctionalization through differential expression of whole units.
Toward a Better Dialogue Between Neuro-Oncologists and Phase I Investigators
Authors: Christophe Massard, Shahneen Sandhu, Montserrat Blanco, Dionysis Papadatos-Pastos, Craig Carden, Johann De Bono, Franck Saran, L. Rhoda Molife, Stan B. Kaye, Jean-Charles Soria, Udai Banerji
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2012)
Effect of Renin-Angiotensin System Blockade on Insulin Resistance and Inflammatory Parameters in Patients With Impaired Glucose Tolerance
Authors: Stefan Pscherer, Uwe Heemann, Helga Frank
Journal: Diabetes Care (2010)

The study investigated the effect of angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) on glucose homeostasis and inflammatory parameters in patients with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT).