tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
P144 Muscle fibre atrophy and aerobic to anaerobic fibre type shift in the quadriceps in COPD
Authors: S. A. Natanek, H. R. Gosker, I. Slot, G. S. Marsh, R. C. J. Langen, N. S. Hopkinson, W. D.-C. Man, J. Moxham, P. R. Kemp, A. M. W. J. Schols, M. I. Polkey
Journal: Thorax (2010)

<h3>Introduction</h3> Quadriceps dysfunction is associated with reduced exercise tolerance and survival in COPD. Quadriceps dysfunction has been attributed to quadriceps fibre atrophy (FA) and oxidative to glycolytic (type I to II) fibre shift (FS) but the prevalence of FA and FS and their individual relationships with exercise capacity are not clear. <h3>Methods</h3> We measured lung function, physical activity, fat-free mass index (FFMI), quadriceps strength and endurance and exercise performance (6-min walk and incremental cycle ergometry) in 114 COPD patients and 30 healthy age-matched controls and measured mid-thigh muscle cross-sectional area (MTCSA) by CT in 30 patients and 10 controls. Each subject had a quadriceps biopsy and type I, IIa and IIx fibre proportions and CSA were determined by immunohistochemistry. FA and FS were defined using reference intervals for quadriceps fibre characteristics derived from the controls. <h3>Results</h3> 24% of patients had quadriceps fibre characteristics within normal limits, 31% had isolated FS, 20% had isolated FA (predominantly type II FA) and 25% had both FS and FA. Muscle FA could not be discerned by FFMI, MT<sub>CSA</sub> or quadriceps strength values. Patients with isolated FS had a poorer exercise performance than patients with normal fibres (6MW % predicted 66 (46,82) vs 77 (63,95), p=0.025 and peak VO<sub>2</sub> % predicted 41 (28,48) vs 50 (38,58), p=0.008), patients with isolated FA (6MW % predicted 66(46,82) vs 91(70,103), p=0.001 and peak VO<sub>2</sub> % predicted 41(28,48) v 49(39,62), p=0.006) and patients with both FS and FA (6MW % predicted 66 (46,82) vs 79 (63, 89), p=0.01). Patients with isolated FA or both FS and FA did not have a reduced exercise performance vs patients with normal muscle (6MW % predicted p=0.14 and 0.53 and peak VO<sub>2</sub> % predicted p=0.98 and FA vs normal and FS plus FA vs normal respectively). Stepwise multiple regression confirmed that type I fibre proportion was a positive predictor and type IIa fibre CSA was a negative predictor of 6MW and cycle performance in patients, independent of lung function impairment. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Quadriceps FA and FS do not necessarily co-occur in COPD. FS is associated with impaired exercise tolerance whereas FA is associated with preserved exercise capacity in COPD.
Transitional Care After Hospitalization for Acute Stroke or Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Janet Prvu Bettger, Karen P. Alexander, Rowena J. Dolor, DaiWai M. Olson, Amy S. Kendrick, Liz Wing, Remy R. Coeytaux, Carmelo Graffagnino, Pamela W. Duncan
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2012)

Background: Transitional care is a time-limited service to prevent discontinuous care and adverse outcomes, including rehospitalization. Purpose: To describe transitional care interventions and evidence of benefit or harm in patients hospitalized for acute stroke or myocardial infarction (MI). Data Sources: Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, MEDLINE, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and EMBASE, supplemented with manual searches of reference lists of relevant studies and review articles (January 2000 to March 2012). Study Selection: 6 reviewers screened 5857 citations to identify English-language reports of trials or observational studies that compared transitional care with usual care among adults hospitalized for stroke or MI and that reported patient, caregiver, process, or systems outcomes within 1 year of hospital discharge. Data Extraction: Data on study design, quality, population, intervention characteristics, and patient- and system-level outcomes were extracted by 3 reviewers and confirmed by 1 additional reviewer. Data Synthesis: 62 articles representing 44 studies of transitional care for either acute stroke (27 studies) or MI (17 studies). Four intervention types were studied: hospital-initiated support (n = 14), patient and family education (n = 7), community-based support (n = 20), and chronic disease management (n = 3). Most studies (68%) were of fair quality. Overall, moderate-strength evidence showed that hospital-initiated support reduced length of stay for patients who had a stroke, and low-strength evidence showed that it reduced mortality for patients who had an MI. Evidence about benefits of other interventions and harms from transitional care services was insufficient. Limitations: Few studies had high-quality research designs. The usual care comparator was often poorly defined. Applicability to U.S. clinical practice was limited; only 6 studies were conducted in the United States. Conclusion: Available evidence shows that hospital-initiated transitional care can improve some outcomes in adults hospitalized for stroke or MI. Finding additional transitional care interventions that improve functional outcomes and prevent rehospitalizations and adverse events is a high priority for the growing population of patients who have an MI or a stroke. Primary Funding Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Arterialised earlobe blood gas analysis: an underused technique.
Authors: A D Pitkin, C M Roberts, J A Wedzicha
Journal: Thorax (1994)

BACKGROUND--Techniques for sampling arterialised capillary blood from the finger pulp and the earlobe were first described over two decades ago but, although close agreement between arterial values and earlobe samples has been demonstrated in normal subjects, this technique is not in common usage. METHODS--Forty patients with chronic lung disease and a wide range of arterial blood gas values were studied. Simultaneous earlobe and arterial samples were drawn with the patient at rest and analysed in the same blood gas analyser. The respiratory function laboratory staff in 50 UK hospitals with a respiratory department were telephoned and asked whether the technique was used in their hospital and the reasons, if known, for not adopting it. RESULTS--Earlobe and arterial blood gas tensions agreed closely over a wide range of values of arterial pH, PCO2 (mean difference 0.21, 95% confidence intervals -0.24 to +0.67 kPa) and PO2 (mean difference -0.17, 95% confidence intervals -1.09 to +0.75 kPa), especially at arterial PO2 values lower than 8 kPa. Of 50 UK centres surveyed 18% used the arterialised earlobe technique and 4% had plans to introduce it. Reasons for not using it were lack of knowledge in 64%, no blood gas analyser in 6%, the technique was considered inaccurate in 4%, and insufficient staff in 4%. CONCLUSIONS--Although earlobe blood gas analysis is sufficiently accurate to be reliably substituted for arterial sampling in routine clinical practice, most centres in the UK do not use the technique. The main reasons for this appear to be lack of knowledge of its existence and uncertainty over its accuracy.
ACCF/AHA 2007 Clinical Expert Consensus Document on Coronary Artery Calcium Scoring By Computed Tomography in Global Cardiovascular Risk Assessment and in Evaluation of Patients With Chest Pain
Authors: Philip Greenland, Robert O. Bonow, Bruce H. Brundage, Matthew J. Budoff, Mark J. Eisenberg, Scott M. Grundy, Michael S. Lauer, Wendy S. Post, Paolo Raggi, Rita F. Redberg, George P. Rodgers, Leslee J. Shaw, Allen J. Taylor, William S. Weintraub, Robert A. Harrington, Jonathan Abrams, Jeffrey L. Anderson, Eric R. Bates, Mark J. Eisenberg, Cindy L. Grines, Mark A. Hlatky, Robert C. Lichtenberg, Jonathan R. Lindner, Gerald M. Pohost, Richard S. Schofield, Samuel J. Shubrooks, James H. Stein, Cynthia M. Tracy, Robert A. Vogel, Deborah J. Wesley
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2007)
Direct effect of increased hemodynamic load on cardiac mass.
Authors: B Korecky, M Masika
Journal: Circulation Research (1991)

The hearts of rats were transplanted into the abdomens of recipients of the same inbred strain by attaching the stumps of aorta and pulmonary artery end to side to the abdominal aorta and inferior vena cava, respectively, of the recipient. The transplant functions as a denervated "nonworking" Langendorff heart; the recipient in situ heart serves as a normal control. One week after surgery, an onset of atrophy is observed in the transplanted heart, which stabilizes after 2 weeks; the in situ heart grows normally. Using this model, we increased the load of the left ventricle (LV) in the transplant by inserting a permanent polyethylene cannula into its aortic orifice during surgery to induce valvular incompetence and/or stenosis (TPE group). This resulted in significantly increased LV systolic pressure (115 +/- 5 versus 95 +/- 3 mm Hg) and a significantly increased rate-pressure product (34.7 +/- 1.7 versus 24.4 +/- 1.4 mm Hg.min-1 x 10(3) as compared with rats with control transplants (TC group). The LV mass in the TPE group decreased to only 85 +/- 4.8% of the mass of the corresponding in situ recipient heart as compared with 59 +/- 2.6% in the TC group (p less than 0.001). In three cases in the TPE group with highest overload, we observed about 20% larger LV mass in transplanted hearts as compared with the corresponding recipient in situ hearts. These results indicate that the increased load significantly attenuated the atrophy observed in LV of the isotransplants. This attenuation could be correlated with the increment of load as indicated by higher peak LV pressures and higher rate-pressure products.
Selection-Driven Evolution of Sex-Biased Genes Is Consistent with Sexual Selection in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Toni I. Gossmann, Marc W. Schmid, Ueli Grossniklaus, Karl J. Schmid
Journal: Molecular Biology and Evolution (2013)

Sex-biased genes are genes with a preferential or specific expression in one sex and tend to show an accelerated rate of evolution in animals. Various hypotheses—which are not mutually exclusive—have been put forth to explain observed patterns of rapid evolution. One possible explanation is positive selection, but this has been shown only in few animal species and mostly for male-specific genes. Here, we present a large-scale study that investigates evolutionary patterns of sex-biased genes in the predominantly self-fertilizing plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Unlike most animal species, A. thaliana does not possess sex chromosomes, its flowers develop both male and female sexual organs, and it is characterized by low outcrossing rates. Using cell-specific gene expression data, we identified genes whose expression is enriched in comparison with all other tissues in the male and female gametes (sperm, egg, and central cell), as well as in synergids, pollen, and pollen tubes, which also play an important role in reproduction. Genes specifically expressed in gametes and synergids show higher rates of protein evolution compared with the genome-wide average and no evidence for positive selection. In contrast, pollen- and pollen tube-specific genes not only have lower rates of protein evolution but also exhibit a higher proportion of adaptive amino acid substitutions. We show that this is the result of increased levels of purifying and positive selection among genes with pollen- and pollen tube-specific expression. The increased proportion of adaptive substitutions cannot be explained by the fact that pollen- and pollen tube-expressed genes are enriched in segmental duplications, are on average older, or have a larger effective population size. Our observations are consistent with prezygotic sexual selection as a result of interactions during pollination and pollen tube growth such as pollen tube competition.
Anaemia, prenatal iron use, and risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes: systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: B. A. Haider, I. Olofin, M. Wang, D. Spiegelman, M. Ezzati, W. W. Fawzi
Journal: BMJ (2013)

<b>Objectives</b> To summarise evidence on the associations of maternal anaemia and prenatal iron use with maternal haematological and adverse pregnancy outcomes; and to evaluate potential exposure-response relations of dose of iron, duration of use, and haemoglobin concentration in prenatal period with pregnancy outcomes. <b>Design</b> Systematic review and meta-analysis <b>Data sources</b> Searches of PubMed and Embase for studies published up to May 2012 and references of review articles. <b>Study selection criteria</b> Randomised trials of prenatal iron use and prospective cohort studies of prenatal anaemia; cross sectional and case-control studies were excluded. <b>Results</b> 48 randomised trials (17 793 women) and 44 cohort studies (1 851 682 women) were included. Iron use increased maternal mean haemoglobin concentration by 4.59 (95% confidence interval 3.72 to 5.46) g/L compared with controls and significantly reduced the risk of anaemia (relative risk 0.50, 0.42 to 0.59), iron deficiency (0.59, 0.46 to 0.79), iron deficiency anaemia (0.40, 0.26 to 0.60), and low birth weight (0.81, 0.71 to 0.93). The effect of iron on preterm birth was not significant (relative risk 0.84, 0.68 to 1.03). Analysis of cohort studies showed a significantly higher risk of low birth weight (adjusted odds ratio 1.29, 1.09 to 1.53) and preterm birth (1.21, 1.13 to 1.30) with anaemia in the first or second trimester. Exposure-response analysis indicated that for every 10 mg increase in iron dose/day, up to 66 mg/day, the relative risk of maternal anaemia was 0.88 (0.84 to 0.92) (P for linear trend&lt;0.001). Birth weight increased by 15.1 (6.0 to 24.2) g (P for linear trend=0.005) and risk of low birth weight decreased by 3% (relative risk 0.97, 0.95 to 0.98) for every 10 mg increase in dose/day (P for linear trend&lt;0.001). Duration of use was not significantly associated with the outcomes after adjustment for dose. Furthermore, for each 1 g/L increase in mean haemoglobin, birth weight increased by 14.0 (6.8 to 21.8) g (P for linear trend=0.002); however, mean haemoglobin was not associated with the risk of low birth weight and preterm birth. No evidence of a significant effect on duration of gestation, small for gestational age births, and birth length was noted. <b>Conclusions</b> Daily prenatal use of iron substantially improved birth weight in a linear dose-response fashion, probably leading to a reduction in risk of low birth weight. An improvement in prenatal mean haemoglobin concentration linearly increased birth weight.
Expression of chemokine receptors predicts the site of metastatic relapse in patients with axillary node positive primary breast cancer
Authors: F. Andre, N. Cabioglu, H. Assi, J.C. Sabourin, S. Delaloge, A. Sahin, K. Broglio, J.P. Spano, C. Combadiere, C. Bucana, J.C. Soria, M. Cristofanilli
Journal: Annals of Oncology (2006)
ASSESSMENT OF HAMSTRING MUSCLE VOLUNTARY ACTIVATION: IMPACT OF CONTRACTION MODE AND PREVIOUS INJURY
Authors: R Buhmann
Journal: British Journal of Sports Medicine (2014)

Background Hamstring strain injury (HSI) burdens athletes due to high occurrence and recurrence rates. Previous surface EMG evidence suggests reduced voluntary activation (VA) may contribute to high recurrence rates however no studies have directly assessed VA in previously injured and uninjured hamstrings. Objective To determine the extent of hamstring VA in limbs with and without a history of HSI. It was hypothesised that previously injured hamstrings would display eccentric-specific VA deficits relative to uninjured contralateral hamstrings and hamstrings of uninjured controls. Design Retrospective, cross-sectional study. Setting Recreationally trained males and sub-elite male footballers. Participants 12 males, with (n=6), and without a unilateral HSI history (n=6) were recruited (average time of 7.7±7.4 months post injury, average age 24.0±2.6 years, stature 180.0±5.7 cm and mass 83.0±7.9 kg). Assessment of risk factors Twitch interpolation and sEMG were used to measure hamstring VA during 5 sets of 2 maximal voluntary concentric and eccentric contractions, performed on an isokinetic dynamometer. Peak voluntary and evoked torque were recorded in both limbs. Main outcome measures The percentage value for VA calculated by comparing evoked and voluntary torque and surface EMG recordings. Results Healthy uninjured limbs displayed VA levels of 96.8%±2.4% during concentric contractions and 93.3%±6.1% during eccentric contractions. Previously injured limbs displayed VA levels of 98.0%±1.1% during concentric contractions and 83.4%±7.1% during eccentric contractions. Eccentric VA was significantly reduced in previously injured limbs compared to the uninjured control group (mean difference=−9.8%, CI=-18.9– −0.7%, P=.033) and uninjured contralateral limb (mean difference=−9.3%, CI=-18.4– −0.3%, P=.043). Conclusions Previously injured hamstrings are activated less completely than uninjured hamstrings, specifically during eccentric contractions. Such deficits exist despite successful rehabilitation and a return to sport.
Auditory detection and perception in normal man and in patients with adrenal cortical insufficiency: effect of adrenal cortical steroids
Authors: Robert I. Henkin, Robert L. Daly
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (1968)

Auditory detection thresholds for sinusoidal tones and various tests of auditory perception were determined in 12 patients with adrenal cortical insufficiency (seven with Addison's disease and five with panhypopituitarism) and compared to those in normal volunteers. In adrenal cortical insufficiency auditory detection sensitivity was significantly more acute than normal, and judgments of loudness and of the contralateral threshold shift were made at levels more than 20 db below those of normal subjects. Thus both the lower and the upper limits of the dynamic auditory range are significantly decreased in these patients. Speech discrimination ability of the patients was significantly impaired as was their difference limens, their alternate binaural loudness balances, and their ability to localize tones in space. Treatment of the patients with deoxycorticosterone acetate decreased serum potassium concentration, raised serum sodium concentration, and produced gains in body weight but did not alter auditory detection or perception. Treatment with prednisolone or with maintenance doses of carbohydrate-active steroids returned auditory detection and perception to normal in every patient tested. The inability of the untreated patients to perform the various auditory perception tasks indicates that they have a defect in their ability to integrate incoming sensory stimuli. This defect may be related to the alteration in the timing of transmission of neural impulses along axons and across synapses which occurs in these patients when their carbohydrate-active steroid is removed. This decreased integrative capacity occurs at the same time that they are able to detect many types of sensory stimuli significantly better than normal subjects. This interrelationship between increased detection sensitivity and decreased perceptual ability is dependent upon the absence of carbohydrate-active steroids, for when these steroids are replaced both detection sensitivity and perceptual ability revert to normal.
Localized Ewing Tumor of Bone: Final Results of the Cooperative Ewing’s Sarcoma Study CESS 86
Authors: M. Paulussen, S. Ahrens, J. Dunst, W. Winkelmann, G.U. Exner, R. Kotz, G. Amann, B. Dockhorn-Dworniczak, D. Harms, S. Müller-Weihrich, K. Welte, B. Kornhuber, G. Janka-Schaub, U. Göbel, J. Treuner, P.A. Voûte, A. Zoubek, H. Gadner, H. Jürgens
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2001)

PURPOSE: Cooperative Ewing’s Sarcoma Study (CESS) 86 aimed at improving event-free survival (EFS) in patients with high-risk localized Ewing tumor of bone. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed 301 patients recruited from January 1986 to July 1991 (60% male; median age 15 years). Tumors of volume &gt;100 mL and/or at central-axis sites qualified patients for “high risk” (HR, n = 241), and small extremity lesions for “standard risk” (SR, n = 52). Standard-risk patients received 12 courses of vincristine, cyclophosphamide, and doxorubicin alternating with actinomycin D (VACA); HR patients received ifosfamide instead of cyclophosphamide (VAIA). Tumor sites were pelvis (27%), other central axis (28%), femur (19%), or other extremity (26%). The initial tumor volume was &lt;100 mL in 33% of cases and ≥100 mL in 67%. Local therapy was surgery (23%), surgery plus radiotherapy (49%), or radiotherapy alone (28%). Event-free survival rates were estimated by Kaplan-Meier analyses, comparisons were done by log-rank test, and risk factors were analyzed by Cox models. RESULTS: On May 1, 1999 (median time under study, 133 months), the 10-year EFS was 0.52. Event-free survival did not differ between SR-VACA (0.52) and HR-VAIA (0.51, P = .92). Tumor volume of &gt;200 mL (EFS, 0.36 v 0.63 for smaller tumors; P = .0001) and poor histologic response (EFS, 0.38 v 0.64 for good responders; P = .0007) had negative impacts on EFS. In multivariate analyses, small tumor volumes of &lt;200 mL, good histologic response, and VAIA chemotherapy augured for fair outcome. Six of 301 patients (2%) died under treatment, and four patients (1.3%) developed second malignancies. CONCLUSION: Fifty-two percent of CESS 86 patients survived after risk-adapted therapy. High-risk patients seem to have benefited from intensified treatment that incorporated ifosfamide.
Effect of Riboflavin, Retinol, and Zinc on Micronuclei of Buccal Mucosa and of Esophagus: A Randomized Double-Blind Intervention Study in China
Authors: N Muñoz, M Hayashi, L J Bang, J Wahrendorf, M Crespi, F X Bosch
Journal: JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute (1987)

A randomized double-blind intervention trial was done in Huixian, People's Republic of China, a population with a high incidence of esophageal cancer. The aim of the trial was to determine whether a once-a-week treatment with retinol (15 mg or 50,000 IU), riboflavin (200 mg), and zinc (50 mg) could result, after 1 year, in a lower prevalence of precancerous lesions of the esophagus in the group receiving the active treatment as compared with the prevalence in the group receiving a placebo. The results of the trial, published elsewhere, indicated that the treatment had no effect on the prevalence of precancerous lesions of the esophagus. In determining whether an effect could be detected when earlier end points are used, the prevalence of micronuclei was evaluated in exfoliated cells from the esophagus and from the buccal mucosa in the present study. In a subsample of 200 out of the original 610 study subjects, smears were taken from the buccal mucosa before and after treatment, and in 170 subjects esophageal smears were obtained during endoscopy only after treatment. The smears were fixed and kept at room temperature over 1 year before being evaluated for the presence of micronuclei by means of 4'-6-diamidino-2-phenylindole fluorescent staining. Smears from approximately half of the subjects were considered suitable for evaluation. No statistically significant difference in the prevalence of micronuclei in the buccal mucosa cells was observed before and after treatment (the mean percentage of micronucleated cells in the vitamin group upon first examination, before treatment started, 0.35%; 1 year after treatment, 0.31%) or between the treatment and the placebo group at the final examination. (The mean percentage of micronucleated cells in the vitamin-treated group was 0.31 and 0.39% in the placebo group.) However, a statistically significant reduction (P = .04) was observed in the prevalence of micronuclei in esophageal cells in the treatment group as compared to the placebo. (The mean percentage of micronucleated cells in the vitamin-treated group was 0.19%; it was 0.31% in the placebo group.