tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
The Coevolutionary Period of Wolbachia pipientis Infecting Drosophila ananassae and Its Impact on the Evolution of the Host Germline Stem Cell Regulating Genes
Authors: J. Y. Choi, C. F. Aquadro
Journal: Molecular Biology and Evolution (2014)

The endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia pipientis is known to infect a wide range of arthropod species yet less is known about the coevolutionary history it has with its hosts. Evidence of highly identical W. pipientis strains in evolutionary divergent hosts suggests horizontal transfer between hosts. For example, Drosophila ananassae is infected with a W. pipientis strain that is nearly identical in sequence to a strain that infects both D. simulans and D. suzukii, suggesting recent horizontal transfer among these three species. However, it is unknown whether the W. pipientis strain had recently invaded all three species or a more complex infectious dynamic underlies the horizontal transfers. Here, we have examined the coevolutionary history of D. ananassae and its resident W. pipientis to infer its period of infection. Phylogenetic analysis of D. ananassae mitochondrial DNA and W. pipientis DNA sequence diversity revealed the current W. pipientis infection is not recent. In addition, we examined the population genetics and molecular evolution of several germline stem cell (GSC) regulating genes of D. ananassae. These studies reveal significant evidence of recent and long-term positive selection at stonewall in D. ananassae, whereas pumillio showed patterns of variation consistent with only recent positive selection. Previous studies had found evidence for adaptive evolution of two key germline differentiation genes, bag of marbles (bam) and benign gonial cell neoplasm (bgcn), in D. melanogaster and D. simulans and proposed that the adaptive evolution at these two genes was driven by arms race between the host GSC and W. pipientis. However, we did not find any statistical departures from a neutral model of evolution for bam and bgcn in D. ananassae despite our new evidence that this species has been infected with W. pipientis for a period longer than the most recent infection in D. melanogaster. In the end, analyzing the GSC regulating genes individually showed two of the seven genes to have evidence of selection. However, combining the data set and fitting a specific population genetic model significant proportion of the nonsynonymous sites across the GSC regulating genes were driven to fixation by positive selection. Clearly the GSC system is under rapid evolution and potentially multiple drivers are causing the rapid evolution.
Ileal function in patients with untreated adult coeliac disease.
Authors: D B Silk, P J Kumar, J P Webb, A E Lane, M L Clark, A M Dawson
Journal: Gut (1975)

A double-lumen perfusion technique has been used to investigate jejunal and ileal absorption of glucose, water, and electrolytes in a group of patients with untreated adult coeliac disease. Correct positioning of the tube was confirmed by measuring the differential jejunal and ileal handling of bicarbonate. Eight control subjects and eight patients with coeliac disease were perfused with an isotonic electrolyte solution containing 50 mM glucose and 25 mM bicarbonate. The group of coeliac patients had impaired jejunal absorption of glucose (P less than 0.001), water (P less than 0.01), sodium (P less than 0.02), and chloride (P greater than 0.05) compared with the control group. In contrast the group of coeliac patients had normal ileal glucose and water absorption and increased ileal sodium (P greater than 0.01) and chloride (P greater than 0.05) absorption compared with the controls. Evidence for ileal adaptation was found in three individual patients who had absorptive values outside 2SD of the normal mean. The results indicate that the distal small intestine in coeliac disease has the ability to adopt to the damage and loss of absorptive capacity in the proximal small intestine.
Which aspects of breathing during sleep influence the overnight fall of blood pressure in a community population?
Authors: J R Stradling
Journal: Thorax (2000)

<h3>BACKGROUND</h3> Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) causes recurrent rises in blood pressure during sleep, and recent community surveys have suggested a link between mild OSA and diurnal hypertension. The fact that OSA and hypertension share some risk factors, as well as problems accurately quantifying OSA severity, have diluted the power of such studies. This study tries to circumvent some of these problems by measuring the overnight change in blood pressure and relating it to relevant measures of the severity of upper airway obstruction on the same night. <h3>METHODS</h3> Men born between 1930 and 1960 and their wives living in a market town north of Oxford were identified from a GP practice register. Enough couples were recruited to provide approximately 10 (20 individuals) per year of birth. Subjects were visited at home where a questionnaire was administered, anthropometric measurements made, blood pressures taken (including by the subject), and sensors applied for a subsequent overnight sleep study. The sleep study measured indices of hypoxia, snoring, autonomic arousal, degree of respiratory effort; the last two of these derived from measurements of pulse transit time (indirect beat to beat blood pressure). After waking the following morning, the subjects took their own blood pressures again. <h3>RESULTS</h3> Data were available from 224 couples (448 subjects). On average, systolic BP fell 8 mm Hg from evening to morning. Only hypoxic dips (&gt;4% Sao<sub>2</sub> dips/h) and the measure of degree of respiratory effort were significant independent predictors of this overnight change in systolic BP, together accounting for 7–10% of the variation (p&lt;0.0001). Dividing the subjects into quartiles according to the respiratory effort overnight showed a progressive reduction in the fall of systolic BP overnight: 13.6, 10.8, 7.3, and 5.6 mm Hg, lowest to highest quartiles. <h3>CONCLUSIONS</h3> This study suggests that increased respiratory effort during sleep (seen in OSA and related syndromes of increased upper airway resistance during sleep) offsets the normal fall in BP that occurs overnight, even within this community population. This may be one of the mechanisms by which hypertension is carried over into the waking hours in patients with OSA.
Comparing routes of delivery for nanoliposomal irinotecan shows superior anti-tumor activity of local administration in treating intracranial glioblastoma xenografts
Authors: Pin Yuan Chen, Tomoko Ozawa, Daryl C. Drummond, Ashish Kalra, Jonathan B. Fitzgerald, Dmitri B. Kirpotin, Kuo Chen Wei, Nicholas Butowski, Michael D. Prados, Mitchel S. Berger, John R. Forsayeth, Krystof Bankiewicz, C. David James
Journal: Neuro-Oncology (2012)

Liposomal drug packaging is well established as an effective means for increasing drug half-life, sustaining drug activity, and increasing drug efficacy, whether administered locally or distally to the site of disease. However, information regarding the relative effectiveness of peripheral (distal) versus local administration of liposomal therapeutics is limited. This issue is of importance with respect to the treatment of central nervous system cancer, for which the blood-brain barrier presents a significant challenge in achieving sufficient drug concentration in tumors to provide treatment benefit for patients. We compared the anti-tumor activity and efficacy of a nanoliposomal formulation of irinotecan when delivered peripherally by vascular route with intratumoral administration by convection-enhanced delivery (CED) for treating intracranial glioblastoma xenografts in athymic mice. Our results show significantly greater anti-tumor activity and survival benefit from CED of nanoliposomal irinotecan. In 2 of 3 efficacy experiments, there were animal subjects that experienced apparent cure of tumor from local administration of therapy, as indicated by a lack of detectable intracranial tumor through bioluminescence imaging and histopathologic analysis. Results from investigating the effectiveness of combination therapy with nanoliposomal irinotecan plus radiation revealed that CED administration of irinotecan plus radiation conferred greater survival benefit than did irinotecan or radiation monotherapy and also when compared with radiation plus vascularly administered irinotecan. Our results indicate that liposomal formulation plus direct intratumoral administration of therapeutic are important for maximizing the anti-tumor effects of irinotecan and support clinical trial evaluation of this therapeutic plus route of administration combination.
PRE-PARTICIPATION HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE IN MAJOR ATHLETIC CHAMPIONSHIPS: FEASIBILITY AND INTEREST TO DETERMINE INJURY AND ILLNESS RISK FACTORS
Authors: P Edouard, P Branco, J Jacobsson, T Timpka, J Kowalski, S Nilsson, D Karlsson, F Depiesse, JM Alonso
Journal: British Journal of Sports Medicine (2014)

Background The current injury and illness (I&amp;I) surveillance system in association to athletics championships have to be improved by collecting pre-participation data for risk factors analyses. Objectives To evaluate a pre-participation health questionnaire (PHQ) for collecting health status data from athletes for risk factors analyses and to describe incidence and characteristics of I&amp;I occurred during a major indoor Athletics championships. Design Cohort study using retrospective athlete self-report data on health status for the 4 weeks prior to the championship and prospective recording of in-championship injuries and illnesses. Setting 32 st European Athletics Indoor Championships 2013 in Göteborg, Sweden. Participants A sub-cohort of athletes (n=127) for PHQ study and 577 registered athletes for I&amp;I study. Risk factor assessment Age, gender, pre-competition pain, pre-competition injury, pre-competition illness, pre-competition training load and fatigue. Main outcome measures Newly incurred injury and illness at the championships. Results In the I&amp;I study, 60 injuries (104.6/1000 registered athletes) were recorded. The most common injury cause was “field play conditions” (31%), followed by overuse (29%). 29 illnesses were reported (12.6 illnesses per 1000 athlete days), with upper respiratory tract infection and gastro-enteritis/diarrhoea as the most common diagnoses. 74 athletes submitted a complete PHQ (58.3%). An univariate statistical analysis showed that athletes having trained more than 12 hours per week were at increased risk for suffering a new injury (Relative risk (RR)=4.9 (95% Confidence interval (95% CI):1.2–20.7)), and athletes who presented a pre-participation health problem were more likely to suffer a new illness (RR=2.7; (95% CI:1.1–6.7)). Conclusions An athlete self-report PHQ was feasible and allowed for pre-participation screening of individuals at risk. Injury risk during indoor championships seems slightly lower than during outdoor championships with specific injury types that can be attributed to the indoor track conditions.
FACTORS INFLUENCING HEMATOPOIETIC SPLEEN COLONY FORMATION IN IRRADIATED MICE
Authors: John C. Marsh, Dane R. Boggs, Carter R. Bishop, Paul A. Chervenick, George E. Cartwright, Maxwell M. Wintrobe
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1967)

Data pertaining to the endogenous mouse spleen colony system, 10 days postirradiation, are presented. The D(o) for visible colonies is 78 R, while that for 6 hr iron uptake over a range of 600-800 R is 50 R. The D(o) for spleen weight is 196 R and that for IUdR uptake is 193 R. These measurements increase with the age of the mouse. Hypertransfusion decreases spleen iron uptake and colony number. DF-(32)P and sodium sulfate-(35)S are not useful indicators of splenic hematopoiesis in this system. Visible hematopoietic colonies in the spleen are not produced by vinblastine, nitrogen mustard, methotrexate, or cyclophosphamide.
Impaired Inflammatory Responses in the Reverse Arthus Reaction Through Genetic Deletion of the C5a Receptor
Authors: Uta E. Höpken, Bao Lu, Norma P. Gerard, Craig Gerard
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1997)

We recently demonstrated that gene-targeted disruption of the C5a anaphylatoxin receptor prevented lung injury in immune complex–mediated inflammation. In this study, we compare the effect of C5aR deficiency in immune complex–induced inflammation in the peritoneal cavity and skin with the results derived from our immune complex alveolitis model. C5aR- deficient mice exhibit decreased migration of neutrophils and decreased levels of TNF-α and interleukin 6 in the peritoneal reverse passive Arthus reaction compared to their wild-type littermates. In the reverse passive Arthus reaction in the skin the C5aR was also required for the full expression of neutrophil influx and edema formation; C5aR-deficient mice showed reduced neutrophil migration and microvascular permeability changes. In contrast to our studies in immune complex–induced lung inflammation, C5aR deficiency does not completely prevent injury in the peritoneal cavity and skin. These data indicate a dominant role for the C5aR and its ligand in the reverse passive Arthus reaction in the lung and a synergistic role together with other inflammatory mediators in immune complex–mediated peritonitis and skin injury.
Phase 2 trial of clofarabine in combination with etoposide and cyclophosphamide in pediatric patients with refractory or relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Authors: Nobuko Hijiya, Blythe Thomson, Michael S. Isakoff, Lewis B. Silverman, Peter G. Steinherz, Michael J. Borowitz, Richard Kadota, Todd Cooper, Violet Shen, Gary Dahl, Jaideep V. Thottassery, Sima Jeha, Kelly Maloney, Jo-Anne Paul, Elly Barry, William L. Carroll, Paul S. Gaynon
Journal: Blood (2011)
Genetic evidence that juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma is an integral FAP tumour
Authors: R Valanzano
Journal: Gut (2005)

Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma (JNA) is a rare locally invasive neoplasm composed of cavernous vascular channels set in an abundant myxoid stroma of fibroblasts and myofibroblasts.1,2 The histological similarity to erectile tissue, the almost exclusive occurrence in pubescent males, and expression of multiple steroid receptors suggest that JNA growth is stimulated by male sex hormones.1,3

The frequency of JNA is significantly increased in male familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) patients, suggesting that it may arise through alterations of the adenomatous polyposis coli ( APC )/ β-catenin gene pathway.4 This was supported by the high frequency of recurrent β-catenin gene mutations detected in sporadic JNA, but no APC mutations have thus far been found.5–7

We analysed the sequence of the APC gene and the presence of recurrent β-catenin mutations in matched blood and tumour …
Rheumatoid arthritis in Poland and Lithuania: different clinical course and HLA associations despite similar genetic background
Authors: R Ploski
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2004)

No patient had a history of a male twin or a solid organ transplant at the time of biopsy.SLE, systemic lupus erythematosus; CLE, cutaneous lupus erythematosus; DM, dermatomyositis; MF, mycosis fungoides.
Treatment of Cutaneous Metastases of Merkel Cell Carcinoma With Surface-Mold Computer-Optimized High-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy
Authors: Shane E. Cotter, Phillip M. Devlin, Debjani Sahni, Jorgen L. Hansen, Desmond A. O'Farrell, Andrea K. Ng, Linda C. Wang
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2010)

e19010 Background: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive cutaneous neuroendocrine carcinoma with great propensity for locoregional recurrence and distant metastases. Despite surgery and radi...
Randomized Phase III Trial Comparing Retroperitoneal Lymph Node Dissection With One Course of Bleomycin and Etoposide Plus Cisplatin Chemotherapy in the Adjuvant Treatment of Clinical Stage I Nonseminomatous Testicular Germ Cell Tumors: AUO Trial AH 01/94 by the German Testicular Cancer Study Group
Authors: Peter Albers, Roswitha Siener, Susanne Krege, Hans-Uwe Schmelz, Klaus-Peter Dieckmann, Axel Heidenreich, Peter Kwasny, Maik Pechoel, Jan Lehmann, Sabine Kliesch, Kai-Uwe Köhrmann, Rolf Fimmers, Lothar Weiβbach, Volker Loy, Christian Wittekind, Michael Hartmann
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2008)

Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) and adjuvant chemotherapy are two adjuvant treatment options for patients with clinical stage I nonseminomatous germ cell tumors of the testis (NSGCT). Aim of this trial was to prove the advantage of one cycle of bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin (BEP) chemotherapy compared with RPLND in terms of recurrence.Between 1996 and 2005, 382 patients were randomly assigned to receive either RPLND (n = 191) or one course of BEP (n = 191) after orchidectomy. The primary study end point was the rate of recurrence. The trial was powered to detect a 7% reduction (from 10% to 3%) of recurrence with chemotherapy compared with surgery.After a median follow-up of 4.7 years, two and 15 recurrences were observed in the intention-to-treat population with chemotherapy and surgery, respectively (P = .0011). The difference in the 2-year recurrence-free survival rate between chemotherapy (99.46%; 95% CI, 96.20% to 99.92%) and surgery (91.87%; 95% CI, 86.87% to 95.02%) was 7.59% (95% CI, 3.13% to 12.05%). The hazard ratio to experience a tumor recurrence with surgery as opposed to chemotherapy was 7.937 (95% CI, 1.808 to 34.48).To our knowledge, this is the largest randomized trial investigating adjuvant treatment strategies in clinical stage I NSGCT, which showed the superiority of one course BEP over RPLND performed according to community standards to prevent recurrence. Although not standard treatment, one course of BEP is active in an unselected group of patients with clinical stage I disease and merits further investigation.
Morbidity and mortality following acoustic neuroma excision in the United States: analysis of racial disparities during a decade in the radiosurgery era
Authors: S. McClelland, H. Guo, K. S. Okuyemi
Journal: Neuro-Oncology (2011)

Acoustic neuromas present a challenging problem, with the major treatment modalities involving operative excision, stereotactic radiosurgery, observation, and fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy. The morbidity/mortality following excision may differ by patient race. To address this concern, the morbidity of acoustic neuroma excision was assessed on a nationwide level. The Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 1994–2003 was used for analysis. Only patients admitted for acoustic neuroma excision were included (International Classification of Diseases, 9th edition, Clinical Modification = 225.1; primary procedure code = 04.01). Analysis was adjusted for several variables, including patient age, race, sex, primary payer for care, income in ZIP code of residence, surgeon caseload, and hospital caseload. Multivariate analyses revealed that postoperative mortality following acoustic neuroma excision was 0.5%, with adverse discharge disposition of 6.1%. The odds ratio for mortality in African Americans compared with Caucasians was 8.82 (95% confidence interval = 1.85–41.9, P = .006). Patients with high-caseload surgeons (more than 2 excisions/year), private insurance, and younger age had decreased mortality, better discharge disposition, and lower overall morbidity (P < .04). Neither hospital caseload nor median income were predictive factors. African Americans were 9 times more likely to die following surgery than Caucasians over a decade-long analysis. Given the relatively benign natural history of acoustic neuroma and the alarmingly increased mortality rate following surgical excision among older patients, African Americans, and patients receiving care from low-caseload surgeons, acoustic neuromas in these patient populations may be best managed by a more minimally invasive modality such as observation, fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy, or stereotactic radiosurgery.
STUDIES ON THE NONSPECIFIC DEPRESSION OF THE IMMUNE RESPONSE
Authors: John F. Jennings, Carolyn M. Oates
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1967)

Calf serum has been shown to suppress the primary immune response to erythrocytes and some bacterial antigens in mice if administered prior to and not after immunization. The importance of the route of iniection of antigens and immunosuppressant is indicated. It is suggested that immunosuppression is achieved by phagocytosis and enyzmatic destruction of the injected antigen by peritoneal macrophages. A similar mechanism is probably involved in the type of immunosuppression induced by PHA.
Multiple-breath washout measurements can be significantly shortened in children
Authors: Sophie Yammine, Florian Singer, Chiara Abbas, Markus Roos, Philipp Latzin
Journal: Thorax (2012)

Multiple-breath washout (MBW)-derived lung clearance index (LCI) is a sensitive measure of ventilation inhomogeneity in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), but LCI measurement is time consuming. We systematically assessed ways to shorten LCI measurements. In 68 school-aged children (44 with mild CF lung disease) three standard nitrogen (N<sub>2</sub>) MBWs were applied. We assessed repeatability and diagnostic performance of (1) LCI measured earlier from three MBW runs and (2) LCI measured at complete MBW (1/40th of starting N<sub>2</sub> concentration) from two runs only. Compared with the standard LCI from three complete MBW runs, the new LCI based on three N<sub>2</sub>MBW runs until 1/20th, or two complete runs until 1/40th, provided similar or better repeatability as well as sensitivity and specificity for CF lung disease. Alternative ways to measure LCI reduced test duration in children with CF by 30% and 41%, respectively. LCI measurements can be reliably shortened in children. These new MBW protocols may advance the transition of LCI from research into clinical settings.
Structured Exercise Improves Physical Functioning in Women With Stages I and II Breast Cancer: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Roanne Segal, William Evans, Darren Johnson, Julie Smith, Sal Colletta, Jane Gayton, Stephanie Woodard, George Wells, Robert Reid
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2001)

PURPOSE: Self-directed and supervised exercise were compared with usual care in a clinical trial designed to evaluate the effect of structured exercise on physical functioning and other dimensions of health-related quality of life in women with stages I and II breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred twenty-three women with stages I and II breast cancer completed baseline evaluations of generic and disease- and site-specific health-related quality of life, aerobic capacity, and body weight. Participants were randomly allocated to one of three intervention groups: usual care (control group), self-directed exercise, or supervised exercise. Quality of life, aerobic capacity, and body weight measures were repeated at 26 weeks. The primary outcome was the change in the Short Form-36 physical functioning scale between baseline and 26 weeks. RESULTS: Physical functioning in the control group decreased by 4.1 points, whereas it increased by 5.7 points and 2.2 points in the self-directed and supervised exercise groups, respectively (P = .04). Post hoc analysis showed a moderately large (and clinically important) difference between the self-directed and control groups (9.8 points; P = .01) and a more modest difference between the supervised and control groups (6.3 points; P = .09). No significant differences between groups were observed for changes in quality of life scores. In a secondary analysis of participants stratified by type of adjuvant therapy, supervised exercise improved aerobic capacity (+3.5 mL/kg/min; P = .01) and reduced body weight (−4.8 kg; P &lt; .05) compared with usual care only in participants not receiving chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: Physical exercise can blunt some of the negative side effects of breast cancer treatment, including reduced physical functioning. Self-directed exercise is an effective way to improve physical functioning compared with usual care. In participants not receiving chemotherapy, supervised exercise may increase aerobic capacity and reduce body weight compared with usual care.