tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Coronary circulation: Nitric oxide and hypercapnic acidosis
Authors: A CEVESE
Journal: Cardiovascular Research (2005)

See article by Heintz et al.  [4]  (pages 55–63) in this issue. 

In the past two decades, nitric oxide (NO), a molecule whose natural biological role was recognized in a relatively recent period [1], has gained wide credit as a possible agent of physiological and pathological reactions, including those related to the heart and the cardiovascular system. The rapidly increasing wealth of scientific evidence, however, often led to unresolved contradictory results [2], to the extent that, in a recent review on “Nitric oxide and cardiovascular function,” Kelly et al. [3] concluded that the explosion of new information over the past 5 years “has generated much light as well as smoke and heat.”

The study by Heintz et al. [4] in this issue of Cardiovascular Research casts a new light on the specific role of NO in a well-known (patho)physiological response, namely, the coronary vasodilatation elicited by hypercapnia and/or acidosis. They relied on previous observations of their own [5] that suggested that the coronary vasodilator response to hypercapnia was biphasic. They argued that the mechanisms involved in the two phases could be different. The study was performed on Langendorff preparations of guinea pig hearts, either under constant pressure or under constant flow conditions, which allows disclosure of the possible role of shear stress-induced NO release that was obviously prevented in … 

*Tel.: +39 45 8952634; fax: +39 45 580881. Email address: antonio.cevese{at}univr.it
Palliative Care in Undergraduate Medical Education
Authors: J A Billings, S Block
Journal: JAMA (1997)

<h3>Objective.—</h3> To describe the status of palliative care education in the under-graduate medical curriculum and to offer recommendations for improvement. <h3>Data Sources.—</h3> Review of literature on palliative care and of recently submitted grants on medical education for end-of-life care. <h3>Study Selection.—</h3> English-language reports of educational programs targeted toward medical students were examined, as well as surveys of medical schools. <h3>Data Extraction.—</h3> Studies were reviewed by the authors to assess the quality of the educational program, evaluation methodology, and conclusions. From over 9000 citations on palliative care and related topics that were retrieved from MEDLINE searches from 1980 through 1995, and from reviewing 14 palliative care journals published from 1985 through 1996, 310 articles were identified that addressed medical education for end-of-life care, and 180 were carefully examined. <h3>Data Synthesis.—</h3> While nearly all medical schools offer some formal teaching about end-of-life care, there is considerable evidence that current training is inadequate, most strikingly in the clinical years. Teaching about palliative care is received favorably by students, positively influences student attitudes, and enhances communication skills. However, curricular offerings are not well integrated; the major teaching format is the lecture; formal teaching is predominantly preclinical; clinical experiences are mostly elective; there is little attention to home care, hospice, and nursing home care; role models are few; and students are not encouraged to examine their personal reactions to these clinical experiences. <h3>Conclusions.—</h3> The increasing attention to palliative care education has created major opportunities for improving education about care at the end of life. Educational programs should be rigorously evaluated to identify best educational practices.
Poor Sleep Quality Is Strongly Associated With Subsequent Pain Intensity in Patients With Acute Low Back Pain
Authors: Saad M. Alsaadi, James H. McAuley, Julia M. Hush, Serigne Lo, Chung‐Wei Christine Lin, Christopher M. Williams, Christopher G. Maher
Journal: Arthritis & Rheumatology (2014)

Recent research suggests that sleep quality and pain intensity are intimately linked. Although sleep problems are common in patients with low back pain, the effect of sleep quality on the levels of pain intensity is currently unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of sleep quality on subsequent pain intensity in patients with recent-onset low back pain.Data on 1,246 patients with acute low back pain were included in the analysis. Sleep quality was assessed using the sleep quality item of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, scored on a 0-3-point scale, where 0 = very good sleep quality and 3 = very bad sleep quality. Pain intensity was assessed on a numerical rating scale (range 0-10). A generalized estimating equation (GEE) analysis modeled with an exchangeable correlation structure was used to examine the relationship between sleep quality and pain intensity. The model further controlled for symptoms of depression and prognostic factors for low back pain.The GEE analysis demonstrated a large effect of poor sleep on subsequent pain intensity, such that for every 1-point decrease in sleep quality (based on a 0-3-point scale), pain intensity (based on a 0-10-point scale) increased by 2.08 points (95% confidence interval 1.99-2.16). This effect was independent of depression and common prognostic factors for low back pain.Sleep quality is strongly related to subsequent pain intensity in patients with acute low back pain. Future research is needed to determine whether targeting sleep improvement contributes to pain reduction.
Physiology of the intestinal circulation
Authors: D. Wingate
Journal: Gut (1985)

gastroenterology (once a year) to Progress in . . .and Recent advances in . . .gastroenterology (every two to four years), as well as the free literature reviews provided by at least two drug firms.Clearly it is unnecessary for a gastroenterologist to try to take in all these reviews of essentially the same material by several different reviewers.Good though it is, Current gastroenterology, at about £59, will have a hard time competing.It is a good read, but perhaps it is unnecessary to take it every year.
Group Psychotherapy in the Soviet Union
Authors: ISIDORE ZIFERSTEIN
Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry (1972)

The decisive influence on the theory and practice of Soviet collective psychotherapy came not from psychiatry but from the field of education. Thus a major aspect of it is education and reeducation—employing the powerful influence of the peer-group collective under the therapist's guidance. The major emphasis is on emotional support, guidance, and reeducation. The author discusses the historical development of collective psychotherapy and the four major contributors to it.
Nonredundant roles for Runx1 alternative promoters reflect their activity at discrete stages of developmental hematopoiesis
Authors: Thomas Bee, Gemma Swiers, Sawako Muroi, Amir Pozner, Wade Nottingham, Ana Cristina Santos, Pik-Shan Li, Ichiro Taniuchi, Marella F. T. R. de Bruijn
Journal: Blood (2010)
High-density lipoprotein as a modulator of platelet and coagulation responses
Authors: M. van der Stoep, S. J. A. Korporaal, M. Van Eck
Journal: Cardiovascular Research (2014)

Platelets and coagulation factors are involved in the process of haemostasis, which ensures undisturbed blood flow upon vessel wall damage. However, excessive platelet aggregation and/or coagulation may lead to arterial or venous thrombosis. Pro-atherogenic lipoproteins, including native and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL), are associated with an increased susceptibility to thrombosis. In contrast, numerous epidemiological studies have established an inverse correlation between high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels and the risk for thrombosis. In addition to its role in reverse cholesterol transport, HDL also interacts with platelets, the coagulation cascade, and the vascular endothelium. Native HDL prevents platelet hyperreactivity by limiting intraplatelet cholesterol overload, as well as by modulating platelet signalling pathways after binding platelet HDL receptors such as scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI) and apoER2′. The antithrombotic properties of native HDL are also related to the suppression of the coagulation cascade and stimulation of clot fibrinolysis. Furthermore, HDL stimulates the endothelial production of nitric oxide and prostacyclin, which are potent inhibitors of platelet activation. Thus, HDL's antithrombotic actions are multiple and therefore, raising HDL may be an important therapeutic strategy to reduce the risk of arterial and venous thrombosis.
Dynamics of Complete Right Ventricular Failure in Dogs Maintained with an Extracorporeal Left Ventricle
Authors: JOHN C. ROSE, ERIC J. LAZARO, HERBERT P. BROIDA
Journal: Circulation Research (1956)

By replacing the left ventricle of a dog with an extracorporeal pump, complete failure of the right ventricle (e.g., fibrillation) caused marked elevation of central venous pressure, the Degrees of elevation being a linear function of left ventricular output. In addition, expansion of the intravascular volume was required in order to maintain circulation by the left ventricle alone. Edema formation was accentuated by the hypervolemia and venous hypertension.
Serum Uric Acid Levels Improve Prediction of Incident Type 2 Diabetes in Individuals With Impaired Fasting Glucose: The Rancho Bernardo Study
Authors: Eiji Oda, Ryu Kawai
Journal: Diabetes Care (2009)

Kramer et al. (1) studied whether serum uric acid (UA) predicts incident type 2 diabetes by glucose tolerance status in older community-dwelling adults. The regression models adjusted for age, sex, BMI, diuretic use, and estimated glomerular filtration rate showed that UA levels independently predicted incident type 2 diabetes among participants who had impaired fasting glucose (odds ratio 1.75 [95% CI 1.1–2.9], …
THE VISUAL CORTEX, ITS LOCALIZATION, HISTOLOGICAL STRUCTURE, AND PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTION
Authors: Edgar Bright Funkhouser
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1915)

In the study of the human cortex it seems well to follow the same primary divisions for the entire cortex, while in certain areas some layers may assume certain modifications; viz., in the area striata it seems clearer to retain the sixth layer ground type, of which the fourth is subdivided into three secondary layers. The visual cortex, on account of its relation to the act of seeing, is an especially interesting field for study. About the calcarine fissure one can readily see with the naked eye a stripe of white fibers lying in the gray substance, called stria of Gennari or of Vicq-d' Azyr. This layer is considered by Brodmann in the second subdivision of the fourth primary layer. The two most characteristic types of the cortex are the giant pyramid type, called area gigantopyramidalis, and the calcarine type, called area striata. The higher types of mammals afford excellent material for comparison. Minkowski's experimental study of the dog indicates that the clinical, anatomical visual sphere is covered with the cytoarchitectonic sphere; for lasting visual trouble can be caused only by extirpation of the area striata. The subcortical visual center in mammals undergoes secondary degeneration through destruction of the area striata, and therefore depends on the cortex. Also certain parts of the corpus geniculatum externum have an exact projection over certain areas of the cortex.
Discrepancies in autobiographical memories--- implications for the assessment of asylum seekers: repeated interviews study
Authors: J. Herlihy
Journal: BMJ (2002)

<h3>Abstract</h3> <b>Objective:</b> To investigate the consistency of autobiographical memory of people seeking asylum, in light of the assumption that discrepancies in asylum seekers9 accounts of persecution mean that they are fabricating their stories. <b>Design:</b> Repeated interviews. <b>Setting:</b> England, 1999 and 2000. <b>Participants:</b> Community sample of 27 Kosovan and 12 Bosnian refugees. <b>Main outcome measures:</b> Discrepancies in repeated descriptions of one traumatic and one non-traumatic event, including specific details, rated as central or peripheral to the event. Self report measures of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. <b>Results:</b> Discrepancies between an individual9s accounts were common. For participants with high levels of post-traumatic stress, the number of discrepancies increased with length of time between interviews. More discrepancies occurred in details peripheral to the account than in details that were central to the account. <b>Conclusion:</b> The assumption that inconsistency of recall means that accounts have poor credibility is questionable. Discrepancies are likely to occur in repeated interviews. For refugees showing symptoms of high levels of post-traumatic stress, the length of the application process may also affect the number of discrepancies. Recall of details rated by the interviewee as peripheral to the account is more likely to be inconsistent than recall of details that are central to the account. Thus, such inconsistencies should not be relied on as indicating a lack of credibility.
Gastroenterology training in Europe: unmet educational needs beyond the machines
Authors: Gianluca Ianiro, Antonio Gasbarrini
Journal: Gut (2015)

We read with interest the paper by Ekkelenkamp et al , who found that the early use of validated simulators during endoscopy training expedites the learning of procedural skills. Authors propose the structured employment of simulators within endoscopy training curricula.1 

Endoscopic learning represents an essential component of gastroenterology training and would surely benefit from the application of virtual reality techniques.

Nevertheless, beyond the necessity of high-tech gadgets, other basic educational needs of gastroenterology trainees appear to remain unmet in Europe to date.

In 2002, Bisschops et al compared the training programmes of 10 different European countries, finding marked dissimilarities in several aspects of gastroenterology training, including duration, workload, earnings and programmes. In particular, the teaching of some fundamental techniques (eg, abdominal ultrasound) was not provided by all Training Centres. Furthermore, the average number of endoscopic procedures was different …
Partition of Coronary Flow and Cardiac Oxygen Extraction Between Coronary Sinus and Other Coronary Drainage Channels
Authors: Robert R. Lafontant, Harold Feinberg, Louis N. Katz
Journal: Circulation Research (1962)

The open-chest anesthetized dog was prepared to permit the partition of coronary outflow into the coronary sinus and the extracoronary sinus venous channels. The effects of increased resistance-load of the left ventricle, of augmented effort of the right ventricle, and of induced acceleration of the heart rate were analyzed. In several animals, the effect of l -epinephrine exhibition was also determined. The effect of spontaneous tachycardia which developed in two dogs was also analyzed. A balloon inserted into the right ventricular cavity was used to augment its effort under isovolumic conditions. Overall, the coronary sinus was found to drain approximately 60 per cent of the total coronary flow. Notable deviations from this mean were encountered in all experiments. The most marked occurred during spontaneous tachycardia and l -epinephrine exhibition, Significant changes also were observed when heart rate changes were induced. Increasing right ventricular effort had no apparent effect on the amount of blood drained via the coronary sinus. Augmenting left ventricular effort increased both coronary sinus and extra-coronary- sinus drainage more or less proportionately on the whole. Myocardial oxygen consumption was measured as the sum of the oxygen consumption calculated from the coronary sinus and from the extra-coronary-sinus channels. In each case, this measurement was the product of flow in the drainage system and the arteriovenous oxygen difference found in that system. The venous oxygen content in the two drainage systems differed significantly and altered to varying degrees when conditions changed. Augmentation of left ventricular effort primarily increased the oxygen usage measured from the coronary sinus, while increased effort of the right ventricle primarily augmented that measured from the extra-coronary-sinus channels. These observations lend support to the hypothesis that the coronary sinus represents blood draining primarily from the left ventricle and the extra-coronary-sinus channels primarily that from the right ventricle. However, the extra-coronary-sinus channels also drain the left ventricle, and the percentage distribution between them and the coronary sinus can vary significantly as far as cardiac oxygen consumption is concerned, especially when l -epinephrine is exhibited or when the heart changes its rate spontaneously or with an artificial pacemaker. It is concluded that while the coronary sinus catheterization method is the best available to compute the oxygen usage of the left ventricle in the closed-chest animal or in man, it has limits of accuracy as a completely reliable method for assessing the oxygen consumed by the whole heart or the left ventricle. This limitation applies especially (1) during stress when the heart speeds up, (2) in hearts that are abnormal or diseased, and (3) when the effects of inotropic agents are being examined.
Excess placental secreted frizzled-related protein 1 in maternal smokers impairs fetal growth
Authors: Alice Wang, Zsuzsanna K. Zsengellér, Jonathan L. Hecht, Roberto Buccafusca, Suzanne D. Burke, Augustine Rajakumar, Emily Weingart, Paul B. Yu, Saira Salahuddin, S. Ananth Karumanchi
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (2015)

Maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy remains one of the most common and preventable causes of fetal growth restriction (FGR), a condition in which a fetus is unable to achieve its genetically determined potential size. Even though epidemiologic evidence clearly links maternal cigarette smoking with FGR, insight into the molecular mechanisms of cigarette smoke-induced FGR is lacking. Here, we performed transcriptional profiling of placentas obtained from smoking mothers who delivered growth-restricted infants and identified secreted frizzled-related protein 1 (sFRP1), an extracellular antagonist of endogenous WNT signaling, as a candidate molecule. sFRP1 mRNA and protein levels were markedly upregulated (~10-fold) in placentas from smoking mothers compared with those from nonsmokers. In pregnant mice, adenovirus-mediated overexpression of sFRP1 led to FGR, increased karyorrhexis in the junctional zone, and decreased proliferation of labyrinthine trophoblasts. Consistent with our hypothesis that placental WNT signaling is suppressed in maternal smokers, we found that exposure to carbon monoxide analogs led to reduced WNT signaling, increased SFRP1 mRNA expression, and decreased cellular proliferation in a trophoblast cell line. Moreover, administration of carbon monoxide analogs to pregnant mice in late gestation led to FGR. In summary, our results indicate that the increased placental expression of sFRP1 seen in smokers impairs fetal growth by inhibiting WNT signaling and trophoblast proliferation.
New treatments for atopic dermatitis
Authors: H. Williams
Journal: BMJ (2002)

Atopic dermatitis now affects 15% to 20% of chil­
dren in developed countries, and prevalence
in cities in developing countries undergoing
rapid demographic changes is quickly following suit.1
Most cases of atopic dermatitis in a given community
are mild, but children with moderate to severe disease
can have continuous itching and associated loss of
sleep. The social stigma of a visible skin disease can also
be soul destroying for both patient and family. A few
studies have suggested that some degree of prevention
of the disease is possible,2 although these measures
have not been taken up widely. In the absence of any
treatment that is known to alter the clinical course of
the disease, most treatment is aimed at reducing symp­
toms and signs. After a relative lull of almost 40 years,
new drugs—tacrolimus and pimecrolimus—have
appeared that offer different approaches to managing
this miserable disease. Do they work? Are they safe?
And how do they compare with existing treatments?
The relationship between acidic & non acidic gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD) and asthma
Authors: Walid Tarsin, Ishrak Alshamli, Ebtesam Alabbasi, Ebtisam Naas, Mokhthar Soussi
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2011)

Asthma is a chronic airway disease characterized by airway constriction, inflammation, and hyper responsiveness to specific and non specific stimuli. GERD is a potential trigger of asthma. The relationship between asthma and GERD has been recognized for many years. Asthma symptoms; cough and chest discomfort may overlap with those of gastro esophageal reflux, making it difficult to distinguish between the two conditions. The study was designed to be for 3 months, with a monthly follow up visit to investigate the relation between asthma and acidic, non acidic GERD. Patients were divided to three groups; 1.Chang Life style (CLS) plus Omeprazole (G1) 2.Omeprazole (G2) 3.CLS (G3). GERD symptoms, Lung function (LF), asthma control test (ACT), and the asthma control questionnaires (ACQ) were measured for all patient at every visit. Fifty four asthmatic patients having the symptoms of GERD were enrolled in the study. Their mean (SD) age was 48.6 (12.6) years, 21 Patient started in G1, 21 Patient in the G2 and 12 patients in G3. From the initial results in table 1 it was clear that Omeprazole alone does not show the optimum improvement in the ACT. The results showed that the level of improvement in GERD symptoms was the same in G1&G3. In contrast 100% improvement in LF was seen in G1 while only 38% in G3, which may be due to the effect of the non acidic GERD.  In conclusion, CLS can improve the GERD symptoms but it should be combined with the PPI in order to improve the asthma control.
Diastolic coronary artery pressure-flow relations in the dog.
Authors: R F Bellamy
Journal: Circulation Research (1978)

Conscious dogs were used to investigate the relations between aortic (Pa) pressure and coronary flow (F) during individual diastoles. When the dogs were in a semibasal state, coronary pressure-flow relations were described by a family of lines, and diastolic flow was a linear function of aortic pressure. For a given perfusion pressure, higher flows were associated with lines of progressively greater slope and lower zero flow pressure intercept (Pf=0). Zero flow pressure intercepts were estimated by extrapolation and found to vary between 20 and 50 mm Hg, depending on the magnitude of flow. The zero flow pressure may represent the height of a vascular waterfall caused by vasomotor tone with the resistance-controlling coronary flow being (P-Pf=0).F-1. Interventions that decrease vasomotor tone increase coronary flow by both decreasing vascular resistance and increasing the perfusion pressure gradient. The gradient increases because the effective coronary back pressure is the height of the vascular waterfall and the latter is reduced when vasomotor tone falls. Passive changes in vessel dimensions, arterial recruitment, and autoregulation appear to be of little importance during individual diastoles.