tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of the diabetes education and self management for ongoing and newly diagnosed (DESMOND) programme for people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes: cluster randomised controlled trial
Authors: M J Davies, S Heller, T C Skinner, M J Campbell, M E Carey, S Cradock, H M Dallosso, H Daly, Y Doherty, S Eaton, C Fox, L Oliver, K Rantell, G Rayman, K Khunti
Journal: BMJ (2008)

To evaluate the effectiveness of a structured group education programme on biomedical, psychosocial, and lifestyle measures in people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes.Multicentre cluster randomised controlled trial in primary care with randomisation at practice level.207 general practices in 13 primary care sites in the United Kingdom.824 adults (55% men, mean age 59.5 years).A structured group education programme for six hours delivered in the community by two trained healthcare professional educators compared with usual care.Haemoglobin A(1c) levels, blood pressure, weight, blood lipid levels, smoking status, physical activity, quality of life, beliefs about illness, depression, and emotional impact of diabetes at baseline and up to 12 months.Haemoglobin A(1c) levels at 12 months had decreased by 1.49% in the intervention group compared with 1.21% in the control group. After adjusting for baseline and cluster, the difference was not significant: 0.05% (95% confidence interval -0.10% to 0.20%). The intervention group showed a greater weight loss: -2.98 kg (95% confidence interval -3.54 to -2.41) compared with 1.86 kg (-2.44 to -1.28), P=0.027 at 12 months. The odds of not smoking were 3.56 (95% confidence interval 1.11 to 11.45), P=0.033 higher in the intervention group at 12 months. The intervention group showed significantly greater changes in illness belief scores (P=0.001); directions of change were positive indicating greater understanding of diabetes. The intervention group had a lower depression score at 12 months: mean difference was -0.50 (95% confidence interval -0.96 to -0.04); P=0.032. A positive association was found between change in perceived personal responsibility and weight loss at 12 months (beta=0.12; P=0.008).A structured group education programme for patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes resulted in greater improvements in weight loss and smoking cessation and positive improvements in beliefs about illness but no difference in haemoglobin A(1c) levels up to 12 months after diagnosis.Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN17844016 [controlled-trials.com].
Sperm transport in the human female genital tract and its modulation by oxytocin as assessed by hysterosalpingoscintigraphy, hysterotonography, electrohysterography and Doppler sonography
Authors: L Wildt
Journal: Human Reproduction Update (1998)

The transport function of the uterus and oviducts and its modulation by oxytocin has been examined using hysterosalpingoscintigraphy, recording of intrauterine pressure, electrohysterography and Doppler sonography of the Fallopian tubes. After application to the posterior vaginal fornix, a rapid (within minutes) uptake of the labelled particles into the uterus was observed during the follicular and during the luteal phase of the cycle in all patients. Transport into the oviducts, however, could only be demonstrated during the follicular phase. Transport was directed predominantly into the tube ipsilateral to the ovary bearing the dominant follicle; the contralateral oviduct appeared to be functionally closed. The proportion of patients exhibiting ipsilateral transport did increase concomitant with the increase of the diameter of the dominant follicle. That ipsilateral transport has biological significance is suggested by the observation that the pregnancy rate following spontaneous intercourse or insemination was significantly higher in those women in whom ipsilateral transport could be demonstrated than in those who failed to exhibit lateralization. Oxytocin administration was followed by a dramatic increase in the amount of material transported to the ipsilateral tube, as demonstrated by radionuclide imaging and by Doppler sonography following instillation of ultrasound contrast medium. Continuous recording of intrauterine pressure before and after oxytocin administration did show an increase in basal tonus and amplitude of contractions and a reversal of the pressure gradient from a fundo-cervical to a cervico-fundal direction. These actions of oxytocin were accompanied by an increase in amplitude of potentials recorded by electrohysterography. These data support the view that uterus and Fallopian tubes represent a functional unit that is acting as a peristaltic pump and that the increasing activity of this pump during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle is reflected by an increased transport into the oviduct ipsilateral to the ovary bearing the dominant follicle. In addition, they strongly suggest a critical role of oxytocin in this process. Failure of this mechanism appears to be a cause of subfertility or infertility, as indicated by the low pregnancy rate following intrauterine insemination or normal intercourse in the presence of patent Fallopian tubes. It may be regarded as a new nosological entity for which we propose the term tubal transport disorder (TTD). Since pregnancy rate of such patients is normal when treated with in-vitro fertilization (IVF), hysterosalpingoscintigraphy seems to be useful for the choice of treatment modalities in patients with patent Fallopian tubes suffering from infertility
Allergen-induced airway responses
Authors: Gail M. Gauvreau, Amani I. El-Gammal, Paul M. O'Byrne
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2015)

Environmental allergens are an important cause of asthma and can contribute to loss of asthma control and exacerbations. Allergen inhalation challenge has been a useful clinical model to examine the mechanisms of allergen-induced airway responses and inflammation. Allergen bronchoconstrictor responses are the early response, which reaches a maximum within 30 min and resolves by 1–3 h, and late responses, when bronchoconstriction recurs after 3–4 h and reaches a maximum over 6–12 h. Late responses are followed by an increase in airway hyperresponsiveness. These responses occur when IgE on mast cells is cross-linked by an allergen, causing degranulation and the release of histamine, neutral proteases and chemotactic factors, and the production of newly formed mediators, such as cysteinyl leukotrienes and prostaglandin D 2 . Allergen-induced airway inflammation consists of an increase in airway eosinophils, basophils and, less consistently, neutrophils. These responses are mediated by the trafficking and activation of myeloid dendritic cells into the airways, probably as a result of the release of epithelial cell-derived thymic stromal lymphopoietin, and the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines from type 2 helper T-cells. Allergen inhalation challenge has also been a widely used model to study potential new therapies for asthma and has an excellent negative predictive value for this purpose.
Tetramer-based quantification of cytomegalovirus (CMV)–specific CD8+ T lymphocytes in T-cell–depleted stem cell grafts and after transplantation may identify patients at risk for progressive CMV infection
Authors: Jan W. Gratama, Joost W. J. van Esser, Cor H. J. Lamers, Claire Tournay, Bob Löwenberg, Reinder L. H. Bolhuis, Jan J. Cornelissen
Journal: Blood (2001)
Bone mineral density in asthmatic patients treated with inhaled corticosteroids: a case-control study
Authors: M Luengo, L del Rio, F Pons, C Picado
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (1997)

Recent studies suggest that inhaled corticosteroids can adversely affect bone metabolism. The objective of this study was to evaluate the importance of these adverse effects in a case-control study. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured in 48 asthmatic adults (15 males and 33 females) treated with inhaled steroids (beclomethasone or budesonide) and in 48 gender and age-matched healthy subjects at baseline and at 2 yrs. Vertebral BMD was measured by dual energy X-ray densitometry. Patients had been treated with a dose of 662 +/- 278 micrograms (range 300-1,000 micrograms) of beclomethasone dipropionate or budesonide for more than 1 yr (mean duration of treatment 10.6 yrs, range 1-16 yrs). Twenty four patients had needed 1-6 short courses of oral steroids and seven had received oral corticosteroids (mean daily dose 6.2 mg prednisone) for 2-15 yrs more than 4 yrs prior to the BMD measurements. During the follow-up, 14 patients required 1-3 short courses of oral steroids. There was no correlation either between inhaled corticosteroid doses or duration of treatment and BMD values. There were no significant differences in BMD baseline values between patients and healthy controls. BMD significantly decreased in both groups at 2 yrs, from 1.08 +/- 0.19 to 1.05 +/- 0.19 g.cm-2 (p = 0.002) in asthmatics versus 1.12 +/- 0.17 to 1.09 +/- 0.18 g.cm-2 (p = 0.008) in controls. There were no significant differences in BMD loss between patients and healthy controls. Furthermore, no differences were found in bone loss when pre- and postmenopausal women were compared with their healthy control counterparts. No differences in baseline BMD were found between patients who had received regular oral corticosteroid therapy or booster courses of oral corticosteroids and those who had not. Inhaled corticosteroid treatment at a mean dose of 662 micrograms.day-1 and sporadic booster courses of oral corticosteroids do not further increase bone mass loss with respect to that expected from natural bone mass loss.
Glycerol Kinase Deficiency in Adult Hypoglycemic Acidemia
Authors: Enikö Fodor, Christina Hellerud, Johan Hulting, Christine Karlson-Stiber, Lars Abrahamsson, Thomas Nyström, Dan E.H. Andersson, Åke Sjöholm
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (2011)

A young man presented with inexplicable acidosis and hypoglycemia. He was found to have glycerol kinase deficiency, a rare entity that may be important to consider in the differential diagnosis once intoxication has been ruled out.
Ablation of Nkx2-5 at mid-embryonic stage results in premature lethality and cardiac malformation
Authors: Ryota Terada, Sonisha Warren, Jonathan T. Lu, Kenneth R. Chien, Andy Wessels, Hideko Kasahara
Journal: Cardiovascular Research (2011)

AimsHuman congenital heart disease linked to mutations in the homeobox transcription factor, NKX2-5, is characterized by cardiac anomalies, including atrial and ventricular septal defects as well as conduction and occasional defects in contractility. In the mouse, homozygous germline deletion of Nkx2-5 gene results in death around E10.5. It is, however, not established whether Nkx2-5 is necessary for cardiac development beyond this embryonic stage. Because human NKX2-5 mutations are related to septum secundum type atrial septal defects (ASD), we hypothesized that Nkx2-5 deficiency during the processes of septum secundum formation may cause cardiac anomalies; thus, we analysed mice with tamoxifen-inducible Nkx2-5 ablation beginning at E12.5 when the septum secundum starts to develop.
Genomic Views of the Immune System
Authors: Louis M. Staudt, Patrick O. Brown
Journal: Annual Review of Immunology (2000)

Genomic-scale experimentation aims to view biological processes as a whole, yet with molecular precision. Using massively parallel DNA microarray technology, the mRNA expression of tens of thousands of genes can be measured simultaneously. Mathematical distillation of this flood of gene expression data reveals a deep molecular and biological logic underlying gene expression programs during cellular differentiation and activation. Genes that encode components of the same multi-subunit protein complex are often coordinately regulated. Coordinate regulation is also observed among genes whose products function in a common differentiation program or in the same physiological response pathway. Recent application of gene expression profiling to the immune system has shown that lymphocyte differentiation and activation are accompanied by changes of hundreds of genes in parallel. The databases of gene expression emerging from these studies of normal immune responses will be used to interpret the pathological changes in gene expression that accompany autoimmunity, immune deficiencies, and cancers of immune cells.
Factors Related to ST-Segment Depression after Exercise in Middle-Aged Chinese Men
Authors: BENJAMIN N. CHAING, E. RUSSELL ALEXANDER, ROBERT A. BRUCE, DONOVAN J. THOMPSON, NONG TING
Journal: Circulation (1969)

Ninety-four or 7% of 1,346 healthy middle-aged Chinese men who underwent a graded treadmill test of maximal exercise showed post-exercise ST-segment depression. Stepwise linear discriminant function analysis showed that the major factors associated with this response were systolic blood pressures at maximal exercise, age, and certain resting ECG abnormalities, and to a lesser extent, systolic and diastolic pressure at rest, resting heart rate, and cigarette smoking. Hypertensive subjects showed at least a fourfold increase of post-exercise ST depression as compared with age-matched normotensive controls. Since coronary atherosclerosis is rare among Chinese, the study is of particular interest in demonstrating some factors related to ST depression after maximal exercise, particularly the effect of higher systemic pressure, in a group of middle-aged Chinese men.
Final height in survivors of childhood cancer compared with Height Standard Deviation Scores at diagnosis
Authors: S.L. Knijnenburg, S. Raemaekers, H. van den Berg, I.W.E.M. van Dijk, J.A. Lieverst, H.J. van der Pal, M.W.M. Jaspers, H.N. Caron, L.C. Kremer, H.M. van Santen
Journal: Annals of Oncology (2012)
Once-daily intravenous busulfan and fludarabine: clinical and pharmacokinetic results of a myeloablative, reduced-toxicity conditioning regimen for allogeneic stem cell transplantation in AML and MDS
Authors: Marcos de Lima, Daniel Couriel, Peter F. Thall, Xuemei Wang, Timothy Madden, Roy Jones, Elizabeth J. Shpall, Munir Shahjahan, Betty Pierre, Sergio Giralt, Martin Korbling, James A. Russell, Richard E. Champlin, Borje S. Andersson
Journal: Blood (2004)
Overexpression of Bcl-2 by activated human hepatic stellate cells: resistance to apoptosis as a mechanism of progressive hepatic fibrogenesis in humans
Authors: E. Novo, F. Marra, E. Zamara, L. Valfrè Di Bonzo, L. Monitillo, S. Cannito, I. Petrai, Antonio Mazzocca, A. Bonacchi, R. S. M. De Franco, S. Colombatto, R. Autelli, M. Pinzani, M. Parola
Journal: Gut (2005)

<b>Background and aims:</b> Myofibroblast-like cells, originating from activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSC/MFs), play a key role in liver fibrosis, a potentially reversible process that may rely on induction of HSC/MFs apoptosis. While this possibility has been shown in cultured rat HSC, very limited data are currently available for human HSC/MFs. <b>Methods:</b> Cultured human HSC/MFs were exposed to several proapoptotic stimuli, including those known to induce apoptosis in rat HSC/MFs, and induction of cell death and related mechanisms were investigated using morphology, molecular biology, and biochemical techniques. <b>Results:</b> In this study we report that fully activated human HSC/MFs did not undergo spontaneous apoptosis and survived to prolonged serum deprivation, Fas activation, or exposure to nerve growth factor, tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α), oxidative stress mediators, doxorubicin, and etoposide. Induction of caspase dependent, mitochondria driven apoptosis in HSC/MFs was observed only when protein synthesis or transcription were inhibited. Importantly, the process of HSC activation was accompanied by changes in expression of a set of genes involved in apoptosis control. In particular, activated human HSC/MFs in culture overexpressed Bcl-2. The role of Bcl-2 was crucial as Bcl-2 silenced cells became susceptible to TNF-α induced apoptosis. Finally, Bcl-2 was markedly expressed in HSC/MFs present in liver tissue obtained from patients with hepatitis C virus related cirrhosis. <b>Conclusions:</b> Human activated HSC/MFs are resistant to most proapoptotic stimuli due to Bcl-2 overexpression and this feature may play a key role in the progression of fibrosis in chronic liver diseases.
Is this really pneumothorax?
Authors: M P Singh, J Armstrong, M A Murphy, J Coucher, B Ong
Journal: Thorax (2009)

Is this really pneumothorax?A 75-year-old female non-smoker was admitted for investigation of suspected interstitial lung disease.A left lower lobe transbronchial lung biopsy was performed, complicated by suspected bilateral pneumothoraces, pneumomediastinum and surgical emphysema (fig 1).Bilateral intercostal catheters (ICCs) were inserted.In view of the ongoing air leak and worsening surgical emphysema, a CT chest was undertaken.This was suspicious of extrapleural air leak.Following cardiothoracic consultation, video assisted thoracic surgery was performed which confirmed obliterated pleural spaces bilaterally with extrapleural air leak, as shown in fig 2. Bilateral ICCs were inserted into the air filled extrapleural space with dramatic reduction in surgical emphysema.The patient declined further invasive investigations.
A PLEA FOR SURGICAL WORK IN THE COTTAGE BY THE COUNTRY PRACTITIONER
Authors: J. E. Webb
Journal: BMJ (1914)

TaxBa I I9II I TurnL JBrNm 128iiiternal pelvimetry showed that in reality it was only 18.8 per cenit.But after all, from a practical point of view, we do not need academic discussions on minutiae of measurements, and looking at our figures we find that forceps lhad to be used in 14.5 per cent. of all cases.This does not take into account, of course, the smaller degrees of contraction the natural forces were able to overcome.Average length of ehild... ... 18i in. (English 20.5 in.)Average weight of child... ... 6.8 lb.(English 7 lb.)Complications Affecting Pregnancy.The one maternal disease the influence of wlhich dwarfs all others in this respect is syphilis.Turning to our out- patient register, we find that no less than 43 per cent.admit the existence of this disease in one or both parents, and these figures may be a little under the truth.Owing to tlle almost universal prevalence of the disease in Uganda, many of tllese are cases of syphilis insontium.The result is an enormous number of miscarriages, a still inore appalling morbidity both of the mother and the new- born infant, and a very serious check to the natural increase of the population.-l will quote from my brotlher's report of-the hospital for last year.He says:It has been caleulated that 70 per cent. of the children in Uganida either die from premature birth or are stillborn, or die in the first week after birth.In England the corresponding infielt mortality is 14 per cent.-thatis, in Uganda nearly 3 children die to 1 that survives; in England 6 children survive to that dies.-Ouit of 30,000 successive eases attending Mengo DisLensary and 10,000 attending in Toro, the percentage of sufferers from venereal diseases, was the same in each country, namely, 22 per cent.
Using accelerometers to measure physical activity in large-scale epidemiological studies: issues and challenges
Authors: I-Min Lee, Eric J Shiroma
Journal: British Journal of Sports Medicine (2013)

The current guidelines for aerobic activity require that adults carry out ≥150 min/week of moderate-intensity physical activity, with a large body of epidemiological evidence showing this level of activity to decrease the incidence of many chronic diseases. Less is known about whether light-intensity activities also have such benefits, and whether sedentary behaviour is an independent predictor of increased risks of these chronic diseases, as imprecise assessments of these behaviours and cross-sectional study designs have limited knowledge to date.Recent technological advances in assessment methods have made the use of movement sensors, such as the accelerometer, feasible for use in longitudinal, large-scale epidemiological studies. Several such studies are collecting sensor-assessed, objective measures of physical activity with the aim of relating these to the development of clinical endpoints. This is a relatively new area of research; thus, in this article, we use the Women's Health Study (WHS) as a case study to illustrate the challenges related to data collection, data processing and analyses of the vast amount of data collected.The WHS plans to collect 7 days of accelerometer-assessed physical activity and sedentary behaviour in ~18 000 women aged ≥62 years. Several logistical challenges exist in collecting data; nonetheless, as of 31 August 2013, 11 590 women have already provided some data. In addition, the WHS experience on data reduction and data analyses can help inform other similar large-scale epidemiological studies.Important data on the health effects of light-intensity activity and sedentary behaviour will emerge from large-scale epidemiological studies collecting objective assessments of these behaviours.
Hyperglycemia and Length of Stay in Patients Hospitalized for Bone Marrow Transplantation
Authors: Rajesh Garg, Himanshu Bhutani, Edward Alyea, Merri Pendergrass
Journal: Diabetes Care (2007)

yperglycemia has been shown to be associated with increased mortality and morbidity and prolonged hospital stay in inpatients (1-4).This association has been established for several conditions including cardiac surgery, acute myocardial infarction, stroke, trauma, burns, pneumonia, and critical illness (5-10).Good glycemic control has been shown to decrease length of stay (LOS) and save hospitalization costs (11,12).In randomized controlled trials of critically ill patients, the beneficial effects of good glycemic control were most prominent in those with longer hospitalizations and no previous history of diabetes (13).Patients hospitalized for bone marrow transplantation (BMT) tend to be critically ill and have prolonged hospital stays.To our knowledge, there have been no previous reports that describe the relationship between blood glucose levels and LOS in patients admitted for BMT.This study was performed to establish the relationship between blood glucose and LOS in nondiabetic patients electively admitted for BMT.