tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Registered Nurse Labor Supply and the Recession — Are We in a Bubble?
Authors: Douglas O. Staiger, David I. Auerbach, Peter I. Buerhaus
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (2012)

Hospital employment of registered nurses (RNs) increased dramatically during the recession, making it seem as if the decade-long national shortage of RNs had ended. But RN employment is countercyclical, and the bubble is likely to burst during the next several years.
THU0329 Placebo Effect in Fibromyalgia – A Systematic Review of Randomised Controlled Trials
Authors: X. Chen, M. Doherty, W. Zhang
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2014)

<h3>Background</h3> Beneficial effects from placebo have been documented in many diseases, such as osteoarthritis and Parkinson9s disease (1), but how effective placebo is in the treatment of fibromyalgia (FM) is unknown. Many published randomised controlled trials (RCTs) have compared a variety of treatments to placebo in participants with FM. It is feasible to study the magnitude of the placebo effect observed within these trials. <h3>Objectives</h3> [1] to determine whether placebo is effective for FM; [2] to identify the possible determinants of the magnitude of the placebo effect <h3>Methods</h3> We searched Medline, PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and CINAHL for RCTS in FM that included either a placebo group or a no treatment (observation only) group. The placebo effect was measured as a standard mean change, or effect size (ES) of pain and other outcomes from baseline (ie, mean change from baseline divided by the standard division of the change) and compared to change in these outcomes in no treatment control groups. Meta-analysis was undertaken to combine data from different studies. Subgroup analysis was conducted to identify possible determinants of the magnitude of the placebo effect. <h3>Results</h3> 3375 studies were found from the literature search. After scrutiny, 204 trials met the inclusion criteria. In total 13,968 participants were included from all trials, (mean age 49.2 years; 95.4% women). Participants who took placebo in the trials had significant improvements in pain, fatigue, sleep quality, physical function, and other main outcomes, while participants in the no treatment controlled group remained unchanged. The overall ES of placebo for pain is clinically moderate (ES=0.47, 95%CI 0.37 to 0.56). The ES increased with increasing strength of the active treatment, older age and higher baseline pain severity, but was lower in women than men and lower in RCTs with longer treatment periods. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Although considered a hard-to-treat condition, people with FM treated with placebo can show significant improvement in pain and other outcomes. Several variables influence the magnitude of this effect. Optimisation of such contextual response could have relevance to clinical care. <h3>References</h3> Zhang W, Robertson J, Jones AC, Dieppe PA, Doherty M. The placebo effect and its determinants in osteoarthritis: meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2008;67(12):1716-23. <h3>Acknowledgements</h3> I9d like to thank Dr. Weiya Zhang and Prof. Michael Doherty for their supervision and Arthritis Research UK for sponsoring this research. <h3>Disclosure of Interest</h3> : None declared <h3>DOI</h3> 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.3172
Quality of life with palbociclib plus fulvestrant in previously treated hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer: patient-reported outcomes from the PALOMA-3 trial
Authors: N. Harbeck, S. Iyer, N. Turner, M. Cristofanilli, J. Ro, F. André, S. Loi, S. Verma, H. Iwata, H. Bhattacharyya, K. Puyana Theall, C.H. Bartlett, S. Loibl
Journal: Annals of Oncology (2016)

In the PALOMA-3 study, palbociclib plus fulvestrant demonstrated improved progression-free survival compared with fulvestrant plus placebo in hormone receptor-positive, HER2- endocrine-resistant metastatic breast cancer (MBC). This analysis compared patient-reported outcomes (PROs) between the two treatment groups.Patients were randomized 2 : 1 to receive palbociclib 125 mg/day orally for 3 weeks followed by 1 week off (n = 347) plus fulvestrant (500 mg i.m. per standard of care) or placebo plus fulvestrant (n = 174). PROs were assessed on day 1 of cycles 1-4 and of every other subsequent cycle starting with cycle 6 using the EORTC QLQ-C30 and its breast cancer module, QLQ-BR23. High scores (range 0-100) could indicate better functioning/quality of life (QoL) or worse symptom severity. Repeated-measures mixed-effect analyses were carried out to compare on-treatment overall scores and changes from baseline between treatment groups while controlling for baseline. Between-group comparisons of time to deterioration in global QoL and pain were made using an unstratified log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards model.Questionnaire completion rates were high at baseline and during treatment (from baseline to cycle 14, ≥95.8% in each group completed ≥1 question on the EORTC QLQ-C30). On treatment, estimated overall global QoL scores significantly favored the palbociclib plus fulvestrant group [66.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 64.5-67.7 versus 63.0, 95% CI 60.6-65.3; P = 0.0313]. Significantly greater improvement from baseline in pain was also observed in this group (-3.3, 95% CI -5.1 to -1.5 versus 2.0, 95% CI -0.6 to 4.6; P = 0.0011). No significant differences were observed for other QLQ-BR23 functioning domains, breast or arm symptoms. Treatment with palbociclib plus fulvestrant significantly delayed deterioration in global QoL (P < 0.025) and pain (P < 0.001) compared with fulvestrant alone.Palbociclib plus fulvestrant allowed patients to maintain good QoL in the endocrine resistance setting while experiencing substantially delayed disease progression.NCT01942135.
Recurrent pancreatitis caused by pancreatic ductal villous adenoma treated with endoscopic snare polypectomy
Authors: J. Ramesh, L. Council, C. Wilcox
Journal: Endoscopy (2013)

Adenomas can develop anywhere along the gastrointestinal tract. Herein we describe pancreatic ductal adenoma causing recurrent pancreatitis treated by endoscopic snare polypectomy.
Abstract 847: LINE-1 hypomethylation is a marker of poor prognosis in stage IA non-small cell lung cancer
Authors: Kenichiro Saito, Kazuyuki Kawakami, Isao Matsumoto, Makoto Oda, Go Watanabe, Toshinari Minamoto
Journal: Cancer Research (2010)

Abstract Introduction: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has a relatively poor prognosis and is a leading cause of cancer death worldwide. A substantial proportion of NSCLC patients suffer a recurrence following curative tumor resection, even when they have early stage disease. Molecular markers that are able to predict patient prognosis after surgery are therefore of clinical relevance, especially for early stage NSCLC. Global hypomethylation and the hypermethylation of gene promoter regions are common events in tumor DNA and are possible markers to predict clinical course of NSCLC patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of both global hypomethylation and gene promoter hypermethylation in DNA from NSCLC. Methods: Genomic DNA was obtained from tumor tissue of 379 NSCLC patients who underwent surgery. Methylation levels were measured by real-time PCR following bisulfite modification of DNA and were correlated with clinicopathological parameters and patient prognosis. Methylation of long interspersed nuclear element 1 (LINE-1) was used as a surrogate marker for global methylation. Hypermethylation of the APC, CDH13 and RASSF1 promoter regions was also evaluated. Results: Tumor tissue showed significantly higher CDH13 and RASSF1 methylation levels compared to normal lung tissue, but lower LINE-1 methylation levels. APC, RASSF1 and LINE-1 methylation levels were significant prognostic factors in univariate analysis of an initial cohort of 234 cases. APC and LINE-1 methylation remained significant prognostic factors in multivariate analysis that included age, gender, smoking history, histological type and pathological stage. LINE-1 methylation showed marginally significant prognostic value in stage IA and IB disease. To examine whether LINE-1 methylation was an independent prognostic factor, the study cohort was expanded to 364 cases. In sub-group analysis of stage IA cases with expanded cohort, survival was significantly worse for patients with LINE-1 hypomethylation. Multivariate analysis also revealed that LINE-1 methylation had significant prognostic value for stage IA NSCLC patients. Sub-group analysis failed to show prognostic value for LINE-1 methylation in all other NSCLC disease stages. Conclusion: LINE-1 hypomethylation was an independent marker of poor prognosis in stage IA NSCLC. Validation of this finding in additional tumor cohorts could have clinical relevance for the management of early stage NSCLC. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 847.
AB0219 Evaluation of the Japanese Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) of RAPID Radiographic Progression (RRP) Treated with Synthetic Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (DMARDS) in Daily Practice: A Large-Scale Prospective Longitudinal Cohort Study
Authors: A. Okada, A. Kawakami, T. Fukuda, T. Hidaka, T. Ishii, Y. Ueki, T. Kodera, M. Nakashima, Y. Takahashi, S. Honda, Y. Horai, T. Koga, M. Tamai, K. Aoyagi, R. Watanabe, H. Okuno, K. Eguchi
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2014)

<h3>Background</h3> Disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are known to inhibit radiographic progression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, there has been few epidemiological report of longitudinal radiographic progression in RA patients captured in daily practice. <h3>Objectives</h3> In 26 related-centers of the Nagasaki University and Tohoku University in Japan, we are conducting a large-scale prospective study to investigate extent of radiographic progression. We have tried to assess the extent of rapid radiographic progression (RRP) in DMARDs-treated RA patients. <h3>Methods</h3> Nine hundred forty-two patients with RA, treated not by biologic DMARDs but by synthetic DMARDs at entry, were registered between May 09 and March 12 in this study. We have selected 742 RA patients having DAS28-ESR at entry &gt;3.2 or apparent radiographic bone erosion and followed at least 1 year. Regarding to the RA patients treated by synthetic DMARDs without biologic DMARDs for 1 year, three hundred ninety-two patients had evaluable data at present. Patients gave their informed consent to be subjected to the protocol that was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Nagasaki University, Tohoku University and related centers. DAS28-ESR was assessed every 3 months. Radiographs of the hands and feet were taken every 6 months. The images were scored by trained readers through modified total Sharp score (mTSS). RRP was defined as yearly progression of mTSS &gt;3.0. We have examined what variables are associated with the development of RRP at 1 year. <h3>Results</h3> RRP was found in 42 out of 392 patients (10.7%). Fourteen variables including gender, age, disease duration at baseline, DAS28-ESR/CRP at baseline, time-integrated DAS28-ESR/CRP during 1 year, ESR and CRP at baseline (mg/dl), presence of autoantibodies (RF or ACPA), the introduction of MTX or non-MTX DMARDs, the use of prednisolone, HAQ at baseline, mTSS at baseline were evaluated to explore the development of RRP at 1 year. Logistic regression analysis has found that female gender (p=0.023), high time-integrated DAS28-ESR/CRP (p=0.0094, 11.85 increase/p=0.0099, 10.91 increase) and high ESR/CRP at baseline (p=0.017, 22 mm/hr increase/p=0.049, 1.65 mg/dl increase) are independent variables to predict the development of RRP. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Considering the development of RRP, the accumulated disease activity appeared to be most involved in this process. Therefore, tight disease control by treat-to-target strategy is needed in daily clinical practice. <h3>Disclosure of Interest</h3> None declared <h3>DOI</h3> 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.4035
Plague case shows signs of multidrug resistance
Authors: J. Wise
Journal: BMJ (1997)

High level resistance to multiple antibiotics has been reported in a strain of Yersinia pestis isolated from a patient with bubonic plague from Madagascar.

Although the patient recovered, the case is of clinical and public health importance as the strain of Y pestis when examined in the laboratory was found to be resistant to all first line antibiotics as well as to the principal alternative drugs for treatment and prophylaxis of plague ( New England Journal of Medicine 1997;337:677-80). Although there are naturally occurring strains of tetracycline resistant Y pestis , drug resistance has not been a recognised problem in treating plague or other vector born bacterial diseases until now.

Dr Elizabeth Carniel, from the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Yersinia at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, and her coauthors write: “The fact that the multidrug resistant plasmid was highly transferable in vitro to other strains of Y pestis , …
Large Urethral Diverticulum Presenting as a Scrotal Tracer Collection on Renal Scintigraphy
Authors: E. MICHELLE GARRIS, PAUL R. JOLLES, TIMOTHY J. COLE
Journal: Clinical Nuclear Medicine (1996)

Urethral diverticula are not uncommon in paraplegic patients, who are prone to developing this disorder on an acquired basis because of prolonged catheterization. The authors describe one such patient with a small incontinent spastic bladder in whom progressively enlarging anterior and posterior urethral diverticula developed. The much larger anterior diverticulum manifested as a large scrotal tracer collection on renal scintigraphy with Tc-99m DTPA, a heretofore unreported finding. Because tracer extravasation or bladder herniation could produce a similar appearance, knowledge of the patient's history and anatomy was important in correctly interpreting the finding.
PTU-068 Patient Awareness of Immunisation Guidelines in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Authors: K Amir, D Chan, J-Y Kang, R Pollok, P Neild, A Poullis
Journal: Gut (2013)

<h3>Introduction</h3> Immunomodulator agents are commonly employed in the management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). These can increase the risk for opportunistic infections. This study aims to assess patient awareness for the need for appropriate immunisations, as outlined in published guidelines by the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO) [1]. <h3>Methods</h3> Over a four-month period, IBD patients attending the Gastroenterology Departments’ of St. George’s Hospital and Queen Mary’s Hospital were identified. Convenience sampling was used; all IBD patients encountered in these clinics were asked to participate. Patients were asked to complete a questionnaire, gathering information about their disease and immunisation awareness. <h3>Results</h3> 135 patients participated in the study. 73 patients were male. Mean age was 43 years (with the range being 19–82 years). 53 patients had ulcerative colitis, 73 had crohn’s disease and 9 were unsure of their diagnosis. Mean time since diagnosis was 8 years. 18 patients (13.3%) were currently receiving no drug therapy. 34 (25.1%) were being treated with immunomodulator agents (azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine, methotrexate or cyclosporin). 4 patients (2.9%) were solely receiving biologics (infliximab or adalimumab), and 46 patients (34.0%) were on 5-aminosalicylic acids (5-ASAs) only. 27 patients (20%) were on a combination of thiopurines and 5-ASA therapy, and 6 patients (4.4%) were on a combination of infliximab, azathioprine and 5-ASA. Prednisolone therapy had been taken at some stage of treatment by 72 patients (53.3%). The majority of patients were not aware if they had been screened at diagnosis for the specific infections outlined by ECCO. Of the total 135 patients the following were aware that they had undergone screening: 4 (2.9%) for varicella zoster virus (VSV), 1 (1.9%) for hepatitis B virus (HBV), 3 (2.2%) for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), 2 (1.4%) for hepatitis C virus (HCV) and 15 (11.1%) for tuberculosis (TB). Of the 135 patients: 4 (2.9%) recalled been offered immunisation against VZV, 16 (11.8%) against HBV, 51 (37.7%) against influenza, 33 (24.4%) against pneumococcus and none against human papilloma virus. 98 (72%) patients had not had any discussions with their General Practitioner about immunisations, 45 (33%) had read the immunisation advice distributed to all IBD patients from clinic. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Our findings show that IBD patients are largely unaware of recommendations by ECCO regarding immunisation. Patient awareness needs to be increased regarding opportunistic infections and prevention with immunisations. A patient awareness campaign to educate IBD patients has been started in our clinics. <h3>Disclosure of Interest</h3> None Declared <h3>Reference</h3> European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO) guidelines (2009). http://www.ecco-ibd.tv/index.php/publications/ecco-guidelines
Abstract 969: Molecular characterization of circulating tumor cells in breast cancer by liquid bead array hybridization assay
Authors: Athina N. Markou, Areti Strati, Nikos Malamos, Vassilis Georgoulias, Evi Lianidou
Journal: Cancer Research (2011)

Abstract Introduction: The aim of our study was to develop and validate a multiplexed PCR-coupled liquid bead array to detect the expression of multiple genes in Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs), and application of this assay in peripheral blood samples of breast cancer patients. Patients and method: We designed a novel multiplexed PCR-coupled liquid bead array that consist of the following steps: a) in silico designed gene-specific primers and capture probes for CK-19, HER-2, Mammaglobin (hMAM), MAGE-A3, TWIST-1 and PBGD (as a control gene), b) RNA isolation from immunomagnetically enriched CTCs, c) multiplex PCR, d) sequence hybridization array, e) detection in the Luminex platform. We performed extensive optimization experiments using the SKBR3 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines as positive controls, to maximize analytical sensitivity and specificity and we further validated the performance of this array in respect to cross reactivity and intra and inter-precision. Finally, we applied the developed methodology in peripheral blood samples of 64 patients with operable breast cancer, 25 patients with verified metastasis and 17 healthy individuals. Results: The analytical performance of the developed array was evaluated in tumor cell lines in respect to analytical sensitivity and specificity. Cross reaction studies were performed for each gene target in the presence of all other targets. The assay is highly specific for each gene in complex multiplexed formats, since the discriminatory power of fluorescent bead sets is unique to specifically detect by sequence hybridization the presence of individual gene specific PCR products. The developed liquid bead-based array is highly sensitive, since it can detect the expression of each individual gene at one SKBR3 cell level. The validation of the array included within day and between-days precision studies. None of the genes tested was detected in the CTC fraction of healthy donors while in patients with verified metastasis, CK-19 was detected in 65%, HER-2 in 20%, MAGE-A3 in 30%, hMAM in 20% and TWIST-1 in 20%. In operable breast cancer patients, CK-19 was detected in 26.6%, HER-2 in 12.5%, TWIST-1 in 31.2%, MAGE-A3 in 18.7% while hMAM was detected in 10.9% of the patients. Conclusions: Our results show that individual gene expression can be readily measured in CTCs using a bead-based platform. This may form an efficient basis for a multiplex approach to measure multiple genes (up to 100) in the same sample, thus saving sample volume and reducing the total cost and time of analysis. This is the first time that the Luminex technology is used for gene expression studies in CTCs. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 969. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-969
CLINICAL PERFORMANCE OF PHYSIOLOGICALLY DESIGNED QUADRIPOLAR LEFT VENTRICULAR PACING LEADS: PRIMARY RESULTS FROM THE NAVIGATE X4 CLINICAL TRIAL
Authors: Suneet Mittal, Devi Nair, Benzy Padanilam, Allen Ciuffo, Nigel Gupta, Peter Gallagher, Bruce Goldner, Eric Hammill, Nicholas Wold, Martin Burke
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2016)
Abstract P4-03-07: Angiogenic effect of bevacizumab and paclitaxel in metastatic breast cancer: evaluation by contrast-enhanced ultrasonography using Sonazoid®
Authors: T Ito, H Mizuno, Y Iiboshi, N Yamamura, H Fujii, T Hitora, R Fujii, T Ohashi, T Nakagawa, M Izukura
Journal: Cancer Research (2012)

Abstract Agents targeting vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) have been validated as breast cancer therapeutics, yet efficacy can differ between tumor types and individual patients. Rapid noninvasive determination of response could provide significant benefits. We tested if response to the VEGF antibody bevacizumab and chemo drug paclitaxel could be detected using contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging (CEUS). The objective of this study was to evaluate contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) with contrast agent Sonazoid® injection as a predictor of tumor response. Patients and methods: Ten patients with advanced and metastatic breast carcinomas treated were evaluated. Examinations were performed at baseline, after 2 and 4 weeks and every one month on antiangiogenic drug bevacizumab and chemo drug paclitaxel in tumor targets that were accessible to CEUS. Histological findings were obtained in all cases by ultrasound-guided 14 gauge core needle biopsy or 10 gauge vacuum-assisted biopsy. Each examination included a bolus injection of Sonazoid® and 40–60 seconds of raw linear data with an Aplio (Toshiba), Logiq (GE) and Ascendus (Hitachi-ALOKA) with a 8–12 MHz linear transducer. A low reduced mechanical index (MI) of less than 0.24 was chosen to avoid early gas bubble destruction. The ethic committee of our institution approved this study. An informed consent was signed by each patient for the ultrasound examination and before administering for the contrast medium. Results: A total of 60 examinations were performed. Various intratumoral perfusion parameters changed over time, and the signal intensity was significantly impaired in the treated tumors before the treatment efficacy on tumor size could be observed. Conclusion: CEUS has advantages for real-time visualization and is a new noninvasive imaging technique which might be an effective tool for evaluating antiangiogenic drugs and chemo drugs in breast cancer. The use of a noninvasive ultrasound approach may allow for earlier and more effective determination of efficacy of antiangiogenic therapy. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2012;72(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-03-07.