tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Effect of stress on free radical indices in bronchial asthma
Authors: Elena Zaprudnova, Svetlana Soodaeva, Igor Klimanov, Timur Li, Yulia Petrovskaya, Lidiya Nikitina, Fedor Petrovskiy
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2012)

We investigated the influence of stress on the levels of some free radical indices in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) at people with asthma (BA) compared with healthy people.

The control group (n=57) included healthy, young people aged 20 - 23 years. The second group (n=62) included young people who suffer from BA (remission) aged 20-23 years.

The levels nitrate / nitrite, metabolites NO, and malondialdehyde (MDA) were determined at rest and under stress in both healthy and in people with BA. Stress state of subjects formed on the background of the educational process, as exam stress is one of the first places among the causes of mental stress in students.

The study found that people suffering from BA, there is increased production of NO in the lungs, which is reflected in increased levels of NO metabolites in EBC by 1.3 times compared with control. Patients with BA most sensitive to stress conditions in comparison with healthy young people, resulting in a higher level (1.3 times) in their production of NO metabolites during stress (5,8 ± 0,03 mkM in patients with BA during stress and 4,5 ± 0,05 mkM in healthy under stress, p <0.05). In patients with BA as an increase in basal level of MDA in a 1.6 times (p <0.05) in EBC in comparison with control. Under conditions of stress has been increasing process of lipid peroxidation, as evidenced by increased concentrations of MDA in EBC of 1.5 times in normal and 1.7 times in patients with BA.

Thus, the most active enhancement of free radical processes in the lungs leads to the conclusion that patients with BA most sensitive to the stress associated with the educational process.
X rays and the structures of insulin.
Authors: D C Hodgkin
Journal: BMJ (1971)

Medical history is to the observer full of events that produce sudden and spectacular changes: before, many die, and afterwards, and suddenly, they live.The isolation of insulin in the summer nearly 50 years ago was an event of this kind.Reading the account of the experiments of Banting and Best (1921) in July and August 1921 and of the treatment of the first patients to be given insulin during the following winter is still a moving experience.Old and young who had "melted away" with diabetes, as Aretaeus described hundreds of years earlier, began again to live.The isolation of insulin was made possible by the recognition that the hormone present in the fl-islet cells of the pancreas was protein in nature and had to be protected from digestion by the proteolytic enzymes of the pancreas during extraction.It is, in fact, a rather tough protein, as proteins go, and this also helped to preserve its activity intact during the processes first used of acid alcohol extraction.Its purification was greatly helped in 1925 by its crystallization by J. J. Abel, professor of pharmacology at Johns Hopkins University (Abel et al., 1927).For a little time his method of crystallizationdissolve in acetic acid and add alkali-seemed unreliable until Scott and Fisher (1934) in Toronto showed that Abel's crystals of insulin contained zinc, present also in the pancreas, and that zinc or some other similar metal had to be added to secure crystallization by his techniques. Crystals and X RaysIt was a sample of zinc insulin crystals, prepared for clinical use by Boots Pure Drug Company, that led to my own interest in insulin.The sample was given me by Professor Robert Robinson in 1935 because I was interested in protein crystals.This was the result of experiments carried out by J. D. Bernal at Cambridge the year before, passing x rays through crystals of the enzyme pepsin.The crystals, 2 mm across, prepared
Clozapine’s Role in the Treatment of First-Episode Schizophrenia
Authors: Gary Remington, Ofer Agid, George Foussias, Margaret Hahn, Naren Rao, Mark Sinyor
Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry (2013)

Early and effective treatment in first-episode schizophrenia is associated with better outcomes. Evidence suggests that response is generally robust in a first antipsychotic trial, but a marked reduction in response rate is observed among patients for whom a second trial is warranted, and even further reductions are seen in subsequent trials. Clozapine, the treatment of choice in refractory schizophrenia, is routinely employed only as a third-line treatment, and it has been shown to markedly enhance the rate of response, even when compared with other atypical antipsychotics. This raises the question of whether clozapine would be more effectively positioned as a first-line treatment. Current evidence addressing this question does not support this position, although the limited data available and methodological issues preclude a firm conclusion. Practical issues related to clozapine use, in combination with the robust response reported for other agents when used as first-line treatment, certainly call into question the likelihood that clozapine would be chosen if it were an option at this stage. In contrast, the notable reduction in response rate to second-line treatments, coupled with clozapine’s substantial response rate in refractory schizophrenia and evidence indicating better outcomes with early, effective treatment, makes a compelling argument for research examining clinical and functional outcomes with clozapine positioned as a second-line treatment.
A controlled evaluation of continuous passive motion in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty
Authors: J McInnes, M G Larson, L H Daltroy, T Brown, A H Fossel, H M Eaton, B Shulman-Kirwan, S Steindorf, R Poss, M H Liang
Journal: JAMA (1992)

<h3>Objective.</h3> —To evaluate the efficacy of continuous passive motion (CPM) in the postoperative management of patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty. <h3>Design.</h3> —A randomized controlled single-blind trial of CPM plus standardized rehabilitation vs standard rehabilitation alone. <h3>Setting.</h3> —A referral hospital for arthritis and musculoskeletal care. <h3>Patients.</h3> —Consecutive patients with end-stage osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis undergoing primary total knee arthroplasty who had at least 90° of passive knee flexion. One hundred fifty-four patients were eligible and 102 patients agreed to participate and were randomized. Ninety-three patients completed the study protocol. <h3>Intervention.</h3> —Continuous passive motion machines programmed for rate and specified arc of motion within 24 hours of surgery with range increased daily as tolerated with standardized rehabilitation program compared with standardized rehabilitation program alone. <h3>Main Outcome Measures.</h3> —Primary outcomes were pain, active and passive knee range of motion, swelling (or circumference), quadriceps strength at postoperative day 7, as well as complications, length of stay, and active and passive range of motion and function at 6 weeks. <h3>Results.</h3> —Use of CPM increased active flexion and decreased swelling and the need for manipulations but did not significantly affect pain, active and passive extension, quadriceps strength, or length of hospital stay. At 6 weeks there were no differences between the two groups in either range of motion or function. In this series, use of CPM resulted in a net savings of $6764 over conventional rehabilitation in achieving these results. <h3>Conclusion.</h3> —For the average patient undergoing total knee arthroplasty, CPM is more effective in improving range of motion, decreasing swelling, and reducing the need for manipulation than is conventional therapy and lowers cost. (<i>JAMA</i>. 1992;268:1423-1428)
The unkindest cut
Authors: Liam Farrell
Journal: BMJ (2000)

I was mugged a few months ago in Dublin. I was taking a short cut through the park late at night when someone came running up from behind and threw a punch at me. In dodging, I slipped and fell and got my new linen Hugo Boss jacket all muddy, which was a real drag.

My attacker, wearing the mandatory balaclava, then gave the traditional mugger's greeting, “Give me your money or I'll kill you,” and grabbed the …
D. Brunner and E. Jokl "The role of exercise in internal medicine"
Authors: H. E. Robson
Journal: British Journal of Sports Medicine (1979)

This book, like that edited by Edmund Burke, PhD, and reviewed also in this number, is multi-author, with again 24 contributors sometimes working in teams to produce 13 original papers.Whereas Burke collected papers from American and Canadian sports scientists and two doctors, Brunner and Joki sought contributions largely from American, Israeli and European physicians of high repute, to produce excellent reviews of exercise in a variety of general medical conditions.Obviously much of the book is devoted to exercise and the circulation, but endocrine disorders including diabetes, infectious diseases and metabolic bone disease are also included.As one would expect from a Karger publication, the production of the book is excellent; clear figures, standardised references, a rather scanty index, good binding, and the article reference given clearly at the head of each article.These two books have provided me with fascinating holiday reading while watching the Mediterranean breakers lashing the Tunisian coast, and I have learnt a great deal from both of them.
IgE Sensitization to Milk and Peanut are Associated with Increased IL-4 but not GATA-3 Expression from Antigen-Stimulated Leukocytes in Atopic Infants (COFAR Observational Study of Food Allergy)
Authors: W.G. Shreffler, S.H. Sicherer, R.A. Wood, D. Stablein, A.W. Burks, A.H. Liu, S.M. Jones, D.M. Fleischer, D.Y.M. Leung, A. Grishin, L. Mayer, R. Lindblad, H.A. Sampson
Journal: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (2010)
Altered Growth Responses of Pulmonary Artery Smooth Muscle Cells From Patients With Primary Pulmonary Hypertension to Transforming Growth Factor-β <sub>1</sub> and Bone Morphogenetic Proteins
Authors: Nicholas W. Morrell, Xudong Yang, Paul D. Upton, Karen B. Jourdan, Neal Morgan, Karen K. Sheares, Richard C. Trembath
Journal: Circulation (2001)

Mutations in the type II receptor for bone morphogenetic protein (BMPR-II), a receptor member of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) superfamily, underlie many cases of familial and sporadic primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH). We postulated that pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) from patients with PPH might demonstrate abnormal growth responses to TGF-beta superfamily members.For studies of (3)H-thymidine incorporation or cell proliferation, PASMCs (passages 4 to 8) were derived from main pulmonary arteries. In control cells, 24-hour incubation with TGF-beta(1) (10 ng/mL) or bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2, -4, and -7 (100 ng/mL) inhibited basal and serum-stimulated (3)H-thymidine incorporation, and TGF-beta(1) and BMPs inhibited the proliferation of serum-stimulated PASMCs. In contrast, TGF-beta(1) stimulated (3)H-thymidine incorporation (200%; P<0.001) and cell proliferation in PASMCs from PPH but not from patients with secondary pulmonary hypertension. In addition, BMPs failed to suppress DNA synthesis and proliferation in PASMCs from PPH patients. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction of PASMC mRNA detected transcripts for type I (TGF-betaRI, Alk-1, ActRI, and BMPRIB) and type II (TGF-betaRII, BMPR-II, ActRII, ActRIIB) receptors. Receptor binding and cross-linking studies with (125)I-TGF-beta(1) confirmed that the abnormal responses in PPH cells were not due to differences in TGF-beta receptor binding. Mutation analysis of PASMC DNA failed to detect mutations in TGF-betaRII and Alk-1 but confirmed the presence of a mutation in BMPR-II in 1 of 5 PPH isolates.We conclude that PASMCs from patients with PPH exhibit abnormal growth responses to TGF-beta(1) and BMPs and that altered integration of TGF-beta superfamily growth signals may contribute to the pathogenesis of PPH.
The impact of fat distribution on the severity of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and metabolic syndrome
Authors: Onpan Cheung, Ashwani Kapoor, Puneet Puri, Sakita Sistrun, Velimir A. Luketic, Carol C. Sargeant, Melissa J. Contos, Mitchell L. Shiffman, Richard T. Stravitz, Richard K. Sterling, Arun J. Sanyal
Journal: Hepatology (2007)

Abstract The patterns of fat distribution and their relationship to severity of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are unknown. The objectives of this study were to define the fat distribution patterns and their relationship to histological severity and metabolic parameters in subjects with NAFLD. Anthropometric indices and total body fat were measured in 123 subjects. Fat distribution patterns were defined as: general, abdominal, limb, truncal, and dorsocervical lipohypertrophy (DCL) a novel finding in NAFLD. Eighty-one (66%) of the subjects were obese, and 94 (76%) had abdominal obesity. Thirty-five (28.5%) had DCL. Whereas body mass index (BMI) correlated best with the presence of diabetes (r = 0.22, P &lt; 0.05), waist circumference (WC) correlated best with hypertension (r = 0.2, P &lt; 0.05), hypertriglyceridemia (r = 0.37, P &lt; 0.001), and insulin resistance (homeostasis model of assessment for insulin resistance [r = 0.68, P &lt; 0.0001]). None of the patterns of fat distribution were significantly associated with severity of hepatic steatosis. Abdominal obesity (WC) correlated with inflammation (r = 0.2, P &lt; 0.05) only. DCL correlated significantly with the severity of all histological parameters except steatosis. Whereas DCL was the single greatest contributor to the variability in severity of histological parameters, a model combining BMI, WC, and DCL showed the greatest contribution to the variability in severity of individual histological parameters. The addition of steatosis grade to the model significantly increased its contribution to the range of lobular inflammation. Conclusion: WC predicts metabolic risk profile with the most significance. However, DCL is most strongly associated with severity of steatohepatitis. WC and BMI added modestly to the contribution of DCL to severity of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. (HEPATOLOGY 2007.)
Comparison of MRI with liver-specific contrast agents and multidetector row CT for the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma: a meta-analysis of 15 direct comparative studies
Authors: Lihua Chen, Lin Zhang, Jing Bao, Jiuquan Zhang, Chuanming Li, Yunbao Xia, Xuequan Huang, Jian Wang
Journal: Gut (2013)

We read with great interest the paper by Tremosini et al 1 which prospectively assessed the diagnostic performance of a panel of markers (glypican 3, heat shock protein 70, and glutamine synthetase) for small ( 10 mm has a typical vascular enhancement pattern in …
Interaction of method and theory in cognitive neuroscience
Authors: Michael I. Posner, Marcus E. Raichle
Journal: Behavioral and Brain Sciences (1995)

Abstract We divided the many diverse comments on our book into categories. These are: theory, scope and goals of our project, methods, comments on specific anatomical areas, the concept of attention, consciousness and cognitive control, and finally other issues. Although many of the points of the critics are certainly well taken, we believe studies that have emerged since our book provide strong evidence that the general approach taken in our book is now yielding important new data on the relation of cognitive processes to underlying brain activity.
Handheld device for counterfeit drug detection to be tested in Africa
Authors: M. McCarthy
Journal: BMJ (2013)

The United States’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will begin testing a handheld device to detect counterfeit and substandard malaria drugs in Africa this year, the agency has said.

The battery operated device, CD-3, detects counterfeit and substandard products by illuminating them with a variety of wavelengths of light, ranging from ultraviolet to infrared. When placed side by side under the light and viewed through the device’s camera system, the authentic and …
Letter: Atmospheric pollution by anaesthetic agents.
Authors: D A Hopkin
Journal: BMJ (1976)

time in mice treated with bromocriptine we also started a study on the effect of this drug on platelets, coagulation, and fibrinolysis in man.Ten patients with Parkinson's disease (6 male, 4 female) were given bromocriptine because they had become unresponsive to levodopa.The dosage was started at 5 mg daily and increased every three days by 5 mg up to 20-25 mg, according to the tolerance.It is too early yet to publish the effect on Parkinson's disease.Haematological studies were per- formed on each patient the day before the start of treatment and 15 days later (when they were taking 20-25 mg per day).The following tests were done: bleeding time (Duke's and Ivy's methods), platelet count, thromboplastin time, partial thromboplastin time, euglobulin lysis time, and platelet aggregation with ADP (0-33-0-66-1-09-1-66 ,Lmol/l), adrenaline (0 82-4-10-41 umol/l), and collagen at different dilutions.No significant modification was observed in any of these measurements.In particular, it is to be noted that no enhancement of platelet aggregation was detected, even at low concentrations of aggregating agents.Our results show that patients with Parkin- sonism can take a clinically effective dose of bromocriptine without any change in platelets, coagulation, or fibrinolysis, even at doses twice as high as those used by
Irinotecan Plus Gemcitabine Results in No Survival Advantage Compared With Gemcitabine Monotherapy in Patients With Locally Advanced or Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer Despite Increased Tumor Response Rate
Authors: Caio M. Rocha Lima, Mark R. Green, Robert Rotche, Wilson H. Miller, G. Mark Jeffrey, Laura A. Cisar, Adele Morganti, Nicoletta Orlando, Gabriela Gruia, Langdon L. Miller
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2004)

Purpose This phase III, randomized, open-label, multicenter study compared the overall survival associated with irinotecan plus gemcitabine (IRINOGEM) versus gemcitabine monotherapy (GEM) in patients with chemotherapy-naive, locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer. Patients and Methods IRINOGEM patients received starting doses of gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m 2 and irinotecan 100 mg/m 2 given weekly for 2 weeks every 3-week cycle. GEM patients received gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m 2 weekly for 7 of 8 weeks (induction) and then weekly for 3 of 4 weeks. The primary end point of the trial was survival. Secondary end points included tumor response, time to tumor progression (TTP), changes in CA 19-9, and safety. Results In each arm, 180 randomly assigned patients comprised the intent-to-treat population evaluated for efficacy; 173 IRINOGEM and 169 GEM patients were treated. Median survival times were 6.3 months for IRINOGEM (95% CI, 4.7 to 7.5 months) and 6.6 months for GEM (95% CI, 5.2 to 7.8 months; log-rank P = .789). Tumor response rates were 16.1% (95% CI, 11.1% to 22.3%) for IRINOGEM and 4.4% (95% CI, 1.9% to 8.6%) for GEM (χ 2 P &lt; .001). Median TTP was 3.5 months for IRINOGEM versus 3.0 months for GEM (log-rank P = .352). However, subset analyses in patients with locally advanced disease suggested a TTP advantage with IRINOGEM versus GEM (median, 7.7 v 3.9 months). CA 19-9 progression was positively correlated with tumor progression. The incidence of grade 3 diarrhea was higher in the IRINOGEM group but grade 3 to 4 hematologic toxicities and quality-of-life outcomes were similar. Conclusion IRINOGEM safely improved the tumor response rate compared with GEM but did not alter overall survival.
Ionic Currents in Molluscan Soma
Authors: D J Adams, S J Smith, S H Thompson
Journal: Annual Review of Neuroscience (1980)

The brain's default mode network consists of discrete, bilateral and symmetrical cortical areas, in the medial and lateral parietal, medial prefrontal, and medial and lateral temporal cortices of the human, nonhuman primate, cat, and rodent brains. Its ...Read More
Insulin-sensitizing agents: use in pregnancy and as therapy in polycystic ovary syndrome
Authors: M A Checa, A Requena, C Salvador, R Tur, J Callejo, J J Espinós, F Fábregues, J Herrero
Journal: Human Reproduction Update (2005)

Treatment with insulin-sensitizing agents is a relatively recent therapeutic strategy in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and insulin resistance. The key areas addressed in this review include PCOS and the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus and gestational diabetes, as well as the use of insulin-sensitizing agents, particularly metformin, in the management of infertility in obese and non-obese PCOS women. Treatment with metformin in PCOS women undergoing IVF and the use of metformin during gestation will be discussed. The challenge for the health care professional should be the appropriate utilization of pharmacotherapies to improve insulin sensitivity and lower circulating insulin levels resulting in beneficial changes in PCOS phenotype. Further research into the potential role of other insulin-sensitizing agents, such as pioglitazone and rosiglitazone, in the treatment of infertile women with PCOS is needed.
The Forkhead Box m1 Transcription Factor Stimulates the Proliferation of Tumor Cells during Development of Lung Cancer
Authors: Il-Man Kim, Timothy Ackerson, Sneha Ramakrishna, Maria Tretiakova, I-Ching Wang, Tanya V. Kalin, Michael L. Major, Galina A. Gusarova, Helena M. Yoder, Robert H. Costa, Vladimir V. Kalinichenko
Journal: Cancer Research (2006)

Abstract The proliferation-specific Forkhead Box m1 (Foxm1 or Foxm1b) transcription factor (previously called HFH-11B, Trident, Win, or MPP2) regulates expression of cell cycle genes essential for progression into DNA replication and mitosis. Expression of Foxm1 is found in a variety of distinct human cancers including hepatocellular carcinomas, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas, basal cell carcinomas, ductal breast carcinomas, and anaplastic astrocytomas and glioblastomas. In this study, we show that human Foxm1 protein is abundantly expressed in highly proliferative human non–small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) as well as in mouse lung tumors induced by urethane. To determine the role of Foxm1 during the development of mouse lung tumors, we used IFN-inducible Mx-Cre recombinase transgene to delete mouse Foxm1 fl/fl–targeted allele before inducing lung tumors with urethane. We show that Mx-Cre Foxm1−/− mice exhibit diminished proliferation of lung tumor cells causing a significant reduction in number and size of lung adenomas. Transient transfection experiments with A549 lung adenocarcinoma cells show that depletion of Foxm1 levels by short interfering RNA caused diminished DNA replication and mitosis and reduced anchorage-independent growth of cell colonies on soft agar. Foxm1-depleted A549 cells exhibit reduced expression of cell cycle–promoting cyclin A2 and cyclin B1 genes. These data show that Foxm1 stimulates the proliferation of tumor cells during progression of NSCLC. (Cancer Res 2006; 66(4): 2153-61)