tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Abstract 18662: Aortic Valve Orientation Angle is Associated With Aortic Morphology and Dissection Risk
Authors: Ashutosh A Hardikar, Andrea Iannaccone, Thomas H Marwick
Journal: Circulation (2014)

Introduction: Asymmetric aortic root enlargement may lead to unequal thinning of the aortic wall, differential shear stresses and dissection. We sought the association of aortic root morphology with aortoventricular angle (AVAng), LVOT-root angle (RootAng), root-aorta angle (AortAng) [Fig 1] and outcomes. Methods: Demographic, morphometric and epidemiological parameters were gathered in 100 patients with aortic disease over last 6 years and 50 age and sex matched controls undergoing aortic CT. Two observers measured AVAng, RootAng, AortAng between the proximal aorta, aortic annulus and LV outflow tract [Figure 1] and orthogonal diameters along the thoracic aorta, noting the type of arch and other pathologies. The root axis was taken by joining the midpoints of aortic annulus and sinotubular junction, and asymmetry index (AI) [Fig 1] was calculated as the ratio of the maximal distance between axis and right wall, and axis to left wall in coronal view. There were 22 aortic dissections in the study group, and follow up was 32.3 months. Results: AortAng was different between TAV and BAV, but AI and AVAng were similar. AortAng [P= 0.008], AI [P= 0.004] and AVAng [p=0.013] had the strongest correlation with aortic dilatation [&gt;40 mm], and were different in the dissection group (Table). The AI correlated well with root dilatation while AortAng and AVAng correlated with ascending aortic dilatation. TAV had a diffuse pattern of aortic dilatation as compared to BAV. Conclusions: AVAng and RootAng correlate with aortic dilatation patterns, and also aortic dissection. The AVAng and AortAng may explain the differential shear stresses seen along the 2 curvatures in aortic pathologies.
Influence of anti-tumour necrosis factor drugs, tocilizumab and methotrexate on osteoclast differentiation
Authors: I Perpetuo, J Caetano-Lopes, A Rodrigues, J Polido-Pereira, M V. Queiroz, J E Fonseca, H Canhao
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2010)

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic disease characterised by hyperactivation of the immune system and by stimulation of bone resorption by activation of osteoclasts (OC) leading to joint destruction.

To assess the activity of OC differentiated from circulating monocytes in patients with RA treated with methotrexate (MTX), anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) drugs and tocilizumab.

19 women with RA were recruited, 6 of whom were …
Deciphering mirror neurons: Rational decision versus associative learning
Authors: Elias L. Khalil
Journal: Behavioral and Brain Sciences (2014)

The rational-decision approach is superior to the associative-learning approach of Cook et al. at explaining why mirror neurons fire or do not fire - even when the stimulus is the same. The rational-decision approach is superior because it starts with the analysis of the intention of the organism, that is, with the identification of the specific objective or goal that the organism is trying to maximize.
The pathology of the acute and chronic stages of farmer's lung
Authors: R. M. E. Seal, E. J. Hapke, G. O. Thomas, J. C. Meek, M. Hayes
Journal: Thorax (1968)

The pathology of five patients who had a biopsy in the acute stage is described; interstitial pneumonia, sarcoid-like granulomata, bronchiolitis, and vasculitis were found. Three of these patients progressed to the chronic stage, when the one with the most extensive bronchiolar involvement had lung function findings of airway obstruction. One progressed to the chronic stage with lung function findings of a transfer defect, and another had radiographic evidence of pulmonary fibrosis with normal lung function tests at rest. The pathology of the chronic stage is described in six patients, with necropsy findings in five. Interstitial pulmonary fibrosis, cystic change, and pulmonary hypertensive changes were the principal findings.
Goggles: An Adjunct to Hospital Infection Control?
Authors: C. George Ray
Journal: JAMA (1986)

Commencing sometime between early November and late March of each year, we see a rapid influx of patients with pneumonia or bronchiolitis into our pediatric inpatient units. This heralds the onset of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) season, which invariably lasts from eight to 16 weeks. Our response is to curse the inevitable, enforce compulsive hand-washing procedures, tighten isolation and cohorting policies, and extend surveillance beyond patients to hospital staff with respiratory symptoms. We also attempt to restrict the flow of excessive numbers of visitors to pediatric and neonatal intensive care units and admonish our surgeons to postpone elective admissions of infants until the outbreak has subsided. Why must these frustrating logistical maneuvers occur every year? Because RSV is by far the most common cause of both community-acquired and nosocomially acquired severe lower respiratory tract disease in infants and young children.<sup>1</sup>Furthermore, the greatest threat is to hospitalized, infected infants
Characterization of a von Hippel Lindau Pathway Involved in Extracellular Matrix Remodeling, Cell Invasion, and Angiogenesis
Authors: Ghada Kurban, Valérie Hudon, Eric Duplan, Michael Ohh, Arnim Pause
Journal: Cancer Research (2006)

Abstract Inactivation of the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor gene results in highly vascularized tumors, making the VHL tumor syndrome an ideal system to study the mechanisms of angiogenesis. VHL operates along two pathways with the first involving hypoxia-inducible factor-α degradation and down-regulation of its proangiogenic target genes vascular endothelial growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor-β, and the second pathway promoting extracellular matrix (ECM) assembly. Secretion of proangiogenic factors was shown to be a primary inducer of angiogenesis. Here, we show that loss of ECM assembly correlates with tumor angiogenesis in VHL disease. Upon inactivation of the VHL-ECM assembly pathway, we observe tumors that are highly vascularized, have a disrupted ECM, and show increased matrix metalloproteinase-2 activity. Loss of the VHL pathway leading to hypoxia-inducible factor-α degradation results in tumors with increased vascular endothelial growth factor levels but with surprisingly low microvessel density, a tightly assembled ECM and low invasive ability. We conclude that loss of ECM integrity could promote and maintain tumor angiogenesis by providing a route for blood vessels to infiltrate tumors. (Cancer Res 2006; 66(3): 1313-9)
CARRIER FUNCTION IN ANTI-HAPTEN ANTIBODY RESPONSES
Authors: David H. Katz, Joseph M. Davie, William E. Paul, Baruj Benacerraf
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1971)

Administration of nonimmunogenic 2,4-dinitrophenyl (DNP) conjugates of copolymers of D or L-glutamic acid and lysine (GL) induces hapten-specific tolerance in nonimmune and DNP-ovalbumin-primed strain 13 guinea pigs. This tolerant state is evidenced by depressed anti-DNP antibody synthesis in response to challenge with DNP-ovalbumin and by a diminished frequency of DNP-specific antigen-binding cells and of anti-DNP antibody-secreting cells. Such a nonimmunogenic compound (DNP-D-GL) will nevertheless elicit a DNP-specific anamnestic antibody response when administered at an appropriate time to DNP-ovalbumin-primed guinea pigs undergoing a graft-versus-host reaction. These experiments are discussed in terms of a two-cell theory of stimulation of antibody responses.
An Evaluation of Tumor Oxygenation and Gene Expression in Patients with Early Stage Non–Small Cell Lung Cancers
Authors: Quynh-Thu Le, Eunice Chen, Ali Salim, Hongbin Cao, Christina S. Kong, Richard Whyte, Jessica Donington, Walter Cannon, Heather Wakelee, Robert Tibshirani, John D. Mitchell, Donna Richardson, Ken J. O'Byrne, Albert C. Koong, Amato J. Giaccia
Journal: Clinical Cancer Research (2006)

Abstract Background: To directly assess tumor oxygenation in resectable non–small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) and to correlate tumor pO2 and the selected gene and protein expression to treatment outcomes. Methods: Twenty patients with resectable NSCLC were enrolled. Intraoperative measurements of normal lung and tumor pO2 were done with the Eppendorf polarographic electrode. All patients had plasma osteopontin measurements by ELISA. Carbonic anhydrase-IX (CA IX) staining of tumor sections was done in the majority of patients (n = 16), as was gene expression profiling (n = 12) using cDNA microarrays. Tumor pO2 was correlated with CA IX staining, osteopontin levels, and treatment outcomes. Results: The median tumor pO2 ranged from 0.7 to 46 mm Hg (median, 16.6) and was lower than normal lung pO2 in all but one patient. Because both variables were affected by the completeness of lung deflation during measurement, we used the ratio of tumor/normal lung (T/L) pO2 as a reflection of tumor oxygenation. The median T/L pO2 was 0.13. T/L pO2 correlated significantly with plasma osteopontin levels (r = 0.53, P = 0.02) and CA IX expression (P = 0.006). Gene expression profiling showed that high CD44 expression was a predictor for relapse, which was confirmed by tissue staining of CD44 variant 6 protein. Other variables associated with the risk of relapse were T stage (P = 0.02), T/L pO2 (P = 0.04), and osteopontin levels (P = 0.001). Conclusions: Tumor hypoxia exists in resectable NSCLC and is associated with elevated expression of osteopontin and CA IX. Tumor hypoxia and elevated osteopontin levels and CD44 expression correlated with poor prognosis. A larger study is needed to confirm the prognostic significance of these factors.
Endothelial Progenitor Cell Capture by Stents Coated With Antibody Against CD34
Authors: Jiro Aoki, Patrick W. Serruys, Heleen van Beusekom, Andrew T.L. Ong, Eugene P. McFadden, Georgios Sianos, Willem J. van der Giessen, Evelyn Regar, Pim J. de Feyter, H. Richard Davis, Stephen Rowland, Michael J.B. Kutryk
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2005)
FBXW7 influences murine intestinal homeostasis and cancer, targeting Notch, Jun, and DEK for degradation
Authors: Roya Babaei-Jadidi, Ningning Li, Anas Saadeddin, Bradley Spencer-Dene, Anett Jandke, Belal Muhammad, ElSayed E. Ibrahim, Ranjithmenon Muraleedharan, Mohammed Abuzinadah, Hayley Davis, Annabelle Lewis, Susan Watson, Axel Behrens, Ian Tomlinson, Abdolrahman Shams Nateri
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (2011)

The Fbxw7 (F-box/WD repeat–containing protein 7; also called CDC4, Sel10, Ago, and Fbw7) component of the SCF (Skp1/Cullin/F-box protein) E3 ubiquitin ligase complex acts as a tumor suppressor in several tissues and targets multiple transcriptional activators and protooncogenes for ubiquitin-mediated degradation. To understand Fbxw7 function in the murine intestine, in this study, we specifically deleted Fbxw7 in the murine gut using Villin-Cre (Fbxw7ΔG). In wild-type mice, loss of Fbxw7 in the gut altered homeostasis of the intestinal epithelium, resulted in elevated Notch and c-Jun expression, and induced development of adenomas at 9–10 mo of age. In the context of APC (adenomatous polyposis coli) deficiency (ApcMin/+ mice), loss of Fbxw7 accelerated intestinal tumorigenesis and death and promoted accumulation of β-catenin in adenomas at late but not early time points. At early time points, Fbxw7 mutant tumors showed accumulation of the DEK protooncogene. DEK expression promoted cell division and altered splicing of tropomyosin (TPM) RNA, which may also influence cell proliferation. DEK accumulation and altered TPM RNA splicing were also detected in FBXW7 mutant human colorectal tumor tissues. Given their reduced lifespan and increased incidence of intestinal tumors, ApcMin/+Fbxw7ΔG mice may be used for testing carcinogenicity and drug screening.
The development of polycarbophil as a bioadhesive material in pharmacy
Authors: Zhaolu Zhu, Yinglei Zhai, Ning Zhang, Donglei Leng, Pingtian Ding
Journal: Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (2013)

Polycarbophil (PCP), a kind of pharmaceutical polymers with superior bioadhesive properties has been widely used in the field of controlled drug delivery systems. It could be used as a highly efficient thickener, bioadhesive agent, suspending aid and emulsion stabilizer when dispersed in water or other polar solvents. These exceptional utilities of the polymers result from their hydrophilic nature. Hydrogen bonding plays an important role in most adhesion behaviours and becomes the main adhesion force. This paper reviews the applications of PCP in pharmacy over the past decades, and clarifies its unique advantages in the bioadhesive formulations. After an introduction discussing its structural characteristics and action mechanism, the focus turned to the description of its available applications in detail with particular emphasis on the ocular, nasal, vagina and oral drug delivery systems. The other less developed formulations are also described, including the buccal and the transdermal delivery systems.
Competition in healthcare can help to save lives, study concludes
Authors: A. O'Dowd
Journal: BMJ (2011)

Competition among hospitals in England led to a 7% fall in the number of deaths from acute myocardial infarction over three years, saving around 900 lives, a new study claims.

However, academics and experts on health policy have questioned the interpretation of the study, which was published on 27 July in the Economic Journal (2011;121:F228-60, doi:10.1111/j.1468-0297.2011.02449.x), the journal of the Royal Economic Society.

Using data from hospital episodes statistics on more than 430 000 patients who had a myocardial infarction between 2002 and 2008, researchers from the London School of Economics looked at English hospitals before and after competition was introduced into the …
Systems medicine and the public's health
Authors: Wylie Burke, Susan Trinidad
Journal: Genome Medicine (2011)

Innovative 'systems' approaches to biomedical research offer substantial promise for advancing knowledge and improving health care, as outlined by Bousquet et al. in this issue. However, they are unlikely to improve population health without concurrent efforts to address environmental and social contributors to health, including conditions such as poverty, substandard housing, and restricted access to employment and education. Biomedical researchers have a responsibility to promote realistic expectations for systems or 'P4' medicine, and to join others in calling for broad efforts to promote equitable access to health care and social conditions that promote well-being.See correspondence article: http://genomemedicine.com/content/3/7/43.
Leptomeningeal Carcinomatosis Due to Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Uterine Cervix Associated With HPV-45
Authors: Renjitha T. Ignatius, Shannon M. Wills, Laura Nadeau, Mariza Deperalta-Venturina, Sheldon Weiner
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2007)

l; Tier 5: contact
Chediak-Higashi gene in humans. I. Impairment of natural - killer function
Authors: T Haliotis, J Roder, M Klein, J Ortaldo, AS Fauci, RB Herberman
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1980)

Natural-killer (NK)-cell function was profoundly depressed in donors homozygous for the Chediak-Steinbrinck-Higashi syndrome (C-HS) gene when compared with age- and sex-matched normals. This apparent defect was not simply a result of a delayed response because little cytolysis was evident in kinetics experiments even after 24 h of incubation. NK cells from C-HS donors failed to lyse adherent (MDA, CEM, and Alab) or nonadherent (K562 and Molt-4) tumor cell lines or nontransformed human fetal fibroblasts. Therefore, the apparent C-HS defect was not a result of a shift in target selectivities. In addition, the depressed reactivity did not appear to be a result of suppressor cells or factors because: (a) enriched NK populations (nonadherent lymphocytes bearing receptors for the Fc portion of IgG) from C-HS donors were low in NK-cell function, (b) C-HS mononuclear cells did not inhibit the cytotoxicity of normal cells in coculture experiments, and (c) cells from the C-HS donors remained poorly reactive even after culture for up to 7 d. The nature of the defective NK activity in C-HS patients is not clear but may lie within the lytic mechanism rather than at the level of the recognition structure or population size because the frequency of target-binding cells was normal. In vitro NK activity could be partially restored by interferon treatment. Combined with the results presented in the following paper (4), these observations suggest that the C-HS gene causes a selective immunodeficiency disorder, mainly involving NK cells. This finding, in conjunction with the high incidence of spontaneous possibly malignant, lymphoproliferative disorders in these patients, may have important implications regarding the theory of immune surveillance mediated by NK cells.
Inner city air pollution and respiratory health and atopy in children
Authors: T. Hirsch, S.k. Weiland, E von Mutius, A.f. Safeca, H Gräfe, E Csaplovics, H. Duhme, U. Keil, W. Leupold
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (1999)

The impact of inner city air pollution on the development of respiratory and atopic diseases in childhood is still unclear. In a cross sectional study in Dresden, Germany, 5,421 children in two age groups (5-7 yrs and 9-11 yrs) were studied according to the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) phase II protocol. The prevalences of wheezing and cough as well as doctor diagnosed asthma and bronchitis were assessed by parental questionnaires. Children also underwent skin-prick testing, venipuncture for the measurement of serum immunoglobulin (Ig)E, lung function testing and a bronchial challenge test (4.5% saline) to assess airway hyperresponsiveness. Exposure was assessed on an individual basis by relating mean annual air pollution levels (SO2, NO2, CO, benzene, and O3) which had been measured on a 1 km2 grid, to the home and school address of each study subject. After adjusting for potential confounding factors an increase in the exposure to benzene of 1 microg x m3 air was associated with an increased prevalence of morning cough (adjusted odds ratio (aOR)): 1.15; 1.04-1.27) and bronchitis (aOR: 1.11; 1.03-1.19). Similar associations were observed for NO2 and CO. In turn, the prevalences of atopic sensitization, symptoms of atopic diseases and bronchial hyperresponsiveness were not positively associated with exposure to any of these pollutants. It is concluded that in this study a moderate increase in exposure to traffic-related air pollution was associated with an increased prevalence of cough and bronchitis, but not with atopic conditions in children.
A study of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and confirmed coexistence of nontuberculous mycobacteria during treatment: Does the use of the additional acid-fast bacilli sputum test lead to shorter hospitalization?
Authors: Otohiro Katsube, Hidenori Takizawa, Yasuko Kikkawa, Yuushi Nomura, Toshio Numao
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2014)

[Subjects]  A total of 51 patients who were positive for acid-fast bacilli in the sputum culture and tuberculosis (TB)-PCR positive at our hospital between January 2013 and December 2013 were enrolled in this study.  [Methods]  The subjects were classified into 2 groups: 15 TB patients with coexistent nontuberculous mycobacteria(NTM) (comorbidity group) and 36 TB patients without comorbidity (non-comorbidity group). The clinical features of the 2 groups were compared after considering the length of hospitalization as an outcome.  [Results]  The average length of hospitalization was 56.8±10.3 days for the patients in the non-comorbidity group and 80.7±22.3 days in the comorbidity group (p-value = 0.0045). In addition, no patient required continuous treatment for the elimination of NTM.  [Discussion]  The results indicate that coexistent NTM that occur during the course of pulmonary tuberculosis treatment have low pathogenicity and usually do not require treatment. This study demonstrates that early detection of coexistent NTM might shorten the length of hospitalization by 2-3 weeks. For patients with persistently positive acid-fast bacilli in the sputum culture who have been hospitalized for more than 60 days, coexistence of NTM should be suspected. Therefore, the criteria for hospitalization discharge can be rechecked by actively performing an additional PCR test and verifying the presence of active pulmonary tuberculosis and coexistence of NTM, which would shorten hospitalization periods and lighten the burden on patients.
Basiliximab may improve the survival rate of rapidly progressive interstitial pneumonia in patients with clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis with anti-MDA5 antibody
Authors: Jing Zou, Ting Li, Xingfang Huang, Sheng Chen, Qiang Guo, Chunde Bao
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2014)

Clinical amyopathic dermatomyositis (CADM) is a special spectrum of dermatomyositis; there is prominent skin disease, but minimal or absent muscle disease.1 Rapidly progressive interstitial pneumonia (RPIP) in CADM has been reported predominantly in Asia. In contrast, Cottin et al 2 reported a benign course of interstitial pneumonia in European patients with CADM. The treatment of CADM accompanied with RPIP is challenging, complicated by its rarity and heterogeneity. Generally, this condition is resistant to therapy and commonly fails to respond to aggressive therapy, such as high-dose corticosteroids and immunosuppressants and has a very poor outcome and prognosis.3–⇓⇓6 Interleukin 2 receptor α chain (IL-2Rα, or CD25), a high affinity receptor, is expressed on T and B lymphocytes after their activation. Little IL-2Rα is expressed on unstimulated lymphocytes or is found as soluble IL-2 receptor (sIL-2R) in the serum of healthy people, however, increases in sIL-2R are seen in the setting of autoimmune diseases. …
Adoptive transfer of T-cell precursors enhances T-cell reconstitution after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Authors: Johannes L Zakrzewski, Adam A Kochman, Sydney X Lu, Theis H Terwey, Theo D Kim, Vanessa M Hubbard, Stephanie J Muriglan, David Suh, Odette M Smith, Jeremy Grubin, Neel Patel, Andrew Chow, Javier Cabrera-Perez, Radhika Radhakrishnan, Adi Diab, Miguel-Angel Perales, Gabrielle Rizzuto, Ewa Menet, Eric G Pamer, Glen Heller, Juan Carlos Zúñiga-Pflücker, Önder Alpdogan, Marcel R M van den Brink
Journal: Nature Medicine (2006)