tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Paratesticular Rhabdomyosarcoma: Report From the Italian and German Cooperative Group
Authors: A. Ferrari, G. Bisogno, M. Casanova, C. Meazza, L. Piva, G. Cecchetto, I. Zanetti, T. Pilz, A. Mattke, J. Treuner, M. Carli
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2002)

PURPOSE: We report the experience of the German-Italian Cooperative Group with 216 pediatric patients with paratesticular rhabdomyosarcoma treated over 20 years. PATIENTS AND METHODS: At diagnosis, 198 patients had localized disease and 18 had distant metastases. Among the nonmetastatic patients, complete tumor resection was performed in 83% of cases. Evaluation of the retroperitoneal lymph nodes changed over the years from routine surgical staging to radiologic assessment. All patients received chemotherapy, which was reduced in intensity and duration for patients with low-risk features in subsequent protocols. Radiotherapy was administered to 10% of patients. RESULTS: Among 72 patients with a negative retroperitoneal computed tomography (CT) scan, surgical assessment detected nodal involvement in only one case. Among 23 patients with enlarged nodes on CT scans, surgery confirmed nodal spread in 65% of patients. No differences in the rate of nodal involvement were observed over the years. With a median follow-up of 110 months, 5-year survival was 85.5% for the series as a whole, 94.6% for patients with localized disease, and 22.2% for metastatic cases. Retroperitoneal nodal recurrence was the major cause of treatment failure. Univariate analysis revealed the prognostic value of tumor invasiveness, size, and resectability, as well as of nodal involvement and age, in patients with localized tumor. CONCLUSION: The outcome for patients with localized paratesticular rhabdomyosarcoma is excellent, despite the reduction in chemotherapy over the years: an alkylating agent–free and anthracycline-free regimen is adequate treatment for low-risk patients. Surgical assessment of the retroperitoneum must be reserved for patients with enlarged nodes on CT scans. Children over 10 years old carry a higher risk of nodal involvement and relapse.
Polymorphisms in the coding region of X-ray repair complementing group 4 and aflatoxin B1-related hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Xi-Dai Long, Jin-Guang Yao, Zhi Zeng, Yun Ma, Xiao-Ying Huang, Zhong-Hua Wei, Min Liu, Jian-Jun Zhang, Feng Xue, Bo Zhai, Qiang Xia
Journal: Hepatology (2013)

X-ray repair complementing group 4 (XRCC4) is very important in maintaining overall genome stability and may play an important role in carcinogenesis. We aimed to investigate the role of polymorphisms in the coding region of this gene in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) caused by aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). A hospital-based case-control study, including 1,499 HCC cases and 2,045 controls without any liver diseases or tumors, was conducted in a high AFB1 exposure area (the Guangxi region) to assess the relationship between 21 polymorphisms in the coding region of XRCC4 and AFB1-related HCC risk and prognosis. Among these 21 polymorphisms, only rs28383151 modified HCC risk. These individuals with the genotypes of rs28383151 A alleles (rs28383151-GA/AA), compared with the homozygote of rs28383151 G alleles (rs28383151-GG), faced increasing risk of HCC (odds ratio [OR]: 2.17; 95% confidence interval: 1.77-2.67). Significant interactive effects between risk genotypes (OR, >1) and AFB1 exposure status were also observed in the joint-effects analysis. Furthermore, this polymorphism was correlated not only with lower XRCC4-expressing levels, but also with higher AFB1-DNA adducts levels and increasing TP53M and portal vein tumor risk. The rs28383151 polymorphism modified the recurrence-free survival and overall survival of HCC patients, especially under high AFB1 exposure conditions. Additionally, this polymorphism multiplicatively interacted with the glutathione S-transferase M1 polymorphism with respect to HCC risk (ORinteraction = 2.13).Genetic polymorphisms in the coding region of XRCC4 may be risk and prognostic biomarkers of AFB1-related HCC, and rs28383151 is such a potential candidate.
Affiliative drive: Could this be disturbed in childhood autism?
Authors: Ralf-Peter Behrendt
Journal: Behavioral and Brain Sciences (2005)

affect mirroring allows infants to distinguish emotional and intentional states of significant others, which – in the pursuit of their own drive satisfaction, including satisfaction of the affiliative drive – become important contextual stimuli predictive of reward. learning to perceive and manipulate others' attitudes toward oneself in pursuit of affiliative reward may be an important step in social development that is impaired in autism.
New Menstruation Toilet
Authors: C. R. McLaughlin
Journal: BMJ (1938)

CORRESPONDENCEMEDICAL JOURNAi 1229 inoculation the distinction between variola major and minor was not known.It was variola major which was inoculated, and it is not surprising that the results were often disastrous.To-day the greatest care would be taken only to inoculate with the virus of variola minor, so that the results should be infinitely better.I submit, in all seriousness, that the suggestion to substitute inoculation with the virus of variola minor in place of vaccinating with calf lymph is worth consideration by the medical authorities in India.Saturate the population with variola minor and substitute a trivial disease for one which, in spite of the efforts hitherto made, is still a veritable scourge.There would still, of course, be a field for vaccination for the white population, for small-pox hos- pital staffs, for officials, or for any others who appreciated that the protection conferred by vaccination, although complete for a time, is-not permanent, and therefore the vaccination requires to be repeated.-Iam, etc., Leicester, Dec. 4.
Pulmonary changes and cor pulmonale in mucoviscidosis
Authors: P. Wentworth, J. Gough, J. E. Wentworth
Journal: Thorax (1968)

The lungs of eight cases of cystic fibrosis in patients ranging from age 19 days to 23 years were examined by the large-section technique of Gough and Wentworth (Gough, 1960). All cases showed in life a susceptibility to staphylococcal and pseudomonal bronchopneumonia. In all cases the bronchial tree was plugged with mucus. The lungs from the older patients showed diffuse and pronounced bronchiectasis with luxuriant peribronchial granulation tissue and dilatation of the pulmonary arterial system. The distal air spaces in all cases showed only minimal distension and only in the eldest was there any evidence of destructive emphysema. Three cases developed cor pulmonale which we thought was the result of hypoxaemia due to a ventilation-perfusion imbalance.
Stability of housekeeping genes in alveolar macrophages from COPD patients
Authors: T. Ishii, A. M. Wallace, X. Zhang, J. Gosselink, R. T. Abboud, J. C. English, P. D. Paré, A. J. Sandford
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2006)

The stability of housekeeping genes is critical when performing gene expression studies. To date, there have been no studies that look at the stability of commonly used housekeeping genes in alveolar macrophages. Expression levels may be affected by culture, stimulation or disease severity. The present study investigated the expression level of 10 housekeeping genes and analysed the stability of their expression in alveolar macrophages from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients (n = 22) who were classified according to disease severity. Guanine nucleotide-binding protein, beta polypeptide 2-like 1 (GNB2L1), hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase 1 (HPRT1) and ribosomal protein L32 (RPL32) were the most stably expressed in alveolar macrophages, irrespective of disease severity. There was no difference in the expression levels of 10 housekeeping genes between mild and moderate/severe patients. GNB2L1, HPRT1 and RPL32 were also stably expressed in alveolar macrophages cultured with no stimulation, or with interleukin-1β, lipopolysaccharide or tumour necrosis factor-α stimulation. In conclusion, as fluctuations in the expression of some housekeeping genes were observed, including glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, it is recommended that guanine nucleotide binding protein, beta polypeptide 2-like 1 be used as a reference gene for alveolar macrophages in similar study designs, or that the stability of housekeeping genes be validated in alveolar macrophages prior to expression studies.
Screening and identification of differentially expressed transcripts in circulating cells of prostate cancer patients using suppression subtractive hybridization
Authors: Xin Li, Carson Wong, Ralph Mysel, Gennady Slobodov, Adam Metwalli, Jarrett Kruska, C Scott Manatt, Daniel J Culkin, Bradley P Kropp, Hsueh-Kung Lin
Journal: Molecular Cancer (2005)

Tumor metastasis and changes in host immunosurveillance are important components in cancer development. Tumor cell invasion into the bloodstream is an essential step for systemic metastasis. Currently, the detection of tumor cells in the circulation is mainly dependent upon the utilization of known epithelial cell markers. However, expression of these molecules is not limited to cancer patients; healthy people also have a small number of epithelial cells in their circulation. Utilizing these markers to detect circulating tumor cells (CTCs) cannot adequately explain the mechanisms of tumor cell survival or their development of metastatic potential in peripheral blood. The immune system can also evolve along with the cancer, actually promoting or selecting the outgrowth of tumor variants. Unfortunately, both metastasis and immunosurveillance remain mysterious and are debatable because we have yet to define the molecules that participate in these processes. We are interested in identifying the existence of expressed genes, or mRNA species, that are specifically associated with circulating cells of cancer-bearing patients using prostate cancer (PCa) as a model.We established two comprehensive subtracted cDNA libraries using a molecular technique called suppression subtractive hybridization. This technique selectively amplifies transcripts that are specifically expressed in circulating cells of either PCa patients or healthy men. Following sequencing reaction, we showed that 17 out of 23 (73.9%) sequenced clones did not match any mRNAs in the GenBank database. This result suggests that genes associated with alterations in circulating cells of cancer-bearing patients are largely unknown. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR confirmed that two genes are up-regulated in circulating cells of PCa patients, whereas another two genes are down-regulated in the same patients.The comprehensive gene expression analysis is capable of identifying differentially expressed genes in circulating cells of healthy men and PCa patients. We did not attempt to enrich specific cell types in this study because phenotypes of CTCs and subsets of leukocytes participating in immunosurveillance remain largely unknown. Continuous studies of these differentially expressed genes will eventually lead us to understand the mechanisms involved in tumor metastasis and immune modulation during cancer development.
Supplemental Nocturnal Nasogastric Refeeding for Better Short-Term Outcome in Hospitalized Adolescent Girls With Anorexia Nervosa
Authors: Adelaide S. Robb, Tomas J. Silber, Joan K. Orrell-Valente, Adela Valadez-Meltzer, Nathan Ellis, Michele J. Dadson, Irene Chatoor
Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry (2002)

Although controversy exists regarding nasogastric refeeding for patients with anorexia nervosa, current methods of inpatient care often result in low discharge weight, a critical risk factor in relapse. This study compared the short-term outcomes of standard oral refeeding and supplemental nocturnal nasogastric refeeding.Subjects were 100 hospitalized Caucasian adolescent girls who met DSM-IV criteria for anorexia nervosa. Subjects were partitioned into two groups: oral refeeding (N=48, mean age=15.0 years, SD=1.8) and nocturnal nasogastric refeeding (N=52, mean age=14.8 years, SD=1.9). Unpaired t tests, with Bonferroni correction, were used to compare groups at hospital admission and at discharge. Multivariate linear regression was used to establish the independent effects of nocturnal nasogastric refeeding after adjustment for potential confounding variables.On admission, the groups were comparable in terms of age, weight, and other factors but differed significantly in number of prior hospitalizations (the nocturnal nasogastric refeeding group had more than the oral refeeding group). A series of separate multivariate linear regression models revealed that nocturnal nasogastric refeeding was a significant predictor of weight at discharge and absolute weight gain.Over a comparable period of time, patients treated with nocturnal nasogastric refeeding had a greater and more rapid weight gain than patients treated with traditional oral refeeding. Supplemental nocturnal nasogastric refeeding was more effective than oral refeeding alone in weight restoration during hospitalization. However, further study is needed on its short-term and long-term effectiveness.
Mites Living in Hay: An Important Allergen Source?
Authors: G. Hillerdal, O. Zetterström, S. G. O. Johansson, B. Engström, A. Wiren
Journal: Allergy (1982)

Fifty‐two farmers and 21 non‐farmers with symptoms related to hay contact were investigated. Skin prick tests (SPT) and RAST were performed with an extract made of barn dust (BDE) consisting of remnants. At microscopy, the barn dust was found to contain large amounts of dead mites, most of them identified as Lepidoglyphus destructor and Acarus siro . Twenty‐one patients (9 farmers and 12 non‐farmers) had positive R. ST to BDE, with a good correlation to the case histories. Other allergies, especially to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus , pollens, and animal danders were also common among patients. However, there was no correlation between positive SPT and RAST to BDE and any other allergen tested. This indicates that BDE contains distinct allergens, most likely of mite origin.
Evaluating drug-free remission with abatacept in early rheumatoid arthritis: results from the phase 3b, multicentre, randomised, active-controlled AVERT study of 24 months, with a 12-month, double-blind treatment period
Authors: Paul Emery, Gerd R Burmester, Vivian P Bykerk, Bernard G Combe, Daniel E Furst, Emilie Barré, Chetan S Karyekar, Dennis A Wong, Tom W J Huizinga
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2014)

Objectives To evaluate clinical remission with subcutaneous abatacept plus methotrexate (MTX) and abatacept monotherapy at 12 months in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and maintenance of remission following the rapid withdrawal of all RA treatment. Methods In the A ssessing V ery E arly R heumatoid arthritis T reatment phase 3b trial, patients with early active RA were randomised to double-blind, weekly, subcutaneous abatacept 125 mg plus MTX, abatacept 125 mg monotherapy, or MTX for 12 months. Patients with low disease activity (Disease Activity Score (DAS)28 (C reactive protein (CRP)) &lt;3.2) at month 12 entered a 12-month period of withdrawal of all RA therapy. The coprimary endpoints were the proportion of patients with DAS28 (CRP) &lt;2.6 at month 12 and both months 12 and 18, for abatacept plus MTX versus MTX. Results Patients had &lt;2 years of RA symptoms, DAS28 (CRP) ≥3.2, anticitrullinated peptide-2 antibody positivity and 95.2% were rheumatoid factor positive. For abatacept plus MTX versus MTX, DAS28 (CRP) &lt;2.6 was achieved in 60.9% versus 45.2% (p=0.010) at 12 months, and following treatment withdrawal, in 14.8% versus 7.8% (p=0.045) at both 12 and 18 months. DAS28 (CRP) &lt;2.6 was achieved for abatacept monotherapy in 42.5% (month 12) and 12.4% (both months 12 and 18). Both abatacept arms had a safety profile comparable with MTX alone. Conclusions Abatacept plus MTX demonstrated robust efficacy compared with MTX alone in early RA, with a good safety profile. The achievement of sustained remission following withdrawal of all RA therapy suggests an effect of abatacept's mechanism on autoimmune processes. Trial registration number NCT01142726.
Incidence of Pancreatitis and Pancreatic Cancer in a Randomized Controlled Multicenter Trial (SAVOR-TIMI 53) of the Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitor Saxagliptin
Authors: Itamar Raz, Deepak L. Bhatt, Boaz Hirshberg, Ofri Mosenzon, Benjamin M. Scirica, Amarachi Umez-Eronini, KyungAh Im, Christina Stahre, Alona Buskila, Nayyar Iqbal, Norton Greenberger, Markus M. Lerch
Journal: Diabetes Care (2014)

To determine the incidence of pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer in the SAVOR-TIMI 53 trial.A total of 16,492 type 2 diabetic patients ≥40 years old with established cardiovascular (CV) disease or CV risk factors were randomized to saxagliptin or placebo and followed for 2.1 years. Outcome measures were investigator reported with blinded expert adjudication of total pancreatitis (acute and chronic) and reported cases of pancreatic cancer.Trial investigators reported 35 events of pancreatitis in each treatment arm in 63 patients (33 [0.40%] in the saxagliptin arm and 30 [0.37%] in control arm), with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.09 (95% CI 0.66-1.79, P = 0.80). Adjudication confirmed pancreatitis in 24 patients (26 events) in the saxagliptin arm (0.29%) and 21 patients (25 events) in placebo arm (0.26%), with an HR of 1.13 (0.63-2.06, P = 0.77). Cases of definite acute pancreatitis were confirmed in 17 (0.2%) vs. 9 (0.1%) (HR 1.88 [0.86-4.41], P = 0.17), definite plus possible pancreatitis in 22 vs. 16 (HR 1.36 [0.72-2.64], P = 0.42), and chronic pancreatitis in 2 vs. 6 (HR 0.33 [0.05-1.44], P = 0.18) in the saxagliptin and placebo arms, respectively. No differences in time to event onset, concomitant risk factors for pancreatitis, investigator-reported causality from study medication or disease severity, and outcome were found between treatment arms. The investigators reported 5 and 12 cases of pancreatic cancer in the saxagliptin and placebo arms, respectively (HR 0.42 [0.13-1.12], P = 0.09).In the SAVOR-TIMI 53 trial, within 2.1 years of follow-up, risk for pancreatitis in type 2 diabetic patients treated with saxagliptin was low and apparently similar to placebo, with no sign of increased risk for pancreatic cancer. Further studies are needed to completely resolve the pancreatic safety issues with incretin-based therapy.
CD34+ hemopoietic progenitor cells are potent effectors of allergic inflammation
Authors: Zoulfia Allakhverdi, Michael R. Comeau, Dirk E. Smith, Dean Toy, Leandra Mfuna Endam, Martin Desrosiers, Yong-Jun Liu, Karen J. Howie, Judah A. Denburg, Gail M. Gauvreau, Guy Delespesse
Journal: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (2008)
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms Targeted by Functionalized Polysaccharide Microparticles: a new Tool for SPECT Imaging
Authors: Thomas Bonnard, Gonord Yang, Anne Petiet, Véronique Ollivier, Oualid Haddad, Denis Arnaud, Liliane Louedec, Laure Bachelet-Violette, Sidi Mohammed Derkaoui, Didier Letourneur, Cedric Chauvierre, Catherine Le Visage
Journal: Theranostics (2014)

Aneurysm diagnostic is nowadays limited by the lack of technology that enables early detection and rupture risk prediction.New non invasive tools for molecular imaging are still required.In the present study, we present an innovative SPECT diagnostic tool for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) produced from injectable polysaccharide microparticles radiolabeled with technetium 99m ( 99m Tc) and functionalized with fucoidan, a sulfated polysaccharide with the ability to target P-Selectin.P-Selectin is a cell adhesion molecule expressed on activated endothelial cells and platelets which can be found in the thrombus of aneurysms, as well as in other vascular pathologies.Microparticles with a maximum hydrodynamic diameter of 4 µm were obtained by crosslinking the polysaccharides dextran and pullulan.They were functionalized with fucoidan.In vitro interactions with human activated platelets were assessed by flow cytometry that demonstrated a specific affinity of fucoidan functionalized microparticles for P-Selectin expressed by activated platelets.For in vivo AAA imaging, microparticles were radiolabeled with 99m Tc and intravenously injected into healthy and AAA rats obtained by elastase perfusion through the aorta wall.Animals were scanned by SPECT imaging.A strong contrast enhancement located in the abdominal aorta of AAA rats was obtained, while no signal was obtained in healthy rats or in AAA rats after injection of non-functionalized control microparticles.Histological studies revealed that functionalized radiolabeled polysaccharide microparticles were localized in the AAA wall, in the same location where P-Selectin was expressed.These microparticles therefore constitute a promising SPECT imaging tool for AAA and potentially for other vascular diseases characterized by P-Selectin expression.Future work will focus on validating the efficiency of the microparticles to diagnose these other pathologies and the different stages of AAA.Incorporation of a therapeutic molecule is also considered.
COPD: an autoimmune disease?
Authors: S. S. Birring, I. D. Pavord
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2011)

To the Editors:

Hemminki et al . [1] report an increased prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in patients with autoimmune disease and suggest the presence of autoimmunity is a risk factor for the development of COPD. We have previously reported an increased prevalence of autoimmune disease in patients …
Genome-wide DNA methylation analysis of articular chondrocytes reveals a cluster of osteoarthritic patients
Authors: Juan Fernández-Tajes, Angel Soto-Hermida, Maria E Vázquez-Mosquera, Estefania Cortés-Pereira, Alejandro Mosquera, Mercedes Fernández-Moreno, Natividad Oreiro, Carlos Fernández-López, Jose Luis Fernández, Ignacio Rego-Pérez, Francisco J Blanco
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2013)

<h3>Objective</h3> Alterations in DNA methylation patterns have been found to correlate with several diseases including osteoarthritis (OA). The aim of this study was to identify, for the first time, the genome-wide DNA methylation profiles of human articular chondrocytes from OA cartilage and healthy control cartilage samples. <h3>Methods</h3> DNA methylation profiling was performed using Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation27 in 25 patients with OA and 20 healthy controls. Subsequent validation was performed by genome-wide expression analysis using the Affymetrix Human Gene 1.1 ST array in an independent cohort of 24 patients with OA. Finally, the most consistent genes in both assays were amplified by quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR in a validation cohort of 48 patients using microfluidic real-time quantitative PCR. Appropriate bioinformatics analyses were carried out using R bioconductor software packages and qBase plus software from Biogazelle. <h3>Results</h3> We found 91 differentially methylated (DM) probes, which permitted us to separate patients with OA from healthy controls. Among the patients with OA, we detected 1357 DM probes that identified a tight cluster of seven patients who were different from the rest. This cluster was also identified by genome-wide expression in which 450 genes were differentially expressed. Further validation of the most consistent genes in an independent cohort of patients with OA permitted us to identify this cluster, which was characterised by increased inflammatory processes. <h3>Conclusions</h3> We were able to identify a tight subgroup of patients with OA, characterised by an increased inflammatory response that could be regulated by epigenetics. The identification and isolation of this subgroup may be critical for the development of effective treatment and disease prevention.