tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Effects of low-flow ischemia on the positive inotropic action of angiotensin II in isolated rabbit and rat hearts
Authors: J Libonati
Journal: Cardiovascular Research (1997)

Objective: Angiotensin II (ANG II) has recently been reported to increase inotropy in adult rabbit myocytes by a mechanism of alkalinization and consequent increased myofilament sensitivity to calcium. Accordingly, we tested the hypothesis that ANG II would have a greater inotropic effect during ischemic conditions than it would during normoxia, since ischemia-induced intracellular acidosis contributes to ischemic contractile depression by decreasing myofilament calcium sensitivity. Methods: We studied the effects of ANG II in isolated, red-blood-cell-perfused, isovolumic rat and rabbit hearts during normoxic perfusion conditions and at graded reductions in coronary perfusion pressure (CPP). At each level of perfusion, ANG II was infused at progressively increasing concentrations ranging from 10−11 to 10−5 M. The maximal effective ANG II concentration was 10−7 M. Results: Our studies show that ANG II caused comparable absolute increases in isovolumic LV developed pressure in normoperfused and hypoperfused rabbit hearts. However, since contractile function was markedly depressed in ischemic hearts prior to ANG II administration, the relative inotropic response to ANG II was significantly greater during ischemia than normoxia. Similarly, ANG II had no positive inotropic effect in the rat during normoxia, but increased contractility during ischemia. To assess specifically the potential of ANG II to reverse the negative inotropy of acidosis, normoxic non-ischemic rat hearts were perfused with a hypercarbic acidotic perfusate (pH = 7.1). During the hypercarbic perfusion when contraction was depressed by acidosis, ANG II [10−7]M increased LV developed pressure by 19% and + dP/dt by 27% (P < 0.05), in contrast to its lack of inotropic effect at a normal pH. The positive inotropic effect observed in rat hearts with ANG II during ischemia was significantly attenuated (P < 0.001) by concomitant infusion with amiloride, 5-(N-ethyl-N-isopropyl) (EIPA), a Na+/H+ exchange inhibitor. Conclusions: We conclude that during normoxia, ANG II has a different inotropic potency in rabbits from that in rats. In both species, the relative inotropic responsiveness of ANG II is potentiated during low-flow ischemia. These results are consistent with a relative intracellular alkalinization that occurs secondary to ANG II's action to stimulate Na+/H+ exchange.
Individual Differences in Cognitive Decline in Schizophrenia
Authors: G Goldstein, D N Allen, D P van Kammen
Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry (1998)

The authors' goal was to determine whether cognitively impaired patients with schizophrenia exhibit age-related cognitive declines similar to those of patients with schizophrenia who do not have substantial cognitive impairment.Correlation coefficients were computed between age and the Average Impairment Rating, a summary index of cognitive ability, in a group of 77 patients with schizophrenia. These patients were clustered into two groups: one with near-normal cognitive function (N=51) and one with severely impaired cognitive function (N=26). A group of patients with senile dementia (N=21) and another comparison group of nonschizophrenic patients (N=299) were used as reference groups.There were significant correlations between age and the Average Impairment Rating in all groups except the cognitively impaired patients with schizophrenia, in which a zero-order correlation was obtained.Patients with schizophrenia who have substantial cognitive impairment do not have the significant correlation between age and cognitive function found in patients with schizophrenia who have mildly impaired or normal cognitive abilities, suggesting earlier onset of cognitive deficit in the cognitively impaired patients with schizophrenia.
Critical brain characteristics to consider in developing dream and memory theories
Authors: Adrian R. Morrison, Larry D. Sanford
Journal: Behavioral and Brain Sciences (2000)

Dreaming in sleep must depend on the activity of the brain as does cognition and memory in wakefulness. Yet our understanding of the physiological subtleties of state differences may still be too primitive to guide theories adequately in these areas. One can state nonetheless unequivocally that the brain in REM is poorly equipped to practice for eventualities of wakefulness through dreaming, or for consolidating into memory the complex experiences of that state. [Hobson et al., Nielsen, Solms, Vertes &amp; Eastman, Revonsuo]
High coexpression of both insulin-like growth factor receptor-1 (IGFR-1) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is associated with shorter disease-free survival in resected non-small-cell lung cancer patients
Authors: V. Ludovini, G. Bellezza, L. Pistola, F. Bianconi, L. Di Carlo, A. Sidoni, A. Semeraro, R. Del Sordo, F.R. Tofanetti, M.G. Mameli, G. Daddi, A. Cavaliere, M. Tonato, L. Crinò
Journal: Annals of Oncology (2009)
Mobilisation of mesenchymal cells into blood in response to skeletal muscle injury
Authors: M Ramírez, A Lucia, F Gómez-Gallego, J Esteve-Lanao, A Pérez-Martínez, C Foster, A L Andreu, M A Martin, L Madero, J Arenas, J García-Castro
Journal: British Journal of Sports Medicine (2006)

Mesenchymal cells recruited to damaged tissues must circulate through the bloodstream. The absolute numbers of circulating mesenchymal stem cells (cMSCs) in two different models of acute and chronic skeletal muscle injury were determined. cMSCs were present in significantly higher numbers in both models than in healthy controls. These results support the hypothesis that MSCs are mobilised into the bloodstream after skeletal muscle tissue damage. These two models (acute and chronic) would be of value in the search for molecular mediators of mobilisation of MSCs into the circulation.
The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Diagnosis in Preschool- and Elementary School-Age Children Exposed to Motor Vehicle Accidents
Authors: Richard Meiser-Stedman, Patrick Smith, Edward Glucksman, William Yule, Tim Dalgleish
Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry (2008)

Increasingly, children are being diagnosed with psychiatric disorders, including preschool-age children. These diagnoses in young children raise questions pertaining to 1) how diagnostic algorithms for individual disorders should be modified for young age groups, 2) how psychopathology is best detected at an early stage, and 3) how to make use of multiple informants. The authors examined these issues in a prospective longitudinal assessment of preschool- and elementary school-age children who were exposed to a traumatic event.Participants were 114 children (age range: 2-10 years) who had experienced a motor vehicle accident. Parents and older children (age range: 7-10 years) completed structured interviews 2-4 weeks (initial assessment) and 6 months (6-month follow-up) after the traumatic event. A recently proposed alternative symptom algorithm for diagnosing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was utilized and compared with the standard DSM-IV algorithms for diagnosing PTSD and acute stress disorder.At the 2- to 4-week assessment, 11.5% of the children met conditions for a diagnosis of PTSD based on the alternative algorithm criteria per parent report, and 13.9% met criteria for this diagnosis at the 6-month follow-up. These percentages were much higher than those for DSM-IV diagnoses of acute stress disorder and PTSD. Among 7- to 10-year-old subjects, the use of combined parent- and child-reported symptoms to derive a diagnosis resulted in an increased number of children in this age group who were identified with psychiatric illness relative to the use of parent report alone. Agreement between parent and child on symptoms for 1) a diagnosis of PTSD based on the alternative algorithm criteria and 2) diagnoses of DSM-IV acute stress disorder and PTSD in this age group was poor. Among 2- to 6-year-old subjects, the alternative algorithm PTSD diagnosis per parent report was a more sensitive predictor of later onset psychopathology relative to a diagnosis of DSM-IV acute stress disorder or PTSD per parent report. However, among 7- to 10-year-old subjects, a combined symptom report (from both parent and child) was optimal in predicting posttraumatic psychopathology.These findings support the use of the proposed alternative algorithm for assessing PTSD in young children and suggest that the diagnosis of PTSD based on the alternative algorithm criteria is stable from the acute phase onward. When both parent- and child-reported symptoms are utilized for the assessment of PTSD among 7- to 10-year-old children, the alternative algorithm and DSM-IV criteria have broad comparable validity. However, in the absence of child-reported symptoms, the alternative algorithm criteria per parent report appears to be an optimal diagnostic measure of PTSD among children in this age group, relative to the standard DSM-IV algorithm for diagnosing the disorder.
A cytomegaloviral protein reveals a dual role for STAT2 in IFN-γ signaling and antiviral responses
Authors: Albert Zimmermann, Mirko Trilling, Markus Wagner, Manuel Wilborn, Ivan Bubic, Stipan Jonjic, Ulrich Koszinowski, Hartmut Hengel
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (2005)

A mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV) gene conferring interferon (IFN) resistance was identified. This gene, M27, encodes a 79-kD protein that selectively binds and down-regulates for signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)-2, but it has no effect on STAT1 activation and signaling. The absence of pM27 conferred MCMV susceptibility to type I IFNs (α/β), but it had a much more dramatic effect on type II IFNs (γ) in vitro and in vivo. A comparative analysis of M27+ and M27− MCMV revealed that the antiviral efficiency of IFN-γ was partially dependent on the synergistic action of type I IFNs that required STAT2. Moreover, STAT2 was directly activated by IFN-γ. This effect required IFN receptor expression and was independent of type I IFNs. IFN-γ induced increasing levels of tyrosine-phosphorylated STAT2 in M27− MCMV-infected cells that were essential for the antiviral potency of IFN-γ. pM27 represents a new strategy for simultaneous evasions from types I and II IFNs, and it documents an unknown biological significance for STAT2 in antiviral IFN-γ responses.
Campylobacter pylori infection in Meckel's diverticula containing gastric mucosa.
Authors: A Morris, G Nicholson, J Zwi, M Vanderwee
Journal: Gut (1989)

A retrospective survey was undertaken of 228 resected Meckel9s diverticula to determine if there was any evidence of Campylobacter pylori infection in diverticula containing gastric mucosa. Among the 65 diverticula with gastric mucosa one was heavily infected with organisms having the morphological appearances of C pylori. The specimen had been removed from a six year old Samoan boy who had been admitted with small bowel obstruction. Infection and associated mucosal inflammatory infiltrate were limited to areas of gastric mucosa only. The detection of the organism at this site remote from the gastroduodenal environment suggests the organism may be transmitted by the orofaecal route.
Follow-up of Patients With Esophageal Angina
Authors: J. Rhodes
Journal: JAMA (1986)

<h3>To the Editor.—</h3> Esophageal pain is an increasingly well-recognized mimic of angina, and patients are often discharged from follow-up if the esophagus rather than the heart is the cause of symptoms. Since little is known about the long-term prognosis of this group, we traced 16 patients who were initially seen four years earlier in an emergency room setting, for reasons of anginalike pain due to esophageal disease.<sup>1</sup> <h3>Report of a Study—</h3> The study group included seven males and nine females; average age at presentation was 50 years. Investigations had shown that esophageal disease was the "definite" cause of pain in eight patients ("definite" pain was defined as a positive provocation test result using acid perfusion or intravenous ergonovine maleate injection, or the development of esophageal spasm during spontaneous pain), and the "probable" cause of pain in eight others ("probable" pain was defined as two independent abnormalities of esophageal function). All
A new questionnaire for the repeat of the first stage of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey: a pilot study
Authors: R de Marco, ME Zanolin, S Accordini, D Signorelli, A Marinoni, M Bugiani, V Lo Cascio, R Woods, P Burney
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (1999)

In the early 1990s a multicentre survey on asthma was performed on the young adult population (European Community Respiratory Health Survey - ECRHS). This study is to be repeated in order to estimate changes in the prevalence of asthma-like symptoms during the last decade and to assess the social and economic costs of the disease and their variations among countries. The self-administered questionnaire devised for this purpose is a two-page questionnaire. The first page contains the same items as those used in the first survey with four additional questions related to: 1) the frequency and severity of asthma attacks; 2) the presence of chronic bronchitis; 3) smoking habits; and 4) a visual analogue scale assessing perception of outdoor pollution. The second page aims to collect information regarding the direct and indirect costs of asthma. The influence of the length of the questionnaire on the response rate was assessed in a pilot study in Italy. Two random samples of 150 subjects received either the one-page questionnaire (first page) or the two-page questionnaire. The response rate was compared with that obtained from the first postal wave in the 1991-1992 survey. Although the response rate was unchanged when using the one-page questionnaire (45% versus 45%), it decreased by 7% when the two-page questionnaire was used (38% versus 45%). On the basis of these results, no problem should arise if four more questions are added to the one-page questionnaire. The slight reduction in the response rate of the two-page questionnaire is worrying but could be corrected by the use of telephone interviews.
Two-Year Safety and Efficacy of Inhaled Human Insulin (Exubera) in Adult Patients With Type 1 Diabetes
Authors: Jay S. Skyler, Lois Jovanovic, Sol Klioze, Joann Reis, William Duggan
Journal: Diabetes Care (2007)

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the 2-year pulmonary safety of inhaled human insulin (Exubera [EXU]) in 635 nonsmoking adults with type 2 diabetes.Patients were randomly assigned to receive prandial EXU or subcutaneous insulin (regular or short-acting) plus basal (intermediate- or long-acting) insulin. The primary end points were the annual rate of decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1)) and carbon monoxide diffusing capacity (DL(CO)).Small differences in FEV(1) favoring subcutaneous insulin developed during the first 3 months but did not progress. Adjusted treatment group differences in FEV(1) annual rate of change were -0.007 l/year (90% CI -0.021 to 0.006) between months 0 and 24 and 0.000 l/year (-0.016 to 0.016) during months 3-24. Treatment group differences in DL(CO) annual rate of change were not significant. Both groups sustained similar reductions in A1C by month 24 (last observation carried forward) (EXU 7.7-7.3% vs. subcutaneous insulin 7.8-7.3%). Reductions in fasting plasma glucose (FPG) were greater with EXU than with subcutaneous insulin (adjusted mean treatment difference -12.4 mg/dl [90% CI -19.7 to -5.0]). Incidence of hypoglycemia was comparable in both groups. Weight increased less with EXU than with subcutaneous insulin (-1.3 kg [-1.9 to -0.7]). Adverse events were comparable, except for a higher incidence of mild cough and dyspnea with EXU.Two-year prandial EXU therapy showed a small nonprogressive difference in FEV(1) and comparable sustained A1C improvement but lower FPG levels and less weight gain than seen in association with subcutaneous insulin in adults with type 2 diabetes.
Interleukin 2 upregulates expression of its receptor on a T cell clone.
Authors: T R Malek, J D Ashwell
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1985)

Stimulation of a class II-restricted, antigen-specific T cell clone with interleukin 2 (IL-2) resulted in substantial increases in both cell surface IL-2 receptor (IL-2-R) and cytoplasmic IL-2-R messenger RNA (mRNA), whereas no increase was observed for cell-surface expression of Thy-1 and L3T4 antigens, and only a modest increase in Thy-1 mRNA was observed. These experiments demonstrate that, after initial acquisition of the IL-2-R, IL-2 as well as antigen is able to directly upregulate both the level of IL-2-R mRNA and cell surface IL-2-R molecules.
Quantitative Assessment of Early Diabetic Retinopathy Using Fractal Analysis
Authors: Ning Cheung, Kim C. Donaghue, Gerald Liew, Sophie L. Rogers, Jie Jin Wang, Shueh-Wen Lim, Alicia J. Jenkins, Wynne Hsu, Mong Li Lee, Tien Y. Wong
Journal: Diabetes Care (2008)

Fractal analysis can quantify the geometric complexity of the retinal vascular branching pattern and may therefore offer a new method to quantify early diabetic microvascular damage. In this study, we examined the relationship between retinal fractal dimension and retinopathy in young individuals with type 1 diabetes.We conducted a cross-sectional study of 729 patients with type 1 diabetes (aged 12-20 years) who had seven-field stereoscopic retinal photographs taken of both eyes. From these photographs, retinopathy was graded according to the modified Airlie House classification, and fractal dimension was quantified using a computer-based program following a standardized protocol.In this study, 137 patients (18.8%) had diabetic retinopathy signs; of these, 105 had mild retinopathy. Median (interquartile range) retinal fractal dimension was 1.46214 (1.45023-1.47217). After adjustment for age, sex, diabetes duration, A1C, blood pressure, and total cholesterol, increasing retinal vascular fractal dimension was significantly associated with increasing odds of retinopathy (odds ratio 3.92 [95% CI 2.02-7.61] for fourth versus first quartile of fractal dimension). In multivariate analysis, each 0.01 increase in retinal vascular fractal dimension was associated with a nearly 40% increased odds of retinopathy (1.37 [1.21-1.56]). This association remained after additional adjustment for retinal vascular caliber.Greater retinal fractal dimension, representing increased geometric complexity of the retinal vasculature, is independently associated with early diabetic retinopathy signs in type 1 diabetes. Fractal analysis of fundus photographs may allow quantitative measurement of early diabetic microvascular damage.
Systemic vascular function in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: Roberto Del Pozo, Jessica Garcia, Nuria Chamorro, Maria Coronel, Nuria Coll, Isabel Blanco, Victor Peinado, Joan Albert Barberà
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2013)

Introduction: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Arterial stiffness and endothelial dysfunction are associated with the risk of CVD. Previous studies have shown increased stiffness and endothelial dysfunction in systemic arteries, in separated cohorts of COPD patients. The study was addressed to assess endothelial function and arterial compliance in the same cohort of COPD patients, and to evaluate the influence of associated pulmonary hypertension (PH).  Methods: 33 control subjects with normal pulmonary function (55±10y; 49% men; FEV1 113±15 %pred); 41 COPD patients (63±7y; 78% men; FEV1 52±18 %pred); and 17 COPD patients with echocardiographic PH (62±7y; 88% men; FEV1 32±15 %pred) were studied. Arterial compliance was assessed by means of the pulse wave velocity (PWV) and the augmentation index (AI). Endothelial function estimated with maximum flow-mediated brachial artery dilatation (FMD) by high-resolution ultrasound.  Results:  In COPD patients, PWV was inversely related to FEV1 (r=-0.34; p=0.01). No correlation was observed between PWV and FMD in COPD.  Conclusion: COPD is associated with both arterial stiffness and endothelial dysfunction of systemic vessels, with greater impairment in patients with more severe disease and/or pulmonary hypertension.  Supported by a grant from FIS PS09/00536. JGL is recipient of PFIS grant from ISCIII.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF NEURAL ENSEMBLE CODES DURING BEHAVIOR AND COGNITION
Authors: Sam A. Deadwyler, Robert E. Hampson
Journal: Annual Review of Neuroscience (1997)

▪ Abstract The development of techniques to record from populations of neurons has made it possible to ask questions concerning the encoding of task-relevant information in awake, behaving animals. The issue of how groups of neurons within different brain structures register and retrieve representations of behaviorally significant events can now be addressed using multineuron-recording techniques. This review examines recent studies employing simultaneous recording of ten or more individual neurons in the mammalian brain. A major issue discussed is whether ensemble information content reconstructed from single-neuron recordings may be underestimated if compared to ensembles where those same neurons were recorded simultaneously. The mechanics of ensemble information encoding in the hippocampus is illustrated from population statistical analyses of ensemble activity during performance of a delay task. Detailed descriptions of methods of extracting ensemble information, as well as cross-correlational analyses, are discussed in the context of emergent issues regarding interpretation of ensemble data.
Managing anticoagulated atrial fibrillation patients undergoing endoscopy
Authors: D A Gorard
Journal: Gut (2009)

Guidelines on managing anticoagulated patients undergoing endoscopic procedures are timely and welcome (Veitch et al , Gut 2008; 57 :1322–9). Non-valvular atrial fibrillation is increasingly prevalent with advanced age and is the most common reason for warfarin therapy. The risks of thromboembolic events when briefly interrupting warfarin in patients with non-valvular fibrillation are small, but perhaps not so different to those of interrupting warfarin in patients with a mechanical cardiac valve to recommend differences in bridging the …
Treatment of hypoxemia. A new mask for delivering controlled low-concentration oxygen
Authors: E. L. Chusid
Journal: JAMA (1970)

A simple, inexpensive, disposable plastic mask for controlled low-concentration oxygen inhalation has been developed. An inspired oxygen concentration of about 24% is obtained with an oxygen flow rate of 1.5 to 2 liter/min through a Venturi device, with negligible rebreathing of carbon dioxide (mean FICO<sub>2</sub>, 0.7%) under the mask. In 68 patients the mask raised the arterial oxygen tension by a mean of 34 mm Hg, whatever the clinical diagnosis or initial Pao<sub>2</sub>. The mean rise in Paco<sub>2</sub>, in patients with hypercapnia, eucapnia, or hypocapnia did not exceed 3 mm Hg during low oxygen inhalation with the new mask. The mask is an economical and well-tolerated method of short- or long-term low oxygen therapy in patients with hypoxemia of varied causes.