tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Metal residues after cremation
Authors: M Barry
Journal: BMJ (1994)

Cremation takes place in two chambers. The primary chamber is heated to about 700°C; the coffin containing the body is placed inside, and spontaneous combustion occurs. The temperature increases to 900-1100°C during combustion, which lasts 60-90 minutes if the body is obese or up to 120 minutes if the body is thin or cachectic. The remains are raked down into the secondary chamber to cool. After the cooling process any metal is removed and the residue is crushed to the consistency of coarse sand. This residue weights about 2.0 kg.

Many metal prostheses are implanted in people in Britain: about 40 000 hip replacement operations are performed each year.1 Seventy per cent of the population is cremated (Federation of British Cremation Authorities, personal communication) and only cardiac …
Calorie labelling on the high street
Authors: S. A. Jebb
Journal: BMJ (2011)

<b>BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:</b> T1-weighted inversion recovery (T1IR) imaging demonstrates higher brain tissue contrast and is more sensitive to contrast enhancement than T1-weighted spin-echo (T1SE) imaging. However, the effectiveness of the 2 imaging sequences in detecting brain metastases has not been studied. The objective of this report was to determine which sequence should be used for detecting brain metastases by comparing the effectiveness of T1IR imaging with that of T1SE imaging. <b>Materials and METHODS:</b> Thirty-one patients with brain metastases underwent T1SE and T1IR with and without intravenous gadopentetate dimeglumine. T1SE and T1IR images were compared for the number of metastases, degree of contrast enhancement, volume and contrast-to-enhancement ratio (CER) of tumors, and contrast ratio (CR) of tumor to white matter (WM), tumor to gray matter (GM), and tumor to CSF. <b>RESULTS:</b> There were 352 metastases in 31 patients, among which 2 patients with 5 metastases were demonstrated only on postenhanced T1SE images. Pre-enhanced and postenhanced T1SE images detected 162 and 350 lesions, respectively, whereas pre-enhanced and postenhanced T1IR images only discovered 94 and 233 lesions. The degree of tumor contrast enhancement was higher on T1IR images than on T1SE images, whereas no difference in the CER of tumors was found between the 2 sequences. Before enhancement, all of the CRs on T1IR images were higher than on T1SE images. After contrast enhancement, CRs of tumor to WM and tumor to GM were higher on T1SE images than on T1IR images. On the contrary, the CR of tumor to CSF was higher on T1IR images than on T1SE images. Tumor volumes were 5.6 ± 7.0 cm<sup>3</sup> on postenhanced T1SE images and 5.5 ± 7.0 cm<sup>3</sup> on postenhanced T1IR images, and no significant difference was found between the 2 groups. <b>CONCLUSION:</b> T1SE, but not T1IR, should be used as T1-weighted imaging in detecting brain metastases, because T1SE imaging has a greater sensitivity than T1IR imaging both before and after contrast material administration.
Determinations of performance and mechanical efficiency in nordic skiing.
Authors: V. Niinimaa, R. J. Shephard, M. Dyon
Journal: British Journal of Sports Medicine (1979)

Determinants of performance and mechanical efficiency of effort have been made on a group of ten male nordic skiers, all participants in the University of Toronto ski-team. The oxygen intake at the maximum attainable speed of skiing on a level course averaged 89.6 percent of the maximum oxygen intake observed during uphill treadmill running; the latter (average 63.9 ml.kg-1 min-1) may be compared with values greater than 80 ml.kg1 min-1 for international competitors. Maximum heart rates and respiratory gas exchange ratios were generally lower during skiing than running, and it is suggested that the maximum oxygen intake attained during skiing is limited by the individual's skill. In support of this the more experienced skiers were able to reach close to 100 percent of the treadmill maximum oxygen intake during level skiing. A multiple regression analysis indicated that the skiing speed sustained over a one-hour period was related to experience of skiing, maximum oxygen intake, and the percentage of body fat. Assuming a dynamic friction coefficient of 0.075, a drag area of 0.7 m2 and a drag coefficient of 1.0, the gross mechanical efficiency of the university-class skier averaged a little under 20 percent, with a net efficiency of 21.3 percent.
Human members of the eukaryotic protein kinase family
Authors: Mitch Kostich, Jessie English, Vincent Madison, Ferdous Gheyas, Luquan Wang, Ping Qiu, Jonathan Greene, Thomas M Laz
Journal: Genome biology (2002)

Eukaryotic protein kinases (EPKs) constitute one of the largest recognized protein families represented in the human genome. EPKs, which are similar to each other in sequence, structure and biochemical properties, are important players in virtually every signaling pathway involved in normal development and disease. Near completion of projects to sequence the human genome and transcriptome provide an opportunity to identify and perform sequence analysis on a nearly complete set of human EPKs.Publicly available genetic sequence data were searched for human sequences that potentially represent EPK family members. After removal of duplicates, splice variants and pseudogenes, this search yielded 510 sequences with recognizable similarity to the EPK family. Protein sequences of putative EPK catalytic domains identified in the search were aligned, and a phonogram was constructed based on the alignment. Representative sequence records in GenBank were identified, and derived information about gene mapping and nomenclature was summarized.This work represents a nearly comprehensive census and early bioinformatics overview of the EPKs encoded in the human genome. Evaluation of the sequence relationships between these proteins contributes contextual information that enhances understanding of individual family members. This curation of human EPK sequences provides tools and a framework for the further characterization of this important class of enzymes.
Cytoplasmic pH regulation and chloride/bicarbonate exchange in avian osteoclasts.
Authors: A Teti, H C Blair, S L Teitelbaum, A J Kahn, C Koziol, J Konsek, A Zambonin-Zallone, P H Schlesinger
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (1989)

Osteoclasts resorb bone by first attaching to the bone surface and then secreting protons into an isolated extracellular compartment formed at the cell-bone attachment site. This secretion of protons (local acidification) is required to solubilize bone hydroxyapatite crystals and for activity of bone collagen-degrading acid proteases. However, the large quantity of protons required, 2 mol/mol of calcium, would result in an equal accumulation of cytosolic base equivalents. This alkaline load must be corrected to maintain cytosolic pH within physiologic limits. In this study, we have measured cytoplasmic pH with pH-sensitive fluorescent compounds, while varying the extracellular ionic composition of the medium, to determine the nature of the compensatory mechanism used by osteoclasts during bone resorption. Our data show that osteoclasts possess a chloride/bicarbonate exchanger that enables them to maintain normal intracellular pH in the face of a significant proton efflux. This conclusion follows from the demonstration of a dramatic cytoplasmic acidification when osteoclasts that have been incubated in bicarbonate-containing medium are transferred into bicarbonate-free medium. This acidification is absolutely dependent on and proportional to medium [Cl-]. Furthermore, acidification is inhibited by the classic inhibitor of red cell anion exchange, 4,4'-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulfonate, and by diphenylamine-2-carboxylate, an inhibitor of chloride specific channels. However, the acidification process is neither energy nor sodium dependent. The physiologic importance of chloride/bicarbonate exchange is demonstrated by the chloride dependence of recovery from an endogenous or exogenous alkaline load in osteoclasts. We conclude that chloride/bicarbonate exchange is in large part responsible for cytoplasmic pH homeostasis of active osteoclasts, showing that these cells are similar to renal tubular epithelial cells in their regulation of intracellular pH.
Fraud and misconduct in publication
Authors: P McCrory
Journal: British Journal of Sports Medicine (2003)

One cannot go past the achievements of the winners of the Ig Nobel awards when it comes to service to medicine and science.

The Igs are intended to celebrate unusual and imaginative research and are awarded annually by the science humour magazine Annals of Improbable Research . The aim is to make people think and laugh, and along the way it may spur people’s interest in science, medicine, and technology. The prizes are presented at a gala ceremony held at Harvard University and the awards are given to the …
Setting Research Priorities to Reduce Almost One Million Deaths from Birth Asphyxia by 2015
Authors: Joy E. Lawn, Rajiv Bahl, Staffan Bergstrom, Zulfiqar A. Bhutta, Gary L. Darmstadt, Matthew Ellis, Mike English, Jennifer J. Kurinczuk, Anne C. C. Lee, Mario Merialdi, Mohamed Mohamed, David Osrin, Robert Pattinson, Vinod Paul, Siddarth Ramji, Ola D. Saugstad, Lyn Sibley, Nalini Singhal, Steven N. Wall, Dave Woods, John Wyatt, Kit Yee Chan, Igor Rudan
Journal: PLoS Medicine (2011)

Joy Lawn and colleagues used a systematic process developed by the Child Health Nutrition Research Initiative (CHNRI) to define and rank research options to reduce mortality from intrapartum-related neonatal deaths (birth asphyxia) by the year 2015.
Catechol <i>O</i>-Methyltransferase Val<sup>158</sup>Met Polymorphism in Schizophrenia: Differential Effects of Val and Met Alleles on Cognitive Stability and Flexibility
Authors: Karen A. Nolan, Robert M. Bilder, Herbert M. Lachman, Jan Volavka
Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry (2004)

The catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met polymorphism has been associated with cognitive and behavioral phenotypes in schizophrenia. Whether COMT genotype is beneficial may depend on phenotype definition. The authors examined the effects of COMT genotype on a task that distinguishes imitation from reversal learning. They hypothesized that the Val and Met alleles would be associated with deficits in imitation learning and reversal learning, respectively.Twenty-six patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder completed a task requiring alternation between imitation and reversal rules.Met homozygotes showed better acquisition of the imitation rule but greater deficit shifting from imitation to reversal. Val homozygotes had poorer imitation performance and slower reaction times.The Met allele, by increasing tonic dopamine, may promote cognitive stability but limit cognitive flexibility.
Long-term clearance from small airways decreases with age
Authors: M. Svartengren, R. Falk, K. Philipson
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2005)

The prevalence of respiratory symptoms increases with age. Age has been found to be negatively associated with large airway clearance. The small airways region is considered important for development of airway disease. Clearance after the first 24 h was studied in 46 healthy subjects with a wide age distribution, (mean 42, range 19-81 yrs). All subjects inhaled monodisperse 6 microm Teflon particles labelled with 111In, with an extremely slow inhalation flow (0.05 L.s-1). The particles were mainly deposited in the small conducting airways. Lung retention was measured at 0 and 24 h, and at 7, 14 and 21 days after inhalation. Significant relationships were found for the individual 24 h "large" airway clearance in per cent of initial lung deposition with age, forced expiratory volume in one second and forced vital capacity. Age was negatively associated with "small" airway clearance after 24 h as estimated at 2, 7, 14 and 21 days. Using stepwise linear regression only age remained significantly associated to clearance. In conclusion, small airway clearance over 21 days was found to decrease with age. This might be one factor associated with the high prevalence of respiratory symptoms associated among the elderly.
Effects of Estrogen Replacement on Infarct Size, Cardiac Remodeling, and the Endothelin System After Myocardial Infarction in Ovariectomized Rats
Authors: Paula J. W. Smith, Olga Ornatsky, Duncan J. Stewart, Pierre Picard, Fayez Dawood, Wen-Hu Wen, Peter P. Liu, David J. Webb, Juan Carlos Monge
Journal: Circulation (2000)

Background —Estrogen may increase the long-term survival of women who have suffered from a myocardial infarction (MI). We examined the acute and chronic influence of estrogen on MI in the rat left coronary artery ligation model. Methods and Results —Female Sprague-Dawley rats (10 to 12 weeks, n=93), divided into 3 groups (rats with intact ovaries, ovariectomized rats administered 17β-estradiol [17β-E 2 ] replacement, and ovariectomized rats administered placebo 2 weeks before MI), were randomized to left coronary artery ligation (n=66) or sham-operated (n=27) groups. Ten to 11 weeks after MI, rats were randomly assigned to either (1) assessment of left ventricular (LV) function and morphometric analysis or (2) measurement of cardiopulmonary mRNA expression of preproendothelin-1 and endothelin A and B receptors. Acutely, estrogen was associated with a trend toward increased mortality. Infarct size was increased in the 17β-E 2 group compared with the placebo group (42±2% versus 26±3%, respectively; P =0.01). Chronically, wall tension was normalized through a reduction in LV cavity size with estrogen treatment (419±41 mm Hg/mm for 17β-E 2 versus 946±300 mm Hg/mm for placebo, P =0.039). In the LV, there was a 2.5-fold increase in endothelin B mRNA expression after MI in placebo-treated rats ( P =0.004 versus sham-operated rats) that was prevented in the 17β-E 2 group ( P =NS versus sham-operated rats). Conclusions —These results suggest that estrogen is detrimental at the time of MI or early post-MI period, resulting in an increased size of infarct or infarct expansion, but chronically, it can normalize wall tension and inhibit LV dilatation, which may in turn lead to increased long-term survival. Regulation of the endothelin system, particularly the expression of the endothelin B receptor, may contribute to these estrogenic effects.
Prediction of radiographic progression in rheumatoid arthritis and the role of antibodies against mutated citrullinated vimentin: results from a 10-year prospective study
Authors: S W Syversen, G L Goll, D van der Heijde, R Landewé, B A Lie, S Ødegård, T Uhlig, P I Gaarder, T K Kvien
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2009)

Objectives: Anti-citrullinated peptide antibodies (ACPAs) are established as useful predictors of radiographic progression in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The main objective of this study was to test the prognostic capacity of the recently developed test for anti-mutated citrullinated vimentin (anti-MCV). Methods: A cohort of 238 patients with RA was followed longitudinally for 10 years; 125 patients with complete x ray sets were included in the main analyses. Radiographs were scored according to the van der Heijde modified Sharp score (SHS). Patients were analysed for anti-MCV and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP), and were genotyped for human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DRB1 “shared epitope” (SE) and protein tyrosine phosphatase, non-receptor type 22 (PTPN22) 1858T. Results: Anti-MCV and anti-CCP were strongly associated with regard to status and level. Both antibodies were associated with SE, but only anti-MCV was significantly associated with PTPN22 1858T. A positive anti-MCV test increased the odds of radiographic progression by 7.3 (95% confidence interval (CI) 3.2 to 16.5) compared to 5.7 (95% CI 2.6 to 12.5) for a positive anti-CCP. Presence of MCV antibodies gave an average increase in the total SHS of 30 U compared to an average increase of 25 U for the presence of CCP antibodies. Anti-MCVs were more strongly associated to progression in erosions than joint space narrowing. Associations remained after adjustment for other predictors of radiographic progression. The odds of progression increased with increasing anti-MCV level. Conclusions: Presence of anti-MCV predicted joint damage, and the strength of this prediction was at least as strong as for anti-CCP. Antibody status showed a stronger association to bone than to cartilage destruction. This study also indicates that higher anti-MCV levels add prognostic information compared to their mere presence or absence.
THE HISTOLOGICAL AND SECRETORY CHANGES IN THE STOMACH IN PATIENTS WITH AUTOIMMUNITY TO GASTRIC PARIETAL CELLS
Authors: J.F. Adams, A.I.M. Glen, E.H. Kennedy, I.L. Mackenzie, J.M. Morrow, J.R. Anderson, K.G. Gray, D.G. Middleton
Journal: The Lancet (1964)
Prognostic Factors in Patients With Advanced Transitional Cell Carcinoma of the Urothelial Tract Experiencing Treatment Failure With Platinum-Containing Regimens
Authors: Joaquim Bellmunt, Toni K. Choueiri, Ronan Fougeray, Fabio A.B. Schutz, Yacine Salhi, Eric Winquist, Stéphane Culine, Hans von der Maase, David J. Vaughn, Jonathan E. Rosenberg
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2010)

PURPOSE The present study sought to identify pretreatment prognostic factors for overall survival (OS) in patients with metastatic transitional cell carcinoma of the urothelial tract (TCCU) who experienced treatment failure with the first-line, platinum-based regimen included in the phase III vinflunine trial. PATIENTS AND METHODS In total, 370 patients with platinum-refractory TCCU were included in this analysis. Potential prognostic factors were recorded prospectively. Univariate analysis was used to identify clinical and laboratory factors that significantly impact survival. Multivariate analysis was used to identify independent prognostic factors, and bootstrap analysis was performed for internal validation, forming a prognostic model. External validation was performed on the phase II vinflunine study CA183001. RESULTS Multivariate analysis and the internal validation identified Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (PS) more than 0, hemoglobin level less than 10 g/dL, and the presence of liver metastasis as the main adverse prognostic factors for OS. External validation confirmed these prognostic factors. Four subgroups were formed based on the presence of zero, one, two, or three prognostic factors; the median OS times for these groups were 14.2, 7.3, 3.8, and 1.7 months (P < .001), respectively. CONCLUSION We identified and both internally and externally validated three adverse risk factors (PS, hemoglobin level, and liver metastasis) that predict for OS and developed a scoring system that classifies patients with platinum-refractory disease on second-line chemotherapy into four risk groups with different outcome. Similar to the first-line setting, the presence of visceral metastases and poor PS predict a worse prognosis. These factors, together with low hemoglobin, can be used for prognostication and future patient stratification in clinical trials.
Eotaxin-3 (CCL26) exerts innate host defense activities that are modulated by mast cell proteases
Authors: A. Gela, G. Kasetty, S. Jovic, M. Ekoff, G. Nilsson, M. Mörgelin, S. Kjellström, J. E. Pease, A. Schmidtchen, A. Egesten
Journal: Allergy (2014)

During bacterial infections of the airways, a Th1-profiled inflammation promotes the production of several host defense proteins and peptides with antibacterial activities including β-defensins, ELR-negative CXC chemokines, and the cathelicidin LL-37. These are downregulated by Th2 cytokines of the allergic response. Instead, the eosinophil-recruiting chemokines eotaxin-1/CCL11, eotaxin-2/CCL24, and eotaxin-3/CCL26 are expressed. This study set out to investigate whether these chemokines could serve as innate host defense molecules during allergic inflammation.Antibacterial activities of the eotaxins were investigated using viable count assays, electron microscopy, and methods assessing bacterial permeabilization. Fragments generated by mast cell proteases were characterized, and their potential antibacterial, receptor-activating, and lipopolysaccharide-neutralizing activities were investigated.CCL11, CCL24, and CCL26 all showed potent bactericidal activity, mediated through membrane disruption, against the airway pathogens Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. CCL26 retained bactericidal activity in the presence of salt at physiologic concentrations, and the region holding the highest bactericidal activity was the cationic and amphipathic COOH-terminus. Proteolysis of CCL26 by chymase and tryptase, respectively, released distinct fragments of the COOH- and NH2 -terminal regions. The COOH-terminal fragment retained antibacterial activity while the NH2 -terminal had potent LPS-neutralizing properties in the order of CCL26 full-length protein. An identical fragment to NH2 -terminal fragment generated by tryptase was obtained after incubation with supernatants from activated mast cells. None of the fragments activated the CCR3-receptor.Taken together, the findings show that the eotaxins can contribute to host defense against common airway pathogens and that their activities are modulated by mast cell proteases.
Impact of smoking on histological liver lesions in chronic hepatitis C
Authors: C Hezode
Journal: Gut (2002)

To examine the association between smoking and histological liver lesions in chronic hepatitis C, we studied 244 consecutive patients (152 men, 92 women; mean age 45.9 (12.6) years) with histologically proven chronic hepatitis C. Daily tobacco consumption during the six months preceding liver biopsy was recorded as the number of cigarettes smoked daily. Total lifetime tobacco consumption was recorded as the number of cigarette packs smoked per year (packs-years). Liver biopsy specimens were graded for histological activity and fibrosis according to the METAVIR scoring system.The proportion of patients with moderate (A2) or marked (A3) activity increased gradually from 62.0% in non-smokers to 81.7% in patients who smoked more than 15 cigarettes per day (p<0.009). A similar relationship was observed with total lifetime tobacco consumption: 59.0% of patients who had never smoked had grade A2 or A3 disease activity compared with 84.6% of patients who smoked more than 20 packs per year (p<0.002). Multivariate analysis showed that age over 50 years (odds ratio (OR) 5.4), alcohol intake exceeding 20 g/day (OR 2.75), and tobacco consumption of more than 15 cigarettes/day (OR 3.6) were independently related to the histological activity score. No relationship was found between the severity of fibrosis and either daily tobacco consumption or total lifetime tobacco consumption. Multivariate analysis showed that only age over 50 years (OR 8.8), daily alcohol intake exceeding 30 g/day (OR 3.4), and histological activity score (OR 7.9) were independently related to the fibrosis score.This study suggests that smoking, independent of alcohol, could aggravate the histological activity of chronic hepatitis C and that patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection should be advised to reduce or stop smoking.