tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Balance control, flexibility, and cardiorespiratory fitness among older Tai Chi practitioners
Authors: Youlian Hong, Jing Xian Li, P D Robinson
Journal: British Journal of Sports Medicine (2000)

Background —Tai Chi Chuan (TTC) exercise has beneficial effects on the components of physical condition and can produce a substantial reduction in the risk of multiple falls. Previous studies have shown that short term TCC exercise did not improve the scores in the single leg stance test with eyes closed and the sit and reach test. There has apparently been no research into the effects of TCC on total body rotation flexibility and heart rate responses at rest and after a three minute step test. Methods —In this cross sectional study, 28 male TCC practitioners with an average age of 67.5 years old and 13.2 years of TCC exercise experience were recruited to form the TCC group. Another 30 sedentary men aged 66.2 were selected to serve as the control group. Measurements included resting heart rate, left and right single leg stance with eyes closed, modified sit and reach test, total body rotation test (left and right), and a three minute step test. Results —Compared with the sedentary group, the TCC group had significantly better scores in resting heart rate, three minute step test heart rate, modified sit and reach, total body rotation test on both right and left side (p&lt;0.01), and both right and left leg standing with eyes closed (p&lt;0.05). According to the American Fitness Standards, the TCC group attained the 90th percentile rank for sit and reach and total body rotation test, right and left. Conclusion —Long term regular TCC exercise has favourable effects on the promotion of balance control, flexibility, and cardiovascular fitness in older adults.
S57 Diabetes and latent tuberculosis infection: nested case-control study within the PREDICT cohort
Authors: C Jackson, J Southern, HS Whitworth, M Scott, C-Y Tsou, S Sridhar, V Nikolayevskyy, M Lipman, A Sitch, J Deeks, C Griffiths, F Drobniewski, A Lalvani, I Abubakar
Journal: Thorax (2013)

<h3>Background</h3> Diabetes is associated with an increased risk of tuberculosis disease, but it is unclear whether a similar association exists between diabetes and latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). <h3>Methods</h3> The ongoing UK PREDICT (Prognostic Evaluation of Diagnostic IGRAs Consortium) cohort study aims to recruit 10,000 participants to assess the predictive values of interferon gamma release assays (IGRAs) for the development of active TB in recent entrants to the UK and contacts of active TB cases. We used a nested case-control design within the first 5000 recruits in this cohort, to investigate the association between diabetes and LTBI. Participants in PREDICT provide demographic, medical and social information, including any history of diabetes. LTBI is detected using the two commercially available IGRAs, Quantiferon Gold In-Tube and TSpot.<i>TB</i>. Cases were individuals who tested positive on either or both IGRAs; controls were negative on both assays (or negative on one and indeterminate on the other). Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios and adjust for potential confounders. Assuming a 5% diabetes prevalence, 1084 cases and 3252 controls would allow the detection of a 1.5-fold increase of LTBI with 80% power and 5% error. <h3>Results</h3> Overall, 1388/4730 (29%) had a positive IGRA. 286/4730 (6%) reported a history of diabetes. Amongst diabetic participants, 168 used insulin and/or oral hypoglycaemic medications and 25 reported control through diet alone (1 participant was being monitored only and for 92 the level of control was unknown). Univariate analysis found an association between diabetes and LTBI (OR = 1.45 [95% CI 1.13–1.86], p = 0.003). After adjustment for age, this association was no longer apparent (OR = 1.15 [95% CI 0.88–1.50], p = 0.30). Adjustment for other variables in addition to age (sex, ethnicity, birthplace outside the UK, previous contact with a TB case, or previous TB diagnosis) did not substantially change the estimated age-adjusted OR relating diabetes to LTBI. Similar results were obtained when the analysis was restricted to contacts<i>.</i> <h3>Conclusions</h3> In the current PREDICT cohort, diabetes does not appear to be associated with LTBI after adjustment for age. The relationship between diabetes and TB disease observed elsewhere may reflect an increased risk of disease rather than infection.
DNA Repair Pathway Gene Expression Score Correlates with Repair Proficiency and Tumor Sensitivity to Chemotherapy
Authors: Sean P. Pitroda, Itai M. Pashtan, Hillary L. Logan, Brian Budke, Thomas E. Darga, Ralph R. Weichselbaum, Philip P. Connell
Journal: Science Translational Medicine (2014)

Measuring DNA repair pathway choice determines the sensitivity of cancers to individual classes of treatment.
Retinoid modulation of collagenase production by adherent human mononuclear cells in culture.
Authors: A Ohta, J S Louie, J Uitto
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (1987)

A girl with the syndrome of thrombocytopenia with absent radius had severe diarrhoea and dehydration relieved by withdrawal of cows9 milk and aggravated by its reintroduction on three occasions. Deterioration in gastrointestinal symptoms was associated with haematological relapse with thrombocytopenia, leucocytosis, anaemia, and eosinophilia. There appeared to be a correlation between milk exposure and the haematological and gastrointestinal disturbances. Supporting evidence from published reports for such a correlation is reviewed. Cows9 milk protein intolerance may be a factor in precipitating haematological relapse in susceptible infants with radius aplasia. Early withdrawal of cow9s milk protein should be tried in thrombocytopenia with absent radius, especially in cases with prominent gastrointestinal upset.
Increased mature and immature CCR3 messenger RNA+ eosinophils in bone marrow from patients with atopic asthma compared with atopic and nonatopic control subjects
Authors: K Zeibecoglou, S Ying, T Yamada, J North, J Burman, J Bungre, Q Meng, A B Kay, D S Robinson
Journal: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (1999)
Escherichia coli antibodies in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
Authors: S Tabaqchali, D P O'Donoghue, K A Bettelheim
Journal: Gut (1978)

Sera from 30 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (16 with Crohn's disease (CD) and 14 with ulcerative colitis (UC) were assayed for the presence of antibodies against 159 Escherichia coli O-antigens and compared with sera from 16 matched control subjects. The majority of patients with IBD had agglutinating antibodies to a higher number of Escherichia coli O-antigens and in higher titres than the control group. The number of positive agglutinins was O-33 mean 13.8 in CD, O-26 mean 7.9 for UC, and O-7 mean 1.5 in controls. Eight patients with IBD and arthropathy had antibodies to fewer O-antigens (O-7 mean 3.2). The antibodies were in the IgG and IgM, in titres corresponding to original values. No specific O-serotypes were associated with IBD. Common serotypes, R-plasmid carrying serotypes, and those associated with shigella-like adult diarrhoea were detected. O14 was detected only in five patients and O119 in none. There was no correlation between the number of Escherichia coli agglutinins and the site and severity of the disease or type of therapy. It is suggested that the presence of the high numbers of Escherichia coli antibodies is secondary to the disease process and is unlikely to be causally involved in the pathogenesis of the disease, but may play a role in the perpetuation of the disease and in the extraintestinal complications.
Randomized, Controlled Trial of an Easy-to-Read Informed Consent Statement for Clinical Trial Participation: A Study of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group
Authors: Cathy A. Coyne, Ronghui Xu, Peter Raich, Kathy Plomer, Mark Dignan, Lari B. Wenzel, Diane Fairclough, Thomas Habermann, Linda Schnell, Susan Quella, David Cella
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2003)

Studies have documented that the majority of consent documents for medical diagnosis and treatment are written at a reading level above that of the majority of the U.S. population. This study hypothesized that use of an easy-to-read consent statement, when compared with a standard consent statement, will result in higher patient comprehension of the clinical treatment protocol, lower patient anxiety, higher patient satisfaction, and higher patient accrual.A randomized controlled trial was conducted in 44 institutions that were members or affiliates of three cooperative oncology groups. Institutions were randomly assigned to administer either an easy-to-read consent statement or the standard consent statement to patients being recruited to participate in selected cancer treatment trials. Telephone interviews were conducted with a total of 207 patients to assess study outcomes.Patients in the intervention arm demonstrated significantly lower consent anxiety and higher satisfaction compared with patients in the control arm. Patient comprehension and state anxiety were not affected by the intervention. Accrual rates into the parent studies also did not differ significantly between the two study groups.Clinical trial informed consent statements can be modified to be easier to read without omitting critical information. Patient anxiety and satisfaction can be affected by the consent document. The generalizability of these study results is limited by the characteristics of the patient sample. Ninety percent of the sample were white women, and the mean Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine score was approximately 64, indicating a literacy level at or above the ninth grade.
Role of Smac in Determining the Chemotherapeutic Response of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Yang Xu, Lanping Zhou, Jing Huang, Fang Liu, Jian Yu, Qimin Zhan, Lin Zhang, Xiaohang Zhao
Journal: Clinical Cancer Research (2011)

Abstract Purpose: Second mitochondria-derived activator of caspase (Smac) regulates chemotherapy-induced apoptosis. Smac mimetics have been tested in clinical trials as chemosensitizers. We determined the role of Smac in modulating the chemosensitivity of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Experimental Design: Smac expression was evaluated in tissues from ESCC patients with differential chemotherapeutic responses. The effects of Smac knockdown and Smac mimetics on the chemosensitivity of ESCC cells and the molecular mechanisms by which Smac and Smac mimetics modulate chemosensitivity were determined. The therapeutic responses of ESCC cells with different Smac statuses were compared using xenograft models. Results: We found that Smac was significantly downregulated in most ESCC samples (36.8%, 25/68, P = 0.001), and Smac expression differed significantly (P &amp;lt; 0.05) between chemosensitive and chemoresistant tumors. The associations of tested factors and their responses were examined using logistic regression analysis. In ESCC cells treated with cisplatin, a common chemotherapeutic drug, Smac and cytochrome c were released from mitochondria, and caspase-3 and caspase-9 were activated. Knockdown of Smac abrogated cisplatin-induced apoptosis, mitochondrial dysfunction, cytochrome c release, and caspase activation. Smac deficiency also reduced the effect of cisplatin on long-term cell viability, and led to cisplatin resistance in xenograft tumors in vivo. LBW242, a small molecule Smac mimetic, enhanced cisplatin-induced apoptosis and caspase activation and restored cisplatin sensitivity in Smac-deficient cells. Conclusion: Our data suggested that downregulation of Smac may be a chemoresistance mechanism in ESCC. Combinations of Smac mimetics with chemotherapeutic agents may have therapeutic benefits for the treatment of esophageal cancer. Clin Cancer Res; 17(16); 5412–22. ©2011 AACR.
Conversion of a Delayed Rectifier K+ Channel to a Voltage-Gated Inward Rectifier K+ Channel by Three Amino Acid Substitutions
Authors: A.G Miller, R.W Aldrich
Journal: Neuron (1996)

Single, double, and triple mutations progressively shift Shaker activation to more hyperpolarized potentials, resulting in an increase in the fraction of inactivated channels at negative resting voltages. The most negatively shifted mutation, the triple mutant, behaves like an inward rectifier. What is usually considered activation for an inward rectifier is, for the triple mutant, recovery from inactivation, and what is usually considered deactivation is inactivation. This conversion from outward rectifier to inward rectifier does not rely on a difference in sign or direction of charge movement of the voltage sensor, since activation of the Shaker outward rectifier is due to a different gate than activation of the triple mutant inward rectifier. Other voltage-dependent inward rectifiers in the Shaker family may work by a similar mechanism.
Molecular mechanisms for the release of chemokines from human leukemic mast cell line (HMC)‐1 cells activated by SCF and TNF‐<i>α</i>: roles of ERK, p38 MAPK, and NF‐<i>κ</i>B
Authors: C. K. Wong, C. M. Tsang, W. K. Ip, C. W. K. Lam
Journal: Allergy (2006)

Mast cells play pivotal roles in IgE-mediated airway inflammation and other mast cell-mediated inflammation by activation and chemoattraction of inflammatory cells.We investigated the intracellular signaling mechanisms regulating chemokine release from human mast cell line-1 (HMC-1) cells activated by stem cell factor (SCF) or tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha.Chemokine gene expressions were assessed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, while the releases of chemokines were determined by flow cytometry or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). To elucidate the intracellular signal transduction regulating the chemokine expression, phosphorylated-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), phosphorylated-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear translocated nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB-DNA binding were quantitatively assessed by ELISA.Either SCF or TNF-alpha could induce release from HMC-1 cells of interleukin (IL)-8, monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, regulated upon activation normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), and I-309, while SCF and TNF-alpha induced release of macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1beta and interferon-gamma-inducible protein-10 (IP-10), respectively. Using various selective inhibitors for signaling molecules, we found that the inductions of IL-8, MCP-1, and I-309 were mediated by either SCF-activated ERK or TNF-alpha-activated p38 MAPK, while the induction of IP-10 by TNF-alpha was mediated by both activated p38 MAPK and NF-kappaB. The induction of RANTES by SCF or TNF-alpha was mediated by ERK and NF-kappaB, respectively, and SCF induced MIP-1beta release was mediated by ERK.The above results therefore elucidated the different intracellular signaling pathways regulating the release of different chemokines from SCF and TNF-alpha-activated mast cells, thereby shedding light for the immunopathological mechanisms of mast cell-mediated diseases.
Xanthine Oxidoreductase Is an Endogenous Regulator of Cyclooxygenase-2
Authors: Toshio Ohtsubo, Ilsa I. Rovira, Matthew F. Starost, Chengyu Liu, Toren Finkel
Journal: Circulation Research (2004)

Xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) is the enzyme responsible for the final step in purine degradation resulting in the generation of uric acid. Here we have generated mice deficient in XOR. As expected, these animals lack tissue XOR activity and have low to undetectable serum levels of uric acid. Although normal at birth, XOR-/- mice fail to thrive after 10 to 14 days, and most die within the first month. The cause of death appears to be a form of severe renal dysplasia, a phenotype that closely resembles what has been observed previously in cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)-deficient mice. We further demonstrate that in the first month of life, a period in which the mouse kidney is undergoing rapid maturation and remodeling, wild-type mice exhibit an approximately 30-fold increase in renal XOR activity, with a corresponding induction of COX-2 expression. In contrast, during this same period, XOR-/- animals fail to augment renal COX-2 expression. Finally, we show that in vitro and in vivo, uric acid can stimulate basal COX-2 expression. These results demonstrate that XOR activity is an endogenous physiological regulator of COX-2 expression and thereby provide insight into previous epidemiological evidence linking elevated serum uric levels with systemic hypertension and increased mortality from cardiovascular diseases. In addition, these results suggest a novel molecular link between cellular injury and the inflammatory response.
Adaptive Evolution of a Novel Drosophila Lectin Induced by Parasitic Wasp Attack
Authors: E. S. Keebaugh, T. A. Schlenke
Journal: Molecular Biology and Evolution (2011)

Drosophila melanogaster has long been used as a model for the molecular genetics of innate immunity. Such work has uncovered several immune receptors that recognize bacterial and fungal pathogens by binding unique components of their cell walls and membranes. Drosophila also act as hosts to metazoan pathogens such as parasitic wasps, which can infect a majority of individuals in natural populations, but many aspects of their immune responses against these more closely related pathogens are poorly understood. Here, we present data describing the transcriptional induction and molecular evolution of a candidate Drosophila anti-wasp immunity gene, lectin-24A. Lectin-24A has a secretion signal sequence and its lectin domain suggests a function in sugar group binding. Transcript levels of lectin-24A were induced significantly stronger and faster following wasp attack than following wounding or bacterial infection, demonstrating lectin-24A is not a general stress response or defense response gene but is instead part of a specific response against wasps. The major site of lectin-24A transcript production is the fat body, the main humoral immune tissue of flies. Interestingly, lectin-24A is a new gene of the D. melanogaster/Drosophila simulans clade, displaying very little homology to any other Drosophila lectins. Population genetic analyses of lectin-24A DNA sequence data from African and North American populations of D. melanogaster and D. simulans revealed gene length polymorphisms segregating at high frequencies as well as strong evidence of repeated and recent selective sweeps. Thus, lectin-24A is a rapidly evolving new gene that has seemingly developed functional importance for fly resistance against infection by parasitic wasps.
Association between conformational mutations in neuroserpin and onset and severity of dementia
Authors: Richard L Davis, Antony E Shrimpton, Robin W Carrell, David A Lomas, Lieselotte Gerhard, Bruno Baumann, Daniel A Lawrence, Manuel Yepes, Tai Seung Kim, Bernardino Ghetti, Pedro Piccardo, Masaki Takao, Felicitas Lacbawan, Maximilian Muenke, Richard N Sifers, Charles B Bradshaw, Paul F Kent, George H Collins, Daria Larocca, Peter D Holohan
Journal: The Lancet (2002)
Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Incidence of Bladder Cancer in a Male Prospective Cohort
Authors: D. S. Michaud, D. Spiegelman, S. K. Clinton, E. B. Rimm, W. C. Willett, E. L. Giovannucci
Journal: JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute (1999)

Previous epidemiologic studies of fruit and vegetable intake and bladder cancer risk have yielded inconsistent results, especially with regard to the types of fruits and vegetables consumed. We examined total fruit and vegetable intake, as well as intakes of subtypes of fruits and vegetables, in relation to bladder cancer risk in a large male prospective cohort study.Two hundred fifty-two cases of incident bladder cancer were diagnosed from 1986 through January 31, 1996, among 47,909 men enrolled in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Each participant in this cohort completed a 131-item food-frequency questionnaire in 1986 and subsequently in 1990 and 1994. We used logistic regression analyses to examine fruit and vegetable intake in relation to bladder cancer risk, after adjusting for age, history of cigarette smoking, current smoking status, geographic region, total fluid intake, and caloric intake.We observed a weak, inverse association that was not statistically significant between total fruit and vegetable intake and bladder cancer risk. Intake of cruciferous vegetables was inversely associated with risk (relative risk = 0.49; 95% confidence interval = 0.32-0.75, for the highest category of cruciferous vegetable intake compared with the lowest), but intakes of yellow or green leafy vegetables or carotenoid-rich vegetables were not associated with risk. Individual cruciferous vegetables, except for coleslaw, were all inversely related to bladder cancer risk, but only the associations for broccoli and cabbage were statistically significant.Data from this study indicate that high cruciferous vegetable consumption may reduce bladder cancer risk, but other vegetables and fruits may not confer appreciable benefits against this cancer.
Necrotizing fasciitis. Importance of roentgenographic studies for soft-tissue gas
Authors: J. R. Fisher
Journal: JAMA (1979)

Twenty-six patients with necrotizing fasciitis were treated during a nine-year period. Twenty-one (81%) had diabetes mellitus and 19 (73%) had gas in their soft tissues from nonclostridial infection. Although crepitation was found by physical examination in only five patients, roentgenographic examination of the involved site disclosed gas in every patient in whom it was subsequently found at surgery. Previous studies have not used roentgenography to search for soft-tissue gas. The 21 diabetic patients in our series had a mortality of 19%, the lowest yet reported. This suggested that roentgenographic study of cases with fasciitis permits earlier diagnosis and favorably affects outcome.
CD1: Antigen Presentation and T Cell Function
Authors: Manfred Brigl, Michael B. Brenner
Journal: Annual Review of Immunology (2004)

This review summarizes the major features of CD1 genes and proteins, the patterns of intracellular trafficking of CD1 molecules, and how they sample different intracellular compartments for self- and foreign lipids. We describe how lipid antigens bind to CD1 molecules with their alkyl chains buried in hydrophobic pockets and expose their polar lipid headgroup whose fine structure is recognized by the TCR of CD1-restricted T cells. CD1-restricted T cells carry out effector, helper, and adjuvant-like functions and interact with other cell types including macrophages, dendritic cells, NK cells, T cells, and B cells, thereby contributing to both innate and adaptive immune responses. Insights gained from mice and humans now delineate the extensive range of diseases in which CD1-restricted T cells play important roles and reveal differences in the role of CD1a, CD1b, and CD1c in contrast to CD1d. Invariant TCR alpha chains, self-lipid reactivity, and rapid effector responses empower a subset of CD1d-restricted T cells (NKT cells) to have unique effector functions without counterpart among MHC-restricted T cells. This review describes the function of CD1-restricted T cells in antimicrobial responses, antitumor immunity, and in regulating the balance between tolerance and autoimmunity.
Single agent carboplatin for CS IIA/B testicular seminoma. A phase II study of the German Testicular Cancer Study Group (GTCSG)
Authors: S. Krege, C. Boergermann, R. Baschek, A. Hinke, T. Pottek, S. Kliesch, K.-P. Dieckmann, P. Albers, B. Knutzen, S. Weinknecht, H.-J. Schmoll, J. Beyer, H. Ruebben
Journal: Annals of Oncology (2005)