tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Labile Variations of Intraventricular Conduction Unrelated to Rate Changes
Authors: ALDEN S. GOOCH, RICHARD S. CROW
Journal: Circulation (1968)

An example of unstable intraventricular conduction is presented. Several unusual features of this type of conduction are described. These are: (1) variable intraventricular conduction which was sensitive to multiple stimuli but not clearly related to changes in heart rate, (2) mid and terminal QRS changes reflected only in the left lateral chest leads and in the mid and terminal QRS portions of the vectorcardiogram, (3) constant association of prolonged P-R interval suggesting that this is a variety of bilateral bundle-branch block, and (4) apparent persistence of the peculiar intraventricular conduction for at least 4 years. Multiple involvement of the conduction system is probably present, and functional variations in distal portions of the left ventricular conduction system account for these labile changes. Predictable QRS patterns can be produced by various stimuli which alter intraventricular conduction.
Mining the Arabidopsis thaliana genome for highly-divergent seven transmembrane receptors.
Authors: Etsuko N Moriyama, Pooja K Strope, Stephen O Opiyo, Zhongying Chen, Alan M Jones
Journal: Genome biology (2006)

Abstract To identify divergent seven-transmembrane receptor (7TMR) candidates from the Arabidopsis thaliana genome, multiple protein classification methods were combined, including both alignment-based and alignment-free classifiers. This resolved problems in optimally training individual classifiers using limited and divergent samples, and increased stringency for candidate proteins. We identified 394 proteins as 7TMR candidates and highlighted 54 with corresponding expression patterns for further investigation.
Allergen-specific Immunotherapy with Purified nAlt a1: Effects on AMP Responsiveness, Exhaled Nitric Oxide and Exhaled Breath Condensate pH
Authors: D. Aldana, L. Prieto, R. Palacios, C. Perez-Frances, A. Ferrer, V. Lopez, D. Rodriguez, R. Rojas
Journal: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (2010)
8-Isoprostane increases expression of interleukin-8 in human macrophages through activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases
Authors: H Scholz
Journal: Cardiovascular Research (2003)

Background and objectives: 8-Isoprostane is a marker of oxidative stress in vivo and increased plasma and urine levels are found in patients with vascular disease and in atherosclerotic plaques. Inflammatory chemokines such as interleukin (IL)-8 seem to play an important pathogenic role in atherogenesis. We therefore investigated the effects of 8-isoprostane on the expression of inflammatory chemokines with consciousness on IL-8 (mRNA and protein) in human macrophages. In addition, we studied the involvement of mitogen-activated protein kinases (ERK 1/2 and p38 MAPK) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) in this process. Methods and results: 8-Isoprostane (10 μM) induced IL-8 expression (mRNA and protein), measured by real-time quantitative RT-PCR and enzyme immunoassay, respectively, in both THP-1 macrophages and human monocyte-derived macrophages. Moreover, 8-isoprostane increased mRNA expression of macrophage inflammatory protein-1α as determined by RNase protection assay. In this process, 8-isoprostane induced the activation of two major MAP-kinases; ERK 1/2 and p38 MAPK. Furthermore, the ERK 1/2 inhibitor, PD98059, and the p38 MAPK inhibitor, SB203580, markedly reduced 8-isoprostane-induced IL-8 expression (mRNA and protein), while inhibition of NF-κB activation and translocation had no significant effect on IL-8 expression. Conclusions: We show that 8-isoprostane increases IL-8 expression in human macrophages involving both ERK 1/2 and p38 MAPK, but not NF-κB signaling pathway. These findings further support a link between oxidative stress/lipid peroxidation and inflammation in human macrophages and suggest a role for 8-isoprostane in this process. This 8-isoprostane-induced chemokine expression might be involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis as well as other inflammatory disorders.
Structure of the Azurocidin, Proteinase 3, and Neutrophil Elastase Genes: Implications for Inflammation and Vasculitis
Authors: Dieter E. Jenne
Journal: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (1994)

The granule-associated elastase homologues neutrophil elastase (NE), proteinase 3 (PR3), and azurocidin (AZU) are involved in immune defense reactions of neutrophils and monocytes. Proteinase 3 and NE contribute to the destruction and elimination of microorganisms, cleave elastin and other proteins of connective tissues, and generate chemotactic activities by forming α1-proteinase inhibitor (α1-PI) complexes. Azurocidin is cytotoxic to certain microorganisms and chemotactic to monocytes. All three proteins are produced and packaged into azurophil granules in large quantities during neutrophil development. The genes encoding AZU, PR3, and NE are closely clustered in this sequence within 50 kb of genomic DNA and have the same transcriptional orientation. All three genes show the same exon-intron organization as neutrophil cathepsin G, mast cell chymase 1, and the lymphocyte serine proteases, granzymes A, B, and H. The AZU-PR3-NE gene cluster was mapped to the telomeric region on the short arm of human chromosome 19 (19p13.3), whereas cathepsin G, lymphocyte granzymes Band H, and mast cell chymase 1 are organized as a separate gene cluster on chromosome 14q11.2. Neutrophil-derived serine proteases are widely regarded as pathogenic factors in degenerative and inflammatory diseases with abnormal tissue catabolism. Autoantibodies against PR3 are an obligate feature in the pathogenesis of Wegener's granulomatosis, a systemic autoimmune vasculitis. In addition, PR3 appears to regulate growth and terminal differentiation of the myelomonocyte lineage. Future investigations will clarify whether allelic variations in the AZU-PR3-NE locus predispose patients to increased degradation of elastic fibers, as in pulmonary emphysema, and to the formation of autoantibodies against PR3 in patients with Wegener's granulomatosis.
NEW APPROACHES FOR THE LABORATORY RECOGNITION OF M TYPES OF GROUP A STREPTOCOCCI
Authors: Jiri Rotta, Richard M. Krause, Rebecca C. Lancefield, William Everly, Henry Lackland
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1971)

The successful classification of Group A streptococci by the capillary precipitin technique requires a complete series of M type antisera which are sufficiently potent and specific to give unequivocal type-specific reactions with all the serotypes. Specific antisera for this purpose have been prepared by absorption with heterologous streptococci. Unabsorbed antisera have been employed here in the Ouchterlony double-diffusion agar-gel test to identify the M type of streptococci. Techniques have been developed for making this method of M typing fully reliable. The results reported here confirm and amplify the original findings of Michael and Massell (3). With crude HCl extracts and unabsorbed M type antisera, a precipitin line due to the M protein and another to the group-specific carbohydrate are the two major reactions observed. These reactions, however, are usually readily distinguishable. There was a surprising lack of cross-reactive precipitin lines due to non-type-specific protein antigens in the extracts. Although many of the unabsorbed M type antisera can be employed in the double-diffusion tests, the group-specific antibody must be removed from some of the unabsorbed antisera to avoid confusing cross-reactions. Absorption of these antibodies has been achieved by means of a specific immunoabsorbent column prepared from para-aminophenyl-beta-N-acetylglucosamine and cyanogen bromide-activated Sepharose. Excellent agreement was observed between the M typing results obtained on 117 field strains by the conventional capillary precipitin method and the Ouchterlony double-diffusion method.
Public Reporting of Health Care–Associated Surveillance Data: Recommendations From the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee
Authors: Thomas R. Talbot
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2013)

Health care–associated infection (HAI) rates are used as measures of a health care facility's quality of patient care. Recently, these outcomes have been used to publicly rank quality efforts and determine facility reimbursement. The value of comparing HAI rates among health care facilities is limited by many factors inherent to HAI surveillance, and incentives that reward low HAI rates can lead to unintended consequences that can compromise medical care surveillance efforts, such as the use of clinical adjudication panels to veto events that meet HAI surveillance definitions. The Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee, a federal advisory committee that provides advice and guidance to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services about strategies for surveillance, prevention, and control of HAIs, assessed the challenges associated with using HAI surveillance data for external quality reporting, including the unintended consequences of clinician veto and clinical adjudication panels. Discussions with stakeholder liaisons and committee members were then used to formulate recommended standards for the use of HAI surveillance data for external facility assessment to ensure valid comparisons and to provide as level a playing field as possible. The final recommendations advocate for consistent, objective, and independent application of CDC HAI definitions with concomitant validation of HAIs and surveillance processes. The use of clinician veto and adjudication is discouraged.
The effect of protective headgear on head injuries and concussions in adolescent football (soccer) players
Authors: J S Delaney, A Al-Kashmiri, R Drummond, J A Correa
Journal: British Journal of Sports Medicine (2007)

To examine the effects of protective headgear in adolescent football (soccer) players.Cross-sectional study.Oakville Soccer Club, Oakville, Canada.Football players aged 12-17 years.A questionnaire examining the 2006 football season using self-reported symptoms.The number of concussions experienced during the current football season, the duration of symptoms, injuries to the head and face and any associated risk factors for these injuries.In the population studied, 47.8% had experienced symptoms of a concussion during the current football year. 26.9% of athletes who wore headgear (HG) and 52.8% of those who did not wear headgear (No-HG) had concussions. Approximately 4 out of 5 athletes in each group did not realize they had suffered a concussion. More than one concussion was experienced by 50.0% of the concussed HG athletes and 69.3% of the concussed No-HG group. 23.9% of all concussed players experienced symptoms for at least 1 day or longer. Variables that increased the risk of suffering a concussion during the 2006 football year included being female and not wearing headgear. Being female and not wearing football headgear increased the risk of suffering an abrasion, laceration or contusion on areas of the head covered by football headgear.Adolescent football players experience a significant number of concussions. Being female may increase the risk of suffering a concussion and injuries on the head and face, while the use of football headgear may decrease the risk of sustaining these injuries.
Ca-dependent reduction of I in rat ventricular cells: A novel paradigm for arrhythmia in heart failure?
Authors: J FAUCONNIER, A LACAMPAGNE, J RAUZIER, G VASSORT, S RICHARD
Journal: Cardiovascular Research (2005)

We investigated the inward rectifier potassium current (I(K1)), which can be blocked by intracellular Ca(2+), in heart failure (HF). We used the whole-cell patch-clamp technique to record I(K1) from single rat ventricular myocytes in voltage-clamp conditions. Fluorescence measurements of diastolic Ca(2+) were performed with Indo-1 AM. HF was examined 8 weeks after myocardial infarction (coronary artery ligation). I(K1) was reduced and diastolic Ca(2+) was increased in HF cells. The reduction of I(K1) was attenuated when EGTA was elevated from 0.5 to 10 mM in the patch pipette and prevented with high BAPTA (20 mM). Ryanodine (100 nM) and FK506 (10 microM), both of which promote spontaneous SR Ca(2+) release from ryanodine receptor (RyR2) during diastole, reproduced the effect of HF on I(K1) in normal cells but had no effect in HF cells. The effects of ryanodine and FK506 were not additive and were prevented by BAPTA. Rapamycin (10 microM), which removes FKBP binding proteins from RyR2 with no effect on calcineurin, mimicked the effect of FK506 on I(K1). Cyclosporine A (10 microM), which inhibits calcineurin via cyclophilins, had no effect. In both HF cells and normal cells treated by FK506, the protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor staurosporine totally restored the inward component of I(K1), but only partially restored its outward component at potentials corresponding to the late repolarizing phase of the action potential (-80 to -40 mV). I(K1) is reduced by elevated diastolic Ca(2+)in HF, which involves in parallel PKC-dependent and PKC-independent mechanisms. This regulation provides a novel paradigm for Ca(2+)-dependent modulation of membrane potential in HF. Since enhanced RyR2-mediated Ca(2+)release also reduces I(K1), this paradigm might be relevant for arrhythmias related to acquired or inherited RyR2 dysfunction.
Pulmonary Rheumatoid Disease
Authors: F. D. Hart, D. H. Mackenzie
Journal: BMJ (1955)

Pulmonary Rheumatoid DiseaseIn 1948 one of us (F.D. H.) reported tentatively a possible case of rheumatoid lung disease.Although the patient was still alive and the diagnosis therefore not fully proved, it was thought worth recording in the light of the paper by Ellman and Ball (1948).This is the 'case referred to by Aronoff, Bywaters, and Fearnley (1955).CASE HISTORY The patient, a male born in 1905, developed rheumatoid arthritis in 1934in , relapsing in 1941in and 1947in .In 1943 he noticed clubbing of his fingers, and in 1945 had a sudden
Risk factors and incidence of thromboembolic events (TEEs) in older men and women with breast cancer
Authors: M. Chavez-MacGregor, H. Zhao, M. Kroll, S. Fang, N. Zhang, G.N. Hortobagyi, T.A. Buchholz, Y.-C. Shih, S.H. Giordano
Journal: Annals of Oncology (2011)
Do gender differences in spatial skills mediate gender differences in mathematics among high-ability students?
Authors: M. Beth Casey
Journal: Behavioral and Brain Sciences (1996)

Abstract Based on Geary's theory, intelligence may determine which males utilize innate spatial knowledge to inform their mathematical solutions. This may explain why math gender differences occur mainly with higher abilities. In support, we found that mental rotation ability served as a mediator of gender differences on the math Scholastic Assessment Test for two high-ability samples. Our research suggests, however, that environment and biology interact to influence mental rotation abilities.
TXNIP Regulates Peripheral Glucose Metabolism in Humans
Authors: Hemang Parikh, Emma Carlsson, William A Chutkow, Lovisa E Johansson, Heidi Storgaard, Pernille Poulsen, Richa Saxena, Christine Ladd, P. Christian Schulze, Michael J Mazzini, Christine Bjørn Jensen, Anna Krook, Marie Björnholm, Hans Tornqvist, Juleen R Zierath, Martin Ridderstråle, David Altshuler, Richard T Lee, Allan Vaag, Leif C Groop, Vamsi K Mootha
Journal: PLoS Medicine (2007)

Background Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is characterized by defects in insulin secretion and action. Impaired glucose uptake in skeletal muscle is believed to be one of the earliest features in the natural history of T2DM, although underlying mechanisms remain obscure. Methods and Findings We combined human insulin/glucose clamp physiological studies with genome-wide expression profiling to identify thioredoxin interacting protein (TXNIP) as a gene whose expression is powerfully suppressed by insulin yet stimulated by glucose. In healthy individuals, its expression was inversely correlated to total body measures of glucose uptake. Forced expression of TXNIP in cultured adipocytes significantly reduced glucose uptake, while silencing with RNA interference in adipocytes and in skeletal muscle enhanced glucose uptake, confirming that the gene product is also a regulator of glucose uptake. TXNIP expression is consistently elevated in the muscle of prediabetics and diabetics, although in a panel of 4,450 Scandinavian individuals, we found no evidence for association between common genetic variation in the TXNIP gene and T2DM. Conclusions TXNIP regulates both insulin-dependent and insulin-independent pathways of glucose uptake in human skeletal muscle. Combined with recent studies that have implicated TXNIP in pancreatic β-cell glucose toxicity, our data suggest that TXNIP might play a key role in defective glucose homeostasis preceding overt T2DM.
Clinical Follow-up of Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Mitral Balloon Valvotomy
Authors: Igor F. Palacios, Murat E. Tuzcu, Arthur E. Weyman, John B. Newell, Peter C. Block
Journal: Circulation (1995)

Background This study is the clinical follow-up (20±12 months; range, 6 to 49 months) of 327 patients who had percutaneous mitral balloon valvotomy (PMV) at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Methods and Results There were seven in-hospital deaths. Patients were divided into two groups according to their echocardiographic score; 211 patients had echocardiographic scores ≤8 and 116, echocardiographic scores &gt;8. Patients with echocardiographic scores &gt;8 were older (64±11 versus 48±14 years, P &lt;.01), and more had atrial fibrillation (65% versus 40%, P &lt;.01), calcium under fluoroscopy (81% versus 29%, P &lt;.01), and previous surgical commissurotomy (30% versus 16%, P &lt;.01) than patients with echocardiographic scores ≤8. With PMV, mitral valve area increased from 1.0±0.3 to 2.2±0.8 cm 2 in patients with echocardiographic scores ≤8 and from 0.8±1 to 1.7±0.7 cm 2 in those with echocardiographic scores &gt;8. Rates of survival (98±2% versus 72±11%), survival with freedom from mitral valve replacement (91±4% versus 55±13%), and survival with freedom from combined events (79±10% versus 39±18%) at follow-up were greater in patients with echocardiographic scores ≤8 ( P &lt;.00005). Cox regression analysis identified the echocardiographic score as the most important unfavorable intermediate long-term follow-up prediction factor after PMV. Conclusions The excellent intermediate long-term clinical follow-up of patients with echocardiographic score ≤8 and no calcified mitral valves suggests that PMV may be the treatment of choice in this group of patients.
Role of RANK ligand in mediating increased bone resorption in early postmenopausal women
Authors: Guitty Eghbali-Fatourechi, Sundeep Khosla, Arunik Sanyal, William J. Boyle, David L. Lacey, B. Lawrence Riggs
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (2003)

Studies in rodents have implicated various cytokines as paracrine mediators of increased osteoclastogenesis during estrogen deficiency, but increases in RANKL, the final effector of osteoclastogenesis, have not been demonstrated. Thus, we isolated bone marrow mononuclear cells expressing RANKL on their surfaces by two-color flow cytometry using FITC-conjugated osteoprotegerin-Fc (OPG-Fc-FITC) as a probe. The cells were characterized as preosteoblastic marrow stromal cells (MSCs), T lymphocytes, or B lymphocytes by using Ab's against bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP), CD3, and CD20, respectively, in 12 premenopausal women (Group A), 12 early postmenopausal women (Group B), and 12 age-matched, estrogen-treated postmenopausal women (Group C). Fluorescence intensity of OPG-Fc-FITC, an index of the surface concentration of RANKL per cell, was increased in Group B over Groups A and C by two- to threefold for MSCs, T cells, B cells, and total RANKL-expressing cells. Moreover, in the merged groups, RANKL expression per cell correlated directly with the bone resorption markers, serum C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen and urine N-telopeptide of type I collagen, in all three cell types and inversely with serum 17beta-estradiol for total RANKL-expressing cells. The data suggest that upregulation of RANKL on bone marrow cells is an important determinant of increased bone resorption induced by estrogen deficiency.
Global target mRNA specification and regulation by the RNA-binding protein ZFP36
Authors: Neelanjan Mukherjee, Nicholas C Jacobs, Markus Hafner, Elizabeth A Kennington, Jeffrey D Nusbaum, Thomas Tuschl, Perry J Blackshear, Uwe Ohler
Journal: Genome biology (2014)

ZFP36, also known as tristetraprolin or TTP, and ELAVL1, also known as HuR, are two disease-relevant RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) that both interact with AU-rich sequences but have antagonistic roles. While ELAVL1 binding has been profiled in several studies, the precise in vivo binding specificity of ZFP36 has not been investigated on a global scale. We determined ZFP36 binding preferences using cross-linking and immunoprecipitation in human embryonic kidney cells, and examined the combinatorial regulation of AU-rich elements by ZFP36 and ELAVL1.Targets bound and negatively regulated by ZFP36 include transcripts encoding proteins necessary for immune function and cancer, and transcripts encoding other RBPs. Using partial correlation analysis, we were able to quantify the association between ZFP36 binding sites and differential target RNA abundance upon ZFP36 overexpression independent of effects from confounding features. Genes with increased mRNA half-lives in ZFP36 knockout versus wild-type mouse cells were significantly enriched for our human ZFP36 targets. We identified thousands of overlapping ZFP36 and ELAVL1 binding sites, in 1,313 genes, and found that ZFP36 degrades transcripts through specific AU-rich sequences, representing a subset of the U-rich sequences ELAVL1 interacts with to stabilize transcripts.ZFP36-RNA target specificities in vivo are quantitatively similar to previously reported in vitro binding affinities. ZFP36 and ELAVL1 bind an overlapping spectrum of RNA sequences, yet with differential relative preferences that dictate combinatorial regulatory potential. Our findings and methodology delineate an approach to unravel in vivo combinatorial regulation by RNA-binding proteins.
Immunofluorescence detection of new antigen-antibody system (delta/anti-delta) associated to hepatitis B virus in liver and in serum of HBsAg carriers.
Authors: M Rizzetto, M G Canese, S Arico, O Crivelli, C Trepo, F Bonino, G Verme
Journal: Gut (1977)

A new antigen-antibody system associated with the hepatitis B virus and immunologically distinct from the HB surface, core, and e systems is reported. The new antigen, termed delta, was detected by direct immunofluorescence only in the liver cell nuclei of patients with HBsAg positive chronic liver disease. At present, the intrahepatic expression of HBcAg and delta antigen appears to be mutually exclusive. No ultrastructural aspect corresponding to the delta antigen could be identified under the electron microscope. delta antibody was found in the serum of chronic HBsAg carriers, with a higher prevalence in patients with liver damage. The nuclear fluorescence patterns of HBcAg and delta antigen were similar; it is only possible to discriminate between the two antigens by using the respective specific antisera.