tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
"Hospital at home" versus hospital care in patients with exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: prospective randomised controlled trial
Authors: L Davies
Journal: BMJ (2000)

<h3>Abstract</h3> <b>Objectives:</b> To compare "hospital at home" and hospital care as an inpatient in acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. <b>Design:</b> Prospective randomised controlled trial with three months9 follow up. <b>Setting:</b> University teaching hospital offering secondary care service to 350 000 patients. <b>Patients:</b> Selected patients with an exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease where hospital admission had been recommended after medical assessment. <b>Interventions:</b> Nurse administered home care was provided as an alternative to inpatient admission. <b>Main outcome measures:</b> Readmission rates at two weeks and three months, changes in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV<sub>1</sub>) from baseline at these times and mortality. <b>Results:</b> 583 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease referred for admission were assessed. 192 met the criteria for home care, and 42 refused to enter the trial. 100 were randomised to home care and 50 to hospital care. On admission, FEV<sub>1</sub> after use of a bronchodilator was 36.1% (95% confidence interval 2.4% to 69.8%) predicted in home care and 35.1% (6.3% to 63.9%) predicted in hospital care. No significant difference was found in FEV<sub>1</sub> after use of a bronchodilator at two weeks (42.6%, 3.4% to 81.8% versus 42.1%, 5.1% to 79.1%) or three months (41.5%, 8.2% to 74.8% versus 41.9%, 6.2% to 77.6%) between the groups. 37% of patients receiving home care and 34% receiving hospital care were readmitted at three months. No significant difference was found in mortality between the groups at three months (9% versus 8%). <b>Conclusions:</b> Hospital at home care is a practical alternative to emergency admission in selected patients with exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Correlation of T cell receptor V beta gene family with MHC restriction.
Authors: P A Morel, A M Livingstone, C G Fathman
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1987)

We have studied a panel of DBA/2 T cell clones specific for sperm whale myoglobin (SpW Mb) for TCR (T cell receptor) beta chain gene expression by FACS analysis using the monoclonal antibodies F23.1 and KJ16 specific for the V beta 8 family of the TCR beta chain genes. Within any given specificity group, all the clones tested came from different mice. 10 of 11 I-Ed-restricted SpW Mb-specific T cell clones were F23.1+; 8 of these were also KJ16+. Only one of the three I-Ad-restricted clones tested was F23.1+; this clone was KJ16 negative. This study has demonstrated that I-Ed-restricted T cell clones from DBA/2 mice express members of the TCR V beta 8 family irrespective of the epitopes of SpW Mb recognized. These data suggest an apparent correlation between TCR V beta expression and MHC restriction.
Involvement of Drug-Specific T Cells in Acute Drug-Induced Interstitial Nephritis
Authors: Zoi Spanou, Monika Keller, Markus Britschgi, Nikhil Yawalkar, Thomas Fehr, Jörg Neuweiler, Mathias Gugger, Markus Mohaupt, Werner J. Pichler
Journal: Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (2006)

Drug-induced interstitial nephritis can be caused by a plethora of drugs and is characterized by a sudden impairment of renal function, mild proteinuria, and sterile pyuria. For investigation of the possible pathomechanism of this disease, drug-specific T cells were analyzed, their function was characterized, and these in vitro findings were correlated to histopathologic changes that were observed in kidney biopsy specimens. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from three patients showed a proliferative response to only one of the administered drugs, namely flucloxacillin, penicillin G, and disulfiram, respectively. The in vitro analysis of the flucloxacillin-reactive cells showed an oligoclonal immune response with an outgrowth of T cells bearing the T cell receptor Vβ9 and Vβ21.3. Moreover, flucloxacillin-specific T cell clones could be generated from peripheral blood, they expressed CD4 and the αβ-T cell receptor, and showed a heterogeneous cytokine secretion pattern with no clear commitment to either a Th1- or Th2-type response. The immunohistochemistry of kidney biopsies of these patients revealed cell infiltrations that consisted mostly of T cells (CD4+ and/or CD8+). An augmented presence of IL-5, eosinophils, neutrophils, CD68+ cells, and IL-12 was observed. In agreement with negative cytotoxicity assays, no cytotoxicity-related molecules such as Fas and perforin were detected by immunohistochemistry. The data indicate that drug-specific T cells are activated locally and orchestrate a local inflammation via secretion of various cytokines, the type of which depends on the cytokine pattern secreted and which probably is responsible for the renal damage.
A new case of high‐molecular‐weight kininogen inherited deficiency
Authors: Jean‐Jacques Lefrère, Marie‐Hélène Horellou, Danièle Gozin, Jacqueline Conard, Jean‐Yves Muller, Michael Clark, Jean‐Pierre Soulier, Meyer Samama
Journal: American Journal of Hematology (1986)

A preoperative hemostasis study discovered a prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time in a 23-year-old Portuguese Caucasian woman without personal or past family history of hemorrhage or thrombosis. This was corrected by pooled plasma that excluded circulating anticoagulant. Activated partial thromboplastin time was prolonged whatever the activator, particularly ellagic acid, and was not corrected by prolonged kaolin incubation. Levels of factors VIII and XII were normal; factor XI and prekallikrein levels were either moderately low or normal according to activators and defective reagents used. High-molecular-weight kininogen (HMWK) level assessed by coagulation and immunological method was virtually nil. Fibrinolysis activity was normal before and after venous occlusion. The programmed operation was performed without any particular preparation and no complication arose. Family investigation found heterozygous HMWK deficiency in the proposita's father and three of her siblings.
Inhibition of the miRNA familiy miR-130 restores the expression of CDKN1A (p21) and ameliorates hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension
Authors: Matthias Brock, Thomas J. Haider, Max Gassmann, Johannes Vogel, Malcolm Kohler, Silvia Ulrich, Lars C. Huber
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2014)

Background.  Excessive proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells is the major pathogenetic factor in vascular remodelling observed in pulmonary hypertension (PH). Our previous results identified the tumour suppressor cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (CDKN)1A as a direct target of microRNA (miR)-130, which was found to be upregulated in experimental PH. Here we antagonized miR-130 by LNA-modified seed blockers  in vivo .   Methods.  To induce experimental PH the hypoxia mouse model (10% oxygen for 5 weeks) was used. LNA-modified seed blockers directed against the miR-130 family (LNA-130) were injected intraperitoneally (2.5mg/kg body weight, after 21d and 28d). Right ventricular hypertrophy was assessed by the ratio of right to left ventricular volume (Fulton index). Tissue expression of CDKN1A was analysed by Western Blotting.   Results.  The Fulton index increased in mice under hypoxic conditions as compared to normoxic controls (from 0.25±0.04 to 0.4±0.07, p   Conclusion.  We show here that the use of LNA-130 in experimental PH is a feasible approach to restore the expression of the tumour suppressor p21 and to prevent right ventricular hypertrophy. These data confirm the important role of miR-130 in PH.
Diagnostic accuracy of cardiothoracic ratio on admission chest radiography to detect left or right ventricular systolic dysfunction: a retrospective study
Authors: Harmeet S Chana, Claire A Martin, Holly E Cakebread, Felicia D Adjei, Parag R Gajendragadkar
Journal: Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine (2015)

Objectives To determine the diagnostic accuracy of the cardiothoracic ratio on postero-anterior or antero-posterior chest radiographs in predicting left ventricular or right ventricular dysfunction on echocardiography in an inpatient population. Design Retrospective study. Setting Two secondary care hospitals in the United Kingdom. Participants Four hundred consecutive inpatient echocardiograms were screened for inclusion along with chest radiographs (both postero-anterior and antero-posterior). The cardiothoracic ratio was calculated from chest radiographs along with quantitative and qualitative measures of left ventricular or right ventricular dysfunction on echocardiography. Main outcome measures Sensitivity and specificity of cardiothoracic ratio across a range of values to detect moderate/severe left ventricular and/or right ventricular dysfunction on echocardiography. Results Overall, 272 records met inclusion criteria. The prevalence of left ventricular/right ventricular dysfunction on echocardiography was 26% in an inpatient population with high clinical suspicion of cardiac disease referred for echocardiography. Over a range of cardiothoracic ratio values on postero-anterior films, a value of &gt;0.55 yielded the best sensitivity (62.5%) and specificity (76.5%) for diagnosing left ventricular/right ventricular impairment (positive likelihood ratio 2.56), with a positive predictive value of 29.5%. Cardiothoracic ratio on antero-posterior film was not predictive of left ventricular/right ventricular impairment on echocardiography. Conclusions In conclusion, in the context of an acute admission, cardiothoracic ratio measured on postero-anterior or antero-posterior films has limited value in detecting moderate left ventricular and/or right ventricular systolic dysfunction. Previously established absolute values may be unreliable by modern standards.
Cholera isolates in relation to the "eighth pandemic"
Authors: NoelW. Preston, Tetsuya Iida, Jyotsna Shrestha, Koichiro Yamamoto, Takeshi Honda, M.John Albert, Marta Rivas, Claudia Toma, Elizabeth Miliwebsky, MaríaI. Caffer, Marcelo Galas, Pablo Varela, Mónica Tous, AnaM. Bru
Journal: The Lancet (1993)
A FURTHER STUDY OF THE REGENERATED EPITHELIUM IN CHRONIC URANIUM NEPHRITIS. AN ANATOMICAL INVESTIGATION OF ITS FUNCTION
Authors: Jean Oliver
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1916)

1. Definite morphological changes occur in the batonnets of the proximal convoluted tubule in stages of activity. 2. Atypical mitochondria but no batonnets exist in the regenerated cells found in chronic uranium nephritis. 3. No secretion of urea occurs in these cells which do not contain the cell organs. 4. The urea is secreted normally in the proximal convoluted tubule only (Leschke). 5. The urea appears in the form of granules, which are arranged in definite rows. 6. It is suggested that the secretion of the urea is by means of the mitochondrial batonnets which act as condensors.
Progression of radiological changes in rheumatoid arthritis.
Authors: D L Scott, K A Grindulis, G R Struthers, B L Coulton, A J Popert, P A Bacon
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (1984)

A prospective study over one year of patients who had active rheumatoid arthritis discovered 64 who had received treatment for an adequate time with second-line drugs.In these patients there was evidence of continuing joint destruction as shown by radiological progression.During the year there were highly significant correlations between improvements in clinical and laboratory measurements, but neither group of tests was related to the degree of radiological change.However, in the second 6 months of treatment there was evidence that radiological progression was reduced.In a second prospective study of 88 patients with rheumatoid arthritis given prolonged, intensive therapy with second-line drugs and followed up for 10 years two-thirds showed radiological progression.However, the number of joints damaged per year fell significantly during the study period.There was a divergence between deterioration in radiological features and improvements in the ESR and functional capacity, though patients with a persistently low ESR had less radiological progression.These studies provide evidence that treatment may be associated with a reduced rate of radiological progression but suggest that changes in radiological progression and clinical and laboratory measurements may result from different mechanisms.
A description of the ligament length of the index and long proximal interphalangeal joints using 3d laser scanning
Authors: Sandeep Sandhu, Stephanie Dreckmann, Paul Binhammer
Journal: International Journal of Surgery (2013)

s / International Journal of Surgery 11 (2013) 589e685 679 ABSTRACTS age (p1⁄40.005). 120 patients underwent SLNB as part of their primary surgery. 31.6% (n1⁄438) had a positive SLN; these melanomas were more likely to have a high mitotic-index (>3.9 mm2) (p1⁄40.003), ulceration (p1⁄40.024), LVI (p1⁄40.001), and thicker breslows depth (p<0.001). Conclusion: These findings confirm that the biologic behaviour of malignant-melanoma can be predicted by clinic-pathological parameters and SLNB should be undertaken in melanomas exhibiting these features. 0524: A DESCRIPTION OF THE LIGAMENT LENGTH OF THE INDEX AND LONG PROXIMAL INTERPHALANGEAL JOINTS USING 3D LASER SCANNING Sandeep Sandhu , Stephanie Dreckmann , Paul Binhammer . University of Sheffield, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK; University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; 3 Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario,
Arterial Pressures in Rural and Urban Populations in Nigeria
Authors: O. O. Akinkugbe, O. A. Ojo
Journal: BMJ (1969)

Surveys of arterial pressure carried out in rural and urban communities in Western Nigeria showed a steady rise in systolic values with age, this trend being less marked with diastolic pressures. Blood pressure levels were similar in women from rural and urban areas, but seemed much higher in urban than in rural men. The incidence of proteinuria was lowest in the female urban group. In general, the incidence of proteinuria or glycosuria was low and did not appear to be related to the blood pressure.
Bronchocentric granulomatosis associated with pure red cell aplasia and lymphadenopathy.
Authors: M A Martinez-Lopez, J M Pena, J Quiralte, M C Fernandez, J J Gonzalez, M Patron, J J Vazquez
Journal: Thorax (1992)

Bronchocentric granulomatosis developed in a patient with previously diagnosed pure red cell aplasia and lymphadenopathy. There was an excellent response to corticosteroid treatment. An immunological pathogenesis common to bronchocentric granulomatosis and pure red cell aplasia is suggested.
Prescribing "placebo treatments": results of national survey of US internists and rheumatologists
Authors: J. C Tilburt, E. J Emanuel, T. J Kaptchuk, F. A Curlin, F. G Miller
Journal: BMJ (2008)

<b>Objective</b> To describe the attitudes and behaviours regarding placebo treatments, defined as a treatment whose benefits derive from positive patient expectations and not from the physiological mechanism of the treatment itself. <b>Design</b> Cross sectional mailed survey. <b>Setting</b> Physicians' clinical practices. <b>Participants</b> 1200 practising internists and rheumatologists in the United States. <b>Main outcome measures</b> Investigators measured physicians' self reported behaviours and attitudes concerning the use of placebo treatments, including measures of whether they would use or had recommended a "placebo treatment," their ethical judgments about the practice, what they recommended as placebo treatments, and how they typically communicate with patients about the practice. <b>Results</b> 679 physicians (57%) responded to the survey. About half of the surveyed internists and rheumatologists reported prescribing placebo treatments on a regular basis (46-58%, depending on how the question was phrased). Most physicians (399, 62%) believed the practice to be ethically permissible. Few reported using saline (18, 3%) or sugar pills (12, 2%) as placebo treatments, while large proportions reported using over the counter analgesics (267, 41%) and vitamins (243, 38%) as placebo treatments within the past year. A small but notable proportion of physicians reported using antibiotics (86, 13%) and sedatives (86, 13%) as placebo treatments during the same period. Furthermore, physicians who use placebo treatments most commonly describe them to patients as a potentially beneficial medicine or treatment not typically used for their condition (241, 68%); only rarely do they explicitly describe them as placebos (18, 5%). <b>Conclusions</b> Prescribing placebo treatments seems to be common and is viewed as ethically permissible among the surveyed US internists and rheumatologists. Vitamins and over the counter analgesics are the most commonly used treatments. Physicians might not be fully transparent with their patients about the use of placebos and might have mixed motivations for recommending such treatments.
Can antiviral therapy of chronic hepatitis B prevent the development of hepatocellular carcinoma?
Authors: M. Thursz, A. Brown
Journal: Gut (2011)

The evolution of liver disease caused by chronic viral hepatitis, in particular the development of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is slow. As a consequence, clinicians have sought short-term, surrogate markers of disease progression as measures of treatment response.

In chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, suppression of serum HBV DNA below limits of detection and/or hepatitis B ‘e’ antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion have become the immediate goals of therapy. However, the pursuit of these treatment goals should not detract from the real treatment aims—the prevention of premature mortality from liver disease and/or the cure of chronic infection indicated by permanent hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seroconversion. Lying between these extremes in the hierarchy of goals would be the prevention of histological or clinical disease progression and, for patients with advanced disease, the induction of disease regression.

As experience with nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) grows and more effective treatments become available, the attainment of these goals in the treatment hierarchy has been achieved at increasingly higher levels. With the current generation of antivirals, the suppression of viral load below the limit of detection after 1 year of treatment is achievable in the great majority of patients.1–3 HBeAg seroconversion may be achieved in 30% of HBeAg positive patients after 4 years of treatment.4 Increasingly, loss of HBsAg is observed …
Emergence, Involution, and Progression to Carcinoma of Mutant Clones in Normal Endometrial Tissues
Authors: George L. Mutter, Nicolas M. Monte, Donna Neuberg, Alex Ferenczy, Charis Eng
Journal: Cancer Research (2014)

Sporadic somatic inactivation of genes such as PTEN within histologically normal endometrium (latent precancers) is an early step in endometrial carcinogenesis. We have used clone-specific mutations of PTEN to determine the fate of latent precancers over time in women who do (high risk) and do not (low risk) develop endometrial neoplasia. PTEN immunohistochemistry was performed on 45 occurrences of endometrial neoplasia and their paired antecedent benign biopsies, along with age matched sample pairs from 167 patients who did not develop a neoplasm. When PTEN-deficient cells were present at both time points, DNA sequencing was performed to determine whether they were single or multiple independent events. Loss of PTEN protein in isolated glands was common in the initial normal biopsies of high- and low-risk groups (42% and 27%, respectively, P = 0.066). Protein-deficient glands have a tendency to disappear over time in low-risk women (P = 0.047) and, even when "persistent," are infrequently (19%, 3/16) confirmed to be the same clone. Similarly, only a small proportion (6.7%, 1/15) of latent precancers seen in high-risk women are the direct progenitors of subsequent neoplasia. There is a high rate of latent precancer turnover in both low- and high-risk patients, with rare long-term persistence of unique clones, which may or may not progress to a histologic lesion. The temporal dynamics of clonal emergence, persistence, and involution are sufficiently complex that in the individual patient, the presence of a latent precancer has an unknown contribution to long-term cancer risk.
FROM BIOPHYSICS TO MODELS OF NETWORK FUNCTION
Authors: Eve Marder
Journal: Annual Review of Neuroscience (1998)

▪ Abstract Neurons and synapses display a rich range of time-dependent processes. Which of these are critical to understanding specific integrative functions in the brain? Computational methods of various kinds are used to understand how systems of neurons interact to produce behavior. However, these models often assume that neuronal dynamics and synaptic strengths are fixed. This review presents some recent models that illustrate that short-term synaptic plasticity mechanisms such as facilitation and depression can have important implications for network function. Other features of synaptic transmission such as multi-component synaptic potentials, cotransmission, and neuromodulation with obvious potential computational implications are presented. These examples illustrate that synaptic strength and intrinsic properties in networks are continuously varying on numerous time scales as a function of the temporal patterns of activity in the network. Thus, both firing frequency of the neurons in a circuit, and the modulatory environment determine the intrinsic and synaptic properties that produce behavior.