tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Functional variants of interleukin-23 receptor gene confer risk for rheumatoid arthritis but not for systemic sclerosis: Table 1
Authors: B Faragó, L Magyari, E Sáfrány, V Csöngei, L Járomi, K Horvatovich, C Sipeky, A Maász, J Radics, Á Gyetvai, Z Szekanecz, L Czirják, B Melegh
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2007)

<h3>Objectives:</h3> Recently, an association was found between Crohn's disease and the interleukin-23 receptor (IL-23R) gene. Since the IL-23/IL-17 pathway is known to associate with other autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic sclerosis (SSc), we hypothesised that IL-23R could be a shared susceptibility gene. <h3>Methods:</h3> Groups of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (n = 412), systemic sclerosis (n = 224), Crohn's disease (n = 190) and healthy controls (n = 220) were genotyped for rs10889677 (exon-3'UTR C2370A), rs2201841, and rs1884444 variants; the first two have been shown to confer risk for Crohn's disease. <h3>Results:</h3> We observed an increased prevalence of the homozygous rs10889677 AA and homozygous rs2201841 CC genotypes both in the Crohn's disease and in the RA groups as compared to the controls (12.1%, 11.9% vs 5.91%, p&lt;0.05; and 13.2%, 13.1% vs 5.91%, p&lt;0.05), but not in the SSc patients. Logistic regression analysis revealed that bearing these alleles represent risk for the development of rheumatoid arthritis (χ<sup>2</sup> = 5.58, p = 0.018, OR = 2.15, 95% CI 1.14–4.06 for rs10889677; and χ<sup>2</sup> = 7.45, p = 0.006, OR = 2.40, 95% CI 1.28–4.51 for rs2201841). The rs1884444 allele, which has been previously reported as neutral for development of Crohn's disease, was also found neutral for all studied groups in the present study. <h3>Conclusions:</h3> The data reported here provide direct evidence that some allelic variants or haplogroups of IL-23R represent independent risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis as well as Crohn's disease, but not for scleroderma.
Depression of the lymphocyte transformation response to microbial antigens and to phytohemagglutinin during pregnancy.
Authors: R C Brunham, D H Martin, T W Hubbard, C C Kuo, C W Critchlow, L D Cles, D A Eschenbach, K K Holmes
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (1983)

Lymphocyte transformation (LT) responses to Chlamydia trachomatis, to four other microbial antigens, and to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) were studied in 201 women during pregnancy and/or 3-18 wk postpartum. The LT responses to all stimulants tested were significantly depressed during pregnancy when compared with postpartum LT responses. This difference occurred whether LT assays were performed in autologous or pooled heterologous plasma collected from nonpregnant donors. Among women studied in the third trimester and again postpartum, the autologous LT stimulation index (LTSI) rose from 1.7 to 3.4 (P less than 0.001) with C. trachomatis elementary body antigen, from 3.7 to 7.9 (P less than 0.001) with Candida albicans cell wall extract, from 4.5 to 7.8 (P = 0.008) with streptokinase-streptodornase, from 1.7 to 3.0 (P = 0.007) with fluid tetanus toxoid, from 1.7 to 2.8 (P = 0.046) with mumps virus skin test antigen, from 35.5 to 87.0 (P less than 0.001) with PHA (2 micrograms/ml), and from 107.2 to 181.9 (P = 0.007) with PHA (10 micrograms/ml). LT responses to C. trachomatis were compared in 52 pregnant women and 58 nonpregnant women; all the women had C. trachomatis isolated at the time of LT assay. Using either plasma supplement, the mean LTSI with C. trachomatis antigen was significantly higher in nonpregnant women than in pregnant women, regardless of trimester (P less than 0.001). Among 12 women who were serially tested and remained culture positive for C. trachomatis throughout pregnancy and the postpartum period, the mean autologous LTSI rose from 1.9 in the third trimester to 7.8 postpartum (P = 0.0004). These data are the first to show that the immune response to an ongoing bacterial infection is depressed during pregnancy and to definitively document the depressed LT responses during human pregnancy.
Should clarithromycin not be prescribed against haemophilus influenza
Authors: Rajesh Yadavilli, Rosalind Benson, Elijah Matovu, Vinay Shanker Sreeguru Lakshman, Sanjeev Agarwal
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2013)

Introduction:   Macrolides are less effective against extracellular pathogens like Haemophilus influenza(HI).Clarithromycin is commonly used Macrolide for respiratory tract infections and can be administered in HI related infections.   Hypothesis:   Translation of In-vitro to In-vivo antibiotic resistance leads to treatment failure and result in recurrent hospital admission.   Methods:   Patients admitted to a teaching hospital with HI related respiratory infections were identified and followed for recurrent admission between Jan 2010 and Dec 2011. Antibiotic administered, resistance in-vitro and readmission within 30 days were studied.   Results:   No of patients: 150; Total HI related admissions-277; Total sputum samples obtained -217 and all grew HI.  In-vitro antibiotic resistance to Clarithromycin is 217(100%), Amoxicillin is 65(30%), and Doxycycline is only 9(4%) cases.  In-vitro to In-vivo translation of resistance measured as hospital readmission within 30 days from discharge was 66% with Clarithromycin, 10% with Amoxicillin, and 3% with Doxycycline.  70% of patients treated with Doxycycline had no hospital readmission.   Conclusions:   HI was noted to be resistant to Clarithromycin in-vitro in 100% cases in our study. This was translated in-vivo and associated with high readmission rates within 30 days, representing treatment failure. We therefore recommend avoiding Clarithromycin if the patient is known to have previous HI infection.  Doxycycline had the least readmission rates in our study and should be the antibiotic of choice against HI especially in patients with penicillin allergy.  We hereby conclude selection of antibiotic is extremely important to prevent treatment failure and there by readmissions.
SpyGlass pancreatoscopy-guided cannulation and retrieval of a deeply migrated pancreatic duct stent
Authors: A. Maydeo, A. Kwek, S. Bhandari, M. Bapat, P. Mathew
Journal: Endoscopy (2011)

Proximal (upstream) migration of pancreatic duct stents is a recognized complication that occurs in up to 5.2 % of patients [1], and stent retrieval is important to prevent long-term serious ductal damage. Reported techniques to remove proximally migrated pancreatic duct stents include balloon extraction, direct snare or forceps grasp, and wire cannulation with snare capture. We report a novel technique using the SpyGlass Direct Visualization System (Boston Scientific, Natick, Massachusetts, USA).
CEREBRAL LOCALIZATION: NOT WHERE BUT IN WHOM ?
Authors: CURTIS PECHTEL, JULES H. MASSERMAN
Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry (1959)

The individual and group reactions, learning techniques and capacities, and neurotic and drug-influenced behavior patterns of 64 cats and 49 monkeys were studied from 30 to 75 months before and after the implantation of lesions in 10 neo-, paleo- and sub-cortical brain areas. The data suggest that: 1. There are effects specific to each lesion despite inevitable variation in site, altered blood supply, etc. 2. There are a number of general changes common to lesions in several different areas. 3. The effects of any lesion are highly relatable to pre-operative characteristics and acquired patterns of behavior. 4. The effects are further dependent on the nature of post-operative treatment and experience.
Contribution of IL-17–producing γδ T cells to the efficacy of anticancer chemotherapy
Authors: Yuting Ma, Laetitia Aymeric, Clara Locher, Stephen R. Mattarollo, Nicolas F. Delahaye, Pablo Pereira, Laurent Boucontet, Lionel Apetoh, François Ghiringhelli, Noëlia Casares, Juan José Lasarte, Goro Matsuzaki, Koichi Ikuta, Bernard Ryffel, Kamel Benlagha, Antoine Tesnière, Nicolas Ibrahim, Julie Déchanet-Merville, Nathalie Chaput, Mark J. Smyth, Guido Kroemer, Laurence Zitvogel
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (2011)

By triggering immunogenic cell death, some anticancer compounds, including anthracyclines and oxaliplatin, elicit tumor-specific, interferon-γ–producing CD8+ αβ T lymphocytes (Tc1 CTLs) that are pivotal for an optimal therapeutic outcome. Here, we demonstrate that chemotherapy induces a rapid and prominent invasion of interleukin (IL)-17–producing γδ (Vγ4+ and Vγ6+) T lymphocytes (γδ T17 cells) that precedes the accumulation of Tc1 CTLs within the tumor bed. In T cell receptor δ−/− or Vγ4/6−/− mice, the therapeutic efficacy of chemotherapy was compromised, no IL-17 was produced by tumor-infiltrating T cells, and Tc1 CTLs failed to invade the tumor after treatment. Although γδ T17 cells could produce both IL-17A and IL-22, the absence of a functional IL-17A–IL-17R pathway significantly reduced tumor-specific T cell responses elicited by tumor cell death, and the efficacy of chemotherapy in four independent transplantable tumor models. Adoptive transfer of γδ T cells restored the efficacy of chemotherapy in IL-17A−/− hosts. The anticancer effect of infused γδ T cells was lost when they lacked either IL-1R1 or IL-17A. Conventional helper CD4+ αβ T cells failed to produce IL-17 after chemotherapy. We conclude that γδ T17 cells play a decisive role in chemotherapy-induced anticancer immune responses.
Impact of Lung Cancer Screening Results on Smoking Cessation
Authors: Martin C. Tammemägi, Christine D. Berg, Thomas L. Riley, Christopher R. Cunningham, Kathryn L. Taylor
Journal: JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute (2014)

Lung cancer screening programs may provide opportunities to reduce smoking rates among participants. This study evaluates the impact of lung cancer screening results on smoking cessation. Data from Lung Screening Study participants in the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST; 2002–2009) were used to prepare multivariable longitudinal regression models predicting annual smoking cessation in those who were current smokers at study entry (n = 15489, excluding those developing lung cancer in follow-up). The associations of lung cancer screening results on smoking cessation over the trial period were analyzed. All hypothesis testing used two sided P values. In adjusted analyses, smoking cessation was strongly associated with the amount of abnormality observed in the previous year's screening (P < .0001). Compared with those with a normal screen, individuals were less likely to be smokers if their previous year's screen had a major abnormality that was not suspicious for lung cancer (odds ratio [OR] = 0.811; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.722 to 0.912; P < .001), was suspicious for lung cancer but stable from previous screens (OR = 0.785; 95% CI = 0.706 to 0.872; P < .001), or was suspicious for lung cancer and was new or changed from the previous screen (OR = 0.663; 95% CI = 0.607 to 0.724; P < .001). Differences in smoking prevalence were present up to 5 years after the last screen. Smoking cessation is statistically significantly associated with screen-detected abnormality. Integration of effective smoking cessation programs within screening programs should lead to further reduction in smoking-related morbidity and mortality.
Salicylate induced exacerbation of ulcerative colitis.
Authors: T K Chakraborty, D Bhatia, R C Heading, M J Ford
Journal: Gut (1987)

The oral administration of mesalazine (5-aminosalicylic acid) resulted in the exacerbation of ulcerative colitis in two patients intolerant to sulphasalazine whose colitis had previously been quiescent. Although sulphasalazine intolerance is usually attributable to the sulphapyridine moiety, the possibility of salicylate sensitivity should be considered in colitic patients who fail to respond appropriately to sulphasalazine or who experience abdominal pain or diarrhoea while taking the drug.
Behavioral Counseling Interventions to Prevent Sexually Transmitted Infections: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement
Authors: Michael L. LeFevre
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2014)

Update of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) 2008 recommendation on behavioral counseling interventions to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs).The USPSTF reviewed the evidence on behavioral counseling for sexual risk reduction in primary care, including interventions targeting risky sexual behaviors to prevent STIs (alone or in combination with other behaviors) in persons of any sexual orientation or level of reported sexual activity.This recommendation applies to all sexually active adolescents and to adults who are at increased risk for acquiring or transmitting STIs.The USPSTF recommends intensive behavioral counseling for all sexually active adolescents and for adults who are at increased risk for STIs. (B recommendation).
<b> <i>In Vivo</i> </b> Treatment with CPT-11 Leads to Differentiation of Neuroblastoma Xenografts and Topoisomerase I Alterations
Authors: Alexandre Santos, Loreley Calvet, Marie-Josee Terrier-Lacombe, Annette Larsen, Jean Bénard, Corinne Pondarré, Geneviève Aubert, Jackie Morizet, François Lavelle, Gilles Vassal
Journal: Cancer Research (2004)

Abstract Topoisomerase I inhibitors, such as CPT-11, are potent anticancer drugs against neuroblastoma (NB). Differentiating agents, such as retinoids, improve the survival of children with metastatic NB. To characterize the biological effects associated with exposure to CPT-11 in vivo, athymic mice bearing a human NB xenograft, named IGR-NB8 and characterized as an immature NB with poor prognostic markers, were treated with CPT-11. Prolonged stable disease was observed, resulting in an overall tumor growth delay of 115 days. During treatment, tumors differentiated into ganglioneuroblastomas (GGNB), which reverted into an immature phenotype when treatment was discontinued. In contrast, 13-cis retinoic acid failed to induce differentiation of IGR-NB8 in vivo. Tumor differentiation was associated with decreased N-myc expression, induction of p73 expression in the perinuclear area and cytoplasm, and a dramatic 35-fold decrease in topoisomerase I (topo I) catalytic activity. The full-length Mr 100,000 topo I protein was present in both pre and post-treatment immature NB xenografts. In contrast, differentiated GGNBs did not contain the Mr 100,000 protein but an intense Mr 48,000 topo I fragment. Furthermore, redistribution of the Mr 48,000 and 68,000 forms to the cytoplasm was observed in differentiated tumors. The same pattern of topo I expression and catalytic activity was observed in NBs and GGNBs obtained from pediatric patients. Our data suggest that prolonged in vivo exposure to CPT-11 induces differentiation of NB xenografts, which is associated with truncation of the topo I enzyme, relocation of the degraded forms to the cytoplasm, and decreased catalytic activity.
ABT-869, a multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor, in combination with rapamycin is effective for subcutaneous hepatocellular carcinoma xenograft
Authors: Viraj J. Jasinghe, Zhigang Xie, Jianbiao Zhou, Jiaying Khng, Lai-Fong Poon, Palaniyandi Senthilnathan, Keith B. Glaser, Daniel H. Albert, Steven K. Davidsen, Chien-Shing Chen
Journal: Journal of Hepatology (2008)
Survival Prediction in Terminally Ill Cancer Patients by Clinical Estimates, Laboratory Tests, and Self-Rated Anxiety and Depression
Authors: Stephan Gripp, Sibylle Moeller, Edwin Bölke, Gerd Schmitt, Christiane Matuschek, Sonja Asgari, Farzin Asgharzadeh, Stephan Roth, Wilfried Budach, Matthias Franz, Reinhardt Willers
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2007)

Purpose To study how survival of palliative cancer patients relates to subjective prediction of survival, objective prognostic factors (PFs), and individual psychological coping. Patients and Methods Survival was estimated according to three categories (&lt; 1 month, 1 to 6 months, and &gt; 6 months) by two physicians (A and B) and the institutional tumor board (C) for 216 patients recently referred for palliative radiotherapy. After 6 months, the accuracy of these estimates was assessed. The prognostic relevance of clinical symptoms, performance status, laboratory tests, and self-reported emotional distress (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) was investigated. Results In 61%, 55%, and 63% of the patients, prognoses were correctly estimated by A, B, and C, respectively. κ statistic showed fair agreement of the estimates, which proved to be overly optimistic. Accuracy of the three estimates did not improve with increasing professional experience. In particular, the survival of 96%, 71%, and 87% of patients who died in less than 1 month was overestimated by A, B, and C, respectively. On univariate analysis, 11 of 27 parameters significantly affected survival, namely performance status, primary cancer, fatigue, dyspnea, use of strong analgesics, brain metastases, leukocytosis, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), depression, and anxiety. On multivariate analysis, colorectal and breast cancer had a favorable prognosis, whereas brain metastases, Karnofsky performance status less than 50%, strong analgesics, dyspnea, LDH, and leukocytosis were associated with a poor prognosis. Conclusion This study revealed that physicians' survival estimates were unreliable, especially in the case of patients near death. Self-reported emotional distress and objective PFs may improve the accuracy of survival estimates.
Subdividing functional dyspepsia: a paradigm shift?
Authors: N. J Talley
Journal: Gut (2008)

An understanding of functional dyspepsia (FD) has remained elusive in part because defining the condition has been so difficult.1–3 The term dyspepsia (or “bad digestion”) was simply derived from the Greek dys which means “bad” and peptein which means “to digest”.3 FD in 2008 is still a diagnosis of exclusion1; the synonyms endoscopy-negative or non-ulcer dyspepsia are arguably no more illuminating. To confound the situation further, the word dyspepsia is not understood by most patients, but remains a vague term in common medical parlance.1–3 There has been an evolution in thinking in terms of what symptoms should and should not comprise FD, but there remains a lack of global consensus despite the Rome working team reports.4 Thus, the recent National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines in the UK continued to lump symptoms of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) in with all other upper abdominal complaints as “dyspepsia” in contrast to US guidelines.4 5

Prior to the Rome consensus process, dyspepsia was so poorly defined that the literature was arguably impossible to interpret.3 Many studies used the expression but failed to report what they meant by dyspepsia.6 7 The bandying around of fuzzy concepts persisted—for example, defining dyspepsia as that group of symptoms triggered when food digestion was disordered3 (but how does one know food digestion is truly disordered?). Dissimilar conditions were subsumed under this heading, including GORD and biliary pain, to name a few.3 The simple concept that dyspepsia should be restricted to refer to meal-related symptoms was largely dismissed because not all peptic ulcer patients reported clear-cut meal-related complaints.3 With the rapid disappearance of peptic ulcer disease in many parts of the Western world, there is now little interest in understanding …
Vaccination against influenza in rheumatoid arthritis: the effect of disease modifying drugs, including TNF blockers
Authors: I Fomin
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2005)

To assess the efficacy and safety of vaccination against influenza virus in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, with special emphasis on the effect of disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), including tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) blockers.82 rheumatoid patients and 30 healthy controls were vaccinated with a split-virion inactivated vaccine containing 15 mug haemagglutinin (HA) per dose of each of B/Hong Kong/330/2001 (HK), A/Panama/2007/99 (PAN), and A/New Caledonian/20/99 (NC). Disease activity was assessed by tender and swollen joint count, morning stiffness, evaluation of pain, Health Assessment Questionnaire, ESR, and C reactive protein on the day of vaccination and six weeks later. Haemagglutination inhibiting (HI) antibodies were tested by a standard WHO procedure. Response was defined as a fourfold or more rise in HI antibodies six weeks after vaccination, or seroconversion in patients with a non-protective baseline level of antibodies (<1/40). Geometric mean titres (GMT) were calculated to assess the immunity of the whole group.Six weeks after vaccination, a significant increase in GMT for each antigen was observed in both groups, this being higher in the healthy group for HK (p=0.004). The percentage of responders was lower in rheumatoid patients than healthy controls (significant for HK). The percentage of responders was not affected by prednisone or any DMARD, including methotrexate, infliximab, and etanercept. Indices of disease activity remained unchanged.Influenza virus vaccine generated a good humoral response in rheumatoid patients, although lower than in healthy controls. The response was not affected by the use of prednisone or DMARDs.
MicroRNA-328 Contributes to Adverse Electrical Remodeling in Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Yanjie Lu, Ying Zhang, Ning Wang, Zhenwei Pan, Xu Gao, Fengmin Zhang, Yong Zhang, Hongli Shan, Xiaobin Luo, Yunlong Bai, Lihua Sun, Wuqi Song, Chaoqian Xu, Zhiguo Wang, Baofeng Yang
Journal: Circulation (2010)

A characteristic of both clinical and experimental atrial fibrillation (AF) is atrial electric remodeling associated with profound reduction of L-type Ca(2+) current and shortening of the action potential duration. The possibility that microRNAs (miRNAs) may be involved in this process has not been tested. Accordingly, we assessed the potential role of miRNAs in regulating experimental AF.The miRNA transcriptome was analyzed by microarray and verified by real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction with left atrial samples from dogs with AF established by right atrial tachypacing for 8 weeks and from human atrial samples from AF patients with rheumatic heart disease. miR-223, miR-328, and miR-664 were found to be upregulated by >2 fold, whereas miR-101, miR-320, and miR-499 were downregulated by at least 50%. In particular, miR-328 level was elevated by 3.9-fold in AF dogs and 3.5-fold in AF patients relative to non-AF subjects. Computational prediction identified CACNA1C and CACNB1, which encode cardiac L-type Ca(2+) channel α1c- and β1 subunits, respectively, as potential targets for miR-328. Forced expression of miR-328 through adenovirus infection in canine atrium and transgenic approach in mice recapitulated the phenotypes of AF, exemplified by enhanced AF vulnerability, diminished L-type Ca(2+) current, and shortened atrial action potential duration. Normalization of miR-328 level with antagomiR reversed the conditions, and genetic knockdown of endogenous miR-328 dampened AF vulnerability. CACNA1C and CACNB1 as the cognate target genes for miR-328 were confirmed by Western blot and luciferase activity assay showing the reciprocal relationship between the levels of miR-328 and L-type Ca(2+) channel protein subunits.miR-328 contributes to the adverse atrial electric remodeling in AF through targeting L-type Ca(2+) channel genes. The study therefore uncovered a novel molecular mechanism for AF and indicated miR-328 as a potential therapeutic target for AF.