tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
SPECT and PET of the Brain
Authors: Yasuyuki Kimura, Takashi Kato, Kengo Ito, Masanori Ichise
Journal: Clinical Nuclear Medicine (2020)

In this second edition, we update brain imaging in clinical nuclear medicine. In particular, we highlight recent developments in PET imaging of neurocognitive disorders. Alzheimer's disease is pathologically characterized by accumulation of two abnormal proteins in the brain, namely, β-amyloid and hyperphosphorylated tau. Several PET radiopharmaceuticals for β-amyloid imaging have recently been approved for clinical use. In many clinical therapeutic trials, β-amyloid PET imaging has also been used to select subjects with β-amyloid pathologies in order to gauge the potential efficacy of anti-amyloid antibody therapies. In addition, several new PET radiopharmaceuticals for tau imaging are undergoing extensive developments, and tau PET imaging is now realistically following a similar path toward that of β-amyloid imaging in its clinical and research usefulness. Furthermore, PET imaging of neurotransmission systems has long been used as a valuable tool for the purpose of clinical diagnosis, research, and drug developments in movement disorders and other neuropsychiatric disorders. Other nuclear medicine brain imaging, such as [18]F-FDG-PET, remains of wide clinical and research use for the evaluation of brain tumors, cerebrovascular diseases, seizure disorders, and other neuropsychiatric diseases, although recent advances in the structural and functional MRI technology are increasingly recognized in the field of brain imaging.
UpdateBook ReviewEvolution, ecology and terrorismNatural Security: A Darwinian Approach to a Dangerous World, Raphael D. Sagarin, Terence Taylor (Eds.), University of California Press, Berkeley (2008), US $49.95 hbk (289 pages), ISBN: 978-0-520-25347-6
Authors: Paul R. Ehrlich
Journal: Trends in Ecology & Evolution (2008)
Thrombosis in patients with myeloma treated in the Myeloma IX and Myeloma XI phase 3 randomized controlled trials
Authors: Charlotte A. Bradbury, Zoe Craig, Gordon Cook, Charlotte Pawlyn, David A. Cairns, Anna Hockaday, Andrea Paterson, Matthew W. Jenner, John R. Jones, Mark T. Drayson, Roger G. Owen, Martin F. Kaiser, Walter M. Gregory, Faith E. Davies, J. Anthony Child, Gareth J. Morgan, Graham H. Jackson
Journal: Blood (2020)
Deficiency of MFSD7c results in microcephaly-associated vasculopathy in Fowler syndrome
Authors: Pazhanichamy Kalailingam, Kai Qi Wang, Xiu Ru Toh, Toan Q. Nguyen, Madhuvanthi Chandrakanthan, Zafrul Hasan, Clair Habib, Aharon Schif, Francesca Clementina Radio, Bruno Dallapiccola, Karin Weiss, Long N. Nguyen
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (2020)

Several missense mutations in the orphan transporter FLVCR2 have been reported in Fowler syndrome. Affected subjects exhibit signs of severe neurological defects. We identified the mouse ortholog Mfsd7c as a gene expressed in the blood-brain barrier. Here, we report the characterizations of Mfsd7c-KO mice and compare these characterizations to phenotypic findings in humans with biallelic FLVCR2 mutations. Global KO of Mfsd7c in mice resulted in late-gestation lethality, likely due to CNS phenotypes. We found that the angiogenic growth of CNS blood vessels in the brain of Mfsd7c-KO embryos was inhibited in cortical ventricular zones and ganglionic eminences. Vascular tips were dilated and fused, resulting in glomeruloid vessels. Nonetheless, CNS blood vessels were intact, without hemorrhage. Both embryos and humans with biallelic FLVCR2 mutations exhibited reduced cerebral cortical layers, enlargement of the cerebral ventricles, and microcephaly. Transcriptomic analysis of Mfsd7cK-KO embryonic brains revealed upregulation of genes involved in glycolysis and angiogenesis. The Mfsd7c-KO brain exhibited hypoxia and neuronal cell death. Our results indicate that MFSD7c is required for the normal growth of CNS blood vessels and that ablation of this gene results in microcephaly-associated vasculopathy in mice and humans.
Albumin fusion with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor acts as an immunotherapy against chronic tuberculosis
Authors: Yu-Min Chuang, Liangmei He, Michael L. Pinn, Ya-Chea Tsai, Max A. Cheng, Emily Farmer, Petros C. Karakousis, Chien-Fu Hung
Journal: Cellular and Molecular Immunology (2020)

Abstract A long duration of treatment and emerging drug resistance pose significant challenges for global tuberculosis (TB) eradication efforts. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop novel strategies to shorten TB treatment regimens and to treat drug-resistant TB. Using an albumin-fusion strategy, we created a novel albumin-fused granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (albGM-CSF) molecule that harnesses albumin’s long half-life and targeting abilities to enhance the biostability of GM-CSF and direct it to the lymph nodes, where the effects of GM-CSF can increase dendritic cell populations crucial for eliciting a potent immune response. In this study, we demonstrate that albGM-CSF serves as a novel immunotherapy for chronic Mycobacterium tuberculosis ( Mtb ) infections by enhancing GM-CSF biostability in serum. Specifically, albumin is very safe, stable, and has a long half-life, thereby enhancing the biostability of GM-CSF. In the lungs and draining lymph nodes, albGM-CSF is able to increase the numbers of dendritic cells, which are crucial for the activation of naive T cells and for eliciting potent immune responses. Subcutaneous administration of albGM-CSF alone reduced the mean lung bacillary burden in mice with chronic tuberculosis infection. While GM-CSF administration was associated with IL-1β release from Mtb -infected dendritic cells and macrophages, higher IL-1β levels were observed in albGM-CSF-treated mice with chronic tuberculosis infection than in mice receiving GM-CSF. Albumin fusion with GM-CSF represents a promising strategy for the control of chronic lung tuberculosis infections and serves as a novel therapeutic vaccination platform for other infectious diseases and malignancies.
Layer-by-layer deposition of bioactive layers on magnesium alloy stent materials to improve corrosion resistance and biocompatibility
Authors: Fan Gao, Youdong Hu, Guicai Li, Sen Liu, Li Quan, Zhongmei Yang, Yanchun Wei, Changjiang Pan
Journal: Bioactive Materials (2020)

Magnesium alloy is considered as one of the ideal cardiovascular stent materials owing to its good mechanical properties and biodegradability. However, the in vivo rapid degradation rate and the insufficient biocompatibility restrict its clinical applications. In this study, the magnesium alloy (AZ31B) was modified by combining the surface chemical treatment and in-situ self-assembly of 16-phosphonyl-hexadecanoic acid, followed by the immobilization of chitosan-functionalized graphene oxide (GOCS). Heparin (Hep) and GOCS were alternatively immobilized on the GOCS-modified surface through layer by layer (LBL) to construct the GOCS/Hep bioactive multilayer coating, and the corrosion resistance and biocompatibility were extensively explored. The results showed that the GOCS/Hep bioactive multilayer coating can endow magnesium alloys with an excellent in vitro corrosion resistance. The GOCS/Hep multilayer coating can significantly reduce the hemolysis rate and the platelet adhesion and activation, resulting in an excellent blood compatibility. In addition, the multilayer coating can not only enhance the adhesion and proliferation of the endothelial cells, but also promote the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and nitric oxide (NO) expression of the attached endothelial cells on the surfaces. Therefore, the method of the present study can be used to simultaneously control the corrosion resistance and improve the biocompatibility of the magnesium alloys, which is expected to promote the application of magnesium alloys in biomaterials or medical devices, especially cardiovascular stent.
Hepatic brucelloma
Authors: Letizia Barutta, Domenico Ferrigno, Remo Melchio, Valentina Borretta, Christian Bracco, Chiara Brignone, Alessia Giraudo, Cristina Serraino, Enrico Baralis, Maurizio Grosso, Luigi Maria Fenoglio
Journal: The Lancet Infectious Diseases (2013)
Machine learning in GI endoscopy: practical guidance in how to interpret a novel field
Authors: Fons van der Sommen, Jeroen de Groof, Maarten Struyvenberg, Joost van der Putten, Tim Boers, Kiki Fockens, Erik J Schoon, Wouter Curvers, Peter de With, Yuichi Mori, Michael Byrne, Jacques J G H M Bergman
Journal: Gut (2020)

There has been a vast increase in GI literature focused on the use of machine learning in endoscopy. The relative novelty of this field poses a challenge for reviewers and readers of GI journals. To appreciate scientific quality and novelty of machine learning studies, understanding of the technical basis and commonly used techniques is required. Clinicians often lack this technical background, while machine learning experts may be unfamiliar with clinical relevance and implications for daily practice. Therefore, there is an increasing need for a multidisciplinary, international evaluation on how to perform high-quality machine learning research in endoscopy. This review aims to provide guidance for readers and reviewers of peer-reviewed GI journals to allow critical appraisal of the most relevant quality requirements of machine learning studies. The paper provides an overview of common trends and their potential pitfalls and proposes comprehensive quality requirements in six overarching themes: terminology, data, algorithm description, experimental setup, interpretation of results and machine learning in clinical practice.
Patient perspective: Roger Boyes
Authors: Roger Boyes
Journal: BMJ (2020)

Covid-19 survivors who, like me, were in the intensive care unit (ICU), are still a pretty exclusive club. Just 20% of those who have received mechanical ventilation in the UK have been discharged alive, says the largest detailed description of covid-19 in Europe (a preprint); 53% have died, and 27% remained in hospital at the time of reporting.1

For now, I’m on the “good luck” team—yet I can’t escape a sense of abandonment. From a dozen or more highly trained ICU professionals around my bed less than two months ago, my point of contact with the health system has been reduced to an occasional phone consultation with my GP, who I’ve met only once in the flesh. This steep slide shouldn’t be a problem—I’m alive, right?—but somehow it is. The number of survivors like me will grow and, like me, they’re likely to be left in a rehab limbo.

I was admitted to St …
Abstract 15871: Electrocardiographic Screening for Atrial Fibrillation While in Sinus Rhythm Using Deep Learning
Authors: Zachi I Attia, Suraj Kapa, Fransisco Lopez-Jimenez, Samual J Asirvatham, Paul A Friedman, Peter A Noseworthy
Journal: Circulation (2018)

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) common, often asymptomatic, and associated with a 5-fold increased risk for stroke. Current screening methods are costly and inefficient since many patients h...
SAT0546 Estimating the Incidence of Connective Tissue Diseases and Vasculitides in a Defined Population in the Northern Savo Area in 2010
Authors: P. Elfving, O. Kaipiainen-Seppänen, O. Marjoniemi, A. Kononoff, L. Arstila, E. Savolainen, H. Niinisalo, J. Rutanen
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2013)

<h3>Objectives</h3> To evaluate the annual incidence and distribution of autoimmune connective tissue diseases (CTD) and vasculitides in a defined population in the Northern Savo during 2010. <h3>Methods</h3> All the units practicing rheumatology in the Northern Savo area participated in the study by collecting data of the new autoimmune connective tissue diseases and vasculitides diagnosed during a 1- year period. The population at risk was 206 000 and the patients were over sixteen years of age. <h3>Results</h3> Seventy-two cases with CTD were identified. Of them 78% were females. The annual incidence rates were as follows: Sjögren’s syndrome (SS)10.7, systemic sclerosis (SSc) 4.4, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) 3.9, dermato/polymyositis (DM/PM) 1.9, mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) 1.0 and unspecified collagenosis 13.1/100 000. The mean age at diagnosis were in the patients with SS 48.9±15.3, SSc 65.1±9.9, SLE 46.2±14.8, DM/PM 68.7±10.4, MCTD 40.4±12.3 and unspecified collagenosis 50.1±14.0 years. Fifteen cases were classified as a vasculitis and included in 8 giant cell arteritis (GCA), 3 antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) associated vasculitides, 3 small vessel vasculitides and 1 central nervous system (CNS) vasculitis. Females outnumbered males (10:5). The annual incidence rates among vasculitis category were as follows: GCA 3.9 (over 50 years of age), ANCA associated vasculitis 1.5, small vessel vasculitis 1.5 and CNS vasculitis 0.5/100 000. The longest delay from symptom onset to diagnosis performed in the category of systemic sclerosis. <h3>Conclusions</h3> The observed incidence rates compared to the earlier studies show that incidences of CTD and vasculitides have stayed unchanged during the time. <h3>Disclosure of Interest</h3> None Declared
Changes in SARS-CoV-2 Positivity Rate in Outpatients in Seattle and Washington State, March 1–April 16, 2020
Authors: April Kaur Randhawa, Leigh H. Fisher, Alexander L. Greninger, Shuying Sue Li, Jessica Andriesen, Lawrence Corey, Keith R. Jerome
Journal: JAMA (2020)

Matt Arentz, MD; Eric Yim, MD; Lindy Klaff, MD; Sharukh Lokhandwala, MD, MSc; Francis X. Riedo, MD; Maria Chong, MD; Melissa Lee, MD
Association of Daily Aspirin Therapy With Hepatocellular Carcinoma Risk in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection
Authors: Teng-Yu Lee, Yao-Chun Hsu, Hsiao-Ching Tseng, Jaw-Town Lin, Ming-Shiang Wu, Chun-Ying Wu
Journal: Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology (2020)
Covid-19: Nightingale hospitals set to shut down after seeing few patients
Authors: Michael Day
Journal: BMJ (2020)

The mothballing of Britain’s Nightingale hospitals, some of which have yet to treat a single covid-19 patient, has raised questions about whether resources to fight the pandemic were disproportionately focused on building intensive care capacity.

Five emergency hospitals, with the capacity to treat almost 10 000 covid-19 cases, were opened last month at sites across the country1 for fear the NHS might be overwhelmed following scenes of northern Italian intensive care units swamped with seriously ill patients.

But such high demand for intensive care never materialised. Just 51 patients have been treated at the 4000 bed medical facility situated in the refurbished Excel Centre in London’s Docklands since it opened. Nightingale units in Birmingham and Harrogate have not treated a single patient, while a facility in Manchester has had just a handful of admissions.

Charles Knight, the chief executive of Nightingale London, announced on 4 May that no more …
Abstract B17: IKKα/STAT3 antagonistic signaling regulates fungi-bacteria endosymbiosis-associated carcinogenesis
Authors: Na-Young Song, Xin Li, Jonathan H. Badger, Jami Willette Brown, Xhonghe Sun, Gongping Shi, Feng Zhu, Chengfei Jiang, Colum O'hUigin, Xiaolin Wu, Giorgio Trinchieri, Yinling Hu
Journal: Cancer Research (2020)

Abstract Clinically, oral fungating lesions frequently occur in cancer patients following radiation and chemotherapy. However, their role in carcinogenesis has not been fully understood. Our previous finding showed that defective IKKα-mediated autoreactive T cells promote fungal infection and esophageal malignancy, but whether IKKα-mediated altered epithelial properties regulate fungal colonization and carcinogenesis remains to be tested. To investigate whether IKKα-mediated altered epithelial properties regulate fungal colonization and carcinogenesis, we orally infected mice lacking Ikkα (IkkαΔSOE) or both Ikkα and Stat3 (IkkαΔSOEStat3ΔSOE) in the stem cells of the skin and mouth with fungi. We found that oral fungal infection enhanced Ikkα ablation-mediated skin and oral carcinogenesis in association with increased oral and skin bacteria counts and altered oral bacteria phylum from gram-positive to gram-negative. Enhanced oral fungal/bacterial infection increased inflammasome activities and systemic IL-17A/IL-1β signals. Surprisingly, Stat3 ablation rescued these phenotypes in IkkαΔSOEStat3ΔSOE mice. In addition, amoxicillin treatment inhibited skin carcinogenesis and oral/skin bacteria counts and reversed oral bacteria phyla in fungal-inoculated IkkαΔSOE mice. These findings highlight that cancer cell IKKα/STAT3 antagonizing pathways determine susceptibility to fungal and bacterial colonization, which impacts carcinogenesis. Human head and neck squamous cell carcinomas also share oncogenic pathways and bacteria sequences/counts with mice, suggesting that oral fungating/ulcerating lesions enhance local and distal tumorigenesis in humans. Citation Format: Na-Young Song, Xin Li, Jonathan H. Badger, Jami Willette Brown, Xhonghe Sun, Gongping Shi, Feng Zhu, Chengfei Jiang, Colum O'hUigin, Xiaolin Wu, Giorgio Trinchieri, Yinling Hu. IKKα/STAT3 antagonistic signaling regulates fungi-bacteria endosymbiosis-associated carcinogenesis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on the Microbiome, Viruses, and Cancer; 2020 Feb 21-24; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(8 Suppl):Abstract nr B17.
Role of adjunctive treatment strategies in COVID-19 and a review of international and national clinical guidelines
Authors: Xinni Xu, Yew Kwang Ong, De Yun Wang
Journal: Military Medical Research (2020)

Abstract The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a global struggle to cope with the sheer numbers of infected persons, many of whom require intensive care support or eventually succumb to the illness. The outbreak is managed by a combination of disease containment via public health measures and supportive care for those who are affected. To date, there is no specific anti-COVID-19 treatment. However, the urgency to identify treatments that could turn the tide has led to the emergence of several investigational drugs as potential candidates to improve outcome, especially in the severe to critically ill. While many of these adjunctive drugs are being investigated in clinical trials, professional bodies have attempted to clarify the setting where the use of these drugs may be considered as off-label or compassionate use. This review summarizes the clinical evidence of investigational adjunctive treatments used in COVID-19 patients as well as the recommendations of their use from guidelines issued by international and national organizations in healthcare.
Travel Medicine
Authors: Jane N Zuckerman
Journal: The Lancet Infectious Diseases (2004)

This volume of Travel Medicine, a reference textbook, could not have been more timely. Just a century ago, Orville and Wilbur Wright achieved the first powered flight, which lasted 12 seconds and covered 120 feet–less than the length of a Boeing 747. This was the shape of things to come: between 1950 and 2002 the number of international arrivals grew from 25 million to 703 million with continued growth predicted. The "shrinking" world demonstrated the need to protect the health of travellers and, concomitantly, to develop and rapidly expand travel medicine as a distinct specialty.
Bone Scaffolds Based on Degradable Vaterite/PEG‐Composite Microgels
Authors: Elena Stengelin, Alena Kuzmina, Guillermo L. Beltramo, Martha F. Koziol, Laura Besch, Romina Schröder, Ronald E. Unger, Wolfgang Tremel, Sebastian Seiffert
Journal: Advanced Healthcare Materials (2020)

Vaterite, a metastable modification of calcium carbonate, embedded in a flexible microgel packaging with adjustable mechanical properties, functionality, and biocompatibility, provides a powerful scaffolding for bone tissue regeneration, as it is easily convertible to bone-like hydroxyapatite (HA). In this study, the synthesis and physical analysis of a packaging material to encapsulate vaterite particles and osteoblast cells into monodisperse, sub-millimeter-sized microgels, is described whereby a systematic approach is used to tailor the microgel properties. The size and shape of the microgels is controlled via droplet-based microfluidics. Key requirements for the polymer system, such as absence of cytotoxicity as well as biocompatibility and biodegradability, are accomplished with functionalized poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), which reacts in a cytocompatible thiol-ene Michael addition. On a mesoscopic level, the microgel stiffness and gelation times are adjusted to obtain high cellular viabilities. The co-encapsulation of living cells provides i) an in vitro platform for the study of cellular metabolic processes which can be applied to bone formation and ii) an in vitro foundation for novel tissue-regenerative therapies. Finally, the degradability of the microgels at physiological conditions caused by hydrolysis-sensitive ester groups in the polymer network is examined.
Identification and Monitoring of International Travelers During the Initial Phase of an Outbreak of COVID-19 — California, February 3–March 17, 2020
Authors: Jennifer F. Myers, Robert E. Snyder, Charsey Cole Porse, Selam Tecle, Phil Lowenthal, Mary E. Danforth, Edward Powers, Amanda Kamali, Seema Jain, Curtis L. Fritz, Shua J. Chai, Duc Vugia, James P. Watt, Clive Brown
Journal: MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (2020)

The threat of introduction of coronavirus disease 2019 into the United States with the potential for community transmission prompted U.S. federal officials in February 2020 to screen travelers from China, and later Iran, and collect and transmit their demographic and contact information to states for follow-up.During February 5-March 17, 2020, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) received and transmitted contact information for 11,574 international travelers to 51 of 61 local health jurisdictions at a cost of 1,694 hours of CDPH personnel time.If resources permitted, local health jurisdictions contacted travelers, interviewed them, and oversaw 14 days of quarantine, self-monitoring, or both, based on CDC risk assessment criteria for COVID-19.Challenges encountered during follow-up included errors in the recording of contact information and variation in the availability of resources in local health jurisdictions to address the substantial workload.Among COVID-19 patients reported to CDPH, three matched persons previously reported as travelers to CDPH.Despite intensive effort, the traveler screening system did not effectively prevent introduction of COVID-19 into California.Effectiveness of COVID-19 screening and monitoring in travelers to California was limited by incomplete traveler information received by federal officials and transmitted to states, the number of travelers needing follow-up, and the potential for presymptomatic and asymptomatic transmission.More efficient methods of collecting and transmitting passenger data, including electronic provision of flight manifests by airlines to federal officials and flexible text-messaging tools, would help local health jurisdictions reach out to all at-risk travelers quickly, thereby facilitating timely testing, case identification, and contact investigations.State and local health departments should weigh the resources needed to implement incoming traveler monitoring against community mitigation activities, understanding that the priorities of each might shift during the COVID-19 pandemic.On December 31, 2019, Chinese authorities reported detection of a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) among persons with pneumonia in Wuhan City, in Hubei Province; the disease was subsequently named COVID-19 (1).The threat of importation of SARS-CoV-2 from China into the United States prompted the executive order limiting travel from China on January 31, 2020, and implemented starting February 3, 2020.