tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Utility of Emergency, Telephone-Based National Surveillance for Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome
Authors: J W Tappero, A S Khan, R W Pinner, J D Wenger, J M Graber, L R Armstrong, R C Holman, T G Ksiazek, R F Khabbaz
Journal: JAMA (1996)

On May 27, 1993, in response to the outbreak investigation of newly recognized Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in the Four Corners states (New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention established a national surveillance case definition for severe, unexplained respiratory disease to determine the extent of HPS throughout the United States. A toll-free telephone hotline number was instituted to provide updated information about unexplained respiratory illness and to serve as a passive mechanism for reporting suspected cases. Clinical information was obtained from callers reporting suspected cases, and diagnostic specimens and medical record reviews were requested from health care providers. From June 3 through December 31, 1993, the hotline received 21,443 telephone inquiries; callers identified 280 suspected cases living outside the Four Corners states with at least one specimen available for diagnostic testing. By December 31, 1993, 21 confirmed cases (age range, 14 to 58 years) residing in 11 states outside the Four Corners region had been identified. This passive surveillance system was successful in rapidly identifying the widespread sporadic geographic distribution for HPS cases throughout the United States and could serve as a model for similar emergencies. Expanding and coordinating surveillance systems for the early detection, tracking, and evaluation of emerging infections is a critical component of disease prevention.
A randomized placebo-controlled pilot trial shows that intranasal vasopressin improves social deficits in children with autism
Authors: Karen J. Parker, Ozge Oztan, Robin A. Libove, Noreen Mohsin, Debra S. Karhson, Raena D. Sumiyoshi, Jacqueline E. Summers, Kyle E. Hinman, Kara S. Motonaga, Jennifer M. Phillips, Dean S. Carson, Lawrence K. Fung, Joseph P. Garner, Antonio Y. Hardan
Journal: Science Translational Medicine (2019)

Intranasal delivery of the neuropeptide vasopressin improves social abilities in children with autism spectrum disorder.
Medical school appoints ‘writer in residence’
Authors: Jenny Blythe
Journal: BMJ (2000)

The University of Newcastle upon Tyne Medical School has appointed its first “writer in residence” to run creative writing workshops and literature classes for its students.

Carol Clewlow, who has been a journalist for 20 years and has written several novels, including the best selling Women's Guide to Adultery , started her 18 month part time post last month. She joins the already established humanities programme for undergraduates at the school. “This is a wonderful opportunity,” she said. “I could not ask for a more …
Drug company marketing is aimed at medical students
Authors: Manjulika Das
Journal: BMJ (2004)

Medical students should critically assess their contact with the pharmaceutical industry--so that their future practice and prescriptions are not influenced by the marketing strategies of drug companies, a recent US study has found ( Academic Medicine 2004;79:1041-5).

Claus Pierach, professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, and colleagues were concerned about the aggressive marketing strategies of drug companies. They observed the extent of influence of pharmaceutical enterprises on undergraduate medical students. “It had been bothering us for years that the pharmaceutical representatives went after students although these undergraduates could not even order any medicines,” said Pierach.

The researchers interviewed on 165 preclinical and …
Haemoptysis, dysphagia, and odynophagia
Authors: Thomas King, Giles Warner
Journal: BMJ (2008)

A 70 year old woman presented to the head and neck unit with a three month history of intermittent haemoptysis, progressive dysphagia, and odynophagia. On further questioning she reported no dysphonia or dyspnoea but complained of left sided otalgia. She had a 40 pack year history of smoking. Apart from controlled hypertension her medical history was unremarkable. Physical examination showed a 3 cm lymph node in the anterior triangle of the neck but no other findings. Fibre optic laryngoscopy performed in the outpatient department showed a large epiglottic mass with normal vocal cords. She was admitted for examination under anaesthetic and imaging of the neck (fig 1). Fig 1 Computed tomogram of the neck
Polonium-210 poisoning
Authors: Steven Kennish, Stuart Currie
Journal: BMJ (2007)

There's fascinating science behind the media hype. Steven Kennish and Stuart Currie explain In November 2006 Alexander Litvinenko, a 43 year old former officer of the KGB (the former Soviet Union's committee for state security) and a political exile in the United Kingdom was poisoned by a radioactive substance known as polonium-210. The story gripped the nation and made news headlines worldwide.13 Litvinenko fell ill on November shortly after meeting some contacts in central London, at locations including a sushi bar and hotel restaurant. In hospital he tested positive for 210Po. His condition progressively deteriorated, and he died of multiple organ failure on 23 November. In many respects the political intrigue has overshadowed the science behind the case. The general public can be forgiven for skipping the technical details, but if we dig a little deeper these are just as fascinating. Polonium (Po) is a rare radioactive element that occurs naturally in the earth's crust (see box 1). It has position 84 in the periodic table. It was discovered by Marie Curie in 1898 and was named after her native country of Poland.4 It exists as more than 25 isotopes, which range in atomic mass from 192 to 218. As a consequence of recent events, 210Po has become the most famous isotope of the element. ### Box 1: RadioisotopesRETURN TO TEXT
Book review: Learning Medicine
Authors: Nick Jenkins
Journal: BMJ (2000)

At a time when the media are all talking about the flood of incompetent doctors, the stitch-up of the NHS by consultants, and medics as butchers and murderers, what school leaver in their right mind should want to join such a charlatan profession? On the other hand, there is the lifesaving ER image, with gorgeous doctors rushing to the aid of distressed damsels. Fast cars, boundless wealth, and the status of a flourishing Harley Street practice may be attracting them in droves.

Reading Learning Medicine will not make readers' decisions for them, but it will certainly leave them with a much clearer idea about what the training and …
Minerva: June 2006
Authors: David Bartlett, John Hansell
Journal: BMJ (2000)

Observing the miraculous effects of a quick knee massage on the performance of a felled footballer, Minerva has often wondered if the effect was psychological. A team of sports scientists report that it probably is ( British Journal of Sports Medicine 2000;34:109-15). Their study-in amateur boxers-showed that massage had no impact on the physiology of recovery between bouts, although it made the boxers feel better.

Despite a clutch of controlled trials, it's still unclear whether or not steroids are an effective treatment for bronchiolitis in infants. A combined analysis of the six best trials shows that length of stay and duration of symptoms are both reduced by steroids, although the authors think there is still room for at least one more trial-preferably a big one-to find out which infants benefit the most (www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/105/4/44).

It should be clear by now that people who give up smoking after a heart attack live longer than those who don't. Giving up smoking is more effective than thrombolysis, aspirin, or β blockers, cutting mortality by up to 61%, according to a …
Dundee spots stressed students
Authors: Alex Brooks
Journal: BMJ (1999)

Dundee University is trying to make students more aware of welfare issues before stress related problems arise. A study trying to ascertain the effects of including welfare with more traditional subjects such as anatomy in the medical curriculum was launched in October.

Nick Halpin, head of the university's counselling service, said that medical students were “under quite a bit of stress” and that the “evidence is that stress gets …
Filler: On writing prescriptions
Authors: Sundaram V Ramanan
Journal: BMJ (2003)

As a house officer on call in a suburban London hospital, I found my nocturnal forays often took me to areas of the hospital I rarely visited. Wandering around listlessly one night, I found myself in the radiology department. Deep from its innards, there emerged a gaunt figure I recognised as a radiology technician. He must have been 100 years old, or so I thought. I had seen him before, but …
Abstract 17229: Low Levels of 1,5-Anhydroglucitol Are Associated With Long-Term Cardiac Mortality in Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients With HbA1c Levels Less Than 7.0%
Authors: Shohei Ouchi, Kazunori Shimada, Tetsuro Miyazaki, Shuhei Takahashi, Yurina Sugita, Megumi Shimizu, Takao Kato, Tatsuro Aikawa, Shoko Suda, Eiryu Sai, Masaru Hiki, Hiroshi Iwata, Takatoshi Kasai, Katsumi Miyauchi, Hiroyuki Daida
Journal: Circulation (2017)

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is considered as an important risk factor of cardiovascular diseases. Higher HbA1c levels, which indicate poor glycemic control, have been associated with the occurr...
Difficulties making a fist in clinically suspect arthralgia: an easy applicable phenomenon predictive for RA that is related to flexor tenosynovitis
Authors: Fenne Wouters, Florus J van der Giesen, Xanthe M E Matthijssen, Ellis Niemantsverdriet, Annette H M van der Helm-van Mil
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2019)

Difficulties making a fist in patients presenting with recent-onset arthralgia of small joints without clinically detectable arthritis is considered a risk factor for progression to inflammatory arthritis (IA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This is also reflected by this sign being incorporated in the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) definition of arthralgia suspicious for progression to RA.1 However, to date, there is barely scientific evidence for its predictive value and little comprehension on the underlying mechanism in recent-onset arthralgia. We studied if difficulties making a fist is indeed predictive for the development of IA and RA, and whether this sign is associated with subclinical inflammation.

Patients presenting with recent-onset (<1 year) arthralgia of the small joints were consecutively included in the Leiden clinically suspect arthralgia (CSA) cohort.2 At baseline, the ability to completely close the fist (actively close the fist with all fingertips touching the palm) and fist strength (measured by a patient squeezing the assessor’s fingers) were determined (figure 1). It was determined by trained research nurses in all patients, and for reliability purposes also by rheumatologists in a subset of patients. Contrast-enhanced 1.5T MRI of the wrist and second to fifth metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints was performed and …
The Bard on the Brain
Authors: Helen Barratt
Journal: BMJ (2003)

One of the most important legacies of the Enlightenment-the revolution in thinking in 18th century Europe-was the division between science and the arts. The Bard on the Brain is one of many books that seek to bridge this gap with the arts, making new discoveries accessible to the lay reader. Neuroscientist Paul Matthews and author Jeffrey McQuain bring together the art of Shakespeare and the science of brain imaging. Modern techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography provide us with a window on the workings of …
Tips on… How to spot a skull fracture
Authors: John Baker
Journal: BMJ (2004)

The days of inexperienced officers in the emergency department staring blindly at skull x rays are over. In the UK, we now have a clear set of evidenced based guidelines to follow.

1.  With the availability of computerised tomography, and a new set of guidelines from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), most emergency departments in the United Kingdom do not now routinely x ray skulls after head injuries.

2.  Skull x rays were used in …
Professional yet comfortable
Authors: Teresa Pun
Journal: BMJ (2005)

On the day of my medical school interview, I was surprised to see how many black suits, myself included, were in attendance. But why black? Interview consultants and pre-med forums recommended dark navy or black to highlight how professional we were. The homogeneity of our outfits implied that we fitted in with the prestige of the school and that we would do them proud. Ironically, all of the speakers emphasised the importance of diversity in the medical school class. One class had former engineers, welders, paramedics, and historians.

In the hospital, …
Transferring between medical schools
Authors: Nishanthan Rajakumaraswamy, Iqbal Toor, Geraint Thomas
Journal: BMJ (2004)

Using their experiences of transferring between universities, <b>Nishanthan Rajakumaraswamy</b>, <b>Iqbal Toor</b>, and <b>Geraint Thomas</b> explore the options for medical students wanting to study somewhere else
Global Snapshots - Kenya: coping with a history of corruption
Authors: David Blane
Journal: BMJ (2003)

Kenya is a fine example of a country which, at first glance, may appear like paradise: from golden sands and clear blue ocean, to herds of wildebeest and sprawling savannah it makes the perfect tourist destination. But on closer inspection, Kenya is struggling to cope with a post-colonial history of government corruption and deep rooted tribal rivalries. Poverty, inequality, and unemployment are endemic. The basic infrastructure--roads, telephones, railways, and the electricity supply--is in disrepair.1 The same is true of the country's healthcare system.

There is a mix …
Tobacco use is still prevalent in films
Authors: Siân Knight
Journal: BMJ (2001)

Tobacco use in films is still wide- spread despite a voluntary ban on cigarette promotion being adopted in Hollywood, accord- ing to a study published in the Lancet in January (2001;357:2932). Eighty five per cent of the top 25 grossing blockbusters between 1988 and 1997 featured tobacco, while 28% of the movies showed distinct tobacco branding.

“The increase in smoking on TV and in movies counters the education efforts in schools,” says Shelly Huff of the American Cancer Society. “You'll find actors like Bruce Willis defusing a bomb with a cigarette hanging …
Exome sequencing highlights the role of wild-relative introgression in shaping the adaptive landscape of the wheat genome
Authors: Fei He, Raj Pasam, Fan Shi, Surya Kant, Gabriel Keeble-Gagnere, Pippa Kay, Kerrie Forrest, Allan Fritz, Pierre Hucl, Krystalee Wiebe, Ron Knox, Richard Cuthbert, Curtis Pozniak, Alina Akhunova, Peter L. Morrell, John P. Davies, Steve R. Webb, German Spangenberg, Ben Hayes, Hans Daetwyler, Josquin Tibbits, Matthew Hayden, Eduard Akhunov
Journal: Nature Genetics (2019)
The art of healing
Authors: Carl Morris
Journal: BMJ (2000)

Someone sent me an email last year about life as an arts student. It was to the tune of Blur's “Park Life,” and the chorus went: “All my lectures, my two ooh lectures. I sometimes go to them, go to them in my - art's life.” And so on. The life of an arts student was all about staying in bed every day until Neighbours , except on a Wednesday when s/he was rudely awakened by the cleaner, or so the song implied. Speaking as somebody with a degree in literature, I thought the funny thing about the song was that it actually didn't exaggerate at all. We really were that lazy. In fact, in my second year we didn't go to any …
Australian government's plan to address shortage of doctors is rejected
Authors: Christopher Zinn
Journal: BMJ (2003)

Medical students and doctors in Australia have angrily rejected plans by the federal government to bond newly funded medical school places to six years' service in a rural location. The 234 places at universities outside the state capitals will be offered to students who were turned down for existing medical places.



JAMES D MORGAN/REXBush life is not popular with doctors



The plan, to address a shortfall of at least 700 general practitioners in country areas, has been attacked by students who claim it is conscription and doctors who believe it is little better than blackmail.

The …
Going through the change
Authors: Séamus Phillips
Journal: BMJ (2000)

The crucial sticking point for evolutionary scientists is the so called missing link. They know about the knuckle-dragging ape who was homo habilis, uncouth and hairy. They also know about sophisticated, fragrant homo erectus, able to choose curtains and make polite conversation over Mesolithic crudites. But what came in between? How did man make the transition to two legs?

Similarly, how did the bungling, bright eyed, lazy medical student became the competent, cynical, overworked house officer? Was it a sudden transition, or a slow creeping change?

So in August I began my investigations. I studied the new batch of preregistration house officers in great detail. I tracked …
Analysis of Control Arm Quality in Randomized Clinical Trials Leading to Anticancer Drug Approval by the US Food and Drug Administration
Authors: Talal Hilal, Mohamad Bassam Sonbol, Vinay Prasad
Journal: JAMA Oncology (2019)

To date, an empirical evaluation of the quality of control arms in randomized clinical trials (RCTs) leading to anticancer drug approvals by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not been undertaken.We sought to estimate the percentage of RCTs that used a control arm deemed suboptimal and led to FDA approval of anticancer drugs from January 1, 2013, to July 31, 2018.This quality improvement study included 143 anticancer drug approvals granted by the FDA from January 1, 2013, to July 31, 2018. All approvals based on single-arm studies (48 approvals) were excluded. Approvals based on RCTs were further investigated and each trial was analyzed for design, time of patient accrual, control arm, and primary end point. Standard-of-care therapy was determined by evaluating the literature and published guidelines 1 year prior to the start of trial enrollment. The percentage of approvals based on RCTs that used suboptimal control arms was then calculated. The quality of the control arm was deemed suboptimal if the choice of control agent was restricted to exclude a recommended agent, the control arm was specified but the recommended agent was unspecified, and if prior RCT data had demonstrated that the control agent was inferior to an available alternative.Estimated percentage of RCTs that used suboptimal control arms that led to FDA approval of anticancer agents between January 1, 2013, to July 31, 2018.A total of 145 studies that led to 143 drug approvals between January 1, 2013, and July 31, 2018, were included. Of these studies, 48 single-arm studies were excluded. The remaining 97 studies led to 95 drug approvals. Of these 95 approvals, 16 (17%) were based on RCTs with suboptimal control arms; 15 were international trials, and 1 was conducted in the United States. The type of approval was regular in 15 trials and accelerated in 1 trial. When categorized by the nature of suboptimal control, 4 (25%) trials omitted active treatment in control arm by limiting investigator's choice, 11 (63%) trials omitted active treatment in the control arm by using a control agent known to be inferior to other available agents or not allowing combinations, and 1 (13%) trial used a previously used treatment in the control arm with a known lack of benefit associated with reexposure.Although anticancer drug approvals are increasing, a proportion of these drugs are reaching the market without proven superiority to what is considered the standard of care at the time of patient enrollment in pivotal trials. The choice of control arm should be optimized to ensure that new anticancer agents being marketed are truly superior to what most clinicians would prescribe outside a clinical trial setting.
What's on the web? Statistics for medical students
Authors: Samantha Chan
Journal: BMJ (2003)

Mention statistics to the average medical student and chances are the response will be boredom tinged with trepidation. Yet, as doctors, we will encounter data analysed and presented in many different forms and must somehow make sense of it all.

The internet contains lots of statistical resources, including several complete textbooks. However, most of these are almost painful to read: “When the word ‘mean’ is used without a modifier, it can be assumed that it refers to the arithmetic mean….the formula in summation notation is μ=Sx/N,” …
Abstract 19794: Notch3 Modulates the Cardiovascular Adaptation to Output-Overload
Authors: Hélène Ragot, Sabine Guinemer, Clément Delacroix, Inès Da Costa, Evelyne Polidano, Régine Merval, Christos Chatziantoniou, Jane-Lise Samuel
Journal: Circulation (2016)

Introduction: The Notch3 receptor plays an important role in differentiation, migration and signal transduction of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). We recently showed that Notch3 signaling was...
WHO highlights impact of violence on health
Authors: Mirza Muminovic
Journal: BMJ (2002)

Violence kills more than 1.6 million people every year, says the first comprehensive World Report on Violence and Health, released by the World Health Organization (see www.who.int/en/).

The report has taken three years to write and was drawn from evidence using the expertise of 160 experts from around the world.

In addition to those who are killed by violent acts, millions of people are left injured as a result of violence and suffer from physical, sexual, reproductive, and mental health problems.

Everyday, an average of 1424 people …
The Essential Guide to Becoming a Doctor
Authors: Rhona MacDonald
Journal: BMJ (2004)

“How do bicycle gears work?” and “Do you think that those who can afford private medical cover should be forced to have it?” are examples of questions that you might be asked at an interview for a place at medical school. How do I know this? Because this little treasure of a book told me so.

The authors come across like your worldly wise occasionally teasing older brothers, taking you by the hand …
The ultimate junior doctor
Authors: David King
Journal: BMJ (2006)

<b>Riaz Agha</b> is 26 and graduated from medical school last August. He is a foundation year one house officer, but unlike most of his peers, he has already written more than 10 scientific papers, won more than 20 prizes, founded an international peer reviewed journal, and been included in the 20069s Who9s Who. <b>David King</b> finds out more
A guide to medical etiquette: paediatrics
Authors: David McAllister
Journal: BMJ (2001)

Being a paediatrician must be a lot like being a vet. Small children share with animals a lot of common features - for example, an inability to speak and a disregard for social niceties.

History taking - you can't take a history from children who can't speak, much like puppies.

Physical examination - The books will tell you that examining children is opportunistic.

What they don't tell you is that while you are waiting for an …
What's the evidence?
Authors: Sharon E Strauss, Manique Wijesinghe
Journal: BMJ (2005)

With just the click of a mouse, you can access thousands of research articles of variable credibility about lots of different medical conditions. But how do you actually apply them to clinical practice? <b>Manique Wijesinghe</b> and <b>Sharon Strauss</b> describe how you should use evidence based medicine