tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Extramural Update April 2004
Journal: Environmental Health Perspectives (2004)

5 December 2003 in Southern Pines, North Carolina.Unlike previous DERT scientific retreats, this meeting revolved around a single topic: systems biology.While it is clear that systems biology offers great power, it is the potential application to the environmental health sciences that interests the NIEHS.Although experts do not agree entirely on how systems biology should be defined, the NIEHS has adopted a broadly stated definition that represents the integration of multiple data streams into a unified model allowing for quantitative predictions of how a system of interest will respond to various perturbations.The long-range objective for the NIEHS in systems biology is the development of an in silico model of the human that will allow quantitative predictions of the risks associated with environmental exposures.The retreat was divided into three sessions ultimately intended to address the question of how the emerging science of systems biology can be applied in the environmental health sciences.The three sessions were developed such that each built on the foundation of the previous.Session 1 dealt with the techniques used in systems biology, including a focus on proteomics, metabolomics, and computational analyses.Session 2 consisted of presentations of current applications of systems biology in specific disease states.Session 3 extended this discussion to explore the concept of relating systems-level analyses of diseases to public health issues.The meeting also included keynote addresses on the ethical, legal, and social implications of systems biology and on the potential applications of nano-and microscale technologies for risk assessment.There was considerable enthusiasm for the involvement of the NIEHS in supporting the development of systems biology as a new research paradigm.This approach is quite distinct from the traditional reductionist approach to scientific investigation and offers many potential advantages, most notably through the ability to rapidly make quantitative predictions of system responses.Although current state-of-the-art approaches are sufficient for modeling well-defined pathways, there is a need for continued refinement of both acquisition and analysis tools, which will allow for improved predictions of dynamic systems and integrated models of whole organisms (including, ultimately, the human).Among the technical needs outlined were improvements in the temporal, spatial, and quantitative resolving power of "-omics" techniques.Another important aspect of developing a systems-level portfolio is support for the development and training of interdisciplinary teams of scientists with enough understanding of each others' areas of specialty to enable them to work together to design a robust approach to systems investigation.Finally, as one attendee noted, "We do not need to be concerned with doing systems biology but rather [with] tackling problems."
Abstract 99: Placement of Automated External Defibrillators in Denmark: “Free Seating”
Authors: Anne M Nielsen, Lars S Rasmussen
Journal: Circulation (2011)

Objectives: According to current guidelines from the American Heart Association and the European Resuscitation Council Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) should be placed where there is a high incidence of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. This includes transportation centers, sport facilities, and large shopping malls. In Denmark, all AEDs have had “over-the-counter” status since 2003 thus allowing everyone to purchase an AED without prescription or medical supervision. We investigated how this system influenced AED placement nationally. Methods: We collected information on AED placement on September 15th 2010 from a web page used for voluntary registration of AEDs in Denmark. Results and discussion: There were 2811 registered AEDs. The majority (29%) was registered at private companies, and another 7% were registered at shops and 4% at hotels. Around 10% were placed in municipal buildings (e.g. town halls) and another 10% were registered in schools, kindergartens, or nursing homes. Nineteen and 3% were registered at sport facilities and at transportation centers, respectively. Healthcare professionals (dentists, GPs, and physiotherapists) had 5% of the registered AEDs. Two percent of the AEDs were purchased by residents' associations and 1% by a private person. The rest were registered at various other locations. Conclusion: With nonstrategic initiatives, AEDs are not necessarily placed where there is a high risk of out-of hospital cardiac arrest.
Abstract 16384: Longitudinal Assessment of Plaque Inflammation on Statin Therapy Evaluated by 18F-FDG PET/CT: a Prospective Interventional Study
Authors: Mineok Chang, Joo Hyun O, Eun Ji Han, Dong Hwi Kim, Jin Jin Kim, Jae Gyung Kim, Eun Ho Choo, Byung-Hee Hwang, Tae-Hoon Kim, Sang-Hyun Ihm, Ki-Bae Seung, Kiyuk Chang
Journal: Circulation (2013)

Background: Statin has shown robust plaque-stabilizing effect mainly by reducing plasma LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. Longitudinal alterations in plaque inflammation during a year of statin thera...
International travels and fever screening during epidemics: a literature review on the effectiveness and potential use of non-contact infrared thermometers
Authors: D Bitar, A Goubar, J  C Desenclos
Journal: Eurosurveillance (2009)

Several countries plan to introduce non-contact infrared thermometers (NCIT) at international airports in order to detect febrile passengers, thus to delay the introduction of a novel influenza strain. We reviewed the existing studies on fever screening by NCIT to estimate their efficacy under the hypothesis of pandemic influenza. Three Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) or dengue fever interventions in airports were excluded because of insufficient information. Six fever screening studies in other gathering areas, mainly hospitals, were included (N= 176 to 72,327 persons; fever prevalence= 1.2% to 16.9%). Sensitivity varied from 4.0% to 89.6%, specificity from 75.4% to 99.6%, positive predictive value (PPV) from 0.9% to 76.0% and negative predictive value (NPV) from 86.1% to 99.7%. When we fixed fever prevalence at 1% in all studies to allow comparisons, the derived PPV varied from 3.5% to 65.4% and NPV was >or=99%. The low PPV suggests limited efficacy of NCIT to detect symptomatic passengers at the early stages of a pandemic influenza, when fever prevalence among passengers would be =or<1%. External factors can also impair the screening strategy: passengers can hide their symptoms or cross borders before symptoms occur. These limits should be considered when setting up border control measures to delay the pandemic progression.
Hemoglobin Neapolis, beta 126(H4)Val----Gly: a novel beta-chain variant associated with a mild beta-thalassemia phenotype and displaying anomalous stability features
Authors: L Pagano, G Lacerra, L Camardella, M De Angioletti, G Fioretti, G Maglione, C de Bonis, E Guarino, A Viola, R Cutolo
Journal: Blood (1991)
A view from the back of the queue
Authors: A. Sommerville
Journal: BMJ (1996)

Jo Harris is a sparky teenager with Down's syndrome and a hole in her heart. The combination seems certain to kill her. As a baby she could have had cardiac surgery but attitudes to Down's children were even more discriminatory then. Now her lungs are damaged. Whereas “normal” people have the chance, however slight, of a heart-lung transplant, Down's patients are simply not eligible. Jo is “a right little … in the bum,” according to her mum, but the real pain is that because of a label she will not even be considered on equal terms with other transplant candidates.

At first glance then, this programme seems another heart-tugging scenario of sick child and desperate parents pitted against the implacable medical community. Her mother bluntly sums up the medical argument “there are so …
genetic deletion of P66 (sch) protects against obesity induced mithocondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress and vascular inflammation
Authors: F Paneni, G Capretti, S Costantino, S Chandotto, E Di Stasio, A Akmedov, G Petrucci, Bianca Rocca, T Luscher, M Volpe, F Cosentino
Journal: Circulation (2012)
Phase I-II trial of a monoclonal anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha antibody for the treatment of refractory severe acute graft-versus-host disease
Authors: P Herve, M Flesch, P Tiberghien, J Wijdenes, E Racadot, P Bordigoni, E Plouvier, JL Stephan, H Bourdeau, E Holler
Journal: Blood (1992)
Abstract 14588: MicroRNA-34a Regulated Sirtuin 1 is Required for Smooth Muscle Cell Differentiation From Murine and Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Authors: Xiaotian Yu, Li Zhang, Guanmei Wen, Hanqing Zhao, Yuan Huang, Jianhua Zhu, Qingbo Xu, Shu Ye, Wen Wang, Qingzhong Xiao
Journal: Circulation (2013)

Background: microRNA-34a (miR-34a) has been recently reported to regulate tumor cell cycle progression and apoptosis. However, very little is known about the functional role of miR-34a in smooth muscle cell (SMC) differentiation from stem cells. In the present study, we assessed the hypothesis that miR34a and its target genes play an important role in SMC differentiation. Methods and results: Mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells were seeded on collagen IV-coated flasks and cultured in differentiation medium for 4 to 8 days to allow for SMC differentiation. miR-34a was significantly upregulated during SMC differentiation. Enforced expression and knockdown of miR34a in differentiating ES cells significantly promoted and inhibited SMC-specific gene expressions, respectively. Furthermore, overexpression and knockdown of miR-34a upregulated and downregulated several SMC transcription factors, including SRF, myocardin and MEF2c in a similar manner, and miR-34a overexpression in stem cells promoted SMC differentiatio...
Abstract P417: Physical Activity, Physical Fitness and Leukocyte Telomere Length: The Cardiovascular Health Study
Authors: Luisa Soares-Miranda, Fumiaki Imamura, David S Siscovick, Nancy Swords Jenny, Annette L Fitzpatrick, Dariush Mozaffarian
Journal: Circulation (2013)

Background The influence of physical activity (PA) and fitness (PF) at older ages on changes in telomere length (TL), repetitive DNA sequences that may mark biologic aging, are not well established. Prior studies in older adults were cross-sectional, and few evaluated PF. Aim To investigate both cross-sectional and prospective associations of PA and PF with Leukocyte TL in older adults. Methods Among 582 adults age 73±5 y at baseline in CHS having serial LTL measures (leucocyte mean terminal restriction length) in 1992 and 1997, PA (walking pace, blocks, combined walking score; leisure time activity) and PF (15-ft walk, chair stands, grip strength) were assessed multiple times from 1989 to 1997. Cross-sectional associations were assessed using multivariable repeated-measures regression of cumulative average serial PA and PF measures from 1989 to 1992 against LTL in 1992; and cumulative averaged PA and PF from 1993 to 1997 against LTL in 1997. Longitudinal analyses assessed cumulative averaged PA and PF from 1989-92 against later changes in LTL from 1992-97; and changes in cumulative averaged PA and PF from 1989-92 to 1993-97 against changes in LTL from 1992-97. We evaluated all subjects, those without poor/fair self-reported health, and those without limited ADLs. Results Cross-sectionally, greater walking distance and chair test performance, but not other PA and PF measures, each associated with longer LTL ( P trend 0.007, 0.04 respectively). Lab measures of DNA integrity suggested measurable degradation that markedly attenuates ability to detect differences in LTL changes over time, especially over only 5 y. For example, baseline PA and PF from 1989-92 were unassociated with later changes in LTL. In contrast, changes in leisure time activity and chair test performance from 1992-97 were each inversely associated with LTL shortening. Conclusions Even late in life, certain PA and PF metrics are associated with longer LTL cross-sectionally and, even with likely substantial measurement error, with less LTL shortening over time.
Abstract 12169: Transseptal Access and Atrial Fibrillation Ablation Guided by Intracardiac Echo in Patients with Atrial Septal Closure Devices
Authors: Pasquale Santangeli, Luigi Di Biase, J. David Burkhardt, Rodney Horton, Javier Sanchez, Shane Bailey, Jason D. Zagrodzky, Dhanunjaya Lakkireddy, Rong Bai, Prasant Mohanty, Salwa Beheiry, Richard Hongo, Andrea Natale
Journal: Circulation (2011)
Suicide and schizophrenia: a nationwide psychological autopsy study on age- and sex-specific clinical characteristics of 92 suicide victims with schizophrenia
Authors: H Heilä, E T Isometsä, M M Henriksson, M E Heikkinen, M J Marttunen, J K Lönnqvist
Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry (1997)

Objective: The authors examined the clinical characteristics of suicide victims with schizophrenia in the general population of Finland.Method: As part of the nationwide National Suicide Prevention Project in Finland, all suicides over a 12-month period of persons with DSM-III-R schizophrenia were investigated by using the psychological autopsy method.Clinical characteristics and their variation with age, sex, and illness duration were examined.Results: Among all suicide victims, 7% (N=92) were identified as having suffered schizophrenia.Suicides occurred throughout the course of schizophrenia.Both active illness (78%) and depressive symptoms (64%) were highly prevalent immediately before suicide, and a history of suicide attempts (71%) was also common.Women were more likely than men to have committed suicide during an acute exacerbation of the illness.Marked variation in depressive symptoms, alcoholism, and suicide methods was found among sexes and age groups.Alcoholism was most common among middle-aged men (45%), whereas middle-aged women had a high rate of depressive symptoms (88%).Younger male subjects most often used violent suicide methods.Conclusions: Suicide may occur at any point during the course of schizophrenia.The results indicate clinically important variation in depression, alcoholism, and suicide methods among suicide victims with schizophrenia.This suggestion of age-and sex-specific risk factors for suicide in schizophrenia needs further investigation.
Abstract 10318: Liver Dysfunction and Dynamics in Liver Function Parameters Predict Survival of Patients with Advanced Heart Failure Requiring Ventricular Assist Device Placement
Authors: Jonathan A Yang, Brittney P Shulman, Hiroo Takayama, Tomoko S Kato, Maryjane Farr, Ulrich P Jorde, Donna M Mancini, Yoshifumi Naka, P. Christian Schulze
Journal: Circulation (2011)
Chronic hepatitis in United Kingdom blood donors infected with hepatitis C virus
Authors: W L Irving, K R Neal, J C E Underwood, P N Simmonds, V James
Journal: BMJ (1994)

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about The BMJ.NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address. Username * Your Email * Send To * You are going to email the following Chronic hepatitis in United Kingdom blood donors infected with hepatitis C virus Your Personal Message CAPTCHA This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Drug points: Lithium toxicity after urinary diversion with ileal conduit
Authors: A Alhasso, A A Bryden, D Neilson
Journal: BMJ (2000)

A 71 year old woman underwent urinary diversion with ileal conduits for severe stress incontinence that had been refractory to previous treatments. She had longstanding bipolar affective disorder that was well controlled with lithium carbonate 600 mg daily. The lithium was discontinued preoperatively and recommenced at the original dose 48 hours postoperatively. Ten days later, after removal of the ureteric stents, she developed progressive confusion, dysarthria, nausea, and ataxia; her serum lithium concentration was increased at 2.1 mmol/l (treatment range 0.4-1.0 mmol/l). Lithium was discontinued and she made a full recovery with intravenous hydration alone. Subsequent dose titration required a reduction of lithium to 200 mg daily. This observation has been reported to the Committee on Safety of Medicines and the drug's manufacturer.

Metabolic complications (mainly hyperchloraemia and hypokalaemia) are well recognised after urinary diversion but infrequently require specific treatment.1 Problems arising from drug reabsorption are rare but have been reported for phenytoin and methotrexate.2,3 Lithium has a narrow treatment ratio, with toxicity occurring at only twice the upper limit of the treatment range. Steady serum concentrations occur as early as 2-5 days after starting treatment.4 About 95% of lithium is eliminated unchanged in urine, and it is readily absorbed by enteral mucosa.

The delayed toxicity in this patient was probably related to the ureteric stents: on their removal all urine drained through the ileal conduit, resulting in reabsorption of lithium. We advise that such patients are discharged only after stable serum lithium concentrations are re-established after stent removal. Additionally, owing to the long term changes associated with urinary diversion,5 continued vigilance is essential.

Any surgery resulting in exposure of bowel to urine should be taken into account when considering and monitoring pharmacotherapy, particularly of drugs excreted in a bioavailable form.
Management of health risks associated with oysters harvested from a norovirus contaminated area, Ireland, February–March 2010
Authors: B Doré, S Keaveney, J Flannery, P Rajko-Nenow
Journal: Eurosurveillance (2010)

Oysters from a harvesting area responsible for outbreaks of gastroenteritis were relaid at a clean seawater site and subsequently depurated in tanks of purified seawater at elevated temperatures. This combined treatment reduced norovirus levels to those detected prior to the outbreak. On the basis of norovirus monitoring the sale of treated oysters was permitted although the harvest area remained closed for direct sale of oysters. No reports of illness have been associated with the consumption of treated oysters.
Program calculates doses for neonates
Authors: J M Davies
Journal: BMJ (1996)

will be made available to vendors of general practitioner and hospital software for incorporation in their systems, whether on DOS or other platforms.Copies of the BNF are purchased by the Department of Health in bulk and then provided free to doctors and pharmacists working for the NHS.No such arrangement exists at present for the electronic version, which is available only through the publishers (BMA and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society ofGreat Britain).The stand alone eBNF runs adequately on personal computers with a 386 processor, though a more powerful processor and more memory will increase its speed.The stand alone eBNF is run from the hard disk.Most new non-clinical software that clinicians may want to use runs under Win- dows; users are therefore likely to replace their systems with newer hardware that will run such software.
Interleukin-1 beta: a putative mediator of HPA axis hyperactivity in major depression?
Authors: Michael Maes, Eugène Bosmans, Herbert Y. Meltzer, Simon Scharpé, Eduard Suy
Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry (1993)

There is extensive evidence that major depression, and particularly melancholia, is characterized by hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis hyperactivity as well as systemic immune activation, which may be accompanied by increased interleukin-1 beta production. Interleukin-1 beta is known to enhance HPA axis activity during an immune response. This study investigated whether interleukin-1 beta production is related to HPA axis activity in depressed subjects.The subjects were 28 inpatients with major or minor depression and 10 normal comparison subjects. The authors measured 1) the subjects' cortisol levels after an overnight 1-mg dexamethasone suppression test (DST) and 2) mitogen-stimulated supernatant interleukin-1 beta production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells.Statistically significant positive correlations between interleukin-1 beta production and post-DST cortisol values were found in the study group as a whole and in the depressed and normal subgroups separately.It is suggested that constituents of the immune response (such as interleukin-1 beta) in major depression may contribute to HPA axis hyperfunction in that illness.
Soundings: Critical event audit
Authors: Trisha Greenhalgh
Journal: BMJ (2001)

I noticed the previous evening that she wasn't her usual lively self, but it was still a shock to discover her curled up, stiff and cold, the next morning. The children immediately attempted post hoc resuscitation by generously refilling her food tray. But to an experienced eye, there was no denying the clinical reality. Smokey Bin Hamster was no more.
Abstract 19185: Remodeling of Mitral Annulus and Left Atrium in Permanent Atrial Fibrillation: Relationship to Severity of Mitral Regurgitation
Authors: Michael Y Tsang, Christina Luong, John Jue, Kenneth G Gin, Parvathy Nair, Pui-Kee Lee, Marion E Barnes, Teresa S Tsang
Journal: Circulation (2013)

Background: Left atrial (LA) size increases in atrial fibrillation (AF). How changes in mitral annulus and atrial volume over time relate to severity of mitral regurgitation (MR) is unknown. Methods: This cohort study included 160 patients with a history of permanent AF who had at least 2 transthoracic echocardiograms (TTE) performed between 2005 and 2010 at Vancouver General Hospital (British Columbia, Canada). Patients with structural mitral valve disease, congenital heart disease, more than mild-moderate mitral/tricuspid regurgitation on their first TTE were excluded from analyses. LA volume was determined using biplane area-length method, averaged over 3 cardiac cycles. The mitral annulus diameter (MAD), defined as the distance between the hinge points of the anterior and posterior mitral leaflets from the apical 4-chamber view, was measured during end-systole and end-diastole. Linear mixed effects modeling was used in analyzing the above measurements for change over time. Mitral regurgitation was classified into 3 grades (mild, moderate, or severe) using standard color Doppler and PISA easurements where available. Results: Of the 160 subjects included in this analysis, 100 were men (62.5%). The mean age at study entry was 74±10 years. The median number of TTE performed was 3 (range 2 - 6). All 160 patients showed a progressive increase in MAD over time. There was a significant increase in MAD at end-systole and end-diastole over a mean follow-up of 3.2 ± 2.8 years; the increases were 0.48 mm/year (95% CI 0.124 -0.75, P=0.0037) and 0.45 mm/year (95% CI 0.102-0.716, P=0.0029) respectively. LA volume increased from a mean of 43 mL/m2 to 75 mL/m2 for the cohort, or 10 mL/m2 per year. Adjusting for age, sex, and left ventricular ejection fraction, an increase in MR severity by at least 1 grade was strongly and independently associated with an increase in MAD. A 15% increment in MAD was associated with an increase in MR severity by 1 grade. Conclusion: Permanent AF was associated with significant increases in MAD and LA volume over time. Severity of MR also significantly increased over time, and was independently related to the change in MAD. Further investigations as to whether this represents a mechanism for left heart failure in patients with permanent AF are warranted.
Are There True Non-Responders to Hydroxyurea in Sickle Cell Disease? a Multiparameter Analysis
Authors: Arati Rani Chand, Hongyan Xu, Leigh G Wells, Betsy Clair, Cindy Neunert, Alison E Spellman, Leila Jerome Clay, Kavita Natrajan, Abdullah Kutlar
Journal: Blood (2014)