tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
POS1277 NON-CONTIGUOUS MULTIFOCAL SPONDYLODISCITIS: A CASE SERIES AND REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Authors: A. Feki, I. Sellami, R. Akrout, S. Ben Jemaa, A. Hriz, M. Ezzeddine, M. H. Kallel, H. Fourati, S. Baklouti
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2021)

Background: Spondylodiscitis is an infective process of the disc and the two adjacent vertebrae. It is quite a rare disease accounting for 2–7% of all cases of septic osteomyelitis. These spinal infections touch commonly a single level, the lumbar spine being the most affected. Non-contiguous spine level involvement is seldom reported in the literature. This last group is for the most part imputable to granulomatous organisms [1,2]. Objectives: Study the clinical, microbiological, radiological, therapeutic and evolutional characteristics of non-contiguous multi-levels spondylodiscitis. Methods: We conducted a retrospective descriptive study over twenty-one years in the Department of Rheumatology. The diagnosis of spondylodiscitis was based on combination of clinical, biological and radiological arguments. Results: Eight patients had non-contiguous multi-levels infectious spondylodiscitis. There were 6 men and 2 women. The mean age was 53.3±26.2 years. The mean delay from onset of symptoms to diagnosis was 134.6±77.6 days. Back pain was the most common symptom. All patients had spinal syndrome. The Signs of spinal cord compression were observed in 3 patients. C-reactive protein levels were elevated in 6 patients (mean: 56 ± 30.8 mg/L). Plain radiography, performed in all cases, showed pathological pictures in 7 patients. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed in 6 patients. Vertebral levels affected were thoracic / lumbar in 6 cases, cervical/thoracic in 1 case and cervical/lumbar in 1 case. The paravertebral abscess was associated to the disc involvement in 3 cases. Epiduritis was associated in 3 cases. Pathogens were isolated in all cases. Tuberculosis was the most common cause. The leading causative agents in non-tuberculosis spondylodiscitis were staphylococcus aureus, brucella and streptococcus B. Two microorganisms combined were found in two cases (mycobacterium tuberculosis associated to Escherichia coli in one case and mycobacterium tuberculosis associated to Brucella in another). Medical treatment was adapted to the microbial culture and the sensitivity profile of the etiological agent. After therapy, 7 patients had regression of symptoms and 1 patient had a permanent neurological impairment. Conclusion: Multilevel spondylodiscitis involving non-contiguous spine segments is rare. Although atypical organisms are generally held to be responsible, the common bacteria such as Streptococcus B or Staphylococcus aureus should not be overlooked. References: [1]Zimmerli W. Clinical practice.Vertebral osteomyelitis. N Engl J Med 2010 Mar;362(11):1022–9. [2]Cottle L, Riordan T. Infectious spondylodiscitis. J Infect 2008; 56(June (6)):401–12. Disclosure of Interests: None declared
PhenCards: a data resource linking human phenotype information to biomedical knowledge
Authors: James M. Havrilla, Cong Liu, Xiangchen Dong, Chunhua Weng, Kai Wang
Journal: Genome Medicine (2021)

Abstract We present PhenCards ( https://phencards.org ), a database and web server intended as a one-stop shop for previously disconnected biomedical knowledge related to human clinical phenotypes. Users can query human phenotype terms or clinical notes. PhenCards obtains relevant disease/phenotype prevalence and co-occurrence, drug, procedural, pathway, literature, grant, and collaborator data. PhenCards recommends the most probable genetic diseases and candidate genes based on phenotype terms from clinical notes. PhenCards facilitates exploration of phenotype, e.g., which drugs cause or are prescribed for patient symptoms, which genes likely cause specific symptoms, and which comorbidities co-occur with phenotypes.
Abstract 16262: Endothelial Dysfunction Protective Effects of Sulfated Non-Anticoagulant Low Molecular Weight Heparin in the Management of Sickle Cell Disease and Its Complications
Authors: Shaker A Mousa, Kavitha Godugu, Noureldien H Darwish, Shaymaa A Mousa
Journal: Circulation (2019)

Introduction: The pathogenesis of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) comprises a complex of factors associated with vascular endothelial activation, inflammation, and increased sickle cell adhesion. Hypothe...
Therapeutic implications of improved molecular diagnostics for rare CNS embryonal tumor entities: results of an international, retrospective study
Authors: Katja von Hoff, Christine Haberler, Felix Schmitt-Hoffner, Elizabeth Schepke, Teresa de Rojas, Sandra Jacobs, Michal Zapotocky, David Sumerauer, Marta Perek-Polnik, Christelle Dufour, Dannis van Vuurden, Irene Slavc, Johannes Gojo, Jessica C Pickles, Nicolas U Gerber, Maura Massimino, Maria Joao Gil-da-Costa, Miklos Garami, Ella Kumirova, Astrid Sehested, David Scheie, Ofelia Cruz, Lucas Moreno, Jaeho Cho, Bernward Zeller, Niels Bovenschen, Michael Grotzer, Daniel Alderete, Matija Snuderl, Olga Zheludkova, Andrey Golanov, Konstantin Okonechnikov, Martin Mynarek, Björn Ole Juhnke, Stefan Rutkowski, Ulrich Schüller, Barry Pizer, Barbara von Zezschwitz, Robert Kwiecien, Maximilian Wechsung, Frank Konietschke, Eugene I Hwang, Dominik Sturm, Stefan M Pfister, Andreas von Deimling, Elisabeth J Rushing, Marina Ryzhova, Peter Hauser, Maria Łastowska, Pieter Wesseling, Felice Giangaspero, Cynthia Hawkins, Dominique Figarella-Branger, Charles Eberhart, Peter Burger, Marco Gessi, Andrey Korshunov, Tom S Jacques, David Capper, Torsten Pietsch, Marcel Kool
Journal: Neuro-Oncology (2021)

Only few data are available on treatment-associated behavior of distinct rare CNS embryonal tumor entities previously treated as "CNS-primitive neuroectodermal tumors" (CNS-PNET). Respective data on specific entities, including CNS neuroblastoma, FOXR2 activated (CNS NB-FOXR2), and embryonal tumors with multilayered rosettes (ETMR) are needed for development of differentiated treatment strategies. Within this retrospective, international study, tumor samples of clinically well-annotated patients with the original diagnosis of CNS-PNET were analyzed using DNA methylation arrays (n = 307). Additional cases (n = 66) with DNA methylation pattern of CNS NB-FOXR2 were included irrespective of initial histological diagnosis. Pooled clinical data (n = 292) were descriptively analyzed. DNA methylation profiling of "CNS-PNET" classified 58 (19%) cases as ETMR, 57 (19%) as high-grade glioma (HGG), 36 (12%) as CNS NB-FOXR2, and 89(29%) cases were classified into 18 other entities. Sixty-seven (22%) cases did not show DNA methylation patterns similar to established CNS tumor reference classes. Best treatment results were achieved for CNS NB-FOXR2 patients (5-year PFS: 63% ± 7%, OS: 85% ± 5%, n = 63), with 35/42 progression-free survivors after upfront craniospinal irradiation (CSI) and chemotherapy. The worst outcome was seen for ETMR and HGG patients with 5-year PFS of 18% ± 6% and 22% ± 7%, and 5-year OS of 24% ± 6% and 25% ± 7%, respectively. The historically reported poor outcome of CNS-PNET patients becomes highly variable when tumors are molecularly classified based on DNA methylation profiling. Patients with CNS NB-FOXR2 responded well to current treatments and a standard-risk CSI-based regimen may be prospectively evaluated. The poor outcome of ETMR across applied treatment strategies substantiates the necessity for evaluation of novel treatments.
POS1179 POST COVID ARTHRITIS; REACTIVE ARTHRITIS OR RHEUMATIC DISEASE FLARE OR BOTH
Authors: F. Fayed, E. Abdelkarim
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2021)

Background: Reactive arthritis (ReA) is an emerging arthritis after viral infection especially respiratory and gastrointestinal related viruses. In 2020, SARS-COV2 virus is sweeping worldwide with diverse symptoms and prolonged post-Covid manifestations in which are arthralgia and myalgia are frequently present for days and even months. Interestedly, arthritis in covid era is a part of ReA or a flare of autoimmune disease, it is challenging. (1) Objectives: Our objective was to determine the frequency of musculoskeletal symptoms with SARS-COV2 virus and after recovery as well as its relation to autoimmune diseases flares. Methods: A Prospective study was done on 241 patients who admitted to the Rheumatology clinic from March 2020 to January 2021, complaining from new onset of musculoskeletal symptoms. Detailed history, Examination of systems including Musculoskeletal, laboratory investigation, past history of existing rheumatic disease, and history of infection with covid 19. Results: Among 241 patients with median age 34.4, 36.92% had an existing Rheumatic disease while 63.08% are not. Moreover, 39% of patients had a post history with covid 19 within weeks. The most frequent Musculoskeletal symptoms are myalgia (74.56%), arthralgia (69.36%), and arthritis (10.78%). Furthermore, ReA (Post covid arthritis) accounted (2.07%) especially monoarthritis of Ankle (68.75%) while rheumatic diseases flares (24.48%) as well as new onset rheumatic diseases (39.68%). (p ≤0.001) patients of ReA improved on NSAID and intrarticular injection of glucocorticosteroid. Conclusion: Covid 19 is one of environmental triggers for development of rheumatic disease as well as reactive arthritis post viral infections. ReA is commonly affected the Ankle joint mainly monoarthritis and had improved on oral NSAID and intrarticular injection of Glucocorticosteroid. References: [1]Schett, G., Manger, B., Simon, D. et al. COVID-19 revisiting inflammatory pathways of arthritis. Nat Rev Rheumatol 16, 465–470 (2020). Disclosure of Interests: None declared.
Changes in Patterns of Hospital Visits for Acute Myocardial Infarction or Ischemic Stroke During COVID-19 Surges
Authors: Matthew D. Solomon, Mai Nguyen-Huynh, Thomas K. Leong, Janet Alexander, Jamal S. Rana, Jeffrey Klingman, Alan S. Go
Journal: JAMA (2021)

This study evaluates changes in rates of patients hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or suspected stroke during COVID-19 surges in the US as a measure of willingness to seek care during the pandemic.
The circular RNA circSPARC enhances the migration and proliferation of colorectal cancer by regulating the JAK/STAT pathway
Authors: Jiaqi Wang, Yi Zhang, Hu Song, Hang Yin, Tao Jiang, Yixin Xu, Lianyu Liu, Hongyu Wang, Hong Gao, Renhao Wang, Jun Song
Journal: Molecular Cancer (2021)

Abstract Background Noncoding RNAs such as circular RNAs (circRNAs) are abundant in the human body and influence the occurrence and development of various diseases. However, the biological functions of circRNAs in colorectal cancer (CRC) are largely unknown. Methods RT-qPCR was used to detect the expression of circRNAs and mRNA in CRC cells and tissues. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to analyze the location of circSPARC. Function-based experiments were performed using circSPARC knockdown and overexpression cell lines in vitro and in vivo, including CCK8, colony formation, transwell and metastasis models. Mechanistically, luciferase reporter assay, western blots, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), Chromatin isolation by RNA purification (ChIRP) and immunohistochemical stainings were performed. Results CircSPARC was upregulated in both the tissues and plasma of CRC patients. High expression of circSPARC was associated with advanced TNM stage, lymph node metastases, and poor survival. Silencing circSPARC inhibited CRC cell migration and proliferation in vitro and vivo. Mechanistically, circSPARC sponged miR-485-3p to upregulate JAK2 expression and ultimately contribute to the accumulation of phosphorylated (p)-STAT3. Besides, circSPARC recruited FUS, which facilitated the nuclear translocation of p-STAT3. Conclusions These findings suggest that circSPARC might serve as a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker and a therapeutic target for CRC treatment by regulating JAK2/STAT3 pathway.
Patient Characteristics and Costs Associated With COVID-19–Related Medical Care Among Medicare Fee-for-Service Beneficiaries
Authors: Yuping Tsai, Tara M. Vogt, Fangjun Zhou
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2021)

New cases of COVID-19 continue to occur daily in the United States, and the need for medical treatments continues to grow. Knowledge of the direct medical costs of COVID-19 treatments is limited.
Rapid Sequencing-Based Diagnosis of Thiamine Metabolism Dysfunction Syndrome
Authors: Mallory J Owen, Anna-Kaisa Niemi, David P Dimmock, Mark Speziale, Mark Nespeca, Kevin K Chau, Luca Van Der Kraan, Meredith S Wright, Christian Hansen, Narayanan Veeraraghavan, Yan Ding, Jerica Lenberg, Shimul Chowdhury, Charlotte A Hobbs, Sergey Batalov, Zhanyang Zhu, Shareef A Nahas, Sheldon Gilmer, Gail Knight, Sebastien Lefebvre, John Reynders, Thomas Defay, Jacqueline Weir, Vicki S Thomson, Louise Fraser, Bryan R Lajoie, Tim K McPhail, Shyamal S Mehtalia, Chris M Kunard, Kevin P Hall, Stephen F Kingsmore
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (2021)

Speedy Genetic Diagnosis Infantile encephalopathy is associated with approximately 1500 genetic diseases. Without prompt treatment, permanent neurologic injury or death may occur. Here, the genome ...
Liver injury, hypoalbuminaemia and severe SARS-CoV-2 infection
Authors: Clare Elizabeth Foley, Christopher Mulvey, Maria Boylan, Niamh Reidy, Paul Reidy, David Moynan, Amy Worrall, Ger Curley, Karen Boland, Eoghan de Barra, John D Ryan
Journal: Gut (2021)

We have read with interest the recent study published in Gut by Weber et al 1 outlining liver abnormalities in 217 patients admitted with COVID-19 infection in Germany. Along with respiratory failure, deranged liver blood tests have been demonstrated in many cohort studies of patients admitted with SARS-CoV-2 infection, the clinical relevance of which has been unclear to date.2 3

The authors of this study demonstrated that deranged liver blood tests on admission were associated with more severe morbidity and mortality. Notably, hypoalbuminaemia on admission in this cohort was associated with a severe COVID-19 disease course.

A review of 310 patients admitted with COVID-19 to our institution in Dublin revealed abnormal liver blood tests …
AB0090 THE BIOCHEMICAL BASIS OF ANIMAL MODEL OF SYSTEMIC SCLEROSIS
Authors: B. Doskaliuk, L. Zaiats, R. Yatsyshyn
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2021)

Background: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a heterogeneous autoimmune pathology, which detailed pathogenetic mechanisms of initiation and progression still require further investigations. It could be achieved with implementation of reliable experimental modeling techniques. Objectives: This study was aimed to determine the state of oxidant/antioxidant system, dysregulation of collagen synthesis in laboratory animals and evaluate effectiveness of the considered model of SSc induction. Methods: Thirty adult Wistar rats (220-240 g) were included in the study. The experimental group consisted of 20 animals, which received 3 subcutaneous injections of 0.5 ml of 5% sodium hypochlorite solution (NaClO) with an active chlorine concentration of 190 g / dm 3 for 6 consecutive weeks. The control group consisted of 10 rats injected with isotonic solution according to the previously described scheme. Results: The level of catalase in the experimental group was lower than in the control 9.69 ± 0.67 g / l and 11.1 ± 0.87 g / l respectively (p = 0.002). Protein oxidative modification (POM) products were higher in the experimental group (0.0722 ± 0.023 vs 0.0527 ± 0.023, p = 0.014). Malondialdehyde (MDA) was also higher in the experimental group compared to the control (4.30 ± 0.26 and 3.85 ± 0.23, respectively, p = 0.010). The concentration of oxyproline in the serum of laboratory animals subjected to repeated administration of NaClO was significantly higher compared to the control group (34.03 ± 5.01 and 33.23 ± 2.40, p = 0.020). Conclusion: As a result of the use of NaClO for the reproduction of SSc in laboratory animals, there is a violation of oxidative-antioxidant homeostasis and increased fibrotic processes. These changes are comparable with those in SSc patients, which makes this modeling technique a promising tool for a detailed investigation of SSc pathogenesis. Disclosure of Interests: None declared
Pembrolizumab monotherapy for the treatment of high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer unresponsive to BCG (KEYNOTE-057): an open-label, single-arm, multicentre, phase 2 study
Authors: Arjun V Balar, Ashish M Kamat, Girish S Kulkarni, Edward M Uchio, Joost L Boormans, Mathieu Roumiguié, Laurence E M Krieger, Eric A Singer, Dean F Bajorin, Petros Grivas, Ho Kyung Seo, Hiroyuki Nishiyama, Badrinath R Konety, Haojie Li, Kijoeng Nam, Ekta Kapadia, Tara Frenkl, Ronald de Wit
Journal: The Lancet Oncology (2021)
Periorificial dermatitis and lumbosacral erosions
Authors: Lauren Eleanor Hilary Nené, Remco van Doorn
Journal: BMJ (2021)

These are erythemato-squamous lesions on the face of a woman in her 50s along with erosive lesions in the lumbosacral region (fig 1).



Fig 1 

The patient developed these painful erosions two months after undergoing a left hemicolectomy for colorectal …
Protesters call for UK to back covid vaccine waiver
Authors: Alison Shepherd
Journal: BMJ (2021)

Campaigners demanding an intellectual property waiver on covid-19 vaccines and treatments stage a protest at the Department for International Trade, in London, at the start of the two day virtual meeting of G7 trade ministers last week.Protesters from Global Justice Now and STOPAIDS called for trade ministers from G7 nations, including the UK's Liz Truss, to support a waiver of the vaccine manufacturers' trade related intellectual property rights (TRIPS) agreement.As a petition calling for G7 leaders and pharmaceutical chief executives to suspend patents passed two million signatures, Heidi Chow, senior campaigns and policy manager at Global Justice Now, said, "Liz Truss and her G7 counterparts have a choice to make."They can protect big pharma profits and prolong this pandemic.Or they can follow the United States, India, South Africa, and the majority of the world's nations and clear away the intellectual property barriers that are restricting global vaccine production.
Apolipoprotein E Promotes Immune Suppression in Pancreatic Cancer through NF-κB–Mediated Production of CXCL1
Authors: Samantha B. Kemp, Eileen S. Carpenter, Nina G. Steele, Katelyn L. Donahue, Zeribe C. Nwosu, Amanda Pacheco, Ashley Velez-Delgado, Rosa E. Menjivar, Fatima Lima, Stephanie The, Carlos E. Espinoza, Kristee Brown, Daniel Long, Costas A. Lyssiotis, Arvind Rao, Yaqing Zhang, Marina Pasca di Magliano, Howard C. Crawford
Journal: Cancer Research (2021)

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a lethal malignancy with few effective therapeutic options. PDAC is characterized by an extensive fibroinflammatory stroma that includes abundant infiltrating immune cells. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) are prevalent within the stroma and are key drivers of immunosuppression. TAMs in human and murine PDAC are characterized by elevated expression of apolipoprotein E (ApoE), an apolipoprotein that mediates cholesterol metabolism and has known roles in cardiovascular and Alzheimer's disease but no known role in PDAC. We report here that ApoE is also elevated in peripheral blood monocytes in PDAC patients, and plasma ApoE protein levels stratify patient survival. Orthotopic implantation of mouse PDAC cells into syngeneic wild-type or in ApoE-/- mice showed reduced tumor growth in ApoE-/- mice. Histologic and mass cytometric (CyTOF) analysis of these tumors showed an increase in CD8+ T cells in tumors in ApoE-/- mice. Mechanistically, ApoE induced pancreatic tumor cell expression of Cxcl1 and Cxcl5, known immunosuppressive factors, through LDL receptor and NF-κB signaling. Taken together, this study reveals a novel immunosuppressive role of ApoE in the PDAC microenvironment. SIGNIFICANCE: This study shows that elevated apolipoprotein E in PDAC mediates immune suppression and high serum apolipoprotein E levels correlate with poor patient survival.See related commentary by Sherman, p. 4186.
Pregnancy as Oracle: What It Augurs for Women’s Health
Authors: Padma Kaul, Winnie W. Sia
Journal: Circulation (2021)

The global burden of pregnancies resulting in preterm delivery, defined as delivery <37 weeks of gestation, is increasing over time. 1 Although being born too early has profound implications for morbidity and mortality in young children, the study in this issue by Crump et al 2 adds to a growing body of evidence that preterm delivery is also an important prognostic marker for the long-term cardiovascular health of the mother.In this study, based on a national Swedish cohort of 2 188 043 women with singleton pregnancies between 1973 and 2015, the authors examined the incidence of stroke over a follow-up period of up to 43 years.Although the overall incidence of stroke was relatively low (1.7%), having a preterm delivery significantly increased a woman's risk of having a stroke.The authors segmented the follow-up time into 4 10-year periods and found that, compared with women who had fullterm deliveries (39-41 weeks), women with preterm deliveries had a 60% higher risk of having a stroke within 10 and 20 years after delivery, and a 35% higher risk of stroke at 20 to 29 years and 30 to 43 years after delivery.The degree of stroke risk was inversely proportional to pregnancy duration, with women who had extremely preterm deliveries at 22 to 27 weeks having the highest risk.The stroke risk associated with preterm delivery was consistent across both stroke subtypes (ischemic and hemorrhagic), was elevated in both preterm deliveries that were spontaneous or medically indicated, and increased with the recurrence of preterm deliveries.In a unique supplementary analysis, the authors accounted for potential confounding as a result of shared genetic or environmental factors by reexamining the associations in a subset of women who had at least 1 sister who had a singleton delivery during the study period.The higher risk of stroke associated with preterm delivery appears largely independent of familial factors.The findings of this study, which are based on the largest and longest retrospective cohort of pregnant women, are consistent with those observed in pregnancy cohorts from countries such as Australia, Denmark, and Scotland.A meta-analysis of these and other studies found that women who had a preterm delivery were at a 65% higher risk of stroke than women who delivered at term. 3 Ecological data appear to support this association.We examined the correlation between the percentage of pregnant women who had a preterm delivery in the year 2000 and the stroke rates among women 55 to 69 years of age in the year 2019 in North American and Western European countries (Figure). 1,4In general, countries with higher historical rates of preterm delivery seem to have higher contemporary rates of stroke in women (Pearson correlation coefficient=0.65).This association is further borne out by data in the United States, where both these rates are higher among Black women than among White women.