TASK DEFINITION: In this task, you are given a passage which has a question and the context. You have to generate an answer to the question based on the information present in the context.
PROBLEM: Context: To determine whether fertilization rate serves as a biological assay, reflects oocyte quality, and may be used to help predict patient implantation rate.', 'Retrospective cohort study.', 'Academic center.', 'Couples undergoing 3603 in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles from 2001 to 2007.', 'None.', 'We compared the implantation rate among cycles with high versus low fertilization rate. Univariate analyses were performed to determine the association of implantation rate with potential confounding variables: age, day-3 follicle-stimulating hormone level, day-3 estradiol level, antral follicle count, oocyte number, cycle attempts, embryo grading, and number of embryos transferred. Multivariate analysis was then performed to determine whether the fertilization rate remained an independent predictor.', 'Cutoffs for fertilization rate were 50% for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and 75% for conventional insemination. Higher ICSI fertilization was statistically significantly associated with the implantation rate (25.2% vs. 17.8 %). After adjusting for variables associated with implantation rate, fertilization rate for ICSI remained a strong independent predictor of implantation. Higher conventional insemination fertilization was statistically significantly associated with implantation (32.1% vs. 25.7%) and remained a statistically significant predictor after adjustment.\Question: Is fertilization rate an independent predictor of implantation rate?

SOLUTION: Fertilization is a strong, independent predictor of implantation rate and may be useful in modeling to guide decision making for the number of embryos to transfer.

PROBLEM: Context: Enterovirus infections are major etiological factors in myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy. Using an experimental murine model of this disease, previous studies have shown that myocarditis susceptibility depends upon activation of T lymphocytes expressing the gamma delta T cell receptor (TcR), and that only mouse strains which accumulate gamma delta T cells in the myocardium show apoptosis of myocytes or evidence of dilated cardiomyopathy-like disease. The objective of the present studies is to demonstrate that gamma delta T cells directly induce greater Fas-dependent apoptosis of cultured myocytes than T cells expressing the alpha beta TcR.', 'Bl.Tg.E alpha mice were infected for 7 days with coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3). Hearts were removed and were either formalin-fixed, sectioned and stained with hematoxylin and eosin for inflammation, and using TdT-TUNEL for apoptosis, or were minced and collagenase digested for isolation of gamma delta+ and alpha beta+ T cells using immunomagnetic bead separation. Neonatal cultures of cardiac myocytes were isolated from mice less than 2 days old by collagenase and pancreatin digestion, and were either untreated or infected with virus. Levels of Fas (CD95) were measured using FITC-conjugated hamster anti-mouse Fas monoclonal antibody and flow cytometry. Susceptibility of myocytes to Fas-dependent killing was measured by 51Cr-release by labeled myocytes incubated for 4 h on either 3T3-mock or 3T3-FasL transfected cell monolayers. Killing by T cells was also measured in a 4 h 51Cr-release assay. Fas-dependent and perforin-dependent cytotoxicity was determined by specific blocking using either Fas-Fc or concanamycin A.', 'Virally infected myocyte cultures showed significantly enhanced Fas expression compared to uninfected cells, with maximal upregulation of Fas occurring 18-24 h after virus infection. Both infected and uninfected myocytes were selectively killed by FasL-transfected 3T3 cells but not by mock control cells. Approximately 38% of CD3+ lymphocytes isolated from the heart express the gamma delta TcR with the remainder expressing the alpha beta TcR. Both gamma delta+ and alpha beta+ T cells lysed myocyte targets. Blocking studies indicate that gamma delta+ T cells induced predominantly Fas-mediated killing, while alpha beta+ cell produced more perforin-mediated death, although these effectors were capable of Fas-dependent killing as well.\Question: Do t cells expressing the gamma delta T cell receptor induce apoptosis in cardiac myocytes?

SOLUTION: These studies demonstrate that T cells expressing the gamma delta TcR are more effective mediators of myocyte apoptosis than alpha beta+ T cells in vitro and suggests that these effectors may be primarily responsible for myocardial injury associated with dilated cardiomyopathy-like signs during coxsackievirus B3-induced myocarditis.

PROBLEM: Context: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play crucial regulatory roles in diverse biologic processes, but knowledge of lncRNAs in osteoarthritis (OA) is limited. The aim of this study was to identify lncRNA expression in articular cartilage and to explore the function of cartilage injury-related lncRNAs (lncRNA-CIR) in OA.', 'To identify lncRNAs specifically expressed in OA cartilage, we compared the expression of lncRNAs in OA cartilage with that in normal cartilage using microarray and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analyses. In OA cartilage, lncRNA-CIR was specifically, differentially, and highly expressed. The function of lncRNA-CIR was determined by silencing and overexpression in vitro. Extracellular matrix (ECM)-related molecules were detected by qPCR, Western blot, and immunofluorescence analyses.', 'Up to 152 lncRNAs were found to be differentially expressed (>8-fold) in OA and normal cartilage (82 lncRNAs more highly expressed and 70 less highly expressed in OA cartilage than in normal cartilage). A specific differentially expressed lncRNA-CIR was selected according to the results of the higher expression in OA cartilage and OA chondrocytes. The expression of lncRNA-CIR increased in chondrocytes with in vitro treatment with interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor α. Silencing of lncRNA-CIR by small interfering RNA promoted the formation of collagen and aggrecan and reduced the expression of matrix-degrading enzymes, such as MMP13 and ADAMTS5. The expression of collagen and aggrecan was reduced, whereas the expression of matrix-degrading enzymes was increased, after overexpression of lncRNA-CIR.\Question: Does long noncoding RNA related to cartilage injury promote chondrocyte extracellular matrix degradation in osteoarthritis?

SOLUTION:
The results indicate that lncRNA-CIR contributes to ECM degradation and plays a key role in the pathogenesis of OA. We propose that lncRNA-CIR could be used as a potential target in OA therapy.