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.

Ex Input:
Context: 5-year survival for melanoma metastasis to regional lymph nodes (American Joint Committee on Cancer stage III) is <50%. Knowledge of outcomes following therapeutic lymphadenectomy for stage III melanoma related to BRAF status may guide adjuvant use of BRAF/MEK inhibitors along with established and future therapies.', 'To determine patterns of melanoma recurrence and survival following therapeutic lymph node dissection (TLND) associated with oncogenic mutations.', 'DNA was obtained from patients who underwent TLND and had ⩾2 positive nodes, largest node >3cm or extracapsular invasion. Mutations were detected using an extended Sequenom MelaCARTA panel.', 'Mutations were most commonly detected in BRAF (57/124 [46%] patients) and NRAS (26/124 [21%] patients). Patients with BRAF mutations had higher 3-year recurrence rate (77%) versus 54% for BRAF wild-type patients (hazard ratio (HR) 1.8, p=0.008). The only prognostically significant mutations occurred in BRAF: median recurrence-free (RFS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) for BRAF mutation patients was 7 months and 16 months, versus 19 months and not reached for BRAF wild-type patients, respectively. Multivariate analysis identified BRAF mutant status and number of positive lymph nodes as the only independent prognostic factors for RFS and DSS.\Question: Is bRAF mutation status an independent prognostic factor for resected stage IIIB and IIIC melanoma : implications for melanoma staging and adjuvant therapy?

Ex Output:
Patients with BRAF mutations experienced rapid progression of metastatic disease with locoregional recurrence rarely seen in isolation, supporting incorporation of BRAF status into melanoma staging and use of BRAF/MEK inhibitors post-TLND.


Ex Input:
Context: With male gender as a strong predictor of cardiovascular instability, we hypothesized that gender-specific differences in circulating carbon monoxide levels contributed to dysregulated microvascular function in preterm male infants.', 'Infants born at 24 to 34 weeks of gestation (N = 84) were studied in a regional tertiary neonatal unit. Carboxyhemoglobin levels were measured through spectrophotometry in umbilical arterial blood and at 24, 72, and 120 hours after birth. Microvascular blood flow was determined through laser Doppler flowmetry.', 'Carboxyhemoglobin levels demonstrated a strong inverse relationship with gestational age (r = -0.636; P < .001) and were higher in boys (P = .032). Repeated-measures analysis of variance showed a significant decrease in arterial carboxyhemoglobin levels over time (P < .001), with significant between-subjects effects for gestational age (P = .011) and gender (P = .025). Positive correlations with microvascular blood flow at 24 hours of age (r = 0.495; P < .001) and 120 hours of age (r = 0.548; P < .001) were observed. With controlling for gestational age, carboxyhemoglobin levels at 72 hours were greater for infants who died in the first week of life (P = .035).\Question: Is carbon monoxide a significant mediator of cardiovascular status following preterm birth?

Ex Output:
The gestational age- and gender-specific differences in carboxyhemoglobin levels and the relationship with dysregulated microvascular blood flow, a state related to greater illness severity and hypotension, are novel findings not confined solely to sick preterm infants. Both inducible heme oxygenase-dependent and non-heme oxygenase-dependent pathways may initially play a central role in carbon monoxide production, inducing pathophysiologic processes in a gender-specific manner.


Ex Input:
Context: Licorice has been used to treat many ailments including cardiovascular disorders in China for long time. Recent studies have shown that the cardiac actions of licorice have been attributed to its active component, glycyrretinic acid (GA). However, its mechanism remains poorly understood.', 'The effects of GA on the cardiac sodium currents (I(Na)), L-type calcium currents (I(Ca,L)) and hyperpolarization-activated inward currents (I(f)) were investigated.', 'Human isoforms of wild-type and DeltaKPQ-mutant type sodium channels were expressed in Xenopus oocytes, and the resulting currents (peak and late I(Na)) were recorded using a two-microelectrode voltage-clamp technique. A perforated patch clamp technique was employed to record I(Ca,L) and I(f) from isolated rabbit sinoatrial node pacemaker cells.', 'GA inhibited peak I(Na) (33% at 90 microM) and late I(Na) (72% at 90 microM), but caused no significant effects on I(Ca,L) and I(f).\Question: Does glycyrretinic acid block cardiac sodium channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes?

Ex Output:

GA blocked cardiac sodium currents, particularly late I(Na.) Our findings might help to understand the traditional use of licorice in the treatment of cardiovascular disorders, because reduction of sodium currents (particularly late I(Na)) would be expected to provide protection from Na(+)-induced Ca(2+) overload and cell damage.