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.
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Question: Context: Carotid stiffening is considered a key element in the pathogenesis of stroke. However, results of studies evaluating the association between carotid stiffness and incident stroke have been inconsistent.', 'This study investigated whether carotid stiffness (as determined by ultrasonography) is associated with incident stroke and whether this association is independent of aortic stiffness as estimated by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV). Additionally, we evaluated the incremental value of carotid stiffness for stroke risk prediction beyond Framingham risk factors and cfPWV.', 'This study included a systematic review and meta-analyses of aggregate and individual participant data (IPD), the latter of which was obtained by requesting individual-level data of all cohort studies with available data on carotid stiffness and cfPWV.', 'Ten studies (n\xa0= 22,472) were included in the aggregate data meta-analysis and 4 (n\xa0= 4,540) in the IPD meta-analysis. After adjusting for cardiovascular (CV) factors, the aggregate data meta-analysis showed that greater carotid stiffness (per SD) was associated with stroke (hazard ratio: 1.18; 95% confidence interval: 1.05 to 1.33). In addition, carotid stiffness was associated with total CV events and CV and all-cause mortality, but not with coronary heart disease events. In the IPD meta-analysis, additional adjustment for cfPWV did not materially change these associations. Carotid stiffness did improve stroke risk prediction beyond Framingham and cfPWV (integrative discrimination improvement: 0.4 percentage point [95% confidence interval: 0.1 to 0.6 percentage point] and continuous net reclassification improvement: 18.6% [95% confidence interval: 5.8% to 31.3%]).\Question: Is carotid stiffness associated with incident stroke : a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis?

Answer: Carotid stiffness is associated with incident stroke independently of CV factors and aortic stiffness. In addition, carotid stiffness improves stroke risk prediction beyond Framingham and aortic stiffness.


Question: Context: Endotoxin, when delivered shortly before or during mechanical ventilation, increases susceptibility to ventilation-associated lung injury. However, it is unclear whether increased susceptibility to ventilator-associated lung injury is still present after clinical recovery from a transient endotoxin challenge.', 'Anesthetized rats were submitted to a 4-h period of mechanical ventilation with low (8 ml/kg) or high (24, 27, or 30 ml/kg) tidal volumes (VTs) 24 h after transient illness had been provoked by a single nonlethal intravenous injection of Escherichia coli endotoxin. Control animals were injected with phosphate-buffered saline and underwent the same protocol.', 'At 24 h, endotoxin-treated nonventilated animals showed no symptoms of clinical illness, and oxygenation was comparable with that of controls, but lung neutrophil counts were increased. Compared with controls, mechanical ventilation with high VT induced a stronger pulmonary inflammatory response and more severe lung injury in endotoxin-treated animals, as indicated by impaired oxygenation, increased lung wet-to-dry weight ratio, and increased levels of protein, neutrophils, and cytokines in lung lavage fluid. In addition, the highest VT resulted in increased mortality in endotoxin-treated animals. Low VT after endotoxin treatment did not cause functional pulmonary impairment but induced an inflammatory response.\Question: Does increased susceptibility to ventilator-associated lung injury persist after clinical recovery from experimental endotoxemia?

Answer: In this animal model, a 24-h delay after a single systemic injection of endotoxin resulted in clinical recovery and preserved pulmonary function but did not prevent increased susceptibility to ventilator-associated lung injury provoked by high VT. Residual pulmonary inflammation and neutrophilic infiltration at initiation of mechanical ventilation probably contribute to these findings.


Question: Context: Erectile dysfunction (ED) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) share a great number of common risk factors. There is growing evidence that aldosterone, an independent CVD risk factor, is associated with ED.', 'The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between plasma aldosterone and erectile dysfunction.', 'This study recruited 287 participants, ranging from 18 to 84\xa0years old; 217 were suffering from ED, diagnosed by the International Index of Erectile Function 5 (IIEF-5) scores. Based on IIEF-5 scores, patients were divided into one control group and three ED groups (mild ED; moderate ED; severe ED).', 'The differences in principal characteristics, blood routine, sexual hormone, adrenal hormone, thyroid hormone, renal function, liver function and blood lipid were compared between ED and control groups.', 'Our study demonstrated that the difference of mean plasma aldosterone levels between ED group and the control group was statistically significant (P\xa0<\xa00.05). Stepwise logistic regression analysis of all the possible factors support the role of aldosterone as an independent risk factor for ED (OR 1.011; 95\xa0% CI 1.003-1.018; P\xa0=\xa00.004). Similar statistical methods were applied to the comparison between moderate to severe ED group and control to mild ED group (OR 1.017; 95\xa0% CI 1.009-1.024; P\xa0<\xa00.001). ROC curve and the area under the curve (0.718; 95\xa0% CI 0.643-0.794; P\xa0<\xa00.001) were performed to assess the diagnostic effect and to compare the severity of risk with the known independent risk factors, such as age and cholesterol (0.704; 95\xa0% CI 0.631-0.778; P\xa0<\xa00.001). When using a 374\xa0pg/mL cut-off value from Youden index, the OR of ED group versus controls is 3.106 (95\xa0% CI 1.458-6.617), while the OR of moderate to severe ED versus control and mild ED is 5.480 (95\xa0% CI 3.108-9.662).\Question: Is elevated plasma aldosterone an independent risk factor for erectile dysfunction in men?

Answer:
We determined that elevated plasma aldosterone concentration is an independent risk factor for ED. Our findings also indicate that the aldosterone, a well-recognized contributor to vascular injury, might be a potential bond between ED and CVD.