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.

Q: Context: The pulmonary endothelium plays an important role in the metabolism of the amino acid arginine, the exclusive precursor molecule for nitric oxide (NO). Despite decreased circulating arginine levels, endothelial NO production is elevated during endotoxemia. However, the regulation of pulmonary artery endothelial arginine transport has not been studied. We hypothesized that endotoxin stimulates carrier-mediated arginine transport by the pulmonary endothelium.', 'The relative contributions of the various transport systems to total arginine transport by porcine pulmonary artery endothelial cells (PAECs) was determined by assaying the uptake of 3H-L-arginine in the presence or absence of Na+. PAECs were then incubated with various concentrations of Escherichia coli endotoxin, and y(+)-mediated arginine transport was measured at different time points thereafter. Kinetic studies were performed over a range of arginine concentrations to determine changes in transport affinity and maximum rate of metabolism. To address the role of RNA and protein synthesis in the increased transport, uptake was measured after exposure of cells to the transcriptional inhibitor actinomycin D and the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide.', 'Most (75%) of arginine transport by PAECs was mediated by the high-affinity Na(+)-independent transport system y+. Endotoxin stimulated y(+)-mediated arginine transport by PAECs twofold to fivefold, a response that was time and dose dependent. The accelerated transport was detectable within 2 hours and maximal at 12 hours. Kinetic studies revealed that the accelerated arginine transport was the result of a 68% increase in the maximal transport velocity (1519 +/- 65 pmol/mg protein/30 sec in endotoxin-treated cells vs 903 +/- 96 in control cells; p < 0.01) without a change in transport affinity. The endotoxin-mediated increase in arginine uptake was abrogated by actinomycin D and cycloheximide.\Question: Does endotoxin stimulate arginine transport in pulmonary artery endothelial cells?

A: Endotoxin stimulates Na(+)-independent arginine transport by PAECs through a process that requires de novo RNA and protein synthesis, possibly of the transporter itself. This response may be designed to support arginine-dependent biosynthetic pathways in the lung during septic states.
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Q: Context: Hypercholesterolemia is a well-established risk factor for the development of kidney injury. Considering that female sex hormones may play a preventative role in both cardiovascular and renal diseases, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of female sex hormones on hypercholesterolemia-induced renal dysfunction.', "Apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE) and C57 control female mice underwent an ovariectomy (OVX) or sham surgery and after 2 months, creatinine clearance, uremia and proteinuria were determined. Renal oxidative stress and lipid deposition were also quantified. Values are presented as mean\u2009±\u2009SEM. Statistical analyses were performed using Two-way ANOVA followed by Tukey's post hoc test.", 'Creatinine clearance (μL/min) was similar between C57 (171\u2009±\u200917) and ApoE (140\u2009±\u200926) mice underwent sham surgery. OVX resulted in a reduced glomerular filtration rate in both C57 (112\u2009±\u20098, ~\u2009-\u200935%, p\u2009<\u20090.05) and ApoE (61\u2009±\u200910, ~\u2009-\u200956%, p\u2009<\u20090.05) animals. Plasma levels of urea (mg/dL) were higher in both ApoE groups (Sham: 73\u2009±\u20097; OVX: 73\u2009±\u20098, p\u2009<\u20090.05) when compared to C57 animals (Sham: 49\u2009±\u20093; OVX: 60\u2009±\u20094), with no changes among ovariectomized groups. Proteinuria levels (mg/24 h) were similar between C57 (Sham: 25.1\u2009±\u20095.7; OVX: 33.7\u2009±\u20094.7) and ApoE sham animals (26.4\u2009±\u20093.5), however, 24-h urine protein excretion was augmented in ApoE OVX animals (49.6\u2009±\u20095.8, p\u2009<\u20090.05). Histological kidney analysis demonstrated that the absence of female sex hormones resulted in increased oxidative stress, which was more severe in ApoE mice (C57 Sham: 9.2\u2009±\u20090.4; C57 OVX: 22.9\u2009±\u20091.0; ApoE Sham: 13.9\u2009±\u20090.7; ApoE OVX: 34.0\u2009±\u20091.4 au x 103, p\u2009<\u20090.05). As expected, ApoE mice presented higher lipid deposition, which was not affected by OVX (C57 Sham: 0\u2009±\u20090; C57 OVX: 0\u2009±\u20090; ApoE Sham: 6.8\u2009±\u20091.6; ApoE OVX: 5.2\u2009±\u20090.8% x 10-2, p\u2009<\u20090.05). Ovariectomy resulted in a similar reduction in ER-α protein expression in the renal cortex (C57: 0.78\u2009±\u20090.04; ApoE: 0.81\u2009±\u20090.04 au, p\u2009<\u20090.05) when compared to sham animals (C57:1.00\u2009±\u20090.04; ApoE: 1.03\u2009±\u20090.03 au).\Question: Do endogenous female sex hormones delay the development of renal dysfunction in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice?

A: Taken together these data indicate that female sex hormones may delay hypercholesterolemia-induced renal dysfunction and emphasizes the importance of plasma cholesterol control in post-menopausal women.
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Q: Context: We aimed to explore the association between vitamin D levels and the severity, mortality and microbiological etiology of community-acquired pneumonia.', 'Vitamin D levels (both, the reservoir form 25-OH and the activated form 1,25-OH2) of 300 randomly selected patients with community-acquired pneumonia due to pre-specified pathogens included in the German competence network (CAPNETZ) study were measured. Prior to statistical analysis, values of 25-OH and 1,25-OH2 were power-transformed to achieve parametric distribution. All further analyses were performed with seasonally and age adjusted values.', 'There was only a modest (Spearman Coefficient 0.38) positive correlation between 25-OH and 1,25-OH2. For 1,25-OH2 but not 25-OH, the general linear model revealed a significant inverse correlation between serum concentration and CURB score (p\u2009=\u20090.011). Liver and respiratory co-morbidity were associated with significantly lower 25-OH values and renal co-morbidity with significantly lower 1,25-OH2 values. No significant differences of 1,25-OH2 or 25-OH between different pathogens (influenza virus, Legionella spp., Streptococcus pneumoniae) were detected.\Question: Are vitamin D deficiency in community-acquired pneumonia : low levels of 1,25 ( OH ) 2 D associated with disease severity?

A:
For 1,25-OH2, we found a significant and independent (controlled for age, season and pathogen) negative correlation to pneumonia severity. Therefore, supplementation of non-activated vitamin D to protect from pneumonia may be non-sufficient in patients that have a decreased capacity to hydroxylate 25-OH to 1,25-OH2.
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