Given a passage, construct a question on the basis of the information present in the passage. Construct the question in such a way that (i) it is unambiguous, (ii) it is answerable from the passage, (iii) its answer is unique (iv) it answer uses text phrases from the passage. Avoid creating questions that (i) can't be answered correctly without actually understanding the passage and (ii) uses the same words or phrases given in the passage.
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Question: An intense systemic inflammatory response is observed following reperfusion after cardiac arrest. Heparin-binding protein (HBP) is a granule protein released by neutrophils that intervenes in endothelial permeability regulation. In the present study, we investigated plasma levels of HBP in a large population of patients resuscitated from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. We hypothesized that high circulating levels of HBP are associated with severity of post-cardiac arrest syndrome and poor outcome.', 'Plasma was obtained from 278 patients enrolled in a prospective multicenter observational study in 21 intensive care units (ICU) in Finland. HBP was assayed at ICU admission and 48\xa0h later. Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) was defined as the 24\xa0h Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score\u2009≥\u200912. ICU death and 12-month Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) were evaluated. Multiple linear and logistic regression tests and receiver operating characteristic curves with area under the curve (AUC) were performed.', 'Eighty-two percent of patients (229 of 278) survived to ICU discharge and 48\xa0% (133 of 276) to 1\xa0year with a favorable neurological outcome (CPC 1 or 2). At ICU admission, median plasma levels of HBP were markedly elevated, 15.4 [9.6-31.3] ng/mL, and persisted high 48\xa0h later, 14.8 [9.8-31.1] ng/mL. Admission levels of HBP were higher in patients who had higher 24\xa0h SOFA and cardiovascular SOFA score (p\u2009<\u20090.0001) and in those who developed MODS compared to those who did not (29.3 [13.7-60.1] ng/mL vs. 13.6 [9.1-26.2] ng/mL, p\u2009<\u20090.0001; AUC\u2009=\u20090.70\u2009±\u20090.04, p\u2009=\u20090.0001). Admission levels of HBP were also higher in patients who died in ICU (31.0 [17.7-78.2] ng/mL) compared to those who survived (13.5 [9.1-25.5] ng/mL, p\u2009<\u20090.0001) and in those with an unfavorable 12-month neurological outcome compared to those with a favorable one (18.9 [11.3-44.3] ng/mL vs. 12.8 [8.6-30.4] ng/mL, p\u2009<\u20090.0001). Admission levels of HBP predicted early ICU death with an AUC of 0.74\u2009±\u20090.04 (p\u2009<\u20090.0001) and were independently associated with ICU death (OR [95 %CI] 1.607 [1.076-2.399], p\u2009=\u20090.020), but not with unfavorable 12-month neurological outcome (OR [95 %CI] 1.154 [0.834-1.596], p\u2009=\u20090.387).

Answer: Is elevated plasma heparin-binding protein associated with early death after resuscitation from cardiac arrest?


Question: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a multifunctional cytokine that plays a role in angiogenesis and microvascular permeability. This study was conducted to determine whether common sequence variation in the VEGFA gene plays a role in the development of diabetic retinopathy (DR).', 'Five hundred fifty-four subjects with diabetes mellitus (DM) including 190 type 1 DM (T1DM) and 364 type 2 DM (T2DM) were recruited. The study group consisted of 235 participants without DR, 158 with nonproliferative DR (NPDR), 132 with proliferative DR (PDR), and 93 with clinically significant macular edema (CSME). Blinding DR was defined as severe NPDR, PDR, or CSME. Fifteen VEGFA tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped in all subjects and tested for association with blinding DR.', 'Multiple tag SNPs in the VEGFA gene were associated with blinding DR. After controlling for sex, HbA1c, and duration of disease, in T1DM, the AA genotype of rs699946 (P = 0.007, odds ratio [OR], 4.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5-11.4) and the GG genotype of rs833068 (P = 0.017, OR, 3.1; 95% CI, 1.3-7.2) were most significantly associated. In T2DM, the C allele of rs3025021 (P = 0.002; OR, 3.8; 95% CI, 1.5-10.0) and the G allele of rs10434 (P = 0.002; OR, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.3-5.3) were most significantly associated with blinding DR. Haplotype analyses suggested an important role for the haplotype TCCGCG in blinding DR (P = 0.0004).

Answer: Does common sequence variation in the VEGFA gene predict risk of diabetic retinopathy?


Question: Correlation between the gross classification of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its vascular invasion or intrahepatic metastasis has been reported previously. Because E-cadherin-mediated epithelial cell-to-cell adhesion is thought to suppress cancer cell invasion, the present study was performed to analyze the correlation between E-cadherin expression and the gross classification of HCC.', 'Thirty-six resected solitary HCC <6 cm in diameter were each classified as single nodular type (type 1), single nodular with extranodular growth type (type 2) or contiguous multinodular type (type 3), and the clinicopathological and prognostic differences between type 1 HCC and the other types were analyzed. The expression of E-cadherin in each tumor was examined by immunoblotting and immunohistochemical analysis.', 'Vascular invasion and microscopic intrahepatic metastasis were observed more frequently in types 2 and 3 (61%) than in type 1 (13%) HCC. Immunoblot analysis indicated that the relative level of E-cadherin expression in cancerous tissue was significantly lower in type 2 and 3 (0.75 +/- 0.49) than in type 1 (1.46 +/- 0.79) HCC. Immunohistochemical examination revealed decreased and partially absent E-cadherin expression in the tumorous area of type 2 and 3 HCC. The recurrence-free survival rate was higher for patients with type 1 HCC than for those with the other types.

Answer:
Does gross appearance of hepatocellular carcinoma reflect E-cadherin expression and risk of early recurrence after surgical treatment?