Given a passage with a context and an answer, 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.

Context: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients are at risk of ventricular arrhythmias (VAs). We aimed to explore whether systolic function by strain echocardiography is related to VAs and to the extent of fibrosis by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR).', 'We included 150 HCM patients and 50 healthy individuals. VAs were defined as non-sustained and sustained ventricular tachycardia and aborted cardiac arrest. Left ventricular function was assessed by ejection fraction (EF) and by global longitudinal strain (GLS) assessed by speckle tracking echocardiography. Mechanical dispersion was calculated as standard deviation (SD) of time from Q/R on ECG to peak longitudinal strain in 16 left ventricular segments. Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) was assessed by CMR. HCM patients had similar EF (61 ± 5% vs. 61 ± 8%, P = 0.77), but worse GLS (-15.7 ± 3.6% vs. -21.1 ± 1.9%, P < 0.001) and more pronounced mechanical dispersion (64 ± 22 vs. 36 ± 13 ms, P < 0.001) compared with healthy individuals. VAs were documented in 37 (25%) HCM patients. Patients with VAs had worse GLS (-14.1 ± 3.6% vs. -16.3 ± 3.4%, P < 0.01), more pronounced mechanical dispersion (79 ± 27 vs. 59 ± 16 ms, P < 0.001), and higher %LGE (6.1 ± 7.8% vs. 0.5 ± 1.4%, P < 0.001) than patients without VAs. Mechanical dispersion correlated with %LGE (R = 0.52, P < 0.001) and was independently associated with VAs (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.1-2.3, P = 0.02) and improved risk stratification for VAs.
Answer: GLS, mechanical dispersion, and LGE were markers of VAs in HCM patients. Mechanical dispersion was a strong independent predictor of VAs and related to the extent of fibrosis. Strain echocardiography may improve risk stratification of VAs in HCM.
Is strain echocardiography related to fibrosis and ventricular arrhythmias in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy?

Context: Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) are uncommon and are associated with a dismal prognosis. Combinations of gemcitabine and platinum chemotherapy (gemcitabine and platinum-based therapy [GP]) form the standard approach for treating advanced BTC. To characterize the spectrum of mutations and to identify potential biomarkers for a GP response in BTC, this study evaluated the genomic landscape and assessed whether mutations affecting DNA repair were associated with GP resistance.', 'Pretreatment, formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples from 183 BTC patients treated with GP were analyzed. Cox regression models were used to determine the association between mutations, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS).', 'When genes with an incidence\u2009>\u200910% were considered, no individual gene was independently predictive of a GP response. In patients with unresectable BTC who received GP as their first-line therapy, the joint status of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (CDKN2A), tumor protein 53 (TP53), and AT-rich interaction domain 1A (ARID1A) was associated with PFS (P\u2009=\u2009.0004) and OS (P\u2009≤\u2009.0001). Patients with mutations in CDKN2A and TP53 were identified as a poor-prognosis cohort with a median PFS of 2.63 months and a median OS of 5.22 months. Patients with mutant ARID1A, regardless of the single-mutation status of TP53 or CDKN2A, had similar outcomes. A patient who exhibited mutations in all 3 genes had a median PFS of 20.37 months, and OS was not reached.
Answer: In the largest exploratory analysis of this kind for BTC, 3 prevalent, mutually exclusive mutations represent distinct patient cohorts. These mutations are prognostic and may represent a predictive biomarker for a GP response. Prospective studies to validate these findings are needed, and they should include the incorporation of therapies that exploit the genomic instability observed with these mutations in BTC. Cancer 2016;122:3657-66. © 2016 American Cancer Society.
Does next-generation sequencing survey of biliary tract cancer reveal the association between tumor somatic variants and chemotherapy resistance?

Context: Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is one of the key cytokines in the embryo implantation regulation. We investigated the prevalence of the LIF gene mutations in the population of infertile women that consisted of nulligravid and secondary infertile patients.', 'We designed a LIF gene mutation screening method that is based on the Temperature Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (TGGE). The population to screen consisted of 176 infertile women including group A of 147 nulligravid women and group B of 29 women with secondary infertility that had a history of either miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy but no live births. The control population was comprised of 75 healthy fertile subjects. The groups of fertile controls and infertile patients were compared for statistically significant differences using the t-test.', 'Six potentially functional LIF gene mutations, the G to A transitions at the position 3400 leading to the valin to methionin exchange at codon 64 (V64M) in the AB loop region of the LIF protein, were detected. All of the six positive women were infertile. Four of them were nulligravid and two of them had history of spontaneous conception followed by early miscarriage. No positive TGGE samples were identified in the control group, which means that the frequency of functionally relevant mutations of the LIF gene in infertile women is significantly enhanced in comparison with controls (P<0.05, t-test).
Answer: The results suggest that the LIF gene mutations affect fertility. Even though they occur infrequently, their impact on molecular events during early phases of pregnancy should be further established.

Are leukemia inhibitory factor gene mutations in the population of infertile women restricted to nulligravid patients?