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: Statin therapy in nonsurgical patient populations is associated with a significant reduction in adverse cardiovascular events, including death, myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke. Recently, statin therapy was shown to be associated with a reduced incidence of postoperative mortality in patients undergoing major noncardiac vascular surgery. We investigated the influence of preoperative statin therapy on adverse outcomes after primary coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.', 'A retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing primary CABG surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) (n=1663) between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2001 at the Texas Heart Institute was performed. Patients were classified into 2 groups: patients receiving preoperative statin therapy (n=943) and patients not receiving preoperative antihyperlipidemic therapy (n=720). To determine if preoperative statin therapy was independently associated with a reduction in the risk of adverse postoperative outcomes, multivariate stepwise logistic regression was performed controlling for patient demographics, medical history, and preoperative medications. Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that preoperative statin therapy was independently associated with a significant reduction ( approximately 50%) in the risk of 30-day all-cause mortality (3.75% versus 1.80%; P<0.05). The adjusted odds ratio for early mortality in patients receiving preoperative statin therapy compared with patients not receiving antihyperlipidemic agents was 0.53 (95% CI, 0.28 to 0.99). Statin therapy was not independently associated with a reduced risk of postoperative MI, cardiac arrhythmias, stroke, or renal dysfunction. In an attempt to further control for selection bias related to the choice of therapy, multivariate analysis of a propensity-matched cohort of 1362 patients revealed that preoperative statin therapy was independently associated with a significant reduction in the composite endpoint of 30-day all-cause mortality and stroke (7.1% versus 4.6%; P<0.05).\Question: Are statins associated with a reduced incidence of perioperative mortality after coronary artery bypass graft surgery?
[A]: Preoperative statin therapy may reduce the risk of early mortality after primary CABG surgery with CPB.


[Q]: Context: The etiology of idiopathic scoliosis remains unknown, but growth is a risk factor for progression. Growth pattern differs in children with and without scoliosis. Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) may be associated with scoliosis and growth. We, therefore, studied COMP in children with and without idiopathic scoliosis.', 'We included 105 children, with mean age 14.4 years (range 10-16), under observation or treatment for idiopathic scoliosis, and 103 children from an age-matched population-based cohort. COMP was measured in serum at the time of inclusion. Growth velocity was estimated from repeated height measurements. T tests, analysis of covariance or linear regression were used for statistical comparisons.', 'COMP was mean (SD) 11 (5) units/liter (U/L) in children with scoliosis and 13 (5) U/L in the control cohort (p = 0.005, adjusted for sex and sampling time of the day). When patients and controls were analyzed together, high COMP was correlated with high growth velocity (β = 0.19, p = 0.003). When patients and controls were analyzed separately, COMP was correlated with growth velocity in children with scoliosis (β = 0.27, p = 0.007), but not in children without scoliosis (β = 0.02, p = 0.83) (all analyses adjusted for age, sex and sampling time). Low COMP was significantly correlated with large curve size in children with scoliosis (β = -0.29, p = 0.003), but not after adjustment for age, sex and sampling time (β = -0.16; p = 0.14).\Question: Is serum level of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein lower in children with idiopathic scoliosis than in non-scoliotic controls?
[A]: COMP was lower in children with idiopathic scoliosis than in a control cohort. In children with scoliosis, high COMP was modestly correlated with high growth velocity, but not with curve severity.


[Q]: Context: Pancreatic cancer is a very aggressive malignancy and efficient therapeutic options are still largely lacking. The importance of interactions between tumor cells and surrounding stromal elements, eg, mononuclear cells, for chemoresistance have been increasingly recognized. In addition, cyclooxygenase-2 is thought to be an important mediator of chemoresistance in several malignancies. The aim of this study was to explore the role of mononuclear cells in pancreatic cancer chemoresistance.', 'Human histiocytic lymphoma U937 cells were differentiated into macrophage-like cells. The effect of U937-conditioned medium on drug-induced pancreatic cancer cell apoptosis was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The contributions of interleukin-1beta and cyclooxygenase-2 were evaluated by specific receptor antagonists and inhibitors. The importance of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) pathway also was determined.', 'U937-conditioned culture medium protected pancreatic cancer cells from drug-induced apoptosis. This protective effect was abolished by an interleukin-1 receptor antagonist and cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor. U937-conditioned medium and interleukin-1beta stimulated expression of cyclooxygenase-2 and prostaglandin E(2) production in pancreatic cancer cells, which was mediated by activation of the ERK1/2 pathway. Transfection of pancreatic cancer cells with cyclooxygenase-2 increased resistance to drug-induced cell death.\Question: Does mononuclear cell-derived interleukin-1 beta confer chemoresistance in pancreatic cancer cells by upregulation of cyclooxygenase-2?
[A]:
Mononuclear cells protect pancreatic cancer cells from drug-induced apoptosis in vitro by interleukin-1beta-mediated expression of cyclooxygenase-2 and production of prostaglandins. This study highlights the importance of tumor-host interactions in pancreatic cancers and may provide the basis for novel therapeutic approaches to sensitize pancreatic cancers to chemotherapeutic agents.