TASK DEFINITION: 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.
PROBLEM: Context: SIRT3 is an important regulator in cell metabolism, and recent studies have shown that it may be involved in the pharmacological effects of metformin. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this process are unclear.', 'The effects of SIRT3 on the regulation of oxidative stress and insulin resistance in skeletal muscle were evaluated in vitro. Differentiated L6 skeletal muscle cells were treated with 750 µmol/L palmitic acid to induce insulin resistance. SIRT3 was knocked down and overexpressed in L6 cells. SIRT3, nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) p65, c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1 (JNK1), and superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) were evaluated by Western blotting.', 'Over expression of SIRT3 increased glucose uptake and decreased ROS production in L6-IR cells as well as in L6 cells. Knock-down of SIRT3 induced increased production of ROS while decreased glucose uptake in both L6 and L6-IR cells, and these effects were reversed by N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC). Metformin increased the expression of SIRT3 (1.5-fold) and SOD2 (2-fold) while down regulating NF-κB p65 (1.5-fold) and JNK1 (1.5-fold). Knockdown of SIRT3 (P < 0.05) reversed the metformin-induced decreases in NF-κB p65 and JNK1 and the metformin-induced increase in SOD2 (P < 0.05).
Answer: Upregulated SIRT3 is involved in the pharmacological mechanism by which metformin promotes glucose uptake. Additionally, SIRT3 may function as an important regulator of oxidative stress and a new alternative approach for targeting insulin resistance-related diseases.

SOLUTION: Does metformin ameliorate insulin resistance in L6 rat skeletal muscle cells through upregulation of SIRT3?

PROBLEM: Context: The aim of this study was to evaluate how closely analysis of bone quality performed using the bone mineral density (BMD) values obtained by quantitative computerized tomography (QCT) reflected the histologic bone density.', "Eighteen patients requiring implant therapy underwent CT scanning. Their data were processed using Image Master software, and the BMD was calculated by measuring the Hounsfield units and relating those values to a phantom (Calibration Phantom, Quantitative Technologies). Each patient wore a radiographic-surgical template in which titanium cylinders were placed as a drilling guide for preparation of the implant site. The mouth regions where the titanium guides were placed (on the CT images and in the patient's mouth) corresponded to the implant sites where the BMD was measured and where tissue specimens for histomorphometric analysis retrieved. Forty specimens measuring 6 mm in length and 2 mm in diameter were obtained. Histomorphometric analysis was performed by digitizing the images, which were subsequently analyzed using the image analysis software IAS 2000. The bone volume (BV) was calculated as a percentage by dividing the area occupied by the mineralized bone over the entire microscopic field.", 'The results of the statistical analysis showed a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.691 between the BV and BMD values, with a P value < 0.01, which was considered significant.
Answer: The results of this study support the use of QCT to assess the bone quality before implant placement to improve the planning of implant treatment.

SOLUTION: Are bone mineral density and bone histomorphometry statistically related?

PROBLEM: Context: Cigarette smoke disrupts the protective barrier established by the airway epithelium through direct damage to the epithelial cells, leading to cell death. Since the morphology of the airway epithelium of smokers does not typically demonstrate necrosis, the most likely mechanism for epithelial cell death in response to cigarette smoke is apoptosis. We hypothesized that cigarette smoke directly up-regulates expression of apoptotic genes, which could play a role in airway epithelial apoptosis.', 'Microarray analysis of airway epithelium obtained by bronchoscopy on matched cohorts of 13 phenotypically normal smokers and 9 non-smokers was used to identify specific genes modulated by smoking that were associated with apoptosis. Among the up-regulated apoptotic genes was pirin (3.1-fold, p < 0.002), an iron-binding nuclear protein and transcription cofactor. In vitro studies using human bronchial cells exposed to cigarette smoke extract (CSE) and an adenovirus vector encoding the pirin cDNA (AdPirin) were performed to test the direct effect of cigarette smoke on pirin expression and the effect of pirin expression on apoptosis.', 'Quantitative TaqMan RT-PCR confirmed a 2-fold increase in pirin expression in the airway epithelium of smokers compared to non-smokers (p < 0.02). CSE applied to primary human bronchial epithelial cell cultures demonstrated that pirin mRNA levels increase in a time-and concentration-dependent manner (p < 0.03, all conditions compared to controls). Overexpression of pirin, using the vector AdPirin, in human bronchial epithelial cells was associated with an increase in the number of apoptotic cells assessed by both TUNEL assay (5-fold, p < 0.01) and ELISA for cytoplasmic nucleosomes (19.3-fold, p < 0.01) compared to control adenovirus vector.
Answer: These observations suggest that up-regulation of pirin may represent one mechanism by which cigarette smoke induces apoptosis in the airway epithelium, an observation that has implications for the pathogenesis of cigarette smoke-induced diseases.

SOLUTION:
Is upregulation of pirin expression by chronic cigarette smoking associated with bronchial epithelial cell apoptosis?