TASK DEFINITION: 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.
PROBLEM: Context: Observational studies suggest that dietary isoflavones reduce breast cancer risk, and this may be caused in part by effects on endogenous hormone concentrations. Because intestinal bacteria metabolize isoflavones, it was hypothesized that consumption of probiotic bacteria would enhance the biologic effects of isoflavones, including effects on endogenous hormones.', 'Twenty (20) postmenopausal breast cancer survivors and 20 healthy postmenopausal women completed four 42-day diet periods in a randomized, crossover design. They received one of the following: isolated soy protein; isolated milk protein; soy + probiotic capsules; or milk + probiotic capsules. Each protein supplement provided 0.38 g protein/(kg body weight/day) (26.6 +/- 4.5 g protein/day) and soy protein provided 0.64 mg isoflavones/(kg body weight/day) (44.4 +/- 7.5 mg isoflavones/day). Probiotic capsules provided 10(9) colony-forming units Lactobacillus acidophilus (strain DDS-1), Bifidobacterium longum, and 15-20 mg fructo-oligosaccharide.', 'Plasma samples were collected at baseline and after each diet for analysis of estrogens, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), androgens, and sex hormone?binding globulin (SHBG).', 'Hormone levels were not affected by soy, probiotic supplements, or equol producer status, and neither cancer status nor equol producer status altered the effects of soy or probiotics. Furthermore probiotics did not alter the effects of soy consumption. Soy protein tended to decrease SHBG compared to milk protein diets (p = 0.05), although both proteins significantly decreased SHBG relative to baseline (p = 0.0001 and p = 0.03).\Question: Does short-term soy and probiotic supplementation markedly affect concentrations of reproductive hormones in postmenopausal women with and without histories of breast cancer?

SOLUTION: These data suggest that short-term, moderate consumption of isoflavone-containing soy protein and consumption of these particular probiotic capsules do not significantly alter reproductive hormone concentrations in breast cancer survivors or controls, regardless of equol producer status.

PROBLEM: Context: Recent studies have demonstrated that mouthwash made with the traditional Japanese medicine hangeshashinto exhibits anti-inflammatory action and alleviates oral mucositis scores, including pain complaints, in patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy. However, no study has demonstrated the mechanism underlying how hangeshashinto provides pain relief in oral ulcers.', 'The analgesic effects on pain-related behaviors following the topical application of hangeshashinto were evaluated in an oral ulcer rat model treated with acetic acid using recently developed methods. Indomethacin, the representative anti-inflammatory agent, was intraperitoneally administered. The tissue permeability of the oral mucosa was histologically evaluated after applying the fluorescent substance FluoroGold.', 'The topical application of hangeshashinto in ulcerative oral mucosa suppressed mechanical pain hypersensitivity over 60 min, without any effects on healthy mucosa. The same drug application also inhibited oral ulcer-induced spontaneous pain. Indomethacin administration failed to block the mechanical pain hypersensitivity, though it did largely block spontaneous pain. Topical anesthesia with lidocaine showed hyposensitivity to mechanical stimulation in healthy mucosa. In the ulcer regions in which the oral epithelial barrier was destroyed, deep parenchyma was stained with FluoroGold, in contrast to healthy oral mucosa, in which staining was limiting to the superficial site.\Question: Does the traditional Japanese medicine hangeshashinto alleviate oral ulcer-induced pain in a rat model?

SOLUTION: Hangeshashinto leads to long-lasting analgesic effects, specifically in the ulcer region by destroying the epithelial barrier. Hangeshashinto alleviates oral ulcer-induced pain in inflammation-dependent and/or independent manner.

PROBLEM: Context: The inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is associated with inflammatory processes and cancer formation through production of nitric oxide (NO). However, the clinical importance of the expression of iNOS in oral cancer remains unclear. In the present study, we examined whether up-regulation of the iNOS gene can affect growth and metastasis of an oral cancer cell line (B88t cell) in vitro and in vivo.', 'We constructed an expression vector containing sense-oriented murine iNOS cDNA with pcDNA3.1. We transfected B88t cells with the sense expression vector to up-regulate the expression of the iNOS gene in the sense transfectants.', 'The expression of iNOS protein was up-regulated in the sense transfectants and that up-regulation of the iNOS gene exerted a growth inhibitory effect on B88t cells in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, up-regulation of the iNOS gene markedly inhibited the migration of cancer cells in a Boyden chamber. Furthermore, up-regulation of the iNOS gene dramatically inhibited metastases to the cervical lymph node in vivo.\Question: Does overexpression of iNOS gene suppress the tumorigenicity and metastasis of oral cancer cells?

SOLUTION:
These findings suggest that up-regulation of the iNOS gene may suppress the tumorigenicity and metastasis of oral cancer cells.