TASK DEFINITION: Generate an explanation for the given claim using the provided supporting material from the paragraph. Please consider the following points while generating an output. 1) The claim will always have supporting proof in the paragraph, and the paragraph will have a clear point of view supporting the claim. 2) There can be instances where direct correlation to the claim is not available. Make use of the sentences in the paragraph to provide a corresponding output supporting the claim. 3) The explanation should be at least one and at most twelve sentences long.
PROBLEM: Paragraph: Urinary incontinence or loss of bladder control is by far  the most common problem, and childbirth, which can weaken  pelvic floor muscles, is the most frequent cause. “What stands out is such a large number of women had  symptoms of a moderate-to-severe pelvic floor disorder,” said  Dr. Ingrid Nygaard of the University of Utah, whose study  appears in Journal of the American Medical Association. “We know many women leak urine once in a blue moon if they  are doing strenuous exercise. That such a large number leaks on  a regular basis was surprising to see,” she said by telephone. Nygaard’s team studied 1,961 nonpregnant women aged 20 and  older who were part of a national health survey in 2005-2006. They were examined for symptoms of urinary and fecal  incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse, in which an organ such  as the bladder drops and pushes against the walls of the  vagina. Overall, 23.7 percent of women reported symptoms of at  least one pelvic floor disorder. Of these, 15.7 percent had  urinary incontinence, 9 percent had fecal incontinence and 2.9  percent had pelvic organ prolapse, in which women reported  seeing or feeling a vaginal bulge. Age plays a major role, with just 10 percent of women 20 to  39 reporting at least one disorder, compared with about a  quarter of women 40 to 59, 37 percent of women 60 to 79, and  nearly half of women 80 and older. Women were considered to have urinary incontinence if they  had at least weekly leakage, or monthly leakage of volumes of  more than just a few drops. If women with occasional leakage were included, the numbers  might be much higher, the researchers said. “The study results underscore the need to identify the  causes of pelvic floor disorders and the means to prevent and  treat them,” Dr. Duane Alexander, director of the National  Institute of Child Health and Human Development, said in a  statement. Treatments for urinary stress incontinence — the kind  linked with laughing, coughing, sneezing or exercise — range  from exercises to surgical options. Urge incontinence or overactive bladder can be treated by  lifestyle changes and a number of drugs, including tolterodine  or Detrol made by Pfizer Inc; Vesicare or solifenacin made by  GlaxoSmithKline and Astellas Pharma Inc; and Enablex or  darifenacin by Novartis AG. Claim: Pelvic disorders common among women: study.

SOLUTION: Nearly one quarter of all U.S. women  have some sort of pelvic floor disorder such as urinary or  fecal incontinence, and more cases are likely as the population  ages, researchers said on Tuesday.

PROBLEM: Paragraph: The significant costs of both drugs were mentioned. Nice job. Good job describing the benefits reported in the two drug studies. The two papers present a bewildering array of statistics. This story did a nice job distilling the information into a couple of very understandable sentences. Good job explaining signifcant potential harms of both drugs – something competitors didn’t do at all. Nice job, including linking (in the online version) to the papers in the New England Journal of Medicine. No disease-mongering of melanoma. Several independent sources cited. The story adequately explained the comparisons between both new drugs and the older dacarbazine chemo drug. Vemurafenib was described as experimental and as “expected to be approved by the FDA within a few months.”  Ipilimumab was explained to be approved in March and already on the market. The relative novelty of both drugs was well explained. It’s clear that the story did not rely on a news release. Claim: Drugs Show Promise Slowing Advanced Melanoma

SOLUTION: The story made strong, clear attempts to report in a restrained manner, using terms/phrases such as:  “notable progress” “do not cure” “might add two to several moths to expected lifespans” “To be sure, more than half of patients with metastatic melanoma would not be helped all that much by either drug.”   Stories about cancer – perhaps especially melanoma because of its treatment challenges – should balance promise with realistic context. This story did a better job of that than the competitors’ efforts we reviewed.

PROBLEM: Paragraph: The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency added the lakes, rivers and streams to its draft list of “impaired waters” that will go to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The 3,416 waterways represent 56% of the state’s waters. The list has been steadily growing over the past decade as researchers evaluate more waterways across the state annually. The popular stretch of the St. Croix River between Taylors Falls and Stillwater, which forms part of Minnesota’s border with Wisconsin, made the proposed updated list because of high phosphorous levels. The stretch includes Minnesota’s William O’Brien State Park and rugged bluffs. “We are very disappointed to see this section of the St. Croix River is proposed to be listed as impaired,” said Deb Ryun, executive director of the St. Croix River Association. “But this potential impairment designation is a reminder that continual work and public action will be necessary to preserve and protect the … St. Croix we all know and love.” The St. Croix was one of the first rivers designated under the national Wild and Scenic Rivers program. The 20-mile stretch from Stillwater south to Prescott, Wisconsin, made the impaired list in 2008 due to excess phosphorus. Most phosphorus, which spurs algae growth, comes from runoff from agricultural or urban areas. Phosphorus levels in the St. Croix actually have been decreasing in recent years due to better controls on wastewater treatment plants and better farming and forestry practices. Julie Galonska, superintendent of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, challenged the idea that the river is deteriorating. She characterized the impairment as an “administrative twist” that resulted from new standards the MPCA recently adopted, not a big increase in pollution. Miranda Nichols, the MPCA’s impaired-waters list coordinator, said that the newly designated stretch had not previously been evaluated for nutrients and algae under the new standards. Although the section of the St. Croix north of Stillwater made Minnesota’s list, it won’t be on Wisconsin’s, Nichols said. Each state sets its own water-quality standards, and Wisconsin has a less stringent phosphorus standard — 90 micrograms per liter compared to Minnesota’s 40, she said. Lakes, rivers and streams on Minnesota’s impaired list have a range of problems, including excess mercury, bacteria, phosphorus, nitrate and other pollutants, as well as struggling fish and insect populations. About one-third of Minnesota’s waterways are considered impaired for recreational use because of high bacteria in streams and phosphorus in lakes. The public has until Jan. 14 to comment on the draft list. Public meetings are planned around the state in December. The MPCA plans to submit the list to the EPA by April 1. Claim: Part of St. Croix River makes Minnesota impaired waters list.

SOLUTION:
A scenic stretch of the St. Croix River was one of 581 waterways Minnesota has added to its list of waters that don’t meet state pollution standards, according to a report released Wednesday.