Given a passage classify if the passage has a definite objective/aim/goal or not. Output '1' if the passage has a defininte objective/aim/goal and output '0' if the passage does not have a definite objective/aim/goal.

Oxidative stress is implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, and Nrf2 is the transcriptional factor central in cellular antioxidant responses. In the present study, we investigate the effect of a dihydrolipoic acid derivative lipoicmethylenedioxyphenol (LMDP) on the progression of atherosclerosis and test whether its effect on atherosclerosis is mediated by Nrf2.', 'Both magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning and en face analysis reveal that 14 weeks of treatment with LMDP markedly reduced atherosclerotic burden in a rabbit balloon vascular injury model. Myograph analyses show decreased aortic contractile response to phenylephrine and increased aortic response to acetylcholine and insulin in LMDP-treated animals, suggesting that LMDP inhibits atherosclerosis through improving vascular function. A role of Nrf2 signaling in mediating the amelioration of vascular function by LMDP was supported by increased Nrf2 translocation into nuclear and increased expression of Nrf2 target genes. Furthermore, chemotaxis analysis with Boydem chamber shows that leukocytes isolated from LMDP-treated rabbits had reduced chemotaxis, and knock-down of Nrf2 significantly reduced the effect of LMDP on the chemotaxis of mouse macrophages.
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Although the major limitation to exercise performance in patients with COPD is dynamic hyperinflation, little is known about its relation to daily physical activity.', 'To analyze the contribution of dynamic hyperinflation, exercise tolerance, and airway oxidative stress to physical activity in patients with COPD.', 'In a cross-sectional study, we included 110 patients with moderate to very severe COPD. Daily physical activity was measured using a triaxial accelerometer providing a mean of 1-minute movement epochs as vector magnitude units (VMU). Patients performed the 6-minute walk test, incremental exercise test with measurement of breathing pattern and operating lung volumes, and constant-work rate test at 75% of maximal work rate.', 'Using the GOLD stage and BODE index, we determined arterial blood gases, lung volumes, diffusing capacity, and biomarkers in exhaled breath condensate. Daily physical activity was lower in the 89 patients who developed dynamic hyperinflation than in the 21 who did not (n =161 [SD 70] vs. n = 288 [SD 85] VMU; P = 0.001). Physical activity was mainly related to distance walked in 6 minutes (r = 0.72; P = 0.001), Vo(2) (r = 0.63; P = 0.001), change in end-expiratory lung volume during exercise (r = -0.73; P = 0.001), endurance time (r = 0.61; P = 0.001), and 8-isoprostane in exhaled breath condensate (r = -0.67; P = 0.001). In a multivariate linear regression analysis using VMU as a dependent variable, dynamic hyperinflation, change in end-expiratory lung volume, and distance walked in 6 minutes were retained in the prediction model (r(2) = 0.84; P = 0.001).
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Perihepatic lymph node enlargement (PLNE) is a common ultrasound finding in chronic hepatitis C patients. Although PLNE is considered to reflect the inflammatory response to hepatitis C virus (HCV), its clinical significance remains unclear.', 'Between December 2004 and June 2005, we enrolled 846 chronic hepatitis C patients in whom adequate ultrasound examinations had been performed. PLNE was defined as a perihepatic lymph node that was at least 1 cm in the longest axis by ultrasonography. We analyzed the clinical features of patients with PLNE and prospectively investigated the association between PLNE and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development.', 'We detected PLNE in 169 (20.0%) patients. Female sex, lower body mass index (BMI), and HCV serotype 1 were independently associated with the presence of PLNE. However, there were no significant differences in liver function tests, liver stiffness, and hepatitis C viral loads between patients with and without PLNE. During the follow-up period (mean 4.8 years), HCC developed in 121 patients. Unexpectedly, patients with PLNE revealed a significantly lower risk of HCC development than those without PLNE (p = 0.019, log rank test). Multivariate analysis revealed that the presence of PLNE was an independent negative predictor of HCC development (hazard ratio 0.551, p = 0.042). In addition, the sustained viral response rate in patients who received interferon (IFN) therapy was significantly lower in patients with PLNE than in patients without PLNE.

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