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: To evaluate the superiority of transcutaneous oxygen pressure (TcPO2) before, during and after peripheral transluminal angioplasty (PTA) in comparison with ankle brachial index (ABI) in patients with diabetes.', '40 consecutive patients with diabetes treated by PTA where included. This study shows results before, during and after PTA and their progression for 8 weeks.', 'The TcPO2 increased from 28.11\u2009±\u20098.1 to 48.03\u2009±\u20098.4\u2009mmHg, 8 weeks after PTA (p\u2009<\u20090.001). The ABI increased from 0.48\u2009±\u20090.38 to 0.77\u2009±\u20090.39 after PTA (p\u2009<\u20090.001). After PTA, the stenosis of the vessel decreased from 58.33\u2009±\u200920.07% to 21.87\u2009±\u200913.57% (p\u2009<\u20090.001). TcPO2 was determined in all the patients, but ABI could not be determined in all patients. Furthermore, we determined patients with "false negatives" with an improvement in ABI and "false positives" in 12.5% of patients. Additionally, in this study, we monitored TcPO2 while performing PTA, revealing variations in each phase of the radiological procedure.\Question: Does transcutaneous oxygen tension measurements following peripheral transluminal angioplasty procedure have more specificity and sensitivity than ankle brachial index?

SOLUTION: The increase in TcPO2 measurements following PTA procedure has more specificity and sensitivity than does ABI. The use of TcPO2 may represent a more accurate alternative than traditional methods (ABI) used in assessing PTA results. The TcPO2 also allows the radiologist to assess changes in tissue oxygenation during PTA, allowing changes to the procedure and subsequent treatment.

PROBLEM: Context: Specific and effective therapy for prevention or reversal of bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) is lacking. In this study, we evaluated the therapeutic effect of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) gene modified mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) on BO.', 'A mouse model of experimental BO was established by subcutaneously transplanting the tracheas from C57BL/6 mice into Balb/C recipients, which were then administered saline, Ad-HGF-modified human umbilical cord-MSCs (MSCs-HGF) or Ad-Null-modified MSCs (MSCs-Null). The therapeutic effects of MSCs-Null and MSCs-HGF were evaluated by using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) for lymphocyte immunophenotype of spleen, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and real-time polymerase chain reaction (rt-PCR) for cytokine expression, and histopathological analysis for the transplanted trachea.', 'The histopathologic recovery of allograft tracheas was improved significantly after MSCs-Null and MSCs-HGF treatment and the beneficial effects were particularly observed in MSCs-HGF-treated mice. Furthermore, the allo-transplantation-induced immunophenotype disorders of the spleen, including regulatory T (Treg), T helper (Th)1, Th2 and Th17, were attenuated in both cell-treated groups. MSCs-HGF treatment reduced expression and secretion of inflammation cytokines interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), and increased expression of anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-10. It also decreased the expression level of the profibrosis factor transforming growth factor (TGF)-β.\Question: Does hepatocyte growth factor enhance the inflammation-alleviating effect of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stromal cells in a bronchiolitis obliterans model?

SOLUTION: Treatment of BO with HGF gene modified MSCs results in reduction of local inflammation and promotion in recovery of allograft trachea histopathology. These findings might provide an effective therapeutic strategy for BO.

PROBLEM: Context: Total blood homocysteine (Hcys) and folate levels have been investigated in association with cognitive dysfunction in healthy but not in multimorbid elderly patients. We hypothesized that total serum Hcys is an adequate marker to identify multimorbid elderly patients with cognitive dysfunction assessed by the Short Cognitive Performance Test (SKT) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).', 'Cross-sectional study.', 'The study center was an acute geriatric hospital.', 'A total of 189 multimorbid elderly patients were recruited.', 'Cognitive dysfunction was determined according to the SKT and MMSE. Biochemical parameters (Hcys, folate, vitamin B12, hemoglobin), nutritional status (BMI, Mini Nutritional Assessment, nutritional intake), and activities of daily living were assessed.', 'According to the SKT, 25.4% of patients showed no cerebral cognitive dysfunction, 21.2% had suspected incipient cognitive dysfunction, 12.7% showed mild cognitive dysfunction, 9.0% had moderate cognitive dysfunction, and 31.7% of patients were demented. The median plasma Hcys value was elevated by approximately 20% in multimorbid elderly patients, independent of cognitive dysfunction. Serum folate and vitamin B12 concentrations were within normal ranges. We did not find significant differences in nutritional status, activities of daily living, numbers of diseases or medications, or selected biochemical parameters between the SKT groups.\Question: Do total serum homocysteine levels identify cognitive dysfunction in multimorbid elderly patients?

SOLUTION:
Elevated serum Hcys levels with normal plasma folate and vitamin B12 concentrations were observed in multimorbid elderly patients. The plasma Hcys level did not appear to be an important biological risk factor for cognitive dysfunction in multimorbid geriatric patients.