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.

The authors set out to analyze if a simple comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) could objectively identify elderly patients with diffuse large cell lymphoma (DLCL) who can be effectively treated with anthracycline-containing immunochemotherapy.', 'CGA was performed in 84 consecutive patients with DLCL aged >65 years and diagnosed at a single institution. Treatment with curative versus palliative intent was chosen according to clinical judgment. Cyclophosphamide, hydroxydaunomycin, Oncovin (vincristine), and prednisone (CHOP) or CHOP-like regimens were given to 62 (74%) patients. The outcome of patients was analyzed according to both the treatment received and the results of CGA.', 'According to CGA, 42 (50%) patients were classified as "fit." They were younger (P < .0001) and had less frequent systemic symptoms (P = .03). These patients received curative treatment by clinical judgment. Their response rate (92.5% vs 48.8%; P < .0001) and median survival (not reached vs 8 months; P < .0001) were significantly better than those of 42 patients considered "unfit" by CGA. Among unfit patients, 20 had actually received curative and 22 palliative therapy. These subgroups did not differ in any geriatric or lymphoma-related characteristic. Their outcome was similar irrespectively of the type of treatment received (median survival, 8 vs 7 months; P = nonsignificant). Lymphoma rather than toxicity was the main cause of failure/death also among unfit patients treated aggressively.
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Endothelial junctions control functions such as permeability, angiogenesis and contact inhibition. VE-Cadherin (VECad) is essential for the maintenance of intercellular contacts. In confluent endothelial monolayers, N-Cadherin (NCad) is mostly expressed on the apical and basal membrane, but in the absence of VECad it localizes at junctions. Both cadherins are required for vascular development. The intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-2, also localized at endothelial junctions, is involved in leukocyte recruitment and angiogenesis.', 'In human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), both VECad and NCad were found at nascent cell contacts of sub-confluent monolayers, but only VECad localized at the mature junctions of confluent monolayers. Inhibition of ICAM-2 expression by siRNA caused the appearance of small gaps at the junctions and a decrease in NCad junctional staining in sub-confluent monolayers. Endothelioma lines derived from WT or ICAM-2-deficient mice (IC2neg) lacked VECad and failed to form junctions, with loss of contact inhibition. Re-expression of full-length ICAM-2 (IC2 FL) in IC2neg cells restored contact inhibition through recruitment of NCad at the junctions. Mutant ICAM-2 lacking the binding site for ERM proteins (IC2 ΔERM) or the cytoplasmic tail (IC2 ΔTAIL) failed to restore junctions. ICAM-2-dependent Rac-1 activation was also decreased in these mutant cell lines. Barrier function, measured in vitro via transendothelial electrical resistance, was decreased in IC2neg cells, both in resting conditions and after thrombin stimulation. This was dependent on ICAM-2 signalling to the small GTPase Rac-1, since transendothelial electrical resistance of IC2neg cells was restored by constitutively active Rac-1. In vivo, thrombin-induced extravasation of FITC-labeled albumin measured by intravital fluorescence microscopy in the mouse cremaster muscle showed that permeability was increased in ICAM-2-deficient mice compared to controls.
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To determine whether anxiety and depression are associated with greater respiratory discomfort in asthma.', 'Adults with asthma (n = 230) underwent methacholine (Mch) challenge. Anxiety and depression, asthma control, and quality of life were evaluated at study entry by using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Asthma Control Test, and Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire, respectively. Qualitative descriptors of breathlessness, dyspnea intensity (modified Borg scale and visual analog scale [VAS]), and other respiratory symptoms were evaluated before and after Mch challenge.', 'Patients were classified as neither anxiety nor depression (NAD), anxiety only, depression only (D), or both anxiety and depression (AD) according to the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale score. Asthma Control Test and Asthma Control Test, and Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire scores were lowest in the AD group (both p < 0.001). VAS scores for dyspnea and wheezing before Mch challenge were highest in the AD group (both p < 0.05). The increase in the modified Borg scale score after Mch challenge was higher in the AD group (mean [standard deviation] 2.5 ± 2.0) than in the NAD (1.5 ± 1.5) and D (0.8 ± 0.9) groups (p = 0.006 and p = 0.003, respectively). Most descriptors of breathlessness were more prevalent in the anxiety only, D, and AD groups than in the NAD group. Multivariable logistic regression models indicated that anxiety increased the risk of dyspnea (odds ratio 1.10, p < 0.001 for the Borg score; odds ratio 3.84, p = 0.032 for the VAS score) but not for other respiratory symptoms.

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