Given a passage, construct a question on the basis of the information present in the passage. Construct the question in such a way that (i) it is unambiguous, (ii) it is answerable from the passage, (iii) its answer is unique (iv) it answer uses text phrases from the passage. Avoid creating questions that (i) can't be answered correctly without actually understanding the passage and (ii) uses the same words or phrases given in the passage.
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Question: The antifibrotic substance pirfenidone and the angiotensin II type I receptor antagonist candesartan cilexetil, given alone and in combination, were tested in rats with chronic anti-glomerular basement membrane glomerulonephritis (anti-GBM GN).', 'Male Wistar rats with anti-GBM GN were treated for 8 weeks with candesartan (4 mg/kg body weight/day), pirfenidone (500 mg/kg body weight/day) or a combination of both drugs. One GN group received no treatment and untreated non-GN-rats were used as controls. Blood pressure and urinary protein excretion were measured after 3 and 7 weeks. Kidney histology was complemented by ultrastructural investigation and by quantification of collagen Ialpha mRNA.', 'The percentage of glomeruli with adsorption droplets in podocytes correlated well with the amount of proteinuria (r = 0.873, P<0.01) and was significantly lowered in rats treated with candesartan (8.3 vs GN 24.6%), pirfenidone (9.8%) and combined treatment (2.6%, P<0.05 vs candesartan alone). A comparable lowering was seen for segmental sclerosis (GN 11%, candesartan 0.7%, P<0.05 vs GN, pirfenidone 1.8%, P = 0.09 vs GN, candesartan/pirfenidone 0.1%, P>0.5 vs candesartan alone). Cortical collagen Ialpha mRNA expression was significantly decreased in all treatment groups. Ultrastructural investigation showed an amelioration of basement membrane alterations and podocyte damage in the treatment groups. Candesartan caused significant blood pressure reduction and the effect was significantly enhanced by combination therapy after 3 weeks. Rats treated with pirfenidone showed blood pressure values similar to control rats.

Answer: Do pirfenidone and candesartan ameliorate morphological damage in mild chronic anti-GBM nephritis in rats?


Question: To date, cardiac catheterization and endomyocardial biopsy have been considered the "gold standard" for rejection surveillance after heart transplantation. Factors such as patient size (i.e., infant transplantation), loss of vascular access after repeated catheterizations, and anesthesia requirements all present unique problems and risks related to pediatric rejection surveillance. Therefore, additional methods to monitor for rejection in a non-invasive, reliable and frequent manner have been sought. We studied the utility of echocardiographic measurement of the left ventricular myocardial performance index (LVMPI), a reproducible measure of combined systolic and diastolic performance, in pediatric heart transplant recipients as a method of identifying acute rejection.', 'Two-dimensional/Doppler echocardiographic studies (n = 36) were performed on 21 cardiac transplant patients (ages 6.2 to 21.9 years) at the time of endomyocardial biopsy. The LVMPI, the sum of the isovolumic contraction time and isovolumic relaxation time divided by aortic ejection time, was determined at each study, as well as other echocardiographic measures of systolic and diastolic function. Patients were grouped by concurrent histologic rejection grade and the results compared between groups.', 'Significant differences in LVMPI (p < 0.001) were noted between patients with no rejection (Grade 0; n = 23) and those with moderate to severe rejection (Grade 3; n = 5), as well as between those with no rejection and those with focal moderate (Grade 2; n = 8) rejection (p < 0.05). The LVMPI was 0.42 +/- 0.03 (mean +/- SEM) for the group without rejection, 0.57 +/- 0.06 for those with Grade 2 rejection and 0.73 +/- 0.05 for those with Grade 3 rejection. Although 9 of the 23 studies in the non-rejection group had LVMPI values exceeding 0.44 (upper threshold value), 12 of 13 patients in the rejection groups exceeded this threshold. LVMPI >or= 0.64 was associated with significant rejection in all cases in this study (n = 7). No significant differences were noted between groups for left ventricular ejection fraction or shortening fraction, percent septal or posterior wall thickening, left ventricular mass index or mitral valve deceleration time. In addition, for those individual patients with multiple studies, the LVMPI consistently increased with higher rejection grades and decreased after therapy.

Answer: Does increased myocardial performance index correlate with biopsy-proven rejection in pediatric heart transplant recipients?


Question: This study addresses the potential utility of preoperative functional imaging with magnetoencephalography (MEG) for the selection of glioma patients who are likely to benefit from resective surgical treatment regarding postoperative morbidity.', 'One hundred and nineteen patients with gliomas adjacent to sensorimotor, visual and speech related brain areas were investigated preoperatively with a MAGNES II biomagnetometer. In each patient the pre-surgical evaluation was focussed on the visual, sensorimotor cortex and/or of the speech related brain areas. A grading system was then used according to the distance of the MEG activation sources to the nearest tumour border to determine the further treatment. The therapeutic options consisted in conservative treatment, stereotactic biopsy and/or a radiation and chemotherapy, substantial cytoreduction and the gross total removal of the lesion.', 'From 119 investigated patients, 55 patients (46.2%) were not considered for surgery due to tumour invasion to functional cortex. Sixty four patients (53.8%) were chosen for resective surgery. In the surgical group only four patients (6.2%) suffered from neurological deterioration.

Answer:
Does magnetic source imaging support clinical decision making in glioma patients?