TASK DEFINITION: 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.
PROBLEM: Fish oil (FO) supplementation prevents the development of obesity and insulin resistance, and upregulate the expression of UCP3 in skeletal muscle in rodents. This may represent indirect evidence that FO promotes fat oxidation and/or alter energy efficiency. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether such effects can be observed in humans. The metabolic effects of FO were assessed during exercise in order to obtain a direct measurement of energy efficiency.', 'Eight healthy male volunteers were studied with and without supplementation with 7.2 g/day FO (including 1.1 g/day eicosopentaenoic acid and 0.7 g/day decosahexaenoic acid) during 14 days. Their VO(2 max) was measured on cycle ergometer. Thereafter, energy metabolism (substrate oxidation, energy expenditure and energy efficiency) was assessed during a 30 min cycling exercise at 50% VO(2 max) performed 2 h 30 after a standardized, high carbohydrate breakfast.', 'VO(2 max) was 38.6+/-2.2 after FO and 38.4+/-2.0 (mL x kg(-1) x min(-1)) in control conditions (NS). Basal plasma glucose, insulin and NEFA concentrations, and energy metabolism were similar with FO and in controls. During exercise, the increases in plasma NEFA concentrations, energy expenditure, glucose and lipid oxidation, and the decreases in glycaemia and insulinemia were not altered by FO intake. Energy efficiency was 22.4+/-0.6% after FO vs 21.8+/-0.7% in controls. In order to ascertain that the absence of effects of FO was not due to consumption of a carbohydrate meal immediately before exercise, 4 of the 8 subjects were re-studied in fasting conditions, FO also failed to alter energy efficiency in this subset of studies.

SOLUTION: Does fish oil supplementation alter energy efficiency in healthy males?

PROBLEM: As HPV-induced cases of oral malignancy increase, it is important to understand the molecular differences between HPV positive and negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs aberrantly expressed in cancer. We analyzed global piRNA expression patterns to define the HNSCC piRNA transcriptome and assess whether HPV infection status associates with changes in piRNA levels.', 'A total of 498 HNSCC small RNA sequencing libraries were acquired from the Cancer Genomics Hub (cgHUB) Data Repository and a custom sequence analysis pipeline was developed to deduce piRNA expression from raw sequencing data. Expression matrices were aligned to clinicopathological features in order to analyze piRNA expression patterns across different HNSCC groups. The association of a piRNA signature with HPV-positive patient survival was evaluated using a Cox proportional hazard model.', 'Analysis of piRNA levels between HNSCC and non-malignant tissues revealed distinct expression patterns, with 87 piRNAs exclusively expressed in tumor samples. HPV infection status affected the expression of 41 of these piRNAs. Eleven (26.8%) piRNAs were significantly downregulated in HPV16/18 tumors compared to other HPV types. Remarkably, expression of a combination of five-piRNAs in HPV-positive HNSCC tumors was associated with worse overall survival.

SOLUTION: Is hPV status associated with altered PIWI-interacting RNA expression pattern in head and neck cancer?

PROBLEM: To test the hypothesis that effective pulmonary capillary blood flow can be a useful indicator for estimating appropriate oxygenation and ventilation during one-lung ventilation in lung surgery.', 'Prospective data analysis.', 'A 770-bed general teaching hospital.', '15 ASA physical status II and III patients undergoing elective lung surgery.', 'Patients received general and thoracic epidural anesthesia and underwent lung operation with one-lung ventilation.', 'We measured effective pulmonary capillary blood flow by a partial CO2 rebreathing method and oxygenation parameters during two-lung ventilation before surgery, during one-lung ventilation, and during two-lung ventilation after lung surgery.', 'The effective pulmonary capillary blood flow index significantly decreased by 31.6%, which was associated with a significant decrease in arterial oxygen tension (PaO2). The pulmonary shunt fraction increased to 46.3% during one-lung ventilation. During two-lung ventilation, after chest closure, effective pulmonary capillary blood flow index divided by heart rate (i.e., effective pulmonary blood stroke flow index) was still significantly lower than that seen during two-lung ventilation before thoracotomy. There were significant correlations between effective pulmonary capillary blood flow, pulmonary blood stroke flow index, and PaO2.

SOLUTION:
Is a noninvasive partial carbon dioxide rebreathing technique for measurement of pulmonary capillary blood flow also a useful oxygenation monitor during one-lung ventilation?