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: Triptolide (TPT), a component of the Chinese herb Triptergium wilfordii, has potent immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory activity and is used clinically in recipients of kidney transplantation.', 'This work aimed to investigate the effect of TPT on the differentiation of regulatory T lymphocytes (Tregs) from CD4+ cells in rats.', 'MACS-purified rat CD4+ cells were costimulated with anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 in the presence of TGF-beta to induce the expression of FoxP3, which was detected by flow cytometry. TPT and cyclosporine A (CsA) were separately added into the cultures to observe the effect on the expression of FoxP3. Kidney transplantation was performed in rats that either received no treatment or were treated with TPT after transplantation.', 'TPT treatment enhanced the expression of FoxP3 in CD4+ cells, whereas CsA inhibited the FoxP3 expression. In the rat kidney transplantation model, the recipient rats treated with TPT survived longer than the control rats (18-19.83 vs 6.83 days, P<0.05). Meanwhile, the FoxP3+ T cells in the spleens of treated rats were higher than those from the untreated rats (12.4% vs 4.7%, P<0.05).\Question: Does triptolide promote generation of FoxP3+ T regulatory cells in rats?

SOLUTION: These data suggest that TPT may promote the differentiation of CD4+ cells to FoxP3+ Tregs. This would be at least one of the pathways responsible for the immunosuppressive activity of TPT.

PROBLEM: Context: Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine gland malignancy. Advances in understanding the genetic basis for thyroid cancer revealed the potential involvement of several genes in the formation of thyroid tumors. Mutations in the gene coding for succinate dehydrogenase subtype B (SDHB) have been implicated in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) is a heterotetrameric protein composed of four subunits, SDHA, SDHB, SDHC, and SDHD, and participates in both the electron transport chain and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between variants in the SDHA, SDHB, SDHC, and SDHD genes and familiar PTC in a large Brazilian family.', 'Four patients with PTC, 1 patient with PTC and gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), 1 patient with GIST, and their relatives - several of them with different thyroid problems - from a large Brazilian family were screened for genetic variations of SDHx genes with the use of polymerase chain reaction-single-stranded conformational polymorphism and direct sequencing.', 'Only one rare variation in SDHA was found in some of the family members, but not segregating with the disease. No other genetic variants of these genes were detected in the family members that presented with PTC and/or GIST.\Question: Is familiar Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma in a Large Brazilian Family Associated with Succinate Dehydrogenase Defects?

SOLUTION: Familiar PTC and a GIST were not associated with SDHx mutations; additional genetic defects, yet unknown, may be responsible for the development of tumor.

PROBLEM: Context: 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.\Question: Does lipoicmethylenedioxyphenol reduce Experimental Atherosclerosis through Activation of Nrf2 Signaling?

SOLUTION:
Our results support that LMDP has an anti-atherosclerotic effect likely through activation of Nrf2 signaling and subsequent inhibition of macrophage chemotaxis.