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: Recent studies have indicated a protective role of physiological autophagy in ischemic heart disease. However, the underlying mechanisms of autophagy regulation after ischemia are poorly understood. Exosomes are nano-sized vesicles released from cells that play critical roles in mediating cell-to-cell communication through the transfer of microRNAs. In this study, we observed that miR-30a was highly enriched in exosomes from the serum of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients in vivo and culture medium of cardiomyocytes after hypoxic stimulation in vitro. We also found that hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-1α regulates miR-30a, which efficiently transferred via exosomes between cardiomyocytes after hypoxia. Inhibition of miR-30a or release of exosomes increased the expression of the core autophagy regulators beclin-1, Atg12, and LC3II/LC3I, which contributed to maintaining the autophagic response in cardiomyocytes after hypoxia. Taken together, the present study showed that exosomes from hypoxic cardiomyocytes regulate autophagy by transferring miR-30a in a paracrine manner, which revealed a new pathway of autophagy regulation that might comprise a promising strategy to treat ischemic heart disease.

SOLUTION: Does exosomal transfer of miR-30a between cardiomyocytes regulate autophagy after hypoxia?

PROBLEM: Nanoparticles (NPs) in contact with biological fluids become covered by a tightly bound layer of proteins, the "protein corona", and it is largely accepted that this corona gives a new identity to NPs in biological milieu. We here consider the exposing scenario of NPs through an environmental route exemplified by the use of hydrophobins, highly adhesive proteins that are secreted into the environment in large quantities by fungi. HFBII of Trichoderma reesei has been used as a model protein and we have shown strong binding to polystyrene NPs of different sizes and surface groups. Hydrophobin coated NPs are shown to strongly increase the stability and the dispersion when exposed to human plasma compared to pristine ones particles. It is also shown that the presence of hydrophobin on the NPs results in an attenuated protein corona formation, in a different corona composition, and we also show that hydrophobin remained strongly associated to the NPs in competition with plasma proteins. As a conclusion we therefore suggest that the route of exposure of nanoparticles strongly affects their surface properties and their possible physiological behavior.

SOLUTION: Does an environmental route of exposure affect the formation of nanoparticle coronas in blood plasma?

PROBLEM: Preoperative suspicion of malignancy in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (pNETs) is mostly based on tumour size. We retrospectively reviewed the contrast enhancement pattern (CEP) of a series of pNETs on multiphasic multidetector computed tomography (MDCT), to identify further imaging features predictive of lesion aggressiveness.', 'Sixty pNETs, diagnosed in 52 patients, were classified based on CEP as: type A showing early contrast enhancement and rapid wash-out; type B presenting even (B1) or only (B2) late enhancement. All tumours were resected allowing pathologic correlations.', 'Nineteen pNETs showed type A CEP (5-20 mm), 29 type B1 CEP (5-80 mm) and 12 type B2 (15-100 mm). All tumours were classified as well differentiated tumours, 19 were benign (WDt-b), 15 with uncertain behaviour (WDt-u) and 26 carcinomas (WDC). None of A lesions were malignant (12 WDt-b; 7 WDt-u), all B2 lesions were WDC, 7 B1 lesions were WDt-b, 8 WDt-u and 14 WDC; 4/34 (12 %) lesions ≤2cm were WDC. CEP showed correlation with all histological prognostic indicators.

SOLUTION:
Does contrast enhancement pattern on multidetector CT predict malignancy in pancreatic endocrine tumours?