TASK DEFINITION: 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.
PROBLEM: Vulvovaginitis has a known association with urinary tract infections (UTIs) in girls. We hypothesize that vulvovaginitis is a major contributor to UTIs in prepubertal girls by increasing periurethral colonization with uropathogens.', 'Periurethral swabs and urine specimens were obtained from a total of 101 girls (58 with vulvovaginitis and 43 without vulvovaginitis). Specimens were cultured for bacterial growth. The dominant organism in the periurethral swabs and urine cultures was recorded and antibiotic sensitivity profiles were compared.', 'Periurethral swabs from children with vulvovaginitis were associated with a statistically significant increase in uropathogenic bacteria (79% Enterococcus species or Escherichia coli) as the dominant culture compared with swabs from girls without vaginitis (18%) (p\u2009<\u20090.05). In children with vulvovaginitis, 52% of the urine cultures were positive for UTIs, and the dominant organism in the urine cultures matched the species and antibiotic sensitivity profile of the corresponding periurethral swab. Only 11% of the urine cultures from girls without vulvovaginitis were positive for UTIs.

SOLUTION: 0

PROBLEM: Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-blocking agents, including etanercept and infliximab, has resulted in reductions in the radiographic progression of RA. However, the exact mechanism by which this protection occurs has not been determined. In order to add to such knowledge, we investigated the effect of anti-TNF therapy on the expression of osteoprotegerin (OPG) and receptor activator of NF-kappaB ligand (RANKL) in synovial tissue.', "The expression of OPG and RANKL in synovial biopsy specimens was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Serial synovial biopsy specimens were obtained from 18 patients with RA, before and after treatment with etanercept (9 patients) or infliximab (9 patients). Biopsy specimens were evaluated by double-blind semiquantitative analysis and image analysis. The in vitro effect of TNF antagonists on the RANKL/OPG expression in osteoblasts and endothelial cells was evaluated by Western blotting. Statistical analysis was performed using Wilcoxon's signed rank test, followed by the Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons of paired samples. The results of in vitro experiments were evaluated by one-way analysis of variance, with Tukey's post hoc test.", 'Treatment with both infliximab and etanercept increased the expression of OPG in synovial tissue. After 8 weeks of treatment, neither infliximab nor etanercept influenced RANKL expression. In both groups of patients, the RANKL:OPG ratio decreased following therapy. In vitro, both of the TNF antagonists mimicked the in vivo effect, inducing a decrease in the RANKL:OPG ratio in TNF-primed osteoblasts and endothelial cells.

SOLUTION: 1

PROBLEM: It has been suggested that prostate specific antigen has no predictive value for prostate cancer after a first negative biopsy has been performed. We compared the performance operating characteristics of prostate specific antigen for prostate cancer between a first and subsequent prostate biopsy in a group of men with complete verification of cancer status.', 'From the 18,882 participants in the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial we examined men in the placebo group who had only a first biopsy or a first and second prostate biopsy with a prostate specific antigen and digital rectal examination within 1 year before each biopsy. The receiver operating characteristic curve was estimated for prostate specific antigen for detection of prostate cancer on the first biopsy compared to the second, and the C-statistics were compared.', 'Of this group 5,608 men had a first biopsy and 687 of those with a negative first biopsy underwent a second biopsy. The C-statistic was 0.650 (95% CI 0.632, 0.668) for the first biopsy and 0.664 (95% CI 0.607, 0.721) for the second biopsy. The C-statistic for the second biopsy was statistically significantly greater than 0.5 (p <0.001) and overlapped with that from the first biopsy.

SOLUTION:
1