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.
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Question: Our previous in-vivo and in-vitro studies demonstrated that inflammation accelerated the progression of atherosclerosis via the dysregulation of the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLr) pathway. The current study aimed to investigate the effects and their underlying mechanisms of inflammation on lipid accumulation in the radial arteries of endstage renal disease (ESRD) patients with arteriovenostomy.', '30 ESRD patients with arteriovenostomy were included. The patients were divided into two groups based on their plasma levels of C-reactive protein: a control (n = 16) and an inflamed group (n = 14). The expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 of the radial arteries were increased in the inflamed group. Foam cell formation and lipid droplet accumulation were examined by hematoxylin and eosin (H & E) and Oil Red O staining. Intracellular cholesterol trafficking-related proteins were examined by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescent staining.', 'There was significant lipid accumulation in the radial arteries of the inflamed group compared with the control. Further analysis demonstrated that this accumulation was correlated with the increased protein expression of LDLr, sterol regulatory element-binding protein-2 (SREBP-2), and SREBP cleavageactivating protein (SCAP). Confocal microscopy showed that inflammation enhanced the translocation of SCAP escorting SREBP-2 from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi, thereby activating LDLr gene transcription. Interestingly, upregulated LDLr expression was positively associated with the increased protein expression of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), which had enhanced coexpression with SREBP-2. This finding suggests that the activation of mTOR may be involved in LDLr pathway disruption through the upregulation of SREBP-2 expression.

Answer: 0


Question: Endothelial Microparticles (EMP) are small fragments of endothelial cell membrane shed during apoptosis or activation. Our group has previously reported elevations of EMP in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), pre-eclampsia, multiple sclerosis (MS), and severe hypertension (HTN). In the present study, we evaluate the possible relationship between EMP levels and the angiographic severity and characteristics of coronary obstructive lesions.', 'We studied a total of 43 patients undergoing coronary angiography. Fifteen had presented with acute myocardial infarction (MI), 20 with unstable anginas (UA), 5 with stable angina (SA) and 3 with congestive heart failure. Coronary angiography was reviewed and coronary lesions were classified using the Ambrose classification. Coronary stenoses were classified as high and low risk. High-risk included lesions with eccentric appearance (type II), presence of thrombi, or multiple irregularities. Low-risk lesions were defined as concentric or type I. Lesions were also analyzed by degree of stenosis and history of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). EMP in plasma was assayed by flow cytometry.', 'EMP in eccentric type II or multiple irregular lesions (high-risk) were 2.5-fold higher than in type I or concentric (low-risk) lesions, p<0.05. Lesions with thrombi had three-fold higher EMP than those without (p=0.05). Mild stenosis (>20%-<45%) had three-fold higher EMP than more severe (>45%), and five-fold higher than those without stenosis (p<0.01). Among patients with type II lesions, those with first ACS episode had four-fold higher EMP levels than those with recurrent ACS (p<0.01).

Answer: 0


Question: Adjuvant imatinib is useful in patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) at high risk of recurrence. At present, the risk of recurrence is determined based on tumor size, mitotic rate, tumor site, and tumor rupture. Previous studies using various biochemical pathways identified gene expression patterns that distinguish two subsets of aggressive fibromatosis (AF), serous ovarian carcinoma (OVCA), and clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC). These gene sets separated soft tissue sarcomas into two groups with different probabilities of developing metastatic disease. The present study used these gene sets to identify GIST subgroups with different probabilities of developing metastatic disease.', 'We utilized these three gene sets, hierarchical clustering, and Kaplan-Meier analysis, to examine 60 primary resected GIST samples using Agilent chip expression profiling.', 'Hierarchical clustering using both the combined and individual AF-, OVCA-, and RCC- gene sets identified differences in probabilities of developing metastatic disease between the clusters defined by the first branch point of the clustering dendrograms (p = 0.029 for the combined gene set, p = 0.003 for the AF-gene set, p < 0.001 for the OVCA-gene set, and p = 0.003 for the RCC-gene set).

Answer:
0