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: The relationship of bipolar disorder (BD) and altered thyroid function is increasingly recognized. Recently, a behavioral phenotype of co-occurring deviance on the Anxious/Depressed (A/D), Attention Problems (AP), and Aggressive Behavior (AB) syndrome scales has been identified as the Child Behavior Checklist Dysregulation Profile (CBCL-DP), which itself has been linked to BD. This study tested for differences in thyroid function within a sample of n=114 psychiatric children and adolescents with and without the CBCL-DP.', 'A CBCL-DP score was generated based on the composite of the crucial CBCL syndrome scales (A/D, AP, AB). Participants with a CBCL-DP score >or=2.5 SDs above average constituted the CBCL-DP subgroup (n=53). Those with CBCL-DP scores of 1 SD or less above average percentile were regarded as controls (n=61). Groups were compared regarding serum levels of TSH, fT3 and fT4.', 'In participants showing the CBCL-DP, basal serum TSH was elevated compared to controls. More CBCL-DP subjects than controls showed subclinical hypothyroidism. No differences were observed for serum fT3 and fT4 levels.

SOLUTION: Is severe affective and behavioral dysregulation in youth associated with increased serum TSH?

PROBLEM: Neuroendocrine (NE) differentiation in prostate cancer (PCa), promoted by NE cell secreted products, appears to be associated with tumor progression, poor prognosis, and hormone-refractory disease. We recently reported secretagogin, a hexa-EF-hand Ca(2+) binding protein, as a novel NE marker in carcinoid tumors of the lung and the gastrointestinal tract. The present study analyzes the expression of secretagogin in normal and malign prostate tissue.', 'We analyzed immunoreactivity for secretagogin, chromogranin A (CgA), neuron specific enolase (NSE), and synaptophysin (SYN) in consecutive sections from 87 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) benign hyperplastic (n = 10) and prostate adenocarcinoma (n = 77) specimens. The intracellular distribution of secretagogin, CgA, and NSE was examined by confocal fluorescent microscopy, and we characterized secretagogin in eight samples by Western blotting.', 'Secretagogin is cytoplasmic and nuclear expressed in NE and NE differentiated cells, and to a lesser extent in epithelial cells, in the benign prostate and prostate adenocarcinoma cells. Secretagogin stained 82% (46/56) of benign and 71% (48/68) of prostate adenocarcinomas and co-localized with the NE markers CgA and NSE. The expression of secretagogin is significantly correlated to CgA (P < 0.001) and NSE (P < 0.048) in prostate adenocarcinoma and to CgA in normal epithelium (P < 0.028).

SOLUTION: Is secretagogin a new neuroendocrine marker in the human prostate?

PROBLEM: Several biological markers have been related to prognosis in mammary ductal carcinoma. The aim of the study was to determine biological markers that could predict local recurrence following treatment for all stages of primary operable ductal carcinoma of the breast.', 'A consecutive series of patients treated for pure ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS, n = 110) and invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC, n = 243) was studied. Twenty-three patients with DCIS were excluded because of lack of original paraffin embedded tissue. All patients had been treated between July 1996 and December 2001. Median follow-up was 49.8 mo. From the original paraffin embedded tumors, tissue microarrays (TMAs) were constructed. On these TMAs, immunohistochemistry was performed for estrogen-receptor (ER), progesterone-receptor (PR), Her2/neu, p53, and cyclin D1. Main outcome was the event of LR. All analyses were stratified for diagnosis (DCIS or IDC) and pathological grade.', 'In univariate analyses, Her2/neu overexpression (hazard ratio [HR] 3.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-8.7, P = 0.032) and p53 overexpression (HR 3.5, 95% CI 1.3-9.3, P = 0.014) were associated with LR in patients treated for both DCIS and IDC. In multivariate analysis, p53 overexpression (HR 3.0, 95% CI 1.1-8.2, P = 0.036 and HR 4.4, 95% CI 1.5-12.9, P = 0.008) and adjuvant radiotherapy (HR 0.2, 95% CI 0.1-0.8, P = 0.026) were independent common predictors of LR in patients who had received treatment for both DCIS and IDC.

SOLUTION:
Is p53 overexpression a predictor of local recurrence after treatment for both in situ and invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast?