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: Recent studies show that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) downregulation is implicated in preeclampsia (PE) pathophysiology. This study assessed the relationship between PE and VEGF levels produced by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and their serum levels.', 'A cross-sectional design was performed in 36 patients who had hypertensive disorders during pregnancy. We also used a longitudinal design with 12 pregnant women with risk factors for PE development and/or abnormal uterine arteries by Doppler study. VEGF and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) levels were measured for all patients in both designs.', "sFlt-1 serum was higher in preeclamptic patients (n = 26), whereas VEGF produced by stimulated PBMCs was lower than in healthy pregnant women and VEGF levels produced by stimulated PBMCs were even lower (p <0.003) in severe PE (n = 16). The receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis allowed establishing a cut-off value to identify patients with PE. VEGF production by PBMCs was 339.87 pg/mL. In addition, a robust linear regression model was performed to adjust the variance in VEGF levels. The patients' age decreased VEGF levels and was adjusted by weeks of gestation (WG) in our model. In the longitudinal study, 7/12 patients developed PE. VEGF produced by PBMCs cells was significantly lower in PE at 24-26 WG.

SOLUTION: 0

PROBLEM: Neuroblastoma, a frequently occurring solid tumour in children, remains a therapeutic challenge as existing imaging tools are inadequate for proper and accurate diagnosis, resulting in treatment failures. Nanoparticles have recently been introduced to the field of cancer research and promise remarkable improvements in diagnostics, targeting and drug delivery. Among these nanoparticles, quantum dots (QDs) are highly appealing due to their manipulatable surfaces, yielding multifunctional QDs applicable in different biological models. The biocompatibility of these QDs, however, remains questionable.', 'We show here that QD surface modifications with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) alter QD physical and biological properties. In human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells, NAC modified QDs were internalized to a lesser extent and were less cytotoxic than unmodified QDs. Cytotoxicity was correlated with Fas upregulation on the surface of treated cells. Alongside the increased expression of Fas, QD treated cells had increased membrane lipid peroxidation, as measured by the fluorescent BODIPY-C11 dye. Moreover, peroxidized lipids were detected at the mitochondrial level, contributing to the impairment of mitochondrial functions as shown by the MTT reduction assay and imaged with confocal microscopy using the fluorescent JC-1 dye.

SOLUTION: 0

PROBLEM: The antibacterial activity of antimicrobial peptides is influenced by various factors such as salt content, pH and the presence of proteins. In this study, we explored the antibacterial action of the human cathelicidin LL-37 in physiologically relevant conditions, i.e. various human wound fluids, human plasma fractions and serum.', 'Radial diffusion assays using Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were employed for the study of antibacterial effects of LL-37 in the presence of 12 different wound fluids, citrate-, heparin- or EDTA-plasma, or human serum. Glycosaminoglycan content of wound fluids was determined by an Alcian Blue-binding assay. Protein content of wound fluids was measured by the Bradford method. A slot-binding assay was used to study the effects of inhibitors on the interaction between LL-37 and glycosaminoglycans.', 'Five of twelve wound fluids derived from acute wounds showed marked inhibitory effects on the antibacterial action of LL-37. The inhibition was significantly correlated with high glycosaminoglycan content in wound fluid. Analogous to these findings, heparin-plasma strongly inhibited the antibacterial effect of LL-37. The interaction between LL-37 and glycosaminoglycans was abrogated by the cationic polymers DEAE-dextran and chitosan, yielding increased activity of LL-37.

SOLUTION:
1