In this task, you are given a passage which has a question and the context. You have to generate an answer to the question based on the information present in the context.

Input: Consider Input: Context: Although the echolucent plaque in carotid stenosis is associated with future ischemic stroke, the predictive value of echogenicity in small and medium size carotid plaques on vascular events has not been thoroughly examined. Thus, we prospectively tested the hypothesis that plaque echogenicity of carotid atheroma can predict the future total cardiovascular events in patients with vascular risk factors.', 'Ultrasound assessment of carotid intima-media complex thickness (IMT) and plaque echogenicity using integrated backscatter (IBS) analysis was performed in 596 patients aged 40 or more, with any history of vascular events or with at least 1 risk factor, who were enrolled between 2001 and 2006 in the Osaka Follow-up Study for Carotid Atherosclerosis, part 2 (OSACA2). We followed the incidence of total cardiovascular events including cerebrovascular events, coronary heart disease (CHD), and peripheral artery disease (PAD) for 6.4 years. We divided the patients into two groups according to the IBS index above (echorich plaques) and under (echolucent plaque) the median value, and calculated the hazard ratios (HR) of the echolucent group compared with the echogenic group in the risk of cardiovascular events.', 'Among 596 patients, carotid stenosis was found only in 87 patients. During the follow-up period, we observed 121 cardiovascular events including 63 cerebrovascular events, 45 CHD cases, and 13 PAD cases. The patients with incident cardiovascular events had larger plaque thickness and lower IBS index than those without incident vascular events. The relative risk of vascular events for echolucent versus echorich plaques was 1.45 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.99-2.13, p = 0.058) after adjustment for risk factors and plaque thickness. In patients with plaque size above the median value (>2.1 mm), the relative risk of vascular events for echolucent plaques was 1.72 (95% CI 1.06-2.85, p = 0.029), but this association was not observed in patients with plaque size <2.0 mm.\Question: Does echogenicity of medium-to-large carotid plaques predict future vascular events?

Output: The association between echogenicity of carotid plaque and incident vascular events is dependent on the plaque size. Echolucent medium-to-large plaques, but not small plaques, are associated with the risk of future total cardiovascular events. This finding suggests that measurement of echolucency in medium-to-large carotid plaques may improve selection of patients at high risk for total vascular events.


Input: Consider Input: Context: Serum uric acid (SUA) has been associated to incident hypertension and increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.', 'Among the 2191 subjects enrolled during the last population survey of the Brisighella Heart Study, we identified 146 new cases of arterial hypertension and 394 treated but uncontrolled hypertensive patients with different levels of SUA. Their hemodynamic characteristics have been compared with those of age- and sex-matched normotensive (N. 324) and controlled hypertensive (N. 470) subjects. Then, by logistic regression analysis, we evaluated which factors were associated with a worse BP control under pharmacological treatment.', 'SUA levels were significantly higher in untreated hypertensive and uncontrolled hypertensive patients when compared to normotensives and controlled hypertensive patients. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) was significantly higher (p<0.001) in undiagnosed and uncontrolled hypertensive patients, while controlled hypertensive patients had PWV values comparable to normotensive controls. A similar trend has been observed for the augmentation index (AI). A worse BP control was associated with SUA levels (OR 1277, 95% CI 1134-1600 per mg/dL), AI (OR 1066, 95%CI 1041-1092 per unit), and PWV (OR 1201, 95% CI 1089-1423, per m/s), but not with age, body mass index, nor estimated glomerular filtration rate.\Question: Is high serum uric acid associated to poorly controlled blood pressure and higher arterial stiffness in hypertensive subjects?

Output: Based on our data, SUA seems to be associated with an inadequate BP control in subjects treated with antihypertensive drugs, and subjects with both uncontrolled BP and relatively high SUA levels have also an increased arterial stiffness that (per se) could be a cause of worse BP control under treatment.


Input: Consider Input: Context: Post-hemorrhagic shock mesenteric lymph (PHSML) has been linked with neutrophil (PMN) priming, endothelial cell (EC) activation, and acute lung injury (ALI) in rodent models. We have previously identified the lipid fraction of PHSML as containing the causative agent(s). Due to the lesson learned from the rodent gut bacterial translocation experience, we sought to confirm this phenomenon using a large animal model; hypothesizing that lymph collected from the porcine gut following ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) would cause PMN priming.', 'Mesenteric lymph was collected from adult pigs before, during, and for 2 hours after non-lethal hemorrhagic shock (mean arterial pressure = 30 mm Hg x 45 minutes). Whole lymph and the extracted lipid fractions of the lymph were then added to isolated human and porcine PMNs and superoxide production was measured by cytochrome C reduction.', 'Hemorrhagic shock profoundly affected mesenteric lymph flow from baseline (pre-shock) flow rates of 75.63 +/- 8.86 mL/hr to 49.38 +/- 5.76 mL/hr during shock and increasing to 253.38 +/- 27.62 mL/hr after 2 hours of resuscitation. Human PMNs exposed to both whole lymph (PHSML) and its extracted lipids (PHSML Lipid) collected 2 hours after shock exhibited more than a two-fold increase in superoxide release upon activation compared with pre-shock samples: PHSML- 6.27 +/- 0.83 versus 2.56 +/- 0.60 nmolO2(-)/ 3.75 cells/mL/min, respectively (p = 0.007), PHSML Lipid- 4.93 +/- 0.34 versus 2.49 +/- 0.11 nmolO2(-)/ 3.75 cells/mL/min (p < 0.001). Similarly, porcine PMNs exhibited close to a two-fold activation when exposed to the lymph and lipid fraction: PHSML- 4.51 +/- 0.42 versus 1.06 +/- 0.28 nmolO2(-)/ 3.75 cells/mL/min (p = 0.008), PHSML Lipid-4.80 +/- 0.81 versus 1.55 +/- 0.23 nmolO2(-)/ 3.75 cells/mL/min (p = 0.002).\Question: Does systemic neutrophil priming by lipid mediators in post-shock mesenteric lymph exist across species?


Output: Mesenteric lymphatics serve as the conduit for inflammatory mediators elaborated by the post-ischemic gut in both small and large animal models. Further, the causal agent(s) exist in the lipid fraction of the lymph and are active on both human and animal PMNs.