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.

Q: Parasympathetic dysfunction is an independent risk factor for mortality in heart failure for which there is no specific pharmacologic treatment. This article aims to determine the effect of pyridostigmine, an anticholinesterase agent, on the integrated physiologic responses to dynamic exercise in heart failure.', 'Patients with chronic heart failure (n = 23; 9 female; age = 48 +/- 12 years) were submitted to 3 maximal cardiopulmonary exercise tests on treadmill in different days. The first test was used for adaptation and to determine exercise tolerance. The other tests were performed after oral administration of pyridostigmine (45 mg, 3 times/day, for 24 hours) or placebo, in random order. All patients were taking their usual medication. Pyridostigmine reduced cholinesterase activity by 30%, inhibited the chronotropic response throughout exercise, up to 60% of maximal effort (pyridostigmine = 108 +/- 3 beats/min vs. placebo = 113 +/- 3 beats/min; P = .040), and improved heart rate reserve (pyridostigmine = 73 +/- 5 beats/min vs. placebo = 69 +/- 5 beats/min; P = 0.035) and heart rate recovery in the first minute after exercise (pyridostigmine = 25 +/- 2 beats/min vs. placebo = 22 +/- 2 beats/min; P = .005), whereas peak heart rate was similar to placebo. Oxygen pulse, an indirect indicator of stroke volume, was higher under pyridostigmine during submaximal exercise.

A: 0
****
Q: Parathyroidectomy (PTx) is the most successful treatment for advanced secondary hyperparathyroidism (2HPT) not responsive to medical treatment. However, persistent HPT remains problematic after PTx if some glands remain. The clinical course in patients with persistent 2HPT was evaluated to clarify the risk for re-operation after PTx.', 'Between March 1981 and December 2001, initial total PTx with forearm autograft were performed in 1156 uraemic patients. Persistent HPT cases were defined as those in which the lowest post-operative intact parathyroid hormone (i-PTH) concentration was >60 pg/ml, and patients were classified into groups A, B and C, with i-PTH concentrations of >or=500, 300-500 and 60-300 pg/ml, respectively. These patients were followed for 7-234 months after PTx.', 'Persistent HPT was identified in 49/1156 patients (4.2%), with nine cases in group A, 10 in group B and 30 in group C. Re-operation was required in 21/49 (42.8%) cases, and in seven of these the last i-PTH concentration was >or=500 pg/ml. All cases in group A required re-operation. In group C, 11/30 (36.7%) patients required re-operation. The missed glands removed at re-operation were supernumerary in 14 cases, and located in the mediastinum in 13 cases. The frequency of advanced HPT and re-operation was not negligible.

A: 0
****
Q: Endothelial activation leading to vascular barrier dysfunction and organ failure is a well-recognized complication of cardiovascular surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). The endothelial-specific angiopoietin-Tie2 ligand-receptor system has been identified as a non-redundant regulator of endothelial activation. Binding of angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) to the Tie2 receptor antagonizes Tie2 signaling and renders the endothelial barrier responsive to pro-inflammatory cytokines. We aimed to study the time course and potential triggering factors of Ang-2 release after CPB, as well as the association of Ang-2 changes with surrogates of increased vascular permeability, organ dysfunction, and outcome.', 'Serum levels of Ang-2 from 25 adult patients (140 screened) were measured before and at 0, 12, and 24h following CPB procedure by in-house immuno-luminometric assay (ILMA), and compared with indices of organ dysfunction, duration of mechanical ventilation (MV), length of stay (LOS) in the intensive care unit (ICU), and hospital mortality. The effect of Ang-2 was studied in vitro by incubating high Ang-2 patient serum with endothelial cells (EC).', 'Ang-2 levels steadily increased from 2.6 ± 2.4 ng/mL at 0 h up to 7.3 ± 4.6 ng/mL at 24h following CPB (P<0.001). The release of Ang-2 correlated with the duration of CPB, aortic cross-clamp time, and post-CPB lactate levels. Changes in Ang-2 during follow-up correlated with partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood (PaO(2))/fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO(2)) ratio, alveolar-arterial oxygen tension difference (AaDO(2)), hemodynamics, fluid balance, and disease severity measures. Ang-2 levels at 12h predicted the duration of MV, ICU-LOS, and hospital mortality. High Ang-2 patient sera disrupted EC architecture in vitro, an effect reversed by treatment with the competitive Tie2 ligand angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1).

A:
0
****