Given a passage with a context and an answer, 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.

Context: We compare the effects of postinjury administration of allopregnanolone, a metabolite of progesterone, to progesterone in an animal model of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion.', 'Focal cerebral ischemia was induced in age-matched, adult, male, Sprague-Dawley rats by using an intraluminal filament and suture method to occlude the right middle cerebral artery. After 120 minutes of middle cerebral artery occlusion, the occluding filament was withdrawn to allow reperfusion. Laser-Doppler flowmetry was used to monitor cerebral blood flow for the entire 2-hour period of occlusion and for 5 minutes after reperfusion. Animals subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion received injections of allopregnanolone (8 mg/kg, n=6), progesterone (8 mg/kg, n=6) and vehicle (2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin, n=7) at 2 hours (intraperitoneally 5 minutes before reperfusion) and 6 hours (subcutaneously) postocclusion. Brains were removed at 72 hours post-middle cerebral artery occlusion, sectioned into coronal slices, and stained with 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC). In a blinded analysis, infarct volume was calculated by using computer-aided morphometry to measure brain areas not stained with TTC.', 'After progesterone or allopregnanolone treatment, stained sections revealed a significant reduction in cortical, caudate-putamen, and hemispheric infarct volumes (percentage of contralateral structure) compared with vehicle-injected controls. Cortical infarction (percentage of contralateral cortex) was 37.47%+/-10.57% (vehicle), 25.49%+/-7.38% (progesterone; P<.05 from vehicle), and 11.40%+/-7.09% (allopregnanolone; P<.05 from vehicle; P<.05 from progesterone). Caudate-putamen infarction (percentage of contralateral caudate-putamen) was 78.02%+/-22.81% (vehicle), 48.41%+/-22.44% (progesterone; P<.05 from vehicle), and 50.44%+/-10.90% (allopregnanolone; P<.05 from vehicle). Total hemispheric infarction (percentage of contralateral hemisphere) was 24.37%+/-6.69% (vehicle), 15.95%+/-3.59% (progesterone; P<.05 from vehicle), and 11.54%+/-3.71% (allopregnanolone; P<.05 from vehicle). No significant differences in cerebral blood flow between groups and time points during ischemia and early reperfusion were observed, suggesting that the relative ischemic insult was equivalent among all groups.
Answer: Although progesterone and allopregnanolone are effective in reducing infarct pathology, allopregnanolone is more potent than progesterone in attenuating cortical damage. Our results suggest that both neurosteroids should be examined for safety and efficacy in a clinical trial for ischemic stroke.
Is allopregnanolone , a progesterone metabolite , more effective than progesterone in reducing cortical infarct volume after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion?

Context: To evaluate the impact of elevated serum Δ4A levels on the hormonal and metabolic features of the different phenotypes of PCOS.', '1276 women with PCOS according to the Rotterdam criteria were included, in whom serum hormonal levels were determined.', 'In PCOS women as a whole, as well as in patients presenting clinical and/or biochemical hyperandrogenemia (phenotypes I and II), Δ4A levels >3.8 ng/ml were positively related to LH, LH/FSH ratio, T, DHEAS, 17 OH progesterone and FAI and negatively related to T/Δ4A ratio. In the milder phenotype III, a positive correlation between Δ4A levels >3.8 ng/ml and T, DHEAS, 17 OH progesterone and FAI and a negative one between increased Δ4A and T/Δ4A ratio were reported. In the whole PCOS group with androstenedione >3.8 ng/ml, an increased ovarian volume was observed, while a greater mean follicular number was found only in phenotypes I and II.
Answer: Increased serum Δ4A levels, which are associated with more severe PCOS phenotypes, possibly contribute to the worsening of PCOS features and therefore could be a valuable marker of biochemical hyperandrogenemia.
Is elevated serum androstenedione associated with a more severe phenotype in women with polycystic ovary syndrome ( PCOS )?

Context: Troponin I (TnI) and myosin light chain 2 (MLC2) are important myofibrillar proteins involved in the regulation of myofilament calcium (Ca2+) sensitivity and cardiac inotropy. The objectives of this study were to determine the role of protein kinase C (PKC) in mediating propofol-induced changes in actomyosin adenosine triphosphatase activity in cardiac myofibrils and to examine the extent to which propofol alters the phosphorylation of TnI and MLC2 in cardiomyocytes.', 'Freshly isolated adult rat ventricular myocytes were used for the study. Cardiac myofibrils were extracted for assessment of actomyosin adenosine triphosphatase activity and phosphorylation of TnI and MLC2. Western blot analysis for PKC-alpha was performed on cardiomyocyte subcellular fractions. Simultaneous measurement of intracellular free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+](i)) and myocyte shortening was assessed using fura-2 and video edge detection, respectively.', 'Propofol (30 microM) reduced the Ca2+ concentration required for activation of actomyosin adenosine triphosphatase activity, and this effect was abolished by bisindolylmaleimide I. In addition, propofol stimulated dose-dependent phosphorylation of TnI and MLC2. PKC activation with phorbol myristic acetate also stimulated an increase in phosphorylation of TnI and MLC2. The actions of propofol and phorbol myristic acetate together on phosphorylation of TnI and MLC2 were not additive. PKC inhibition with bisindolylmaleimide I attenuated phorbol myristic acetate- and propofol-induced phosphorylation of TnI and MLC2. Propofol stimulated translocation of PKC-alpha from cytosolic to membrane fraction. Propofol caused a shift in the extracellular Ca2+-shortening relationship, and this effect was abolished by bisindolylmaleimide I.
Answer: These results suggest that propofol increases myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity via a PKC-dependent pathway involving the phosphorylation of MLC2.

Does propofol increase phosphorylation of troponin I and myosin light chain 2 via protein kinase C activation in cardiomyocytes?