TASK DEFINITION: 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.
PROBLEM: Context: Some subjects with suspected asthma and a negative exercise challenge test (ECT) demonstrate improved expiratory flow rates after administration of bronchodilators (BD) at the end of the ECT (unpublished observation). This study investigated whether this response predicts the presence of bronchial hyperreactivity (BHR).', 'The study population included 133 young adults (29.4% women) 21.1 +/- 4.2 years of age who underwent ECT and a methacholine challenge test (MCT). A receiver-operator-characteristic curve was used to calculate the optimal cutoff level of the response to BD as a predictor of BHR according to MCT.', 'Using a MCT cutoff level of PC(20) </= 4 mg/mL showed BHR in 12.8% of subjects. Failure to improve FEV(1) by 8% after BD administration predicted the absence of BHR with sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of 76.5%, 68.4%, 25.3%, and 95.5%, respectively. Avoiding MCT in subjects with less than 8% response to BD would have saved 62.5% of the MCTs and would have missed only four (3%) patients with BHR.\Question: Does response to bronchodilators after exercise challenge predict bronchial hyperreactivity?

SOLUTION: BD should be administered routinely after ECT, as the response may be used as a simple, inexpensive tool to predict BHR in young patients and may substantially reduce the number of unnecessary MCTs.

PROBLEM: Context: The Guatemalan potato tuber moth, Tecia solanivora, has been the most important pest species in Hispanico-American potato fields since its first record on potatoes in 1956 in Guatemala. This insect pest has been spreading to other parts of the world, including the Canary Islands in Europe. Tuber moth control relies heavily on the use of insecticides, including pyrethroids. Here, we assessed the likelihood of control failures and performed concentration-response bioassays in five Colombian strains of T. solanivora to evaluate their susceptibilities to the pyrethroid permethrin.', 'Evidence of control failures was observed in four strains tested, which exhibited moderate resistance levels (i.e. ranging from 5.4- to 24.4-fold). However, no spatial dependence was observed between the permethrin LC\Question: Is pyrethroid resistance associated with a kdr-type mutation ( L1014F ) in the potato tuber moth Tecia solanivora?

SOLUTION: This is the first identification of a target-site-alteration-based resistance in the Guatemalan potato tuber moth T. solanivora, which is widespread and exhibits high frequencies among geographically distant strains, indicating that pyrethroids are probably becoming ineffective for the control of this pest species. ©️ 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

PROBLEM: Context: Late onset asthma is associated with more severe disease and higher morbidity than in younger asthma patients. This may in part relate to under recognition of asthma in older adults, but evidence on the impact of patient age on diagnostic assessment of asthma in a specialist setting is sparse.', 'To examine the impact of patient age on the type and proportion of diagnostic tests performed in patients undergoing specialist assessment for asthma.', 'Data from a clinical population consisting of all patients consecutively referred over a 12 months period to a specialist clinic for assessment of asthma were analysed.', 'A total of 224 patients with asthma or suspected asthma were referred during the 12 month period; 86 adults aged <35 years, 95 aged 35-55 years and 43 aged >55 years. Symptom characteristics were similar, but adults >35 years had a lower lung function than younger adults, and were more frequently smokers. However, a regression analysis showed that older age was associated with a lower likelihood of diagnostic assessment with a reversibility test, a bronchial challenge test, or measurement of exhaled NO, independently of a known diagnosis of asthma, smoking habits and lung function at referral.\Question: Is the level of specialist assessment of adult asthma influenced by patient age?

SOLUTION:
A lower level of diagnostic assessment was observed already after the age of 35 years, indicating a risk for under diagnosis of asthma at an earlier patient age than previously thought.