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: Patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) have multiple abnormalities of autonomic regulation that have been associated to their high mortality rate. Heart rate recovery immediately after exercise is an index of parasympathetic activity, but its prognostic role in CHF patients has not been determined yet.', 'Ninety-two stable CHF patients (83M/9F, mean age: 51+/-12 years) performed an incremental symptom-limited cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Measurements included peak O2 uptake (VO2p), ventilatory response to exercise (VE/VCO2 slope), the first-degree slope of VO2 for the 1st minute of recovery (VO2/t-slope), heart rate recovery [(HRR1, bpm): HR difference from peak to 1 min after exercise] and chronotropic response to exercise [%chronotropic reserve (CR, %)=(peak HR-resting HR/220-age-resting HR)x100]. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF, %) was also measured by radionuclide ventriculography.', 'Fatal events occurred in 24 patients (26%) during 21+/-6 months of follow-up. HRR1 was lower in non-survivors (11.4+/-6.4 vs. 20.4+/-8.1; p<0.001). All cause-mortality rate was 65% in patients with HRR1<or=12 bpm versus 11% in patients with HRR1>12 bpm (log-rank: 32.6; p<0.001). By multivariate survival analysis, HRR1 resulted as an independent predictor of mortality (chi2=19.2; odds ratio: 0.87; p<0.001) after adjustment for LVEF, VO2p, VE/VCO2 slope, CR and VO2/t-slope. In a subgroup of patients with intermediate exercise capacity (VO2p: 10-18, ml/kg/min), HRR1 was a strong predictor of mortality (chi2: 14.3; odds ratio: 0.8; p<0.001).

SOLUTION: 0

PROBLEM: To determine the frequency and clinical significance of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in patients with potentially curable stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who are eligible for definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT).', 'Between January 2001 and December 2010, we analyzed the EGFR mutational status in consecutive NSCLC patients who were treated by CRT. The response rate, relapse-free survival, 2-year relapse-free rate, initial relapse sites, and overall survival of the patients were investigated.', 'A total of 528 patients received CRT at our hospital during the study period. Of these, 274 were diagnosed as having nonsquamous NSCLC. Sufficient specimens for mutational analyses could be obtained from 198 of these patients. The proportion of patients with EGFR activating mutations was 17%. In addition to the well-known characteristics of patients carrying EGFR mutations (female, adenocarcinoma, and never/light smoker), the proportion of cases with smaller primary lesions (T1/2) was found to be higher in patients with EGFR mutations than in those with wild-type EGFR. Patients with EGFR mutations showed similar response rate, relapse-free survival, and 2-year relapse-free rates as compared to patients with wild-type EGFR. Local relapses as the site of initial relapse occurred significantly less frequently in patients with EGFR mutation (4% vs 21%; P=.045). Patients with EGFR mutations showed longer local control (adjusted hazard ratio 0.49; P=.043). After disease progression, a majority of the patients with EGFR mutations received EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (62%), and these patients showed longer postprogression survival than those with wild-type EGFR.

SOLUTION: 1

PROBLEM: C-reactive protein (CRP) is a nonspecific marker of inflammation that is increased in the brain and serum of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and has been associated with increased risk of developing dementia. Inflammation increases with age, and the number of people reaching age 90 years and older is growing, making the association between inflammation and dementia increasingly relevant. Using a cross-sectional design, we examined whether high levels of serum CRP are associated with increased odds of prevalent dementia in the oldest-old.", 'Serum CRP levels of 305 participants (mean age +/- standard deviation, 94.3 +/- 2.9 years) from the 90+ Study, a longitudinal cohort study of people aged 90 years and older, were evaluated with respect to all-cause dementia. Levels of CRP were divided into three categories: undetectable (<0.5 mg/dL), detectable (0.5-0.7 mg/dL), and elevated (> or =0.8 mg/dL). Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using logistic regression, and were adjusted for covariates.', 'Relative to participants with undetectable CRP levels, participants with detectable or elevated CRP levels had increased odds of all-cause dementia (detectable: OR, 3.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.2-7.3; elevated: OR, 5.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.9-12.9). When participants were subdivided by gender, significantly increased ORs were seen only in women.

SOLUTION:
0