TASK DEFINITION: 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.
PROBLEM: Context: Studies that investigate the subjective benefit from a bone conduction implant (BCI) sound processor in patients with single-sided sensorineural deafness (SSD) have been limited to examining short- and mid-term benefit. In the current study, we performed a survey among 44 SSD BCI users with a median follow-up time of 50 months.', 'Forty-four experienced SSD BCI users participated in the survey, which consisted of the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit, the Single-Sided Deafness Questionnaire, the Short Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adults, and a self-made user questionnaire. For patients with tinnitus, the Tinnitus Questionnaire was also completed. The results of the survey were correlated with contralateral hearing loss, age at implantation, duration of the hearing loss at the time of implantation, duration of BCI use, and the presence and burden of tinnitus.', 'In total, 86% of the patients still used their sound processor. The Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit and the Short Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adults show a statistically significant overall improvement with the BCI. The Single-Sided Deafness Questionnaire and the user questionnaire showed that almost 40% of the patients reported daily use of the sound processor. However, the survey of daily use reveals benefit only in certain circumstances. Speech understanding in noisy situations is rated rather low, and 58% of all patients reported that their BCI benefit was less than expected.
Answer: The majority of the patients reported an overall improvement from using their BCI. However, the number of users decreases during a longer follow-up time and patients get less enthusiastic about the device after an extended period of use, especially in noisy situations. However, diminished satisfaction because of time-related reductions in processor function could not be ruled out.

SOLUTION: Do long-term subjective benefit with a bone conduction implant sound processor in 44 patients with single-sided deafness?

PROBLEM: Context: Asteatotic eczema (AE) is characterized by itchy, dry, rough, and scaling skin. The treatments for AE are mainly emollients, usually containing urea, lactic acid, or a lactate salt. N-palmitoylethanolamine (PEA) and N-acetylethanolamine (AEA) are both endogenous lipids used as novel therapeutic tools in the treatment of many skin diseases. The purpose of this study was to compare a PEA/AEA emollient with a traditional emollient in the treatment of AE.', "A monocentric, randomized, double-blind, comparative trial was conducted in 60 AE patients to evaluate and compare the efficacy of the two emollients. The level of skin dryness among the subjects ranged from mild to moderate. The subjects' skin barrier function and the current perception threshold were tested for 28 days by clinical scoring and bioengineering technology.", 'The results showed that, although some aspects were improved in both groups, the group using the emollient containing PEA/AEA presented a better skin surface change in capacitance. However, the most impressive finding was the ability of the PEA/AEA emollient to increase the 5 Hz current perception threshold to a normal level after 7 days, with a significant difference between values at baseline and after 14 days. A current perception threshold of 5 Hz was positively and significantly correlated with skin surface hydration and negatively correlated with transepidermal water loss in the PEA/AEA emollient group.
Answer: Compared with traditional emollients, regular application of a topical PEA/AEA emollient could improve both passive and active skin functions simultaneously.

SOLUTION: Are n-palmitoylethanolamine and N-acetylethanolamine effective in asteatotic eczema : results of a randomized , double-blind , controlled study in 60 patients?

PROBLEM: Context: KIR genes coding for natural killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors, KIR, influence the effector and regulatory function of NK cells as well as some subpopulations of T lymphocytes (e.g. CD4+CD28-KIR+) depending on presence of ligands (particularly HLA-C molecules). KIR-KIR ligand interaction may lead to the development of autoimmune disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, their role in the response of RA patients to methotrexate therapy is not known.', 'KIR genes and KIR-ligand (HLA-C C1/C2 allomorphs) genotyping was performed using the PCR-SSP method in 312 RA patients (179 classified as good responders and 133 as poor responders using DAS28 criteria). Thus, we evaluated the association of KIR genes and HLA-C allomorphs with the response to methotrexate (MTX) treatment.', 'We observed that patients possessing the full-length KIR2DS4 (KIR2DS4f) gene had a lower chance of responding in comparison to KIR2DS4f-negative cases. This phenomenon was observed both in erosive disease (ED) and rheumatoid factor (RF) positive and in ED- and RF-negative patients. Interestingly, the observed effect of the KIR2DS4f gene was strongest in individuals possessing medium values (20-33 mm/h) of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). Patients with high ESR values had low probability and, in contrast, patients with low ESR had a high probability of MTX response, and the presence of KIR2DS4f did not affect their outcome. Additionally, we show that the KIR2DS4f effect did not depend on the presence of either C1 or C2 allomorphs.
Answer: Our results suggest that the response of RA patients with medium ESR values to MTX treatment may be dependent on the full-length KIR2DS4 gene.

SOLUTION:
Does presence of the full-length KIR2DS4 gene reduce the chance of rheumatoid arthritis patients to respond to methotrexate treatment?