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: To investigate the significance of respiratory muscle weakness in chronic heart failure and its relation both to maximum oxygen consumption during cardiopulmonary exercise testing and to skeletal muscle (quadriceps) strength.', 'Seven healthy men aged 54.9 (SEM 4.3) years and 20 men with chronic heart failure aged 61.4 (1.6) years (P = 0.20) with radionuclide left ventricular ejection fraction of 25.4 (3.0)%.', 'Mouth pressures during maximum static inspiratory effort (PImax) at functional residual capacity (FRC) and residual volume (RV) were measured in all subjects and taken as indices of inspiratory muscle strength. Similarly, mouth pressures during maximum static expiratory effort (PEmax) at FRC and total lung capacity (TLC) were taken as indices of expiratory muscle strength. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing was performed in all subjects. All controls and 15 heart failure patients also had their right quadriceps muscle strength measured.', 'There was respiratory muscle weakness in heart failure patients, with reduction of PImax at FRC (59.7) (6.3) v 85.6 (9.6) cm H2O, P = 0.045), PEmax at FRC (94.8 (6.2) v 134.6 (9.1) cm H2O, P = 0.004), and PEmax at TLC (121.7 (8.5) v 160.7 (13) cm H2O, P = 0.028). PImax at RV was also reduced but this did not reach statistical significance (77.3 (6.6) v 89.3 (13) cm H2O, P = 0.44). There was also significant weakness of the right quadriceps muscle (308.5 (22) v 446.2 (28) N, P = 0.001). PImax at both FRC and RV correlated with maximum oxygen consumption (r = 0.59, P = 0.006, and r = 0.45, P = 0.048 respectively) but not PEmax. There was, however, no significant correlation between PImax and right quadriceps strength.
Answer: Respiratory muscle weakness is seen in chronic heart failure. The results suggest that inspiratory muscles are important in determining maximum oxygen consumption and exercise tolerance in these patients. The lack of correlation between respiratory and right quadriceps muscle strength further suggests that the magnitude and time course of respiratory and locomotor muscle weakness may differ in individual patients. Treatment aimed at improving the function of the involved muscle groups may alleviate symptoms.

SOLUTION: Is inspiratory muscle strength a determinant of maximum oxygen consumption in chronic heart failure?

PROBLEM: Context: The nucleolar 58-kDa microspherule protein (MSP58) has important transcriptional regulation functions and plays a crucial role in the tumorigenesis and progression of cancers. 3'-deoxy-3'-[18F]fluorothymidine (FLT) has emerged as a promising positron emission tomography (PET) tracer for evaluating tumor malignancy and cell proliferation.", 'In the present study, the expression of MSP58 was evaluated by immunohistochemistry and the corresponding PET image was examined using FLT-PET in 55 patients with various grades of gliomas.', 'The immunoreactivity score (IRS) of MSP58 increased with tumor grade with grade IV gliomas exhibiting the highest expression and showed a highly significant positive correlation with the Ki-67 index (r = 0.65, P < 0.001). The IRS of MSP58 in the tumor showed a highly significant positive correlation with corresponding FLT uptake value (r = 0.61, P < 0.001). The correlation between MSP58 expression and glioma malignancy was also confirmed by immunofluorescence, RT-PCR and western blot analysis. FLT uptake value also exhibited a highly significant positive correlation with the Ki-67 index (r = 0.59, P < 0.001). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that MSP58 expression has a significant prognostic ability for the overall survival time similar to that found in the uptake value of FLT-PET.
Answer: These results indicate that MSP58 plays an important role in cell proliferation and will be one of the potential candidates of molecular therapy targeting proliferation. FLT-PET might be used as an early measure of treatment response in the proliferation-targeted therapy.

SOLUTION: Is expression of 58-kD Microspherule Protein ( MSP58 ) Highly Correlated with PET Imaging of Tumor Malignancy and Cell Proliferation in Glioma Patients?

PROBLEM: Context: Stem cell factor (SCF) has well-known proliferative effects on hematopoietic cells. SCF also has effects on differentiation and proliferation in other cell types. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha have proliferative effects in the liver. Recent studies in our laboratory have linked SCF's hepatoproliferative actions to those of IL-6, demonstrating that IL-6-induced hepatocyte proliferation depends, at least in part, on SCF. We now hypothesize that TNF-alpha's hepatoproliferative effects are also dependent on SCF.", 'In vitro studies using primary mouse hepatocytes show that SCF is induced by TNF-alpha; anti-SCF antibody treatment in this system inhibits TNF-alpha-induced hepatocyte proliferation, suggesting that TNF-alpha-induced hepatocyte proliferation is also SCF dependent. Additional in vivo experiments were performed in which wild type and/or TNF-alpha receptor-1 knockout mice (TNFR1(-/-)) were subjected to 70% hepatectomy or sham laparotomy. TNFR1(-/-) mice are known to have delayed hepatic regeneration after partial hepatectomy. Initial experiments demonstrated that the SCF receptor, c-kit, is upregulated after partial hepatectomy in wild-type mice, further emphasizing the importance of this system in the restoration of hepatic mass. SCF administration to TNFR1(-/-) mice in the context of partial hepatectomy restores hepatocyte proliferation to normal. Further, SCF administration to TNFR1(-/-) mice before hepatectomy increases phosphotyrosine signal transducer and activator (p-stat-3) levels, suggesting that SCF-induced increases in hepatocyte proliferation may also be stat-3 mediated.
Answer: These data suggest that TNF-alpha-induced hepatocyte proliferation depends, at least in part, on SCF and that SCF and its receptor, c-kit, are important for the liver's regenerative processes.

SOLUTION:
Are stem cell factor and its receptor , c-kit , important for hepatocyte proliferation in wild-type and tumor necrosis factor receptor-1 knockout mice after 70 % hepatectomy?