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: One-fifth of patients with seemingly 'curable' pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) experience an early recurrence and death, receiving no definable benefit from a major operation. Some patients with advanced stage tumors are deemed 'unresectable' by conventional staging criteria (e.g. liver metastasis), yet progress slowly. Effective biomarkers that stratify PDA based on biologic behavior are needed. To help researchers sort through the maze of biomarker data, a compendium of 2500 published candidate biomarkers in PDA was compiled (PLoS Med, 2009. 6(4) p. e1000046).", 'Building on this compendium, we constructed a survival tissue microarray (termed s-TMA) comprised of short-term (cancer-specific death <12 months, n=58) and long-term survivors (>30 months, n=79) who underwent resection for PDA (total, n=137). The s-TMA functions as a biological filter to identify bona fide prognostic markers associated with survival group extremes (at least 18 months separate survival groups). Based on a stringent selection process, 13 putative PDA biomarkers were identified from the public biomarker repository. Candidates were tested against the s-TMA by immunohistochemistry to identify the best markers of tumor biology. In a multivariate model, MUC1 (odds ratio, OR=28.95, 3+ vs. negative expression, p=0.004) and MSLN (OR=12.47, 3+ vs. negative expression, p=0.01) were highly predictive of early cancer-specific death. By comparison, pathologic factors (size, lymph node metastases, resection margin status, and grade) had ORs below three, and none reached statistical significance. ROC curves were used to compare the four pathologic prognostic features (ROC area=0.70) to three univariate molecular predictors (MUC1, MSLN, MUC2) of survival group (ROC area=0.80, p=0.07).

SOLUTION: 0

PROBLEM: This study was conducted to measure the corneal thickness changes associated with wearing 30-day tisilfocon A (Dk = 163) and 6-day etafilcon A (Dk = 28) contact lenses. The probable cause of the outcomes is discussed.', 'Thirty subjects were fitted with Menicon Z rigid gas-permeable (RGP) contact lenses and a control group (n = 30) was fitted with ACUVUE hydrogel lenses, at two study sites. After a 2-week period of daily wear, subjects began prolonged wear. Measurements were performed at the dispensing visit, and then at the 2-week daily wear, the 1-week, 6-month, and 12-month extended- and continuous-wear visits.', 'Repeated measures analysis of covariance was performed on mean corneal thickness. There was a significant increase in corneal thickness in the hydrogel lens extended-wear group compared to the RGP group (P = 0.03). The mean corneal thickness in the ACUVUE group was 2.58% higher at the 2-week daily wear visit, 2.38% higher at the 1-week extended-wear visit, 2.96% higher at the 6-month, and 2.97% higher at the 1-year visit compared to the RGP continuous-wear patients.

SOLUTION: 1

PROBLEM: Decortication for thoracic empyema is associated with significant blood loss and prolonged postoperative air leak. We sought to assess the potential application of an irrigated-tip radiofrequency (RF) sealing device, in an attempt to reduce this morbidity.', "Data for all patients undergoing open decortication (OD) for stage II thoracic empyema, using either conventional approach or facilitated by use of the Aquamantys(®️) device, at a single thoracic surgical unit between April 2010 and July 2014, were retrospectively analysed. Unpaired t-test and Fisher's exact test were used for statistical analysis.", 'Thirty-three patients, aged 5415 years (mean SD), and with a Charlson comorbidity index of 2.51.9 were included. Preoperative and intraoperative characteristics, including surgical time, were similar in the conventional and Aquamantys(®️) groups. Patients in the Aquamantys group were less likely to require red cell transfusion (9/22 vs. 10/11 patients, P=0.024) and received lower volume transfusions [0.0 (2.0) vs. 3.0 (1.6) units (median, IQR), P<0.0001]; chest drain duration was shorter [3.0 (1.0) vs. 6.5 (6.8) days, P=0.006], as was length of postoperative hospital stay [6.0 (8.7) vs. 10.0 (4.6) days, P=0.031]. There was no demonstrable difference in mortality.

SOLUTION:
0