TASK DEFINITION: Given a passage, 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: Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is the primary physiologic regulator of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and serves to globally coordinate the mammalian stress response. Hyperactivity of central nervous system CRF neurotransmission, acting primarily via the CRF(1) receptor, has been strongly implicated in the pathophysiology of depression and anxiety. Furthermore, there is evidence of enhanced CRF transcription, release, and neuronal activity after the administration of and withdrawal from several drugs of abuse, including cannabis, cocaine, ethanol, and morphine. Treatment with CRF antagonists has been demonstrated to reduce the severity of certain drug withdrawal symptoms, implicating a specific role for activation of CRF neurons in mediating the anxiogenic and stress-like reactions observed after abrupt drug discontinuation.', 'To extend these findings, we investigated whether pretreatment with the selective CRF(1) receptor antagonist R121919 decreases the behavioral and neuroendocrine activation observed after the precipitation of benzodiazepine (BZ) withdrawal in BZ-dependent rats.', 'Pretreatment with R121919 attenuated the subsequent HPA axis activation, behavioral measures of anxiety, and expression of the CRF gene in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, as measured by CRF heteronuclear RNA, which occurs after flumazenil-precipitation of withdrawal from the BZ, lorazepam.

SOLUTION: Does the CRF1 receptor antagonist R121919 attenuate the neuroendocrine and behavioral effects of precipitated lorazepam withdrawal?

PROBLEM: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is a major pro-inflammatory cytokine. Recently, the G-308A polymorphism of the TNF-alpha gene has been associated with modified gene expression and increased TNF-alpha production in the -308A allele. We evaluated its influence on the incidence and clinical course of membranous glomerulonephritis.', 'We studied 53 patients with biopsy-proven primary membranous glomerulonephritis followed up for 5.7 +/- 4.9 years. 100 volunteers were analyzed as controls. According to the slope of the curve of reciprocal serum creatinine against time, group A (slow progressors, n = 35) and group B (fast progressors, n = 18) were defined. TNF-alpha G-308A polymorphism was determined by polymerase chain reaction amplification.', 'The frequency of the A-allele (associated with higher TNF-alpha levels) was significantly higher in patients than control subjects (patients: G-allele: 0.66, A-allele: 0.34; controls: G-allele 0.85, A-allele 0.15, p < 0.001). Similarly, the genotype distribution differed significantly between our study and control populations (patients: GG-genotype: 41.5%, GA: 49.1%, AA 9.4%; controls: GG: 71%, GA: 27%, AA 2%, p = 0.001). Age, renal function, proteinuria and blood pressure were similar at the time of renal biopsy between patients with different genotypes (NS). There was also a tendency towards an overpresentation of the A-allele in group B indicating a possible impact on the progression of membranous nephropathy, but a significance was not reached. Furthermore, no impact on renal survival in the Kaplan- Meier analysis was detected (NS).

SOLUTION: Is tumor necrosis factor-alpha gene G-308A polymorphism a risk factor for the development of membranous glomerulonephritis?

PROBLEM: In animal models, maternal obesity (OB) leads to augmented risk of offspring OB. While placental function is influenced by maternal habitus, the effect of maternal obesity on the interacting zones of the placenta [the labyrinth (LZ), junctional (JZ) and metrial gland (MG)] remains unknown.', 'Using a rat maternal obesity model, we conducted transcriptomic profiling of the utero-placental compartments and fetal liver (FL) at dpc 18.5, in conjunction with analyses of mRNA expression of key thyroid hormone (TH) signaling genes in the placenta, fetus and weanling offspring.

SOLUTION:
Does rNA-seq analysis of the rat placentation site reveal maternal obesity-associated changes in placental and offspring thyroid hormone signaling?