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.

Q: To investigate the mechanisms of anti-atherosclerotic action of ezetimibe in rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in vitro.', 'VSMCs of SD rats were cultured in the presence of Chol:MCD (10 g/mL) for 72 h, and intracellular lipid droplets and cholesterol levels were evaluated using Oil Red O staining, HPLC and Enzymatic Fluorescence Assay, respectively. The expression of caveolin-1, sterol response element-binding protein-1 (SREBP-1) and ERK1/2 were analyzed using Western blot assays. Translocation of SREBP-1 and ERK1/2 was detected with immunofluorescence.', 'Treatment with Chol:MCD dramatically increased the cellular levels of total cholesterol (TC), cholesterol ester (CE) and free cholesterol (FC) in VSMCs, which led to the formation of foam cells. Furthermore, Chol:MCD treatment significantly decreased the expression of caveolin-1, and stimulated the expression and nuclear translocation of SREBP-1 in VSMCs. Co-treatment with ezetimibe (3 mol/L) significantly decreased the cellular levels of TC, CE and FC, which was accompanied by elevation of caveolin-1 expression, and by a reduction of SREBP-1 expression and nuclear translocation. Co-treatment with ezetimibe dose-dependently decreased the expression of phosphor-ERK1/2 (p-ERK1/2) in VSMCs. The ERK1/2 inhibitor PD98059 (50 mol/L) altered the cholesterol level and the expression of p-ERK1/2, SREBP-1 and caveolin-1 in the same manner as ezetimibe did.

A: Does ezetimibe suppress cholesterol accumulation in lipid-loaded vascular smooth muscle cells in vitro via MAPK signaling?
****
Q: Psoriasis is a common benign skin disease characterized by hyperproliferation and abnormal differentiation of keratinocytes. The transcription factor activator protein 1 (AP-1) is known to play an important role in cell proliferation and differentiation.', 'To investigate AP-1 DNA binding activity in psoriatic skin.', 'Keratome biopsies were taken from patients with plaque-type psoriasis. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays were used to determine the AP-1 DNA binding activity, whereas Western and Northern blotting was used to determine Jun and Fos protein and mRNA expression.', 'We found that AP-1 DNA binding activity was almost completely abolished in lesional psoriatic skin compared with nonlesional psoriatic skin. Furthermore, experiments revealed that the protein and mRNA expression of the AP-1 subunits c-Fos, Fra-1 and c-Jun was reduced in lesional psoriatic skin compared with nonlesional psoriatic skin, whereas the protein and mRNA expression of the subunit JunB was increased. Topical application of the vitamin D analogue calcipotriol under occlusion to involved psoriatic skin for 4 days resulted in an increase in AP-1 DNA binding activity, and an increase in the protein and mRNA expression of c-Fos, Fra-1 and c-Jun, together with a decrease in JunB protein and mRNA expression.

A: Is activator protein 1 DNA binding activity decreased in lesional psoriatic skin compared with nonlesional psoriatic skin?
****
Q: In colorectal cancer (CRC), as in most of other malignancies, heat shock proteins (HSPs) are overexpressed and are associated with apoptosis, cancer cell proliferation, differentiation, invasion, and metastasis. HSP70 is one of the HSPs and has a promising future in cancer studies for both diagnostic and therapeutic applications. In this study, we tried to evaluate the serum levels of HSP70 in CRC patients, and to evaluate its predictive value of detecting CRC.', 'This prospective study was consisted of 33 patients diagnosed with CRC and 31 healthy subjects who were matched for age. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) were used to evaluate the serum levels of HSP70 in patients with CRC and in the healthy control group. A cut-off value for HSP70 was also determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.', 'Patients with CRC had significantly higher HSP70 concentrations compared with the control group (4.52 1.83 vs 1.22 0.48 ng/ml, p=0.001), the cut-off value was 2.25 ng/ml (95% CI 0.993-1.003, p<0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of elevated serum HSP70 in the CRC group were 96.77 and 96.96%, respectively. Also, HSP70 levels were significantly higher with rectal disease localization (p=0.01).

A:
Is heat shock protein 70 a useful marker for predicting colorectal cancer?
****