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: The tumor necrosis factor (TNF) gene is located within the highly polymorphic major histocompatibility complex region, exhibiting the -308 GA promoter region polymorphism and six microsatellites (TNFa-f) spanning the region nearby the TNF locus.', 'In the present study, we evaluated the frequency of -308 GA and TNFa-e polymorphisms and respective haplotypes (in chromosomal sequence: TNFd-TNFe-308GA-TNFc-TNFa-TNFb), in 222 patients with AIDS, 52 of whom exhibited cytomegalovirus retinitis, and in 202 healthy HIV-negative individuals.', 'TNF microsatellite and single nucleotide polymorphism typings were performed by PCR followed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.', 'The TNF-308A allele and the 4-3-G-2-7-1 haplotype were associated with susceptibility to AIDS, whereas the TNFb4 allele and the 3-3-G-1-11-4 haplotype were associated with protection against AIDS development. The TNFc2 allele and the 4-1-G-2-2-1 haplotype, which contains the TNFc2 allele, were associated with cytomegalovirus retinitis.

SOLUTION: Are tumor necrosis factor region polymorphisms associated with AIDS and with cytomegalovirus retinitis?

PROBLEM: Recently, there has been increasing concern about adverse health effects of exposure to desert dust events. However, the association between dust and the incidence of ischemic heart diseases is unknown. The aim of the present study was to elucidate whether Asian dust (AD), a windblown sand dust originating from mineral soil in China and Mongolia, is associated with the incidence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI).', 'We investigated the data regarding hospitalization because of AMI among 3068 consecutive patients from 4 AMI centers in Fukuoka, Japan, and data for AD from April 2003 to December 2010. We applied a time-stratified case-crossover design to examine the association between AD and the incidence of AMI. Using a conditional logistic regression analysis, we estimated the odds ratios of AMI associated with AD after controlling for ambient temperature and relative humidity. The occurrence of AD events 0 to 4 days before the day of admission was significantly associated with the incidence of AMI. In particular, the occurrence of AD 4 days before admission was significantly associated with the onset of AMI.

SOLUTION: Is desert dust a risk factor for the incidence of acute myocardial infarction in Western Japan?

PROBLEM: To investigate the therapeutic potential of reverse gastric pacing (RGP) for obesity by studying the effects of RGP on food intake and symptoms in dogs.', 'The study was performed in 9 dogs in 3 sessions (control, strong RGP and moderate RGP). Gastric myoelectrical activity and food intake were measured in each session. RGP was performed using serosal electrodes implanted in the distal stomach at the physiological frequency of the intrinsic gastric myoelectrical activity with a pulse width of 550-950 ms. The amplitude of the stimulus was set at a level maximally tolerable by the animals in the strong RGP session and 50% of the maximum level in the moderate session.', '1) Compared with the control, strong RGP (p<0.001) and moderate RGP (p<0.01) significantly reduced the amount of food intake by 62.9% and 31.7%, respectively (p<0.05, ANOVA). 2) Whereas strong RGP induced significant symptoms, moderate RGP did not induce any significant symptoms in comparison with the control session. 3) The regularity and coupling of gastric myoelectrical activity were significantly impaired with both strong RGP and moderate RGP in the fasting state.

SOLUTION:
Does reverse gastric pacing reduce food intake without inducing symptoms in dogs?