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Parkinson's Disease: A Movement Disorder,

and a Mystery of the Brain

Parkinson's is a disease of the central nervous system. It is a progressive disorder. It gets worse

over time. The disease affects a small area of cells in the middle of the brain. This area is called

the substantia nigra. The cells slowly lose their ability to produce a chemical called dopamine.

The decrease in the amount of dopamine can result in one or more general signs of Parkinson's

disease. These include shaking of the hands, arms and legs. They also include difficulty moving

or keeping balanced while walking or standing. Also, there may be emotional changes, like

feeling depressed or worried. The symptoms of Parkinson's differ from person to person. Theyalso differ in their intensity.

The disease is named after James Parkinson. e was a !ritish doctor who first described this

condition in eighteen seventeen. "octor Parkinson did not know what caused it. "uring the

nineteen si#ties, medical researchers discovered changes in the brains of people with the disease.

These discoveries led to medicines to treat the effects of the disease. There is no cure for

Parkinson's and no way to prevent it. And doctors still are not sure about the cause.

Parkinson's affects more than four million people around the world. It affects more than one

million people in $orth America. %ost are older adults.

%ost patients have what is called idiopathic Parkinson's disease. Idiopathic means the cause is

unknown. People who develop the disease often want to link it to something they can identify.

This might be a medical operation or e#treme emotional tension.

&et many doctors reect this idea of a direct link to Parkinson's. They point to other people whohave similar e#periences and do not develop the disease.

(till, doctors say it is possible that such events might cause symptoms of Parkinson's to appear

earlier than they would have.



(tudies have found a link between the disease and some chemical products. )ast year, an

American study showed such a link between Parkinson's and pesticides, like those used for

killing insects. The study compared three hundred nineteen Parkinson's patients to more than

two hundred family members.

Two years ago, a *uropean study showed a link between pesticide use and Parkinson's. Thisstudy also found that serious head inuries also increased a person's risk. (cientists at Aberdeen

+niversity in (cotland collected information about more than nine hundred people with

Parkinson's or similar conditions. They compared this group to almost two thousand peoplewithout the disorder. All the people were asked about their use of pesticides, chemical fluids and

metals like iron. The researchers also collected information about family history of the disease

and head inuries.

arm workers and others who said they often used pesticides had a forty-one percent greater risk

of Parkinson's than other people. The disease was also two and one-half times more commonamong people who had been knocked unconscious more than once in their lives. These people

temporarily lost consciousness after suffering a blow to the head.

Another area of study is family genetics. There are e#amples of members of a family having thedisease. The $ational Institutes of ealth in the +nited (tates says about fifteen percent of

people with Parkinson's have a family history of the disease. !ut most cases involve people with

no such family history.

A few years ago, researchers completed what they called the first large map to show genetic links

with Parkinson's disease. The map identifies changes in genes that may increase the risk in some

people.

ecently, a gene-testing company announced plans for a large genetic study of Parkinson's patients. The company, /0andme, was the idea of Ann 1ocicki.

(he is the wife of (ergey !rin, who helped create the Internet search engine 2oogle. e has a

gene that increases his risk of developing Parkinson's. is mother has the disease. The company

is working with two not-for-profit groups. They hope to collect "$A from ten thousandParkinson's patients. The goal is to search for common genes that may cause the disease.

There is no cure for Parkinson's disease. !ut improved treatments to ease the effects of the

disease make it possible for many patients to live almost normal lives. People who have losttheir ability to do many things are sometimes able to regain some of these abilities withtreatment.

The most commonly used drug is levodopa. The $ational Institutes of ealth says levodopa is a

chemical found naturally in plants and animals. 1hen it reaches the brain, levodopa is changed

into dopamine, the chemical that is lacking in people with the disease.



)evodopa helps ease the symptoms of Parkinson's. !ut it does not prevent more changes in the

brain that are caused by the disease. )ong-term use can produce unwanted effects in some

people. These side effects include feeling sick to the stomach.

To prevent this from happening, levodopa can be combined with other substances, like

carbidopa. The $ational Institutes of ealth says carbidopa delays the changes in levodopa untilit reaches the brain.

3ther drugs used to treat Parkinson's disease act like dopamine. They produce reactions in thenerve cells in the brain. They can be given alone or in combination with levodopa. %any of the

possible side effects are similar to those linked with the use of levodopa. They include

sleepiness, feeling sick or having bad dreams.

An operation called deep-brain stimulation also is used to treat Parkinson's disease. "octors place small electrical devices deep in the brain. The devices are connected to a piece of

e4uipment called a pulse generator.

"eep brain stimulation can reduce the need for levodopa and other drugs. It also helps to reduce

symptoms such as shaking and slowness of movement. ecently, a report in (cience maga5ineshowed how deep-brain stimulation works. It found that the treatment affects neural wires called

a#ons.

The researchers were from (tanford +niversity in 6alifornia. They used light-sensitive

molecules to turn on and off nerve cells in the deep brain structure of mice. $othing happenedwhen they turned on the light in cells in an area of the brain called the subthalamic nucleus. !ut

bursts of electricity on the a#ons improved movement in the animals.

A separate study found that a less invasive treatment might reduce the symptoms of Parkinson's.It showed that a treatment called dorsal column stimulation could re-establish movement inrodents with Parkinson's-like problems. In the study, researchers fired bursts of electricity at the

animals' spinal cords. omulo uentes of "uke +niversity in $orth 6arolina led the

researchers. e noted that doctors already use spinal cord stimulation in people to help reducelong-lasting pain.

(cientists are also e#ploring other e#perimental treatments. In %arch, President 3bama ended

restrictions on the use of federal money for research using human embryonic stem cells. (tem

cells from very early embryos are able to grow into any tissue in the body. (cientists say suchcells might be able to cure or treat diseases like Parkinson's. !ut opponents say stem cell

e#periments are wrong because human embryos are destroyed. They say this is ust likedestroying a human life.

American actor %ichael J. o# has had Parkinson's disease for eighteen years. !ut unlike most patients, he got the disease as a young man. e is forty-seven now and has many symptoms of

the disease. !ut o# still acts on television, writes books and is an activist for Parkinson's. The

%ichael J. o# oundation has raised more than one hundred forty-two million dollars to fund



research for better treatments. %ichael J. o# says he is sure that a cure for Parkinson's disease

will be found in the future.

This SCIENCE IN THE NES was written by 2eorge 2row. 3ur producer was !rianna!lake. I'm !arbara 7lein. And I'm !ob "oughty. Transcripts, %P0s and podcasts of our

programs are at voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again ne#t week for more news about science in(pecial *nglish on the 8oice of America.

Ne! Treatment for S"ee#in$ Si%kness

"ownload %P0 9ight-click or option-click the link.:

This is the 83A (pecial *nglish "evelopment eport.

The 1orld ealth 3rgani5ation is using a new combination of drugs to treat human Africantrypanosomiasis disease, also known as sleeping sickness. The drugs nifurtimo# an eflornithine

will be given out in +ganda and the "emocratic epublic of 6ongo.

3fficials from the "rugs for $eglected "iseases Initiative say the new treatment has fewer side

effects. It is also more effective and less costly than the drugs traditionally used. In addition, thenew treatment reduces the number of inections needed. And it shortens the amount of time

patients must spend in the hospital.

(leeping sickness threatens millions of people in thirty-si# countries in Africa. %ost live in poor

rural areas. The disease is caused by the trypanosoma parasite. It is spread to humans through the bite of infected tsetse flies.

6ommon signs of sleeping sickness include fever, headaches, e#treme tiredness and pain in the

muscles and oints. *arly identification of the disease may be difficult because many infected

people do not show any immediate symptoms.

3ver time, the parasites invade the central nervous system. The disease causes sleep disorders,

mental confusion, personality changes, speech problems, sei5ures and coma. If left untreated,

sleeping sickness kills.

The 1orld ealth 3rgani5ation estimates that about si#ty thousand people are currently infectedwith the disease. It develops in two different forms. Trypanosoma gambiense is responsible for

ninety percent of the reported cases of sleeping sickness. People infected with this form may

develop the disease over many years without any maor symptoms. The disease develops more4uickly over a few weeks or months in people infected with trypanosoma rhodesiense.

+ntil now the drug melarsoprol was used to treat patients in the advanced stage of sleeping

sickness.

http://www.voanews.com/MediaAssets2/learningenglish/2010_01/audio/mp3/dev-%20new%20sleeping%20sickness%20drug%20treatment%20010310.mp3





!ut the drug re4uires many painful inections several times a day for several weeks. It also

causes bad side effects, some of which can be deadly.

In +ganda, a new study has confirmed earlier research linking the spread of sleeping sickness toinfected farm animals. The writers of the study have called for stronger rules re4uiring cattle to

be treated before being sold at market. The study was published in the Public )ibrary of (cience.

And that's the 83A (pecial *nglish "evelopment eport, written by June (imms. I'm (teve

*mber.

Parkinson's Disease and Coffee

!y Jerilyn 1atson

This is !ill 1hite with the 83A (pecial *nglish (cience eport.

(cientists say people who drink a lot of coffee may be less likely than others to develop the braindisorder called Parkinson's disease. The Journal of the American %edical Association recently

reported a possible connection between the disease and caffeine. 6affeine is in coffee, tea and

many soft drinks.

The medical publication reported on a study of about eight-thousand Japanese-American men inthe American state of awaii. The study lasted thirty years. 2. 1ebster oss of the 8eterans

Administration %edical 6enter in onolulu led the research.

The study found that the men who drank the most coffee were the least likely to develop

Parkinson's disease. The report says men who drank about five cups of coffee a day were fivetimes less likely to develop Parkinson's than men who did not drink coffee. owever, the

researchers say that they do not know if these results would also be true among women and other

ethnic groups.

%illions of people around the world suffer from Parkinson's "isease. The disease involves thedestruction of nerve cells in the brain that produce the chemical dopamine. "opamine helps

control muscle movements. (igns of the disease include uncontrolled shaking, difficulty moving

muscles and loss of balance. %ental problems also can result. The effects get worse over time.

Patients become unable to care for themselves.

The disease usually affects people over fifty-five years of age. !ut some are younger, like

American television actor %ichael J. o#. %r. o# discovered he had the disease eight years ago,

when he was thirty years old.

"octor oss says there are several possible reasons why caffeine seems to prevent Parkinson's

disease. e suggests that caffeine might somehow protect against the nerve-cell destruction that



causes the disease. e says caffeine might increase dopamine levels. 3r it might treat some of

the early signs of the disease, making it difficult to recogni5e those signs. 3r people who drink a

lot of coffee may have a kind of brain chemistry that makes them less likely to develop thedisease. !ut "octor oss says it is too early to suggest coffee as a prevention or treatment for

Parkinson's disease. e says more studies are needed. And he says too much coffee can be bad

for health.

This 83A (pecial *nglish (cience eport was written by Jerilyn 1atson. This is !ill 1hite.

Brain Disorders

!y Jill %oss

This is the 83A (pecial *nglish DE&E(PMENT )EP()T.

An international committee of doctors says that the number of cases of brain diseases indeveloping countries is rising. The doctors were reporting the information for the +nited (tates

$ational Academy of (ciences.

They say that brain diseases affect at least two-hundred-fifty-million people in the developing

world. These diseases include strokes, epilepsy and mental sicknesses such as schi5ophrenia anddepression. They also include abnormal development of the nervous system, which causes

mental slowness and cerebral palsy.

ichard Johnson of Johns opkins +niversity in !altimore, %aryland was one of the leaders ofthe committee. e says poor countries usually do not have the resources to deal with brain

diseases. This is because most developing countries are already struggling with food problems,

the spread of infectious diseases and child health issues.

(rinivasa %urthy also served on the committee. (he works for the $ational Institute of %entalealth and $eurosciences in India. (he critici5ed the lack of international interest in brain

diseases. or e#ample, "octor %urthy says fifty percent of all countries have no policies about

brain diseases. In addition, she says health care centers in forty percent of the world's countries

do not offer common drugs to treat brain diseases.

"octor %urthy says there are two reasons for this. 3ne is a lack of money. The other is a lack ofhuman resources. or e#ample, a recent study shows most developing countries do not have

enough doctors who treat mental sicknesses. Another barrier to action against brain diseases isthe unfair way in which the public acts toward victims. %any victims of brain diseases are

treated poorly.



The committee says there are effective and low cost medical treatments for these diseases. &et

these treatments are not often provided in developing countries. The committee says more

treatments should be offered to poor countries.

It says health care systems in developing countries should provide mental health services for

their people. The committee says efforts should be made to increase public understanding of brain diseases.

inally, the committee says national research programs should be established to study braindiseases.

This 83A (pecial *nglish DE&E(PMENT )EP()T was written by Jill %oss.

Stress and I""ness

This is (arah )ong. And this is (teve *mber with SCIENCE IN THE NES, a 83A (pecial*nglish program about recent developments in science. (tress is a condition of mental or

emotional tension. Today, we tell about the effects of stress on people's health.

%any people suffered mental and emotional problems after the (eptember *leventh terrorist

attacks in the +nited (tates last year. Terrorism creates fear and fear often leads to severe stress.(tudies suggest that stress can reduce the body's ability to fight disease and can lead to serious

health problems.

(tress affects everybody every day. It is your body's reaction to physical, chemical, emotional or

environmental influences. (ome stress is unavoidable and may even be good for us. (tress can

keep our bodies and minds strong. It gives us the push we need to react to an urgent situation.(ome people say it makes them more productive at work and gives them more energy.

Too much stress, however, can be harmful. It may make an e#isting health problem worse. 3r it

can lead to illness if a person is at risk for the condition. or e#ample, your body reacts tostressful situations by raising your blood pressure and making your heart work harder. This is

especially dangerous is you already have heart or artery disease or high blood pressure. (tress is

more likely to be harmful if you feel helpless to deal with the problem or situation that causes thestress.

Anything you see as a problem can cause stress. It can be caused by everyday situations or by

maor problems. (tress results when something causes your body to act as if it were under attack.(ources of stress can be physical, such as inury or illness. 3r they can be mental, such as problems with your family, ob, health or finances. %any visits to doctors are for conditions

related to stress.

The tension of stress can interfere with sleep or cause uncontrollable anger or sadness. A person

may become more forgetful or find it harder to concentrate. )osing one's sense of humor isanother sign of an unhealthy amount of stress.



(tress can lead to many other health problems if people try to ease it by smoking, drinking

alcohol, taking drugs, or by eating more or less than normal.

6hronic stress lasts a long time or happens often. 6hronic stress causes the body to produce toomuch of the hormones cortisol and adrenalin. 6ortisol is called the ;worry; hormone. It is

produced when we are afraid. Adrenalin is known as the ;fight or flight; hormone. It prepares the body to react physically to a threat.

People under chronic stress produce too much of these hormones for too long. Too much cortisoland adrenalin can result in physical problems and even changes that lead to stress-related

illnesses.

6ortisol provides high levels of energy during important periods. owever, scientists have

become concerned about the hormone's long-term effects on our health. *vidence shows thate#tended periods of cortisol in the body weakens bones, damages nerve cells in the brain and

weakens the body's defense system against disease. This makes it easier to get viral and bacterial

infections.

6hronic stress has been linked to high blood pressure and heart disease. esearch suggests that people who are easily stressed develop blockages in their arteries faster than other people who

are more calm. A recent study of women was carried out in Japan. It found that women who

reported high levels of stress were more than two times as likely to die from stroke and heartdisease as other women.

igh stress levels have been found to cause asthma attacks that make it difficult to breathe.

(tress is also linked to mental conditions such as depression and an#iety disorders.

esearch also shows that chronic stress reduces the levels of the hormone estrogen in women.This might put some women at greater risk for heart disease or the bone-thinning disease,osteoporosis.

*#perts say long-term stress also can weaken your resistance to infections such as colds and

influen5a, as well as your ability to recover from these diseases. *#tended periods of stress arealso linked to headaches, difficulty sleeping, stomach problems and skin problems.

%ental and health e#perts believe personality is an important part in how we e#perience stress.

Personality is the way a person acts, feels and thinks. %any things influence the development of

a person's personality, including genetics and e#perience.

(ome people, for e#ample, are aggressive and always in a hurry. They often become angry whenthings do not happen the way they planned. They are called ;Type A; personalities. (tudies

suggest that these people often get stress-related illnesses.

The ;Type !; personality is a much more calm person. These people are able to deal with all

kinds of situations more easily. As a result, they are less affected by stress.



(tudies show that men and women deal with stress differently. 1omen usually have stronger

social support systems to help them in times of trouble. These social supports may help e#plain

why many women seem to be better able to deal with stress than men are. owever, e#perts saywomen are three times more likely to develop depression in reaction to the stress in their lives.

6hronic stress is most common among people in the workplace, especially among women.(cientists studying stress in the workplace say many working women are under severe stress

because of the pressures of work, marriage and children. (ome e#perts say that pressure cancause a chemical imbalance in the brain that can lead to depression. %ore than thirty-million

American women suffer from depression. These problems are linked to their stress-filled lives

and constant hurrying.

People who care for family members who are old or sick also suffer from high levels of stress.

%ost caregivers in the +nited (tates are women. (everal studies have been done on people who

care for family members with Al5heimer's disease. The studies showed that the caregivers had

high cortisol levels in their bodies. This greatly weakened their immune systems against disease.

or e#ample, one study in the +nited (tates found that women who cared for family members

with Al5heimer's took an average of nine days longer to heal a small wound. The researchers

found that the blood cells from the caregivers produced lower amounts of substances that are

important for healing and for fighting disease.

*#perts say there are several ways to deal with stress. They include deep breathing and a method

of guided thought called meditation. They also include e#ercise, eating healthy foods, getting

enough rest and balancing the time spent working and playing. "octors say people should limitthe amounts of alcohol and caffeine in their diets. People who have many drinks with caffeine,

like coffee, e#perience more stress and produce more stress hormones.

*#perts say e#ercise is one of the most effective stress-reduction measures. unning, walking or

playing sports causes physical changes that make you feel better. *#ercise also improves the body's defense system against disease. And a recent study has found that it helps protect against a

decrease in mental ability.

"octors say deep, slow breathing is also helpful. And many medical studies have shown that

clearing the mind through 4uiet meditation helps you become calm. This causes lower blood pressure, reduced muscle tension and decreased heart rate.

*#perts also say keeping stress to yourself can make problems worse. esearchers have linked

the inability to identify and e#press emotions to many health conditions. These include eatingdisorders, fear disorders and high blood pressure. They say e#pressing emotions to friends orfamily members or writing down your feelings can help reduce stress. *#perts say people should

try to accept or change stressful situations whenever possible. educing stress may help you feel

better and live longer.



This SCIENCE IN THE NES program was written and produced by 6ynthia 7irk. This is

(arah )ong. And this is (teve *mber. Join us again ne#t week for more news about science in

(pecial *nglish on the 8oice of America.

Compulsive Hoarding Syndrome

Or download MP3 (Right-click or option-click and save link

This is (6I*$6* I$ T* $*1( in 83A (pecial *nglish. I'm aith )apidus. And I'm

6hristopher 6ruise.

3n our program this week, we tell about compulsive hoarding syndrome. It is both a mental

sickness and a public safety issue.

%any people in the +nited (tates are looking forward to the return of spring. "uring this season,

millions of Americans do what is known as spring cleaning. They open windows in their homes

to let in fresh air. They use cleaning products that make their homes smell nice. And someorgani5e their belongings.

%any Americans have a strong desire to clean up their homes. This can also be called removing

clutter. 6lutter can be described as a disorgani5ed collection of things. To remove clutter means

to throw away the things you do not want. Then, you organi5e the things you have decided to

keep.

In recent years, it has become easy to find information on how to attack clutter. There are books,

websites and television programs on the subect. (pecialty stores sell containers and bo#es for

storing things around the house.

(ome Americans pay people to come to their homes to remove clutter. (uch people provide

advice on what to keep and what to throw away. They also help with organi5ing things. owever,

the services of a professional organi5er can be costly. (uch services can cost up to two hundred

dollars an hour.

http://www.voanews.com/MediaAssets2/learningenglish/dalet/se-sin-2628-compulsive-hoarding-22feb11.Mp3

http://www.voanews.com/MediaAssets2/learningenglish/dalet/se-sin-2628-compulsive-hoarding-22feb11.Mp3



(ome people have serious problems with clutter. They have a mental disorder called compulsive

hoarding syndrome. 6ompulsive hoarding syndrome affects an estimated one million people in

the +nited (tates.

6ompulsive hoarding is commonly connected to obsessive-compulsive disorder, or 36". This

disorder causes people to have ideas that interfere with their daily activities. (uch persons act on

these ideas, even when they know the resulting actions are not reasonable.

ear of being dirty may cause persons with 36" to wash their hands again and again. They may

inspect things repeatedly, like making sure all electrical devices are turned off.

People with untreated 36" may not be able to control the urge to repeat senseless activities.

People with compulsive hoarding syndrome gather many obects and seemingly cannot remove

them.

%ost people would say the obects that hoarders collect are useless or worthless. owever,

hoarders believe the obects could be useful some day. They may even develop an emotional

connection to such things.

oarders are afraid to throw away things. At the same time, they continue to bring more and

more things into their homes. They may save obects such as newspapers, clothing, and even old

food.

oarders live with so much clutter that it may endanger their physical health. "irt, insects and

bacteria that form over time can cause sickness.

(afety e#perts say the homes of hoarders often are unsafe. A room filled with newspapers, for

e#ample, can cause floor supports to break down. In many cases, a room is filled from top to

bottom with useless things. There is only a small space to walk from one end of the room to the

other.

3ne of the most famous hoarding cases involved two brothers in $ew &ork 6ity. omer and

)angley 6ollyer were found dead in their home in nineteen forty-seven.

)angley 6ollyer was buried under what appeared to be a mountain of old newspapers. The

weight of the newspapers crushed him. )angley was omer's caretaker. %edical e#perts believed

)angley had been dead for several days before his brother omer died of starvation.

Police found the home filled with thousands of unread books, pieces of wood, and skins from

large fruits and vegetables. The brothers also saved pipes and very large automobile parts.



6ompulsive hoarding can have a severe effect on a family. amily members who share a home

with a hoarder cannot understand why their loved one keeps so many useless and sometimes

dangerous things. It prevents the family from enoying their home. *#perts say the hoarder

should make a greater effort to keep the home clean and organi5ed. owever, it is not that

simple.

andy rost is a psychologist at (mith 6ollege in the American state of %assachusetts. e has

studied hoarding. Professor rost says it is more than a mental disorder. e says hoarding is a

public health problem.

(evere health risks can result from collecting waste, food or materials that can cause fires. In the

+nited (tates, hoarding violates laws that were created to protect public safety and property.

(ome cities have formed groups to deal with the problems caused by hoarding. *ach group

usually has representatives from one or more government agencies.

Agency officials say they often hear about hoarders from people who live near someone affected

with the disorder. Those people no longer want to see broken household obects or old clothing

lying on property near their homes.

Persons suffering from compulsive hoarding syndrome do not only collect obects. (ome collect

cats, dogs, birds, snakes or other animals.

%ost animal hoarders believe they are rescuing the animals to care for them. owever, hoarders

do not reali5e when they have too many animals. They are really doing more harm than good.

They may not be able to provide health care for the animals. (ome animals may not be washed

or fed.

3fficials have been shocked at the condition of the homes of animal hoarders. loors were

covered with animal wastes. Infectious diseases were a problem. (ome animals were found

starving, while others had died.

A grand ury in $ew &ork recently charged a man and his wife with hoarding one hundred cats.

The cats clearly had not received good care. Investigators said some of the animals were missing

teeth or eyes.

3thers were suffering from many insect bites and dehydration, a lack of needed fluids in the

body. The owners were charged with torturing and inuring animals.

The American public has shown deep interest in the strange behavior of animal hoarders like the

people in $ew &ork. (everal television channels show reality programs about hoarders. eality

programs present events as they happen, such as the rescue of animals from hoarders< homes.



Television cameras capture the sadness of the owners as animal police take away their pets. And

the cameras show the struggles of the hoarders and the efforts of people who want to help them.

2regory 6hasson is a mental health e#pert and professor at Towson +niversity in %aryland. e

says the public<s interest in hoarding programs comes from most people<s own natural human

desire to collect things.

The professor says that for most people, this simply means behavior like keeping too many

papers or having a little clutter. !ut he says hoarding becomes a mental health problem when it

interferes with normal life.

Professor 6hasson says compulsive hoarding is e#tremely difficult to treat. e says hoarders are

less likely than others to recogni5e that they have a problem. !ut he suggests that cognitive-

behavioral therapy can help.

In this method, hoarders work with an e#pert to understand why they gather and save so many

things.

1hen reasons are found for the hoarding, he says, people can develop a plan for organi5ation.

They can learn how to decide what to throw away. They can learn to resist the urge to bring

home more things.

(ome hoarders improve by meeting with others and talking over their struggles. These group

therapy meetings can take place in the hoarders< homes. !ut the therapy does not always happen

in direct meetings.

(ome meetings for hoarders are held through the Internet. And, some hoarders use their

computers to communicate with a supportive person.

A method as easy as taking a picture of the area to be organi5ed before and after the work is done

can give hoarders a feeling of progress. 1ith improved decision-making skills and ways of

thinking, it is possible for a hoarder to become a former hoarder.

This (6I*$6* I$ T* $*1( was written by )awan "avis and Jerilyn 1atson. June (imms

was our producer. I'm 6hristopher 6ruise. And I<m aith )apidus. 8isit us at

voaspecialenglish.com, where you can find transcripts and %P0s of our reports. Join us again

ne#t week for more news about science in (pecial *nglish on the 8oice of America.

!O" Special #nglish - $e%t & MP3

www'manythings'orgvoamedical

http://www.manythings.org/voa/medical/




)sing *asers to $reat +idney and *iver $umors


This is (6I*$6* I$ T* $*1( in 83A (pecial *nglish. I<m aith )apidus.

And I<m !ob "oughty. Today, we will tell about a new cancer treatment and a study of the

disease malaria. 1e will tell about the possibility of drier conditions in many populated areas.

And we e#plain how cutting down on wasted food could lead to energy savings.

"octors at the %ayo 6linic are using a process known as %I-guided laser ablation to fight

kidney and liver tumors. They are said to be among the first American doctors to use the process

against the cancers.

+ntil now, doctors in the +nited (tates have used laser ablation mainly to treat tumors of the

brain, spine and prostate.

http://www.voanews.com/MediaAssets2/learningenglish/dalet/se-sin-2615-digest-23nov10.Mp3

http://www.voanews.com/MediaAssets2/learningenglish/dalet/se-sin-2615-digest-23nov10.Mp3



)iver cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. It is also the third leading cause of

cancer death worldwide. %any liver cancer patients are too sick to survive traditional

treatments, like chemotherapy and radiation. *ven if they could, medical e#perts say these

treatments only provide a small increase in life e#pectancy.

*ric 1alser is an interventional radiologist with the %ayo 6linic in lorida. e was one of the

first radiologists to use the %I-guided laser ablation procedure to treat kidney and liver tumors.

e says the process makes it possible for doctors to target and destroy tumors without damaging

the rest of the organ.

Patients are placed inside an %I machine. They are given a drug to keep them from moving

during the procedure. A special needle is inserted directly into the tumor and light energy is

passed through a laser.

The %I machine can measure the temperature inside the tumor. "octors are able to watch a

monitor showing the temperature rising. 1hen the tumor is heated to the point of destruction,

the laser is turned off. The whole process lasts about two and a half minutes.

"octor 1alser first used the %I-guided laser procedure in June. The %ayo 6linic reported that

he had successfully treated five patients by the middle of 3ctober.

*arlier this year, doctors at the %ayo 6linic in %innesota used %I-guided laser ablation to

remove tumors of the prostate. "octor "avid 1oodrum has successfully treated seven prostate

patients with the procedure. e says it provides for a less invasive and less traumatic e#perience.

The process is still being developed, but doctors say it could prove to be successful for treating

most cancers in the body. The doctors say it should only be used on tumors that are less than five

centimeters in si5e.

%alaria kills about one million people a year and sickens another two hundred fifty million.

%ost of the deaths are in young children in Africa. People become infected when they are bitten

by mos4uitoes carrying the malaria parasite.

A new report estimates the possibility of ending malaria in countries that have the deadliest form

of the disease. esearchers found that this could be possible in most parts of the world within

ten to fifteen years. 1hat it would re4uire, they say, is reducing the spread of malaria by ninety

percent from two thousand seven rates.

An international team created mathematical models and maps of areas where the disease is gone

or almost gone. The report says malaria could be eliminated if countries are serious about using

proven control measures like insecticides and bed nets.



The !ill and %elinda 2ates oundation partly financed the research. The study appears in The

)ancet medical ournal.

(ome malaria e#perts e#pressed concern about giving too much attention to eliminating the

disease. They say such a goal could take many years, if it is possible at all. The concern is that

resources for controlling malaria could be lost if the money is spent instead on efforts to defeat it.

A new study shows that long, severe droughts may strike countries with large populations in the

not-so-distant future. The study was made for America<s $ational 6enter for Atmospheric

esearch.

$6A scientist Aiguo "ai led the research. It shows that drought conditions will threaten most

of $orth and (outh America by the end of this century. The research found that large parts of

*urasia, Africa and Australia are also at risk. !ut places from Alaska to northern *urope may get

more rainfall and snow. The findings appeared in the publication =1iley Interdisciplinary

eviews> 6limate 6hange.?

In the study, %r. "ai e#amined rising temperatures linked to climate change. e says the higher

temperatures probably will create increasingly dry conditions. e says these conditions will be

seen across much of the world in the ne#t thirty years.

The scientist also considered the possibility that drought could be much worse by the end of the

century. At that time, he says, lack of moisture in many places could be as bad as or worse than

any in modern time.

e made the predictions after looking at earlier studies and research. is study used modern

proposals of possible conditions. It also employed twenty-two computer climate models and a

list of drought conditions. The International Panel on 6limate 6hange used twenty-two models

in its two-thousand-seven report.

%r. "ai said he based the new predictions on the best current proections of carbon dio#ide and

other gases linked to climate change. The proections are estimates of future amounts of such

greenhouse gases. e says many conditions will decide what actually happens.

The conditions include natural climate cycles and the amount of greenhouse gases that will be

released into the air. Two good e#amples of such cycles are *l $ino and )a $ina. They are

periodic events that change moisture levels in the atmosphere.

The study identified areas threatened with maor drying in the future. They include much of

6entral and (outh America. (outheast Asia, large parts of southwest Asia, and most of Africa

and Australia also will be affected. The research shows that drying in areas along the

%editerranean (ea could also become intense.



3ther areas were said to e#pect more moisture. They are much of (candinavia, ussia, 6anada

and Alaska. The study shows that some areas of the (outhern emisphere also may escape

drought.

"o not waste food, and you will save energy. That is the message of scientists who say America

wastes food energy e4ual to about three hundred fifty million barrels of oil a year. That

represents about two percent of yearly energy usage in the +nited (tates.

(cientists Amanda 6uellar and %ichael 1ebber work at The +niversity of Te#as at Austin. They

reported the findings last month in the ournal =*nvironmental (cience @ Technology.?

%r. 1ebber says a lot more energy goes into food than people think. is report estimates that,

three years ago, between eight and si#teen percent of all energy used in the +nited (tates

supported food production.

The Te#as researchers estimated the energy intensity of preparing food from agriculture,

transportation, processing and food sales. They also included the energy intensity of storing and

preparing food. The researchers measured food intensity in !ritish thermal units, better known

as !T+s. A !T+ is the amount of heat energy needed to raise the temperature of about one-half

kilogram of a substance by one degree ahrenheit.

The scientists say they used information provided by the +nited (tates government from

nineteen-ninety-five. At that time, the government estimated that twenty-seven percent of food

for human consumption was wasted.

The report said the most wasted foods were dairy products, eggs, fats, grains and oils. Among

the least wasted were dry beans, fish, lentils, meat, poultry, peanuts, peas and tree nuts.

)ast year, a report in the ournal P)o( 3ne considered the environmental effects of wasting

food. (cientists from the $ational Institute of "iabetes and "igestive and 7idney "iseases

measured the energy content of America<s wasted food. They found that American waste of food

per person has risen by about fifty percent since nineteen seventy-four.

This (6I*$6* I$ T* $*1( was written by Jerilyn 1atson, 6aty 1eaver and June (imms,

who was also our producer. I<m aith )apidus.

And I<m !ob "oughty. )isten again ne#t week for more news about science in (pecial *nglish

on the 8oice of America.


www'manythings'orgvoascripts

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,eeat Malaria. or /ust Control 0t12 " etter !accine or Polio


This is the 83A (pecial *nglish ealth eport.

http://www.voanews.com/MediaAssets2/english/2010_11/se-health-malaria-polio-03nov10.mp3

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%alaria kills about one million people a year and sickens another two hundred fifty million.

%ost of the deaths are in young children in Africa. %alaria causes twenty percent of childhood

deaths in Africa.

People become infected when they are bitten by mos4uitoes carrying the malaria parasite.

A new study estimates the possibility of ending malaria in countries that have the deadliest form

of the disease. esearchers found that this could be possible in most parts of the world within ten

to fifteen years.

1hat it would re4uire, they say, is reducing the spread of malaria by ninety percent from two

thousand seven rates.

An international team created mathematical models and maps of areas where the disease is gone

or almost gone. Andrew Tatem, an assistant professor at the +niversity of lorida, led the study.

Professor Tatem says a number of things have helped countries successfully fight malaria.

A$"*1 TAT*%> ; ... such as relatively low levels of malaria risk to start with, political

stability, a good health system and low levels of population movement bringing in infections

from elsewhere.;

The study says malaria could be eliminated if countries are serious about using proven control

measures. These include insecticides and bed nets.

The !ill and %elinda 2ates oundation partly financed the research. The study appears in the

)ancet medical ournal in a series of reports on eliminating malaria.

3ther malaria e#perts writing in the )ancet e#pressed concern about giving too much attention to

eliminating malaria. They say such a goal could take many years, if it is possible at all. The

concern is that resources for controlling malaria could be lost if the money is spent instead on

trying to defeat it.

&ears of efforts to eliminate another disease, polio, have largely succeeded. $ow, the 1orld

ealth 3rgani5ation says a new vaccine combination will help in the fight to end polio in

countries where it is still found.

That report, based on a study from India, also appears in the )ancet.

There are three kinds of polio virus. 8accination campaigns normally use vaccines designed to

protect against all three types.



!ut cases of the type two virus have not been seen in years. And the new study confirmed that

the type two vaccine reduces the effectiveness of the other vaccines when given together.

To avoid that problem, the new combination contains vaccine only for the type one and type

three polio viruses.

And that's the 83A (pecial *nglish ealth eport. or more health news, go to

voaspecialenglish.com. &ou can also find captioned videos of our reports on the 83A )earning

*nglish channel on &ouTube. I'm (teve *mber.

6ontributing> Jessica !erman, Art 6himes and 6aty 1eaver

!O" Special #nglish - $e%t & MP3www'manythings'orgvoamedical

Scientists Search or 4ew Clues "5out Parkinson6s ,isease


This is (6I*$6* I$ T* $*1( in 83A (pecial *nglish. I<m !ob "oughty.


http://www.voanews.com/MediaAssets2/learningenglish/dalet/se-sin-2612-parkinsons-disease-02nov10.Mp3


http://www.voanews.com/MediaAssets2/learningenglish/dalet/se-sin-2612-parkinsons-disease-02nov10.Mp3



And I<m aith )apidus. Today we tell about the latest research and treatments for Parkinson<s

disease.

Parkinson<s is a disease of the central nervous system. It is a progressive disorder, meaning it

gets worse over time. The disease affects a small area of cells in the middle of the brain. This

area is called the substantia nigra. The cells slowly lose their ability to produce a chemical called

dopamine.

The decrease in the amount of dopamine can result in one or more general signs of Parkinson<s

disease. These include shaking of the hands, arms and legs. They also include difficulty moving

or keeping balanced while walking or standing. Also, there may be emotional changes, like

feeling depressed or worried. The symptoms of Parkinson's differ from person to person. They

also differ in their intensity.

The disease is named after James Parkinson. e was a !ritish doctor who first described this

condition in eighteen seventeen.

"uring the nineteen si#ties, researchers discovered changes in the brains of people with the

disease. These discoveries led to medicines to treat the effects of the disease. There is no cure for

Parkinson's and no way to prevent it. And doctors still are not sure about the cause.

America<s $ational Institutes of ealth says at least five hundred thousand people in the +nited

(tates are believed to have Parkinson<s disease. About fifty thousand new cases are reported each

year. That number is e#pected to grow as the average age of the population increases.

Parkinson<s appears most often in people over the age of fifty. (ome researchers believe that

almost everyone would develop Parkinson<s eventually if they lived long enough.

%ost patients have what is called idiopathic Parkinson<s disease. Idiopathic means the cause is

unknown. People who develop the disease often want to link it to something they can identify.

This might be a medical operation or e#treme emotional tension.

&et many doctors reect this idea of a direct link to Parkinson<s. They point to people who have

similar e#periences and do not develop the disease.

There are several theories about the cause of Parkinson<s, but none has ever been confirmed.

(tudies have shown a link between the disease and some chemical products. Two years ago, an

American study found a link between Parkinson<s and pesticides, like those used for killing

insects. The study compared three hundred nineteen Parkinson<s patients to more than two

hundred family members.



In two thousand seven, a *uropean study also showed a link between pesticide use and

Parkinson's. This study found that serious head inuries also increased a person's risk.

(cientists at Aberdeen +niversity in (cotland collected information about more than nine

hundred people with Parkinson's or similar conditions. They compared this group to almost two

thousand people without the disorder. All the people were asked about their use of pesticides,

chemical fluids and metals like iron. The researchers also collected information about family

history of the disease and head inuries.

arm workers and people who said they often used pesticides had a forty-one percent greater risk

of Parkinson's than others. The disease was also two and one-half times more common among

people who had been knocked unconscious more than once in their lives. These people

temporarily lost consciousness after suffering a blow to the head.

Another area of study is family genetics. There are e#amples of members of a family having the

disease. The $ational Institutes of ealth says about fifteen percent of people with Parkinson<s

have a family history of the disease. owever, most cases involve people with no such family

history.

A few years ago, researchers completed what they called the first large map to show genetic links

with Parkinson's disease. The map identifies changes in genes that may increase the risk in some

people.

ecently, a gene-testing company announced plans for a large genetic study of Parkinson<s

patients. The company, /0andme, was the idea of Ann 1ocicki. (he is the wife of (ergey !rin,

who helped create the Internet search engine 2oogle.

%ister !rin has a gene that increases his risk of developing Parkinson<s. is mother has the

disease. The company is working with two not-for-profit groups. They hope to collect "$A from

ten thousand Parkinson<s patients. The goal is to search for common genes that may cause the

disease.

There is no cure for Parkinson<s disease. !ut improved treatments to ease the effects of the

disease make it possible for many patients to live almost normal lives. People who have lost their

ability to do many things are sometimes able to regain some of these abilities with treatment.

The most commonly used drug is levodopa combined with carbidopa. The $ational Institutes of

ealth says levodopa is a chemical found naturally in plants and animals. 1hen it reaches the

brain, levodopa is changed into dopamine, the chemical that is lacking in people with the disease.

6arbidopa delays the change in levodopa until after it reaches the brain.



)evodopa helps ease the symptoms of Parkinson's. !ut it does not prevent more changes in the

brain that are caused by the disease.

3ther drugs used to treat Parkinson<s disease act like dopamine. They produce reactions in the

nerve cells in the brain. They can be given alone or in combination with levodopa. %any of the

possible side effects are similar to those linked with the use of levodopa. They include

sleepiness, feeling sick or having bad dreams.

A surgical operation called deep-brain stimulation also is used to treat Parkinson<s disease.

"octors use this treatment to shock the brain in areas that help send messages to the body. These

areas can become blocked in Parkinson<s patients. 1hen this happens, the messages give

misinformation to the body.

In deep brain stimulation, doctors make two small holes in the patient<s head. Two thin, electrical

wires are then placed in the brain. They are connected under the skin to another wire that leads to

a small battery placed in the chest. The device supplies electricity.

"octors do not know e#actly how the brain stimulation works to help Parkinson<s patients. !ut

e#perts believe the electrical current might help activate nerve cells that are not working

correctly.

"eep brain stimulation can reduce the need for levodopa and other drugs. It also helps to reduce

symptoms such as shaking and slowness of movement.

)ast year, researchers in the +nited (tates published a study that e#amined the effectiveness of

deep brain stimulation. They found that the physical condition of Parkinson<s patients often

improves after they receive deep brain stimulation.

In fact, the patients who were treated reported an average gain of nearly five hours each day of

good control of their symptoms. !ut brain stimulation was also shown to have more side effects

than drug treatments.

"eep brain stimulation is not the answer for all Parkinson's patients. "octors say it is best for

patients whose medicines cause side effects or are not working. The treatment is not new. It was

first approved for use in the +nited (tates in nineteen ninety-seven.

"eep brain stimulation has been performed about forty thousand times throughout the world. In

the +nited (tates, about three hundred medical centers offer the treatment to Parkinson<s

patients.

(cientists are also e#ploring other e#perimental treatments. )ast year, President 3bama ended

restrictions on the use of federal money for studies of human embryonic stem cells.



(tem cells from very early embryos are able to grow into any tissue in the body. (cientists say

such cells might be able to cure or treat diseases like Parkinson<s. !ut opponents say stem cell

e#periments are wrong because human embryos are destroyed. They say this is ust like

destroying a human life.

This (6I*$6* I$ T* $*1( was written by 2eorge 2row and !rianna !lake. 3ur producer

was June (imms. I<m aith )apidus.

And I'm !ob "oughty. )isten again ne#t week for more news about science, in (pecial *nglish,


There is an older, similar story at www.manythings.orgBvoaBmedicalBCDDE.html .



http://www.manythings.org/voa/medical/5119.html








Cause o #pilepsy 0s Oten )nknown. 5ut Many $reatments #%ist


This is (6I*$6* I$ T* $*1( in 83A (pecial *nglish. I'm (hirley 2riffith.

And I'm !ob "oughty. This week, we will e#amine the brain disorder known as epilepsy. %any

people do not understand epilepsy. %edical e#perts are working to understand the disorder and

improve the lives of those who suffer from it.

The si#teen-year-old son of actor John Travolta died suddenly during a family vacation early last

year in the !ahamas. Jett Travolta reportedly suffered a sei5ure before dying.

A sei5ure is a sudden attack that may affect a person's mind or body for a short period. Peoplewho suffer from repeated sei5ures are said to have epilepsy. 1hether Jett Travolta had epilepsy is

not clear. !ut ust what is epilepsy and how is it treatedF

*pilepsy is a medical condition that produces sei5ures. A sei5ure happens when a sudden

increase of electrical activity interferes with normal operations in the brain.

$erve cells use electrical particles to communicate with each other. %illions of electrical

particles pass between nerve cells in the brain. 1hen the brain has a sudden burst of electricity,

the body e#periences physical changes called epileptic sei5ures. 8ictims can shake

uncontrollably for brief periods. They also can temporarily lose the ability to communicate orthink clearly.

$ew research is helping to e#plain how cells communicate to cause conditions like epilepsy.

esearcher "oug ields works at America's $ational Institutes of ealth. e showed that a

chemical called ATP could have links to brain disorders like epilepsy and chronic pain.

%ost sei5ures can last anywhere between thirty seconds and two minutes. These sei5ures do not

cause permanent damage. owever, a sei5ure is considered a medical emergency if it lasts more

than five minutes. 3ne in ten adults will have a sei5ure during their life.

"ifferent kinds of sei5ures result when different parts of the brain are affected. If electrical

activity increases in only one area of the brain, the person will have what doctors call a partial

sei5ure. %any times, people may suffer a partial sei5ure and not know it. They might note

strange feelings in an arm or leg. They also might hear noises or look straight ahead for a few

minutes.

http://www.voanews.com/MediaAssets2/learningenglish/dalet/se-sin-2611-epilepsy-26oct10.Mp3

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(ometimes the individual will have an uncontrolled movement, like turning the head to one side.

%ost partial sei5ures last less than ninety seconds. (o it is not always possible for others to

recogni5e them as signs of a disorder.

1hen people hear the word sei5ure, they often think of what doctors call a grand mal sei5ure. A

person e#periencing this kind of sei5ure will fall to the ground. is or her body will become firm

and start to shake. After a few minutes, the individual will stop moving, appear awake and know

what has happened. e or she may move slowly for about thirty minutes. (ome grand mal

sei5ures start with partial sei5ures and become worse.

*#perts have reported different reasons why an individual may suffer epileptic sei5ures. or

e#ample, head inuries or a lack of o#ygen at birth may damage the electrical system in the brain.

3ther causes are poisoning and high body temperatures.

3lder adults may develop epilepsy because of an infection, stroke or Al5heimer's disease. &et

e#perts say the cause of the disorder is unknown in more than half of all cases.

The 1orld ealth 3rgani5ation estimates that fifty million people around the world have

epilepsy. $early ninety percent of cases are in developing areas. The 13 says many people in

developing countries suffer from epilepsy because of local conditions. In those areas, people

have a greater chance of e#periencing a medical condition or disease that can lead to permanent

brain damage.

The 13 says misunderstandings about epilepsy have resulted in laws against people with the

disorder. or years, it was not illegal for American businesses to discriminate against individuals

who suffered sei5ures. $ow, a law called the Americans with "isabilities Act of nineteen ninety

protects the civil rights of people with disabilities in the +nited (tates.

The 1orld ealth 3rgani5ation says many people with epilepsy receive no treatment. owever,

many treatments for the disorder are available.

2enerally, the first treatment choice for epilepsy is medicine. The *pilepsy oundation says

different kinds of medicines can stop or control different kinds of sei5ures. There are now more

than fifteen kinds of drugs on the market. These drugs work best only after they reach what

e#perts call a desired level in the body.

It might take months to identify the right drug to control the disorder because each one may

cause problems. These include weight gain or loss, eye or stomach problems, sleepiness and loss

of balance. (ome people may suffer depression, or have problems thinking or talking after taking

some drugs.



About ten years ago, a device called the 8agus $erve (timulator was developed. It is used to

treat adults and young people who have partial sei5ures that are not controlled in other ways.

In this treatment, electrical energy enters the brain through the vagus nerve in the neck. The

electricity comes from a small power supply placed under the skin in the chest. %edical e#perts

set the device to provide a small amount of energy every few minutes. The patient can also send

a few seconds of energy through the nerve if he or she feels that a sei5ure is near. This has been

known to stop a sei5ure.

The *pilepsy oundation says people using 8agus $erve (timulation still must take anti-sei5ure

medicines. !ut the amount may decrease as the treatment continues.

Another treatment for epilepsy is an operation to remove the part of the brain suspected of

causing the sei5ures. This is done only when medicines fail to control the disorder. 3ne

re4uirement for the operation is that doctors be able to remove the suspected area without

damaging speech, memory or other abilities.

3ther kinds of operations can block the spread of electrical activity in the brain. The *pilepsy

oundation says doctors are performing more operations now because new information has

increased their safety. (till, some people get no help from operations and others continue to need

medication for their sei5ures.

(ome people with epilepsy may be able to control their sei5ures by controlling what they eat.

The ketogenic diet was developed about eighty years ago. It is very high in fats and low in

carbohydrates. It makes the body burn fat for energy instead of sugar.

This diet re4uires family cooperation if the patient is a child. It also re4uires trained medical

supervision. The patient must be in a hospital for the first part of the treatment. The amount of

food and li4uid the patient can have at each meal must be carefully weighed for each individual.

The patient should obey the dietary restrictions for at least one month before e#perts know if the

treatment is successful.

The *pilepsy oundation says about one third of children on the ketogenic diet become sei5ure-

free or almost sei5ure-free. Another third improve but still e#perience some sei5ures. The others

cannot continue with the diet or it has no effect on their sei5ures.

Possible effects of the diet include digestive problems, loss of fluids in the body, and

development of kidney stones or gall stones. Another danger of the diet is that high levels of fat

could develop in the blood.



People being treated for epilepsy in one of these ways can still suffer an une#pected sei5ure. (o

what can you do if you see someone in this situationF *#perts say the most important thing is to

keep the individual safe until the sei5ure stops.

(tay with the person. 6lear the area of anything that could cause harm. If you can, turn the body

on one side. "o not force the mouth open or hold the person down. The sei5ure will stop on its

own. Then speak to the person calmly and offer help to get home.

This (6I*$6* I$ T* $*1( was written by !rianna !lake. 3ur producer was June (imms.

I<m (hirley 2riffith.

And I<m !ob "oughty. ead and listen to our programs at voaspecialenglish.com. )isten again

ne#t week for more news about science in (pecial *nglish on the 8oice of America.

!O" Special #nglish - $e%t & MP3www'manythings'orgvoamedical





7hat People 7ith "sthma Can ,o to +eep 0t )nder Control


This is (6I*$6* I$ T* $*1( in 83A (pecial *nglish. I'm aith )apidus.

And I'm !ob "oughty. 1e recently told you about health problems linked to e#treme heat. This

week, we talk about the lung disease asthma. or people with asthma, e#treme heat can be

especially troublesome, as can e#treme cold.

Asthma is a serious disorder that makes breathing difficult. The 1orld ealth 3rgani5ation says

asthma affects about three hundred million people worldwide. An estimated two hundred fifty

thousand people die from the disease every year. And more than five hundred thousand others are

treated in hospitals.

Asthma happens when tissue that lines the airways to the lungs begins to e#pand or swell. This

swelling makes the airways smaller. The muscles in the airways tighten.

6ells in the airways begin to produce a lot of mucous. This thick, sticky substance causes the

airways to close even more.

This makes it difficult for air to flow in and out of the lungs.

This series of events is called an asthma attack. As asthma sufferers struggle to get air into theirlungs, they may begin to cough a lot. They may also make a whistling or breathy sound called

whee5ing.

(ome asthma sufferers have tightness or pain in the chest. They say it feels as if someone is

sitting on them.

http://www.voanews.com/mp3/voa/english/spec/2010/spec2245a0906.mp3

http://www.voanews.com/mp3/voa/english/spec/2010/spec2245a0906.mp3



1hen asthma is most severe, the person may have e#treme difficulty breathing. The disease can

severely limit a person's activity, and even lead to death.

"octors do not know what causes asthma. esearchers believe a combination of environmental

and genetic conditions may be responsible.

orty percent of children who have parents with asthma will develop the disease. (eventy

percent of people with asthma also have allergies. Allergies are unusual reactions of the body's

immune system to otherwise harmless substances or conditions.

"octors have identified many of the things that may trigger, or start, an asthma attack. Triggers

are things that cause the asthma sufferer's airways to swell.

"ifferent asthma patients usually have different triggers. Allergens are one of the most common

triggers. These impurities in the air cause allergic reactions.

(ome of the more common allergens include animal hair, dust, mold and pollen.

Pollen is a fine dust that comes from grass, trees and flowers. %old is a kind of fungus. It can

grow on the walls or floors of homes. It is often in wet or damp areas like bathrooms, kitchens

and basements. The *nvironmental Protection Agency estimates that twenty-one percent of

asthma cases in the +nited (tates have links to mold and dampness in homes.

Air pollution can also trigger asthma. 6igarette smoke is a maor problem for asthma sufferers.

(o is air pollution from motor vehicles. 6hemical sprays like air fresheners, hair spray, cleaning

products and even strong beauty aids can trigger an asthma attack.

(ome people cough, whee5e or feel out of breath during or after e#ercise. They are said to suffer

from e#ercise-induced asthma. "uring the winter, breathing in cold air can trigger an asthma

attack. (o can colds and other respiratory infections.

The 6enters for "isease 6ontrol and Prevention says more than twenty-three million people in

the +nited (tates have asthma. Among adults, more women have the disease than men.

Asthma affects more than seven million children each year. It is more common among boys than

girls.

The $ational Institute of Allergies and Infectious "iseases says the disease affects African-

Americans more than whites. African-American children die from asthma at five times the rate

of white children.



(pecial *nglish reporter June (imms has a fourteen-year old son with asthma. Arick first showed

signs of the disease when he was about two years old.

The doctor gave Arick a medicine called albuterol. Albuterol helps to increase air flow and

reduce tension in the airways. The doctor also gave Arick a machine called a nebuli5er. It

connects to a mask that he placed over his mouth and nose.

The nebuli5er turns the li4uid albuterol into a fog-like mist. Arick inhaled the mist through the

mask. The treatments made it easier for him to breathe.

"uring times when Arick's asthma was really severe, he was also given steroids to help reduce

swelling in his airways.

As Arick grew older, the doctor replaced his nebuli5er with a small medical device called an

inhaler. e also began seeing a doctor who speciali5es in treating patients with asthma.

The doctor discovered that Arick also suffers from allergies. e now takes medicines every day

to help keep his asthma and allergies under control.

Asthma has become a maor health issue around the world, and a problem for many individuals,

families and economies. The yearly economic cost of asthma is close to twenty billion dollars.

The 1orld ealth 3rgani5ation says asthma rates are increasing worldwide by an average of

fifty percent every ten years. The largest increase has been among children.

The 2lobal Initiative for Asthma, 2I$A, was formed in nineteen ninety-three to raise attentionabout asthma. It also seeks to improve asthma care around the world.

2I$A is a oint effort of the 1orld ealth 3rgani5ation and the $ational eart, )ung and !lood

Institute of America's $ational Institutes of ealth.

In two thousand four, 2I$A released a report called ;The 2lobal !urden of Asthma.; The report

said asthma is a growing problem in both industrial and developing countries.

The report suggests that asthma rates in developing countries increase as they become more

westerni5ed. It estimates that there may be an additional one hundred million people with asthma

by the year twenty twenty-five.

1hile asthma cannot be cured, it can be successfully controlled. This year, 2I$A's 1orld

Asthma "ay campaign was called ;&ou 6an 6ontrol &our Asthma.; The organi5ation launched

the campaign in two thousand seven. Its aim is to show that a large maority of asthma patients

can control the disease with correct treatment.



2I$A says several simple steps can help people control their asthma. People should take their

asthma medicines as directed by their doctor.

%ost people need two kinds of medicines. 3ne is a 4uick-acting =rescue? medicine taken when

needed to stop the signs of asthma. The other is a controller medicine taken every day to prevent

these symptoms.

People should know the causes of their asthma symptoms and try to avoid these triggers. or

e#ample, seek to avoid animal hair, dust, pollen from trees and flowers or cigarette smoke. (ome

people may need to take medicines before they work hard or e#ercise.

Patients should work with their doctors to control the disease. They should go to the doctor for

medical e#aminations even if they are feeling fine. They should make sure they understand how

and when to take their medicines. They also should act 4uickly to treat asthma attacks and know

when to seek medical help.

This year, 2I$A launched a campaign to urge governments and health officials to do more to

improve asthma control. The campaign seeks to reduce asthma hospitali5ation by fifty percent in

five years.

*arlier this year, researchers identified what they hope will be a new tool in the fight against

asthma. They said a new, non-steroidal treatment made from a human protein has proven

successful in greatly decreasing the signs of asthma in mice.

The researchers said the protein, called I2!P0, prevented the development of some

physiological conditions linked to asthma. This includes inflammation and over activity of the

lungs.

The researchers say the protein attacks an important cellular pathway called nuclear factor kappa

!. $k! is responsible for the lung inflammation linked to asthma. The discovery could have a

maor effect on asthma, as well as other respiratory problems related to inflammation, like

rheumatoid arthritis and atherosclerosis.

The results of the study were made public earlier this year at the *ndocrine (ociety's ninety-

second annual meeting in (an "iego, 6alifornia.

This (6I*$6* I$ T* $*1( was written by June (imms, who was also our producer. I'm

aith )apidus.

And I'm !ob "oughty. Archives of our programs are at voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again

ne#t week for (6I*$6* I$ T* $*1( in 83A (pecial *nglish.




www'manythings'orgvoascripts

Osteoporosis 0ncreases ,anger o roken ones


This is (6I*$6* I$ T* $*1(, in 83A (pecial *nglish. I<m aith )apidus.

And I<m !ob "oughty. Today we tell about osteoporosis, a disease that can make bones weak so

they break easily.

A new study shows that binge drinking by teenagers may increase the possibility of osteoporosis

in later life. esearchers in the +nited (tates say drinking a lot of alcohol over a short period

may influence genes involved in bone formation.

!one biologist John 6allaci led a team studying the effects of alcohol on young rats. e teachesand leads a research laboratory at )oyola +niversity<s medical school in the state of Illinois. is

team<s findings appear in =Alcohol and Alcoholism,? a publication of 3#ford +niversity Press.

!inge drinkers swallow large amounts of alcohol over a short period. 3ne definition says binge

drinking happens when a woman has at least four alcoholic drinks in a hurry. or men, binge

drinking can mean five drinks in a short time.


http://www.voanews.com/MediaAssets2/learningenglish/dalet/se-sin-2603-osteoporosis-31aug10.Mp3





America<s (ubstance Abuse and %ental ealth (ervices Administration says binge drinking can

begin when a person is about thirteen years old. It says binge drinking generally worsens in

young adulthood, and slowly decreases after that.

Professor 6allaci<s team studied adolescent laboratory rats to learn the effects of binge drinking

on their genes. The team inected alcohol into the animals. The inections resulted in a blood

alcohol level of 5ero-point-two-eight. In many American states, a person is legally drunk when

the level of alcohol in the blood reaches 5ero-point-5ero-eight.

(ome rats received a daily inection of alcohol for three days. The researchers say the alcohol

affected about three hundred bone-related genes in those rats. The other rats received alcohol

over a similar three-day period, but the inections continued for four consecutive weeks. In these

rats, one hundred eighty genes were affected.

The inections added ribonucleic acid, also known as $A, to the genes of some rats. In the

other rats, the $A in the genes decreased. ibonucleic acid tells the gene how to make proteins,

the substances necessary for bones and other tissues. These changes interfered with the pathway

of molecules responsible for building bones and keeping them strong.

Professor 6allaci says one of the most worrying findings came thirty days after the inections

stopped. At that time, the animals still showed differences in the way their genes were e#pressed.

Thirty days of a rat<s life are about the same as three human years.

Professor 6allaci says it is not necessarily true that what happens to rats< genes will happen to

human genes. !ut he says the findings suggest that young people<s binge drinking could signal

problems in their future.

!ones are living tissue. Tissues continually break down and then replace themselves. owever,

as people get older, more bone breaks down, than gets replaced. The result is that small spaces

inside the bone get larger. The shell of the bones also gets thinner.

The word osteoporosis means porous bones, or bones that are not solid enough. The disease

harms bones by removing calcium and other minerals from tissue. The $ational 3steoporosis

oundation says eight of every ten osteoporosis patients are women. It says the disease is most

common in 6aucasian women over age fifty.

Two years ago, the $ational 3steoporosis oundation suggested that doctors e#tend their list of

persons to watch for osteoporosis. The additions included )atina, African-American, Asian and

other women. The group also called attention to the fact that men can also suffer from

osteoporosis.



!efore people develop osteoporosis, they have a condition called osteopenia. Treatment can

prevent this condition from becoming osteoporosis. "octors can identify osteoporosis and

osteopenia by measuring the mineral density of a person<s bones. In this case, density means the

strength of the bones.

!one mineral density can be measured in a number of ways. "octors use the tests to e#amine the

hip and spine, or backbone. The $ational 3steoporosis oundation says a test called "ual-energy

G-ray absorptiometry, or "GA, is the best test for osteoporosis. "GA uses radiation from #-rays.

The patient does not get much radiation from the process, which lasts only a few minutes.

Another way to measure bone-density is called peripheral bone mineral density testing. It is often

used in the +nited (tates to show people if they are in danger of osteoporosis. A moveable

machine does the test.

%edical testing companies sometimes perform the e#am at an office or other place of business.

The e#am costs less than the "GA. Peripheral testing measures only one part of the body.

+sually that place is the wrist, the heel, or the bones between finger oints.

If the testing device is in good condition, it probably will give satisfactory results. !ut what if the

patient has normal bones in the tested areas, but not in othersF A person could appear normal on

the test. !ut she still might have osteoporosis in her backbone or hips.

!one mineral density in the spine decreases first. A woman<s bone mineral density becomes

about the same in all parts of her body after she is seventy years old. The lower-cost test may not

give complete answers. !ut it can warn that osteoporosis threatens or has started.

The $ational 3steoporosis oundation has advised several steps toward the goal of healthy

bones. Its e#perts say get enough calcium and vitamin ". They say do not smoke or drink too

much alcohol. Talk to your doctor about bone health and a possible bone mineral density test.

The $ational 3steoporosis oundation says people over fifty should get one thousand two

hundred milligrams of calcium every day. It also says this age group should get eight hundred to

one thousand International +nits of 8itamin ". It says 8itamin "-Two and 8itamin "-Three are

both good for bones.

%ilk and milk products contain calcium. (o do fish with soft bones, like salmon, and dark green

leafy vegetables. (ome orange uice, bread and cereals may have calcium added.

(ome people take pills containing calcium. owever, be careful about how much calcium you

take. &ou should not have more than two thousand five hundred milligrams a day. That total

includes calcium from food and all other sources. Too much calcium can cause problems like

kidney stones.



8itamin " absorbs, or takes up, calcium. ish, cereal and milk are rich in 8itamin ". If you

spend at least fifteen minutes a day in the sun without a product to block the sun<s radiation, you

probably get enough 8itamin ".

(everal kinds of drugs treat osteoporosis. America<s %ayo 6linic medical centers say

bisphosphonates are the most popular. osama#, Actonel and !oniva are products of this family

of drugs.

"octors who treat osteoporosis patients say physical e#ercise can help the bones. or active

people, lifting weights or playing tennis, slow running and dancing can be helpful.

(ome people who have not e#ercised worry about the effect of e#ercise on their oints, especially

the knees. They are afraid e#ercise might cause osteoarthritis. In that condition, connective tissue

around the bones wears down. 3ne study in The $etherlands shows that might be possible. The

results linked knee osteoarthritis to high mechanical strain -- activities that are hard on oints.

Another study found that regular physical e#ercise does not harm oints. (cientists from

2ermany and the +nited (tates considered earlier research on the effect of e#ercise on oints.

They did not find a link between normal e#ercise and knee osteoarthritis.

If you are still worried about e#ercise for osteoporosis, try taking a walk. The %ayo 6linic says

walking helps your bones. owever, you have to do it correctly. The %ayo 6linic says hold your

head high. (traighten your back and neck as much as possible. Tighten the chest muscles. As you

move along, let your shoulders and arms move freely and naturally.

1alking raises the levels of chemicals in the brain known as endorphins. They reduce pain and

make you feel happier.

This (6I*$6* I$ T* $*1( was written by Jerilyn 1atson. 3ur producer was June (imms.

I'm !ob "oughty.

And I<m aith )apidus. Join us again ne#t week for more news about science in (pecial *nglish



www'manythings'orgvoamedicalOsteoporosis 0ncreases ,anger o roken ones


This is (6I*$6* I$ T* $*1(, in 83A (pecial *nglish. I<m aith )apidus.







And I<m !ob "oughty. Today we tell about osteoporosis, a disease that can make bones weak so

they break easily.

A new study shows that binge drinking by teenagers may increase the possibility of osteoporosis

in later life. esearchers in the +nited (tates say drinking a lot of alcohol over a short period

may influence genes involved in bone formation.

!one biologist John 6allaci led a team studying the effects of alcohol on young rats. e teaches

and leads a research laboratory at )oyola +niversity<s medical school in the state of Illinois. is

team<s findings appear in =Alcohol and Alcoholism,? a publication of 3#ford +niversity Press.

!inge drinkers swallow large amounts of alcohol over a short period. 3ne definition says binge

drinking happens when a woman has at least four alcoholic drinks in a hurry. or men, binge

drinking can mean five drinks in a short time.

America<s (ubstance Abuse and %ental ealth (ervices Administration says binge drinking can

begin when a person is about thirteen years old. It says binge drinking generally worsens in

young adulthood, and slowly decreases after that.

Professor 6allaci<s team studied adolescent laboratory rats to learn the effects of binge drinking

on their genes. The team inected alcohol into the animals. The inections resulted in a blood

alcohol level of 5ero-point-two-eight. In many American states, a person is legally drunk when

the level of alcohol in the blood reaches 5ero-point-5ero-eight.

(ome rats received a daily inection of alcohol for three days. The researchers say the alcohol

affected about three hundred bone-related genes in those rats. The other rats received alcohol

over a similar three-day period, but the inections continued for four consecutive weeks. In these

rats, one hundred eighty genes were affected.

The inections added ribonucleic acid, also known as $A, to the genes of some rats. In the

other rats, the $A in the genes decreased. ibonucleic acid tells the gene how to make proteins,

the substances necessary for bones and other tissues. These changes interfered with the pathway

of molecules responsible for building bones and keeping them strong.

Professor 6allaci says one of the most worrying findings came thirty days after the inections

stopped. At that time, the animals still showed differences in the way their genes were e#pressed.

Thirty days of a rat<s life are about the same as three human years.

Professor 6allaci says it is not necessarily true that what happens to rats< genes will happen to

human genes. !ut he says the findings suggest that young people<s binge drinking could signal

problems in their future.



!ones are living tissue. Tissues continually break down and then replace themselves. owever,

as people get older, more bone breaks down, than gets replaced. The result is that small spaces

inside the bone get larger. The shell of the bones also gets thinner.

The word osteoporosis means porous bones, or bones that are not solid enough. The disease

harms bones by removing calcium and other minerals from tissue. The $ational 3steoporosis

oundation says eight of every ten osteoporosis patients are women. It says the disease is most

common in 6aucasian women over age fifty.

Two years ago, the $ational 3steoporosis oundation suggested that doctors e#tend their list of

persons to watch for osteoporosis. The additions included )atina, African-American, Asian and

other women. The group also called attention to the fact that men can also suffer from

osteoporosis.

!efore people develop osteoporosis, they have a condition called osteopenia. Treatment can

prevent this condition from becoming osteoporosis. "octors can identify osteoporosis and

osteopenia by measuring the mineral density of a person<s bones. In this case, density means the

strength of the bones.

!one mineral density can be measured in a number of ways. "octors use the tests to e#amine the

hip and spine, or backbone. The $ational 3steoporosis oundation says a test called "ual-energy

G-ray absorptiometry, or "GA, is the best test for osteoporosis. "GA uses radiation from #-rays.

The patient does not get much radiation from the process, which lasts only a few minutes.

Another way to measure bone-density is called peripheral bone mineral density testing. It is often

used in the +nited (tates to show people if they are in danger of osteoporosis. A moveable

machine does the test.

%edical testing companies sometimes perform the e#am at an office or other place of business.

The e#am costs less than the "GA. Peripheral testing measures only one part of the body.

+sually that place is the wrist, the heel, or the bones between finger oints.

If the testing device is in good condition, it probably will give satisfactory results. !ut what if the

patient has normal bones in the tested areas, but not in othersF A person could appear normal on

the test. !ut she still might have osteoporosis in her backbone or hips.

!one mineral density in the spine decreases first. A woman<s bone mineral density becomes

about the same in all parts of her body after she is seventy years old. The lower-cost test may not

give complete answers. !ut it can warn that osteoporosis threatens or has started.



The $ational 3steoporosis oundation has advised several steps toward the goal of healthy

bones. Its e#perts say get enough calcium and vitamin ". They say do not smoke or drink too

much alcohol. Talk to your doctor about bone health and a possible bone mineral density test.

The $ational 3steoporosis oundation says people over fifty should get one thousand two

hundred milligrams of calcium every day. It also says this age group should get eight hundred to

one thousand International +nits of 8itamin ". It says 8itamin "-Two and 8itamin "-Three are

both good for bones.

%ilk and milk products contain calcium. (o do fish with soft bones, like salmon, and dark green

leafy vegetables. (ome orange uice, bread and cereals may have calcium added.

(ome people take pills containing calcium. owever, be careful about how much calcium you

take. &ou should not have more than two thousand five hundred milligrams a day. That total

includes calcium from food and all other sources. Too much calcium can cause problems like

kidney stones.

8itamin " absorbs, or takes up, calcium. ish, cereal and milk are rich in 8itamin ". If you

spend at least fifteen minutes a day in the sun without a product to block the sun<s radiation, you

probably get enough 8itamin ".

(everal kinds of drugs treat osteoporosis. America<s %ayo 6linic medical centers say

bisphosphonates are the most popular. osama#, Actonel and !oniva are products of this family

of drugs.

"octors who treat osteoporosis patients say physical e#ercise can help the bones. or active

people, lifting weights or playing tennis, slow running and dancing can be helpful.

(ome people who have not e#ercised worry about the effect of e#ercise on their oints, especially

the knees. They are afraid e#ercise might cause osteoarthritis. In that condition, connective tissue

around the bones wears down. 3ne study in The $etherlands shows that might be possible. The

results linked knee osteoarthritis to high mechanical strain -- activities that are hard on oints.

Another study found that regular physical e#ercise does not harm oints. (cientists from

2ermany and the +nited (tates considered earlier research on the effect of e#ercise on oints.

They did not find a link between normal e#ercise and knee osteoarthritis.

If you are still worried about e#ercise for osteoporosis, try taking a walk. The %ayo 6linic says

walking helps your bones. owever, you have to do it correctly. The %ayo 6linic says hold your

head high. (traighten your back and neck as much as possible. Tighten the chest muscles. As you

move along, let your shoulders and arms move freely and naturally.



1alking raises the levels of chemicals in the brain known as endorphins. They reduce pain and

make you feel happier.

This (6I*$6* I$ T* $*1( was written by Jerilyn 1atson. 3ur producer was June (imms.

I'm !ob "oughty.

And I<m aith )apidus. Join us again ne#t week for more news about science in (pecial *nglish




"utoimmune ,iseases8 7hen the ody Starts "ttacking 0tsel

,ownload MP3 (Right-click or option-click the link'

This is (6I*$6* I$ T* $*1(, in 83A (pecial *nglish. I<m !ob "oughty.


http://www.voanews.com/MediaAssets2/learningenglish/dalet/se-sin-2592-autoimmune%20diseases-15jun10.Mp3


http://www.voanews.com/MediaAssets2/learningenglish/dalet/se-sin-2592-autoimmune%20diseases-15jun10.Mp3



And I<m !arbara 7lein. This week, we talk about a sickness called lupus and other autoimmune

diseases. Autoimmune diseases affect the immune system, the body<s natural defenses for

fighting disease.

The immune system normally protects the body against foreign materials, such as viruses and

bacteria. Autoimmune diseases result from a failure of the body<s own defenses against disease.

The immune system loses its ability to tell the difference between foreign materials and its own

cells. (o the body starts attacking its own organs and tissues.

There are three kinds of lupus. "iscoid lupus affects only the skin and can be identified by red

marks on the face or neck. These marks on the skin can also be a sign of another form of lupus

called systemic lupus. (ystemic lupus can affect almost any organ or organ system in the body.

1hen people talk about lupus, they usually mean the systemic form of the disease.

(ome medicines can cause what is called drug-induced lupus. This form of lupus usually goes

away when the patient stops using the medicines.

igh body temperature and pain in the elbows or knees are often signs of lupus. 3ther signs are

red marks on the skin and lack of iron in the body. The person may also feel e#tremely tired.

At different times, the effects of lupus can be either mild or serious. The signs of the disease can

come and go. This makes identifying the disease difficult. There is no single test to tell if

someone has lupus. %any people with lupus also suffer from depression.

)upus can lead to other health problems. 1omen with lupus are at greater risk of developing

heart disease. And, between thirty and fifty percent of lupus patients will develop lupus-related

kidney disease.

)upus affects an estimated one million five hundred thousand people in the +nited (tates.

*#perts are not sure what causes lupus. !ut the disease has been known to attack members of the

same family.

The singer )ady 2aga announced earlier this month that she was tested for lupus. (he told 6$$

television that the disease is genetic, and has affected members of her family. 3ne of them is

thought to have died from lupus. The singer said the testing shows that she is, in her words,

borderline positive for the disease.

(cientists have identified genes they believe are linked to lupus. They hope studying these genes

more closely could help in development of new treatments for the disease, and possibly a cure.

ecent studies also support a theory that a combination of genes is linked to the development of

lupus.



3ther suspected causes include antibiotic drugs, mental or physical tension, infections and

hormones. In fact, hormones might e#plain why lupus affects women more often than men. The

)upus oundation of America says more than ninety percent of the people with lupus are

women. (cientists do not know why women are more at risk. They think it might involve female

hormones, like estrogen. Another idea is that it could involve the foreign cells left in a woman<s

body after a pregnancy.

There is currently no cure for lupus. &et doctors have developed ways of treating the disease.

Treatments are based on the condition and needs of each patient. $o two individuals have the

e#act same problems. A treatment could include a combination of stress-reduction methods and

drugs like painkillers and steroids. Anti-malaria drugs have been effective. esearch has also

suggested that supervised e#ercise training can improve the 4uality of life for lupus patients.

It has been about forty years since the +nited (tates ood and "rug Administration approved a

drug especially for treating lupus. (everal companies are working to make drugs that can help

lupus patients. 2roups like the )upus oundation of America are working to increase public

understanding of the disease.

)upus can be life-threatening if left untreated. &et, many patients can lead a normal and healthy

life if they follow their doctor<s advice. Patients must take their medicines and keep looking for

side effects or new signs of the disease.

)upus is not the only autoimmune disease. "octors and scientists have identified at least eighty

other diseases in which the body attacks its own organs and cells. (ome of the diseases attack

ust one area of the body, like the skin, eyes or muscles. 3thers affect an organ system or eventhe whole body.

(ome of the diseases are well known, such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and type-

one diabetes. 3thers are not as well known.

or e#ample, celiac disease is difficult to identify because the signs of the disease are so

common. Patients may have low iron levels and e#perience stomach pain. The uncontrolled

release of bodily wastes is also a problem.

"octors might treat those problems and not know they are caused by celiac disease. (ome peopledevelop celiac disease after eating gluten, a protein found in wheat products. It is not always

clear that eating something as harmless as wheat can be bad for a person<s health. or some

patients, it can be years before the problem is correctly identified.

The +nited (tates $ational Institutes of ealth says autoimmune diseases affect an estimated

five to eight percent of the country<s population. 3ther groups disagree. or e#ample, the



American Autoimmune elated "isease Association says autoimmune diseases affect about fifty

million Americans. That represents about one-si#th of the population.

The physical, emotional and financial cost of autoimmune diseases is huge. %ost of those

affected are women. 1hile people of all ages are affected, women who are old enough to have

children are especially at risk.

(ome autoimmune diseases like lupus and scleroderma are more common among African-

Americans. "iseases like multiple sclerosis and type one diabetes are more common among

whites. "octors do not yet know why this is true.

$ew drugs are being tested to help treat autoimmune diseases. (ome drugs can be a problem

because they suppress the immune system. This means the body is less able to defend itself

against infections.

$ewer drugs attempt to suppress only one small part of the immune system, not all of it. or

e#ample, drugs like *nbrel and emicade block tumor necrosis factor. This is a protein that

causes inflammation, a physical reaction to infection, inury or other causes. These drugs have

been useful in treating diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and 6rohn<s disease. owever,

the drugs are costly. And, some have been found to increase the risk of cancer.

(cientists continue searching for other methods of treatment. or e#ample, some scientists hope

to use stem cells to replace tissues damaged by disease. (tem cells have the ability to grow other

cells, such as heart, nerve or brain cells.

%edical e#perts also are working together to improve the way autoimmune diseases are

identified and treated. )ess than ten years ago, the Johns opkins Autoimmune "isease esearch

6enter was established in %aryland. The center seeks to bring together e#perts to improve the

study of autoimmune diseases.

Private groups show how important it is for scientists to share information about such diseases.

!ecause each disease often affects different organs, many e#perts might be needed to treat the

disorder. *#perts need to know about the most recent research and technology. !y sharing

information about their patients, doctors also can learn from other cases.

2overnment agencies are also working to increase knowledge about autoimmune diseases. In the

+nited (tates, the $ational Institutes of ealth created an autoimmune disease research plan in

two thousand two. The plan urges agencies from different areas to work together.

!oth private and government organi5ations are working to increase understanding of such

diseases. This can help individuals better understand what to do should they develop a health



problem. At the same time, researchers continue working to help patients have a better 4uality of

life.

This (6I*$6* I$ T* $*1( program written and produced by !rianna !lake. I<m !ob

"oughty.

And I<m !arbara 7lein. Join us again ne#t week for more news about science in (pecial *nglish








9inding 4ew 7ays to $reat Rheumatoid "rthritis



heumatoid arthritis is a painful disease that can destroy oints. 1omen are three times more

likely to get it than men.

heumatoid arthritis is considered an autoimmune disease, a disease where the body attacks

healthy cells. The e#act cause is unknown. !ut in a recent study, an e#perimental drug showed

signs of halting the disorder in laboratory mice.

arris Perlman is a medical researcher at $orthwestern +niversity in Illinois. e says normally a

protein in healthy immune cells causes the cells to die after they attack an invading virus or

bacteria. !ut in rheumatoid arthritis, that protein is missing in some immune cells. Instead, the

protein builds up in the oints and attacks cartilage and bone.

Professor Perlman developed what he calls a suicide molecule. It acts like the protein that directscells to self-destruct. e says the suicide molecule halted and even reduced rheumatoid arthritis

in seventy-five percent of the mice in the study. e believes the treatment could also work in

people.

6urrent treatments for rheumatoid arthritis can reduce pain, but they do not work for everyone.

They also have side effects such as an increased risk of infection. arris Perlman says the new

treatment produced no maor side effects in the mice.

The study appeared earlier this year in the ournal Arthritis and heumatism.

Arthritis is not a single disease. The %edlinePlus %edical *ncyclopedia, a +nited (tates

government website, says there are more than one hundred different kinds.

Arthritis produces pain, swelling and limited movement in one or more oints. It involves the

breakdown of cartilage. Joints need cartilage for smooth movement and to absorb shock when

you put pressure on a oint.

http://www.voanews.com/MediaAssets2/learningenglish/dalet/se-hea-arthritis-19may10.Mp3

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Arthritis can be caused by inury, infection, an autoimmune disease or ust long-term use. (ome

forms are curable, others are not. (ome autoimmune forms of arthritis, if not treated, may cause

oints to become deformed.

The most common form of arthritis, osteoarthritis, is more likely to affect older people. It most

commonly affects the hips, knees or fingers. 3verweight people have a higher risk of

osteoarthritis. 3ther risk factors are repeatedly putting stress on a oint or having an earlier

inury.

A physical therapist can design an individuali5ed e#ercise program to reduce arthritis pain and

support healthy oints. 2etting plenty of sleep, reducing stress and eating a diet high in vitamins

and minerals can also help.

And that's the 83A (pecial *nglish ealth eport. I'm !ob "oughty.







Study 9inds ,rop in ,eaths o Mothers in ,eveloping 7orld



A new study says fewer women in developing nations are dying of pregnancy-related causes.

esearchers estimated how many mothers died during or soon after childbirth in one hundred

eighty-one countries. They found a drop of more than thirty-five percent worldwide in the past

thirty years.

!y their count, the number fell from more than a half-million in nineteen eighty to about three

hundred forty-three thousand in two thousand eight. That year, about two hundred fifty mothers

died for every one hundred thousand live births worldwide.

The researchers say the maternal death rate has been falling almost one and a half percent a year

since nineteen ninety. *arlier reports suggested little change between nineteen eighty and

nineteen ninety, but the new study disputes that.

The researchers used government records, medical records, surveys and other information. They

developed new methods to get what they say are the best estimates yet for almost every country.

They say the progress is a result of greater efforts to reduce maternal deaths.

6hristopher %urray at the +niversity of 1ashington's Institute for ealth %etrics and *valuation

in (eattle led the study. e says more education of women in developing countries has helped

lower maternal death rates. %ore of them are giving birth in hospitals.

"octor %urray says lower fertility rates around the world, combined with higher earnings, are

also reducing deaths.

The nations found to have the biggest reductions were *gypt, *cuador and !olivia. The

researchers say 6hina also had a sharp drop.

!ut since nineteen ninety maternal death rates have risen in some countries. Himbabwe, for

e#ample, had a five and one-half percent increase per year. Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, $igeria,

the "emocratic epublic of 6ongo and *thiopia also had increases.

http://www.voanews.com/MediaAssets2/learningenglish/dalet/se-hea-maternal-death-rates-14apr10.Mp3

http://www.voanews.com/MediaAssets2/learningenglish/dalet/se-hea-maternal-death-rates-14apr10.Mp3



.I.8. has slowed the progress in reducing maternal deaths. The study linked almost one in every

five such deaths in two thousand eight to the virus that causes AI"(.

The researchers say maternal deaths rates have also increased in some wealthy countries. They

found the number in the +nited (tates rose almost forty-two percent since nineteen ninety.

6ountries such as 6anada and $orway also had increases. "octor %urray says at least part of the

increase is likely the result of better record keeping.

The study also included the +niversity of ueensland in Australia. The report is in the )ancet.

And that's the 83A (pecial *nglish ealth eport. I<m (teve *mber.







$he "rgument Over Salt and Health



)ast month we reported about a study that showed eating even a little less salt could greatly help

the heart. The study was published in the $ew *ngland Journal of %edicine. The scientists used

a computer model to predict how ust three grams less salt a day would affect heart disease in the

+nited (tates.

The scientists said the results would be thirteen percent fewer heart attacks, eight percent fewer

strokes, four percent fewer deaths and eleven percent fewer new cases of heart disease. And two

hundred forty billion dollars in health care savings. esearchers said it could prevent one

hundred thousand heart attacks and ninety-two thousand deaths every year.

The researchers were from the +niversity of 6alifornia, (an rancisco, (tanford +niversity and

6olumbia +niversity.

They and public health professionals in the +nited (tates are interested in a national campaign to

persuade people to eat less salt. (uch campaigns are already in place in !ritain, Japan and

inland.

owever, some scientists say such a campaign is an e#periment with the health of millions of

people.

%ichael Alderman is among the critics. e is a high blood pressure e#pert and professor at

Albert *instein 6ollege of %edicine in $ew &ork. "octor Alderman says that eating less salt

results in lower blood pressure. !ut he says studies have not clearly shown that lowering salt

means fewer heart attacks or strokes.

And he says salt has other biological effects. e says calling for reductions in the national dietcould have good effects, but it could also have harmful results. e says there is not enough

evidence either way.

Another critic is "avid %c6arron, a nutrition and kidney disease e#pert at the +niversity of

6alifornia, "avis. e and his team looked at large studies of diets in thirty-three countries. They

http://www.voanews.com/MediaAssets2/learningenglish/dalet/se-hea-salt-rev-3mar10.Mp3

http://www.voanews.com/MediaAssets2/learningenglish/dalet/se-hea-salt-rev-3mar10.Mp3



found that most people around the world eat about the same amount of salt. %ost of them eat

more salt than American health officials advise.

"octor %c6arron says the worldwide similarity suggests that a person's brain might decide how

much salt to eat.

!oth "octor %c6arron and "octor Alderman have connections to the (alt Institute, a trade

group for the salt industry. "octor Alderman is a member of an advisory committee. !ut he says

he receives no money from the group. "octor %c6arron is paid for offering scientific advice to

the (alt Institute.

And that's the 83A (pecial *nglish ealth eport, written by 6aty 1eaver. I'm (hirley 2riffith.







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