Hypertension Drugs Found to Cut Risk of Stroke

    Australian doctors declared Monday that a cocktail of simple antihypertensive drugs can lower the risk of patients suffering a repeat stroke by more than a third. This is the result of their research. The research, presented at a medical conference in Italyover the weekend, has been valued highly as a major breakthrough in stroke prevention.

    Strokes kill 5 million people a year, and more than 15 million suffer nbn-fatal strokes that often leave them with useless limbs , slurred speech and other serious disabilities. One in five stroke survivors goes on to have a second, often fatal, stroke within five years of the first.

    An international six-year study of 6，100 patients directed from Sydney University found that by taking two blood pressure-lowering drugs,the risk of secondary strokes can be reduced by up to 40 per cent. Even taking one of the commonly available drugs can cut the risk by a third，the study said. The drugs are the diuretic indapamide and the ACE inhibitor¹ perindopril, better known by its brand name Coversyl. The combination was effective even in patients who did not have high blood pressure，the researchers said. They even found that the risk of another stroke could be cut by three quarters among the one-in-ten patients who had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, the worst type of stroke, where there is direct bleeding into the brain.

    Stephen McMahon, who presented the research at theMilancongress of the European Society of Hypertension, said about 50 million people were alive who had suffered at least one stroke. "If most of those patients were able to get access to² this treatment, it would result in³ maybe the avoidance of half a million strokes a year，” the professor told Australia"s ABC Radio.

    McMahon said doctors had long known that lowering the blood pressure of those with hypertension could help prevent strokes. "What we have shown for the first time is that it does not really matter what your blood pressure is⁴ ； if you have had a stroke，then lowering blood pressure will produce large benefits, to begin with⁵— even for people whose blood pressure is average or below average，” he said.

    McMahon said the Milan gathering had heralded the research as a “ major breakthrough in the care of patients with strokes 一 perhaps the biggest step forward that we have made in the last couple of decades".

 

词汇：

hypertension /ˌhaɪpəˈtenʃn/ n.高血压

cocktail /"kɒkteɪl/ n.鸡尾酒（一种各种成分混合的饮料）；混合剂，合剂

antihypertensive / "ænti:hɑɪpə"tensɪv/ adj. .抗高血压的；抗高血压药

slur  /slɜ:(r) / vt.  (使）含糊不清 

diuretic / ˌdaɪjuˈretɪk/ adj. 禾尿的；利尿剂

indapamide /ɪndəpə"maɪd/ n. 吲达帕胺，茚磺苯酰胺(抗高血压药，利尿药）

inhibitor /ɪnˈhɪbɪtə(r)/ n.抑制剂，抑制物

perindopril .呱哚普利

cerebral / ˈserəbrəl, səˈri:-/ adj. 大脑的

h (a) emorrhage  /ˈhemərɪdʒ/ n.  出血

bleeding  /ˈbli:dɪŋ/ v.出血，放血

avoidance /əˈvɔɪdəns/ n.  避免，逃避

herald  /ˈherəld/ v.宣布；预示……的来临

 

注释：

1.ACE (angiotension converting enzyme) inhibitor:血管紧张肽转化酶抑制剂

2.get/have access to:有机会，有权利,有办法。例如:You can get easy access to him.你可以很容易见到他。Students must have access to good books.学生们必须有机会读到好书。

3.result in：(原因）导致（……结果）请注意另一短语result from,其因果关系正相反：（结果）是由……原因所造成的。 例如:His negligence resulted in the accident.他的疏<忽导致了这个事故。Sickness often results from eating too much.疾病常常是因饮食过度造成的。

4.What we have shown for the first time is that it does not really matter what your blood pressure is...：我们第一次所证明的是，你的血压高低并不太重要……在本句中What.. .time是主语从句，that... is是表语从句。在表语从句中it是形式主语， what... is是主语从句。在这里matter是不及物动词,等于be of importance,即“关系重大”。 例如:It doesn"t matter what you do or where you go.你做什么事或到什么地方去，这都无关紧要。

5.to begin with ：首先（作插入语)，例如:He is very diligent, to begin with.首先，他很勤奋。

What patients among those who have had a stroke will benefit greatly from taking blood pressure-lowering drugs?

A:Those whose blood pressure is high B:Those whose blood pressure is average C:Those whose blood pressure is below average D:All of the above

The ability of micro-organisms to find ways to evade the action of the drugs used to cure the infections they cause is increasingly recognized as a global public health issue. Some bacteria have developed mechanisms which make them resistant to many of the antibiotics normally used for their treatment (multi-drug resistant bacteria), so pose particular difficulties, as there may be few or no alternative options for therapy. They constitute a growing and global public health problem. WHO suggests that countries should be prepared to implement hospital infection control measures to limit the spread of multi-drug resistant strains and to reinforce national policy on prudent use of antibiotics, reducing the generation of antibiotic resistant bacteria~
An article punished in The Lancet Infectious Diseases on 11 August 2010 identified a new gene that enables some types of bacteria to be highly resistant to almost all antibiotics. The article "has drawn attention to the issue of AMR (antimicrobial resistance) and, in particular, has raised awareness of infections caused by multi-drug resistant bacteria.
While multi-drug resistant bacteria are not new and will continue to appear, this development requires monitoring and further study to understand the extent and modes of transmission, and to define the most effective measures for control.
Those called upon to be alert to the problem of antimicrobial resistance and take appropriate action include consumers, managers of hospitals, patients, as well as national governments, the pharmaceutical industry, and international agencies.
WHO strongly recommends that governments focus control and prevention efforts in the following areas like surveillance for antimicrobial resistance; rational antibiotic use, including , education of healthcare workers and the public in the appropriate use of antibiotics; introducing or enforcing legislation related to stopping the selling of antibiotics without prescription; and strict adherence to infection prevention and control measures, including the use of hand-washing measures, particularly in healthcare facilities.
Successful control of multidrug-resistant microorganisms has been documented in many countries, and the existing and well-known infection prevention and control measures can effectively reduce transmission of multi-drug resistant organisms if systematically implemented.
WHO will continue to support countries to develop relevant policies, and to coordinate international efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance. Antimicrobial resistance will be the theme of WHO’s World Health Day 2011.
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage to take cautious and proper action about the AMR

A:Those who use antibiotics. B:Those who sell antibiotics. C:Those who produce antibiotics. D:Those who study in universities.

Who will easily take every little strife as negative stress?

A:Those who are in good moods, B:Those who suffer from the flu. C:Those who are successful. D:Those who feel refreshed at every new turn.

? ?Religious beliefs are not always a source of comfort during iii health: they may actually increase your risk of dying.
? ?A study of nearly 600 older hospital patients, 95 percent of whom were Christian, showed negative feelings evoked by religious beliefs sometimes predicted mortality.
? ?Key factors that increased the risk of death were feelings of being "abandoned or punished" by God, "believing the devil caused the illness", or "feeling abandoned by one’s faith community", the study by researchers at Duke University Medical Centre and Bowling Green State University showed.
? ?"The study reminds us that religion... can, at times, be a source of problems in it self, "says lead author Kenneth Pargament.
? ?Several studies have demonstrated a reduced risk of death among those who attend church regularly, but the new research, published in today’s Archives of Internal Medicine, is the first to examine negative aspects of religiousness.
? ?Patients who reported feeling alienated from God or who blamed the devil had a 19 to 28 percent increased risk of dying during the following two years, say the researchers, who found no association between gender, race, diagnosis, brain function, independence, depression, or quality of life with mortality.
? ?Duke University’s Dr Harold Koenig said anger and frustration were normal grief responses when people discovered health problems. Those who were religious and were able to reconnect with God and their spiritual feeling could use those resources for support. But those who continued to experience conflict could be making their health worse.
? ?"Those people are in trouble and doctors need to know about it," he said. "Doctors need to be assessing their patients for these kinds of feelings." Referral to clergy may then be helpful.
? ?He said more than two-thirds of medical schools in the United States had courses that trained students on how to take a patient’s spiritual history, a trend that recognized the growing body of evidence about the mind-body connection.

Which of the following people with religious beliefs will most probably recover from health problem?

A:Those who give up their religious beliefs. B:Those who blame the devil bravely. C:Those who could communicate with God. D:Those who go to church regularly.

Direction: There are 20 blanks in the following passage. For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the ONE answer that best fits into the passage. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre. Dogs are often 21 man’s best friend. For those who are blind, a dog is 22 than a friendly company. A dog is a pair of sharp eyes. A 23 dog guide gives blind people the 24 to move through the world safely and freely. A dog guide is also a best friend. 25 a working team of a dog and a person is not easy. There are no factories making thousands of dog guides a day. There are however, schools all 26 the country that train both blind people and the dogs they depend upon. The process of education is long for both the dog its human partner. A dog begins schooling as puppy. Around age of 8 weeks, the puppy is placed with a faster family. There it 27 training and gets used to 28 around people. When a dog is about a year old, it goes off to school for a series of tests. These tests help the school 29 whether the dog is likely to make a good guide. Dogs that fail the tests are placed in permanent homes. 30 that pass the tests go into a training 31 . For the next four-to-six months, the dog learns everything 32 needs to become a dog 33 . The dog learns to stay focused. It learns to ignore food, smell, and other animals. It learns to remain 34 by such noises such 35 shouting or music from a passing ear radio. It learns to 36 commands like" right", "left" or" forward". The dog learns to stop before every curb and stairway and to 37 moving objects. In short, good dog guides learn to keep their 38 safe while they go about the everyday actions of life. A dog that 39 completed training will be 40 a master.

A:They B:These C:Who D:Those

Dogs are often【C1】______man’s best friend. For those who are blind, a dog is【C2】______than a friendly company. A dog is a pair of sharp eyes. A【C3】______dog guide gives blind people the【C4】______to move through the world safely and freely. A dog guide is also a best friend. 【C5】______a working team of a dog and a person is not easy. There are no factories making thousands of dog guides a day. There are however, schools all【C6】______the country that train both blind people and the dogs they depend upon. The process of education is long for both the dog and its human partner. A dog begins schooling as puppy. Around age of 8 weeks, the puppy is placed with a faster family. There it【C7】______training and gets used to【C8】______around people. When a dog is about a year old, it goes off to school for a series of tests. These tests help the school【C9】______whether the dog is likely to make a good guide. Dogs that fail the tests are placed in permanent homes. 【C10】______that pass the tests go into a training【C11】______ For the next four-to-six months, the dog learns everything【C12】______needs to become a dog 【C13】______The dog learns to stay focused. It learns to ignore food, smell and other animals. It learns to remain【C14】______by such noises such【C15】______shouting or music from a passing car radio. It learns to【C16】______commands like "right", " left" or " forward ". The dog learns to stop before every curb and stairway and to【C17】______moving objects. In short, good dog guides learn to keep their【C18】______safe while they go about the everyday actions of life. A dog that【C19】______completed training will be【C20】______a master.【C10】

A:They B:These C:Who D:Those

Dogs are often【C1】______man’s best friend. For those who are blind, a dog is【C2】______than a friendly company. A dog is a pair of sharp eyes. A【C3】______dog guide gives blind people the【C4】______to move through the world safely and freely. A dog guide is also a best friend. 【C5】______a working team of a dog and a person is not easy. There are no factories making thousands of dog guides a day. There are however, schools all【C6】______the country that train both blind people and the dogs they depend upon. The process of education is long for both the dog and its human partner. A dog begins schooling as puppy. Around age of 8 weeks, the puppy is placed with a faster family. There it【C7】______training and gets used to【C8】______around people. When a dog is about a year old, it goes off to school for a series of tests. These tests help the school【C9】______whether the dog is likely to make a good guide. Dogs that fail the tests are placed in permanent homes. 【C10】______that pass the tests go into a training【C11】______ For the next four-to-six months, the dog learns everything【C12】______needs to become a dog 【C13】______The dog learns to stay focused. It learns to ignore food, smell and other animals. It learns to remain【C14】______by such noises such【C15】______shouting or music from a passing car radio. It learns to【C16】______commands like "right", " left" or " forward ". The dog learns to stop before every curb and stairway and to【C17】______moving objects. In short, good dog guides learn to keep their【C18】______safe while they go about the everyday actions of life. A dog that【C19】______completed training will be【C20】______a master.【C10】

A:They B:These C:Who D:Those

Dogs are often【C1】______man’s best friend. For those who are blind, a dog is【C2】______than a friendly company. A dog is a pair of sharp eyes. A【C3】______dog guide gives blind people the【C4】______to move through the world safely and freely. A dog guide is also a best friend. 【C5】______a working team of a dog and a person is not easy. There are no factories making thousands of dog guides a day. There are however, schools all【C6】______the country that train both blind people and the dogs they depend upon. The process of education is long for both the dog and its human partner. A dog begins schooling as puppy. Around age of 8 weeks, the puppy is placed with a faster family. There it【C7】______training and gets used to【C8】______around people. When a dog is about a year old, it goes off to school for a series of tests. These tests help the school【C9】______whether the dog is likely to make a good guide. Dogs that fail the tests are placed in permanent homes. 【C10】______that pass the tests go into a training【C11】______ For the next four-to-six months, the dog learns everything【C12】______needs to become a dog 【C13】______The dog learns to stay focused. It learns to ignore food, smell and other animals. It learns to remain【C14】______by such noises such【C15】______shouting or music from a passing car radio. It learns to【C16】______commands like "right", " left" or " forward ". The dog learns to stop before every curb and stairway and to【C17】______moving objects. In short, good dog guides learn to keep their【C18】______safe while they go about the everyday actions of life. A dog that【C19】______completed training will be【C20】______a master.【C10】

A:They B:These C:Who D:Those