VOA慢速英语20060927a

HEALTH REPORT - New Studies Aim to Expand Knowledge of AutismBy Caty Weaver¹

Broadcast: Wednesday, September 27, 2006

This is the VOA Special English Health Report.


A young child with autism

Scientists are trying to better understand autism. The National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland, recently announced the start of three major studies of autism.

Autistic children experience delays in the development of social and communication skills. They may also show limited interests and repeat the same actions over and over.

Autism generally appears by the age of three. It is part of a larger group of disorders³, often called autism spectrum⁴ disorders. Others include Asperger's syndrome⁵ and pervasive⁶ developmental disorder².

One of the three new studies will define differences in autistic children with different developmental histories. Another will measure the effectiveness of an antibiotic⁷ medicine as a treatment for one kind of autism. And the third study will examine if chelation treatment is effective against autism.

Chelation removes heavy metals from the blood; for example, in cases of lead poisoning. But many parents seek this treatment for autistic children. They believe that many cases of autism were caused by vaccines⁸ that contained thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative⁹. That theory is debated.

Institute officials note that chelation does not target mercury alone. It can also remove minerals that the body needs, such as calcium¹⁰, iron and zinc¹¹.

Researchers will do a controlled study to test the effectiveness and safety of chelation for children with autism spectrum disorders.

Institute officials say these disorders are currently reported to affect as many as six out of every one thousand children.

In an unrelated study, scientists have reported that a man's age could affect the chances that his children will develop autism. The study found that men age forty and older had autistic children almost six times as often as fathers under the age of thirty.

Men in their thirties were about one and one-half times more likely to father an autistic child as dads in their twenties and teen years.

The study, in children born in Israel in the nineteen eighties, found no link between autism and older mothers. The findings appeared in the Archives of General Psychiatry¹².

And that's the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver. Internet users can learn more about health issues and download archives of our reports at www.unsv.com. I'm Steve Ember.

1 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

2 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

3 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

5 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。

6 pervasive   

adj.普遍的；遍布的，(到处)弥漫的；渗透性的

参考例句：

• It is the most pervasive compound on earth.它是地球上最普遍的化合物。
• The adverse health effects of car exhaust are pervasive and difficult to measure.汽车尾气对人类健康所构成的有害影响是普遍的，并且难以估算。

7 antibiotic   

adj.抗菌的；n.抗生素

参考例句：

• The doctor said that I should take some antibiotic.医生说我应该服些用抗生素。
• Antibiotic can be used against infection.抗菌素可以用来防止感染。

8 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

9 preservative   

n.防腐剂；防腐料；保护料；预防药

参考例句：

• New timber should be treated with a preservative.新采的圆木应进行防腐处理。
• Salt is a common food preservative.盐是一种常用的食物防腐剂。

10 calcium   

n.钙(化学符号Ca)

参考例句：

• We need calcium to make bones.我们需要钙来壮骨。
• Calcium is found most abundantly in milk.奶含钙最丰富。

11 zinc   

n.锌；vt.在...上镀锌

参考例句：

• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。
• Zinc is used to protect other metals from corrosion.锌被用来保护其他金属不受腐蚀。

12 psychiatry   

n.精神病学，精神病疗法

参考例句：

• The study appeared in the Amercian science Journal of Psychiatry.这个研究发表在美国精神病学的杂志上。
• A physician is someone who specializes in psychiatry.精神病专家是专门从事精神病治疗的人。