VOA常速英语2007年-Anti-Cholesterol Drugs May Help Cut Risk of Alz

By Melinda Smith
Washington
07 November 2007
 

Cholesterol¹ reducing drugs are some of the most common medications prescribed around the world. They are highly beneficial in reducing heart disease. Now they are gaining new respect as a drug that may delay or prevent the onset² of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. VOA's Melinda Smith has more on this latest development.

The numbers are astounding³ and they are growing. Researchers from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health estimate that more than 26 million people worldwide are now living with Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia. The disease is expected to quadruple by the year 2050.

A diagnosis⁴ in a living patient is subjective⁵, since Alzheimer's is not confirmed until an autopsy⁶ is conducted after death. At present there is no cure.

The search for a miracle drug is ongoing⁷. One class of drugs that seems to be generating interest is the statin.

 

While the beneficial effects of statins on brains of Alzheimer's patients have been studied in the laboratory, the latest involves research on 110 men and women in Seattle, Washington who donated their brain tissue for this project.

Dr. Eric Larson of the Harborview Medical Center in Seattle is a leader of the study.

"Statin drugs have many different effects," he explains. "Those effects can affect blood vessels⁸, they can affect certain proteins that are generated in the brain, and the theory was that if you lower the vascular⁹ risk profile, that might lead to the prevention of dementia and Alzheimer's disease."

Dr. Larson and his colleagues think the statins may help inhibit¹⁰ the growth of the protein called tau, as well as a complicated web of plaques¹¹ and tangles¹² that restrict blood flow inside an Alzheimer victim's brain.

There are several types of statins and each one differs chemically from one another. Pathologist Tom Montine says the next leg of the study will focus on which statin drug is more effective in the brain.

"There are some statins that will cross into the brain, and there are other statins that don't. And if you suspect that they might be contributing a therapeutic¹³ effect, by a direct effect on brain, then you would predict that those that cross into brain would be more effective than those that don't," he says.

The University of Washington researchers believe that lifestyle factors also play a crucial role in the delay or prevention of Alzheimer's disease. Exercising the brain and body, they say, may help reduce the risk by as much as 30 to 40 percent.

Meanwhile, the Alzheimer's Foundation of America is also advocating mental agility¹⁴ screening as part of a routine physical exam.

By taking some preventive measures now, patients just might buy time until more is known about the statins and other drugs -- or until a cure is found.

Note: November is Alzheimer's Awareness¹⁵ Month in the U.S.

1 cholesterol   

n.（U）胆固醇

参考例句：

• There is cholesterol in the cell of body.人体细胞里有胆固醇。
• They are determining the serum-protein and cholesterol levels.他们正在测定血清蛋白和胆固醇的浓度。

2 onset   

n.进攻，袭击，开始，突然开始

参考例句：

• The drug must be taken from the onset of the infection.这种药必须在感染的最初期就开始服用。
• Our troops withstood the onset of the enemy.我们的部队抵挡住了敌人的进攻。

3 astounding   

adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊，使大吃一惊astound的现在分词)

参考例句：

• There was an astounding 20% increase in sales. 销售量惊人地增加了20%。
• The Chairman's remarks were so astounding that the audience listened to him with bated breath. 主席说的话令人吃惊，所以听众都屏息听他说。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 diagnosis   

n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断

参考例句：

• His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。

5 subjective   

a.主观(上)的，个人的

参考例句：

• The way they interpreted their past was highly subjective. 他们解释其过去的方式太主观。
• A literary critic should not be too subjective in his approach. 文学评论家的看法不应太主观。

6 autopsy   

n.尸体解剖；尸检

参考例句：

• They're carrying out an autopsy on the victim.他们正在给受害者验尸。
• A hemorrhagic gut was the predominant lesion at autopsy.尸检的主要发现是肠出血。

7 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

8 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 vascular   

adj.血管的，脉管的

参考例句：

• The mechanism of this anomalous vascular response is unknown.此种不规则的血管反应的机制尚不清楚。
• The vascular changes interfere with diffusion of nutrients from plasma into adjacent perivascular tissue and cells.这些血管变化干扰了营养物质从血浆中向血管周围邻接的组织和细胞扩散。

10 inhibit   

vt.阻止，妨碍，抑制

参考例句：

• Don't let ego and greed inhibit clear thinking and hard work.不要让自我和贪婪妨碍清晰的思维和刻苦的工作。
• They passed a law to inhibit people from parking in the street.他们通过一项法令以阻止人们在街上停车。

11 plaques   

（纪念性的）匾牌( plaque的名词复数 )； 纪念匾； 牙斑； 空斑

参考例句：

• Primary plaques were detectable in 16 to 20 hours. 在16到20小时内可查出原发溶斑。
• The gondoliers wore green and white livery and silver plaques on their chests. 船夫们穿着白绿两色的制服，胸前别着银质徽章。

12 tangles   

（使）缠结， （使）乱作一团( tangle的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Long hair tangles easily. 长头发容易打结。
• Tangles like this still interrupted their intercourse. 像这类纠缠不清的误会仍然妨碍着他们的交情。

13 therapeutic   

adj.治疗的，起治疗作用的；对身心健康有益的

参考例句：

• Therapeutic measures were selected to fit the patient.选择治疗措施以适应病人的需要。
• When I was sad,music had a therapeutic effect.我悲伤的时候，音乐有治疗效力。

14 agility   

n.敏捷，活泼

参考例句：

• The boy came upstairs with agility.那男孩敏捷地走上楼来。
• His intellect and mental agility have never been in doubt.他的才智和机敏从未受到怀疑。

15 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。