VOA标准英语2011-Study Finds Stroke Spikes Among HIV-Posit

A new study of stroke in the United States has found that the rate of brain-damaging blood clots¹ has increased dramatically among people infected with HIV. The increase in strokes coincides with the use of newer, more effective AIDS medicines.

Bruce Ovbiagele of the University of California, San Diego, and his colleagues analyzed² a database of medical records for the decade starting in 1997.

During that period, hospitalizations for stroke in the U.S. declined by seven percent. "But when you look in the HIV population," Ovbiagele said, "they actually increased almost about 60 percent across the decade. So stroke rates were going up among HIV-infected individuals while they were going down in the general population."

The scientist says the data used in this study is not sufficient to explain definitively³ why strokes increased in people with HIV. But he believes it's not a coincidence that the surge in strokes came just as HIV patients began using more powerful drugs known as highly active antiretroviral therapies, or HAART medications.

"Now we know that HAART medications have metabolic⁴ complication, which include abnormal changes in cholesterol⁵, unfavorable changes in cholesterol. We know that they can also cause increased deposition⁶ of fat within the body. And both these things are risk factors for stroke."

Ovbiagele says his study suggests that HIV-positive individuals and their doctors have to be vigilant⁷ and proactive to reduce the risk of stroke.

"Screening for high blood pressure should be regular and frequent and treated promptly⁸," he said in a telephone interview. "Screening for high cholesterol should be regular, frequent, and treated promptly. So these are the kinds of things that clinicians and patients should be vigilant about looking for to try and avert⁹ a stroke from occurring."

This data was limited to U.S. patients, so he says it's not possible to say if the same pattern of strokes among people with HIV is present in other countries

1 clots   

n.凝块( clot的名词复数 )；血块；蠢人；傻瓜v.凝固( clot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• When you cut yourself, blood clots and forms a scab. 你割破了，血会凝固、结痂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Milk clots when it turns sour. 奶变酸就凝块。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

2 analyzed   

v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析

参考例句：

• The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The young man did not analyze the process of his captivation and enrapturement, for love to him was a mystery and could not be analyzed. 这年轻人没有分析自己蛊惑著迷的过程，因为对他来说，爱是个不可分析的迷。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 definitively   

adv.决定性地，最后地

参考例句：

• None of the three super-states could be definitively conquered even by the other two in combination. 三个超级国家中的任何一国都不可能被任何两国的联盟所绝对打败。 来自英汉文学
• Therefore, nothing can ever be definitively proved with a photograph. 因此，没有什么可以明确了一张照片。 来自互联网

4 metabolic   

adj.新陈代谢的

参考例句：

• Impressive metabolic alternations have been undergone during embryogenesis.在胚胎发生期间经历了深刻的代谢变化。
• A number of intoxicants are associated with metabolic acidosis.许多毒性物质可引起代谢性酸中毒。

5 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。

6 deposition   

n.免职，罢官；作证；沉淀；沉淀物

参考例句：

• It was this issue which led to the deposition of the king.正是这件事导致了国王被废黜。
• This leads to calcium deposition in the blood-vessels.这导致钙在血管中沉积。

7 vigilant   

adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的

参考例句：

• He has to learn how to remain vigilant through these long nights.他得学会如何在这漫长的黑夜里保持警觉。
• The dog kept a vigilant guard over the house.这只狗警醒地守护着这所房屋。

8 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

9 avert   

v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等)

参考例句：

• He managed to avert suspicion.他设法避嫌。
• I would do what I could to avert it.我会尽力去避免发生这种情况。