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完形填空 1 Better Control of TB Seen If a Faster Cure Is FoundThe World Health Organization1 estimates that about one-third of all people are infected with bacteria that cause tuberculosis . Most times, the infection remains inactive. But each year about eight million people develop active cases of TB, usually in their lungs. Two million people die of of it. The disease has increased with the spread of AIDS and drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis.Current treatments take at least six months. People have to take a combination of several antibiotic drugs daily. But many people stop as soon as they feel better. Doing that can lead to an infection that resists treatment. Public health experts agree that a faster-acting cure for tuberculosis would be more effective. Now a study estimates just how effective it might be. A professor of international health at Harvard University2 led the study. Joshua Salomon says a shorter treatment program would likely mean not just more patients cured. It would also mean fewer infectious patients who can pass on their infection to others.The researchers developed a mathematical model to examine the effects of a two-month treatment plan. They tested the model with current TB conditions in Southeast Asia. The scientists found that a two-month treatment could prevent about twenty percent of new cases. And it might prevent about twenty-five percent of TB deaths. The model shows that these reductions would take place between two thousand twelve and two thousand thirty. That is, if a faster cure is developed and in wide use by two thousand twelve.The World Health Organization reductions the DOTS3 program in nineteen ninety. DOTS is Directly Observed Treatment, Short-course. Health workers watch tuberculosis patients take their daily pills to make sure they continue treatment.Earlier this year, an international partnership of organizations announced a plan to expand the DOTS program. The ten-year plan also aims to finance research into new TB drugs. The four most common drugs used now are more than forty years old. The Global Alliance for TB Drug Development4 says its long-term goal is a treatment that could work in as few as ten doses. 2 Influenza （新增）Influenza has been with us a long time. According to some Greek writers on medical history, the outbreak of 412 B.C. was of influenza. The same has been suggested of the sickness that swept through the Greek army attacking Syracuse in 395 B.C. Flu is a disease that moves most quickly among people living in crowded conditions, hence, it is likely to attack armies.During the nineteenth century there were five widespread outbreaks of influenza. The last of the five happened in 1889 and marked the beginning of the story of influenza in our time. Like the recent outbreak, it started in Asia.For more than forty years before that outbreak, influenza had steadily decreased and was believed to be dying out. A new group of outbreaks was introduced by the great outbreak of 1889-1890 and for the next quarter of a century flu remained a constant threat.In April 918 flu broke among American troops stationed in France. It quickly spread through all the armies but caused relatively few deaths. Four months later, however, a second outbreak started which proved to be a killer. It killed not only the old and already sick but also healthy young adults. It went through every country in the world, only a few distant islands in the South Atlantic and the Pacific remaining untouched. It brought the life of whole countries stopping, food supplies stopped and work loss was very great. Before the great outbreak ended, it had killed at least 15 million people. Thereafter there have been several great outbreaks throughout the world. It is thus clear that influenza is a terrible infection that we have to pay more attention to.3 One Good Reason to Let Smallpox LiveIts now a fair bet that we will never see the total extinction of the smallpox virus. The idea was to cap the glorious achievement of 1980, when smallpox was eradicated in the wild, by destroying the killer virus in the last two labs that are supposed to have itone in the US and one in Russia. If smallpox had truly gone from the planet, what point was there in keeping these reserves?in reality, of course, it was naive to imagine that everyone would let go of such a potential weapon. Undoubtedly several nations still have a few much vials. And the last “official” stocks of lice virus bred mistrust of the US and Russia, for no obvious gain.Now American researchers have found an animal model of the human disease, opening the way for tests on new treatments and vaccines. So one again theres a good reason to keep the virusjust in case the disease puts in a reappearance.How do we_deal with the mistrust of the US and Russia? Simple Keep the virus under international auspices in a well-guarded UN laboratory thats open to all countries. The US will object, of course, just as it rejects a multilateral approach to just about everything. But it doesnt mean the idea is wrong. If the virus is useful, then lets make it the servant of all humanitynot just a part of it. 4 Diet, Alcohol Linked to Nearly One Third of CancersDiet is second only to tobacco as a leading causeof cancer and, along with alcohol, is responsible for nearly one third of cases of the disease indeveloped countries, a leading researcher said on Tuesday.Dr. Tim Key, of the University of Oxford, told a cancer conference that scientists are still discovering how certain foods contribute to cancer,but they know that diet, alcohol and obesity . play a major role.“Five percent of cancers could be avoided if nobody was obese,” he said.While tobacco is blinked to about 30 percent of cancer cases, diet is involved in an estimated 25 percent and alcohol inabout six percent.Obesity raises the risk of breast, womb, bowel and kidney cancer, while alcohol is known to cause cancers of the mouth, throat and liver, Its dangerous impact is increasedwhen combined with smoking.Key told the meeting of the charity Cancer Research UK that other elements of diet linked to cancer are stillunknown but scientists are hoping that the EPIC study, which is comparing the diets of 500,000 people in 10 countries and their risk of cancer, will provide some answers.Early results of the study have revealed that Norway, Sweden and Denmark have the lowest consumption of fruit and vegetables among European countries while Italy and Spain have the highest. Eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day is recommended to reduce the risk of cancer.Key, principal scientist on the EPIC study, said it is looking at dietary links to some of the most common cancers including colorectal, breast and prostate.5 Men Too May Suffer from Domestic Violence Nearly three in 10 men have experienced violence at the hands of an intimate partner during their lifetimes, according to one of the few studies to look at domestic violence and health among men. Many men actually do experience domestic violence, although we dont hear about it often, Dr. Robert J. Reid of the University of Washington in Seattle, one of the studys authors, told Reuters Health. They often dont tell _ and_ we dont ask. We want to get the message out to men who do experience domestic violence that they are not alone and there are resources available to them The researchers asked study participants about physical abuse and non-physical abuse , such as threats that made them fear for their safety, controlling behavior (for example, being told who they could associate with and where they could go), and constant name-calling. Among men 18 to 54 years old, 14.2 percent said they had experienced intimate partner _violence in the past five years, while 6. 1 percent reported domestic violence in the previous year. Rates were lower for men 55 and older ,with 5.3 percent reporting violence in the past five years and 2.4 percent having experienced it in the past 12 months. Overall, 30.5 percent of men younger than 55 and 26.5 percent of older men said they had been victims of domestic violence at some point in their lives. About half of the violence the men experienced was physical. However, the physical violence men reported wasnt as harsh as that suffered by women in a previous study; 20 percent to 40 percent of the men rated it as severe, compared to 61 percent of women Men who reported experiencing domestic violence had more emotional and mental health problems than those who had not, especially older men, the researchers found.*6Once-daily Pill Could Simplify HIV TreatmentBristol-Myers Myers Squibb and Gilead Sciences have combined many HIV drugs into a single pill Sometimes the best medicine is more than one kind of medicine. Malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS,2 for example, are all treated with combinations of drugs. But that can mean a lot of pills to take. It would be simpler if drug companies combined all the medicines into a single pill, taken just once a day. Now, two companies say they have done that for people just starting treatment for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The companies are Bristol-Myers Squibb and Gilead Sciences. They have developed a single pill that combines three drugs currently on the market.3 Bristol-Myers Squibb sells one of them under the name of Sustiva.4 Gilead combined the others, Emtriva and Viread, into a single pill in two thousand four. Combining drugs involves more than technical issues. It also involves issues of competition if the drugs are made by different companies. The new once-daily pill is the result of what is described as the first joint venture agreement of its kind in the treatment of HIV In January the New England Journal of Medicine5 published a study of the new pill. Researchers compared its effectiveness to6 that of the widely used combination of Sustiva and Combivir. Combivir contains two drugs, AZT7 and 3TC.8 The researchers say that after one year of treatment, the new pill suppressed HIV levels in more patients and with fewer side effects.9 Gilead paid for the study. Professor Joel Gallant at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, led the research. He is a paid adviser to Gilead and Bristol-Meyers Squibb as well as the maker of Combivir, GlaxoSmithKline. Glaxo Smith Kline reacted to the findings by saying that a single study is of limited value. It says the effectiveness of Combivir has been shown in each of more than fifty studies. The price of the new once-daily pill has not been announced. But Gilead and Bristol-Myers Squibb say they will provide it at reduced cost to developing countries. They plan in the next few months to ask the United States Food and Drug Administration10 to approve the new pill. There are limits to who could take it because of the different drugs it contains. For example, pregnant women are told not to take Sustiva because of the risk of birth disorders.11 Experts say more than forty million people around the world are living with HIV*7Exercise （新增） Whether or not exercise adds to the length of life, it is common experience that a certain amount of regular exercise improves the health and contributes a feeling of well-being. Furthermore, exerise which involves play and recreation, and relieves nervous tension and mental fatigue in so doing, is not only pleasant but beneficial.How much and what kind of exercise one should take merits careful consideration.The growing child and the normal young man and young woman thrill with the exhilaration of strenuous sports. They fatigue to the point of exhaustion but recover promptly with a period of rest. But not so with those _of middle age and beyond. For them moderation is of vital importance. Just how much exercise a person of a given age can safely take is question hard _to answer. Individual variability is too great to permit of generalization. A game of tennis may be perfectly safe for one person of forty but folly for another. The sage limit for exercise depends on the condition of the heart, the condition of the muscles, the type of exercise, and the regularity with which it is taken. Two general suggestions, however, will serve as sound advice for anyone. The first is that the condition of the heart and general health should be determined periodically by careful, thorough physical examinations. The other is that exercise should be kept below the point of physical exhaustion.What type of exercise one should choose _depens upon ones physical condition. Young people can safely enjoy vigorous competitive sports, but most older persons do better to limit themselves to less strenuous activities. Walking, swimming, skating are among the sports that one can enjoy and safely participate in throughout life. Regularity is important if one is to get the most enjoyment and benefit out of exercise.*8Food Safety and Foodborne Illness （新增）Food safety is an increasingly important public health issue. Governments all over world are intensifying their efforts to improve food safety. These efforts are in response to _an increasing number of food safety problems and rising consumer concerns.Foodborne illnesses are defined as diseases, usually either infectious or toxic in nature, caused by agents that enter the body through the ingestion of food. Every person is at risk of foodborne illness.Foodborne diseases are a widespread and growing public health problem, both in developed and developing countries. The global incidence of foodborne disease is difficult to estimate, but it has been reported that in 2005_ alone 8 million people died from diarrhoeal diseases. A great proportion of these cases can be attributed to contamination of food and drinking water. Additionally, diarrhoea is a major cause of malnutrition in infants and young children.Industrialized countries, the percentage of the population suffering from foodborne diseases each year has been reported to be 10 up to 30%. In the United States of America (USA), for example, around 76 million cases of foodborne diseases, resulting in 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths, are estimated to occur each year.While less well documented, developing countries bear the brunt of the problem due to the presence of a wide range of foodborne diseases, including those caused by parasites. The high prevalence of diarrhoeal diseases in many developing countries suggests major underlying food safety problems.In parternership with other stakeholders, WHO is developing policies that will further promote the safety of food. These policies cover the entire food chain from production to consumption and will make use of different types of expertise.*9 Many Women Who Beat Cancer Dont Change Habits Many women who battle breast cancer will tell you its a life-changing experience. However, a new study shows that for many women, the changes arent always positive or permanent. Beth Snoke has watched her mother and both grandmothers battle and survive breast cancer So when she was diagnosed, there was no doubt in her mind what she had to do. I do exactly what the doctors say as far as the medicine that Im on, as far as the vitamins, the diet, and the fitness. And I cant stress enough how important that is, says Beth Snoke. But a surprising new study shows that no every woman who beats breast cancer is getting that message. In fact, nearly 40% bf them say even after surviving breast cancer, they havent made significant changes in the way they eat or how much they exercise. Not all survivors are taking advantage of this teachable moment and making positive health changes in their life, says Electra Paskett, PhD, at Ohio State Universitys Comprehensive Cancer Center. Paskett says diet and exercise have been proven to not only help women feel better during and after treatment, they may also play a role in preventing some cancers from coming back. Despite growing evidence, some women just arent listening. Colon cancer survivors who exercise have actually been shown to have improved survival rates. So, yes, it is true that perhaps by making some of these healthy choices we can actually increase their health, says Paskett. As a breast cancer survivor herself , Paskett knows first hand how much difference diet and exercise can make The challenge, she says, is to get more survivors to be more like Beth, during and after treatment. Experts say exercising more and eating a healthier diet can also cut down on stress and help women overcome depression. There are more than 2 million breast cancer survivors living in the U.S. Of those, nearly a million have yet to change their diet or exercise routines.*10Hospital Mistreatment According to a study, most medical interns report experiencing mistreatment, including humiliation by senior doctors, being threatened, or physical abuse in their first year out of medical school.The findings come from analysis of the responses to a 13-page survey mailed in January 1991 to 1, 733 second-year residents. The survey and analysis appear in the April 15th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Overall, out of the 1,277 residents who completed surveys, 1,185 said that they had experienced at least one incident of mistreatment in their intern year. In addition to reporting incidents where they were abused, more than 45% of the residents said they had witnessed at least one incident where other persons had made false medical records. Moreover, nearly three quarters of the residents said they had witnessed mistreatment of patients by other residents, attending physicians, or nurses. Almost 40% said patient mistreatment was a frequent event. More than 10% of the residents said they were not allowed to have enough sleep, and the average number of hours without _ sleep was 37.6. The average on-call hours during a _ typical week was 56.9 hours, but about 25% of the residents said their on-call assignments were more than 80 hours some weeks. Although 30% of the residents said they experienced some type of sexual harassment or discrimination, verbal abuse was the most common problem cited. When abusive incidents were limited to events occurring three or more times, 53% of the respondents reported that they were belittled or humiliated by more senior residents, while just over 21% reported someone taking credit for their work. Being “given tasks for punishment,” “being pushed, kicked or hit,” and having someone “threatening your reputation or career,” were reported as a more frequent occurrence by over 10% of the responding residents.+11Migrant Workers In the past twenty years, there has been an increasing tendency for workers to move from one country to another. While some newly independent countries have understandably restricted most jobs to local people, others have attracted and welcomed migrant workers. This is particularly the case in the Middle East,1 where increased oil incomes have enabled many countries to call in outsiders to improve local facilities. Thus the Middle East has attracted oil-workers from the USA and Europe. It has brought in construction workers and technicians from many countries, including South Korea and Japan.In view of the difficult living and working conditions in the Middle East, 2 it is not surprising that the pay is high to attract suitable workers. Many engineers and technicians can earn at least twice as much money in the Middle East as they can in their own country, and this is a major attraction. An allied benefit is the low taxation or complete lack of it. 3 This increases the net amount of pay received by visiting workers and is very popular with them.Sometimes a disadvant
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