SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - Drug Used to Treat a Bleeding Disorder

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - Drug Used to Treat a Bleeding Disorder¹ May Also Aid Victims of the Deadliest Form of Stroke
By Cynthia Kirk, Ed Stautberg

Broadcast: Tuesday, April 05, 2005

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VOICE ONE:

This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English. I'm Bob Doughty².

VOICE TWO:

 
See the differences?
And, I'm Steve Ember. On our program this week: a new map may help show why women are so different from men.

And we answer a listener's question about the bleeding disorder hemophilia.

VOICE ONE:

But first, a drug already used to treat persons with hemophilia offers hope for stroke victims.

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VOICE ONE:

American doctors believe they may have found a new way to treat the most deadly form of stroke. The condition is called an acute intracerebral hemorrhage or bleeding stroke.

Strokes happen when blood stops flowing into the brain. Bleeding strokes are the least treatable form of stroke. They affect about fifteen percent of all stroke patients.

Bleeding strokes happen when high blood pressure causes a blood vessel³ in the brain to burst. The most common form of stroke is called an Ischemic stroke. It happens when the flow of blood in the brain or neck is blocked.

VOICE TWO:

Experts say bleeding strokes are much more serious. They say more than one-third of all persons who have a bleeding stroke die within a month. And only twenty-percent of those suffering a bleeding stroke regain⁴ full independence.

Doctors have long sought effective ways to improve survival rates. They say current medical treatments are only supportive. And, there have been no drugs to help stop the bleeding, which causes brain cells to die.

However, a new study suggests that a drug used to treat persons with hemophilia may be effective in treating bleeding strokes. Hemophiliacs lack a chemical in the blood called a clotting⁶ factor. This chemical helps to stop bleeding from everyday falls or cuts.

VOICE ONE:

The new study was carried out at seventy-three hospitals in twenty countries. The New England Journal of Medicine reported the results.

The study involved three hundred ninety-nine patients. Research scientists tested a drug called recombinant activated⁷ factor seven, or rFVIIa. It helps blood to thicken, or clot⁵. In the United States, the drug has been approved to treat hemophiliacs since nineteen ninety-nine.

Most patients in the study received rFVIIa. The others took a harmless substance, or placebo⁸. Researchers say the drug reduced bleeding by fifty percent. Patient survival rates rose about forty percent.

VOICE TWO:

The researchers said the drug worked best when the patient was treated within three hours of the stroke. They said patients had a two to three times greater chance of complete recovery. After three months, twenty-nine percent of the patients who took the placebo had died. Only eighteen percent of those who took the hemophilia drug were dead.

There were risks, however. Seven percent of patients who received the drug suffered a heart attack or stroke. The researchers said most of them recovered.

VOICE ONE:

Doctor Stephan Mayer of New York-Presbyterian Hospital was the lead investigator⁹ in the study. He said it will be at least two years before the United States Food and Drug Administration approves r-F-Seven-a for bleeding strokes.

If approved, the drug would become only the second emergency treatment for stroke in more than thirty years. The first was tissue plasminogen activator¹⁰, or TPA. TPA. can break up blockages¹¹ which cause most heart attacks and strokes.

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VOICE TWO:

A short time ago, we spoke¹² briefly¹³ about hemophilia. A listener in Vietnam, Nguyen Van Phuc, would like to learn more about this bleeding disorder.

When a person gets cut, they bleed. Usually, a protein in the blood, called a clotting factor, stops the bleeding. People with hemophilia do not have this chemical. They may bleed longer than other people after an accident or injury. Losing too much blood can be life threatening.

VOICE ONE:

People with hemophilia can pass it to their children. Generally, the disorder affects only men and boys. It affects about one in every five thousand males. Women who carry the hemophilia gene¹⁴ are called carriers. Each son of a carrier has a fifty percent of having the disorder. Each daughter has a fifty percent chance of being a carrier.

About thirty percent of hemophilia cases involve someone with no family history of the disorder. Scientists believe these cases result from changes, or defects, in genetic¹⁵ material.

VOICE TWO:

Blood tests can help to show if someone has hemophilia. Signs are first observed when the person is a baby or child. There may be bleeding into muscles or joints¹⁶, resulting in damaged areas of skin. Or the person may bleed longer than expected after an injury, accident or dental work.

Hemophilia is a life-long condition. There is no cure. Yet there is an effective treatment for hemophiliacs. Doctors can give clotting factor to patients in blood products. Experts urge patients to see a doctor or health care worker who has experience with treating the disorder. Experts also advise patients to stay active and exercise.

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VOICE ONE:

A team of more than two hundred fifty researchers says it has completed a map of the X chromosome¹⁷. The researchers carried out their work at six scientific centers in Britain, Germany and the United States. They reported the results in the British publication Nature.

The work was done as part of the Human Genome Project. The goal of the project is to create a detailed¹⁸ map of all human genes¹⁹.

The researchers said the new map should help scientists better understand the more than three hundred disorders²⁰ linked to the X chromosome. They include hemophilia, colorblindness, and Duchenne's muscular dystrophy.

VOICE TWO:

A human fetus²¹ develops into either a boy or a girl because of the presence of genes found in chromosomes²². Females have two X chromosomes. Males have one X and one Y. Males are more likely than females to develop diseases carried by an unusual, or defective²³, X chromosome.

Females who carry a defective X chromosome are protected because they have a second X chromosome. However, they can pass the defective chromosome to their sons. The researchers say other chromosomes probably carry just as many diseases as the X. However, such chromosomes are more difficult to study.

VOICE ONE:

The researchers studied how the sex chromosomes have changed over time. To do this, they examined the X chromosomes of animals such as dogs, rats, and chickens. They found the same gene order in human beings and dogs. Their findings show that the purpose of the Y chromosome has changed and now is limited to establishing male organs. This supports an idea that the X and Y chromosomes in mammals developed millions of years ago from the same group of chromosomes.

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VOICE TWO:

Last year, we told you about the United States having limited supplies of a vaccine²⁴ to protect against the disease influenza²⁵. A biotechnology company, Chiron, was unable to produce as many flu vaccines²⁶ as planned. In the past, it provided about half the supply used in the United States.

Chiron makes its flu vaccine at a factory in Liverpool, England. The vaccine helps the body's natural defenses recognize and fight the disease.

Chiron reported last September that some of its flu vaccine failed inspections²⁷ for purity. Also, British officials suspended the factory's production permit. They barred the company from sending almost fifty million vaccines to the United States. So, medical officials urged healthy Americans to delay getting the vaccine or not get one at all.

VOICE ONE:

Recently, officials announced that about seventeen million Americans chose not to get the flu vaccine last winter. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this permitted persons most in need of the vaccine to get it. It also said that about as many sick persons, older adults and health care workers were protected as much as in past years.

Also, British officials announced that Chiron had improved conditions at the Liverpool factory. They also said it could restart production of flu vaccines.

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VOICE TWO:

This program was written by Cynthia Kirk, Ed Stautberg, Nancy Steinbach and Caty Weaver²⁸. Our producer was Cynthia Kirk. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Bob Doughty. Join us again next week for SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

1 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。

2 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

3 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

4 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

5 clot   

n.凝块；v.使凝成块

参考例句：

• Platelets are one of the components required to make blood clot.血小板是血液凝固的必须成分之一。
• The patient's blood refused to clot.病人的血液无法凝结。

6 clotting   

v.凝固( clot的现在分词 )；烧结

参考例句：

• The study was also based only on the one anti-clotting drug. 所用抗血栓药物也仅限于一种。 来自互联网
• A plasma protein that is converted into thrombin during blood clotting. 凝血原酶一种血浆蛋白质，在血液凝聚时转化成凝血''。'酵'。''''。'素'。''。 来自互联网

7 activated   

adj. 激活的 动词activate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The canister is filled with activated charcoal.蒸气回收罐中充满了活性炭。

8 placebo   

n.安慰剂；宽慰话

参考例句：

• The placebo has been found to work with a lot of different cases.人们已发现安慰剂能在很多不同的病例中发挥作用。
• The placebo effect refers to all the observable behaviors caused by placebo.安慰剂效应是指由安慰剂所引起的可观察的行为。

9 investigator   

n.研究者，调查者，审查者

参考例句：

• He was a special investigator for the FBI.他是联邦调查局的特别调查员。
• The investigator was able to deduce the crime and find the criminal.调查者能够推出犯罪过程并锁定罪犯。

10 activator   

催化剂，触媒剂

参考例句：

• In a separate archive is the official localization and universal activator. 在单独的存档是正式的本地化和普遍激活。
• From a certain angle, affections are the activator to carve out successfully. 从某种角度看，爱心是创业成功的“催化剂”。

11 blockages   

n.堵塞物( blockage的名词复数 )；堵塞，阻塞

参考例句：

• The storms could increase the risks posed by river blockages. 暴风雨会增加因河道堵塞所造成的危险。 来自互联网
• An angiogram shows the location and severity of blockages in blood vessels. 冠状动脉造影能够显示血管内的阻塞位置以及阻塞的严重程度。 来自互联网

12 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

13 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

14 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

15 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

16 joints   

接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语）

参考例句：

• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on gas mains. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在煤气的总管道上了。
• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on steam pipes. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在蒸气管道上了。

17 chromosome   

n.染色体

参考例句：

• Chromosome material with exhibits of such behaviour is called heterochromatin.表现这种现象的染色体物质叫做异染色质。
• A segment of the chromosome may become lost,resulting in a deletion.染色体的一个片段可能会丢失，结果产生染色体的缺失。

18 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

19 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

20 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》

21 fetus   

n.胎，胎儿

参考例句：

• In the fetus,blood cells are formed in different sites at different ages.胎儿的血细胞在不同时期生成在不同的部位。
• No one knows why a fetus is not automatically rejected by the mother's immune system. 没有人知道为什么母亲的免疫系统不会自动排斥胎儿。

22 chromosomes   

n.染色体( chromosome的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Chromosomes also determine the sex of animals. 染色体也决定动物的性别。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Each of four chromosomes divide longitudinally. 四种染色体的每一种都沿着纵向分裂。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

23 defective   

adj.有毛病的，有问题的，有瑕疵的

参考例句：

• The firm had received bad publicity over a defective product. 该公司因为一件次品而受到媒体攻击。
• If the goods prove defective, the customer has the right to compensation. 如果货品证明有缺陷， 顾客有权索赔。

24 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

25 influenza   

n.流行性感冒，流感

参考例句：

• They took steps to prevent the spread of influenza.他们采取措施
• Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。

26 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。

27 inspections   

n.检查( inspection的名词复数 )；检验；视察；检阅

参考例句：

• Regular inspections are carried out at the prison. 经常有人来视察这座监狱。
• Government inspections ensure a high degree of uniformity in the standard of service. 政府检查确保了在服务标准方面的高度一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》

28 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。