Questões de Inglês

Vaccines May Protect Kids Against Strokes, Too

by Christopher Wanjek | September 30, 2015 05:16pm ET

Credit: Oksana Kuzmina/Shutterstock.com

 Parents have yet one more reason to vaccinate their children: Routine immunizations may reduce the risk of childhood stroke, according to a new study.

  Childhood strokes are rare, estimated to affect between three and 13 children per 100,000. Yet unlike adult strokes, in which environmental factors such as smoking and poor nutrition play a major role, susceptibility to childhood strokes is largely genetic. And parents often don't know if their child is at risk.

  The new study, led by Dr. Heather Fullerton of University of California, San Francisco, confirmed previous findings that minor infections may trigger acute ischemic strokes in children who are at risk. Ischemic strokes involve a blockage in a blood vessel in or near the brain.

  The researchers compared 355 children who had had ischemic strokes with 354 children who had not. The scientists found that children with an infection had six times the risk of experiencing a stroke within that week; 18 percent of children who experienced strokes had such an infection, according to the findings, published today (Sept. 30) in the journal Neurology.

  Fullerton and her colleagues also found that children who were up to date on their immunizations had a far lower risk of experiencing a stroke. Under-vaccinated children (those who were not up to date on their vaccinations) were up to seven times more likely to have a stroke compared with children who had all or most of their immunizations.

  The reason for the apparent link between vaccinations and stroke is not clear, Fullerton told Live Science. Vaccines clearly prevent major infections, such as those caused by chickenpox, measles and tetanus. It could be that vaccines reduce a child's overall lifetime infection burden, and prevent the subsequent damage that infections and inflammation have on blood vessels, she said.

  Fullerton added that parents who keep their children up to date on immunization may be more proactive about their child's health care in general, compared with parents who don't vaccinate. So this might also explain the link seen with vaccines, she said.

  The study has ruled out two "lingering doubts" that some have had about infections and strokes, Fullerton said. One was the worry that vaccines themselves could trigger a stroke, which is biologically plausible given that vaccines are a form of controlled infection. But the study found the opposite, offering more evidence that "all kids should get vaccinated," Fullerton said.

  Another worry was that a seeming link between infections and strokes was actually due to cold medications such as vasoconstrictors. These medicines reduce swelling and congestion by constricting blood vessels, and it was thought that perhaps the drugs could trigger strokes. However, Fullerton said, the study found no evidence to support this.

  The findings will be "seminal in drafting further stroke-prevention strategies" in children, wrote Dr. Jose Biller of Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago and Dr. Geoffrey Heyer of The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, in an accompanying editorial in Neurology. Biller and Heyer were not associated with the study.

  "Oftentimes parents and even physicians may not be aware — [it's] not on their radar screen — that strokes may affect neonates, toddlers and children," Biller told Live Science. "Education is key," he said. Many children who have strokes often suffer from the health effects of the stroke for their whole lives, and so preventing strokes is very important.

  Fullerton said that more than half of childhood acute ischemic strokes happen to children who are seemingly healthy, so the stroke comes as a surprise. Conditions that increase stroke risk in children include congenital heart disease, sickle cell disease and lupus, she said. There is no reason why children with these conditions should avoid vaccination, she said.

  The research effort was part of a large, international case-control study of childhood stroke, called the Vascular Effects of Infection in Pediatric Stroke (VIPS) study. The study authors represent more than a dozen universities and institutions worldwide. Fullerton said the research offers an "avenue for understanding what's going on" with childhood strokes.

  Many questions remain, such as why infections can trigger a stroke in seemingly healthy children, but there is at least one take-home message from this research, Fullerton said: "This is another example of a pretty morbid disease that vaccines can help prevent."

  Biller said that vaccines appear to offer a lifetime of cardiovascular benefits. A study published in 2013 in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that for adults who get the flu shot, the odds of having a stroke, heart attack or other major cardiac event are lowered by about a third lower over the following year. Biller said that some studies have shown that getting the flu shot yearly provides even greater protection.

  "Vaccines are among the safest medical products," Biller said. "The safety and effectiveness of vaccines routinely given to children and adults has been overwhelmingly favorable."

   Follow Christopher Wanjek @wanjek for daily tweets on health and science with a humorous edge. Wanjek is the author of "Food at Work" and "Bad Medicine." His column, "Bad Medicine," appears regularly on Live Science.

From http://www.livescience.com/52348-vaccines-may-protect-kids-against-strokes-too.html, Acesso em: 06/10/201

Vaccines May Protect Kids Against Strokes, Too

by Christopher Wanjek | September 30, 2015 05:16pm ET

Credit: Oksana Kuzmina/Shutterstock.com

 Parents have yet one more reason to vaccinate their children: Routine immunizations may reduce the risk of childhood stroke, according to a new study.

  Childhood strokes are rare, estimated to affect between three and 13 children per 100,000. Yet unlike adult strokes, in which environmental factors such as smoking and poor nutrition play a major role, susceptibility to childhood strokes is largely genetic. And parents often don't know if their child is at risk.

  The new study, led by Dr. Heather Fullerton of University of California, San Francisco, confirmed previous findings that minor infections may trigger acute ischemic strokes in children who are at risk. Ischemic strokes involve a blockage in a blood vessel in or near the brain.

  The researchers compared 355 children who had had ischemic strokes with 354 children who had not. The scientists found that children with an infection had six times the risk of experiencing a stroke within that week; 18 percent of children who experienced strokes had such an infection, according to the findings, published today (Sept. 30) in the journal Neurology.

  Fullerton and her colleagues also found that children who were up to date on their immunizations had a far lower risk of experiencing a stroke. Under-vaccinated children (those who were not up to date on their vaccinations) were up to seven times more likely to have a stroke compared with children who had all or most of their immunizations.

  The reason for the apparent link between vaccinations and stroke is not clear, Fullerton told Live Science. Vaccines clearly prevent major infections, such as those caused by chickenpox, measles and tetanus. It could be that vaccines reduce a child's overall lifetime infection burden, and prevent the subsequent damage that infections and inflammation have on blood vessels, she said.

  Fullerton added that parents who keep their children up to date on immunization may be more proactive about their child's health care in general, compared with parents who don't vaccinate. So this might also explain the link seen with vaccines, she said.

  The study has ruled out two "lingering doubts" that some have had about infections and strokes, Fullerton said. One was the worry that vaccines themselves could trigger a stroke, which is biologically plausible given that vaccines are a form of controlled infection. But the study found the opposite, offering more evidence that "all kids should get vaccinated," Fullerton said.

  Another worry was that a seeming link between infections and strokes was actually due to cold medications such as vasoconstrictors. These medicines reduce swelling and congestion by constricting blood vessels, and it was thought that perhaps the drugs could trigger strokes. However, Fullerton said, the study found no evidence to support this.

  The findings will be "seminal in drafting further stroke-prevention strategies" in children, wrote Dr. Jose Biller of Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago and Dr. Geoffrey Heyer of The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, in an accompanying editorial in Neurology. Biller and Heyer were not associated with the study.

  "Oftentimes parents and even physicians may not be aware — [it's] not on their radar screen — that strokes may affect neonates, toddlers and children," Biller told Live Science. "Education is key," he said. Many children who have strokes often suffer from the health effects of the stroke for their whole lives, and so preventing strokes is very important.

  Fullerton said that more than half of childhood acute ischemic strokes happen to children who are seemingly healthy, so the stroke comes as a surprise. Conditions that increase stroke risk in children include congenital heart disease, sickle cell disease and lupus, she said. There is no reason why children with these conditions should avoid vaccination, she said.

  The research effort was part of a large, international case-control study of childhood stroke, called the Vascular Effects of Infection in Pediatric Stroke (VIPS) study. The study authors represent more than a dozen universities and institutions worldwide. Fullerton said the research offers an "avenue for understanding what's going on" with childhood strokes.

  Many questions remain, such as why infections can trigger a stroke in seemingly healthy children, but there is at least one take-home message from this research, Fullerton said: "This is another example of a pretty morbid disease that vaccines can help prevent."

  Biller said that vaccines appear to offer a lifetime of cardiovascular benefits. A study published in 2013 in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that for adults who get the flu shot, the odds of having a stroke, heart attack or other major cardiac event are lowered by about a third lower over the following year. Biller said that some studies have shown that getting the flu shot yearly provides even greater protection.

  "Vaccines are among the safest medical products," Biller said. "The safety and effectiveness of vaccines routinely given to children and adults has been overwhelmingly favorable."

   Follow Christopher Wanjek @wanjek for daily tweets on health and science with a humorous edge. Wanjek is the author of "Food at Work" and "Bad Medicine." His column, "Bad Medicine," appears regularly on Live Science.

From http://www.livescience.com/52348-vaccines-may-protect-kids-against-strokes-too.html, Acesso em: 06/10/201

Leia o texto a seguir para responder à questão.

What do police officers do?

By Emma Woolley

    The primary responsibility of police officers is to protect the public, or if commissioned, the person, group or organization to which they are assigned. Through detecting and preventing crime, police officers strive to maintain law and order in their respective jurisdictions.
    Most new police officers work in general duty in patrol divisions, which provides a broad range of experiences and assignments. General duty policing involves patrolling assigned areas to enforce laws, protect public safety, and arrest criminal suspects – either by car, foot, bicycle, or in some cases, horse.
    Police officers can also do some or all of the following: Investigate accidents and crime scenes; secure evidence and interview witnesses; testify in court; collect notes and reports; provide emergency assistance to victims of natural disasters, crime, and accidents; engage in crime prevention, safety, and public information programs; participate in media relations; and supervise and manage the work of other police officers.
    Working as a police officer can be one of the most diverse career experiences, as specializations ranging in the hundreds are available. With a few years of service (usually four or more), he or she can move into areas such as criminal identification, drug investigations, sexual assault, fraud, major case and/or crime management, surveillance, aircraft security, explosives disposal, police dog services, and many more.
    Police officers must be available for shift work at any time of day and any day of the week, including holidays. Shifts tend to be longer than the standard eight-hour office day. Even though many regular police duties are routine in nature, the job can also be dangerous, as well as physically and emotionally stressful.

(http://careerbear.com/police-officer/article/ what-do-police-officers-do. Adaptado)

Leia o texto a seguir para responder à questão.

What do police officers do?

By Emma Woolley

    The primary responsibility of police officers is to protect the public, or if commissioned, the person, group or organization to which they are assigned. Through detecting and preventing crime, police officers strive to maintain law and order in their respective jurisdictions.
    Most new police officers work in general duty in patrol divisions, which provides a broad range of experiences and assignments. General duty policing involves patrolling assigned areas to enforce laws, protect public safety, and arrest criminal suspects – either by car, foot, bicycle, or in some cases, horse.
    Police officers can also do some or all of the following: Investigate accidents and crime scenes; secure evidence and interview witnesses; testify in court; collect notes and reports; provide emergency assistance to victims of natural disasters, crime, and accidents; engage in crime prevention, safety, and public information programs; participate in media relations; and supervise and manage the work of other police officers.
    Working as a police officer can be one of the most diverse career experiences, as specializations ranging in the hundreds are available. With a few years of service (usually four or more), he or she can move into areas such as criminal identification, drug investigations, sexual assault, fraud, major case and/or crime management, surveillance, aircraft security, explosives disposal, police dog services, and many more.
    Police officers must be available for shift work at any time of day and any day of the week, including holidays. Shifts tend to be longer than the standard eight-hour office day. Even though many regular police duties are routine in nature, the job can also be dangerous, as well as physically and emotionally stressful.

(http://careerbear.com/police-officer/article/ what-do-police-officers-do. Adaptado)

Drought-Stricken São Paulo Battles Dengue Fever Outbreak Hundreds Infected With Mosquito-Borne Virus

By
ROGERIO JELMAYER and
LORETTA CHAO
Updated March 3, 2015 6:44 p.m. ET

SÃO PAULO, Brazil—Inhabitants of this megacity, suffering through the worst drought in decades, have unwittingly contributed to an outbreak of dengue fever by storing scarce water in open containers.

The tropical mosquito-borne virus, which often results in high fever, intense muscle pain and convulsions, has killed at least 17 people in São Paulo state in the first six weeks of 2015. That’s up from just three deaths through mid-February of 2014, according to national health officials. Suspected cases have surged tenfold to 51,849 over the same period.

Dengue is a persistent problem in Brazil, particularly during the peak of the rainy season, which is January and February in the nation’s populous southeast. But health officials blame human behavior for this year’s surge. While drought-ravaged São Paulo has yet to declare official water rationing, the main water utility has reduced pressure in the pipes to force conservation, a strategy that has cut off running water to millions of customers for hours, even days at a stretch. Residents have responded by hoarding water in open buckets, watering cans and other makeshift containers. Paradoxically, they’ve created a water-borne paradise for mosquitoes to breed in the midst of an epic drought.

“It’s worrying now because it’s hard to control how people store water,” said Jose Gomes Temporao, former health minister and executive director of South American Institute of Government in Health. “This creates a risk not just for dengue but for chikungunya,” another mosquito-borne virus that cause fever, rashes and joint pains that can last for months, even years.

The outbreak has sparked panic in the city of São Paulo, where 563 cases of the disease have been confirmed through midFebruary, a 163% increase from the same period a year ago. Health officials have dispatched some 2,500 agents to go door-todoor and educate residents on prevention measures, such as filling potted plants with sand, keeping containers dry and swimming pools covered.

Local media have featured photos of pro soccer players being doused with bug spray before venturing into matches. Residents are snapping up repellent, mosquito netting, insect zappers and foggers in a bid to keep the mosquitoes from biting.

At Grupo Pão de Açúcar, Brazil’s largest retailer, sales of insecticides increased 11% in January and February, versus the same period of 2014, a spokeswoman said. Small merchants, too, are reporting strong demand for drought-related wares. Sales of bottled water and repellent are up 20% over the past three months, according to Fabio Hideki,who owns a small market near São Paulo’s city center. He said particularly hot sellers are cartridges of insecticide that plug into a wall socket that can last for up to 45 days.

“People are afraid of dengue,” he said. “They are very concerned 28 out mosquitoes.”

Conditions are even worse in some parts of São Paulo state. More than 1,600 cases have been reported in recent days in Soracaba, a city of about 600,000 residents located 60 miles west of São Paulo, leading officials there to declare it an “epidemic.”

Soracaba resident Tania Pascole said she and her 19-year-old son are slathering on bug spray to ward off dengue-carrying mosquitoes.

“Everyone has a friend or a family member who’s gotten the disease,” the 44-year-old secretary said. “We’ve always been careful, but this year we’re taking extra precautions. We apply repellent basically all day. Thank God, my son and I haven’t been infected.”

Other families haven’t been so fortunate. Renata Ferreira Correa Fabri lost her 45-year-old sister to the disease on Saturday.

A resident of Limeira, about 90 miles northwest of São Paulo, Ms. Fabri said her sister,Paula Ferreira Correa Ponte, went to the hospital last week complaining of body aches. Doctors suspected Ms. Ponte had dengue and sent her home under orders to hydrate and rest. But her condition worsened, Ms. Fabri said, and her sister was readmitted to the hospital, where she died of cardiac arrest.

The grief-stricken family is now scrambling to figure out how to care for Paula’s 5-year-old son, who is now an orphan.

( sourcehttp://www.wsj.com/articles/drought-stricken-sao-paulobattles-dengue-fever-outbreak-1425420508 )

Drought-Stricken São Paulo Battles Dengue Fever Outbreak Hundreds Infected With Mosquito-Borne Virus

By
ROGERIO JELMAYER and
LORETTA CHAO
Updated March 3, 2015 6:44 p.m. ET

SÃO PAULO, Brazil—Inhabitants of this megacity, suffering through the worst drought in decades, have unwittingly contributed to an outbreak of dengue fever by storing scarce water in open containers.

The tropical mosquito-borne virus, which often results in high fever, intense muscle pain and convulsions, has killed at least 17 people in São Paulo state in the first six weeks of 2015. That’s up from just three deaths through mid-February of 2014, according to national health officials. Suspected cases have surged tenfold to 51,849 over the same period.

Dengue is a persistent problem in Brazil, particularly during the peak of the rainy season, which is January and February in the nation’s populous southeast. But health officials blame human behavior for this year’s surge. While drought-ravaged São Paulo has yet to declare official water rationing, the main water utility has reduced pressure in the pipes to force conservation, a strategy that has cut off running water to millions of customers for hours, even days at a stretch. Residents have responded by hoarding water in open buckets, watering cans and other makeshift containers. Paradoxically, they’ve created a water-borne paradise for mosquitoes to breed in the midst of an epic drought.

“It’s worrying now because it’s hard to control how people store water,” said Jose Gomes Temporao, former health minister and executive director of South American Institute of Government in Health. “This creates a risk not just for dengue but for chikungunya,” another mosquito-borne virus that cause fever, rashes and joint pains that can last for months, even years.

The outbreak has sparked panic in the city of São Paulo, where 563 cases of the disease have been confirmed through midFebruary, a 163% increase from the same period a year ago. Health officials have dispatched some 2,500 agents to go door-todoor and educate residents on prevention measures, such as filling potted plants with sand, keeping containers dry and swimming pools covered.

Local media have featured photos of pro soccer players being doused with bug spray before venturing into matches. Residents are snapping up repellent, mosquito netting, insect zappers and foggers in a bid to keep the mosquitoes from biting.

At Grupo Pão de Açúcar, Brazil’s largest retailer, sales of insecticides increased 11% in January and February, versus the same period of 2014, a spokeswoman said. Small merchants, too, are reporting strong demand for drought-related wares. Sales of bottled water and repellent are up 20% over the past three months, according to Fabio Hideki,who owns a small market near São Paulo’s city center. He said particularly hot sellers are cartridges of insecticide that plug into a wall socket that can last for up to 45 days.

“People are afraid of dengue,” he said. “They are very concerned 28 out mosquitoes.”

Conditions are even worse in some parts of São Paulo state. More than 1,600 cases have been reported in recent days in Soracaba, a city of about 600,000 residents located 60 miles west of São Paulo, leading officials there to declare it an “epidemic.”

Soracaba resident Tania Pascole said she and her 19-year-old son are slathering on bug spray to ward off dengue-carrying mosquitoes.

“Everyone has a friend or a family member who’s gotten the disease,” the 44-year-old secretary said. “We’ve always been careful, but this year we’re taking extra precautions. We apply repellent basically all day. Thank God, my son and I haven’t been infected.”

Other families haven’t been so fortunate. Renata Ferreira Correa Fabri lost her 45-year-old sister to the disease on Saturday.

A resident of Limeira, about 90 miles northwest of São Paulo, Ms. Fabri said her sister,Paula Ferreira Correa Ponte, went to the hospital last week complaining of body aches. Doctors suspected Ms. Ponte had dengue and sent her home under orders to hydrate and rest. But her condition worsened, Ms. Fabri said, and her sister was readmitted to the hospital, where she died of cardiac arrest.

The grief-stricken family is now scrambling to figure out how to care for Paula’s 5-year-old son, who is now an orphan.

( sourcehttp://www.wsj.com/articles/drought-stricken-sao-paulobattles-dengue-fever-outbreak-1425420508 )