Questões de Inglês

Aspirin a day could dramatically cut cancer risk, says biggest study yet

An aspirin a day could dramatically cut people’s chances of getting and dying from common
cancers, according to the most detailed review yet of the cheap drug’s ability to stem disease.
More than 130,000 deaths would be avoided over a 20-year period if Britain’s 50- to 65-year-olds
took a daily aspirin for ten years, because the beneficial effects continue even when the aspirin is
[5] stopped, the authors say.
A research team led by Professor Jack Cuzick, head of the centre for cancer prevention at Queen
Mary University of London, concluded that people between 50 and 65 should consider regularly
taking the 75 mg low-dosage tablets. Cuzick said that taking aspirin “looks to be the most important
thing we can do to reduce cancer, after stopping smoking and reducing obesity, and will probably
[10] be much easier to implement”.
In a briefing to journalists, the scientist added that he had been dosing himself for the last four
years, keeping the tablets beside his bed. “I take aspirin as part of a bedtime ritual every day”, he
said. However, to obtain the newfound benefits of the drug, people would have to take aspirin for
at least five years and probably ten, the review said.
[15] Aspirin was originally developed as a painkiller and treatment for fever and inflammation, but more
than a century after it was first synthesised from willow bark, researchers have found more medical
uses for it. It has been demonstrated to reduce the risks of heart attacks and strokes as well as the
chances of some cancers. But the big question has been whether the benefits outweigh the harms,
because aspirin can cause stomach bleeds, which could be potentially fatal in some people.
[20] “Aspirin is showing promise in preventing certain types of cancer, but it’s vital that we balance this
with the complications it can cause – such as bleeding, stomach ulcers, or even strokes in some
people”, said Dr. Julie Sharp, head of health information at Cancer Research UK. “Before aspirin can
be recommended for cancer prevention; some important questions need to be answered, including
what is the best dose and how long people should take it for. And tests need to be developed to
[25] predict who is likely to have side-effects”, she said.
As a generic drug – Bayer’s patent ran out in the 1930s – there are no profits to be made by
big pharmaceutical companies from the estimated 100 billion tablets taken around the world
every year.
theguardian.com

Aspirin a day could dramatically cut cancer risk, says biggest study yet

An aspirin a day could dramatically cut people’s chances of getting and dying from common
cancers, according to the most detailed review yet of the cheap drug’s ability to stem disease.
More than 130,000 deaths would be avoided over a 20-year period if Britain’s 50- to 65-year-olds
took a daily aspirin for ten years, because the beneficial effects continue even when the aspirin is
[5] stopped, the authors say.
A research team led by Professor Jack Cuzick, head of the centre for cancer prevention at Queen
Mary University of London, concluded that people between 50 and 65 should consider regularly
taking the 75 mg low-dosage tablets. Cuzick said that taking aspirin “looks to be the most important
thing we can do to reduce cancer, after stopping smoking and reducing obesity, and will probably
[10] be much easier to implement”.
In a briefing to journalists, the scientist added that he had been dosing himself for the last four
years, keeping the tablets beside his bed. “I take aspirin as part of a bedtime ritual every day”, he
said. However, to obtain the newfound benefits of the drug, people would have to take aspirin for
at least five years and probably ten, the review said.
[15] Aspirin was originally developed as a painkiller and treatment for fever and inflammation, but more
than a century after it was first synthesised from willow bark, researchers have found more medical
uses for it. It has been demonstrated to reduce the risks of heart attacks and strokes as well as the
chances of some cancers. But the big question has been whether the benefits outweigh the harms,
because aspirin can cause stomach bleeds, which could be potentially fatal in some people.
[20] “Aspirin is showing promise in preventing certain types of cancer, but it’s vital that we balance this
with the complications it can cause – such as bleeding, stomach ulcers, or even strokes in some
people”, said Dr. Julie Sharp, head of health information at Cancer Research UK. “Before aspirin can
be recommended for cancer prevention; some important questions need to be answered, including
what is the best dose and how long people should take it for. And tests need to be developed to
[25] predict who is likely to have side-effects”, she said.
As a generic drug – Bayer’s patent ran out in the 1930s – there are no profits to be made by
big pharmaceutical companies from the estimated 100 billion tablets taken around the world
every year.
theguardian.com

Aspirin a day could dramatically cut cancer risk, says biggest study yet

An aspirin a day could dramatically cut people’s chances of getting and dying from common
cancers, according to the most detailed review yet of the cheap drug’s ability to stem disease.
More than 130,000 deaths would be avoided over a 20-year period if Britain’s 50- to 65-year-olds
took a daily aspirin for ten years, because the beneficial effects continue even when the aspirin is
[5] stopped, the authors say.
A research team led by Professor Jack Cuzick, head of the centre for cancer prevention at Queen
Mary University of London, concluded that people between 50 and 65 should consider regularly
taking the 75 mg low-dosage tablets. Cuzick said that taking aspirin “looks to be the most important
thing we can do to reduce cancer, after stopping smoking and reducing obesity, and will probably
[10] be much easier to implement”.
In a briefing to journalists, the scientist added that he had been dosing himself for the last four
years, keeping the tablets beside his bed. “I take aspirin as part of a bedtime ritual every day”, he
said. However, to obtain the newfound benefits of the drug, people would have to take aspirin for
at least five years and probably ten, the review said.
[15] Aspirin was originally developed as a painkiller and treatment for fever and inflammation, but more
than a century after it was first synthesised from willow bark, researchers have found more medical
uses for it. It has been demonstrated to reduce the risks of heart attacks and strokes as well as the
chances of some cancers. But the big question has been whether the benefits outweigh the harms,
because aspirin can cause stomach bleeds, which could be potentially fatal in some people.
[20] “Aspirin is showing promise in preventing certain types of cancer, but it’s vital that we balance this
with the complications it can cause – such as bleeding, stomach ulcers, or even strokes in some
people”, said Dr. Julie Sharp, head of health information at Cancer Research UK. “Before aspirin can
be recommended for cancer prevention; some important questions need to be answered, including
what is the best dose and how long people should take it for. And tests need to be developed to
[25] predict who is likely to have side-effects”, she said.
As a generic drug – Bayer’s patent ran out in the 1930s – there are no profits to be made by
big pharmaceutical companies from the estimated 100 billion tablets taken around the world
every year.
theguardian.com

Aspirin a day could dramatically cut cancer risk, says biggest study yet

An aspirin a day could dramatically cut people’s chances of getting and dying from common
cancers, according to the most detailed review yet of the cheap drug’s ability to stem disease.
More than 130,000 deaths would be avoided over a 20-year period if Britain’s 50- to 65-year-olds
took a daily aspirin for ten years, because the beneficial effects continue even when the aspirin is
[5] stopped, the authors say.
A research team led by Professor Jack Cuzick, head of the centre for cancer prevention at Queen
Mary University of London, concluded that people between 50 and 65 should consider regularly
taking the 75 mg low-dosage tablets. Cuzick said that taking aspirin “looks to be the most important
thing we can do to reduce cancer, after stopping smoking and reducing obesity, and will probably
[10] be much easier to implement”.
In a briefing to journalists, the scientist added that he had been dosing himself for the last four
years, keeping the tablets beside his bed. “I take aspirin as part of a bedtime ritual every day”, he
said. However, to obtain the newfound benefits of the drug, people would have to take aspirin for
at least five years and probably ten, the review said.
[15] Aspirin was originally developed as a painkiller and treatment for fever and inflammation, but more
than a century after it was first synthesised from willow bark, researchers have found more medical
uses for it. It has been demonstrated to reduce the risks of heart attacks and strokes as well as the
chances of some cancers. But the big question has been whether the benefits outweigh the harms,
because aspirin can cause stomach bleeds, which could be potentially fatal in some people.
[20] “Aspirin is showing promise in preventing certain types of cancer, but it’s vital that we balance this
with the complications it can cause – such as bleeding, stomach ulcers, or even strokes in some
people”, said Dr. Julie Sharp, head of health information at Cancer Research UK. “Before aspirin can
be recommended for cancer prevention; some important questions need to be answered, including
what is the best dose and how long people should take it for. And tests need to be developed to
[25] predict who is likely to have side-effects”, she said.
As a generic drug – Bayer’s patent ran out in the 1930s – there are no profits to be made by
big pharmaceutical companies from the estimated 100 billion tablets taken around the world
every year.
theguardian.com

Alzheimer’s breakthrough: ultrasound successfully treats disease in mice

Rodents found to have improved memories after ultrasound treatment, without any apparent damage to brain tissue

Scientists believe they may have found a new weapon in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease
– not in the form of a drug, but in focused beams of ultrasound.
While the approach has only been tested in mice, researchers said on Wednesday it proved
surprisingly good at clearing tangles of plaques linked to Alzheimer’s in the animals’ brains and
[5] improving their memory, as measured by tests such as navigating a maze.
In the past, high-energy ultrasound has been combined with injected microbubbles, which
vibrate in response to sound waves, to get drugs across the so-called blood brain barrier.
But the new research, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, is the first
demonstration that ultrasound alone might have a beneficial effect on the memory-robbing
[10] condition. “Our research was very exploratory and we really didn’t expect to see such a massive
effect”, Juergen Goetz of the University of Queensland in Brisbane, one of the study authors,
said. “I’m really excited by this.”
After several weeks of treating mice that had been genetically altered to produce amyloid
plaques, the scientists found the ultrasound almost completely cleared the plaques in 75% of
[15] the animals, without apparent damage to brain tissue.
While there is still some debate as to whether plaques are a cause or a symptom of Alzheimer’s,
the experiment did find that the treated mice had improved memory, as measured by three
different tests, compared with untreated ones.
Goetz stressed that his research was at a very early stage and it would be several years before it
[20] could be tested in people. Several hurdles must be overcome first, including long-term checks
for side effects in animals and much more research into whether the approach will work with
thicker skulls and larger brains. While mice studies can give us an indication of how a treatment
may affect humans, they are only indications, as there are inherent differences between the
species, and between the model and the actual human disease.
[25] Dementia, of which Alzheimer’s is the most common form, affects close to 50 milion people
worldwide and that number is set to reach 135 milion by 2050, according to Alzheimer’s Disease
International, a non-profit campaign group.

theguardian.com

Alzheimer’s breakthrough: ultrasound successfully treats disease in mice

Rodents found to have improved memories after ultrasound treatment, without any apparent damage to brain tissue

Scientists believe they may have found a new weapon in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease
– not in the form of a drug, but in focused beams of ultrasound.
While the approach has only been tested in mice, researchers said on Wednesday it proved
surprisingly good at clearing tangles of plaques linked to Alzheimer’s in the animals’ brains and
[5] improving their memory, as measured by tests such as navigating a maze.
In the past, high-energy ultrasound has been combined with injected microbubbles, which
vibrate in response to sound waves, to get drugs across the so-called blood brain barrier.
But the new research, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, is the first
demonstration that ultrasound alone might have a beneficial effect on the memory-robbing
[10] condition. “Our research was very exploratory and we really didn’t expect to see such a massive
effect”, Juergen Goetz of the University of Queensland in Brisbane, one of the study authors,
said. “I’m really excited by this.”
After several weeks of treating mice that had been genetically altered to produce amyloid
plaques, the scientists found the ultrasound almost completely cleared the plaques in 75% of
[15] the animals, without apparent damage to brain tissue.
While there is still some debate as to whether plaques are a cause or a symptom of Alzheimer’s,
the experiment did find that the treated mice had improved memory, as measured by three
different tests, compared with untreated ones.
Goetz stressed that his research was at a very early stage and it would be several years before it
[20] could be tested in people. Several hurdles must be overcome first, including long-term checks
for side effects in animals and much more research into whether the approach will work with
thicker skulls and larger brains. While mice studies can give us an indication of how a treatment
may affect humans, they are only indications, as there are inherent differences between the
species, and between the model and the actual human disease.
[25] Dementia, of which Alzheimer’s is the most common form, affects close to 50 milion people
worldwide and that number is set to reach 135 milion by 2050, according to Alzheimer’s Disease
International, a non-profit campaign group.

theguardian.com