Questões de Inglês

PREDICTING TOOTH LOSS

Machine-learning algorithms may help identify those at risk

Tooth loss is often accepted as a natural part of aging, but what if there was a way to better identify
those most susceptible without the need for a dental exam? New research led by investigators at Harvard
School of Dental Medicine suggests that machine learning tools can help identify those at greatest risk for
tooth loss and refer them for further dental assessment in an effort to ensure early interventions to avert
[05] or delay the condition.

The study compared five algorithms using a different combination of variables to screen for risk. The results
showed those that factored medical characteristics and socioeconomic variables, such as race, education,
arthritis, and diabetes, outperformed algorithms that relied on dental clinical indicators alone.

Tooth loss can be physically and psychologically debilitating. It can undoubtedly affect quality of life,

[10] well-being, nutrition, and social interactions. The process can be delayed, even prevented, if the earliest signs of dental disease are identified, and the condition treated promptly. Yet, many people with dental disease may not see a dentist until the process has advanced far beyond the point of saving a tooth. This is precisely where screening tools could help identify those at highest risk and refer them for further assessment, the team said. This approach could also be used globally, in a variety of health care settings,

[15] even by non-dental professional.

“Our findings suggest that the machine-learning algorithm models incorporating socioeconomic
characteristics were better at predicting tooth loss than those relying on routine clinical dental indicators
alone,” Elani said. “This work highlights the importance of social determinants of health. Knowing the
patient’s education level, employment status, and income is just as relevant for predicting tooth loss as
[20] assessing their clinical dental status.

Indeed, it has long been known that low-income and marginalized populations experience a disproportionate
share of the burden of tooth loss, due to lack of regular access to dental care, among other reasons, and
early identification and prompt care are critical in preventing tooth loss. These new findings point to an
important new tool in achieving that and Dr. Elani and her research team shed new light on how they can
[25] most effectively target prevention efforts and improve quality of life for patients.

Adapted from sciencedaily.com. June 24, 2021. Accessed 17 September 2021.

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    Americans sure love their coffee. Even last spring when the pandemic shut down New York, nearly every neighborhood shop that sold takeout coffee managed to stay open, and I was amazed at how many people ventured forth to start their stay-at-home days with a favorite store-made brew

    All of us should be happy to know that whatever it takes to secure that favorite cup of coffee may actually help to keep us healthy. The latest assessments of the health effects of coffee and caffeine, its main active ingredient, are reassuring indeed. Their consumption has been linked to a reduced risk of all kinds of ailments, including Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, gallstones, depression, suicide, cirrhosis, liver cancer, melanoma and prostate cancer.

    In fact, in numerous studies conducted throughout the world, consuming four or five eight-ounce cups of coffee (or about 400 milligrams of caffeine) a day has been associated with reduced death rates. In a study of more than 200,000 participants followed for up to 30 years, those who drank three to five cups of coffee a day, with or without caffeine, were 15 percent less likely to die early from all causes than were people who shunned coffee. Perhaps most dramatic was a 50 percent reduction in the risk of suicide among both men and women who were moderate coffee drinkers, perhaps by boosting production of brain chemicals that have antidepressant effects.

    As a report published last summer by a research team at the Harvard School of Public Health concluded, although current evidence may not warrant recommending coffee or caffeine to prevent disease, for most people drinking coffee in moderation “can be part of a healthy lifestyle.”

     It wasn’t always thus. I’ve lived through decades of sporadic warnings that coffee could be a health hazard. Over the years, coffee’s been deemed a cause of conditions such as heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, pancreatic cancer, anxiety disorder, nutrient deficiencies, gastric reflux disease, migraine, insomnia, and premature death. As recently as 1991, the World Health Organization listed coffee as a possible carcinogen. In some of the now-discredited studies, smoking, not coffee drinking (the two often went hand-in-hand) was responsible for the purported hazard.

(Jane E. Brody. www.nytimes.com, 14.06.2021. Adaptado.)

Read the text to answer the question.

    In 2008 at least six babies died and 300,000 fell ill after drinking made-in-China infant formula contaminated with toxic chemicals. In response, many Chinese parents embraced foreign baby food brands, catapulting the likes of Danone SA’s Aptamil and Nestlé SA’s Illuma to the top of the market. Yet for the past two years, the leading formula brand in China has been made by China Feihe Ltd., a Beijing company that emphasizes its local roots rather than seeking to obscure them. “More suitable for Chinese babies,” the company’s advertising boasts.

    In categories ranging from baby food to sportswear and skin cream, Chinese brands are putting pressure on global rivals that depend on the country for much of their growth. While increasing nationalism has boosted the momentum of domestic products for the past couple of years, the covid-19 pandemic is speeding up the shift. With prices typically lower than foreign brands’, domestic products have increasing appeal in times of constrained household budgets, and the growth of online sales has weakened the multinationals’ advantages in distribution and marketing.

    Foreign brands aren’t finished in China, of course. They dominate categories such as expensive handbags and luxury cars. Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) — still the biggest fast- -food chain in China — is supplementing its fried chicken with products such as fast-cooking snail noodles to cater to diners stuck at home in the pandemic. “The attitude of big international brands is changing significantly,” says Wu Wenmi, founder of Wenzihui MCN agency. “They are more humble now and willing to hear our opinions of how to play the game.”

    One way Chinese companies are playing the game is with marketing that resonates for locals. While foreigners’ ads stress the nutritional value of their infant formula, Feihe nurtures relationships with consumers via loyalty programs and new-parent support groups. And Chinese brands are increasingly tailoring their products to domestic tastes. China Mengniu Dairy Co., for instance, is stepping up sales of innovations such as pineapple-flavored cheese in addition to its lineup of basic milk and fruit yogurts. “Foreign brands were so innovative three decades ago when they first came to China,” Mengniu CEO Lu Minfang says. “But now they’re developing slower than local brands.”

(Bruce Einhorm and Daniela Vrei.
Bloomberg Businessweek. 07.12.2020. Adapted.)

Ukraine is the latest country to legalize bitcoin as the cryptocurrency slowly goes gl

Published Thu, Sept 9 th , 2021 MacKenzie Sigalos

Ukraine is the fifth country in as many weeks to _________some ground rules for the cryptocurrency market, a sign that
governments around the world are realizing that bitcoin is here to stay. In a nearly unanimous vote, the Ukrainian Parliament
adopted a law that legalizes and regulates cryptocurrency. The bill was set in motion in 2020 – and heads to the desk of President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Until today, crypto in Ukraine has existed in a legal gray area.

[5] Locals were allowed to buy and exchange virtual currencies, but companies and exchanges dealing in crypto were often under
close watch by law enforcement. According to the Kyiv Post, authorities have trended toward taking a combative stance when it
comes to virtual cash, regarding it as a "scam," raiding crypto-related businesses, and "often confiscating expensive equipment
without any grounds."

In August, for example, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) blocked a network of what it called "clandestine cryptocurrency
[10] exchanges" running in the capital city Kyiv. The SBU claimed these exchanges were facilitating money laundering and providing
anonymity of transactions.

The new legislation also _____certain protections against fraud for those who own bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, and in a
first for Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada unicameral parliament, lawmakers have taken a stab at defining core terminology in the world
of crypto. If signed by the president, virtual assets, digital wallets and private keys are terms that will be enshrined in Ukrainian
[15] law.

Unlike El Salvador’s move to adopt bitcoin as legal tender, Ukraine's crypto law does not facilitate the rollout of bitcoin as a form
of payment and does not put it on an equal footing with the hryvnia, the country's national currency. However, Thursday's vote
by the former nuclear power is part of a wider push by Kyiv to lean into bitcoin.

By 2022, the country plans to open the cryptocurrency market to businesses and investors, according to the Kyiv Post. Top state
[20] officials have also been touting their crypto street cred to investors and venture capital funds in Silicon Valley. On an official state
visit to the U.S. last month, Zelenskyy spoke of Ukraine's budding "legal innovative market for virtual assets" as a selling point
for investment, and Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov said the country was modernizing its payment market
so that its National Bank would be able to issue digital currency.

(Retrieved and adapted from: https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2021/09/08/ukraine-legalizes-bitcoin-andcryptocurrencies.html?__source=instagram%7Cmain. Access on September 14th, 2021)

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Time Out lists the 'world's best' cities for 2021

Francesca Street, CNN • Updated 9th September 2021

(CNN) — It was already world-famous thanks to its striking red-hued bridge, drool-worthy restaurant scene and booming tech
industry -- and now San Francisco has been crowned the "world's best" city, according to Time Out.

The international media brand deployed its network of editors from across the world -- as well as surveying some 27,000 global
city dwellers -- to narrow down its list of the best cities on the planet. Each city's nightlife, restaurants and cultural highlights were
[5] considered, as well as the city's sense of community, which in the wake of Covid-19 is perhaps more important than ever.

Cities' environmental initiatives were also examined, as well as their commitment to activism, and general friendliness. Time Out
says San Francisco's "unbeatable combination of progressiveness, acceptance and sustainability" clinched it the top spot.

Community spirit

San Francisco was also applauded by Time Out for its response to the pandemic, and for boasting one of the highest vaccination
rates in the US. Even amid strict shutdowns, San Franciscans found ways to support one another, says Time Out, recalling when
[10] residents hung sourdough starters from telephone poles for neighbors to pick up.

The city's pivot to outdoor dining in the wake of the pandemic is set to remain permanent -- and this was also praised by Time
Out, who said the result is the city's streets resembling "one big outdoor party." The city's green spaces were also commended,
as was its equality-focused embrace of the cannabis industry.

This year's list of the best cities in the world shines a spotlight on cities that adapted during a time where the key factors that
[15] make these metropolises the place to be -- fun, culture and socializing -- were largely off the table," said Caroline McGinn, Time
Out's global editor in chief, in a statement. "You'd think a pandemic might defeat the point of living in a city, but the results show
that community spirit is higher than ever, people are supporting each other as well as local business and initiatives, and many of
us are even having some fun."

The Dutch metropolis of Amsterdam, the northern English city of Manchester, the Danish cycling haven of Copenhagen and the
[20] cultural hub of New York City round out the top five on Time Out's list.

(Retrieved and adapted from: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/time-out-worlds-best-cities-2021/index.html. Access on September 16th, 2021)

Read the text below and answer the following three questions based on it.

Cutting Out Even a Little Salt Can Have Big Health Benefits

Sometimes, seemingly small changes in a health measurement can make a very large difference to people’s well-being. Such is the case with the effect on blood pressure of the essential nutrient sodium, the problematic half of the popular flavoring agent sodium chloride, commonly known as salt.

The amount of salt that is safe for people to consume has been embroiled in controversy for a century. Scores of studies of varying quality linking sodium intake and health have swung the pendulum back and forth, stymieing regulations to limit sodium in most commercially prepared foods. Some people are especially sensitive to sodium’s ability to raise blood pressure, but given how common high blood pressure already is, and how difficult it is to avoid consuming too much salt, many experts maintain that the safest approach is an overall reduction in sodium levels in prepared and processed foods.

More than 100 million Americans have high blood pressure, a disorder that increases their risk of heart attacks and strokes, and which, for many people, is made worse by consuming too much sodium. Just a four-millimeter rise in blood pressure — say, from 130 to 134 millimeters of mercury — can jeopardize the health of some people, and the blood pressure of those who are especially salt-sensitive can rise by 10 or more millimeters of mercury on a typical high-salt diet. In 2010, a Stanford University team estimated that cutting about 350 milligrams of sodium a day (less than a sixth of a teaspoon) would lower systolic blood pressure by only 1.25 millimeters of mercury yet avert about a million strokes and heart attacks.

The human species evolved on a very low-sodium diet of 200 to 600 milligrams a day. In fact, our bodies are designed to conserve sodium and get rid of potassium, which explains why a high-sodium diet can be a problem.

Though doctors have long argued that Americans should consume less salt, the wheels of regulatory action turn at a glacial pace, and modifying people’s taste buds is equally challenging.

Adaptado de: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/11/well/eat/saltblood-pressure.html Acessado em 17 de outubro 2021.