SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - Reforms at NIH / Tobacco Smoke a Dange

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - Reforms at NIH / Tobacco Smoke a Danger to Children / A New Way to Add Iron to the Diet
By Cynthia Kirk and Jill Moss¹

Broadcast: Tuesday, February 15, 2005

VOICE ONE:

This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Sarah Long.

 
AP Photo
VOICE TWO:

And I'm Bob Doughty². On our program this week, we tell about a treatment for lack of iron in the diet; the dangers of cigarette smoke for children; and reforms at the National Institutes of Health.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

The World Health Organization says iron deficiency is the most common nutritional³ disorder⁴ in the world. The W.H.O. estimates that as many as eighty percent of people may not be getting the iron they need.

The body needs iron to manufacture hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to body tissues. The body also needs iron to produce several enzymes⁵ necessary for muscle, the brain and the body's natural defenses to work correctly.

Iron is stored in bone marrow⁶ and two organs -- the spleen and liver. Iron deficiency is the main cause of anemia⁷. A person becomes anemic when iron levels are severely⁸ reduced.

VOICE TWO:

Children in developing countries are especially at risk of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia. Officials estimate that as many as seven hundred fifty million children have one or more of the conditions.

Common signs of iron deficiency include a loss, or lightening, of skin color. Adults who do not get enough iron get tired more quickly. And, there are special risks for pregnant women. But risks for children can be much more serious, especially in the first two years of life. That is because iron deficiency can cause problems with physical and mental development. It also can result in reduced performance in school.

In fact, some economists⁹ believe that iron deficiency can have a major effect on a nation's economy. Iron deficiency and anemia often result in lower productivity. This, in turn, can affect economic development.

VOICE ONE:

Health experts say iron deficiency is the most common preventable nutritional problems. Meat, fish, chicken and other birds have plenty of iron. But some developing countries lack enough of the foods that provide iron.

There have been efforts to deal with the problem. Some wealthy countries have led successful health campaigns. But traditional ways of getting more iron into children in developing countries have been largely unsuccessful. Foods supplied with iron are often too costly¹⁰. And many children object to taking any iron supplements by mouth because of the taste.

VOICE TWO:

An expert in treating children, Stanley Zlotkin, says he has a solution. Doctor Zlotkin teaches at the University of Toronto in Canada. His solution is called sprinkles. Iron and other minerals necessary for good health are processed into very small particles. These particles are covered with a neutral food product to hide the taste. He says the mixture can be easily added to food and mixed in.

The mixture comes in a small container called a sachet (sash-AY). Doctor Zlotkin says it provides the exact amount needed to meet a child's daily need for iron at a cost of three cents or less a day. The sachets also include vitamin C, which helps the body process iron, and vitamin A, zinc¹¹, and folic acid.

VOICE ONE:

Recently, Doctor Zlotkin and other research scientists reported on successful tests of sprinkles in West Africa. The findings were reported in the publication of the Public Library of Science.

Up until now, only the United Nation's Children's Fund and private groups have offered sprinkles to those in need. A few government programs in Pakistan and Bangladesh also have begun using this new intervention¹². Doctor Zlotkin says his goal is to expand the use of sprinkles in the nutrition policy of all developing countries.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

A new study serves as another warning of the dangers from cigarette smoke around children. This was one of the largest studies ever done on the risks to people who breathe tobacco smoke in the air. Experts call this "passive smoking." Many studies have shown increased risks for lung cancer and other diseases. But few studies have involved people who seemed healthy when the research began.

Paolo Vineis of Imperial College, London, led the new study. The British Medical Journal published the report.

VOICE ONE:

More than one hundred twenty thousand people provided information about their history of exposure to tobacco smoke. They might have worked with smokers¹³, or had parents who smoked. The people were from ten countries in Europe. All said they had never smoked or had stopped for at least ten years.

The study followed their health for an average of seven years. During that time, ninety-seven people developed lung cancer. Twenty developed upper-respiratory cancers. And fourteen died from the lung disease emphysema.

VOICE TWO:

The report compares lung cancer rates among people who had been around tobacco smoke when they were children. Those who had breathed it many hours a day were three-and-one-half times more likely to get lung cancer than those who reported no exposure. Yet the risk was still one-and-one-half times higher in adults who had breathed tobacco smoke as children even a few times a week.

The study also found that former smokers had a greater risk of lung cancer than people who never smoked. This link was limited to exposure at work. The report says former smokers may be more at risk from low levels of tobacco smoke in the environment. One possible explanation is that they already have damaged cells.

Smoking is the main cause of lung cancer. And lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the world.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

One of the world's leading medical research centers has announced new ethics¹⁴ rules for its workers. The National Institutes of Health says the rules are meant to guide the moral, or ethical¹⁵, actions of the workers. The N.I.H. is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The agency employs more than eighteen thousand people.

Under the new rules, N.I.H. employees may no longer offer expert advice to, or accept money from, companies in the medical industry. This includes drug or biotechnology companies, makers¹⁶ of medical devices, healthcare providers and trade groups. It also includes universities, hospitals and research centers that receive money from the National Institutes of Health.

VOICE TWO:

The new rules require most N.I.H. scientists and all top officials to sell their investments in drug and biotech companies. The rules also affect other employees with the agency. They are limited to no more than fifteen thousand dollars in stock in any one drug or biotech company.

Elias Zerhouni is the director of the National Institutes of Health. Doctor Zerhouni says his goal is to protect the public trust in N.I.H. and its research programs. He says there should be no conflict of interest or the appearance of conflict of interest.

VOICE ONE:

The reforms are meant to deal with concerns raised last year by a Congressional investigation¹⁷ and media reports. They showed that some N.I.H. scientists received money and stock offers from drug and biotech companies. Many of the companies had dealings with the agency.

N.I.H. workers have reacted strongly to the new rules. Critics say the restrictions¹⁸ are not justified¹⁹. They say that all N.I.H. employees will be punished for the actions of a few dishonest people. Doctor Zerhouni admits that most of the employees have served honorably. He says the reforms are meant to protect their image and the public's trust.

VOICE TWO:

The National Institutes of Health also announced a policy on publication of research paid for by the federal government. The policy establishes what is called open access publishing. It will come into effect on May second.

Under the new policy, scientists using federal money are to give their research papers to the National Library of Medicine after they are accepted for publication. The National Library of Medicine will then release the information on the Internet.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS program was written by Cynthia Kirk and Jill Moss. It was produced by Cynthia Kirk. I'm Sarah Long.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Bob Doughty. If you have a general question about science that we can answer on this program, you can e-mail it to [email protected]. Join us again next week for more news about science in VOA Special English.

1 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

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 nutritional   

adj.营养的，滋养的

参考例句：

• A diet lacking in nutritional value will not keep a person healthy.缺乏营养价值的饮食不能维持人的健康。
• The labels on food products give a lot of information about their nutritional content.食品上的标签提供很多关于营养成分的信息。

4 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。

5 enzymes   

n. 酶，酵素

参考例句：

• It was said that washing powders containing enzymes remove stains more efficiently. 据说加酶洗衣粉除污更有效。
• Among the enzymes which are particularly effective are pepsin, papain. 在酶当中特别有效的是胃朊酶、木瓜酶。

6 marrow   

n.骨髓；精华；活力

参考例句：

• It was so cold that he felt frozen to the marrow. 天气太冷了，他感到寒冷刺骨。
• He was tired to the marrow of his bones.他真是累得筋疲力尽了。

7 anemia   

n.贫血，贫血症

参考例句：

• The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。
• I was put on iron tablets for my anemia.我曾因贫血吃补铁药片。

8 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

9 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

11 zinc   

n.锌；vt.在...上镀锌

参考例句：

• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。
• Zinc is used to protect other metals from corrosion.锌被用来保护其他金属不受腐蚀。

12 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

13 smokers   

吸烟者( smoker的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily. 许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。
• Chain smokers don't care about the dangers of smoking. 烟鬼似乎不在乎吸烟带来的种种危害。

14 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

15 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

16 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

18 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

19 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。