Tag Archive: health – intermediate

  Pre-reading questions: Do you always eat healthy food? What unhealthy food do you enjoy eating? Which kind of food do you enjoy more: healthy food or unhealthy food?   Malnutrition is considered among undernourished and obese people. A third of the world’s population is now affected by the problem. People who have unhealthy diet and lack regular exercise are also at risk. Middle income countries have increasing numbers of malnourished patients. Experts say that governments must take action to prevent it from becoming worst. Nutrition is a public issue and state responsibility. Governments should give more monetary assistance to grow healthy food. Agricultural research must focus on nutritious products….
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Pre-reading questions: What comes to mind when you hear the word “smoking”? Do you think it is easy to quit smoking? Do you think banning smoking in public places could seriously hurt the economy?   People who smoke one cigarette a day or less still have greater chance of dying earlier than those who don’t smoke at all, according to a new study released in JAMA Internal Medicine journal. Researchers from the National Cancer Institute conducted the study that analyzed the effects of low-intensity smoking compared to mortality rates for people who don’t smoke. The study also examined that people are prone to develop lung cancer especially among those who…
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  Pre-reading questions: Do you catch cold every year? How often? What do you usually do when you are sick? Have you tried donating your blood?   Lung transplant is a critical operation. Doctors rush to finish the procedure within six hours before the lungs expire. A technique called Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion (EVLP) has been developed. This technique keeps the lungs safe for over 12 hours. It means the organ can be transported to far hospitals in need of the organ. The lungs are removed from the donor and must be put on ice. It will undergo EVLP when transported to the hospital. The process warms up the lungs….
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  Pre-reading questions: What do you think about AIDS? Do you know more diseases linked to HIV?   Scientists developed a new way to test HIV using a USB stick. It was discovered by scientists from Imperial College London and the US firm DNA Electronics. The test was 95 percent accurate over 991 blood samples. Average time of reading the result was 20.8 minutes. This method could work by using a drop of blood on a mobile phone chip attached to the USB stick. It would create signals that can be read by computers and handheld devices. The result would show the amount of virus present on the patient. The…
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Pre-reading questions: What is your idea about food allergy? Are you allergic to a specific food? Viaskin peanut patch can benefit children who are allergic to peanuts. These patches have small doses of peanut protein on them. It enables the immune system to endure small amounts of peanuts. This can be very effective but further research is still needed. Good results are found from four to eleven years old patients. However, it does not have that much effect on those 12 years old and above. The patch is still not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The patch may be available in the near future after a few more…
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  Pre-reading questions: Do you have a weak body? What do you usually do when you are sick?   A company has found a way to extract human antibodies from cows. This can help fight infectious diseases. They are testing if this can be a cure for MERS. MERS is a respiratory disease found in Saudi Arabia back in 2012. It killed almost 30 percent of the infected patients. Scientists tested antibodies from other animals but the human body rejects it. As of now, they are the only company that grows antibodies from hefty mammals. This new discovery can be combined with vaccines. It may become available in 3 to…
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  Pre-reading questions: According to the article, what’s the possible result of the experiment? Do you think this will help the couples who wants to have a child in the future?   Japanese scientists have developed and fertilized mouse eggs in their laboratory. This is the first report that fully matured eggs were developed in a laboratory setting. Processing stem cells into mature eggs is still too dangerous to be tested in humans. The technique may be helpful to treat infertility but the process is difficult and it will take a long time to develop according to Richard Anderson of the University of Edinburgh’s MRC Centre for Reproductive Health. Scientist…
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  Pre-reading questions: Any idea about second-hand smoke? What are the usual illness associated with smoking that you know?   According to a US study, non-smokers that are always exposed to second-hand smoke are more prone to suffer stroke. Research showed that nearly 50 percent of non-smoker stroke patients are exposed to second-hand smoke at home. Second-hand smoke is dangerous to all but stroke patients should try more to avoid it, said Dr. Lin of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Researchers performed a blood test to know the volume of smoke people are exposed to. Certain factors considered for this test are race, sex, eduction and income level. Results showed…
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  Pre-reading questions: Any idea about second-hand smoke? What are the usual illness associated with smoking that you know?   According to a US study, non-smokers that are always exposed to second-hand smoke are more prone to suffer stroke. Research showed that nearly 50 percent of non-smoker stroke patients are exposed to second-hand smoke at home. Second-hand smoke is dangerous to all but stroke patients should try more to avoid it, said Dr. Lin of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Researchers performed a blood test to know the volume of smoke people are exposed to. Certain factors considered for this test are race, sex, education and income level. Results showed…
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