SCIENCE IN THE NEWS -February 12, 2002: Digest
VOICE ONE:
This is Sarah Long.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Bob Doughty with Science in the News, a VOA Special English program about recent developments
in science. Today, we tell about new research using genes to find early signs of cancer. We tell about why red
wine is good for you. And we tell about the health problems in the area of New York City where the World Trade
Center was destroyed.
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VOICE ONE:
Scientists have recently reported progress in research using genes to find early signs of cancer. American and
Dutch researchers say they have developed a way to tell if a breast cancer tumor will spread to other parts of the
body. The researchers reported their work in the publication Nature.
Scientists at the Netherlands Cancer Institute and in the United States found special groups of genes in the kinds
of cancerous tumors that spread quickly. They made the discovery by studying genes in seventy-eight breast
cancer tumors in women. Then they studied the women to see if they developed other cancers.
The researchers say that seventy genes in the tumors could show if a woman had a high risk of developing cancer
in another part of her body. The researchers could also tell if the disease was not likely to return.
VOICE TWO:
The scientists say they have created a system that can tell if the breast cancer will return or not. They say the
system is correct eighty percent of the time. Experts say such a test could change the normal treatment for breast
cancer. Today, women suffering breast cancer have an operation to remove the tumor. Then they have
chemotherapy and radiation to make sure the cancer will not return. However, the drugs used in chemotherapy
can have unwanted effects. Experts say women who know their cancer will not return would not need to have this
treatment.
Other researchers say that this kind of progress is not limited to breast cancer research. American researchers
recently reported a similar system to tell about the possible spread of a kind of brain cancer in children. And other
researchers have found such a system for prostate cancer patients.
VOICE ONE:
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland are reporting a genetic test that can find early
colon cancer. They reported this study in the New England Journal of Medicine. The new test studies a small
amount of a person ’s solid waste for the presence of changed genes known to cause colon cancer. The
researchers say these changes begin creating growths in the colon twenty to thirty years before the growths
become cancerous.
The researchers tested seventy -four such samples in the study. They found the cancer genes in about sixty percent
of the people with early colon cancer. They found the genes in half of the people with pre -cancerous growths.
They did not find any of the cancer genes in people who were free of the disease.
VOICE TWO:
The researchers say the new test should find a high percentage of people who are developing colon cancer. This
test is much easier to carry out than a colonoscopy test to find colon cancer. In a colonoscopy, a long, thin tube is
placed inside the colon to find any possible growths. This test is costly and is usually done in a hospital.
Researchers say the new test should influence many more people to get tested for colon cancer. They say the test
could save the lives of many of the five-hundred-thousand people around the world who die of colon cancer each
year. Officials from the private company producing the test say they hope it will be ready for use by the year
Two-Thousand-Four.
Experts say these new tests are the result of new cancer research technology. These new methods can identify and
target the molecules that cause the disease. They say this will lead to improved cancer treatments in the future.
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VOICE ONE:
You are listening to the Special English program SCIENCE IN THE NEWS on VOA. This is Sarah Long with
Bob Doughty in Washington.
British scientists may have discovered the reason why red wine appears to protect the heart. They say natural
chemicals found in red wine appear to protect against blocked blood passages. The chemical substances are
called polyphenols. They come from the outer covering of grapes. They are not present in other alcoholic drinks.
Researchers from the William Harvey Research Institute at the London School of Medicine and Dentistry carried
out the study. The scientists say their discovery explains why many people in southern Europe can eat fatty foods
and still have a low risk of heart disease. People in France, for example, have lower rates of heart disease than
Americans do. Yet the traditional French diet includes butter, cheese and other foods high in cholesterol.
VOICE TWO:
This led the British scientists to examine another important part of the French diet -- red wine. Several earlier
studies have suggested that people who drink moderate amounts of alcohol may reduce their risk of heart disease.
The British team experimented with cells from the blood vessels of cows. The scientists studied the effects of
twenty-three kinds of red wine on the cow cells. They found that polyphenols from all of the red wines stopped
production of a protein called endothelin-one. This protein causes blood vessels to become smaller. Scientists
believe endothelin-one is linked to hardening of the blood vessels, which is a cause of heart disease.
VOICE ONE:
The scientists found that the decrease in endothelin-one levels was linked to the amount of polyphenols in the
wines. The British team performed similar experiments with two other kinds of wine, white and rose. These
wines contain little or no polyphenols because the grape skins are removed before the wine is made. White and
rose wines had no effect on endothelin-one levels.
The scientists also studied the effect of non-alcoholic juice made from red grapes. They found that grape juice
slowed the production of endothelin -one, but was much less effective than the red wines.
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VOICE TWO:
There are growing environmental concerns about the air near the destroyed World Trade Center in New York
City. The two huge buildings were destroyed September eleventh when terrorists crashed two passenger planes
into them. Some people say they are suffering health problems as a result of the attacks.
When the World Trade Center fell, it left about one-million tons of crushed concrete, glass and dust. Some people
fear that cancer-causing substances may have been released into the air from the resulting fires and smoke. For
example, asbestos and other harmful substances were used in building the World Trade Center.
VOICE ONE:
The wreckage of the World Trade Center covers more than six hectares of land. Since September eleventh,
federal, state and local agencies have been testing the air in and around the wreckage area.
Scientists from universities, medical schools and private companies also are doing tests. They are looking for the
presence of pollutants in the air that might present a health risk to the workers removing the wreckage and to the
public. Federal officials say no long-term health risks have been discovered so far.
Yet, doctors say many of the workers have been suffering from severe cough, chest pain, nose bleeds and
breathing problems. Many workers with continuing problems have taken legal action against the city.Doctors say
rescue workers and other people who worked in the area for a long period of time are most at risk for health
problems. They say workers who did not wear protective coverings on their faces are at even greater risk.
VOICE TWO:
About forty -thousand people live near the ruins of the World Trade Center. Some of these people worry that open
trucks carrying the wreckage from the area are still spreading pollutants.
Doctors in New York City are organizing a study of the hundreds of pregnant women who were near the World
Trade Center on the day of the attack. They will examine the possible health effects of smoke and dust on
pregnant women and their babies.
((THEME))
VOICE ONE:
This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS program was written by Nancy Steinbach, George Grow and Cynthia Kirk. It
was produced by Cynthia Kirk. This is Sarah Long.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Bob Doughty. Join us again next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice
of America.
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