SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - Aspirin

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - January 29, 2002: Aspirin¹

By Nancy Steinbach

VOICE ONE:
This is Sarah Long.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Bob Doughty² with SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, a VOA Special English program about recent

developments in science.

 

Today we tell about the pain medicine aspirin.

((THEME))

VOICE ONE:

Aspirin is one of the world's oldest, least costly³ and most widely used drugs. It

makes people feel better. It is a common treatment for headaches, colds and flu. It
also reduces other kinds of pain, such as pain in bone joints⁴ caused by arthritis⁵.

A drug like aspirin is said to have been used in ancient Greece. More than two-thousand-four-hundred years ago,
Hippocrates told his patients to ease pain by chewing the outer covering of the willow⁶ tree. The covering, called
bark, contains the chemical salicylic acid.

VOICE TWO:

In the Seventeen-Hundreds, people used willow bark to reduce a sick person's high body temperature. In
Eighteen-Sixty, researchers at the Bayer Company in Germany copied the salicylic acid found in willow bark.
They created acetyl salicylic acid. They called it aspirin, for the spirea plant which also contains the natural
chemical. Aspirin first was made into its present pill form about one -hundred years ago.

VOICE ONE:

In Nineteen-Eighty -Two, British scientist Sir John Vane shared the Nobel Prize in Medicine in part for
discovering how aspirin works. He found that aspirin blocks the body from making natural substances called
prostaglandins.

Prostaglandins have several effects on the body. Some cause pain and swelling⁷ in damaged tissue. Others protect
the lining⁸ of the stomach and small intestine⁹. Prostaglandins also make the kidneys, heart and blood vessels¹¹ work
well. The problem with aspirin is that it works against all prostaglandins -- good and bad.

VOICE TWO:

Scientists have learned how aspirin interferes¹² with a protein enzyme¹³. One form of the enzyme makes the
prostaglandin that causes pain and swelling. Another form of the enzyme creates the protective kind of
compound. So, while aspirin can reduce pain and swelling in damaged tissues, it also can harm the lining of the
stomach and small intestine. Still, aspirin does things that other drugs for treating pain cannot do.

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE ONE:

Scientists know that aspirin prevents tiny blood cells called platelets from sticking together to form blood clots¹⁴.
Clots can block the flow of blood to the heart or the brain. They can cause heart attacks or strokes. A few years


ago, some doctors began advising people to take aspirin to prevent heart attacks and strokes. One doctor noted¹⁵
this effect of aspirin more than forty years ago.

VOICE TWO:

The doctor was Lawrence Craven. He observed unusual bleeding among children who chewed an aspirin gum to
ease pain after a throat operation. Doctor Craven believed they were bleeding because aspirin prevented the blood
from thickening or clotting¹⁶. He decided¹⁷ that aspirin might help prevent heart attacks caused by blood clots in
blood vessels.

In the Nineteen-Fifties, Doctor Craven examined medical records of about eight-thousand people. He found no
heart attacks or strokes among those who regularly took aspirin. Doctor Craven invited other scientists to test his
ideas with modern methods. But, it was many years before large studies were carried out.

VOICE ONE:

One study was begun in Nineteen -Eighty -Three by Charles Hennekens of Harvard University Medical School in
Cambridge, Massachusetts. He began studying more than twenty-two-thousand healthy male doctors over the age
of forty. Half of the doctors in the study took an aspirin every other day. The other half took an inactive pill. Five
years later, Doctor Hennekens reported that the men who took aspirin reduced their chances of having a heart
attack by forty-four percent.

However, the study also found that the men who took aspirin had almost two times the rate of bleeding in the
brain as the other group. Thousands of men had refused to take part in the study because aspirin caused them to
suffer stomach problems.

VOICE TWO:

A group of American medical experts recently said that people who have an increased risk of suffering a heart
attack should take a small amount of aspirin every day. The experts examined studies on aspirin for the
Department of Health and Human Services. They said research has shown that taking an aspirin each day can
reduce the chance of suffering a heart attack in the future.

People likely to suffer a heart attack include men over the age of forty and women over the age of fifty. The
group also includes people who weigh too much or smoke cigarettes. It also includes people who suffer diabetes¹⁸,
heart disease, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol¹⁹ levels.

Doctors say aspirin should be given to anyone who is having a heart attack because of a blocked blood vessel¹⁰ in
the heart. Aspirin lets blood continue to flow past the blockage²⁰ in the artery²¹. Research has shown that taking
aspirin during a heart attack lowers the chance of death by about twenty -five percent. It also lowers the chance of
having a second heart attack by fifty percent.

Some people should not take aspirin, however. They include people who have stomach problems, or suffer
bleeding, or take medicines to thin the blood.

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE ONE:

New research has provided information about the effects of aspirin on the brain. Several small studies have
shown that taking aspirin can affect older people with thinking problems. Those who took aspirin did not lose
their reasoning abilities as soon as those who did not take aspirin. Doctors think aspirin can help prevent small
strokes that result from blocked blood vessels in the brain.

Some studies have been done on the effects of people taking aspirin during the first signs of a stroke. These show
a fifteen to twenty-five percent improvement in the patients’
condition. But researchers have not been able to
find any evidence that aspirin can prevent strokes in healthy people.

VOICE TWO:


A study of aspirin and strokes was published in the “Archives of Neurology.
”
Robert Hart and others at the

University of Texas at San Antonio examined studies of aspirin and stroke prevention in more than fifty-thousand
healthy people. Some of the people already had an increased risk of stroke, like high blood pressure. Others had
no signs that they could suffer a stroke in the future.

The researchers found that aspirin did not seem to prevent strokes as long as people had no signs of blocked
blood vessels in the brain. Often, taking aspirin was linked with a small increased risk of bleeding in the brain.
This also can cause a stroke.

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE ONE:

Aspirin often causes problems in the stomach or intestines²², especially if taken in large amounts. These problems
can include life-threatening bleeding. Such problems are caused by damage to the tissue inside the stomach or
intestines. The acid in aspirin irritates the tissue, and the drug interferes with natural healing of the cells.

However, researchers also have found that aspirin may prevent cancers of the stomach and intestines. Studies
done in the last twenty years have shown that people who take aspirin have unusually low rates of such cancers.

Steven Shiff is a researcher at Rockefeller University in New York City. Studies in his laboratory have shown
that aspirin destroys cells in the lining of the intestines before they can become cancerous. This action may also
injure other cells and cause bleeding.

VOICE TWO:

Medical experts continue to say that no one should begin taking aspirin to prevent heart attacks or strokes without
first asking their doctor. They also say people should not take aspirin instead of doing other things that can
prevent heart attacks and strokes. They say people should exercise, stop smoking cigarettes and eat foods low in
fat.

Doctors do not believe aspirin is safe for everyone. They do not believe pregnant women should take the drug.
And, they say children should not take aspirin. Studies show that children who take aspirin for a sickness like flu
or chicken pox have a much greater chance of developing a serious disease called Reye's syndrome²³.

Even with its problems, aspirin still is considered one of the most valuable drugs ever discovered.

((THEME))

VOICE ONE:

This VOA Special English SCIENCE IN THE NEWS program was written by Nancy Steinbach and Avi Arditti.
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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1 aspirin   

n.阿司匹林

参考例句：

• The aspirin seems to quiet the headache.阿司匹林似乎使头痛减轻了。
• She went into a chemist's and bought some aspirin.她进了一家药店，买了些阿司匹林。

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 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。

4 joints   

接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语）

参考例句：

• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on gas mains. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在煤气的总管道上了。
• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on steam pipes. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在蒸气管道上了。

5 arthritis   

n.关节炎

参考例句：

• Rheumatoid arthritis has also been linked with the virus.风湿性关节炎也与这种病毒有关。
• He spent three months in the hospital with acute rheumatic arthritis.他患急性风湿性关节炎，在医院住了三个月。

6 willow   

n.柳树

参考例句：

• The river was sparsely lined with willow trees.河边疏疏落落有几棵柳树。
• The willow's shadow falls on the lake.垂柳的影子倒映在湖面上。

7 swelling   

n.肿胀

参考例句：

• Use ice to reduce the swelling. 用冰敷消肿。
• There is a marked swelling of the lymph nodes. 淋巴结处有明显的肿块。

8 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

9 intestine   

adj.内部的；国内的；n.肠

参考例句：

• This vitamin is absorbed through the walls of the small intestine.这种维生素通过小肠壁被吸收。
• The service productivity is the function,including external efficiency,intestine efficiency and capacity efficiency.服务业的生产率是一个包含有外部效率、内部效率和能力效率的函数。

10 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

11 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

12 interferes   

vi. 妨碍，冲突，干涉

参考例句：

• The noise interferes with my work. 这噪音妨碍我的工作。
• That interferes with my plan. 那干扰了我的计划。

13 enzyme   

n.酵素，酶

参考例句：

• Above a certain temperature,the enzyme molecule will become unfolded.超过一定温度，酶分子将会展开。
• An enzyme that dissolves the fibrin of blood clots.能溶解血凝块中的纤维的酶。

14 clots   

n.凝块( clot的名词复数 )；血块；蠢人；傻瓜v.凝固( clot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• When you cut yourself, blood clots and forms a scab. 你割破了，血会凝固、结痂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Milk clots when it turns sour. 奶变酸就凝块。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

15 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

16 clotting   

v.凝固( clot的现在分词 )；烧结

参考例句：

• The study was also based only on the one anti-clotting drug. 所用抗血栓药物也仅限于一种。 来自互联网
• A plasma protein that is converted into thrombin during blood clotting. 凝血原酶一种血浆蛋白质，在血液凝聚时转化成凝血''。'酵'。''''。'素'。''。 来自互联网

17 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

18 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

19 cholesterol   

n.（U）胆固醇

参考例句：

• There is cholesterol in the cell of body.人体细胞里有胆固醇。
• They are determining the serum-protein and cholesterol levels.他们正在测定血清蛋白和胆固醇的浓度。

20 blockage   

n.障碍物；封锁

参考例句：

• The logical treatment is to remove this blockage.合理的治疗方法就是清除堵塞物。
• If the blockage worked,they could retreat with dignity.如果封锁发生作用，他们可以体面地撤退。

21 artery   

n.干线，要道；动脉

参考例句：

• We couldn't feel the changes in the blood pressure within the artery.我们无法感觉到动脉血管内血压的变化。
• The aorta is the largest artery in the body.主动脉是人体中的最大动脉。

22 intestines   

n.肠( intestine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Perhaps the most serious problems occur in the stomach and intestines. 最严重的问题或许出现在胃和肠里。 来自辞典例句
• The traps of carnivorous plants function a little like the stomachs and small intestines of animals. 食肉植物的捕蝇器起着动物的胃和小肠的作用。 来自辞典例句

23 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。