VOA慢速英语 2007 0606a

This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

A coronary stent is a small tube that is used to treat heart patients. The tube is made of 
A stent is a tube of wire mesh¹
wire mesh. Doctors place it inside an artery² that has narrowed. They expand the stent to hold the walls of the artery open so blood can flow normally to the heart. If an artery is blocked, people can suffer chest pain and heart attacks.

In most cases, a stent is left permanently³ in place to keep the artery open after a treatment called angioplasty.

Increasingly doctors use what is called a drug-eluting stent. This kind has medicine on it that is released slowly over time. The drug is designed to prevent the creation of scar tissue in the artery. Scar tissue can cause the artery to narrow again.

Millions of people now have drug-eluting stents. The United States Food and Drug Administration approved the first one in two thousand three. The devices are approved for use in patients with simple blockages⁴ and no history of a heart attack.

But once the F.D.A. approves a drug or other treatment, doctors do not have to follow only the approved uses. They may try other uses, including untested uses, if they think it could help their patients. This is called "off-label" use.

But recently some studies have questioned the safety of off-label use of drug-treated stents.

In early May, the Journal of the American Medical Association published two studies. These were based on the records of several thousand patients.

A stent maker⁵, Cordis, helped pay for one of the studies. The study found that at one year, the patients with the least risk were those who met the conditions for approved or "on-label" use.

 For example, restenosis, which is when the artery narrows again, was reported in four percent of those patients. Patients with more serious artery problems had rates of seven to eight percent. Still, the researchers say the number of patients affected⁶ was small.

Compared to the first study, the second study found a higher risk of problems with off-label use of drug-eluting stents. Millenium Pharmaceuticals⁷ and Schering-Plough helped pay for the second study. These companies make drugs that can be used in place of the stents.

Now, additional research is examining how outcomes could be affected by the methods that doctors use when they put a stent into a patient. We will discuss this part of the issue next week.

And that's the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver⁸. I'm Katherine Cole.

 

1 mesh   

n.网孔，网丝，陷阱；vt.以网捕捉，啮合，匹配；vi.适合； [计算机]网络

参考例句：

• Their characters just don't mesh.他们的性格就是合不来。
• This is the net having half inch mesh.这是有半英寸网眼的网。

2 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。

3 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

4 blockages   

n.堵塞物( blockage的名词复数 )；堵塞，阻塞

参考例句：

• The storms could increase the risks posed by river blockages. 暴风雨会增加因河道堵塞所造成的危险。 来自互联网
• An angiogram shows the location and severity of blockages in blood vessels. 冠状动脉造影能够显示血管内的阻塞位置以及阻塞的严重程度。 来自互联网

5 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

6 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

7 pharmaceuticals   

n.医药品；药物( pharmaceutical的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the development of new pharmaceuticals 新药的开发
• The companies are pouring trillions of yen into biotechnology research,especially for pharmaceuticals and new seeds. 这些公司将大量资金投入生物工艺学研究，尤其是药品和新种子方面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。