2010/12/14(tue)

In Study, Aspirin Reduces Deaths From Some Cancers

BOB DOUGHTY: This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

I'm Bob Doughty.

FAITH LAPIDUS: And I’m Faith Lapidus.

This week, we will tell the story of aspirin.

BOB DOUGHTY: People have known since ancient times that aspirin lessens pain and lowers high body temperature.

But that is not all the drug can do.

It has gained important new uses in recent years.

Small amounts may help prevent a stroke or heart attack.

Some researchers say aspirin may help patients with colon cancer live longer, or may even prevent some cancers.

But doctors also warn that the acid in aspirin can cause problems like bleeding in the stomach and intestines.

FAITH LAPIDUS: So, how did aspirin become so important?

The story begins with a willow tree.

Two thousand years ago, the Greek doctor Hippocrates advised his patients to chew on the bark and leaves of the willow.

The tree contains a chemical called salicin.

In the eighteen hundreds, researchers discovered how to make salicylic acid from the chemical.

In eighteen ninety-seven, a chemist named Felix Hoffmann at Friedrich Bayer and Company in Germany created acetyl salicylic acid.

Later, it became the active substance in a medicine that Bayer called aspirin.

The "a" came from acetyl.

The "spir" came from the spirea plant, which also produces salicin.

And the "in"? That is a common way to end medicine names.

BOB DOUGHTY: In nineteen eighty-two, a British scientist shared the Nobel Prize in Medicine in part for discovering how aspirin works. Sir John Vane found that aspirin blocks the body from making natural substances called prostaglandins.

Prostaglandins have several effects on the body. Some cause pain and the expansion, or swelling, of damaged tissue.

Others protect the lining of the stomach and small intestine.

Prostaglandins also make the heart, kidneys and blood vessels work well.

But there is a problem. Aspirin works against all prostaglandins, good and bad.

FAITH LAPIDUS: Scientists have also learned how aspirin interferes with an enzyme.

One form of this enzyme makes the prostaglandin that causes pain and swelling. Another form of the enzyme creates a protective effect.

So aspirin can reduce pain and swelling in damaged tissues.

But it can also harm the inside of the stomach and small intestine.

And sometimes it can cause bleeding.

But a British study released in two thousand nine suggests that taking another drug with a small amount of aspirin may help reduce the risk of bleeding. If that proves true, it would help thousands of people who are seeking to prevent life-threatening conditions.

BOB DOUGHTY: Many people take aspirin to reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke from blood clots.

Clots can block the flow of blood to the heart or brain and cause a heart attack or stroke.

Scientists say aspirin prevents blood cells called platelets from sticking together to form clots.

A California doctor named Lawrence Craven first noted this effect sixty years ago.

He observed unusual bleeding in children who chewed on an aspirin product to ease the pain after a common operation.

Doctor Craven believed that the bleeding took place because aspirin prevented blood from thickening.

He thought this effect might help prevent heart attacks caused by blood clots.

He examined the medical records of eight thousand aspirin users and found no heart attacks in this group.

He invited other scientists to test his ideas. But it was years before large studies took place.

FAITH LAPIDUS: Charles Hennekens of Harvard Medical School led one of the studies. In nineteen eighty-three, he began to study more than twenty-two thousand healthy male doctors over forty years of age. Half took an aspirin every other day.

The others took what they thought was aspirin. But it was only a placebo, a harmless substance.

Five years later, Doctor Hennekens reported that people who took aspirin reduced their risk of a heart attack. But they had a higher risk of bleeding in the brain than the other doctors.

BOB DOUGHTY: Last year, a group of experts examined studies of aspirin at the request of federal health officials in the United States.

The experts said people with an increased risk of a heart attack should take a low-strength aspirin every day.

Aspirin may help someone who is having a heart attack caused by a blockage in a blood vessel.

Aspirin thins the blood, so it may be able to flow past the blockage.

But heart experts say people should seek emergency help immediately.

And they say an aspirin is no substitute treatment, only for temporary help.

FAITH LAPIDUS: But what about reducing pain? Aspirin competes with many other medicines for reducing pain and high body temperature. The competition includes acetaminophen, the active substance in products like Tylenol. Like the medicine ibuprofen, aspirin is an NSAID -- a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug.

Several studies have found that men who take aspirin and other NSAIDS have a decreased risk of prostate cancer. The prostate is part of the male reproductive system.

BOB DOUGHTY: Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota wanted to see how NSAIDs might affect prostates that are enlarged but not cancerous.

They followed the health of two thousand, five hundred men for twelve years.

The researchers said these drugs may delay or stop development of an enlarged prostate.

They said the risk of an enlarged prostate was fifty percent lower in the NSAID users than the other men.

The risk of bladder problems was thirty-five percent lower.

FAITH LAPIDUS: Other studies have suggested that aspirin can help with cancer prevention and survival. They showed that aspirin may help prevent cancers of the stomach, intestines and colon.

Researchers reported in two thousand nine about people who had colorectal cancer.

They found that aspirin users had an almost thirty percent lower risk of dying from their cancer.

That was during an average of eleven years after the cancer was discovered.

BOB DOUGHTY: Two years ago, European researchers reported that aspirin may have what they called a “long-term protective effect against colorectal cancer.” Peter Rothwell of the University of Oxford led the researchers.

They examined twenty years of results from four large studies.

The studies involved fourteen thousand people.

Some of them took a seventy-five milligram baby aspirin once a day.

Others took a three hundred milligram, adult-sized aspirin.

The researchers found that people who took one aspirin a day for about six years reduced their risk of colon cancer by twenty-four percent.

And deaths from the disease dropped by thirty-five percent.

That was in comparison to those who took a harmless substance or nothing at all.

FAITH LAPIDUS: Last week, the Lancet published the combined results of a larger observational study, also led by Professor Rothwell.

This time, he and researchers examined eight studies that involved more than twenty-five thousand individuals.

They found that taking a small aspirin once a day reduced death rates from a number of common cancers.

Taking seventy-five milligrams of aspirin daily for five years reduced the risk of bowel cancer by one-fourth. Deaths from the disease fell by one-third.

BOB DOUGHTY: Aspirin does not help everything, however. It can cause problems.

For example, it can interfere with other medicines, although this is true of many drugs. Also, some people should not take aspirin.

People who take other blood thinners or have bleeding disorders are among this group. Pregnant women are usually told to avoid aspirin.

And research has shown a link between aspirin use and the disease Reye's syndrome.

Children’s doctors say patients up to age nineteen should not take anything containing salicylatic products when sick with high temperatures.

FAITH LAPIDUS: Experts say most people should not take aspirin for disease prevention without first talking to a doctor because there are risks to taking aspirin.

Some researchers have even said that some people get little or no protection from aspirin.

So research continues on one of the oldest and most widely used drugs in the world.

BOB DOUGHTY: This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by Jerilyn Watson and Christopher Cruise.

Our producer was June Simms. I’m Bob Doughty.

FAITH LAPIDUS: And I'm Faith Lapidus.

Join us again next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of America.

【URL】

http://www.voanews.com/learningenglish/home/New-Study-Suggests-that-Aspirin-Reduces-Death-Rates-from-Some-Cancers-111783009.html

Aspilin is so wonderful! I surprised a lot of Aspilin's effect.

2010/12/7(tue)

American History Series: Movies Become Big Business in 1920s

ANNOUNCER: Welcome to THE MAKING OF A NATION -- American history in VOA Special English.

In the years after World War One, new technologies changed America.

Technology made it possible for millions of people to improve their lives.

It also brought great changes in American society.

This week in our series, Harry Monroe and Kay Gallant tell more about the technological and social changes that took place in the United States in the early nineteen twenties.

HARRY MONROE: Some of the most important changes came as a result of the automobile and the radio.

Automobiles began to be mass-produced.

They were low enough in cost so many Americans could buy them.

Gasoline was low in cost, too.

Together, these developments put America on the move as never before.

Automobiles made it easy for Americans to travel.

Trucks made it easy for goods to be transported.

Many people and businesses moved out of crowded, noisy cities.

They moved to open areas outside cities: suburbs.

KAY GALLANT: As automobiles helped Americans spread out, the radio helped bring them closer together.

Large networks could broadcast the same radio program to many stations at the same time. Soon, Americans everywhere were listening to the same programs. They laughed at the same jokes, sang the same songs, heard the same news.

Another invention that produced big changes in American life was the motion picture.

HARRY MONROE: American inventor Thomas Edison began making short motion pictures at the turn of the century.

In nineteen-oh-three, a movie called "The Great Train Robbery" was the first to tell a complete story.

In nineteen fifteen, D. W. Griffith made a long, serious movie called "Birth of a Nation."

By the early nineteen twenties, many American towns had a movie theater.

Most Americans went to see the movies at least once a week.

The movie industry became a big business. People might not know the names of government officials.

But they knew the names of every leading actor and actress.

KAY GALLANT: Movies were fun.

They provided a change from the day-to-day troubles of life.

They also were an important social force.

Young Americans tried to copy what they saw in the movies.

And they dreamed about far-away places and a different kind of life.

A young farm boy could imagine himself as romantic hero Douglas Fairbanks or comedian Charlie Chaplin.

A young city girl could imagine herself as the beautiful and brave Mary Pickford.

Rich families and poor families saw the same movies.

Their children shared the same wish to be like the movie stars.

In this way, the son of a banker and the son of a factory worker had much in common.

The same was true for people from different parts of the country.

HARRY MONROE: In the early nineteen twenties, Americans also began reading the same publications.

The publishing industry used some of the same kinds of mass-production methods as the automobile industry.

It began producing magazines in larger amounts.

It began selling the same magazines all over the country.

One of the most widely-read magazines was the Saturday Evening Post.

In nineteen-oh-two, it sold about three hundred thousand copies each week. Twenty years later, it sold more than two million copies each week.

Americans everywhere shared the same information and advice in such nationwide magazines.

The information was not always correct.

The advice was not always good.

But the effect was similar to that caused by the automobile and radio.

Parts of American society were becoming more alike.

They were trying to move toward the same kind of life -- economically and socially.

KAY GALLANT: Other industries used the techniques of assembly-line production to make their goods, too.

They discovered that producing large numbers of goods reduced the cost of each one.

One company that expanded in this way was the Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company.

It was called A&P for short.

The A&P was one of the first large American grocery stores to sell all kinds of food.

It sold milk, meat, bread, canned fruits, and vegetables all in the same store.

Shopping at the A&P was much faster and easier than going to different stores to get different kinds of food.

In nineteen twelve, A&P had four hundred stores in the United States.

About ten years later, it had more than eleven thousand stores.

It could buy huge amounts of goods and sell each at a very low price.

HARRY MONROE: Mass production also came to the clothing industry.

People began wearing clothes made in factories, instead of by a family member or local tailor.

Before long, the same kinds of clothes could be found everywhere.

Mass production removed some differences that had marked Americans in the past.

Prices dropped, so people with little money could still buy nice clothes.

It became more difficult to look at Americans and know by their clothes if they were rich or poor.

KAY GALLANT: Social changes also resulted from great progress in medical research.

Doctors and scientists reported new developments in the fight against disease. This progress gave most Americans a longer life.

In nineteen hundred, for example, the average person in the United States could expect to live forty-nine years.

By nineteen twenty-seven, the average person could expect to live fifty-nine years.

HARRY MONROE: Life expectancy rates climbed, because doctors and scientists developed effective ways to prevent or treat diseases such as tuberculosis, typhoid, diphtheria, and influenza.

Yellow fever and smallpox were no longer a threat.

One new medicine was insulin. It was used to treat diabetes.

A man-made version gave diabetics the insulin their bodies did not have.

It cut the death rate from the disease from seventy percent to about one percent.

Doctors and scientists also learned the importance of vitamins to good health. Now they could cure several diseases caused by a lack of vitamins.

KAY GALLANT: Americans in the nineteen twenties lived much better than their fathers and mothers.

A man received more pay than in the past, even though he worked fewer hours each day.

He lived in a better house with new labor-saving devices.

He had a car to drive to work and to take his family on holiday trips.

He received a better education than his father.

He and his family wore better clothes. They ate healthier foods.

The average American in the nineteen twenties had more time for sports and entertainment.

He enjoyed listening to the radio and watching movies.

He was more informed about national and world events.

HARRY MONROE: Life was good for many Americans as World War One ended and the nation entered the nineteen twenties.

Yet that life was far from perfect.

Many Americans did not have the same chances to improve their lives.

Black Americans continued to suffer from racism. Society continued to deny them their rights as citizens. Women did not have equal rights, either.

For example, they could not vote.

It was during this time that the United States experienced one of its worst incidents of public hatred. Many people turned strongly against labor unions and leftists.

They feared a threat to democracy.

The federal government took action against what it called political extremists. Many of the charges were unfair. Many innocent lives were harmed.

That will be our story next week.

【URL】

http://www.voanews.com/learningenglish/home/American-History-Series-Movies-Become-Big-Business-in-1920s-America-111134679.html

I think Japanese society changes as well as American society.

2010.11.29(mon)

Toys That Make Music Are Hot This Year for Christmas Gifts

I'm Doug Johnson. This week we play music from Kanye West’s new album …

And answer a question about cell phones ...

But, first, a report about the most important day of the year for American store owners and what is on the top of people’s shopping lists. 

November twenty-fifth was Thanksgiving in the United States.

Families and friends gathered in homes to share a dinner of turkey, cranberries, sweet potatoes, green beans and pumpkin pie.

Millions of Americans share another tradition the day after Thanksgiving. They shop for Christmas presents.

Katherine Cole tells about the day and what seems to be high on this year’s Christmas lists.

KATHERINE COLE: Police in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania named the day after Thanksgiving "Black Friday" in the nineteen sixties. A huge number of shoppers were crowding the streets and creating terrible traffic problems.

Later the term came to mean a good day for business owners because they would sell a lot that day.

They might even go from debt to profit. Store owners traditionally would record debt in their business books in red ink and profit in black ink. That is the "black" in Black Friday.

The National Retail Federation says almost one hundred forty million Americans are expected to shop this weekend.

Many stores have advertised reduced prices and expanded shopping hours.

So what will shoppers be buying? Experts say small collectible objects are hot items for children this year.

The Fisher-Price Sing-a-ma-jigs are an example.

These soft, brightly colored characters make music. But you have to make the beat by squeezing them. They make funny noises and can sing with other Sing-a-ma-jigs. Each costs about fifteen dollars.

Paper Jamz are also expected to be popular. These are paper-thin musical instruments. Inside are battery-operated devices that are very sensitive to touch.

Paper Jamz come with three songs built in and four ways to play the instrument. You can use the "freestyle" play and create all your own songs. Or you can use "perfect play" and out will come a hit song exactly as recorded by the artist. You can even play it with vocals or without. Paperjamz are made by WowWee and cost about twenty dollars.

The National Retail Federation says adults are interested in different presents this year. The industry says useful gifts like pots and pans, toasters and tools were popular last year. This year people will be buying jewelry and personal care items.

DOUG JOHNSON: This week we answer a question from Vietnam. Phan Tran Trung Kien wants to know the history of mobile telephones in the United States.

If you walk down any busy street in America, you will probably see many people with their hands up to their ears. Others may be pushing buttons on a small electronic device in their hands. Talking or sending text messages on mobile phones has become an important part of American life.

Until nineteen seventy-three, most telephone calls were made either at home, at a business or in a vehicle. But on April third of that year, Martin Cooper of the Motorola Company made history. While walking down the street in New York City, he made the first mobile telephone call.

Mr. Cooper had helped invent the DynaTAC 8000X. It was a mobile, or cellular, telephone often called "the brick." It was much larger and heavier than the mobile phones we use today. After that first call, it took ten years before the phone was ready to be sold to the public. The first ones were very expensive. They cost almost four thousand dollars each. But even with that size and cost, many people stood in line to buy them.

The first mobile telephones used a system, or network, called 1G. It was the "first generation" of technology. This allowed one person to call and talk to another person, but that was all. By the early nineteen nineties, the second generation, or 2G network, came into use. It allowed talking and sending text messages. By that time, cell phones were much smaller and cost much less.

In two thousand one, the first 3G systems were being used. This new network permitted people using cell phones to make calls, send text messages and use the Internet. Users could even keep photographs and music on their phones, and send them to their friends.

Within the past two years, the 4G network has come into use. It permits cell phones to work much faster and with much more information. Modern cell phones can even act as small televisions. They can show movies and live sporting events.

As the networks have gotten more complex, the telephones have gotten smaller, lighter and less costly. Many electronics stores in the United States even give away the newest cell phones. But customers must agree to pay to use the network that sends their calls from one place to another.

It is interesting to imagine what the 5G and 6G network cell phones of the future will be able to do.

DOUG JOHNSON: Kanye West has had some trouble with his public image. But he has no problems with his music. Critics are praising his fifth album, "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy." They are calling it "terrific" and "a masterpiece." One reviewer compared it to the Beatles album, "Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band." Mario Ritter has more.

MARIO RITTER: "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" went on sale Monday. Several songs became hits on Billboard’s singles chart before the album’s release.

One of them is "Runaway," a nine-minute song for which Kanye West directed a thirty-five minute music video. It tells the story of an unlucky love affair between West and a beautiful bird woman who falls from space.

Kanye West has won fourteen Grammy Awards. Each of his first four albums sold more than one million copies. He is one of the most popular and powerful people in the music business. And that is made clear by the people he gathers for this album. Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, Kid Cudi, Alicia Keys and Elton John are just a few. Some of them perform this song, "Dark Fantasy."

On Tuesday, Kanye West surprised fans in New York with an announcement of a concert that night in Manhattan. It sold out in minutes. Later in the day people were selling the tickets on eBay for as high as one hundred thousand dollars.

The crowd was filled with famous people, including musician Questlove, film director Spike Lee and clothing designer Tory Burch.

We leave you with one of the songs they heard. Here is "Power."

DOUG JOHNSON: I’m Doug Johnson. Our program was written by Jim Tedder and Caty Weaver, who also was our producer.

You can get transcripts, MP3s and podcasts of our shows at voaspecialenglish.com. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter at VOA Learning English.

If you have a question about American life, write to mosaic@voanews.com. We might answer your question on this show. So be sure to include your name and country.

Join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC, VOA’s radio magazine in Special English.

【URL】

http://www.voanews.com/learningenglish/home/usa/the-Christmas-Shopping-Season--110672724.html

I want something presents...I want to back childhood.