Scientists have begun research to see if a
person's odour can be used to diagnose Parkinson's, an incurable disease of the
central nervous system which causes progressive tremors, stiffness and slowness
of movement.
The study was launched after a Scottish woman,
Joy Milne, successfully identified sufferers by smelling T-shirts they had
slept in. She could even detect subtle changes in smell in people who had not
yet developed the condition.
Mrs Milne's husband Les died after living with
Parkinson's for 20 years. Mrs Milne, 65, said: "I've always had a keen
sense of smell and I detected that there was a change in how Les smelled. It's
hard to describe but it was a heavy, slightly musky aroma. I
watched how research had uncovered distinctive smells associated with certain
diagnoses. A few years ago, when I was
attending a Parkinson's UK lecture at the University of Edinburgh, I mentioned
it to the researcher, Dr Tilo Kunath. Tilo was interested and together we worked out
ways to see if I could detect it from other people with Parkinson's. I could."
Parkinson's UK, which is funding the research,
estimates there are around 127,000
people with the disease in the UK. Dr Arthur Roach, director of research at the
charity, said: "Funding pioneering studies like this has the potential to
throw Parkinson's into a completely new light. If it's proved there is a unique
odour associated with Parkinson's, particularly early on in the condition, it
could have a huge impact not just on early diagnosis. It would also make it
easier to identify people to test drugs that may have the potential to slow, or
even stop Parkinson's, something no current drug can achieve."
Scientists believe that Parkinson's may cause
changes in the sebum - an oily substance in the skin. Professor Perdita Barran
of the University of Manchester will lead a team trying to identify differences
in the skin surface of people with Parkinson's. The team will recruit up to 200
people with and without Parkinson's to have a skin swab taken and fill in a
brief questionnaire, before the samples are analysed by the "supersmeller"
and experts from the food and drink industry.
Question 1 (2
points) Indicate whether the following statements are true or false and write
down which part of the text justifies your answer.
a. Joy Milne can only detect changes in smell in
people who have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s.
b. If scientists find there is a smell characteristic
of the disease, it will help with the treatment of it.
c. At present, there is no drug that can stop
Parkinson’s.
d. Professor Barran has already identified differences
in chemicals on the skin of people with Parkinson’s disease
Question 2 (2
points) Answer the following questions in your own words.
a. What does
Parkinson’s disease cause?
b. What did Joy Milne and Tilo Kunath do to find out
whether she could recognize the disease?
Question 3
(1.5 points) Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to
the words and definitions given.
a. trembling (par.1) b.
to begin, to initiate (par.2) c. very
small, trivial, irrelevant(par.2)
d. sharp, acute, extraordinary (par.3) e. to calculate, to consider (par.4)
Question 4
(1.5 points) Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.
a. Mrs Milne
said: "I've always had a keen sense of smell and I detected very early on
that there was a very subtle change in my husband’s smell”.
Mrs Milne
said ..................................................
b. Research
had uncovered distinctive smells associated with certain diagnoses.
Distinctive smells ...........
c. The samples are analysed by the "supersmeller" and experts from
the food and drink industry.
The
“supersmeller” ......
Question 5 (3
points) Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:
Alternative
medicines (homeopathy, kinesiology, naturopathy ...) use different ways of
diagnosing and treating patients.
What are the
arguments for and against alternative medicines?
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario