|
2014年职称英语卫生类教材学习部分内容及解析 Napping to a Healthier Heart? 1 Researchers say they have developed a simple test that can tell if a person with heart disease is likely to suffer a heart attack.2 The test measures levels of a protein in the blood. The researchers say people with high levels of this protein are at high risk of heart attack, heart failure3 or stroke. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo of the University of California in San Francisco led the team. For about four years, they studied almost one thousand patients with heart disease. The researchers tested the heart disease patients for a protein called NT-proBNP.4 Patients with the highest levels were nearly eight times more likely than those with the lowest levels to have a heart attack, heart failure or stroke. The researchers say the presence of high levels of the protein in the blood shows that the heart muscle is under pressure in some way. The study involved mostly men, so the researchers could not say for sure5 that the results are also true for women. They say the patients with the highest levels of NT-proBNP were older and had other problems like diabetes or high blood pressure. Other researchers say more studies are needed to confirm if knowing the protein levels of a heart patient should affect that persons treatment. They also would like to know if more aggressive treatment6 could reduce the patients chance of a heart attack or stroke. The study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association.7 | 
