Tag: health and medicine

B2 – Upper Intermediate

A recent policy change by the Trump administration restricts the distribution of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), an HIV prevention drug, by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The new policy limits PrEP availability to pregnant and breastfeeding women, excluding LGBTQ+ populations who are at high risk of HIV infection. This decision has led to increased risk and new HIV infections worldwide, as well as the shutdown of various HIV prevention programs.

Read the article to know more about this recent policy change.

https://www.them.us/story/trump-administration-hiv-prep-lgbtq-people

Vocabulary Questions:

1. What does “ostensibly” mean? “That [emergency humanitarian] waiver ostensibly meant that pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP — the antiretroviral drug that prevents the transmission of HIV — would be distributed through PEPFAR.” Give two (2) synonyms or similar expressions and use ‘ostensibly’ in your own sentence.
2. What does “furlough” mean? “The administration is already brought by a group of USAID employees last week, which led a federal judge to issue an injunction against the furloughing of USAID workers on February 7.” Use it in a sentence.
3. What is a “emergency humanitarian waiver”? “Shortly after President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered a 90-day freeze on foreign aid in January, Rubio issued an additional “emergency humanitarian waiver” on February 6 which appeared to allow HIV medications to be distributed abroad during that time.” Use it in a sentence.

nDiscussion Questions:

1. How do you feel about the decision to limit PrEP access to certain groups? Do you think it’s fair?
2. What impact do you think this policy change could have on global HIV prevention efforts?
3. Should governments be responsible for ensuring equal healthcare access for all, regardless of sexual orientation? Why or why not?
4. How do you think affected communities can respond to policies that exclude them from essential healthcare services?
5. What are your thoughts on this statement, “This decision appears to be less about public health and more about an ideological agenda that seeks to police morality rather than protect lives.”?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

A mosquito surveillance program in North Burnett, Queensland, has confirmed the presence of the Japanese encephalitis virus in Monto. Vaccination sessions are scheduled to begin on February 19, 2025, at the Monto Family Practice.

Read the article to know how the Wide Bay Public Health Unit urges residents to take preventive measures against mosquito bites.

https://burnetttoday.com.au/south/2025/02/13/japanese-encephalitis-back-in-monto/

Vocabulary Questions:

1. What does the word “trace” mean in this sentence, The North Burnett region had already grappled with Japanese encephalitis back in 2022, when Wide Bay Health mosquito detection programs found traces of the virus near Mundubbera, Monto and Mulgildie.” Use it in a sentence.
2. What does “to grapple with something” mean? “The North Burnett region had already grappled with Japanese encephalitis back in 2022, when Wide Bay Health mosquito detection programs found traces of the virus near Mundubbera, Monto and Mulgildie.” Use it in a sentence.
3. What does “rife” mean? “Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Heidi Carroll said today’s announcement served as another wake-up call to people living in areas rife with mosquitos.” Give two (2) synonyms or similar expressions and use ‘rife’ in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

1. Have you ever had to take extra precautions against mosquito-borne diseases, like using repellents or wearing protective clothing? Why was that?
2. How do you feel about the government’s response to mosquito-borne viruses? Do you think more should be done? Elaborate.
3. Would you consider getting vaccinated against Japanese encephalitis if it were available in your area? Why or why not?
4. Have you ever experienced or heard of similar outbreaks in your city/country? How were they handled?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Every two minutes, a pregnant woman dies due to complications, lack of timely medical intervention, or limited access to healthcare in rural areas. In Kenya, AI is revolutionizing maternal health by helping doctors to detect early complications like pre-eclampsia and fetal distress. AI-powered tools allow real-time monitoring of vital signs, helping healthcare workers provide timely care, even in remote areas, and ultimately saving lives.

Read this article to learn how AI helps pregnant women in Kenya.

https://www.voanews.com/a/ai-enhances-maternal-health-care-in-kenya-experts-say/7789467.html

Vocabulary Questions:

1. What does “to prevent the onset of something” mean? “The project objective is to prevent the onset of pre-eclampsia, which may cause death to mothers and even infants after their delivery,’ Saruni said. ” Use this in a sentence.
2. Define “to boil down to something” . “All this boils down to timely and accurate information about the mother.” Make a sentence with this and give a similar phrase/word.
3. What’s the meaning of “roll out” in this context? “It has been tested in prenatal clinics in the Rift Valley city of Nakuru, with the aim of rolling out to the rest of the country.” Make a sentence with this and give a similar phrase/word.

Discussion Questions:

1. What are your thoughts on using AI in maternity care?
2. In your opinion, how could AI improve the maternal care system in your country? Cite specific ways it could help.
3. Why do you think access to healthcare is particularly important for people living in rural areas?
4. How can AI help reduce the gap in healthcare between urban and underserved communities? What challenges do you think need to be addressed?
5. Looking ahead, how do you imagine AI will change healthcare in the next decade?
   
   

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Digital twins, which are virtual replicas of real-world systems, are being explored for their potential to transform drug discovery. This innovative technology could improve the efficiency of research and accelerate the process of developing new treatments, offering a promising approach to the pharmaceutical industry. By simulating biological systems, digital twins have the potential to change how drugs are developed, making the process more effective and streamlined.

Read this article to learn more about how digital twins can help reduce the number of injuries and deaths caused by medical devices.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq8v73dkne3o

Vocabulary Questions:

1. What does “intersperse” mean? “Using biological data from real people, Sanofi creates AI-based simulated patients – not actual clones of specific individuals – that can be interspersed across the control and placebo groups within the trial.” Make a sentence and give a synonym.
2. Define “next frontier“. “Powering the next generation of digital twins with accurate AI models of complex human biology is the next frontier.” Use this in a sentence.
3. What does “a fraction of something” mean? “Even a fraction of those deaths – and the associated lawsuits – could have been avoided with more thorough testing.” Create a sentence with this.

Discussion Questions:

1. What’s your opinion on digital twins?
2. How do you feel about the idea of using digital twins to replace animal testing in drug development?
3. What are the potential risks or limitations of using digital twins in drug development?
4. In your opinion, what impact will digital twins have on patient safety and drug effectiveness?
5. Do you think digital twins could eventually make clinical trials faster and more efficient, or do you believe traditional trials will always be needed in drug development?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Scientists have discovered that the human heart has a previously unknown ability to repair itself under certain conditions.

Read the article to know more about how this discovery could pave the way for new therapies for heart diseases, focusing on activating these natural regenerative processes.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/11/241121141348.htm

Vocabulary Questions:

1. What does “standard-of-care” mean? “Standard-of-care for patients with advanced heart failure is a surgically implanted pump that helps propel blood, a so-called left ventricular assist device (LVAD).” Use it in a sentence.
2. What does “radioactivity” mean? “For every following year, there is a little less radioactivity in newly formed cells, which means that they can be ‘dated’.” Use it in a sentence.
3. What does “date” mean here, “For every following year, there is a little less radioactivity in newly formed cells, which means that they can be ‘dated‘.”? Use it in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

1. Did you know our hearts might have the ability to repair themselves naturally? How do you think this discovery could change heart disease treatments?
2. What do you think triggers the heart to activate its self-repair mechanisms, and can we use that knowledge to help patients?
3. How important do you think it is to focus on natural regenerative processes compared to using medical interventions like surgeries?
4. If our hearts have hidden repair abilities, could similar discoveries be made about other organs? Which organ would you hope scientists study next?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

A recent clinical trial found that a popular weight-loss drug significantly reduces the risk of early death in patients with heart failure. This adds to the drug’s potential benefits beyond weight loss, such as improved cardiovascular outcomes​.

Read the article to know the other benefits of semaglutide.

https://www.ajmc.com/view/patients-with-heart-failure-may-benefit-from-weight-loss-drug

Vocabulary Questions:

1. What does “ejection fraction” mean? “Focusing on the 4286 patients with heart failure at enrollment, 53% had heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), 31.4% had heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), and 15.5% had unspecified heart failure.” Use it in a sentence.
2. What does “baseline characteristics” mean? “While baseline characteristics were similar between patients with and without heart failure, those with heart failure had a higher incidence of clinical events.” Use it in a sentence.
3. What does “composite” mean here, “We showed, for the first time to our knowledge, that patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, overweight or obesity, and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (who had a greatest absolute risk) had significant reductions in MACE with semaglutide, and the treatment effect on the heart failure composite was observed to be similar to that seen in the population with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.” Use it in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

1. Did you know that a weight-loss drug could reduce the risk of early death in heart failure patients? How do you think this could change treatment approaches?
2. What might be the benefits of using medications for dual purposes, like weight loss and cardiovascular health?
3. Why do you think weight management plays such an important role in heart health?
4. Do you think medications like this could become a standard part of heart failure treatment in the future? Why or why not?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

A new blood test allows for faster, more sensitive detection of lung cancer, significantly improving early diagnosis and treatment possibilities.

Read the article to know what is the new way of diagnosing lung cancer with a blood draw is 10 times faster and 14 times more sensitive than earlier methods.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241003123245.htm

Vocabulary Questions:

1. What does “chiral” mean? “Like many biological molecules, these surface proteins are chiral which causes them to interact with light in unique ways.” Use it in a sentence.
2. What does “spectral signature” mean? “As a next step, we want to look at most known solid tumor mutated proteins to understand how their spectral signatures are different.” Use it in a sentence.
3. What does “circular dichroism” mean? “The microfluidic chips, named CDEXO chips for Circular Dichroism detection of EXOsomes, may be able to distinguish among specific lung cancer mutations, helping doctors make treatment decisions to target the dominant mutations as they change.” Use it in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

1. How does the new blood test improve the sensitivity and speed of lung cancer detection compared to current methods?
2. What stage of lung cancer is this test most effective at identifying?
3. What are the potential implications of this test for improving early diagnosis and treatment outcomes?
4. Has the test been approved for clinical use, or is it still in the research phase?