Scientists have developed a slimming drug that successfully suppresses appetite and results in a dramatic loss of weight without any apparent ill effects. The drug interferes with appetite control and prevents the build-up of fatty tissue. More importantly, the drug appears to prevent a serious decline in metabolic rate-causing tiredness and lethargy—which is typically associated with living on a starvation diet. As a result, mice taking the drug lost 45 percent more weight than mice fed the same amount of food, which compensate for the lack of food by becoming more sluggish. The scientists, from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, said that C 75 is likely to produce a similar effect on humans because appetite control in the brain is thought to be based largely on the same chemical pathways as those in mice. " We are not claiming to have found the fabled weight-loss drug. What we have found, using C 75, is a major path way in the brain that the body uses naturally in regulating appetite at least in mice," said Francis Kuhajda, a pathologist and senior team member. "We badly need effective drugs for weight loss. Obesity is a huge problem. We"re hoping to explore the possibilities of this new pathway," he said. Discovering a biochemical pathway in the brain that controls appetite raises new prospects for developing slimming aids. Research on leptin, a hormone produced in fatty tissue for controlling fat deposits, has so far failed to produce the expected slimming drug break-through. The latest study, published in the journal Science, showed that even moderate doses of C 75 produced a significant loss of appetite, which returned to normal after a few months. The scientists believe that C 75, which they produced synthetically in the laboratory, binds to an enzyme called fatty acid sythase, which is involved in storing excess food intake as fat. Inhibiting the enzyme causes a build-up of a chemical in the liver which acts as a precursor to fat deposition. This precursor is thought to have an indirect effect on the brain, causing appetite suppression. Normally, when animals fast, a hormone called neuropeptide Y increases sharply in the appetite control centers of the brain, stimulating the desire for food. However, when animals are given C 75, levels of this hormone fall, leading to a loss of interest in food. Dr Kuhajda said discovering that C 75 has no effect on metabolic rate is one of the most significant findings of the study. "If you try to lose weight by starving, your metabolism slows down after a few days," he said. " It" s a survival mechanism that sabotages many diets. We see this in fasting mice. Yet metabolic rate in the C 75-treated mice doesn"t slow at all. " Further animals studies will be needed before C 75 could be tested on humans. The scientists from the Johns Hopkins University said that C 75, the slimming drug proved effective in mice, is likely to work on humans because______.
A. the chemical pathway responsible for appetite control in human is believed to be the same as that in mice
B. it is a major pathway in the brain which is activated to regulate appetite
C. it is especially effective in the battle against obesity
D. its effect has also been proved by human studies
Researchers have recently found a connection between disease and stressful situations. To test this theory, psychologists are trying to find a link between the brain and the immune system. The immune system in our bodies fights the bacteria and viruses which cause disease. Therefore , whether or not we are likely to get various diseases depends on how well our immune system works. Biologists used to think that the immune system was a separate, independent part of our bodies. Recently, however, they have found that our brain can affect our immune system. This discovery indicates that there may be a connection between emotional factors, such as stress or depression, and illness. Although many doctors in the past suspected a connection between emotional factor and disease, they had no proof. Scientists have only recently discovered how the brain and the immune system function. Before this, no one could see a link between them. As a result, medical science never seriously considered the idea that psychological factors could cause disease. Several recent studies showed a connection between stress and illness, for example, researchers went to an American military school to study the students. They found that the sick students there had a lot of academic pressure and wanted to achieve, but they were not very good students. In a similar study, researchers studied a group of student nurses and found that the nurses who developed cold sores were the ones who described themselves as generally unhappy people. In addition to these results, which support their theory, researchers are also looking for proof that stress can damage the immune system. Researchers studied recently bereaved people, i. e. , people whose loved ones have just died, because they are more likely to become ill or die. By examining the immune system of recently bereaved people, the researchers made an important discovery. They examined some white blood cells which are an important part of the immune system. They were not functioning properly. The fact that they were not working correctly indicates that severe psychological stress, such as a loved one" s death, may damage an important part of our immune system. There is still no positive proof of a connection between the immune system and psychological factors. Researchers also say that the results of the studies on bereaved people could have a different explanation. For example, bereaved people often sleep and eat less than normal, or may drink alcohol or take medication. These factors can also affect the immune system. More research is needed to clearly establish the connection between the immune system and psychological factors. Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage
A. Unhappiness may cause disease.
B. Drinking alcohol may cause damage to the immune system.
C. Too much sorrow is harmful to the immune system.
D. Psychological stress leads naturally to the damage of the immune system.
Scientists have developed a slimming drug that successfully suppresses appetite and results in a dramatic loss of weight without any apparent ill effects. The drug interferes with appetite control and prevents the build-up of fatty tissue. More importantly, the drug appears to prevent a serious decline in metabolic rate-causing tiredness and lethargy—which is typically associated with living on a starvation diet. As a result, mice taking the drug lost 45 percent more weight than mice fed the same amount of food, which compensate for the lack of food by becoming more sluggish. The scientists, from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, said that C 75 is likely to produce a similar effect on humans because appetite control in the brain is thought to be based largely on the same chemical pathways as those in mice. " We are not claiming to have found the fabled weight-loss drug. What we have found, using C 75, is a major path way in the brain that the body uses naturally in regulating appetite at least in mice," said Francis Kuhajda, a pathologist and senior team member. "We badly need effective drugs for weight loss. Obesity is a huge problem. We"re hoping to explore the possibilities of this new pathway," he said. Discovering a biochemical pathway in the brain that controls appetite raises new prospects for developing slimming aids. Research on leptin, a hormone produced in fatty tissue for controlling fat deposits, has so far failed to produce the expected slimming drug break-through. The latest study, published in the journal Science, showed that even moderate doses of C 75 produced a significant loss of appetite, which returned to normal after a few months. The scientists believe that C 75, which they produced synthetically in the laboratory, binds to an enzyme called fatty acid sythase, which is involved in storing excess food intake as fat. Inhibiting the enzyme causes a build-up of a chemical in the liver which acts as a precursor to fat deposition. This precursor is thought to have an indirect effect on the brain, causing appetite suppression. Normally, when animals fast, a hormone called neuropeptide Y increases sharply in the appetite control centers of the brain, stimulating the desire for food. However, when animals are given C 75, levels of this hormone fall, leading to a loss of interest in food. Dr Kuhajda said discovering that C 75 has no effect on metabolic rate is one of the most significant findings of the study. "If you try to lose weight by starving, your metabolism slows down after a few days," he said. " It" s a survival mechanism that sabotages many diets. We see this in fasting mice. Yet metabolic rate in the C 75-treated mice doesn"t slow at all. " Further animals studies will be needed before C 75 could be tested on humans. The newly-found slimming drug can successfully suppress appetite because______.
A. C 75 made synthetically in the laboratory works effectively on human body
B. fatty acid sythase is involved in storing excess food intake as fat
C 75 inhibits the activity of an enzyme called fatty acid sythase
D. it increases a hormone called neuropeptide Y in the appetite-control centers of the brain
For eight months he has floated in his private ocean. This morning he awakens, opens his eyes, yawns and kicks vigorously several times. His umbilical cord drifts by his questing fingers. He plays with it briefly, brings his hands up to his mouth and sucks his thumb. Over his mother" s heartbeat and the gurgles of her digestive tract, he can hear her talking with his father. Interested, he stops sucking to listen. Until recent years, we could only speculate on what life was like for an unborn baby. Then, major advances inultrasound scanningbegan opening a window to the womb; doctors could view every movement of the baby on a television—like screen. The pictures show unborn babies yawning, sucking, grasping, stretching, blinking and making faces—in short, all the things they will do after birth. Normally an unborn baby never experiences hunger or thirst. But if a mother does not consume sufficient nutrients, the baby" s diet will not be adequate either. When an unborn baby is severely malnourished—for instance, because his mother" s heavy smoking restricts blood flow to the placenta—Dr, Jason Birnholz, an ultrasound expert, believes he has seen the baby" s chest and throat making crying motions. A radio startles him awake. He blinks and grimaces at the new sensation, but then becomes interested in the music. He turns his head to bring his ear closer to the outside world. He notices the pressure of the book his mother is resting on her belly. He kicks at it, her laugh comes to him as a dull, echoing rumble. She pats the spot he kicked and, entering into the spirit of the game, he kicks back. They play several rounds before he loses interest and falls asleep. Can a mother" s stress, anger, shock or grief harm her baby No. The normal stresses and strains of life won" t hurt him. As the expert Maurers put it, such periods are the womb equivalent of having a spell of " bad weather". Some are startled when exposed to a series of loud buzzes, but some then turn an ear to listen. Severe continuous stress may be another story. It remains unclear whether problems arise from the stress itself or from the poor nutrition, smoking, drinking or drug taking that likely accompany it. In any case the baby is affected. The passage suggests that______.
A. the severe anger of the mother will affect the unborn baby
B. bad weather does no harm to the babies in the wombs
C. some of the unborn babies are more interested in music
D. most of the unborn babies enjoy the good weather