TEXT 15 A text a day...
TEXT 15
A text a day...
Mar 24th 2006
From The Economist print edition
The medical uses of mobile phones show they can be good for your health
WHAT impact can mobile phones have on their users‘ health? Many people (A) the supposed ill effects caused by radiation from handsets and base stations1, despite the lack of credible evidence of any harm. But evidence for the beneficial effects of mobile phones on health is rather more abundant. Indeed, a systematic review (B)
（1）Using ★texting[2] to boost efficiency is not rocket science, but big savings can be achieved. Several trials carried out in England have found that the use of text-messaging reminders reduces the number of missed appointments with family doctors by 26-39%, for example, and the number of missed hospital appointments by 33-50%. If such schemes were ★rolled out[3] nationally, this would (D)
Text messages are also being used to remind patients about blood tests, clinics, scans and dental appointments. Similar schemes in America, Norway and Sweden have had equally satisfying results—though the use of text-message reminders in the Netherlands, where non-attendance rates are low, at 4%, had no effect other than to annoy patients.
Text messages can also be a good way to disseminate public-health information, particularly to groups who are hard to reach by other means, such as teenagers, or in developing countries where other means of communication are unavailable. Text messages have been used in India to inform people about the World Health Organisation‘s strategy to control tuberculosis, for example, and in Kenya, Nigeria and Mali to provide information about HIV and malaria. In Iraq, text messages were used to support a campaign to vaccinate nearly 5m children against polio.
Finally, there are the uses of text-messaging as part of a treatment regime. These involve sending reminders to patients to take their medicine at the right time, or to encourage compliance with exercise regimes or efforts to stop smoking. （2）The evidence for the effectiveness of such schemes is generally ★anecdotal[4], however, notes Dr Rifat. More quantitative research is needed—which is why his team also published three papers this week (E) the use of mobile phones in health care in more detail. One of these papers, written in conjunction with Victoria Franklin and Stephen Greene of the University of Dundee, in Scotland, reports the results of a trial in which diabetic teenagers‘ treatment was (F) with text messaging.
Diabetes needs constant management, and requires patients to take an active role in their treatment by measuring blood-sugar levels and administering insulin injections. （3）The most effective form of therapy is an intensive regime in which patients adjust the dose of insulin depending on what they eat. This is more ★onerous[5] for the patient, but (G) a greater dietary variety. Previous studies have shown that intensive treatment is effective only with close supervision by doctors. Dr Franklin and her colleagues devised a system called Sweet Talk, which sends patients personalised text messages reminding them of the treatment goals they have set themselves, and allowing them to send questions to doctors. The Sweet Talk system was tested over a period of 18 months with teenage patients receiving both conventional and intensive diabetes treatment. A control group received conventional treatment and no text messages.
The researchers found that the use of text-messaging significantly increased “self-efficacy”3 (the effectiveness of treatment, measured by questionnaire). More importantly, among patients receiving intensive therapy, the level of haemoglobin HbA1c4—an indicator of blood-glucose and hence of glycaemic control—was 14% lower than for those in the control group. Since even a 10% decline in HbA1c level is (H) a reduction in complications such as eye and kidney problems, this is an impressive result. It suggests that texting can cheaply and effectively support intensive therapy among teenagers, who often demonstrate poor compliance5.
Despite such promising results, Dr Rifat notes, many of the medical uses of text-messaging have not yet been __ (I) _ clinical trials, because they are so new. And even where the benefits are proven, the technology has not been systematically deployed on a large scale. But when it (J) improving outcomes and reducing costs, （4）text messages would seem to be just what the doctor ordered.
[QUIZ]
1. Fill in each blank with an appropriate form of each following phrasal verb. One verb can only and must be chosen once.
①look at, ②subject to, ③allow for, ④carry out, ⑤associate with, ⑥worry about，⑦back up, ⑧come to, ⑨fall into, ⑩translate into
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
J.
2. Translate the underlined sentences into Chinese.
[NOTES](LONGMAN)
1. round up v.（趕往）監獄，圍捕；歸攏，聚集；五入以成整數
1）if police or soldiers round up a particular group of people, they find them and force them to go to prison
e.g. Thousands of men were rounded up and jailed. 數以千計的人被圍捕並關進監獄。
2）to find and gather together a group of people, animals or things
e.g. See if you can round up a few friends to help you!我倒要看看你能找著幾個朋友幫你。
His dog Nell started to round up the sheep.他的狗奈爾開始把羊朝一起趕。
3）to increase an exact figure to the nearest whole number (+to)
e.g. A charge of 1.90 will be rounded up to 2, and one of 3.10 rounded down to 3. 把 1.90 英鎊的費用上調為整數 2 英鎊, 把 3.10 英鎊下調為整數 3 英鎊.
2.text v.發送短信 to send someone a written message on a mobile phone
3.roll out v.推出，推開；發行，啟動 to make a new product available for people to buy or use;=launch
e.g. The company expects to roll out the new software in September.公司計劃在9月份推出這款新軟件。
4.anecdotal adj.趣聞軼事的，個人見聞的 consisting of short stories based on someone’s personal experience
e.g. His findings are based on anecdotal evidence rather than serious research.他的發現都是基於傳聞證據而非認真研究。（anecdotal evidence在心理學上稱為“軼事證據”， 即粗淺的證據，經常以故事形式出現：比如“我記得那時……”，“我聽說……”。軼事是出了名的不準確。也有人譯為“傳聞證據”、“觀察證據”、“軼聞證據”等。）
5.onerous adj.（正式）（工作或責任）困難且令人焦慮的；累人的 work or a responsibility that is onerous is difficult and worrying or makes you tired.
[TIPS & BACKGROUND]
1. 基站（Base station）：是指采用蜂窩方式組網的GSM移動通信系統、CDMA移動通信系統、數字集群通信系統、PHS無線接入系統以及采用其他技術體制的無線電通信系統的基站及其室外直放站。基站所使用的頻率必須已經國家或省級無線電管理機構批準；使用的發射設備必須具有國家無線電管理機構核發的《無線電發射設備型號核準證》。
2. 沃達豐（Vodafone）：是跨國性的移動電話營辦商。總部設在英國波克夏郡的紐布利（Newbury）及德國的杜塞爾多夫。現時為世界上最大的流動通訊網絡公司之一，在全球27個國家均有投資。在另外14個國家則與當地的移動電話營辦商合作，聯營移動電話網絡。截至2004年12月31日，沃達豐在全球擁有大約一億五千一百八十萬名用戶。沃達豐使用沃達豐集團作為名稱，分別於倫敦證券交易所（代號VOD.L）及紐約證券交易所（代號VOD）上市。沃達豐（Vodafone）的名稱結合了Voice（語音）－Data（數據）－Fone（電話）三個意思。
3. 自我效能感（self-efficacy）：即一個人對自己成功地完成某種任務、達到既定水平的確信程度。
4. 糖化血紅蛋白（HbA1c)：是血紅蛋白A組分的某些特殊分子部位和葡萄糖經過緩慢而不可逆的非酶促反應結合而形成的，當血液中葡萄糖濃度較高時，人體所形成的糖化血紅蛋白含量也會相對較高。人體內紅細胞的壽命一般為120天，在紅細胞死亡前，血液中糖化血紅蛋白含量也會保持相對不變。因此糖化血紅蛋白水平反映的是在檢測前120天內的平均血糖水平，而與抽血時間，病人是否空腹，是否使用胰島素等因素無關，是判定糖尿病長期控制的良好指標。它反映4～8周的體內血糖的平均水平，並可能是造成糖尿病並發癥的一個重要原因。
5. 依從性（compliance）：是指患者執行醫療措施的程度，亦即患者執行醫囑的程度。患者能完全按醫囑要求執行者稱為依從性好，否則稱為不依從性。
每天一條短信……
（陳繼龍 學譯）
通過醫學應用顯示，手機可能有益於您的健康。
手機對使用者健康會產生什麽樣的影響呢？許多人擔心手機手持裝置及通信基站的輻射會對身體有害，不過始終缺乏可靠依據，而關於手機對健康有益的證據卻越來越多。的確，在倫敦皇家學院裏法特•亞頓及其同事撰寫的一篇系統性綜述中，就匯總了150條手機短信用於提供醫療保健服務的事例。短信的這些用途可以分為三類，即提高工作效率、促進公共衛生宣傳以及通過將短信與治療方案進行整合直接惠及病人。本周公諸於眾的此項研究是由世界最大的移動電話運營商沃達豐資助的。
利用編發短信來提高工作效率並不是多麽高深的科學，但是能節省大筆費用。比如，英國有幾項試驗發現，短信提醒功能將同家庭醫生的約會錯過率降低了26％到39％，同醫院的約會錯過率則減少了33%到50%。設若這種短信提醒系統能推廣到全國，則相當於每年節省2.56～3.64億英鎊。
在提醒病人去驗血、上診所、做掃描以及預約牙醫等方面，短信也正得到應用。在美國、挪威和瑞典，一些類似的系統均已取得了令人滿意的效果——不過在荷蘭，由於無故缺席率本來就較低（5％），所以短信提醒除了打擾患者之外，無任何效果。
手機短信也是傳播公共衛生信息的一個好途徑，對那些通過其他方式難以傳達到的人群，比如青少年，或者是在沒有其他通信手段的發展中國家，更是如此。比如，印度已使用短信來宣傳國際衛生組織的結核病防控策略，肯尼亞、尼日利亞和馬裏也利用短信為人們提供艾滋病和瘧疾方面的訊息，在伊拉克，短信則被用來聲援一項給將近5歲的兒童接種天花疫苗的行動。
最後，手機短信還可作為治療方案的一部分，發揮多種作用，其中包括提醒病人適時服藥、督促病人按要求進行鍛煉以及勸阻患者吸煙。然而，裏法特強調，有關這些作用效果的例證一般都是道聽途說來的（街談巷議），尚需進一步定量研究——這也正是裏法特研究小組本周著眼於闡明手機對衛生保健的作用所發表的3篇論文的出發點，其中有一篇是與蘇格蘭鄧迪大學的維多利亞•富蘭克林和斯蒂芬•格林合作撰寫的。該文報告，一項糖尿病青少年病人試驗結果表明，手機短信對治療該病有輔助作用。
糖尿病需要持續性治療，並要求患者在治療過程中必須積極主動，如測量血糖濃度、註射胰島素。最有效的治療形式就是進行強化治療，即患者根據飲食調整胰島素用量。這對患者而言是有些勉為其難，但飲食上的多樣性決定了別無選擇。以前有研究顯示，只有在醫生密切監控下，強化治療才有效。富蘭克林和他的同事們設計了一種“甜言蜜語”系統，此系統可向患者發送個性化短信，叮囑其記住既定治療目標，如有疑問也可發信息給醫生。“甜言蜜語”系統經過了18個月的檢測，期間少年糖尿病患者同時接受一般性和強化治療，並設立對照組，即患者僅接受一般性治療，而不給其發送短信。
研究人員發現，應用短信顯著提高了患者“自我效能感”（即治療效果，問卷檢測）。更重要的是，接受強化治療的患者中，糖化血紅蛋白（HbA1c）（一種血糖指標，用於監控血糖含量）濃度比對照組低14％。一般而言，糖化血紅蛋白濃度下降10%，就表明眼、腎等並發癥發生率降低，因此這一試驗結果令人矚目，它提示短信能夠便宜有效地輔助少年患者強化治療，而這些患者在治療中往往依從性很差。
裏法特指出，結果雖然令人深受鼓舞，但短信的很多醫療用途由於太過新穎，還沒有接受臨床試驗，即便是已被證實的用途，也尚未得到系統性推廣。但是，隨著短信對改善治療效果和減少醫療費用的作用越來越突出，醫生們也許將用短信來下醫囑。
[KEY TO QUIZ]
A.worry about
B.carried out
C.fall into 分成，變成（如：The lecture series falls naturally into three parts. 該系列講座可自然分作三部分。）
D.translate into 轉化為（如：I wonder how your religious belief will translate into political action. 我不知道你的宗教信仰如何轉化為政治行動。）
E.looking at 考慮（如：That‘s the way I look at it, too. 我也是這麽想。）
F.backed up 支持，援助（如：He drought along a file of document to back up his claim. 他隨身攜帶一卷宗文件以便證實索賠要求。）
G.allows for 考慮到（如：In calculating profit, retailers must allow for breakage and spoilage. 計算利潤時，零售商們必須考慮到破碎和損壞情況。）
H.associated with
I.subjected to
J.comes to
TEXT 15 A text a day...