龙行天下: A New Treatment for Those Who Have Lost an Ar

2011年8月21日星期日

A New Treatment for Those Who Have Lost an Ar

VOICE ONE:

By Brianna Blake, Lawan Davis and Caty Weaver

2009-3-9

A new study suggests that the more young people watch television, the more likely they are to develop depression as young adults. But how much TV may or may not be to blame is a question that the study leaves unanswered.

About thirty people have already had the TMR surgery. Doctor Kuiken says the devices used in the study need more work before they will be widely available. However, he says they will make it possible for patients to simply think of the action they wish to perform and do it with prosthetics.

VOICE TWO:

VOICE ONE:

VOICE TWO:

The researchers studied thirteen astronauts -- twelve men and one woman. Each person had spent four to six months on the Space Station.

American researchers used a national long-term survey of adolescent health to investigate the link between media use and depression. They based their findings on more than four thousand adolescents who were not depressed when the survey began in nineteen ninety-five.

Scientific progress improves the lives of people around the world every day. One of the latest developments is a new kind of surgery. It holds promise to greatly improve the abilities of people who have lost both arms. The operation could help double arm amputees move their manufactured arms with greater ease and control.

VOICE ONE:

Researchers studying the effects of long-term spaceflight often examine the hipbone or backbone. The hip is believed to have the greatest rate of bone loss in space.

VOICE TWO:

TMR surgically connects the remaining nerves to chest muscles. Electric devices are then placed near those muscles. The idea is to activate the remaining arm nerves to make electrical signals to operate prosthetic devices.

The study is said to be the first to examine in detail measurements of bone strength instead of bone density. The American space agency provided financial support for the study.

VOICE TWO:

As part of the study, the young men and women were asked how many hours of television or videos they watched daily. They were also asked how often they played computer games and listened to the radio.

VOICE ONE:

Jesse Sullivan was an electrical worker who lost both of his arms while working on power linesAnd I'm Barbara Klein. This week, we will tell about an American study of media use and mental health. We will also tell about a new treatment for people who have lost an arm. And we will tell how spending months in space could be bad for your health.

VOICE ONE:

Professor Keyak says the measurement is much greater than monthly reductions in bone mineral density of point four percent and one point eight percent. Those measurements were observed in earlier studies on the same individuals.

Arm amputees commonly use devices joined to their shoulders to operate man-made arms or wrists. These devices use rope-like material to carry movement from the shoulder to the prosthetic arm. Yet, the movement is limited, and requires the person to tighten muscles in the back or arms.

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The results were reported in the online version of the publication Bone.

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VOICE ONE:

The researchers say they did not find any such link with the use of other media such as movies, radio or video games. But the study did find that young men were more likely than young women to develop depression given the same amount of media use.

(MUSIC)

For many years, researchers have studied why the space environment weakens bones. They have found that lack of gravity has a severe effect on bones. Weightlessness does not let bones do their normal work of supporting the body.

To move an arm, the brain sends a message that causes the chest muscles to tighten. An electrical signal is then sent to the prosthetic arm, telling it to move. The process takes place without any more effort than in a person without prosthetics.

You are listening to the VOA Special English program SCIENCE IN THE NEWS. With Barbara Klein, I'm Bob Doughty in Washington.

The astronauts' decrease in bone strength measured from point six percent to five percent for each month spent on the space station.

龙行天下

2011年8月21日星期日

A New Treatment for Those Who Have Lost an Ar

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