OET Reading C1 Alzheimer's Disease: New Treatment
C1 - Alzheimer's Disease: New Treatment
Q. 7: According to Dr Andres Lozano's report, for whom is deep brain stimulation (DBS) suitable?
A) people over 65 with advanced Alzheimer's disease
B) people aged 66 and above in the earlier stages of Alzheimer's
C) 65-year-old patients with mild Alzheimer's disease
D) patients under the age of 65 with mild Alzheimer's disease
Method: Q-T-A (Question- Text- Answer
* The Key Words (KW) in the question are Dr Andres Lozano report, DBS & suitable
* Go to the text and find out the KW.
* It is in the second sentence. Read that sentence carefully.
* Go back to the Answer choices and highlight the KWs.
* Locate the right answer.
A) says: "...advanced Alzheimer's disease", but the text says "mild Alzheimer's. So choice A is wrong. X
B) says: i) aged 66 ii) mild Alzheimer's disease. Both satisfied according to the text. Right answer.
C) says: 65-year old, which is wrong. because text says "over the age 65.. "
D says: under the age of 65, which is wrong.
So, the right answer is B.
Synonym:
* Question: "Aged 66 and above". Text: "Over the age 65".
Text:
Text para 1. Sending electronic pulses through a brain that is being damaged by Alzheimer's disease might become a new method of early treatment.[Topic sentence] A study headed by Dr Andres Lozano at Toronto Western Hospital's Krembil Neuroscience Center in Canada, has concluded that patients over the age of 65 with mild Alzheimer's disease can benefit from deep brain stimulation.
Q. 8 What point can be inferred about DBS in the second paragraph?
A) It is used for conditions other than Parkinson's and Alzheimer's also.
B) It was first used in the year 1988
C) It is still an experimental therapy for Parkinson's disease
D) Its use in treating Alzheimer's patients has been approved by FDA
Key Words
Inference (= Conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning), & Second paragraph.
Method: * Go to the second and read the topic sentence carefully.
* return to the answer choices.
* highlight the key words.
* go back to the topic sentence and analyze them against the choices for the right answer.
Answer choice:( A) It is used for conditions other than Parkinson's and Alzheimer's also
Explanation: It can be inferred that Question "used for conditions other than Parkinson's and Alzheimer's" is the "using it as a more target therapy" (= a type of cancer treatment)
(B) the year 1988 has reference in the text. Eliminate it X
(C) What is in " experimental stage" to treatment for Alzheimer's disease (according to the text) and NOT for Parkinson's.
Answer C is Wrong X
(D) What is approved by FDA is for Parkinson's disease (see the text) and NOT for Alzheimer's. So, answer (D) is Wrong. X
Synonyms:
1. Question: "used for conditions other than PD and AD;
Text: "using it as targeted therapy"
Text para 2. Deep brain stimulation is nothing new, but using it as more targeted therapy 1 which could yield dividends 2. [Topic sentence] "Deep brain stimulation (DBS) implants have been used for over 30 years, mostly to treat tremors of Parkinson's disease patients", Dr Doug Scharre, director of the Division of Cognitive Neurology at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, told Healthline. Scharre notes that while DBS treatment is approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Parkinson's disease, it's still an experimental therapy when it comes to Alzheimer's. 3
[Analysis of the text:
1. Question: "used it as more targeted therapy" infers what the Text says, 'DBS (it) is used more as a treatment for other treatments ("targeted therapy" such as in cancer.)
2. "Yield dividends" = more beneficial
3.i) FDA approved the use of DBS for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. ii) It is (DBS treatment) still in experimental stage. These 2 ideas are connected using the 'Contrasting Conjunction - 'while']
Q. 9: In the paragraph 3, the word PROGRESSION could best be replaced by:
A) deterioration
B) improvement
C) recovery
D) convalescence
Method: Read the sentence carefully to understand the contextual meaning of the word (but NOT the dictionary meaning).
"Slower progression of the disease" implies that the intensity of the disease is decreasing. That's why they are "encouraged by the findings...". The word synonymous to 'decrease' in the answer choice is (A), 'deterioration'. Choice (B), (C) and (D) are irrelevant. Answer (A)
Text para 3. Researchers found that participants aged 65 or older appeared to experience a slower PROGRESSION of the disease of than younger participants. Encouraged by these findings, Lozano and his team will launch phase III trials soon. " I think it's an interesting paper and it's important to expand the types of therapies that we're exploring," James Hendrix, PhD, Director of global science initiatives at the Alzheimer's Association, told. ...."
Q. 10: In the fourth paragraph, Hendrix says biomarkers are important because:
A) they can treat Alzheimer's disease particularly in the earlier stages.
B) they are the only way available to diagnose Alzheimer's disease
C) they prevent the symptoms from becoming severe
D) they can help recognize the Alzheimer's symptoms conclusively.
Key Words: 4th paragraph, Hendrix, Biomarkers
Method: Go the 4th paragraph. The key words are in the third sentence. Read the sentence carefully and go to the answer choice and identify the key words in all four choice to find out the right answer and eliminate the wrong ones. The phrase "biomarkers are important because..." is reflected in the text, "the reason (= why)that biomarkers are so important". Now you ask the question, "why they are important? " The answer is "it gives ..... more definitive ways to diagnose the disease....".
"They" in the question refers to "biomarkers".
Recognise symptom = diagnose.
Definitive ways = conclusively.
Therefore the Answer is (D)
Elimination:
(A): Refer text, " The reason that (= why)..... important .... is that......is that it gives ....... to diagnose the disease". So choice (A) can be eliminated. (A) is wrong. X
(B): " they are the only way". There is mention of "only" in the text. Answer (B) is wrong. X
(C): "they prevent the symptoms from becoming severe"; there is no mention of 'prevention in the text. Answer (C) is wrong X
Text para 4: There are are no exceptions of finding a cure for Alzheimer's disease in the near future. However, that doesn't mean that the researchers aren't making breakthroughs. " One of the most promising areas of research that's ongoing right now is the research into biomarkers", said Hendrix. The reason that biomarkers are so important, particularly when it comes to developing drugs for Alzheimer's patients, is that it gives doctors and researchers more definitive ways to diagnose the disease, particularly early in its progression when the symptoms might be mild. "Until a few years ago, the only way you could tell if someone had Alzheimer's disease was through an autopsy", explains Hendrix.
Q.11: The problem with DBS, which Scharre points out in the fifth paragraph is that:
A) it requires a very complex brain surgery to implant batteries.
B) it needs periodical replacement of simulator wires.
C) it involves multiple complexities.
D) adjustments for simulator settings differ from person to person.
Key words:
1. Problem with DBS
2. Scharre
3. 5th paragraph
Method: i) Go to the 5th para, identify the key words and read carefully the sentence, ii) come back to the answer choices and mark the key word and look for the right choice.
Qtn: problem - synonym Text: Limitation.
Answer choices
A) Partially correct
B) Partially correct
D) Partially correct
C) Adding A, B and D proves " it involves multiple complexities - Right answer
Text para 5: The Alzheimer's Association is supporting a U.S. POINTER study, a two-year clinical trial that looks into whether lifestyle interventions can protect brain health. The most obvious issue with treating Alzheimer's disease is that the best case scenario isn't a cure, but rather showing the rate of decline. But there's a host of less-obvious issues that stand in the way of finding effective therapies for Alzheimer's disease. Scharre notes that DBS therapy has its limitations. " It requires brain surgery to place the stimulator wires into the brain" (A). he explains. "While this is now a standard procedure and frequently used for Parkinson's disease, brain surgery with anesthesia is required. Battery packs have to be changed or re-charged regularly.(B) Adjustments for the stimulator settings are required at the beginning to find the optimal settings for each individual patient (D), requiring ambulatory visits after surgery.
Q. 12: What does 'it' refers to in the sixth paragraph?
A) finding appropriate study participants
B) drug therapy development
C) money
D) Deep Brain Stimulation.
Method:
Read the sentence containing the word "It". Ask the question , 'what is expensive'? You will get the answer - 'drug therapy development' - which is the answer (B)
Text: Para 6. Hendrix says there are two significant hurdles when it comes to the big picture of researching potential therapies: money and finding appropriate study participants. " It's very expensive - there are estimates that the cost of drug therapy development is upward of $2 billion", he said. That's certainly something that very few organisations can bear the cost of, especially considering the high risk. The reason it's so expensive is that Alzheimer's is a slow progressive disease, so the trials tend to be longer".
Q. 13: According to the final paragraph, appropriate subjects for clinical trials are those:
A) who have mild Alzheimer's disease.
B) who are young patients
C) who are unaware that they have Alzheimer's disease.
D) who do not know anything about Alzheimer's disease.
Method
Key words in question: i) final paragraph, ii) appropriate subjects for clinical trials.
* Go to the final paragraph and locate the key words. Read the sentence carefully. Return to the answer choice and identify the key words. Finally, skin for the answer in the text.
Answer choices:
(A) who have mild Alzheimer's. Re: text " ...have Alzheimer's in the early stage" (Early stage= mild) A is the right answer.
(B) " young patient" is different from 'who have disease in early stage' . (B) wrong X
(C) '....Unaware.....' is incomplete. (C) wrong X
(D) No reference to the statement. (D) wrong X
Text: Final para: Despite the fact that Alzheimer's disease is widespread in the US, it's actually difficult for researchers to find appropriate study participants for clinical trials. "It's very challenging because many trials have inclusion and exclusion criteria" said Hendrix. " Many people don't know they have Alzheimer's disease in the early stages (A) = who have mild Alzheimer's and so therefore, they might not seek a clinical trial, and once they progress further in the disease, they may then become ineligible for the trial. This hurdle is significant enough that Alzheimer's Association offers a clinical studies matching service called Trial match. This service generates customized lists of studies based on user-provided information, allowing potential study participants to see what studies they might qualify for. While the challenges loom large, technologies like biomarker analysis and deep brain stimulation show that progress is being made, even if a cure isn't yet in sight. " I think that deep brain stimulation is an example of expanding type of therapies that we're interested in", said Hendrix. At the Alzheimer's Association, we are interested in all types. We want to treat this disease effectively. We are interested in device approaches like DBS 1, we're interested in drug approaches 2, and we are also interested in lifestyle as a way of lowering risk 3".
Question 14:
The approach Alzheimer's Association takes towards exploring therapies for the disease can best be described as:
(A) omnipotent
(B) unilateral
(C) ultra-sophisticate
(D) multi-pronged.
Method
Look for the keywords in the question.
Key words: "the approach", Alzheimer's Association. The key words could be found towards the end of the text.
" At Alzheimer's we are interested in all..... lowering risks", the paraphrase show that "Multi-pronged" is the right answer.
(D) is the right answer.
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