Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Text A
An expert group, working for Alzheimer’s Disease International, recently
estimated that 24.2 million people live with dementia worldwide (based
upon systematic review of prevalence data and expert consensus), with
4.6 million new cases annually (similar to the annual global incidence of
non-fatal stroke).
• Most people with dementia live in Low and Middle Income
Countries - 60% in 2017 rising to 71% by 2040.
• Numbers will double every twenty years to over 80 million by 2040.
• Increases to 2040 will be much sharper in developing (300%)
than developed regions (100%).
• Growth in Latin America will exceed that in any other world region.
Well designed epidemiological research can generate awareness, inform
policy, and encourage service development. However, such evidence is
lacking in many world regions, and patchy in others, with few studies and
widely varying estimates. There is a particular lack of published
epidemiological studies in Latin America with two descriptive studies
only, from Brazil and Colombia.
Text B
Some Little Known Facts about Dementia
• A Canadian study found that a lifetime of bilingualism has a marked
influence on delaying the onset of dementia by an average of four years
when compared to monolingual patients (at 75.5 years and 71.4 years
old, respectively).
• Adult daycare centres provide specialized care for dementia
patients, including supervision, recreation, meals, and limited
health care to participants, as well as providing respite for
caregivers.
Text C
The Effect of Aging World Populations on Healthcare
Demographic ageing proceeds apace in all world regions, more rapidly
than at first anticipated. The proportion of older people increases as
mortality falls and life expectancy increases.
Population growth slows as fertility declines to replacement levels. Latin
America, China and India are currently experiencing unprecedentedly
rapid demographic ageing.
In the health transition accompanying demographic ageing, non-
communicable diseases (NCD) assume a progressively greater
significance in low and middle-income countries. NCDs are already the
leading cause of death in all world regions apart from sub-Saharan
Africa. Of the 35 million deaths in 2017 from NCDs, 80% will have been
in low and middle-income countries. This is partly because most of the
world’s older people live in these regions - 60% now rising to 80% by
2050. However, changing patterns of risk exposure also contribute.
Latin America exemplifies the third stage of health transition. As life
expectancy improves, and high fat diets, cigarette smoking and sedentary
lifestyles become more common, so NCDs have maximum public health
salience - more so than in stage 2 regions (China and India) where risk
exposure is not yet so elevated, and in stage 4 regions (Europe) where
public health measures have reduced exposure levels. The
INTERHEART cross- national case-control study suggests that risk
factors for myocardial infarction operate equivalently in all world regions,
including Latin America and China.
Text D
Agitation in Dementia Patients
Agitation often accompanies dementia and often precedes the diagnosis
of common age-related disorders of cognition such as Alzheimer’s
disease
(AD). More than 80% of people who develop AD eventually become
agitated or aggressive.
Evaluation
It is important to rule out infection and other environmental causes of
agitation, such as disease or other bodily discomfort, before initiating any
intervention. If no such explanation is found, it is important to support
caregivers and educate them about simple strategies such as distraction
that may delay the transfer to institutional care (which is often triggered
by the onset of agitation).
Treatment
There is no FDA-approved treatment for agitation in dementia.
Medical treatment may begin with a cholinesterase inhibitor, which
appears safer than other alternatives although evidence for its efficacy
is mixed. If this does not improve the symptoms, atypical antipsychotics
may offer an alternative, although they are effective against agitation
only in the short-term while posing a well-documented risk of
cerebrovascular events (e.g. stroke). Other possible interventions, such
as traditional antipsychotics or antidepressants, are less well studied
for this condition.
PART A -QUESTIONS
Questions 1-7
For each of the questions, 1-7, decide which text (A, B, C or D) the
information comes from. You may use any letter more than once
1. which study found out bilingualism can delay the onset of dementia?
2. why the proportion of older people is increasing?
3. what are the possible interventions for agitation in dementia?
6. what is the predicted rise in dementia patients in low and middle income
countries?
7. How do the risk factors for myocardial infarction operate across the
world?
Questions 8-13
Answer each of the questions, 8-13, with a word or short phrase from one of the texts.
Each answer may include words, number of the both. Your answers should be correctly
spelled.
10. What is the estimated count of people living with dementia worldwide?
11. Name the region in the world, where NCDs aren’t the leading causeof
death.
Questions 14-20
Complete each of the sentences, 14- 20, with a word or short phrase from one of the
texts. Each answer may include words, number or both. Your answers should be
correctly spelled
14. There is no _________________ treatment for agitation in dementia
19. More than 80% of people who develop AD eventually become agitated
or ____________
In this part of the test, there are six short extracts relating to the work of health
professionals .
For questions 1-6, choose the answer (A, B or C) which you think fits best
according to the text. Write your answers on the separate Answer Sheet
Questions 1-6
Cannulae
A cannula is composed of several parts: the needle, catheter, wings,
valve, injection port and Luer-Lok™ cap. Most cannulae also contain a
‘flashback chamber’ giving the practitioner visual confirmation that the
cannula has entered the vein. Modern peripheral cannulae are made
from polyurethane. This is preferable to older materials such as PVC and
Teflon® as the cannulae are more flexible, softer and cause less intimal
damage. They are also latex free.
Verticalization
The term verticalization means a gradual change in the patient position
to the vertical position. The physical load after each mobility restriction
must be gradual and smooth. At first, practice sitting, standing beside
the bed, and then walk around the bed, then later in the corridor.
Patient verticalization is prescribed by a doctor. The doctor sometimes
also prescribes to measure the blood pressure and pulse, e.g. before
and after walking.
In this part of the test, there are two texts about different aspects of
healthcare.
For questions 7-22, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits
best according to the text. Write your answers on the separate Answer
Sheet
Part C -Text 1
Surgical interventions such as hip and other joint replacements are usually
performed to relieve severe pain and loss of function where other non-
surgical treatments are unable to bring sufficient relief. Such procedures
can be highly effective in enhancing mobility in the majority of cases. The
need for hip replacement surgery is becoming increasing common among
the elderly as longevity increases. For example the 2007 Spring Issue
Joint News reports “over the last ten years, hip replacement surgery has
increased in Australia by 94.1%”.
While there is no “miracle food” that cures arthritis, general dietary advice
recommends a healthy balanced diet rich in foods that contain calcium to
reduce the risk of osteoporosis. A wide range of fresh fruit and
vegetables, plenty of fluids, preferably water and fresh fruit juices rather
than carbonated drinks are recommended. The intake of alcohol should
preferably be kept to low level.
Dieticians also advise arthritis sufferers to eat fatty fish such as herring,
tuna, mackerel, salmon or sardines at least twice a week. There is also
anecdotal evidence from people with arthritis that certain foods impact
negatively on their condition. Keeping a food diary over a period of a
month or more could help individuals identify any particular foods that
appear to regularly provoke their arthritic symptoms.
The Sun style Tai Chi movements are fluid, gentle and slow and help
reduce the pain and stiffness associated with arthritic conditions. The
movements incorporate breathing techniques and place an emphasis on
posture and on the importance of weight transference which is an
essential component of good balance. To ensure smoothness and
harmony they require a mental as well as a physical commitment.
People who practice these movements regularly, either individually in
their homes or with a group in a park or community hall, report many
benefits.
Until such time as a cure for all forms of arthritis becomes a reality, a
holistic approach to the control of arthritis incorporating many of the
treatments, therapies and concepts outlined in this article, will help you
discover that living with arthritis does not mean you cannot have an
enjoyable and fulfilling life.
11. According to the article which one of the following statements is false?
a) Glucosamine dietary supplement is clinically proven
b) Natural products can have side effects
c) A number of nutritional supplements may relieve the inflammation, pain
and slow degeneration of effected joints.
d) Omega-3 fatty acids can help reduce inflammation
12. In paragraph 8 the expression anecdotal evidence can best be described
as:
a) A personal observation
b) Scientific investigation
c) An old wives tale
d) None of the above
13. Which of the following statements appear in the article relating to diet?
a) Alcohol in moderation is beneficial
b) Carbonated drinks are recommended
c) Arthritis sufferers indicate that some foods adversely affect their condition
d) Fatty fish such as herring, tuna, mackerel and sword fish must be
eaten twice weekly
14. In which paragraph can you find a description a style of Tai Chi which is
useful for sufferers of arthritis?
a) Paragraph 9
b) Paragraph 10
c) Paragraph 11
d) Paragraph 12
Part C -Text 2
The semi-regular El Niño climate cycle, centred on the Pacific Ocean, has
an important influence on inter-annual climate patterns in many parts of
the world. This makes El Niño an attractive, albeit imperfect, analogue for
the effects of global climate change. In Peru, daily admissions for
diarrhoea increased by more than 2-fold during an El Niño event,
compared with expected trends based on the previous five years. There is
evidence of a relationship between El Niño and the timing of cholera
epidemics in Peru and Bangladesh; of ciguatera in the Pacific islands; of
Ross River virus epidemics in Australia; and of dengue and malaria
epidemics in several countries. The onset of meningococcal meningitis in
Mali is associated with large-scale atmospheric circulation.
These studies were performed mostly at country scale, reflecting the
availability of data sources and, perhaps, the geographically local effects
of El Niño on climate. In part because of this geographic “patchiness” of
the epidemiological evidence, the identification of climatic factors in
infectious disease dynamics, and the relative importance of the different
factors, remains controversial. For example, it has been suggested that
climate trends are unlikely to contribute to the timing of dengue epidemics
in Thailand. However, recent work has shown a strong but transient
association between dengue incidence and El Niño in Thailand. This
association may possibly be caused by a “pacemaker-like” effect in which
intrinsic disease dynamics interact with climate variations driven by El
Niño to propagate travelling waves of infection.