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上期划线句答案
But women with higher qualifications do better than women without them because they also tend to work longer hours, particularly when they become parents and are put under pressure to go part-time or stop working.
但拥有更高学历的女性比那些学历较低的女性更有优势，因为她们往往工作时间更长，尤其是在成为母亲，面临需要变成兼职工作或停止工作的压力时。
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本期内容
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双语阅读
Para.1
In a recent think piece, published Oct. 9 in the journal Human Genomics, scientists examined a plethora of studies, revealing that melanin — the pigment that gives our skin, hair and eyes their color — can absorb certain drugs that are either applied to the skin or taken orally, thus affecting how much of a dose makes it to the tissues that need treatment.
Para.2
This means that people's responses to a standard dose of a given drug may vary depending on their skin tone. For instance, research has shown that nicotine binds to melanin and that variations in skin pigmentation may influence how much people smoke. This may be because, once nicotine is inhaled, it travels through the bloodstream and is absorbed by melanin-containing cells in the skin, therefore reducing how much of the drug reaches the brain. However, the exact reason is not yet fully understood.
Para.3
Toxic chemicals, such as those found in fertilizers and pesticides, may also accumulate in higher concentrations in darker skin than in lighter skin, the researchers found. This could reframe what a standard safe-exposure level might be for certain demographics.
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In the think piece, Sophie Zaaijer, a consultant and researcher affiliated with the University of California, Riverside, and Simon Groen, an assistant professor of evolutionary systems biology at UC Riverside, noted that melanin's ability to interact with specific drugs was flagged back in the 1960s. However, they argued that its effects have not been properly considered in preclinical research or in clinical trials of new drugs.
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Initial drug tests in the lab have mainly been done in cell lines from people of European descent. However, in the past few years, technological advancements have allowed scientists to create more complex cellular models in the lab that include varying degrees of pigmentation. It's now possible to grow 3D cell models that accurately mimic different shades of human skin, and these models can be ordered easily online. The researchers say these models, which are fairly new, could be used in preclinical experiments to show how potential drugs interact with melanin, long before the medicines are given to people.
本文节选自：Live Science（生活科学）
发布时间：2024.11.28
作者：NEWS
原文标题：Your skin color may affect how well a medication works for you — but the research is way behind
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写作句总结
原句：This means that people's responses to a standard dose of a given drug may vary depending on their skin tone.
结构：This means that [subject]'s [action/response] may vary depending on [factor].
例句：This means that people's endurance levels may vary depending on their age.
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阅读理解题
Which of the following statements about the impact of melanin on drug absorption is NOT supported by the sources provided?
A. Melanin's ability to interact with specific drugs was first observed in the 1960s.
B. Melanin can affect how much of a drug reaches the tissues that need treatment.
C. Toxic chemicals may accumulate different amounts in people with different skin tones.
D. Drug testing has historically prioritized cell lines from people of different descent.
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全文概括
The article examines how melanin, the pigment determining skin, hair, and eye color, interacts with various substances. Melanin's absorption of drugs like nicotine, and toxins such as pesticides, varies drug efficacy and toxicity based on skin tone. This highlights a historical oversight in drug testing, primarily using cells from individuals of European descent. New 3D cell models with varying pigmentation now allow for more inclusive preclinical drug testing, potentially leading to safer and more effective medications for diverse populations. The authors call for greater consideration of melanin's role in drug development.
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