台須讓美知道民意盼維持現狀

前美國駐聯合國大使波頓：台須讓美知道民意盼維持現狀

自由時報╱自由時報 2011-03-25

〔駐美特派員曹郁芬／華府二十三日報導〕前美國駐聯合國大使波頓接受本報專訪時指出，在阿拉伯世界出現民主是可能的，但不會一夕間發生，就像台灣發展出堅實的民主文化，也是經過多年的建造。他並提醒台灣，如果台灣民意要求維持現狀，而非統一，就要盡力讓華府明白台灣民眾的意願和顧慮。

波頓曾在小布希政府任內擔任駐聯合國大使，目前是美國企業研究所資深研究員，立場友台。他認為聯軍軍事介入利比亞的目標應是除去格達費，僅是保護利國平民是不夠明確的，格達費若繼續存活並掌控政權，很有可能重新支持國際恐怖主義，發展核生化武器，他憂心歐巴馬政府沒有明確目標，會讓軍事干預的任務混沌不明。

波頓說，他看不出在格達費仍在位的情況下，保護平民的目標如何能達成。另一個大家不樂見的情況則是利國陷入長期的分裂和混亂，變成另一個索馬利亞，成為恐怖主義的溫床。

雖然聯合國這次通過決議案授權國際社會對利比亞動武是少有的情況，不過波頓指出，還有五個國家棄權，一旦俄國等國家決定在安理會更嚴格地限制聯軍的行動，安理會可能會出現內部混亂，甚至推翻之前的決議，就外交面來說，歐巴馬政府的地位非常脆弱。

最近從茉莉花革命到埃及、利比亞，阿拉伯世界出現前所未有的改變，波頓表示，這些國家的未來很難預料。他說，美國當然支持民主，但大家應了解，民主不僅是選舉和投票，民主是一種文化和生活方式，需要時間去發展，以台灣為例，民主的文化非常堅實，但也花了很長時間去建造。阿拉伯世界出現民主是完全可能的，但不是一夕可成，而且民主的形式有可能被極端主義綁架。

中國積極擴武威脅鄰邦美不能示弱

波頓月前在國會提到，今日若發生台海危機，歐巴馬政府不可能像柯林頓時代派航母前來解圍。對於台海新形勢，波頓指出，中國的軍力發展令周邊國家都感到擔憂，特別是台灣，如果北京感到華府在台海問題上太弱，未來有可能會挑起危機以達到北京想要的目標，台灣在美國有強大的支持，但若美國總統在保衛美國盟邦的立場上示弱，是令人擔憂的，他認為歐巴馬政府在對外政策上太過軟弱。利比亞正好可以測試歐巴馬政府的成熟度，但迄今歐巴馬政府的政策非常混沌。

台灣人民應發聲 對抗華府親中主張

對於美國學者相繼撰文指台灣「芬蘭化」或華府應放棄台灣，波頓說，華府總是會有人主張應向北京低頭，勢力可能在增加，但他不會低估華府支持台灣以及維護台海現狀的力量。對台灣而言，如果民調一再穩定地顯示，台灣民眾希望兩岸的政治關係維持現狀，不是統一或獨立，台灣就應該努力讓美國政府，尤其是國會了解台灣民眾的意願和顧慮，這對台灣外交人員和支持台灣的美國友人都是很大的挑戰。

福島核災施放出來的放射線物質

在福島核災釋放出來的放射線物質，主要是iodine-131 (¹³¹I，碘)以及cesium-137 (¹³⁷Cs，銫)，其他還會有cesium-134、strontium-90 (⁹⁰Sr，鍶)。這些放射性物質可以經由空氣呼吸、食物、以及飲料水，進入人體。之後，會破壞細胞染色體，經過一段潛伏期，幾年後引起癌症。對四十歲以下的人，小孩、孕婦為害最大。

I-131是最多的放射線物質，不過半生期只有八天，在人體內會集中在甲狀腺，最容易引起甲狀腺癌。預防方法是受到輻射之前，先服用碘化鉀(potassium iodide，KI)，使甲狀腺充滿碘，而不必再吸收放射性碘。服用碘的時期，最好是受輻射前一、二小時，到三、四小時之後；它可以保護甲狀腺24小時左右[據: Nemhauser, MD, captain in the US Public Health Service and a medical officer in the CDC's Radiation Studies Branch]。

碘化鉀(KI)不能防止I-131進入人體；它只能防止放射性碘進入甲狀腺。

KI的劑量如下:

l  成人130 mg (一顆有130 mg及65 mg兩種。液體的碘一CC有65 mg)

l  餵奶的婦女要服用130 mg.

l  3 到 18 歲者服用 65 mg (one 65 mg tablet OR 1 mL of solution)。體型如成人的小孩幅服用成人劑量

l  1 個月到 3 歲者服用 32 mg

l  新生兒到一個月者給16 mg

l  有對碘過敏者不可以服用!

l  有multinodular goiter, Graves’ disease, or autoimmune thyroiditis者還是可以服用，但需要醫師嚴密觀察。

l  一次劑量可以保護一天，是否需要每天服用，必須問醫師。

l  四十歲以上者可能不必服用。副作用的可能性可能大於KI帶來的好處

服用碘化鉀最常見的副作用是: 面皰、腹瀉、食慾不振、噁心、嘔吐。其他已知的副作用有: 嚴重過敏(皮膚疹dermatitis herpetiformis or urticaria vasculitis；呼吸困難；胸部感覺緊束；口腔、面、唇、舌腫); 黑血便；神智混亂；發燒；心律不整；口腔內潰爛；口內有金屬味；手足麻痺；皮膚疹；胃痛；喉部頸部腫；異常疲勞無力，等等。

Cesium-137會經過食物進入體內。它的半生期長達三十年，不過像鉀離子一樣，吸收入體內後終究會被排泄出去。可以引起很多不同種類的癌症。Cesium-137可以用Prussian blue治療。Prussian blue是結晶，口服後很少被吸收；它可以將被排出到腸管內的cesium結合一起排出體外。原本cesium從尿和糞便排出體外的比例是4:1，可是口服Prussian blue後這比例變為1:4。

車諾比(Chernobyl)核災之後，I-131、Cs-134、Cs-137是影響健康最重要的輻射物質。.

Strontium-90似鈣離子，從水、食物進入體內後，70-80%會被排出體外；其他會集中到骨骼、骨髓；1%留在血液及軟組織內。終究會引起骨癌、白血病。這可以用尿液檢查。

受到輻射後，最重要的是先逃離幅射區，洗淨身體。

目前台灣因為福島核災所受到的各種輻射劑量，據說累計一年也不會超過一次斷層掃瞄檢查之多!

 

台灣中國化之後會如何?

曹長青：中國人真是絕了，無鹽以對！   日本人面對如此大災難，卻在購買和領取食物時秩序井然。日本的食品價格依舊，商家沒有哄抬物價，民眾也無搶購囤積；可是在沒有地震、沒有海嘯的中國，最近幾天，深圳、上海等好幾個沿海城市，都出現民眾搶鹽的風潮（說是碘鹽可防核子輻射）。商家也乘機哄抬物價，原來一袋鹽幾塊錢，現在漲到三十多元，還買不到了，各大商場都脫銷。 網路有人氣憤地嘲諷說——全世界都看在眼裡：一邊是五十壯士「我不回來了」。另一邊是瘋狂搶鹽。聽說連醬油，豆瓣醬和雞蛋都開始搶了。有這點力氣，何不干脆搶中南海！ 而在東京和整個日本，至今都沒有搶鹽和任何食品的風潮，雖然他們地處災難中心。現在不僅是中國，連香港也開始搶鹽了（據說是大陸人過去收購），甚至洛杉磯的華人也蠢蠢欲動，要東施效「蠢」！ 人家日本人面對災難，是相互幫助，盡量給予；而中國人還沒有災難，卻搶購囤積，實質是搶奪別人可能得到的。這是一個什麼人群，這是一個什麼文化？ 在中國的網絡上，畢竟還有頭腦沒有壞掉的，他們對這種搶鹽的極端自私的蠢行，極盡嘲諷、痛斥。下面是網絡上的一些貼子，供大家週末一笑： 1、 上聯：日本是大核民族 下聯：中國是鹽荒子孫 橫批：有碘意思 上聯：日本人在核輻射中等待碘鹽 下聯：中國人搶碘鹽以等待核輻射 橫批： 無鹽以對 上聯：大核民族五十七座核電密佈，意欲核威 下聯：鹽荒子孫五十六個民族搶鹽，鹽面安在 橫批：核出此鹽 2、 提問： 中國歷史上首次搶鹽風潮出現於哪一年？ 答：公元前202年。 那一年，項羽因為 「無鹽見江東父老」自刎而死了！ 3、 世上最痛苦的是什麼？輻射來了，鹽沒了； 世上最最痛苦的是什麼？輻射來了，鹽不好使； 世上最最最痛苦的是什麼？輻射沒來，鹽買太多了； 世上最最最最痛苦的是什麼？人齁死了，鹽沒用完。 4、我想有間房，門朝大海，春暖花開，家中有碘也有鹽，每天早上，坐在陽台，內穿孕婦防輻射圍裙，外穿生化防化服，品著碘酒，擦著碘鹽…… 5、非典的時候囤醋！核泄漏囤鹽！你們到底有沒有考慮過醬油和味精的感受！ 6、有鑒於眼下鹽比金貴，將要結婚的準新娘給準新郎發出狠話：有鹽千里來相會，無鹽對面不相認。 7、日本地震砸死了一批，海嘯卷走了一批；中國買鹽擠死了一批，吃鹽齁死了一批。可怜86年烏克蘭核泄漏中那些犧牲的戰士，穿神馬防護服防毒面具啊，怎麼不來中國吃點加碘鹽呢？ 8、給我一份鹽焗雞，不要放雞…… 9、据BBC最新消息：狗糧對抗輻射有顯著作用，哥倫比亞大學早耀斯.泉佳教授的最新研究成果表明：狗糧中含有丰富的碘鉛茶樹精油等抗輻射物質，經過可靠的實驗，他的愛犬一直吃狗糧，并且長期接受大量手机電腦微波爐等輻射，活潑健康。他停止喂狗糧後不久狗就死了。請轉給你最親的人！ 10、 女：有房嗎？ 男：沒有。 女：有車嗎？男：沒有。 女：有存款嗎？ 男：沒有。 女：那還來相親！ 男：我有鹽！ 女：老公！！ 11、情侶們啊！現在最浪漫的事情是，能買到一袋儿鹽，含情脈脈的送給對方…… 12、日本核泄漏了，太平洋沿岸都惊悚了，但是我們中國人怕啥，這麼多年來，我們吃地溝油、化學火鍋、三聚氰胺奶粉、毒大米、皮革奶是為了什麼呀？就是在下一場生化戰爭中活下來。我們贏在了起跑線上 ，小小的輻射，只是淡定的笑笑而已，現在嘴裡叼著的雙匯牌火腿腸都要比這輻射來得猛 。 13、搶購到碘鹽的朋友也不用慌，聰明的MOPPER教你如何利用手中的大量碘鹽防輻射：1、先洗澡，洗干淨，有條件，最好刮毛；2、擦干水分，把肉切開，全身抹鹽；3、抹鹽完後，挂在陽台通風處，風乾；4、用松柏樹枝點火熏烤；等人被碘鹽都腌透了，別說防核輻射了，就連蒼蠅、肉蛆都能防 。 14、【如何使用碘鹽防輻射】 碘鹽500克，脫衣，用刀在身上每隔2 -5cm斜著划一刀，將鹽均勻抹在身体表面，特別要注意腋窩和大腿內側。接著將自己懸挂在通風、干燥的地方，七日后即可達到輻射不侵的地步。小貼士：如能加香葉、胡椒、八角若干，防輻射效果更佳。 15、歷史總是惊人地相似。听說好多人現在搶鹽，和當年搶板藍根与口罩的瘋狂差不多。那時最珍貴的禮品不是玫瑰，而是明知你在咳嗽還去你家看你，以死殉情。結果事件過后，家裡積壓的板藍根喝十輩子糖水也喝不完。其實真若有事，鹽有屁用，好好鍛煉過好每天，是唯一正道。現在買鹽的你們都傷不起 。 16、 叫外賣：麻煩你給送一份鹵肉飯。 飯店：請問您要哪一款鹵肉飯？不放鹽的15塊，放鹽的30，雙份加鹽的50，我們最近還特別推出「咸死你」超值碘鹽防輻射皇家尊貴鹵肉套餐只需98喲，還送一瓶碘酒呢。 17、中國日前推出日本七日遊，內容有：看海嘯，觀核爆，欣賞地震美景，體驗核輻射，感受末日風情！單程船票，費用自理。管去不管回，管死不管埋！特惠價：2012元。特別優惠：凡是參加了搶鹽活動的，可憑超市購物小票，享受7折優惠。 18、日本人地震沒死，海嘯沒死，核輻射沒死，結果當聽說大洋彼岸沿海城市的中國人瘋搶食用鹽後，全部笑死了。   19、在某超市鹹魚攤位邊上出現了四位保安，以防止隨意舔魚的行為。保安氣憤地說，昨天好好的四尾大鹹魚，硬是被舔成了淡水魚。   20、日本大地震後，三個人死後上了天堂，分別是日本人、韓國人和中國人。上帝問：「你們是怎麼死的？」日本人說：「我是海嘯淹死的。」接著韓國人說：「我是被輻射死的。」最後中國人說：「我是吃鹽鹹死的。」   21、有人咋呼說擔心核輻射，嚷嚷著要吃碘，我看沒必要閑吃蘿蔔淡操心，敵敵畏、蘇丹紅、三聚氰胺，你身體裡哪一樣沒有？把你劈碎了攤在地上，就是一張元素週期表，還吃什麼碘和鹽？   22、床前明月光，把鹽都搶光。   23、今天北京某會場突然發生與會者爭相衝上講台、導致踩踏傷人事件。警方來到醫院，想從會議主持人那裡得知真相，主持人奄奄一息的說：「我也不知道為什麼，我只是說了句：下面請領導發言（鹽），大家歡迎。」結果所有人就爭先恐後紅了眼的沖上來……   24、震在日本，痛在中國。看到大家這麼辛苦的傳謠、造謠、搶碘片、搶食鹽，才知道真正的災區是在中國啊。 2011-03-18

台灣也有日本人形影，但正在消逝之中。

過去日本平民沒有學歷，在明治維新後，全國設立大、中、小學制度，全國民以武士道精神做為其基本道德教育，因此日本社會就是有此: 負責、堅忍、有禮、守信、知恥的特質。

反觀現在桃園機場的亂象!!!

 

日本人

櫻花即將綻放之際，日本本州東北的地震、海嘯、核電事故連環爆，引發浩劫。世界注視著這個東亞國家面臨大災難的人間風景，無不被其國民性之規矩震懾。即使敵人也尊敬！

是東洋的日本，也是西洋的日本。這個海島國家，經由大唐維新與明治維新的自我改造，發展出自己的國家形貌，既是東方的，也是西方的。二戰時代，為自我發動的歷史性災難，走過戰後廢墟，現在面臨的是地理性災難。日本人應該會從災難的困境中走出來，浴火重生。

詩和文學有什麼用？在日本，是有的。宮澤賢治（一八九六︱一九三三）這位岩手縣出身的詩人，有一首詩〈不輸風雨〉，經由演員渡邊謙朗讀，在網站播放。渡邊主演的一部電影《明日的記憶》，相信許多國人印象深刻。日本「新潮社」早就有演員朗讀日本詩人作品的系列。

日本的本州東北，早年的農漁之境孕育了許多有社會意識的詩人。宮澤賢治和同屬岩手縣的石川啄木（一八八六︱一九一二）在日本家喻戶曉；仙台出身的詩人土井晚翠（一八七一︱一九五二），許多台灣人知道他的〈荒城之月〉，仙台人現在聆聽，應該特別感傷；詩人高村光太郎雖然出生在東京，但他的雕刻家父親高村光雲在十和田湖的許多塑像，台灣的旅行者也有印象吧！這都會觸撫日本人受傷的心靈。

在災難中讓世界關注的日本，讓人們動容的是井然有序的國民性，一種具備武士道精神，在危機困境中冷靜以對的態度。臨危不亂的社會，甚至令歐美各國自嘆不如。難怪這個國家被認為一定會很快站起來。

日本是一個已建立近現代秩序的國家，官僚制度之健全舉世無匹，即使政治家（在漢字日語裡，這是中性名詞）腐敗，也會因為有一流的國民而能夠維持國家於不墜。

因為被殖民五十年，台灣也有日本人形影，但正在消逝之中。戰後長期的中國人化，又改變台灣人的心性，而且國家條件也因為殖民體制虛構性而不確定存在。看看戰後再開國的日本，在面對大災難仍然讓人感到尊敬的日本人，沒有主體性的台灣人會有什麼感想！？

（作者李敏勇，詩人）

Radiation Risks of Reactor Meltdown Both Short and Long Term

Robert Lowes

March 14, 2011 — The distribution of potassium iodide tablets in northern Japan underlines the fear of a catastrophic meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and the massive dispersion of deadly radioactive materials, with health implications for not only that country but also its neighbors.

Earlier in the crisis, radiation emitted by the plant's 3 overheating reactors was said to be at low, nonhazardous levels. However, radiation levels would skyrocket if the nuclear fuel in any of the reactors manages to escape its thick steel container. That possibility further worried Japanese authorities Monday evening EDT (Tuesday morning in Japan) when an explosion rocked reactor 2, the last of the units to blow. Kyodo News of Japan reported a spike in radiation, raising suspicions of a container breach.

"Each reactor has the radioactivity of 1000 Hiroshima bombs," said Ira Helfand, MD, an expert on radiation exposure in Leeds, Massachusetts, and a board member of the group Physicians for Social Responsibility, referring to the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II.

The potassium iodide tablets were given out as protection against iodine-131, a radioisotope of iodine that can cause thyroid cancer. Iodine normally accumulates in the thyroid, so saturating the organ with a safe version by means of the tablets blocks the uptake of the radioactive version.

However, a busted nuclear reactor can throw off other dangerous particles, each with its own adverse effects on the body, Dr. Helfand told Medscape Medical News. "Strontium-90 is absorbed by bone, which leads to bone cancer and leukemia," he said. "Cesium-137 spreads throughout the body but favors muscle tissue. Plutonium is primarily toxic when inhaled and causes lung cancer."

Each particle’s half-life also calibrates risk. For iodine-131, it is a mercifully short 8 days; for strontium-90, it is an agonizingly long 29 years.

Symptoms of Acute Radiation Syndrome Subside, Return

In addition to long-term risks such as cancer, radioactivity can pose short-term risks. When most or all of the human body is exposed to a massive dose of radiation in a matter of minutes — a possibility with a nuclear reactor meltdown — the result is acute radiation syndrome (ARS).

The first symptoms of ARS — typically nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea — hit immediately, subside, and then come back strong, accompanied by loss of appetite, fatigue, fever, and possibly seizures and coma. Most people who do not recover die within several months, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In most cases, death results from the destruction of bone marrow, which leads to infections and internal bleeding.

A corollary to ARS is acute radiation damage to the skin, or cutaneous radiation injury (CRI). Symptoms such as transient itching, tingling, erythema, or edema can emerge within hours, days, or week. As with ARS, people with CRI usually experience a latent period of weeks to months. When skin lesions return, they can be debilitating or even life-threatening.

Shifting Winds a Factor

As a precaution, Japanese authorities have evacuated roughly 180,000 people from towns near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, even though radiation levels outside it as of Monday afternoon EDT were thousands of times below those considered dangerous. Japan also has benefited from westerly winds that have blown the small amounts of radioactive material east toward the Pacific Ocean. That drifting contamination does not pose a health threat to Hawaii, Alaska, or the West Coast, given the thousands of miles between Japan and the United States, according to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Rick Morin, PhD, chair of the safety committee of the American College of Radiology, explained that airborne radioactive material from the Japanese reactors is like smoke from a smokestack, diffusing and becoming less harmful the farther it travels. Traveling eastward, much of it would fall into the sea.

However, weather forecasts predict that winds in northern Japan will reverse direction tomorrow, which means any radioactive material from the reactors would be blown inland.

If a reactor meltdown spewed enormous quantities of radioactive particles in that weather scenario, Japan would have to worry about it coming down to earth and poisoning the food chain. Dr. Morin said thyroid cancer broke out among children after the meltdown of the nuclear reactor in Chernobyl, Ukraine, because they drank milk from cows that had eaten grass contaminated with iodine-131.

Medscape Medical News © 2011 WebMD, LLC
Send comments and news tips to news@medscape.net.

 

地震時「救命的三角」-- "life-saving triangles" in earthquakes

為救自己一命，請耐心花費10分鐘細讀本文並牢記，以備不時之需：

為救自己一命，請耐心花費10分鐘細讀本文並牢記，以備不時之需：

溫室效應讓地殼及海洋溫度升高，地殼膨脹擠壓，所以地震愈來愈頻繁也愈猛烈，您住在地球上任何角落都可能難逃地震的傷害；小心不要被地震淘汰！以下是一位美國活菩薩苦心為文要救各位，請勿枉費他的一番善心！

我叫道格•庫普（Doug Copp）。是世界上最有經驗的救援小組─美國國際救援小組（ARTI）的首席救援者，也是災難部經理。

本文中以下信息能在地震中挽救生命。

我曾經和來自60多個不同國家成立的各種救援小組一起工作過，曾在875個倒塌的建築物裡爬進爬出。在聯合國災難減輕（UNX051-UNIENET）小組中我擔任了任期兩年的專家。從1985年至今，除非同時發生了多個災禍，我幾乎參與了每一次重大的救援工作。

1996年，我們用我創立且被證明是正確的方法製作了一部電影。土耳其政府、伊斯坦布爾市、伊斯坦布爾大學及ARTI聯合製作了這部科學研究影片。

 

我們模擬摧毀了一座學校，和一個裡面有20個人體模型的房屋。10個人體模型用「蹲下和掩護」方法，另外10個模型使用我的「生命三角」的求生方法。

模擬地震發生後，我們通過倒塌的碎石慢慢進入建築物，並拍攝和記錄了結果。

在一個可直接觀察到及科學的條件下，這部電影拍攝了我使用的求生技術。結果顯示那些用「蹲下和掩護」方法的人存活率是零，而那些使用「生命三角」的人能夠達到100%存活率。已有上百萬人在土耳其和歐洲、美國、加拿大和拉丁美洲的電視節目看過這部片子。

我曾進入的第一個建築物是在1985年墨西哥地震中的一個學校。每個孩子都在課桌底下。每個孩子都被壓扁了。他們如能挨著課桌的走道里他們躺下，就有生還的希望。我不知道孩子們怎麼會被誤導要躲在某物體的下面。

簡單地說，當建築物倒塌落在物體或家具上的屋頂重力會撞擊到這些物體，使得靠近它們的地方留下一個空間。這個空間就是被我稱作的「生命三角」。物體越大，越堅固，它被擠壓的餘地就越小。而物體被擠壓得越小，這個空間就越大，於是利用這個空間的人免於受傷的可能性就越大。

下次，你在電視裡觀看倒塌的建築物時，數一數這些形成的「三角」。你會發現到處都有這些三角。在倒塌的建築物裡，這是最常見的形狀。幾乎到處都有。我培訓Trujillo（人口約為75萬人的地方）的消防部門，教導人們如何求生，如何照顧他們的家人，以及如何在地震中援救他人。

Trujillo消防部門的救援總負責人是Trujillo大學教授。他陪伴我同行，他說：「我叫Roberto Rosales，我是Trujillo的首席救援者。我11歲時，我被陷在一幢倒塌的建築物裡。就是發生在1972年的那場地震中，當時有7萬人死亡。我利用我哥哥摩托車旁的『生命三角』保住了生命。我的朋友們，躲在床下，桌子下的人都死了，我可以稱作是『生命三角』活生生的例子，而我那些朋友是「蹲下和掩護」的例子。」

道格觀察到地震中的自救10項要領：

◣當建築物倒下時，每個只「蹲下和掩護」的人都幾乎全被壓死了。而那些躲到物體，如桌子，或汽車下躲避的人也總是受到了重傷或死亡。

◣貓，狗和小孩子在遇到危險的時候，會自然地蜷縮起身體。地震時，你也應這麼做。這是一種安全的本能。而你在一個很小的空間裡便可做到。靠近一個物體，一個沙發，或一個大物體，結果它僅受到輕微的擠壓。

◣在地震中，木質建築物最牢固。木頭具有彈性，並且與地震的力量一起移動。如果木質建築物倒塌了，會留出很大的生存空間，而且，木質材料密度最小，重量最小。磚塊材料則會破碎成一塊塊更小的磚。磚塊會造成人員受傷，但是，被磚塊壓傷的人遠比被水泥壓傷的人數要少得多。

◣如晚上發生地震，而你正在床上，你只要簡單地滾下床。床的周圍便是一個安全的空間。

◣如地震發生，你正在看電視，不能迅速地從門或窗口逃離，那就在靠近沙發，或椅子的旁邊躺下，然後蜷縮起來。

◣大樓倒塌時，被發現很多人在門口死亡。這是怎麼回事？如你站在門框下，當門框向前或向後倒下時，你會被頭頂上的屋頂砸傷。如門框向側面倒下，你會被壓在當中，所以，不管怎麼樣，你都會受到致命傷害！

◣千萬不要走樓梯，因樓梯與建築物搖晃頻率不同，樓梯和大樓的結構物會不斷發生個別碰撞。人在樓梯上時，會被樓梯的台階割斷，會造成很恐怖的毀傷！就算樓梯沒有倒塌，也要遠離樓梯，哪怕不是因為地震而斷裂，還會因為承受過多的人群而坍塌。

◣儘量靠近建築物的外牆或離開建築物。靠近牆的外側遠比內側要好。你越靠近建築物的中心，你的逃生路徑被阻擋的可能性就越大。

◣地震時，在車內的人會被路邊墜落的物體砸傷，這正是Nimitz Freeway路上所發生的事情。San Francisco地震無辜受害者都是待在車內。其實，他們可簡單地離開車輛，靠近車輛坐下，或躺在車邊就可以了。所有被壓垮的車輛旁邊都有一個3英呎高的空間，除非車輛是被物體垂直落下。

◣我發現，在報社或辦公室裡堆有很多報紙的地方，通常會好些，因為報紙不受擠壓。你在紙堆旁可找到一個比較大的空間。

本文在發表之後，獲得了許多網友的迴響，其中有幾位網友反應「生命三角」的避難方式值得存疑。所以樓主我到內政部消防署寄信到署長信箱詢問這個問題，以下是消防署承辦人員的回覆，提供大家參考：

一、有關地震發生時究竟是躲桌子下還是桌子旁好呢? 本署曾就此一議題在製作防震應變手冊及教材時召集專家學者討論並參考國外相關防災資訊均認為，目前國內發生”劇震”尚屬罕見，而一般地震發生時，在教室內最大的危害是電燈、吊扇、電視、窗戶玻璃等所造成的傷害，因此，在教室內最好還是先躲在桌下。

二、當”劇震”發生時，一般桌椅，是無法承受天花板的重量，躲在桌子下還是桌子旁並非重點，重要的是要教育大家認識環境安全及如何疏散避難，校園、教室中或是家中，那些是安全環境，例如堅固的樑柱旁且上方没有危險物品會掉落，有足夠空間可供避難地方等。平時也要做好防震工作，如固定傢俱、燈飾、電器用品等。

三、各個家庭及各所學校環境及建築結構不盡相同，到底要怎麼躲?採取什麼姿勢?如何避難?等問題，需全家或全班，共同擬定防災安全對策，檢視居家及學校的環境安全、擬定避難處所及避難方式、規劃容易逃生路線並準備緊急避難包等，才是最重要的。

四、有關來文所指”生命三角”，所言應是指網路流傳美國道格卡普所提文章，目前許多學者專家(含國外專家)，均對其實說法均表存疑，畢竟各國的地質、建物均不相同，可以確信的是正確防震常識，如前述三點所言，要視所在環境，找到最佳避難位置，事前的防震準備及家庭防災會議都是很重要的。

五、相關防災常識可參考以下網址
(一)  防災知識網
(二)  防救災數位學習網的有關防震宣導課程。

可怕可恥的言論!!!

 

不是「人」講得出口的話！！！

會留住這種「非人」繼續工作的組織，也是同水準的機構。

http://www.hi-on.org.tw/bulletins.jsp?b_ID=107539
馬英九跟羅智強應該為趙志勳出來下跪道歉
Black Rain 2011/03/13
日本發生地震之後，台灣各界紛紛關注日本的嚴重受創狀況，但對岸的中國人卻幸災樂禍，已經引起國際反感。沒想到，台灣卻出現一個典型「國民黨青年菁英」、立委黃昭順國會辦公室主任趙志勳在臉書大放厥詞：「為甚麼要援助日本？」、「為甚麼要援助日本，釣魚台先還來再考慮一下。」、當有網友表示可以趁機出兵釣魚台時，他更激動配合表示：「我比較想進攻東京，殺他個幾千萬『日本狗』」。然而，許多人沒有注意到的是，趙志勳同時兼任由馬英九所成立的「新台灣人文教基金會」聯誼會兼執行委員。

從過去的經驗來看，趙志勳的種族仇恨偏見不是個案，因為更早之前就有個「高級外省人」郭冠英不小心揭開了泛藍權貴集團知識份子的種族歧視傲慢特徵。此外，剛從台灣高中畢業去讀北大、言談之間經常刻意貶抑台灣的李敖兒子李戡也是郭冠英的好朋友。這種年齡層遍布老中青三代的仇日兼種族歧視心態，在國民黨「上流」菁英階層應該是很普遍的，這也是國民黨這個政黨在台灣意欲長期發展所面臨的嚴重瓶頸。此外，姑且撇開這三個人不談，連面對共匪不敢吭聲乖得像兒皇帝的馬英九本人，也曾在釣魚台問題表示「不惜(對日)一戰」，所以趙志勳的發言是否也間接反映了馬英九的心聲呢？

新台灣人文教基金會是在 1999 年由馬英九單獨捐款成立，根據新台灣新聞週刊的報導：「馬英九勝選後，台北市選舉委員會撥款兩千兩百餘萬元作為選舉補貼，馬英九趁『新台灣人』熱潮，將一半的款項成立『新台灣人文教基金會』，定期舉辦一些名為超族群、超黨派，實為不痛不癢的活動。如捐款給本土歌仔戲，也捐款給京劇；舉行國統綱領研討會，並且出版《統一與統合︱︱國統綱領十週年座談會論文集》；討論聯合政府與政黨重組問題；出專書《現代性與中國社會文化》等等，既看不出和台北市民有何直接關係，更嗅不出『台灣本土』的味道」

新台灣人文教基金會既然是要彰顯馬英九當時選市長的「新台灣人」身份、強調「超越族群」，卻怎麼會有趙志勳這種種族仇恨者擔任其聯誼會的執行委員呢？該基金會跟過去曾經出現、裡面充斥一堆高級外省菁英的「族群平等聯盟」是否同樣有掛羊頭賣狗肉之嫌呢？

根據已知資訊，新台灣人基金會顯然跟馬英九集團有很密切的關係。現任總統府發言人羅智強當年在馬英九特別費案爆發時，就曾經投書蘋果日報為馬英九捐款「新台灣人基金會」一事辯解。而且，該基金會也幾次找羅智強甚至金溥聰舉辦演講或訓練活動：

如果用現任總統府發言人羅智強的名字，在 Google 輸入「羅智強 蔡英文 道歉」，就會發現羅智強這個油嘴滑舌的總統府發言人只有一套發言的法寶：「蔡英文縱容 XXX！蔡英文應該為 XXX 道歉！蔡英文應該為 XXX 負起責任！」。換句話說，這個總統府發言人只要經常把這三種句型中的 XXX  替換成任何泛綠有關的議題或人物，就算完成代言任務。

國民黨長期以來在台灣鼓吹「族群和諧」，但國民黨高層菁英及泛藍支持者本身具有的種族歧視與族群歧視仇恨心態卻非常嚴重，甚至蔓延到泛藍年輕世代，馬英九集團自稱的「新台灣人」，竟是如此醜陋。根據以上資訊，以及總統府發言人羅智強長期叫囂要蔡英文為阿貓阿狗事件道歉負責的邏輯，馬英九跟羅智強兩人應該為國民黨模範青年趙志勳這次令人憎惡的種族歧視冷血發言出來向台灣人下跪道歉！否則，大家更會認為趙志勳的丟臉行為是國民黨跟泛藍權貴與知識份子普遍的人格特質！

http://www.hi-on.org.tw/bulletins.jsp?b_ID=107539
馬英九跟羅智強應該為趙志勳出來下跪道歉
Black Rain 2011/03/13
日本發生地震之後，台灣各界紛紛關注日本的嚴重受創狀況，但對岸的中國人卻幸災樂禍，已經引起國際反感。沒想到，台灣卻出現一個典型「國民黨青年菁英」、立委黃昭順國會辦公室主任趙志勳在臉書大放厥詞：「為甚麼要援助日本？」、「為甚麼要援助日本，釣魚台先還來再考慮一下。」、當有網友表示可以趁機出兵釣魚台時，他更激動配合表示：「我比較想進攻東京，殺他個幾千萬『日本狗』」。然而，許多人沒有注意到的是，趙志勳同時兼任由馬英九所成立的「新台灣人文教基金會」聯誼會兼執行委員。

從過去的經驗來看，趙志勳的種族仇恨偏見不是個案，因為更早之前就有個「高級外省人」郭冠英不小心揭開了泛藍權貴集團知識份子的種族歧視傲慢特徵。此外，剛從台灣高中畢業去讀北大、言談之間經常刻意貶抑台灣的李敖兒子李戡也是郭冠英的好朋友。這種年齡層遍布老中青三代的仇日兼種族歧視心態，在國民黨「上流」菁英階層應該是很普遍的，這也是國民黨這個政黨在台灣意欲長期發展所面臨的嚴重瓶頸。此外，姑且撇開這三個人不談，連面對共匪不敢吭聲乖得像兒皇帝的馬英九本人，也曾在釣魚台問題表示「不惜(對日)一戰」，所以趙志勳的發言是否也間接反映了馬英九的心聲呢？

新台灣人文教基金會是在 1999 年由馬英九單獨捐款成立，根據新台灣新聞週刊的報導：「馬英九勝選後，台北市選舉委員會撥款兩千兩百餘萬元作為選舉補貼，馬英九趁『新台灣人』熱潮，將一半的款項成立『新台灣人文教基金會』，定期舉辦一些名為超族群、超黨派，實為不痛不癢的活動。如捐款給本土歌仔戲，也捐款給京劇；舉行國統綱領研討會，並且出版《統一與統合︱︱國統綱領十週年座談會論文集》；討論聯合政府與政黨重組問題；出專書《現代性與中國社會文化》等等，既看不出和台北市民有何直接關係，更嗅不出『台灣本土』的味道」

新台灣人文教基金會既然是要彰顯馬英九當時選市長的「新台灣人」身份、強調「超越族群」，卻怎麼會有趙志勳這種種族仇恨者擔任其聯誼會的執行委員呢？該基金會跟過去曾經出現、裡面充斥一堆高級外省菁英的「族群平等聯盟」是否同樣有掛羊頭賣狗肉之嫌呢？

根據已知資訊，新台灣人基金會顯然跟馬英九集團有很密切的關係。現任總統府發言人羅智強當年在馬英九特別費案爆發時，就曾經投書蘋果日報為馬英九捐款「新台灣人基金會」一事辯解。而且，該基金會也幾次找羅智強甚至金溥聰舉辦演講或訓練活動：

如果用現任總統府發言人羅智強的名字，在 Google 輸入「羅智強 蔡英文 道歉」，就會發現羅智強這個油嘴滑舌的總統府發言人只有一套發言的法寶：「蔡英文縱容 XXX！蔡英文應該為 XXX 道歉！蔡英文應該為 XXX 負起責任！」。換句話說，這個總統府發言人只要經常把這三種句型中的 XXX  替換成任何泛綠有關的議題或人物，就算完成代言任務。

國民黨長期以來在台灣鼓吹「族群和諧」，但國民黨高層菁英及泛藍支持者本身具有的種族歧視與族群歧視仇恨心態卻非常嚴重，甚至蔓延到泛藍年輕世代，馬英九集團自稱的「新台灣人」，竟是如此醜陋。根據以上資訊，以及總統府發言人羅智強長期叫囂要蔡英文為阿貓阿狗事件道歉負責的邏輯，馬英九跟羅智強兩人應該為國民黨模範青年趙志勳這次令人憎惡的種族歧視冷血發言出來向台灣人下跪道歉！否則，大家更會認為趙志勳的丟臉行為是國民黨跟泛藍權貴與知識份子普遍的人格特質！

New Guideline for Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome

March 3, 2011 — A greater understanding of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) has led to the development of the first-ever clinical guideline on the diagnosis and treatment of the condition.

The full text of the evidence-based guideline, issued by American Urological Association, is available on the association's Web site. An executive summary will be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Urology.

"IC/BPS affects a significant number of patients whose quality of life is severely diminished by this complicated, frustrating condition," Philip Hanno, MD, who chaired the multidisciplinary panel that developed the guideline, said in a statement from the American Urological Association.

"This population has historically been both under-recognized and under-served, and it is our hope that this guideline provides physicians with a much-needed road map to help treat these patients," he noted.

Evolving Science Behind ICS/BPS

In an interview with Medscape Medical News, Dr. Hanno noted that an attempt was made back in 1999 to develop a guideline for IC/BPS, "but after doing a literature search, we realized we didn't have enough data to put a guideline together." That has changed.

"Over time," Dr. Hanno explained, "interest in the disorder exploded, and the prevalence seemed to be increasing because of better epidemiology studies, and we felt that there was a lot of mismanagement of the symptom complex and failure to recognize it. We felt it was really important to put together a guideline for clinicians, and luckily at this time there was enough data to do it."

However, in terms of diagnosis, the panel says "insufficient evidence" was retrieved; therefore, this portion of the guideline is based on clinical principles and expert opinion. The key recommendations are as follows:

• The basic assessment should include a careful history, physical examination, and laboratory examination to rule in characteristic IC/BPS symptoms (including sensations of pain, pressure and discomfort perceived by the patient to be related to the bladder, and absence of infection, as well as marked urinary urgency and frequency), and rule out easily mistakable disorders (such as overactive bladder or, specifically in men, chronic prostatitis).


• Baseline voiding symptoms and pain levels should be obtained to measure subsequent treatment efficacy.


• Cystoscopy and/or urodynamic studies should be considered as an aid to diagnosis only for complex presentations; these tests are not necessary for making the diagnosis in uncomplicated presentations. Although there are no existing cystoscopic or urodynamic findings specific for IC/BPS, the guideline states that these tests can be valuable in identifying lesions or alterations (Hunner's lesions) in the bladder in patients with symptoms, and in ruling out other entities such as bladder cancer or urethral diverticula.

Dr. Hanno made the point that IC/BPS is often misdiagnosed as overactive bladder or prostatitis in men, and that therefore the diagnosis is delayed. "Some patients are treated as if they have recurrent urinary tract infections, and they will be on antibiotics for months or years without proper diagnosis, or on anticholinergics for years if it is diagnosed as overactive bladder and they don't get better. Identifying IC/BPS early and treating it early can certainly impact a patient's quality of life," Dr. Hanno said.

Best Treatment Unclear

At this time, there is no cure for IC/BPS, and for most patients, no single treatment works well over time, the panel notes. Their review yielded an evidence base of 86 treatment articles. When sufficient evidence existed, the body of evidence for a particular treatment was given a strength rating of A (high), B (moderate), or C (low). As with diagnosis, when the evidence for a particular treatment was insufficient, the information was provided as clinical principles and expert opinion. Guidance for overall management of IC/BPS includes the following:

• Strategies should start with the most conservative treatments first before moving to less conservative therapies.


• Initial treatment type and level should be related to symptom severity, clinical judgment, and patient preferences. Patients should be counseled with regard to reasonable expectations for treatment outcomes.


• Some patients may benefit from multiple, concurrent treatments; baseline symptom measurement and regular assessment are critical to document the efficacy of combined vs single treatments.


• Ineffective treatments should be stopped once a clinically meaningful interval has elapsed.


• Pain management and its effect on a patient's quality of life should be regularly assessed and considered. If pain management is inadequate, then consideration should be given to a multidisciplinary approach, and the patient referred appropriately.


• If no improvement in symptoms occurs after multiple treatment approaches, the diagnosis of IC/BPS should be reconsidered.

First-Line Treatment: Education

The guideline states that the following first-line treatments "should be performed on all patients."

• ”Patients should be educated about normal bladder function, what is known and unknown about IC/BPS, the benefits vs risks/burdens of available treatment alternatives, the fact that no single treatment has been found effective for most patients, and the fact that acceptable symptom control may require trials of multiple therapeutic options (including combination therapy) before it is achieved,” the authors write.


• Patients should be counseled on how certain self-care practices, behavioral modifications, and coping techniques such as stress management may help manage their IC/BPS symptoms.


• The guideline also outlines second-, third-, fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-line treatment options and includes an algorithm outlining a hierarchy of physical and medical therapies, as well as surgical options for IC/BPS. "There is a lot of leeway in the guidelines, so people have the ability to do what they think is right," Dr. Hanno said.

What Not to Do as Important as What to Do

However, according to the guideline, the following treatments should not be offered because of lack of efficacy and/or unacceptable adverse effects:

• long-term oral antibiotics,


• intravesical instillation of bacillus Calmette-Guerin outside of a study setting,


• intravesical instillation of resiniferatoxin,


• high-pressure, long-duration hydrodistension, and


• systemic (oral) long-term glucocorticoid administration.

"This guideline will improve the ability of primary care physicians and specialty physicians (urologists, gynecologists) to diagnose IC/BPS, and then it will aid them in treatment options, as well as avoid certain treatments that have been proven to not be worthwhile," Dr. Hanno told Medscape Medical News.

"It's directed at all physicians," he emphasized, noting that "primary care physicians need to recognize this condition and then make the appropriate referrals to physicians who have some expertise in managing it."

The Interstitial Cystitis Panel was created in 2008 by the American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Funding of the panel and the Practice Guideline Committee was provided by the American Urological Association. Members of the Guideline Committee have disclosed financial relationships with Abby Moore Medical, Afferent Pharma, Allergan, AMS, Antreras, Astellas, Astra Zeneca, Bayer Corporation, Bioform, Eli Lilly, Ferring Inc, GlaxoSmith, Hollister, Johnson and Johnson, Lipella, Merck, NeurAxon, Pfizer, SCA Personal Products, Taris Biomedical, Trillium Therapeutics Inc, United Biosource Corporation, Verathon Medical, and Watson.

Medscape Medical News © 2011 

1955以來第一個FDA批准的紅斑性狼瘡的藥 Belimumab

Belimumab Earns FDA Approval for Lupus

Emma Hitt, PhD

March 10, 2011 — The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of belimumab (Benlysta, Human Genome Sciences and GlaxoSmithKline) in combination with standard therapies to treat active autoantibody-positive systematic lupus erythematosus.

This is the first lupus drug to be approved since 1955, when the FDA approved hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) and corticosteroids. In 1948, aspirin was approved to treat lupus.

Belimumab is a B-lymphocyte stimulator protein inhibitor that is thought to decrease the amount of abnormal B cells, which is hypothesized to be a mechanism of action in lupus.

The safety and effectiveness of belimumab was demonstrated in 2 clinical trials that randomized a total of 1684 patients to receive either belimumab or placebo in combination with standard therapy. Treatment with belimumab plus standard therapy reduced disease activity and possibly decreased the number of severe flares and steroid use.

Patients with active lupus that involved the kidneys or central nervous system and those who were previously treated with a B-cell-targeted therapy or intravenous cyclophosphamide were excluded from participating in the trials.

Study participants of African American or African descent did not significantly respond to belimumab. Additional studies will be conducted to definitively determine the safety and efficacy of belimumab in this population.

Common adverse effects reported with belimumab include nausea, diarrhea, fever, and infusion-site reactions. It is suggested that patients be treated with an antihistamine prior to a belimumab infusion.

A greater number of deaths and serious infections were reported in patients treated with belimumab than in those treated with placebo. Live vaccines should not be administered during treatment with belimumab.

It is estimated that lupus afflicts up to 1.5 million Americans, and it disproportionately affects black women.

荷蘭及日本對懷疑疫苗致死案例的反應

Japan Panel Finds No Link to Vaccine Deaths: Kyodo

TOKYO (Reuters) Mar 08 - A panel of experts at Japan's health ministry found no direct link between vaccines made by Pfizer Inc and Sanofi-Aventis SA and the deaths of children, but said further checks were needed, Kyodo news agency reported on Tuesday.

Japan will keep its suspension on the use of the vaccines that prevent meningitis and pneumonia, a health ministry official said after the safety panel's meeting, but declined to comment further.

The ministry halted the use of Pfizer's Prevnar and Sanofi's ActHIB vaccines in response to the deaths of four children shortly after receiving the vaccines.

U.S. health officials have said they were aware of the deaths in Japan but have not seen any such safety concerns in the United States.

In February last year health authorities in the Netherlands said no relation was found between Prevnar and the deaths of three infants who had received the vaccine.

Three of the children who died in Japan received Prevnar together with ActHIB. In addition, three of the children also received a mixed vaccine against diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus on the same day they received the other vaccines.

Three of the four children died a day after being immunized. The deaths happened between March 2 and March 4.

Representatives for Pfizer and Sanofi in Tokyo have said the companies were cooperating with the investigation.

A spokesman for Sanofi has said that the company has shipped more than three million doses of ActHIB in Japan since 2008 while a spokesman for Pfizer said the firm has distributed more than two million doses of Prevnar in Japan since last year.

Reuters Health Information © 2011 

 

學多種語言的好處!!

會講三種語言以上的人比較不會失智!

Multilingualism May Protect Against Cognitive Decline

Kate Johnson

March 7, 2011 — Compared with bilingual seniors, those who speak more than 2 languages appear to be protected from cognitive impairment according to a longitudinal study.

The results were released February 22 and will be presented at the upcoming American Academy of Neurology 63rd Annual Meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The memory protection afforded by multilingualism appeared to occur regardless of whether the languages were currently or previously spoken, suggested lead study author Magali Perquin, PhD, with the Center for Health Studies from the Public Research Center for Health in Luxembourg.

Multilingual Population

The study included 230 subjects (57% female), with an average age of 73 years, who were invited randomly to participate in the Mémo Vie study, a longitudinal cohort study looking at cognition and risk factors in the elderly in Luxembourg.

After standardized neurogeriatric and neuropsychological evaluation, a total of 44 subjects (19%) were classified as having cognitive impairment, whereas the rest had normal cognition. People with dementia were excluded.

The number of languages spoken by the subjects ranged from 2 to 7, reflecting Luxembourg's multilingual population, the researchers note.

A generalized linear mixed model, which accounted for age and level of education, found a strong association between cognitive function and the number of languages fluently practiced — either currently or at any time of life.

Compared with bilingual subjects, those who spoke 3 languages were almost 4 times less likely to develop cognitive problems and those who spoke 4 or more languages were more than 5 times less likely to have cognitive impairment.

Table. Probability of Protection Against Cognitive Decline for Multi- vs Bilingualism

No. of Languages	Odds Ratio (95% CI)
3 Languages	3.58 (1.13 – 11.37)
4 Languages	5.66 (1.48 – 21.59)
>4 Languages	5.23 (1.11 – 24.53)

CI = confidence interval

"Further studies are needed to...determine whether the protection is limited to thinking skills related to language or if it also extends beyond that and benefits other areas of cognition," Dr. Perquin said in a press release from AAN.

Compensatory Mechanisms

Reached for comment on these preliminary data, Fergus Craik, PhD, confirmed that the benefits of multilingualism stretch beyond language-bound cognition.

"Laboratory tests have shown that the benefit is not just in language and memory but in other areas of executive control," said Dr. Craik, a senior scientist from the Department of Psychology at the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest and the University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Dr. Craik and his colleagues have recently published work showing that among 211 consecutive Alzheimer's patients, those who were bilingual (n = 102) had their diagnosis delayed by roughly 4 years compared with those who were unilingual (n = 109) (Neurology. 2010;75:1726-1729).

Further work by his group, which is not yet published but was presented last month at the meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, shows that computed tomographic scans of Alzheimer's patients who are functioning at the same level show more advanced brain deterioration in the bilingual compared with the unilingual subjects.

"The language kind of pulls them back up to a higher level than they should have been on the basis of the amount of atrophy," said Dr. Craik in an interview.

Having a second language appears to give people cognitive reserve that somehow compensates for their brain atrophy, he explained. "So bilingualism doesn't simply protect the brain from deteriorating — the brain apparently does deteriorate but there are other factors that compensate."

"...there is actually a lot of evidence that both languages are always active in the brain at some level — and some kind of effort is needed — a kind of attentional control mechanism — to keep the unused language inhibited temporarily while you're using the first."

Dr. Craik says there are several theories about how multilingualism achieves this compensation. "There's a number of possibilities which we are currently trying to track down. It could be better blood supply, it could be more gray matter in other parts of the brain, or it could be more white matter — therefore better connectivity."

Whatever it is anatomically, he believes the benefit comes from having to "damp down the second language while you're using the first. A lot of studies show that although bilingual people feel, when they're speaking, that their other language is shut out, there is actually a lot of evidence that both languages are always active in the brain at some level — and some kind of effort is needed — a kind of attentional control mechanism to keep the unused language inhibited temporarily while you're using the first."

Dr. Perquin did not provide a disclosure statement. Her research was supported by the Fonds National de la Recherche Luxembourg. Dr. Craik serves as a consultant for the Ontario Innovation Trust; serves on the editorial boards of Psychology and Aging, Neuropsychology, Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, and Memory; receives royalties from the publication of The Oxford Handbook of Memory (Oxford University Press, 2000) and Lifespan Cognition: Mechanisms of Change (Oxford University Press, 2006); and receives research support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Alzheimer Society of Canada, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

American Academy of Neurology (AAN) 63rd Annual Meeting: Abstract 3397. Released February 22, 2011, ahead of presentation.