CUET English Preparation: RC/VERBAL ABILITY ON “Parkinson” TH April 20
Trials Demonstrate Safety of Stem Cell Therapy for Parkinson’s
The Hindu Bureau
Two independent clinical trials demonstrate the safety of stem cell therapies for Parkinson’s disease. Published in Nature, investigators use cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells and human embryonic stem cells, respectively, to examine the use of stem cells for Parkinson’s disease—a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the progressive loss of neurons that produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter. Cell therapy, specifically replenishing dopamine-producing neurons (dopaminergic) in the brain, could provide a potentially more effective treatment with fewer adverse effects.
To examine the safety and potential side effects of cell therapy for Parkinson’s, researchers at Kyoto University, Japan conducted a phase I/II trial. Seven patients received transplantation of dopaminergic progenitor cells induced from pluripotent stem cells into both sides of the brain. No serious adverse events were reported, and the procedure showed minimal changes. In a separate phase I clinical trial, researchers from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, explored the safety of a dopaminergic progenitor cell product (bemdaneprocel) derived from human embryonic stem cells. Twelve patients received surgical transplantation to the putamen on both sides of the brain. Five participants received a low dose and seven received a high dose. There were no severe adverse events related to the therapy during 18 months of follow-up. Some improvement in motor function (a secondary outcome of the study) was observed in patients with both the low-dose and high-dose cohorts. However, improvement varied across measured parameters.
The researchers also observed a decrease in motor symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease (a secondary outcome of the study) in four of the six participants who continued the trial to efficacy evaluation while not taking their standard medication, and in five while taking medication. However, these results varied according to the measures used, with some measures showing minimal changes.
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10 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
- What is the primary focus of the clinical trials mentioned in the passage?
a) Treating cancer
b) Ensuring safety of stem cell therapy for Parkinson’s
c) Developing new neurotransmitters
d) Studying embryonic development
Answer: b - Which university conducted the phase I/II trial?
a) Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
b) Kyoto University
c) Harvard University
d) Oxford University
Answer: b - What type of cells were transplanted in the Kyoto University trial?
a) Cancer cells
b) Dopaminergic progenitor cells
c) Muscle cells
d) Blood cells
Answer: b - How many patients participated in the Memorial Sloan Kettering trial?
a) 5
b) 7
c) 12
d) 18
Answer: c - What was the duration of follow-up for the Memorial Sloan Kettering trial?
a) 6 months
b) 12 months
c) 18 months
d) 24 months
Answer: c - What was a secondary outcome observed in the trials?
a) Increased dopamine production
b) Improvement in motor function
c) Complete cure of Parkinson’s
d) Severe adverse events
Answer: b - How many participants showed decreased motor symptoms without medication?
a) 2
b) 4
c) 5
d) 6
Answer: b - What is Parkinson’s disease characterized by?
a) Excess dopamine production
b) Progressive loss of dopamine-producing neurons
c) Increased muscle strength
d) Enhanced memory
Answer: b - Where were the transplanted cells placed in the Memorial Sloan Kettering trial?
a) Heart
b) Putamen on both sides of the brain
c) Liver
d) Spinal cord
Answer: b - What was not reported in the Kyoto University trial?
a) Serious adverse events
b) Minimal changes
c) Improved motor function
d) Transplantation success
Answer: a
20 Antonyms and Synonyms
Synonyms
- Demonstrate – Show
- Safety – Security
- Progressive – Advancing
- Replenishing – Restoring
- Effective – Successful
- Adverse – Unfavorable
- Conducted – Performed
- Derived – Obtained
- Observed – Noticed
- Improvement – Enhancement
Antonyms
- Safety – Danger
- Progressive – Regressive
- Effective – Ineffective
- Adverse – Favorable
- Conducted – Abandoned
- Derived – Lost
- Observed – Ignored
- Improvement – Deterioration
- Minimal – Maximal
- Success – Failure
20 Verbal Ability Questions (Based on 2024 Set A Style)
- Synonym: Find a synonym for “therapy”.
a) Treatment
b) Disease
c) Injury
d) Rest
Answer: a - Antonym: What is an antonym for “safe”?
a) Secure
b) Risky
c) Protected
d) Calm
Answer: b - Sentence Completion: The trial ______ the effectiveness of stem cell therapy.
a) doubted
b) demonstrated
c) ignored
d) delayed
Answer: b - Spelling: Choose the correct spelling.
a) Recieve
b) Receive
c) Recieve
d) Receeve
Answer: b - Analogy: Neuron is to brain as muscle is to ______.
a) Bone
b) Heart
c) Limb
d) Skin
Answer: c - Idiom: “Under control” in the context means:
a) Out of order
b) Managed effectively
c) In chaos
d) Unsupervised
Answer: b - Paraphrase: “Progressive loss of neurons” can be rephrased as:
a) Sudden gain of cells
b) Gradual decline of nerve cells
c) Rapid increase in brain activity
d) Stable neuron count
Answer: b - Vocabulary: What does “neurodegenerative” mean?
a) Related to nerve damage
b) Enhancing brain function
c) Improving muscle strength
d) Preventing disease
Answer: a - Sentence Correction: “The researchers has conducted the trial.”
a) Has should be have
b) Conducted should be conduct
c) No error
d) Trial should be trials
Answer: a - Context Clue: “Dopaminergic” refers to:
a) Cells producing dopamine
b) Cells causing cancer
c) Blood cells
d) Skin cells
Answer: a - Prefix/Suffix: Add a suffix to “treat” to form a noun.
a) Treating
b) Treatment
c) Treatable
d) Treated
Answer: b - True/False: The passage states that stem cell therapy cured Parkinson’s disease.
a) True
b) False
Answer: b - Comprehension: Why were no serious adverse events reported?
a) Due to high doses
b) Because of the safety of the procedure
c) Lack of participants
d) Ineffective cells
Answer: b - Word Usage: Choose the correct word: The ______ showed minimal changes.
a) Result
b) Results
c) Resulting
d) Resulted
Answer: b - Analogy: Safety is to risk as success is to ______.
a) Failure
b) Achievement
c) Effort
d) Victory
Answer: a - Idiom: “Follow-up” implies:
a) Initial check
b) Subsequent monitoring
c) Final decision
d) Random visit
Answer: b - Paraphrase: “Potentially more effective” can be rephrased as:
a) Certainly less useful
b) Possibly more successful
c) Definitely ineffective
d) Rarely beneficial
Answer: b - Vocabulary: What does “progenitor” mean?
a) Destroyer
b) Precursor
c) Opponent
d) Follower
Answer: b - Sentence Correction: “Twelve patient received the treatment.”
a) Patient should be patients
b) Received should be receive
c) No error
d) Treatment should be treatments
Answer: a - Comprehension: What varied across measured parameters?
a) Number of trials
b) Improvement in motor function
c) Dose levels
d) Participant age
Answer: b
