Scher, of Uniformed Services University, in Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues assessed re ports of major life changes among 206 men and women who met criteria for chronic daily headache (180 or more headache days per year). They assessed similar reports from 507 men and women with "episodic" headache (2 to 104 headache days per year).
The investigators assessed changes in work, marital status, children's status, or residence; as well as deaths of family or close friends. They also inquired about self-defined "extremely stressful situations," such as financial problems, an ongoing individual illness or that of a family member, or an ongoing abusive relationship. Compared with men and women with episodic headache, men and women with chronic daily headache were more likely to have experienced major life events in the 2-year period prior to the onset of their headache condition, the researchers report in the medical journal Cephalalgia.
The strongest predictor of chronic daily headache was an ongoing extremely stressful situation. The researchers also noted a higher proportion of chronic daily headache among people 40 years and older. In this group, "a change in work status was related to increased risk for chronic daily headache, while in contrast, those younger than 40 years showed a decreased risk for chronic daily headache after a job change," Scher told Reuters Health.
These findings are generally consistent with prior research related to other chronic pain conditions, the investigators note. "Our finding that the relationship may be stronger for those older than 40 was an interesting, but secondary, finding that should be replicated in other samples," Scher said.
What does the word "precipitate" most probably mean?
A. To cause something to happen.
B. To prevent something from happening.
C. To predict something to happen.
D. To prepare for something to happen.
How should we understand the process of oscillation?
A. Cosmic rays are used to produce muon neutrinos.
B. Muon neutrinos went missing during experiments.
Cosmic rays hit the upper atmosphere.
D. One flavor of neutrinos is changed into another one.
What is the suggestion given by the author in this passage about the core differences between two people?
A. To find out the differences and talk about them.
B. To avoid talking about the differences.
C. To change differences into similarities.
D. To pretend that differences do not exist.
Which one of the following is NOT true about the experiment mentioned in Paragraph 4 ?
A. It can be used to confirm previous suspects about neutrinos.
B. The number of muon neutrinos changed in the process of the experiment.
C. A more accurate number can be put on the mass of neutrinos based on this experiment.
D. The result of the experiment contradicts that in 1998.