HESI A2 Reading Comprehension 2024 Related

Omega-3 fatty acids include alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Your body needs omega-3s; they appear in the membranes that surround every cell in your body. Some people take omega-3 supplements such as cod liver oil, but with a little dietary care, you should be able to obtain adequate omega-3s from your daily nutrition. ALA is available in plant-based oils, especially flaxseed and canola oils. Some leafy greens, wheat germ, and walnuts also contain ALA. DHA and EPA occur naturally in fatty fish such as tuna, mackerel, sardines, bluefish, and salmon. Vegetarians may obtain some DHA and EPA from algal sources.
The positive effects on health of a diet rich in omega-3s are clear, although further research is needed to know exactly how omega-3s help. They seem to reduce inflammation, lower blood pressure, and reduce the buildup of plaque in the arteries, making them critical in maintaining heart health. Researchers have found that people with a high omega-3 intake seem to have fewer colon and breast cancers. Because of the fatty acids’ effect on inflammation, some doctors find omega-3 supplements useful for asthma and arthritis patients.
Less clear are the effects on mental health, although there are health professionals who believe strongly that high levels of omega-3s can reduce depression, improve memory, and moderate symptoms of attention deficit hyperactive disorder. Until more research takes place, it is unwise to rely on omega-3s to cure mental health issues. However, ensuring that your diet contains ample amounts of these critical fatty acids is still a good idea.

What is one of the author's primary purposes in writing this essay?

• A. To persuade
• B. To entertain
• C. To analyze
• D. To reflect

SOPHIA:
In a student union at the University of Michigan is a conference room named the Sophia B. Jones Room. The woman for whom it is named came from a family of impressive activists and revolutionaries and went on to have a remarkable career in medicine and education. Sophia was born in 1857 in Chatham, Ontario, Canada. Her father was one of the first Black graduates of Oberlin College in Ohio and was a strong abolitionist. Sophia had an older sister, Anna, and a younger sister, Fredericka. Both became teachers, and Anna was a suffragist who later helped create the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs.
Sophia took a different path; she started at the University of Toronto, but dissatisfied with the medical education afforded to women there, she moved to Michigan and graduated in 1885 as the university’s first Black female doctor of medicine. She was quickly hired by the historically Black women’s school of higher learning, Spelman College, to create a nursing program, thus becoming Spelman’s first Black faculty member.
Following her work at Spelman, Sophia moved on to Wilberforce University in Ohio, a school that was the first to be owned and run by African-Americans, and one at which W. E. B. Du Bois had been an esteemed professor. She continued to believe and teach that education was the path to public health. She worked in hospitals in Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Kansas City until her retirement, at which time she and her sister Anna moved to California. A society named for Sophia continues to provide medical students and alumni at Spelman with scholarships and financial support. In this way, Spelman maintains Sophia’s inspiring goals of educating health workers and improving public health.

The term afforded to, as used in the third paragraph, can best be defined as ___________.

• A. Traversed by
• B. Presented to
• C. Removed from
• D. Paid for by

In California, three paint manufacturers recently settled a 19-year lawsuit for $305 million. Their crime (to which they did not admit) was marketing lead paint while knowing its toxicity. It was a surprising ending for many who believed that because the companies sold the paint prior to the government ban on its use, they could not be held liable for its harmful effects years afterward. The money will be used by municipalities to mitigate lead hazards in older homes, inspecting, evaluating, and removing paint where warranted. The funds are expected to be quickly depleted; there are thousands of such houses, and each could cost over $1,000 to remediate.
Even small amounts of lead in the body can result in serious health problems, but the symptoms are often difficult to associate with lead. In young children, lead exposure can cause brain damage leading to developmental delays, seizures, fatigue, or irritability. Adults may experience high blood pressure, muscle pain, or memory loss. Pregnant women exposed to lead over time are prone to miscarriages and stillbirths.
Although lead paint has been banned in the United States since 1978, and U.S. manufacturers stopped using lead-soldered cans in 1991, older buildings still have lead pipes, and lead may appear in bullets or batteries as well as in some pottery and toys made overseas. A major lead disaster occurred in 2015 when tests indicated dangerous lead levels in residents’ water in Flint, Michigan. In that case, lead leached from the water pipes when the state failed to treat the water with an anticorrosive agent. It took months for the city to declare a state of emergency, during which time thousands of children and adults had been poisoned.

What is the meaning of the word leached as used in the last paragraph?

• A. Sucked
• B. Compressed
• C. Seeped
• D. Materialized

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tickborne diseases doubled in the United States between the years 2004 and 2016. Lyme disease, in particular, is difficult to diagnose due to its disparate symptoms that mimic other diseases, making it greatly underreported. As a result, the prevalence of Lyme disease is thought to be even higher than the CDC suggests.
Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which is spread through a relationship involving three animals. This relationship starts with the white-footed mouse (or in California, the Western gray squirrel), which is prone to infection by the bacterium. Ticks in their larval form feed on the blood of these mice. If the mouse is infected, the tick becomes infected as well. After passing through a dormant phase, the tick nymph, usually the size of a poppy seed, seeks another blood meal. This meal might come from another mouse, a human, or a dog or cat.
The nymphs then molt into active adults, whose primary food source is the whitetail deer. They mate on the deer, drop off, and lay their eggs, thus starting the cycle over again. Humans can be bitten by either an infected nymph or a full-grown adult tick. For Lyme disease transmission, the tick needs to attach for about 36 hours. Unfortunately, tick bites are easy to overlook; they do not itch like mosquito bites or sting like deerfly bites. Many people go without treatment for months until a test clarifies their seemingly unrelated symptoms, which may include joint pain, a rash, fatigue, swollen glands, chills or fever, headache, or even paralysis.
If you know you have been bitten by a tick, time is of the essence. It is important to see a doctor, get tested, and receive treatment promptly.

What is the meaning of the word disparate as used in the first paragraph?

• A. Unusual
• B. Diverse
• C. Trivial
• D. Damaging

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tickborne diseases doubled in the United States between the years 2004 and 2016. Lyme disease, in particular, is difficult to diagnose due to its disparate symptoms that mimic other diseases, making it greatly underreported. As a result, the prevalence of Lyme disease is thought to be even higher than the CDC suggests.
Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which is spread through a relationship involving three animals. This relationship starts with the white-footed mouse (or in California, the Western gray squirrel), which is prone to infection by the bacterium. Ticks in their larval form feed on the blood of these mice. If the mouse is infected, the tick becomes infected as well. After passing through a dormant phase, the tick nymph, usually the size of a poppy seed, seeks another blood meal. This meal might come from another mouse, a human, or a dog or cat.
The nymphs then molt into active adults, whose primary food source is the whitetail deer. They mate on the deer, drop off, and lay their eggs, thus starting the cycle over again. Humans can be bitten by either an infected nymph or a full-grown adult tick. For Lyme disease transmission, the tick needs to attach for about 36 hours. Unfortunately, tick bites are easy to overlook; they do not itch like mosquito bites or sting like deerfly bites. Many people go without treatment for months until a test clarifies their seemingly unrelated symptoms, which may include joint pain, a rash, fatigue, swollen glands, chills or fever, headache, or even paralysis.
If you know you have been bitten by a tick, time is of the essence. It is important to see a doctor, get tested, and receive treatment promptly.

Which of the following is a conclusion that a reader can draw from this passage?

• A. Humans are not the only mammals that exhibit symptoms when infected by Borrelia burgdorferi.
• B. The life cycle of an uninfected tick includes a dormant phase before the nymph stage, which is not excluded.
• C. Unless a tick feeds on an infected mouse or squirrel, it will not spread Lyme disease.
• D. The combination of fever, headache, and joint pain is not a definite indication of Lyme disease.