2023年经济学人 向男性避孕药更进一步(2)

 

    The concentration of bicarbonate varies little from tissue to tissue with one notable exception.

    碳酸氢盐的浓度在不同组织中变化不大，但有一个明显的例外。

    In the epididymis, the tube in which mature sperm¹ are stored, it is a fifth of the usual level.

    在储存成熟精子的附睾管中，碳酸氢盐的浓度是通常水平的五分之一。

    The significance of this is that, at ejaculation, a tiny pellet of sperm is pushed forward and mixed with seminal² fluid, suddenly quintupling the bicarbonate concentration.

    这种情况是因为，射精时一小团精子与精液混合，碳酸氢盐浓度瞬间提高五倍。

    That causes sAC to produce a bunch of cAMP.

    这导致sAC产生大量的cAMP。

    This increase in cAMP then activates³ the sperm, and lets them start swimming and searching for an egg to fertilise.

    cAMP的增加会激活精子活力，让它们开始移动并寻找卵子受精。

    TDI-11861 blocks the places on sAC where bicarbonate would normally bind⁴, rendering⁵ it unresponsive to this rapid change in concentration.

    TDI-11861阻断了sAC上碳酸氢盐正常结合的点位，不让其对浓度的快速变化产生反应。

    That stops them swimming.

    这会阻止精子移动。

    Although TDI-11861 inhibits⁶ sAC everywhere in the body, Dr. Buck⁷ and Dr. Levin say this is not a cause for concern.

    尽管TDI-11861会抑制体内各处的sAC，但巴克博士和莱文博士表示，这没什么好担心的。

    Some men lack functioning sAC because of a mutation⁸.

    一些男性因为基因突变而缺乏正常的sAC。

    That results in infertility⁹ and a slightly raised incidence of kidney stones, but otherwise they are completely normal.

    这会导致不孕不育和肾结石发病率略有上升，但除此之外是完全正常的。

    So, while sAC appears to be a unique link in the chain of sperm mobilisation, the body has built plenty of redundancy into its means of generating cAMP.

    因此，尽管sAC似乎是精子移动链中的一个独特环节，但人体在其生成cAMP的过程中制造了大量的冗余。

    Whether Dr. Buck's and Dr. Levin's discovery will actually prove to be the long-sought breakthrough in the search for a Pill for men remains¹⁰ to be seen.

    巴克博士和莱文博士的发现是否真的会成为科学家长期以来不断寻找的，在男性避孕药方面的突破，还有待观察。

    More animal tests will be needed before trials on people can go ahead.

    在进行人体试验之前，还需要进行更多的动物试验。

    The two researchers are, however, already looking at other sAC-inhibiting compounds, to determine which performs best.

    然而，这两位研究人员已经在寻找其它能够抑制sAC的化合物，以确定哪种化合物表现最好。

    One approach they use is x-ray crystallography, which shows how molecules¹¹ fit together at an atomic level.

    他们使用的方法之一是x射线晶体学，它能够在原子水平上展示分子的排列方式。

    With it, they have improved how well their compound binds¹² to the right spot on sAC, and stays there - and they hope to do better still.

    有了这项技术，巴克博士和莱文博士对化合物在sAC上的正确位置结合，并停留在那里的能力进行了改善——并且，他们希望做得更好。

    Right now, men have less control over family planning than women do, and sometimes feel little responsibility for it.

    目前，从计划生育的角度来说，男性付出的比女性少，并且时常认为他们不需要为此负责。

    That is surely not unconnected with the fact that, according to the United Nations Population Fund, nearly half of pregnancies¹³ - 121m each year - are unplanned.

    这也就造成了这样一个事实：根据联合国人口基金的数据，每年1.21亿次怀孕中，近一半是意外怀孕。

    "This", Dr. Levin says, referring to sAC inhibition, "gives men the ability to be a partner."“sAC抑制剂这一发现，”莱文博士说，“赋予了男性成为伴侣的能力。”

    Who knows?

    谁知道呢？

    Some of them might even give it a try.

    有些人甚至可能会试一试。

1 sperm   

n.精子，精液

参考例句：

• Only one sperm fertilises an egg.只有一个精子使卵子受精。
• In human reproduction,one female egg is usually fertilized by one sperm.在人体生殖过程中，一个精子使一个卵子受精。

2 seminal   

adj.影响深远的；种子的

参考例句：

• The reforms have been a seminal event in the history of the NHS.这些改革已成为英国国民保健制度史上影响深远的一件大事。
• The emperor's importance as a seminal figure of history won't be diminished.做为一个开创性历史人物的重要性是不会减弱的。

3 activates   

使活动，起动，触发( activate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Activates the window and displays it in its current size and position. 激活窗口，保持当前的大小及位置不变。
• Pulling out the alarm switch activates alarm and pushing it deactivates it. 闹钟的开和关是通过拔出和按入闹铃开关实现的。

4 bind   

vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬

参考例句：

• I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我让服务生帮你把包裹包起来。
• He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他觉得过紧的衬衫。

5 rendering   

n.表现，描写

参考例句：

• She gave a splendid rendering of Beethoven's piano sonata.她精彩地演奏了贝多芬的钢琴奏鸣曲。
• His narrative is a super rendering of dialect speech and idiom.他的叙述是方言和土语最成功的运用。

6 inhibits   

阻止，抑制( inhibit的第三人称单数 )； 使拘束，使尴尬

参考例句：

• A small manufacturing sector inhibits growth in the economy. 制造业规模太小有碍经济增长。
• His bad English inhibits him from speaking freely. 他英语学得不好，这使他不能表达自如。

7 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。

8 mutation   

n.变化，变异，转变

参考例句：

• People who have this mutation need less sleep than others.有这种突变的人需要的睡眠比其他人少。
• So far the discussion has centered entirely around mutation in the strict sense.到目前为止，严格来讲，讨论完全集中于围绕突变问题上。

9 infertility   

n.不肥沃，不毛；不育

参考例句：

• It is the Geneva, Switzerland-based Biotech Company's second recombinant infertility drug. 它是瑞士生物技术公司在日内瓦的公司生产的第二种重组治疗不孕症的药。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术制药疫苗
• Endometritis is a cause of infertility. 子宫内膜炎是不育的原子。 来自辞典例句

10 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

11 molecules   

分子( molecule的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

12 binds   

v.约束( bind的第三人称单数 )；装订；捆绑；（用长布条）缠绕

参考例句：

• Frost binds the soil. 霜使土壤凝结。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Stones and cement binds strongly. 石头和水泥凝固得很牢。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 pregnancies   

怀孕，妊娠( pregnancy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Since the wartime population needed replenishment, pregnancies were a good sign. 最后一桩倒不失为好现象，战时人口正该补充。
• She's had three pregnancies in four years. 她在四年中怀孕叁次。