妇女接受干细胞移植手术治愈糖尿病

Woman Not Diabetic After Cell Transplant 妇女接受干细胞移植手术治愈糖尿病

A diabetic woman no longer needs to take daily medicine after she received a stem cell transplant. 

The daily insulin injection had helped control the amount of sugar -- or glucose¹ -- in her blood. Wendy Peacock was first diagnosed with type 1 diabetes² at age 17, according to the Miami Herald³ newpaper.

Ms. Peacock, who is now 43, received the stem cells in mid-August in a "minimally⁴ invasive procedure" at the University of Miami-Miller School of Medicine in Florida. Doctors called the operation simple and said Ms. Peacock recovered quickly.

After the operation, her body started producing insulin naturally. 

Ms. Peacock "is now completely off insulin," one of her doctors said.

"These are the best ... results we've seen," said Dr. Camillo Ricordi, director of the Cell Transplant Center at the Diabetes Research Center in Florida.

"If these results can be confirmed, this can be the beginning of a new era in ... transplantation," said Dr. Ricordi. If other doctors study the results and confirm the outcome, the procedure could become available to other diabetics.

Ms. Peacock says her life has changed dramatically as a result of the operation. Before the operation, Ms. Peacock was unable to sense when her blood glucose dropped dangerously. Low glucose can make a person confused or unconscious. It may even lead to death. 

"As any type 1 knows, you live on a very structured schedule," Ms. Peacock explained. "I do a mental checklist every day in my head … glucose tabs, food, glucometer, etc., and then I stop and say, 'WOW! I don't have to plan that anymore.' "

Asians will find the medical news encouraging. Studies have shown that Asians are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, when compared with people of European ancestry⁵. That's according to the Asian Diabetes Prevention Initiative at Harvard University in Massachusetts.

Asian populations have fewer overweight and obese⁶ people than people in the West. But they have a higher percentage of people with diabetes. Currently, 60 percent of the world’s diabetic population is Asian, according to the Initiative's website.

Words in This Story

stem cell - n. a simple cell in the body that is able to develop into any one of various kinds of cells, such as blood cells or skin cells

insulin - n. a substance that your body makes and uses to turn sugar into energy

injection - n. the act or process of forcing a liquid medicine or drug into someone or something by using a special needle

1 glucose   

n.葡萄糖

参考例句：

• I gave him an extra dose of glucose to pep him up.我给他多注射了一剂葡萄糖以增强他的活力。
• The doctor injected glucose into his patient's veins.医生将葡萄糖注入病人的静脉。

2 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

3 herald   

vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎

参考例句：

• In England, the cuckoo is the herald of spring.在英国杜鹃鸟是报春的使者。
• Dawn is the herald of day.曙光是白昼的先驱。

4 minimally   

最低限度地，最低程度地

参考例句：

• Food spoilage problems occur with minimally processed, concentrated frozen citrus products. 食品的变质也发生在轻微加工的、浓缩冷冻的柑橘制品中。
• So, minimally, they are responsible for such actions and omissions. 所以，至少来说，他们要对这样的行为和忽略负责。

5 ancestry   

n.祖先，家世

参考例句：

• Their ancestry settled the land in 1856.他们的祖辈1856年在这块土地上定居下来。
• He is an American of French ancestry.他是法国血统的美国人。

6 obese   

adj.过度肥胖的，肥大的

参考例句：

• The old man is really obese,it can't be healthy.那位老人确实过于肥胖了，不能算是健康。
• Being obese and lazy is dangerous to health.又胖又懒危害健康。