Stem Cells in Fat

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39 脂肪中的茎细胞有助于治疗糖尿病

DATE=4-26-01
TITLE=SCIENCE REPORT- Stem¹ Cells in Fat
BYLINE=Nancy Steinbach

(Start at 59")This is the VOA Special English Science Report.
American medical researchers say they have discovered （1）stem (2) cells in human fat for the first time. Stem cells are able to develop into other kinds of cells, including nerve, bone and muscle cells.
Scientists have been studying the use of stem cells to treat and possibly cure many diseases. These stem cells have the power to grow into new heart muscle for people with heart disease. Or the stem cells can become new insulin-producing cells for people (3) suffering （4）diabetes.
Researchers have collected stem cells from the brain, bones and fetal tissue from unborn babies. Getting these stem cells for research purposes is difficult. And many people are opposed to using fetal tissue for research. The new discovery means that it might be easier to get stem cells for research and treatment of diseases.
Researchers from the University of California at Los Angeles and the University of Pittsburgh carried out the study. They reported the results in the publication "（5）Tissue Engineering." The researchers took fat from the stomachs and legs of healthy adults in an operation known as liposuction. About six- hundred- thousand such operations are done in the United States every year. People choose to have liposuction to remove unwanted body fat.
The researchers treated the fat with a (6) substance that separated out the stem cells. They found that about two- hundred grams of fat could produce as many as fifty- million to one- hundred- million stem-like cells. Then they used different chemicals to change those cells into bone cells, cartilage cells and muscle cells.
This is the first study to show that a person’s own stem cells in fat might someday be used to treat disease or repair injured body parts. This would solve the problems of rejection² by the body because no foreign tissue would be used.
However, researchers say many questions must be answered first. For example, must the stem cells be treated in the laboratory before they are given to patients? Do the stem cells form （7）tumors? Do the stem cells change back to fat cells?
Scientists are working to confirm the findings of this experiment. They are testing the stem cells in animals. If this is successful, researchers say human testing could begin in about five years.
This VOA Special English Science Report was written by Nancy Steinbach.
 
注释：
(1) stem[ stem ]n.干v.滋生, 阻止
(2) cell[ sel ]n.单元, 细胞
(3) suffering[ 5sQfEriN ]n.苦楚, 受难adj.受苦的, 患病的
(4) diabetes[ 7daiE5bi:ti:z, -ti:s ]n.[医] 糖尿病, 多尿症
(5) tissue[ 5tisju: ]n.薄的纱织品, 薄纸[生]组织, 连篇
(6) substance[ 5sQbstEns ]n.物质, 实质
(7) tumor[ 5tju:mE ]n.瘤

1 stem   

n.茎，干，船首，词干，血统；vt.堵住，阻止，抽去梗；vi.起源于，发生

参考例句：

• Cut the stem cleanly,just beneath a leaf joint.把茎切整齐点，正好切在叶根下。
• The ship was in a blaze from stem to stern.整艘船从头到尾都着火了。

2 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。