VOA标准英语10月-British Researchers Make Major Multiple Sclerosis

British scientists have found a drug used to fight leukemia that appears to stop multiple sclerosis in its early stages and restore lost function to patients. Although still in the clinical trial phase, it is being called by some, the most promising¹ and most significant MS treatment yet discovered. For VOA, Tom Rivers reports from London.

The three-year study conducted by Cambridge University researchers found for the first time a treatment that showed long-term multiple sclerosis disability improvement.

It is estimated that at least 2.5 million people around the world have the neurological disease. Multiple sclerosis causes the body's immune system to mistakenly attack and damage the insulation² that protects nerve fibers³.

In this study, more than 300 patients received an annual dose of the drug alemtuzumab, which was created at Cambridge 30 years ago to kill off cancerous immune system cells in leukemia patients.

The participants in this MS study were in the early diagnosis⁴ stage of the disease and all had experienced various so-called episodes of MS such as blurred⁵ vision and numbness⁶; things that typically can last weeks or months.

At the end of the trial period, it was found that the drug cut the number of attacks patients experienced by 74 percent compared to the currently most common conventional therapy.

Team leader Dr. Alastair Compston says those numbers are dramatic and encouraging.

"Within a few months of treatment, the disease has settled down and very few of the patients have had any more attacks and very few of them have had any extra disability," he said. "In fact, many of them have even started to get better."

Compton's associate, Dr. Adasdair Coles says the drug changes lives.

"We give them this drug and three years later, they are more able to do their work. They are more able to look after their family," Dr. Coles said. "They are more able to play the sports that they enjoyed. And that is what this drug alemtuzumab has given to them."

At Britain's MS Society, Dr. Lee Dunster agrees. He says the new treatment looks very promising.

"To have a drug that for the first time reduces relapses, reduces the risk of disability progression and possibly reverses some of the disability will be the single most important breakthrough in the treatment of early relapsing-remitting MS that we have seen to date," he said.

A minority of those in the study experienced side effects such as over-active or under-active thyroid gland⁷ function, but it is pointed⁸ out that that can easily be treated. More clinical trials are under way and if all goes well, the treatment could be available on the market in as little as four years.

1 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

2 insulation   

n.隔离；绝缘；隔热

参考例句：

• Please examine the insulation of the electric wires in my house.请检查一下我屋子里电线的绝缘情况。
• It is always difficult to assure good insulation between the electric leads.要保证两个电触头之间有良好的绝缘总是很困难的。

3 fibers   

光纤( fiber的名词复数 )； （织物的）质地； 纤维，纤维物质

参考例句：

• Thesolution of collagen-PVA was wet spined with the sodium sulfate as coagulant and collagen-PVA composite fibers were prepared. 在此基础上，以硫酸钠为凝固剂，对胶原-PVA共混溶液进行湿法纺丝，制备了胶原-PVA复合纤维。
• Sympathetic fibers are distributed to all regions of the heart. 交感神经纤维分布于心脏的所有部分。

4 diagnosis   

n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断

参考例句：

• His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。

5 blurred   

v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离

参考例句：

• She suffered from dizziness and blurred vision. 她饱受头晕目眩之苦。
• Their lazy, blurred voices fell pleasantly on his ears. 他们那种慢吞吞、含糊不清的声音在他听起来却很悦耳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 numbness   

n.无感觉，麻木，惊呆

参考例句：

• She was fighting off the numbness of frostbite. 她在竭力摆脱冻僵的感觉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Sometimes they stay dead, causing' only numbness. 有时，它们没有任何反应，只会造成麻木。 来自时文部分

7 gland   

n.腺体，(机)密封压盖，填料盖

参考例句：

• This is a snake's poison gland.这就是蛇的毒腺。
• Her mother has an underactive adrenal gland.她的母亲肾上腺机能不全。

8 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。