VOA标准英语2011--Bioengineered Spinal Disc Could Relieve

Bioengineered Spinal¹ Disc Could Relieve Back Pain

Researchers at Cornell University in New York have developed an artificial spinal disc that may help patients with chronic² back pain and other disc problems.
The spine³ is a column of bones alternating with flexible spinal discs. When those discs do their job properly, you feel great. But when the disc is injured, the result can be pain in the neck or lower back.
Now, a research team led by a neurosurgeon and a biomedical engineer has developed an artificial spinal disk that seems to work well in experiments using laboratory animals.
Current treatments include a metal and plastic artificial disk and spinal fusion⁴ surgery, but they don't really duplicate the structure of the natural spinal disk. Cornell University neurosurgeon Roger H?rtl says the disc has a gel-like interior surrounded by a stiffer outer section, which gives it a valuable combination of properties.
"That structure together - the disc, made up of the annulus on the outside and the nucleus⁵ inside - is a very stable structure, H?rtl says. "However, it provides a certain amount of motion. That's why our spine is so incredibly flexible, if you look at the whole spine."
H?rtl's engineering colleague, Lawrence Bonassar developed the artificial discs, which are grown from cells, not manufactured, and H?rtl says they perform very much like the natural discs they replace.
"So the engineering team have been able to replicate⁶ the normal structure of the disc, and we think that the combination of those two components⁷ - namely the nucleus and the annulus together - mimics⁸ to a very, very high degree what the normal spinal disc looks like and goes through in the human anatomy⁹."
These artificial discs were implanted in the tails of laboratory rats, where they performed much like natural discs.
The researchers say bioengineered discs could represent a major advance for many patients with disc problems.

1 spinal   

adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的

参考例句：

• After three days in Japan,the spinal column becomes extraordinarily flexible.在日本三天，就已经使脊椎骨变得富有弹性了。
• Your spinal column is made up of 24 movable vertebrae.你的脊柱由24个活动的脊椎骨构成。

2 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

3 spine   

n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊

参考例句：

• He broke his spine in a fall from a horse.他从马上跌下摔断了脊梁骨。
• His spine developed a slight curve.他的脊柱有点弯曲。

4 fusion   

n.溶化；熔解；熔化状态，熔和；熔接

参考例句：

• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc. 黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。
• This alloy is formed by the fusion of two types of metal.这种合金是用两种金属熔合而成的。

5 nucleus   

n.核，核心，原子核

参考例句：

• These young people formed the nucleus of the club.这些年轻人成了俱乐部的核心。
• These councils would form the nucleus of a future regime.这些委员会将成为一个未来政权的核心。

6 replicate   

v.折叠，复制，模写；n.同样的样品；adj.转折的

参考例句：

• The DNA of chromatin must replicate before cell division.染色质DNA在细胞分裂之前必须复制。
• It is also easy to replicate,as the next subsection explains.就像下一个小节详细说明的那样，它还可以被轻易的复制。

7 components   

（机器、设备等的）构成要素，零件，成分； 成分( component的名词复数 )； [物理化学]组分； [数学]分量； （混合物的）组成部分

参考例句：

• the components of a machine 机器部件
• Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。

8 mimics   

n.模仿名人言行的娱乐演员，滑稽剧演员( mimic的名词复数 )；善于模仿的人或物v.（尤指为了逗乐而）模仿( mimic的第三人称单数 )；酷似

参考例句：

• Methods:Models were generate by CT scan,Mimics software and Abaqus software. 方法：采用CT扫描，Mimics软件和Abaqus软件的CAD进行三维有限元模型的创建。 来自互联网
• Relaxing the mind and body mimics the effect that some blood-pressure pills would have. 放松身心会产生某些降压药才能产生的效果。 来自辞典例句

9 anatomy   

n.解剖学，解剖；功能，结构，组织

参考例句：

• He found out a great deal about the anatomy of animals.在动物解剖学方面，他有过许多发现。
• The hurricane's anatomy was powerful and complex.对飓风的剖析是一项庞大而复杂的工作。