VOA常速英语2016--科学家发明新型对抗糖尿病装置

Scientists Creating New Devices to Battle Diabetes¹ 科学家发明新型对抗糖尿病装置

In general, people around the world are eating better and living longer, but they are also moving less. This is contributing to the rise of diabetes, a condition that affects 422 million people and is fast becoming a major problem, especially in poor countries.

总的来说，全世界的人们饮食更好了，寿命也更长了，运动却变少了。吃得好动得少导致另一种全球灾难增加，那就是糖尿病。这个病情正影响着4.22亿人口，并迅速成为主要问题，特别是在贫穷的国家。未来有一天，纳米技术可能会使监测血糖水平和开药比现在容易得多。

Two factors are critical for the successful treatment of diabetes patients. First is a correct diagnosis² of the type of the disease, and second is the administration of the appropriate drugs.

对于糖尿病患者来说，治疗成功有两个关键因素。首先，要正确诊断病症的类型，其次开一剂对症的药物。

A misdiagnosis and, consequently, the wrong treatment can cause many problems.

错误诊断和随之而来的错误治疗会引起很多问题。

“If you label someone who actually has type 2 diabetes as type 1, they'll be left on insulin for the rest of their life when they don't need it," said Dr. Richard Oram of the U.K. National Institute for Health Research. "Even worse, if someone with type 1 diabetes is mislabeled as having type 2 diabetes, then they may not be treated with the insulin they need, and they may suffer life-threatening complications.”

英国健康研究所的理查德·奥拉姆说：“如果你将实际上患有二型糖尿病的人标记为一型，他们的余生都将留给胰岛素，而实际上他们并不需要。更糟糕的是，如果一型糖尿病人被误判为二型，那么他们可能不会得到所需的胰岛素治疗，可能会遭受危及生命的并发症。”

A new, less expensive test, developed at the University of Exeter Medical School, measures 30 genetic³ variants⁴ in the patient’s DNA⁵ and calculates the risk for type 1 or type 2. Individual diagnoses can be completed with a commonly used test for antibodies.

由埃克塞特大学医学院(University of Exeter Medical School)研制的一项新的、更便宜的测试测量病人DNA中30种基因变体，计算一型或二型糖尿病的风险。个体诊断可以用一种常用的抗体测试完成。

Scientists are now trying to develop an even simpler DNA-based test that could be done with a smartphone app.

科学家们现在正在尝试研发一种更简单的、基于DNA的测试，可以用智能手机应用程序来完成。

No more injections?

In the meantime, researchers in South Korea are developing a nanotechnology-based adhesive⁶ strip that takes away pain and stress of daily injections for diabetes patients.

与此同时，韩国的研究人员正开发一种纳米技术为基础的粘条，可以解除糖尿病患者每天注射的疼痛和压力。

“The device is a patch type that enables [diabetics] to monitor blood sugar levels via sweat without taking blood samples and injections, as well as to control glucose⁷ levels by injecting medication,” said Kim Dae-hyeong, a professor in the School of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Seoul National University.

首尔大学的金岱勋说：“这个装置像一块补丁，让糖尿病患者可以通过流汗来监测血糖水平，而不用取血样和注射，还可以注射药物来控制血糖。”

The patch is studded with microneedles that painlessly enter subcutaneous tissue. When the connected chip senses that the level of glucose has risen above normal, a small heating element dissolves medication and releases it into the bloodstream.

这块补丁装置装有显微针，无痛进入皮下组织。当连接的芯片感应到血糖水平比平常高，一个小的加热材料将药物溶解并将其释放到血液中。

Tests done on lab mice were promising⁸, so scientists hope they will soon start testing the patch on humans. In this phase, experiments are still expensive, but scientists say the price will drop once it the patch is ready for mass production.

在实验鼠身上做的测验很有希望，所以科学家们希望他们将很快开始在人类身上测试这个补丁装置。现阶段，试验依然昂贵，但是科学家们说一旦补丁装置可以大规模生产，价格就会下降。

1 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。

2 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。

3 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

4 variants   

n.变体( variant的名词复数 )；变种；变型；（词等的）变体

参考例句：

• Those variants will be preserved in the'struggle for existence". 这些变异将在“生存竞争”中被保留下来。 来自辞典例句
• Like organisms, viruses have variants, generally called strains. 与其他生物一样，病毒也有变种，一般称之为株系。 来自辞典例句

5 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

6 adhesive   

n.粘合剂；adj.可粘着的，粘性的

参考例句：

• You'll need a strong adhesive to mend that chair. 你需要一种粘性很强的东西来修理那把椅子。
• Would you give me an adhesive stamp?请给我一枚带胶邮票好吗？

7 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。

8 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。