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新研究揭示早产迹象

New information may someday help prevent preterm births, the world's number one killer¹ of young children.

早产是全球幼儿的头号杀手。但是，一项新的研究可能帮助更多的婴儿足月出生。

More babies and young children die because they were born preterm than from any other cause, according to Dr. Edward McCabe from the March of Dimes².

早产并发症是新生儿和幼儿的头号死因。美国畸形儿基金会的爱德华·麦凯布医生说：

"We’ve gotten some infectious diseases, diarrheal illnesses, malnutrition³ - those have been going down, so we’re making good gains there. But preterm birth has not been going down in many countries. It’s been increasing," said McCabe.

“传染病、腹泻和营养不良的机率在下降，所以我们取得了一些进展。不过在许多国家，早产率并没有下降，反而增加了。”

Globally, 15 million children are born prematurely⁵ each year. One million of them die, but others suffer lifelong disabilities ... blindness, cerebral⁶ palsy, reduced intellectual ability and more.

每年，全世界有1千5百万早产儿。其中1百万死亡，其他的有终身残疾，如眼盲、脑瘫、智力障碍等等。

Sixty percent of preterm births occur in Africa and South Asia. The rate of preterm births in the U.S. has fallen to 11.5 percent, but that's still the highest rate of preterm births in any industrialized country.

60%的早产儿诞生在非洲和南亚。尽管美国的早产率降低到了11.5%，但依然是发达国家中最高的。

The March of Dimes has funded studies and set up centers to find ways to cut this rate. McCabe pointed⁷ out that scientists at Stanford University found a difference in the bacteria in women's vaginas that may be critical in the understanding of prematurity⁸.

美国畸形儿基金会想要在未来15年内把该几率降低一半。该基金会资助了研究项目并且设立了研究中心来寻找早产的因素和预防的途径。斯坦福大学的科学家发现，女性阴道细菌的差异可能对于研究早产十分关键。

"At Stanford they found that women who delivered preterm had a different community of microorganisms than women who delivered at term," he said.

麦凯布医生医生说：“在斯坦福大学，他们发现早产的孕妇和正常时间分娩的孕妇有着不同的微生物群。”

Another study shows women have healthier babies if they space their pregnancies⁹ by at least a year and a half. Former Surgeon General Regina Benjamin says this is critical.

另一项研究发现，两次怀孕间隔1年半比较有利。

"A woman’s body requires about 18 months to recover between pregnancies," said Benjamin.

前美国医务总监丽贾纳·本杰明医生说：“再次怀孕前，女性的身体需要18个月来恢复。”

Less than 18 months between births increases the risk of prematurity as does smoking. Getting good prenatal care, nutrition and exercise cuts the risk. Even so, the causes of half of preterm births remain a mystery. Benjamin told a conference on prematurity that's why good research is so desperately¹⁰ needed.

间隔不足18个月会导致早产机率增加。其他降低早产风险的方式是不抽烟、接受良好的产前护理、保持营养丰富和锻炼。即使如此，医生们还是不知道有一半的早产是什么原因造成的。这个问题留待研究的新发现。

"It would be truly one giant leap for mankind if we could prevent millions of premature⁴ births and save hundreds of thousands of babies’ lives," she said.

本杰明医生说：“我们如果能够防止上百万的早产并拯救成千上万婴儿的生命，那对于人类来说将是巨大的飞跃。”

The goal is healthier babies who require less medical care and who can grow up to become productive citizens.

人们的目标是更健康的婴儿，他们需要更少的医疗护理，并且会成长为对社会有贡献的公民。