欢迎访问贝贝英语网！
Researchers recently said a new tool that uses what is called focused ultrasound can help deliver important medicine to the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.
研究人员最近表示，一种称为聚焦超声的新工具可以帮助将重要药物输送到阿尔茨海默病患者的大脑中。
Alzheimer’s is a disease that slowly reduces the brain function of patients, causing confusion and other problems. The new delivery method helps drugs remove the brain-clogging plaque the disease is known for.
阿尔茨海默病是一种逐渐降低患者大脑功能的疾病，导致混乱和其他问题。这种新的输送方法有助于药物清除该疾病以脑部堵塞为特征的斑块。
The small sound waves created by the ultrasound tool create openings in what is called the blood-brain barrier. It is the protective lining in blood vessels that prevents bacteria and other damaging substances from getting into the brain.
超声工具产生的小声波在所谓的血脑屏障中产生开口。它是血管中的保护层，防止细菌和其他有害物质进入大脑。
However, the barrier also prevents Alzheimer’s medication from getting into the brain.
然而，该屏障也阻止阿尔茨海默病药物进入大脑。
The new technique permits the medicine to get into the brain more easily and remove the plaque faster. So far, the tool has been used on only three patients. Each patient saw a faster removal of plaque than with a traditional treatment.
这种新技术使药物更容易进入大脑，并更快地清除斑块。到目前为止，这种工具仅在三名患者身上使用过。每个患者的斑块清除速度都比传统治疗快。
Dr. Ali Rezai of West Virginia University’s Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute led the study. “Our goal is to give patients a head start,” he said.
西弗吉尼亚大学洛克菲勒神经科学研究所的Ali Rezai博士领导了这项研究。“我们的目标是让患者提前开始，”他说。
Some of the new Alzheimer’s treatments take a long time to work, he explained. But with the ultrasound tool, the drugs move into the brain faster.
他解释说，一些新的阿尔茨海默病治疗方法需要很长时间才能发挥作用。但是使用超声工具，药物可以更快地进入大脑。
The medicine delivery requires three steps. First, doctors inject tiny bubbles into the bloodstream. Then patients put on a special head covering that permits doctors to send sound waves to an exact area of the brain. The waves vibrate the bubbles which loosen the blood-brain barrier just enough for the drug to get in.
药物输送需要三个步骤。首先，医生将微小的气泡注入血液中。然后，患者戴上特殊的头罩，允许医生将声波发送到大脑的精确区域。这些波动的气泡使血脑屏障松动，刚好足够让药物进入。
Before Rezai’s study, other researchers discovered the ultrasound technique was able to make small openings in the barrier. The openings closed up after 48 hours. Rezai’s experiment showed that the technique could be used to deliver medicine.
在Rezai的研究之前，其他研究人员发现超声技术能够在屏障中产生小的开口。这些开口在48小时后关闭。Rezai的实验表明，该技术可以用于输送药物。
Many of the recently approved Alzheimer’s treatments take a long time to work. Patients must come for injections every few weeks for 18 months. The new treatment offers hope that patients can get results faster.
许多最近批准的阿尔茨海默病治疗方法需要很长时间才能发挥作用。患者必须每隔几周前来注射18个月。新的治疗方法为患者更快地获得结果带来了希望。
“Why not try to clear the plaques within a few months,” Rezai asked when discussing the reason behind his study.
“为什么不试着在几个月内清除斑块呢
？”Rezai在讨论研究背后的原因时问道。
His team gave three patients a dose of the drug Aduhelm each month for six months. Right after each injection, his team aimed the focused ultrasound at part of the brain known to have the plaque build-up. As a result, more of the day’s dose of the drug got through the blood-brain barrier.
他的团队每个月给三名患者注射一次Aduhelm药物，为期六个月。每次注射后，他的团队将聚焦超声瞄准大脑中已知有斑块积聚的部分。结果，更多药物的剂量通过了血脑屏障。
The team scanned the patients’ brains before and after the treatment. After six months, scans showed a 32 percent reduction in plaque in the areas that were targeted, compared to areas that were not targeted.
团队在治疗前后扫描了患者的大脑。六个月后，扫描显示在被定位的区域，斑块减少了32％，而在未被定位的区域则没有减少。
Dr. Eliezer Masliah of the National Institute on Aging was not involved in the research. Masliah said the trial brings some hope for Alzheimer’s patients. However, he advised that larger trials are needed.
国家老龄化研究所的Eliezer Masliah博士没有参与研究。Masliah表示，该试验为阿尔茨海默病患者带来了一些希望。然而，他建议需要进行更大规模的试验。
“It’s very exciting … data,” he said. “It opens the door for more extensive, larger studies.”
他说：“这是非常令人兴奋的……数据。”“这为进行更广泛、更大规模的研究打开了大门。”
Masliah warned that one concern that must be investigated is whether the faster delivery of the drug will create side effects such as swelling and brain bleeding.
Masliah警告说，必须调查的一个问题是药物更快的输送是否会产生肿胀和脑出血等副作用。
Rezai said he is about to start a new study using another Alzheimer’s drug called Leqembi. He added that larger studies would be needed to see if combining focused ultrasound with Alzheimer’s drugs makes a real difference for patients.
Rezai表示，他即将开始一项使用另一种名为Leqembi的阿尔茨海默病药物进行的新研究。他补充说，需要进行更大规模的研究，以查看将聚焦超声与阿尔茨海默病药物结合是否对患者产生真正的差异。
Other researchers may start studying whether the technique works for the treatment of other diseases that affect the brain, such as cancer.
其他研究人员可能会开始研究该技术是否适用于治疗其他影响大脑的疾病，如癌症。
___________________________
Words in This Story
focus –v. concentrating or targeting a specific location, paying extra attention to something
ultrasound –n. a kind of medical procedure that creates an image of the body using sound waves
clogging –adj. a description of an area, such as a tunnel or an artery, where water or fluid such as blood, cannot move freely because of a blockage
plaque –n. a sticky substance that can build up on teeth or in brain tissue
bubble –n. a small, air or gas-filled sac inside a liquid
vibrate –v. to move back and forth with quick movements
dose –n. an amount of medicine or a drug given by a doctor to treat a medical problem
scan –v. to look at something carefully, often with a medical imaging device
