双语新闻：研究人员表示，借助聚焦超声工具可向阿尔茨海默病患者的大脑输送药物
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，一种使用聚焦超声的新工具可以帮助向阿尔茨海默病患者的大脑输送重要的药物。
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.
阿尔茨海默氏症是一种慢慢降低患者大脑功能的疾病，会导致混乱和其他问题。这种新的给药方法可以帮助药物去除这种疾病众所周知的脑阻塞斑块。
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.
超声波工具产生的小声波在所谓的血脑屏障上创造了开口。它是血管中的保护层，可以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，这一屏障也阻止了阿尔茨海默病的药物进入大脑。
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.
这项新技术使药物更容易进入大脑，更快地清除斑块。到目前为止，该工具只在三位患者身上使用过。每位患者的牙菌斑清除速度都比传统疗法快。
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阿里·雷扎伊博士领导了这项研究。他说:“我们的目标是让患者有一个良好的开端。”
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奏效。但有了超声波工具，药物进入大脑的速度更快。
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.
给药需要三步。首先，医生将小气泡注入血液。然后病人戴上一种特殊的头罩，这样医生就可以将声波发送到大脑的特定区域。这些波振动气泡，使血脑屏障松动，刚好让药物进入。
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波技术能够在屏障上打开小的开口。开盘48小时后关闭。雷扎伊的实验表明，这项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.
最近批准的许多阿尔茨海默病治疗方法都需要很长时间才能奏效。在18个月的时间里，病人必须每隔几周来注射一次。这种新的治疗方法给患者带来了希望，他们可以更快地得到结果。
"Why not try to clear the plaques within a few months," Rezai asked when discussing the reason behind his study.
“为什么不在几个月内清除这些斑块呢?”雷扎伊在讨论他的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服用一剂Aduhelm药物，持续六个月。每次注射后，他的团队将聚焦超声对准已知有斑块积聚的大脑部分。结果，一天中更多剂量的药物通过了血脑屏障。
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.
研究小组在治疗前后扫描了患者的大脑。6个月后，扫描显示，与未靶向区域相比，靶向区域的斑块减少了32%。
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.
美国国家老龄研究所的埃利泽·马斯利亚博士没有参与这项研究。Masliah说，这项试验为老年痴呆症患者带来了一些希望。然而，他建议需要更大规模的试验。
"It's very exciting ... data," he said. "It opens the door for more extensive, larger studies."
“这非常令人兴奋……数据，”他说。“这为更广泛、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，更快的药物递送是否会产生副作用，如肿胀和脑出血。
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.
雷扎伊说，他即将开始一项新的研究，使用另一种名为Leqembi的阿尔茨海默病药物。他补充说，还需要进行更大规模的研究，以确定将聚焦超声与阿尔茨海默氏症药物相结合是否对患者产生真正的影响。
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这项技术是否适用于治疗其他影响大脑的疾病，比如癌症。
研究人员最近表示，一种使用聚焦超声的新工具可以帮助向阿尔茨海默病患者的大脑输送重要的药物。
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.
阿尔茨海默氏症是一种慢慢降低患者大脑功能的疾病，会导致混乱和其他问题。这种新的给药方法可以帮助药物去除这种疾病众所周知的脑阻塞斑块。
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.
超声波工具产生的小声波在所谓的血脑屏障上创造了开口。它是血管中的保护层，可以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，这一屏障也阻止了阿尔茨海默病的药物进入大脑。
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.
这项新技术使药物更容易进入大脑，更快地清除斑块。到目前为止，该工具只在三位患者身上使用过。每位患者的牙菌斑清除速度都比传统疗法快。
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阿里·雷扎伊博士领导了这项研究。他说:“我们的目标是让患者有一个良好的开端。”
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奏效。但有了超声波工具，药物进入大脑的速度更快。
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.
给药需要三步。首先，医生将小气泡注入血液。然后病人戴上一种特殊的头罩，这样医生就可以将声波发送到大脑的特定区域。这些波振动气泡，使血脑屏障松动，刚好让药物进入。
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波技术能够在屏障上打开小的开口。开盘48小时后关闭。雷扎伊的实验表明，这项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.
最近批准的许多阿尔茨海默病治疗方法都需要很长时间才能奏效。在18个月的时间里，病人必须每隔几周来注射一次。这种新的治疗方法给患者带来了希望，他们可以更快地得到结果。
"Why not try to clear the plaques within a few months," Rezai asked when discussing the reason behind his study.
“为什么不在几个月内清除这些斑块呢?”雷扎伊在讨论他的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服用一剂Aduhelm药物，持续六个月。每次注射后，他的团队将聚焦超声对准已知有斑块积聚的大脑部分。结果，一天中更多剂量的药物通过了血脑屏障。
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.
研究小组在治疗前后扫描了患者的大脑。6个月后，扫描显示，与未靶向区域相比，靶向区域的斑块减少了32%。
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.
美国国家老龄研究所的埃利泽·马斯利亚博士没有参与这项研究。Masliah说，这项试验为老年痴呆症患者带来了一些希望。然而，他建议需要更大规模的试验。
"It's very exciting ... data," he said. "It opens the door for more extensive, larger studies."
“这非常令人兴奋……数据，”他说。“这为更广泛、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，更快的药物递送是否会产生副作用，如肿胀和脑出血。
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.
雷扎伊说，他即将开始一项新的研究，使用另一种名为Leqembi的阿尔茨海默病药物。他补充说，还需要进行更大规模的研究，以确定将聚焦超声与阿尔茨海默氏症药物相结合是否对患者产生真正的影响。
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这项技术是否适用于治疗其他影响大脑的疾病，比如癌症。
