A first-of-its kind, a heart-thymus transplant, is a success

A first-of-its kind, a heart-thymus transplant, is a success

Transcript¹

A pediatric surgery team at Duke University successfully performed a heart transplant and a thymus tissue transplant from the same donor². By transplanting both, the odds³ of rejection⁴ may be reduced.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Easton Sinnamon was born with a heart problem, and he was still an infant when he received a first-of-its-kind transplant. He received a new heart and a little more. Dr. Joseph Turek led the team that performed it.

JOSEPH TUREK: He had - was born with a single ventricle heart, meaning he only had, like, one half of his heart. And we had tried to do some operations to get him through, but he wasn't doing very well. And he kept getting these infections.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Turek is chief of pediatric heart surgery at Duke University, and he says the solution was to give the baby a new heart and also new thymus tissue.

INSKEEP: The thymus is the gland⁵ that helps produce T cells, which can also complicate⁶ organ transplants. That's why little Easton got thymus tissue from the same donor as the heart. Easton spent his first seven months in the hospital. His mother is Kaitlyn Sinnamon.

KAITLYN SINNAMON: It was a real challenge. We have a 4-year-old daughter at home. So trying to juggle⁷ taking care of her and being there at the hospital for him was pretty difficult.

INSKEEP: Dr. Turek says that Easton's procedure addresses an obstacle in organ transplants - the body rejecting a new organ.

TUREK: Rejection over time leads to the organs failing. Right now, in the modern day, a heart transplant, on average, will last about 10 to 15 years.

MARTIN: By transplanting both heart and thymus tissue from a single donor, the heart may last longer. And Easton's mom is optimistic.

SINNAMON: We want families who are going through similar circumstances as we are - to let them know that there is hope.

MARTIN: And Easton reached another milestone⁸ recently - his first birthday.

SINNAMON: We invited really close friends and family. We even had some of the respiratory therapists from Duke that we became really close to. Easton was excited just to see so many people. And, you know, it was all about him, so he just soaked it all up.

MARTIN: Happy birthday, Easton.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

3 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

4 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。

5 gland   

n.腺体，(机)密封压盖，填料盖

参考例句：

• This is a snake's poison gland.这就是蛇的毒腺。
• Her mother has an underactive adrenal gland.她的母亲肾上腺机能不全。

6 complicate   

vt.使复杂化，使混乱，使难懂

参考例句：

• There is no need to complicate matters.没有必要使问题复杂化。
• These events will greatly complicate the situation.这些事件将使局势变得极其复杂。

7 juggle   

v.变戏法，纂改，欺骗，同时做；n.玩杂耍，纂改，花招

参考例句：

• If you juggle with your accounts,you'll get into trouble.你要是在帐目上做手脚，你可要遇到麻烦了。
• She had to juggle her job and her children.她得同时兼顾工作和孩子。

8 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。