TED演讲:和老年痴呆症说再见(4)

 　　So what happens when amyloid plaques² accumulate to this tipping point? 所以当淀粉样斑块积累到临界点后会发生什么？

　　Our microglia janitor³ cells become hyper-activated, releasing chemicals that cause inflammation and cellular⁴ damage. 我们的小神经胶质细胞变得过度活跃，释放出导致炎症和细胞损伤的化学物质。

　　We think they might actually start clearing away the synapses⁶ themselves. 我们认为这可能会清除突触本身。

　　A crucial neural⁷ transport protein called "tau" becomes hyperphosphorylated and twists itself into something called "tangles⁸," 一种叫做tau蛋白的神经转运蛋白变得过度磷酸化,并转化成叫做神经纤维缠结的物质，

　　which choke off the neurons from the inside. 从内部阻塞了神经元。

　　By mid-stage Alzheimer's, we have massive inflammation and tangles and all-out war at the synapse⁵ and cell death. 在老年痴呆症的中期，我们会面临大量的炎症和神经纤维缠结、突触处的全面战争以及细胞的凋亡。

　　So if you were a scientist trying to cure this disease, at what point would you ideally want to intervene? 如果你是一位想要治愈该病的科学家，最佳介入时机是什么时候呢？

　　Many scientists are betting big on the simplest solution: keep amyloid plaques from reaching that tipping point, 许多科学家赌在了最简单的解决方法上：避免淀粉样斑块达到临界点，

　　which means that drug discovery is largely focused on developing a compound that will prevent, eliminate, or reduce amyloid plaque¹ accumulation. 也就意味着药物研发很大程度上聚焦于研发一种可以预防、消除或是减少淀粉样斑块积累的化合物。

　　And so the cure for Alzheimer's will likely be a preventative medicine. 所以老年痴呆症的治疗方法很有可能是一种预防性的药物。

　　We're going to have to take this pill before we reach that tipping point, 我们需要在临界点到达之前，

　　before the cascade⁹ is triggered, before we start leaving our keys in the refrigerator. 在连锁反应产生之前，在我们把钥匙落在冰箱前服用这种药物。

　　We think this is why, to date, these kinds of drugs have failed in clinical trials 我们认为这也是迄今为止这类药物在临床试验上失败的原因，

　　not because the science wasn't sound, but because the people in these trials were already symptomatic. 并不是因为科学技术不够可靠，而是因为在临床试验的人们都已是老年痴呆的患者。

　　It was too late. Think of amyloid plaques as a lit match. 这就为时已晚。试想淀粉样斑块是已经点燃的火柴。

　　At the tipping point, the match sets fire to the forest. 在临界点后，火柴的火引燃了整片森林。

　　Once the forest is ablaze¹⁰, it doesn't do any good to blow out the match. 一旦森林起火，吹灭火柴早已于事无补。

　　You have to blow out the match before the forest catches fire. 你需要在火柴引燃森林前就把火柴熄灭。

1 plaque   

n.饰板，匾，(医)血小板

参考例句：

• There is a commemorative plaque to the artist in the village hall.村公所里有一块纪念该艺术家的牌匾。
• Some Latin words were engraved on the plaque. 牌匾上刻着些拉丁文。

2 plaques   

（纪念性的）匾牌( plaque的名词复数 )； 纪念匾； 牙斑； 空斑

参考例句：

• Primary plaques were detectable in 16 to 20 hours. 在16到20小时内可查出原发溶斑。
• The gondoliers wore green and white livery and silver plaques on their chests. 船夫们穿着白绿两色的制服，胸前别着银质徽章。

3 janitor   

n.看门人，管门人

参考例句：

• The janitor wiped on the windows with his rags.看门人用褴褛的衣服擦着窗户。
• The janitor swept the floors and locked up the building every night.那个看门人每天晚上负责打扫大楼的地板和锁门。

4 cellular   

adj.移动的；细胞的，由细胞组成的

参考例句：

• She has a cellular telephone in her car.她的汽车里有一部无线通讯电话机。
• Many people use cellular materials as sensitive elements in hygrometers.很多人用蜂窝状的材料作为测量温度的传感元件。

5 synapse   

n.突触

参考例句：

• The chemical floods the synapse, overwhelming the serotonin receptors.这种化学物质湮没了突触，覆盖了5--羟色胺的受体。
• Ecstasy also keeps serotonin from being reabsorbed,further increasing the concentration in the synapse.毒品引起的狂迷还能阻止5--羟色胺的再吸收，进一步增加了突触内5--羟色胺的浓度。

6 synapses   

n.（神经元的）突触( synapse的名词复数 )；染色体结合( synapsis的名词复数 )；联会；突触；（神经元的）触处

参考例句：

• Nerve cells communicate with one another at the synapses, where their membranes almost touch. 神经细胞在突触部位彼此沟通，在这里它们的膜几乎接触到一起了。 来自辞典例句
• Glutamatergic synapses are common excitatory chemical connections in mammalian central nervous system. 谷氨酸性突触是哺乳动物神经系统的主要兴奋性突触。 来自互联网

7 neural   

adj.神经的，神经系统的

参考例句：

• The neural network can preferably solve the non- linear problem.利用神经网络建模可以较好地解决非线性问题。
• The information transmission in neural system depends on neurotransmitters.信息传递的神经途径有赖于神经递质。

8 tangles   

（使）缠结， （使）乱作一团( tangle的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Long hair tangles easily. 长头发容易打结。
• Tangles like this still interrupted their intercourse. 像这类纠缠不清的误会仍然妨碍着他们的交情。

9 cascade   

n.小瀑布，喷流；层叠；vi.成瀑布落下

参考例句：

• She watched the magnificent waterfall cascade down the mountainside.她看着壮观的瀑布从山坡上倾泻而下。
• Her hair fell over her shoulders in a cascade of curls.她的卷发像瀑布一样垂在肩上。

10 ablaze   

adj.着火的，燃烧的；闪耀的，灯火辉煌的

参考例句：

• The main street was ablaze with lights in the evening.晚上，那条主要街道灯火辉煌。
• Forests are sometimes set ablaze by lightning.森林有时因雷击而起火。