2007年VOA标准英语-New Treatment Offers Hope for Age-Related Macul

By Melinda Smith
Washington
10 July 2007
 

A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that older people who carry certain genes¹ are more susceptible² to a loss of their central vision.  That loss of sight is an advanced form of what's called Age-Related Macular Degeneration, or AMD.  Researchers have identified specific genes that show a great risk for AMD, especially when combined with other factors, like smoking and obesity³.  VOA's Melinda Smith looks at some of the latest developments in the disease that is incurable⁴ and often causes blindness.

Stephen Pappas

Dr. Stephen Pappas sees at least 150 elderly patients every week at his office in Bethesda, Maryland.  Almost half of them have been diagnosed with a form of advanced macular degeneration called "wet" AMD.  

He treats them with a new drug called Lucentis, just approved in 2006 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Lucentis was specifically created for the treatment of "wet" macular degeneration, a condition in or around the retina resulting in the abnormal growth of blood vessels⁵.

Athena Cokenias talks about the condition of her eyesight before she saw Dr. Pappas. "It wasn't bad until it really started bleeding." 

Cokenias says she was unaware⁶ that the blood vessels behind her retina were bleeding. Because the loss of central vision can be permanent, Dr. Pappas says a quick diagnosis⁷ is critical. These patients need to be seen urgently by their ophthalmologist and once the ophthalmologist examines them, depending on the severity of their vision loss, typically these patients will undergo a retinal examination."

Image of the eye, Macular Degeneration, blood vessels behind retina

200,000 Americans, primarily over the age of 55, are diagnosed with macular degeneration every year. Worldwide, it ranks third among diseases that cause visual impairment.  At present it is incurable.  But there are some things we do know about the devastating⁸ disease.

Macular degeneration primarily affects Caucasian people, usually those with light colored eyes. Family heredity also plays a big part.

The Journal of the American Medical Association recently published a study of 1,500 white adults aged⁹ 55 to 80 with intermediate signs of the disease.  During the six-year study, 281 of the participants were diagnosed with advanced AMD. 

Researchers then identified specific genes and abnormalities among members of the smaller group that put them at greater risk.  That risk was intensified¹⁰ when people smoked, were overweight, or experienced hypertension.  Other factors included exposure to ultraviolet light and lack of a balanced diet full of dark leafy vegetables and fatty fish such as salmon¹¹ and tuna.

So far, Lucentis has been an effective form of treatment.  But another drug called Avastin is being compared in testing.  Avastin has been on the market longer as part of the treatment for colon¹² cancer and is cheaper to manufacture.

Until a future study proves one drug is better than another, Dr. Pappas says he is impressed with what Lucentis can do. "It was a drug that was specifically designed to penetrate¹³ the retina," he explains. "A lot of basic scientific research went into designing this drug -- to target it. It's actually an antibody fragment that can be injected also into the eye.  And it can penetrate the retina.  It's a very strong drug."

Patients who begin treatment with Lucentis often start with one injection a month, then taper¹⁴ off to longer periods in between, as their vision stabilizes¹⁵ or improves.  But studies show the drug must be continued, or the patient's eyesight could regress or be lost.

1 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

2 susceptible   

adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的

参考例句：

• Children are more susceptible than adults.孩子比成人易受感动。
• We are all susceptible to advertising.我们都易受广告的影响。

3 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

4 incurable   

adj.不能医治的，不能矫正的，无救的；n.不治的病人，无救的人

参考例句：

• All three babies were born with an incurable heart condition.三个婴儿都有不可治瘉的先天性心脏病。
• He has an incurable and widespread nepotism.他们有不可救药的，到处蔓延的裙带主义。

5 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

7 diagnosis   

n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断

参考例句：

• His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。

8 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

9 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

10 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 salmon   

n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的

参考例句：

• We saw a salmon jumping in the waterfall there.我们看见一条大马哈鱼在那边瀑布中跳跃。
• Do you have any fresh salmon in at the moment?现在有新鲜大马哈鱼卖吗？

12 colon   

n.冒号，结肠，直肠

参考例句：

• Here,too,the colon must be followed by a dash.这里也是一样，应当在冒号后加破折号。
• The colon is the locus of a large concentration of bacteria.结肠是大浓度的细菌所在地。

13 penetrate   

v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解

参考例句：

• Western ideas penetrate slowly through the East.西方观念逐渐传入东方。
• The sunshine could not penetrate where the trees were thickest.阳光不能透入树木最浓密的地方。

14 taper   

n.小蜡烛，尖细，渐弱；adj.尖细的；v.逐渐变小

参考例句：

• You'd better taper off the amount of time given to rest.你最好逐渐地减少休息时间。
• Pulmonary arteries taper towards periphery.肺动脉向周围逐渐变细。

15 stabilizes   

n.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的名词复数 )v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The broadbased attachment of the mesenteric root stabilizes the small bowel. 肠系膜根部基底宽阔的附着面使小肠得以稳定。 来自辞典例句
• The available supply of industrial product and produce stabilizes growth. 工业品与农产品的有效供给稳定增长。 来自互联网