2013年经济学人 阿司匹林让人吃惊的另一面

 

Science and technology

科学与技术

Prevention of cancer

预防癌症

Wonder drug

特效药

Aspirin¹ continues to amaze

15:17:29

For more than a headache

治的不仅仅是头疼

FOR thousands of years aspirin has been humanity 's wonder drug.

几千年来，阿司匹林就一直是人类的特效药。

Extracts from the willow² tree have been used for pain relief in folk medicine since the time of the ancient Greeks.

从古希腊开始，在民间医药中，人们就用柳树的萃取物缓解疼痛。

By 1897 a synthetic³ derivative⁴ acetyl salicylic acid of the plant's active ingredient was created.

1897年，这种植物中的有效成分的人工合成衍生物诞生了，

This allowed aspirin to become the most widely used medicine in the world.

于是阿司匹林变成了世界上应用最广泛的药品。

In recent years its benefits as a blood-thinning drug have led to it being prescribed in low doses of around 50mg to reduce deaths from stroke and heart attack.

最近几年，由于阿司匹林的防血凝功能，在用其治疗中风和心脏病的时候，剂量很小，维持在50mg的水平左右。

There were also hints that aspirin may help prevent some cancers.

也有迹象表明阿司匹林可以帮助预防一些癌症。

But these were mostly based on observational studies, which can be misleading.

不过这些结论大多都是在观察研究的基础上的，因而有可能产生误导。

The gold standard of scientific evidence is the randomised controlled trial, preferably one with a lot of people and held over a long time.

国际上科学证据的标准是由随机对照实验得出的结果，尤其是那些有很多人参与又经过很长时间的实验。

The results of just such a trial, published in the Lancet, suggest that aspirin is indeed an astonishing drug.

而就是这样一份发表在《柳叶刀》上的论文表示阿司匹林的确是一种让人吃惊的药物。

Peter Rothwell at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford⁵ and his colleagues looked at deaths due to cancers during and after randomised trials of daily aspirin.

来自牛津的约翰?拉德克里夫医院的彼得?罗思韦尔和他的同事们研究了在每日服用阿司匹林的随机对照实验期间或者之后因癌症而死亡的病例。

The trials had actually been started to look at how useful aspirin was for preventing heart attacks and strokes.

这一实验本是为了研究阿司匹林在防止心脏病和中风方面的疗效的，

Nevertheless, the data from the 25,570 patients enrolled⁷ in eight trials was also revealing about cancer.

然而八项试验25570名患者的数据也揭示了阿司匹林对于癌症的疗效。

In trials lasting⁸ between four and eight years, the patients who had been given aspirin were 21% less likely to die from cancer than those who had been given a placebo⁹.

在那些历时4到8年之间的实验中，服用阿司匹林的患者因癌症而死亡的概率比那些服用安慰剂的患者小了21%。

These results were based on 674 cancer deaths, so are unlikely to represent the kind of statistical¹⁰ oddity that can beset¹¹ studies on cancer risks that sometimes create headlines.

这些结果是在674例癌症死亡病例的基础上得出的，所以不大可能是所谓的统计学上的例外。对癌症风险的研究会因这种例外而受挫，有时甚至会闹成大新闻。

The benefits of aspirin were also apparent many years after the trials had ended.

试验结束后的很多年后，阿司匹林的效果也仍旧明显。

After five years, death rates for all cancers fell by 35% and for gastrointestinal cancers by 54%.

五年后，所有癌症的死亡率下降了35%，而胃肠道癌症的死亡率则下降了54%。

A long-term follow-up of patients showed that the 20-year risk of cancer death remained 20% lower in those who had taken aspirin.

一项长期的病情跟踪报告显示，那些服用阿司匹林的患者的20年内的癌症死亡风险比那些不服用的低了20%。

The study revealed that the effect takes time to accrue¹², so aspirin must be taken over a long period.

这项研究揭示了阿司匹林的效果是随着时间而递增的，所以必须长期服用才行。

The latent period for improving oesophageal, pancreatic, brain and lung cancer was about five years of aspirin taking on a daily basis.

每日服用阿司匹林对改善食管癌，胰腺癌，脑癌和肺癌的潜伏期为5年，

For stomach and colorectal cancer the effects took ten years and for prostate cancer about 15 years.

对胃癌和结直肠癌则要花10年才能起作用，而前列腺癌则要15年。

The means by which aspirin prevents cancer is not well understood.

这意味着目前还不清楚阿司匹林到底是怎么预防癌症的。

It is believed that it inhibits¹³ an enzyme¹⁴ that promotes cell proliferation in tumours¹⁵.

研究人员认为阿司匹林阻碍了一种在肿瘤内部促进细胞增殖的酶的活动。

The researchers also found that small daily doses of aspirin were enough, and that taking more than 75mg conferred no additional benefits.

研究者还发现，每天服用小剂量的阿司匹林就已足够，剂量超过75mg后不会再增加效果。

Those starting on aspirin in their late 40s or 50s benefit most.

那些从四五十岁末就开始服用阿司匹林的人得到的效果最好。

Current guidelines on using aspirin for reducing the chances of a stroke or heart attack rightly warn of the small risk of ulcers¹⁶ and of dangerous bleeding in the stomach.

目前在用阿司匹林治疗中风或者心脏病时，用药说明上会明确提醒有可能出现溃疡和危险性胃出血。

These guidelines will probably have to be revised given the new findings.

而鉴于这些新发现，这些说明很可能将要被修改了。

However, it remains¹⁷ unlikely that popping aspirin will be recommended for everyone like a vitamin supplement.

不过阿司匹林泡腾片不大可能像维生素补充剂一样被推广至每一个人。

Aspirin is a highly cost-effective treatment:

服用阿司匹林是一种非常划算的治疗：

taking it for five to ten years easily beats initiatives to screen for breast and prostate cancers.

只要吃五到十年，就能打败那些让你做乳腺癌或者前列腺癌扫描的建议。

To put it another way, ask yourself what a pharmaceuticals¹⁸ firm might charge for a drug that would reduce the chance of death by cancer by 20%—and then note that 100 days' supply of low-dose aspirin can cost less than a dollar.

换种说法，问问你自己，什么样的医药公司在看到100天的小剂量阿司匹林供应量还值不到一美元时，会对这种能够减少20%癌症死亡几率的药品开价呢？

By anyone's measure, that is a bargain.

不管按照哪一方的标准，这都是一笔非常划算的交易。

词语解释

1.humanity n.人类；人性

Such a man is a stain to humanity.

这种人是人类的耻辱。

2.relief n.减轻；解除

The pills gave her some relief.

药片减轻她一些痛苦。

3.salicylic a.水杨酸的

Medicated shampoos will help, including zine pyrithione or selenium sulphide, and even stronger shampoos containing tar⁶ or salicylic acid.

药物洗发精会有些帮助，如含有锌的硫化铁矿物质或含有硒的硫化物，甚至含有焦油和水杨酸的强力洗发精。

4.prescribe v.开处方；规定

I'll prescribe for you as soon as I get the report.

我拿到报告就给你开处方。

5.observation n.观察；观察力

The patient was kept under observation all night.

这位病人被观察了一整夜。

1 aspirin   

n.阿司匹林

参考例句：

• The aspirin seems to quiet the headache.阿司匹林似乎使头痛减轻了。
• She went into a chemist's and bought some aspirin.她进了一家药店，买了些阿司匹林。

2 willow   

n.柳树

参考例句：

• The river was sparsely lined with willow trees.河边疏疏落落有几棵柳树。
• The willow's shadow falls on the lake.垂柳的影子倒映在湖面上。

3 synthetic   

adj.合成的，人工的；综合的；n.人工制品

参考例句：

• We felt the salesman's synthetic friendliness.我们感觉到那位销售员的虚情假意。
• It's a synthetic diamond.这是人造钻石。

4 derivative   

n.派(衍)生物；adj.非独创性的，模仿他人的

参考例句：

• His paintings are really quite derivative.他的画实在没有创意。
• Derivative works are far more complicated.派生作品更加复杂。

5 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

6 tar   

n.柏油，焦油；vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于

参考例句：

• The roof was covered with tar.屋顶涂抹了一层沥青。
• We use tar to make roads.我们用沥青铺路。

7 enrolled   

adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They have been studying hard from the moment they enrolled. 从入学时起，他们就一直努力学习。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He enrolled with an employment agency for a teaching position. 他在职业介绍所登了记以谋求一个教师的职位。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

9 placebo   

n.安慰剂；宽慰话

参考例句：

• The placebo has been found to work with a lot of different cases.人们已发现安慰剂能在很多不同的病例中发挥作用。
• The placebo effect refers to all the observable behaviors caused by placebo.安慰剂效应是指由安慰剂所引起的可观察的行为。

10 statistical   

adj.统计的，统计学的

参考例句：

• He showed the price fluctuations in a statistical table.他用统计表显示价格的波动。
• They're making detailed statistical analysis.他们正在做具体的统计分析。

11 beset   

v.镶嵌；困扰，包围

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• The plan was beset with difficulties from the beginning.这项计划自开始就困难重重。

12 accrue   

v.(利息等)增大，增多

参考例句：

• Ability to think will accrue to you from good habits of study.思考能力将因良好的学习习惯而自然增强。
• Money deposited in banks will accrue to us with interest.钱存在银行，利息自生。

13 inhibits   

阻止，抑制( inhibit的第三人称单数 )； 使拘束，使尴尬

参考例句：

• A small manufacturing sector inhibits growth in the economy. 制造业规模太小有碍经济增长。
• His bad English inhibits him from speaking freely. 他英语学得不好，这使他不能表达自如。

14 enzyme   

n.酵素，酶

参考例句：

• Above a certain temperature,the enzyme molecule will become unfolded.超过一定温度，酶分子将会展开。
• An enzyme that dissolves the fibrin of blood clots.能溶解血凝块中的纤维的酶。

15 tumours   

肿瘤( tumour的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Blood vessels develop abnormally in cancer tumours. 在癌肿瘤中血管出现不正常。
• This apparatus scans patients' brains for tumours. 这台仪器扫描检查病人的脑瘤。

16 ulcers   

n.溃疡( ulcer的名词复数 )；腐烂物；道德败坏；腐败

参考例句：

• Detachment of the dead cells produces erosions and ulcers. 死亡细胞的脱落，产生糜烂和溃疡。 来自辞典例句
• 75% of postbulbar ulcers occur proximal to the duodenal papilla. 75％的球后溃疡发生在十二指肠乳头近侧。 来自辞典例句

17 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

18 pharmaceuticals   

n.医药品；药物( pharmaceutical的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the development of new pharmaceuticals 新药的开发
• The companies are pouring trillions of yen into biotechnology research,especially for pharmaceuticals and new seeds. 这些公司将大量资金投入生物工艺学研究，尤其是药品和新种子方面。 来自《简明英汉词典》