新奇事件簿 上夜班有损健康

A new study suggests working shifts at night can be damaging to one's health. In particular, it increases the risk of several cancers, diabetes¹, mental illnesses, and various heart diseases. Researchers from the Sleep Research Centre at the U.K.'s University of Surrey discovered that many genes³ in the body needed to follow a regular 24-hour cycle, during which the body sleeps at night. If this cycle is broken, up to 1,500 genes could get damaged, eventually resulting in potentially life-threatening diseases. Professor Derk-Jan Dijk said: "The study has important implications because we now need to discover why these rhythms exist and think about the consequences of that."

新的研究标明上晚班将损害健康。尤其是它将增加患癌症、糖尿病、精神病以及各种心脏疾病的危险。英国萨里大学的睡眠研究中心的研究员发现身体中的许多基因需要进行周期为24小时的循环，在这期间身体进入休息状态。如果打破了这些循环，将会有1500种基因遭到破坏，最终将导致威胁生命的疾病。Derk-Jan Dijk教授称：“这项研究影响重大，因为我们需要弄明白的是这些规律存在的原因，以及探讨所带来的后果。

The human body has around 24,000 genes. Many of these switch off if the body does not follow a regular sleeping pattern. This can cause parts of the immune system to become less efficient, making us more susceptible⁴ to illnesses. Study co-author Dr Simon Archer² said: "Over 97 per cent of rhythmic⁵ genes become out-of-sync with mistimed sleep, which really explains why we feel so bad during jet lag or if we have to work irregular shifts." Dr Dijk said that despite the results of the research, it would be difficult for people to change their lifestyles. He explained it was difficult for society to function without people working night shifts, but said people needed to understand the dangers and "mitigate⁶ the impact".

人类有大约2万4000个基因。如果人类没有按时进行休息，那么许多基因将消失。这就将损害人类的免疫系统，让疾病有机可乘。研究合著人西蒙博士说：“如果没有按时休息，那么将有97%的基因将出现紊乱状况，这就解释了为什么人们在经历时间差或是上晚班时感觉很差的原因。”Dijk博士认为尽管研究结果如此，但是人们很难改变自己的生活规律。他解释道如果晚上没人上班，那么这个社会将无法运转，但是称人们应该明白其中的危险，并减轻所带来的影响。”

1 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

2 archer   

n.射手，弓箭手

参考例句：

• The archer strung his bow and aimed an arrow at the target.弓箭手拉紧弓弦将箭瞄准靶子。
• The archer's shot was a perfect bull's-eye.射手的那一箭正中靶心。

3 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

4 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。

5 rhythmic   

adj.有节奏的，有韵律的

参考例句：

• Her breathing became more rhythmic.她的呼吸变得更有规律了。
• Good breathing is slow,rhythmic and deep.健康的呼吸方式缓慢深沉而有节奏。

6 mitigate   

vt.（使）减轻，（使）缓和

参考例句：

• The government is trying to mitigate the effects of inflation.政府正试图缓和通货膨胀的影响。
• Governments should endeavour to mitigate distress.政府应努力缓解贫困问题。