HEALTH REPORT - Diabetes Research Update

By Nancy Steinbach
HEALTH REPORT -June 26, 2002: Diabetes¹ Research Update

This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

American medical researchers say that a new drug has been shown to stop the progress
of one form of the disease diabetes. Some researchers say the results of this latest study
provide hope for finding a cure for the disease.

More than one-hundred-thirty-million people around the world have diabetes. They
have high levels of the sugar called glucose² in their blood. Glucose levels increase
when the body lacks or cannot use the hormone³ insulin.

The pancreas is the organ of the body that produces insulin. Insulin helps glucose enter
cells all over the body so that it can be used as fuel. Without insulin, glucose levels
increase. This results in diabetes. The disease damages blood vessels⁴. Diabetes also injures the kidneys, eyes and
nerves. It stops blood flow to the feet and legs. And it increases the chance of heart disease and strokes.

There are two kinds of diabetes. Type two or adult onset⁵ diabetes usually develops after the age of thirty. The
body is not able to use the insulin that is produced.

The other kind of diabetes is called type one, or juvenile⁶ diabetes. It usually develops in children or young adults.
It results when the body’s defense⁷ system mistakenly attacks and destroys cells in the pancreas that produce
insulin. This is the kind of diabetes that researchers hope the new drug can control.

Researchers at Columbia University in New York City and the University of California at San Francisco reported
their work in the New England Journal of Medicine. They experimented with a drug that suppresses the body’
s
defense system. The drug stops white blood cells from attacking the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin.

The study involved twenty -four young people with type one diabetes. Twelve people received the drug directly
into their blood vessels every day for two weeks. The other twelve were not treated. After a year, nine people
who were given the drug had little if any loss in their ability to produce insulin. Ten of the twelve people who
were not treated lost a great deal of the ability to produce insulin.

The researchers said the drug could give people better control over type one diabetes. However, the study was
very small. Scientists say more research is needed. They are planning a two-year study that involves eighty
patients.

This VOA Special English Health Report was written by Nancy Steinbach.

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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 glucose   

n.葡萄糖

参考例句：

• I gave him an extra dose of glucose to pep him up.我给他多注射了一剂葡萄糖以增强他的活力。
• The doctor injected glucose into his patient's veins.医生将葡萄糖注入病人的静脉。

3 hormone   

n.荷尔蒙，激素，内分泌

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters.激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。
• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body.这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。

4 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》

5 onset   

n.进攻，袭击，开始，突然开始

参考例句：

• The drug must be taken from the onset of the infection.这种药必须在感染的最初期就开始服用。
• Our troops withstood the onset of the enemy.我们的部队抵挡住了敌人的进攻。

6 juvenile   

n.青少年，少年读物；adj.青少年的，幼稚的

参考例句：

• For a grown man he acted in a very juvenile manner.身为成年人，他的行为举止显得十分幼稚。
• Juvenile crime is increasing at a terrifying rate.青少年犯罪正在以惊人的速度增长。

7 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。