VOA标准英语2011--New Yellow Fever Vaccine Shows Promise

New Yellow Fever Vaccine¹ Shows Promise

A new vaccine for yellow fever is showing good results in tests as it overcomes one of the biggest problems with the current version.
Yellow fever is a deadly disease that occurs in much of South America and sub-Saharan Africa. A vaccine developed in the 1930s provides excellent protection, both for those living in affected² areas and those traveling there. It's made using a live but weakened form of the yellow fever virus.
And that can lead to very serious side effects, says Thomas Monath of the U.S. biotech firm, Xcellerex.
"The problem is that in the last 10 years or so, we've discovered that the vaccine virus can cause a severe infection just like yellow fever itself," Monath explains."This occurs very rarely, but when it occurs, it is often fatal."
Monath is the lead author of a research paper describing the latest clinical trials of a new yellow-fever shot, developed to avoid even those very rare fatal complications. He says that, Instead of the live virus used in the current vaccine, the virus in the new vaccine is killed.
"We've inactivated³ it so it can't replicate⁴ and therefore it can't cause the severe infections of the brain or visceral organs, but it still can protect against infection."
So the researchers found that the new vaccine is safer - it produced limited, relatively⁵ mild side effects - while it stimulated⁶ the body's immune response. "And 100 percent of the volunteers developed what we call neutralizing⁷ antibodies, that neutralizes⁸ the virus, at a level that we believe to be protective," Monath says.
If final regulatory approval is granted, the new vaccine could be used both in countries where yellow fever is endemic, as well as for travelers visiting those areas. Pharmaceutical⁹ pricing is always hard to predict, but Monath says the new vaccine is likely to cost somewhat more than the current vaccine because it will be more expensive to make and because it's a better vaccine.
Thomas Monath's paper on the new yellow fever vaccine is published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

1 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

2 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

3 inactivated   

v.使不活泼，阻止活动( inactivate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Molluscicides are quickly inactivated by sunlight and adsorption to mud organic matter. 灭螺剂因阳光作用、泥土及有机物质的吸收会很快失效。 来自辞典例句
• Viruses were inactivated by BPL and the toxicity measured again. BPL对病毒进行灭活，测定残存毒力。 来自互联网

4 replicate   

v.折叠，复制，模写；n.同样的样品；adj.转折的

参考例句：

• The DNA of chromatin must replicate before cell division.染色质DNA在细胞分裂之前必须复制。
• It is also easy to replicate,as the next subsection explains.就像下一个小节详细说明的那样，它还可以被轻易的复制。

5 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

6 stimulated   

a.刺激的

参考例句：

• The exhibition has stimulated interest in her work. 展览增进了人们对她作品的兴趣。
• The award has stimulated her into working still harder. 奖金促使她更加努力地工作。

7 neutralizing   

v.使失效( neutralize的现在分词 )；抵消；中和；使（一个国家）中立化

参考例句：

• This juice-about a quart a day--pours into my duodenum, neutralizing acids. 这种消化液（每天约分泌1品脱）流入我的十二指肠，把酸中和了。 来自辞典例句
• AIM: To verify the role of a synthetic peptide in neutralizing endotoxins. 目的：检验一条合成肽在中和内毒素活性方面的作用。 来自互联网

8 neutralizes   

v.使失效( neutralize的第三人称单数 )；抵消；中和；使（一个国家）中立化

参考例句：

• The dendrimer locks onto toxins and neutralizes them. 树状物锁在毒物表面，从而中和毒物。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 预防生物武器
• A substance, such as magnesia or sodium bicarbonate, that neutralizes acid. 解酸的，抗酸的，防酸的，中和酸的消除或中和酸度的，尤其胃酸。 来自互联网

9 pharmaceutical   

adj.药学的，药物的；药用的，药剂师的

参考例句：

• She has donated money to establish a pharmaceutical laboratory.她捐款成立了一个药剂实验室。
• We are engaged in a legal tussle with a large pharmaceutical company.我们正同一家大制药公司闹法律纠纷。