VOA标准英语2012--Wireless Microchip Delivers Bone Drug

Wireless¹ Microchip Delivers Bone Drug
 
Researchers have tested an implantable device that releases daily dosages of osteoporosis medicine.
The device may one day be a cost-effective alternative to daily injections, and could help manage other diseases as well.
Osteoporosis is a common condition of older people, especially women, in which bones become weak and brittle², and can break easily.
There are medicines to treat osteoporosis. One kind, known as parathyroid hormone³, requires daily injections for two years.
But having to give yourself a shot every day, plus the lack of tangible⁴ improvement in the patient's condition, results in what researchers call poor compliance⁵.
"And as a result, only 25 percent of the patients will go through the entire 24 months of treatment," says Robert Farra, president of MicroCHIPS, a medical device maker⁶ that developed the implantable drug delivery system.
It's only a few centimeters long, and includes up to 365 tiny compartments⁸, each with a single dose of medicine. At the beginning of treatment, the device is inserted under the patient's skin.
"For osteoporosis, the physician will program the device, and the device has the ability to release a dose at a given time, every single day. For other diseases, where the physician may want to alter the dosing schedule, they will have the ability to wirelessly⁹ reprogram that dosing schedule," Farra says.
The injectable form of the parathyroid hormone is a liquid that has to be refrigerated, but for the implantable device, the researchers developed a powered version that remains¹⁰ effective when sealed in its tiny compartment⁷ for as long as a year.
The device itself can be implanted in a doctor's office with local anesthetic¹¹.
Farra and his colleagues say safety tests of a small, 20-dose prototype unit were successful, and they are now designing a 365-dose version.
"We anticipate two years to complete the design, and then we may be required to do two additional trials, taking us out to a total of four years before the device is available on the commercial scale."
The price of the device is speculative¹², but Farra says the cost should be similar to the current regimen of daily injections.

1 wireless   

adj.无线的；n.无线电

参考例句：

• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。
• Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。

2 brittle   

adj.易碎的；脆弱的；冷淡的；(声音)尖利的

参考例句：

• The pond was covered in a brittle layer of ice.池塘覆盖了一层易碎的冰。
• She gave a brittle laugh.她冷淡地笑了笑。

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 tangible   

adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的

参考例句：

• The policy has not yet brought any tangible benefits.这项政策还没有带来任何实质性的好处。
• There is no tangible proof.没有确凿的证据。

5 compliance   

n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从

参考例句：

• I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。
• She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。

6 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

7 compartment   

n.卧车包房，隔间；分隔的空间

参考例句：

• We were glad to have the whole compartment to ourselves.真高兴，整个客车隔间由我们独享。
• The batteries are safely enclosed in a watertight compartment.电池被安全地置于一个防水的隔间里。

8 compartments   

n.间隔( compartment的名词复数 )；（列车车厢的）隔间；（家具或设备等的）分隔间；隔层

参考例句：

• Your pencil box has several compartments. 你的铅笔盒有好几个格。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The first-class compartments are in front. 头等车室在前头。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 wirelessly   

不用电线的，用无线电波传送的

参考例句：

• I heard it on the wireless. 我是从无线电收音机里听到的。
• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio. 收音机里有许多无线电线路。

10 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。

11 anesthetic   

n.麻醉剂，麻药；adj.麻醉的，失去知觉的

参考例句：

• He was given a general anesthetic.他被全身麻醉。
• He was still under the influence of the anesthetic.他仍处在麻醉状态。

12 speculative   

adj.思索性的，暝想性的，推理的

参考例句：

• Much of our information is speculative.我们的许多信息是带推测性的。
• The report is highly speculative and should be ignored.那个报道推测的成分很大，不应理会。