VOA标准英语2014--Medical Advances, Breakthroughs Promise Improved Treatments

 

Medical Advances, Breakthroughs Promise Improved Treatments

Medical researchers in 2014 reported interesting advances and even breakthroughs in the use of technology to help patients suffering from different diseases and injuries.

Magnetic resonance¹ imaging machines, for instance, have been a valuable tool for doctors since the 1980s, but they've been able to show only static pictures. This year, researchers at the University of California-Davis reported that they have developed a way to use MRI scanners to capture moving images of body parts.  

Orthopedic surgeon Robert Szabo is already using an Active MRI scanner.

“We can understand why one person develops an unstable² wrist, why one person has pain and wears out the joint³ surface in one area of the wrist, and what we can do to replace, make better products or even make soft tissue corrections to improve that patient’s life,” he said.

Severe spinal⁴ cord injuries usually lead to total loss of control of lower extremities⁵, as well as bladder, bowel⁶ and sexual functions. Scientists at the University of Louisville in Kentucky used implanted electrical devices to help patients regain⁷ at least some of those functions.

Dr. Roderic Pettigrew of the National Institutes of Health said a spinal cord injury may no longer mean lifelong paralysis⁸.

Noting the progress of patients who had regained⁹ voluntary control of limbs and other bodily functions, he called the developments with electrical implantations "very exciting. It is a milestone¹⁰."

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, continued to develop brain implants¹¹ for prosthetic devices that behave and feel sensation just like real arms and hands. And Medtronic Corp. in the U.S. used electrical brain stimulation¹² to relieve symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's patient David Dewsnap said that before receiving such treatment, he couldn’t take even a short walk.

“It has given me my life back," he said. "This procedure has been just amazing for me. Without seeing me before, you don't really understand what it was like. The left side of my body, I could not use it, really.”

Also this year, scientists came closer to fulfilling the promise that stem cells may someday help regenerate¹³ damaged tissue.

Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine reported that some of their severely¹⁴ injured patients grew new muscle tissue with the help of stem cells growing on a matrix made of pig’s bladder.

Three-dimensional printers proved this year to be useful in medicine as well. Chinese doctors printed a replacement¹⁵ vertebra for a severely injured teenager.

Beijing University orthopedics head Dr. Liu Zhongjun, who led the surgical¹⁶ team, said 3-D printing is a huge advantage for artificial implants.

“We can use iconographic tests on patients such as a CT scan, converting CT data to 3-D printing data in order to produce an internal fixation, with exactly the same structure as the patient's bone structure," he said.

With all the promising¹⁷ developments in medical technology this year, 2015 may bring even more breakthroughs in this important field.

1 resonance   

n.洪亮；共鸣；共振

参考例句：

• Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments.一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。
• The areas under the two resonance envelopes are unequal.两个共振峰下面的面积是不相等的。

2 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

3 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

4 spinal   

adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的

参考例句：

• After three days in Japan,the spinal column becomes extraordinarily flexible.在日本三天，就已经使脊椎骨变得富有弹性了。
• Your spinal column is made up of 24 movable vertebrae.你的脊柱由24个活动的脊椎骨构成。

5 extremities   

n.端点( extremity的名词复数 )；尽头；手和足；极窘迫的境地

参考例句：

• She was most noticeable, I thought, in respect of her extremities. 我觉得她那副穷极可怜的样子实在太惹人注目。 来自辞典例句
• Winters may be quite cool at the northwestern extremities. 西北边区的冬天也可能会相当凉。 来自辞典例句

6 bowel   

n.肠(尤指人肠)；内部，深处

参考例句：

• Irritable bowel syndrome seems to affect more women than men.女性比男性更易患肠易激综合征。
• Have you had a bowel movement today?你今天有排便吗？

7 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

8 paralysis   

n.麻痹(症)；瘫痪(症)

参考例句：

• The paralysis affects his right leg and he can only walk with difficulty.他右腿瘫痪步履维艰。
• The paralysis affects his right leg and he can only walk with difficulty.他右腿瘫痪步履维艰。

9 regained   

复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地

参考例句：

• The majority of the people in the world have regained their liberty. 世界上大多数人已重获自由。
• She hesitated briefly but quickly regained her poise. 她犹豫片刻，但很快恢复了镇静。

10 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

11 implants   

n.（植入身体中的）移植物( implant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters. 激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Perhaps the most far-reaching project is an initiative called Living Implants From Engineering (LIFE). 也许最具深远意义的项目，是刚刚启动的建造活体移植工程 (LIFE)。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 医学的第四次革命

12 stimulation   

n.刺激，激励，鼓舞

参考例句：

• The playgroup provides plenty of stimulation for the children.幼儿游戏组给孩子很多启发。
• You don't get any intellectual stimulation in this job.你不能从这份工作中获得任何智力启发。

13 regenerate   

vt.使恢复，使新生；vi.恢复，再生；adj.恢复的

参考例句：

• Their aim is to regenerate British industry.他们的目的是复兴英国的工业。
• Although it is not easy,you have the power to regenerate your life.尽管这不容易，但你有使生活重获新生的能力。

14 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

15 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

16 surgical   

adj.外科的，外科医生的，手术上的

参考例句：

• He performs the surgical operations at the Red Cross Hospital.他在红十字会医院做外科手术。
• All surgical instruments must be sterilised before use.所有的外科手术器械在使用之前，必须消毒。

17 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。