Gel hope for brain injury repair 某水凝胶或对脑损伤恢复有效
文章来源:未知 文章作者:meng 发布时间:2009-09-03 06:30 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)

An injectable hydrogel could aid recovery from brain injury by helping1 stimulate2 tissue growth at the site of the wound, researchers say.

研究人员称,一种可注射的水凝胶可以通过帮助受损组织部位生长的方式有助脑损伤的康复。

The gel has helped repair brain injury in rats
The gel has helped repair brain injury in rats

Research on rats suggests the gel, made from synthetic3(合成的,人造的) and natural sources, may spur(刺激,激励) growth of stem cells in the brain.

The gel has been developed by Dr Ning Zhang at Clemson University, South Carolina, who presented her work to a conference on military health research.

She predicted the gel may be ready for human testing in about three years.

Following a brain injury the tissues tend to swell4(肿) up and this causes the loss of even more cells, compounding the damage caused by the original wound.

The standard treatments attempt to minimise this secondary damage at the site of the injury, for instance by lowering the temperature or relieving(救助的,救援的) the build up of pressure.

However, their impact is often limited.

Scientists believe that transplanting donor5 brain cells into the wound to repair tissue damage is potentially a more productive approach.

Donor cells

But while this method has had some success in treating some central nervous system diseases, it has produced very limited results when used to treat brain injuries.

The donor cells do not tend to thrive at the site of injury, or to stimulate repair.

This could be due to inflammation(发炎,红肿) and scarring at the injury site, and the lack of supportive tissue and blood supply to provide the necessary nutrients6.

Researchers say the advantage of the new gel, which is injected into the injury in liquid form, is that it can be loaded with different chemicals to stimulate various biological processes.

First, Dr Zhang used it to help re-establish a full blood supply at the site of a brain injury in rats, potentially providing a much more friendly environment for donor cells to thrive.

Then, in follow-up work, she loaded it with immature7(不成熟的) human stem cells and the chemicals they need to develop into fully8 fledged(成熟的) adult brain cells.

After eight weeks of treatment with this mixture rats with severe brain injuries showed signs of making a significant recovery.

Dr Zhang, whose work is funded by the US Department of Defense9, said: "We have seen an increase in brain injuries due to combat, but our strategy can also potentially be applied10 to head injuries caused by car accidents, falls and gunshot wounds."

She said the gel could potentially be loaded with different factors to make it useful for patients at varying stages following injury.

Professor James Fawcett, of the Cambridge University Centre for Brain Repair, said a brain-compatible gel that could inhibit11 scar formation and prevent the release of toxic12 molecules13 following brain injury would be a significant advance.

Headway, the brain injury association, said the research looked very interesting and could potentially be a "significant step foward".

But in a statement, the charity said: "It is important to remember, however, that no human trials have taken place at this stage and a great deal more research is required before this method of regenerating14 brain tissue following traumatic injury(外伤性损伤) can be heralded(预报,宣布).

"We are some years away from the possible therapeutic15 use of this gel and it is important the expectations of people with brain injury are managed to avoid promises of miracle cures."



点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
2 stimulate wuSwL     
vt.刺激,使兴奋;激励,使…振奋
参考例句:
  • Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
  • Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。
3 synthetic zHtzY     
adj.合成的,人工的;综合的;n.人工制品
参考例句:
  • We felt the salesman's synthetic friendliness.我们感觉到那位销售员的虚情假意。
  • It's a synthetic diamond.这是人造钻石。
4 swell IHnzB     
vi.膨胀,肿胀;增长,增强
参考例句:
  • The waves had taken on a deep swell.海浪汹涌。
  • His injured wrist began to swell.他那受伤的手腕开始肿了。
5 donor dstxI     
n.捐献者;赠送人;(组织、器官等的)供体
参考例句:
  • In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下,接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
  • The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。
6 nutrients 6a1e1ed248a3ac49744c39cc962fb607     
n.(食品或化学品)营养物,营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
  • Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 immature Saaxj     
adj.未成熟的,发育未全的,未充分发展的
参考例句:
  • Tony seemed very shallow and immature.托尼看起来好像很肤浅,不夠成熟。
  • The birds were in immature plumage.这些鸟儿羽翅未全。
8 fully Gfuzd     
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地
参考例句:
  • The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气,然后全部呼出。
  • They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。
9 defense AxbxB     
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。
10 applied Tz2zXA     
adj.应用的;v.应用,适用
参考例句:
  • She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
  • This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。
11 inhibit C7jxT     
vt.阻止,妨碍,抑制
参考例句:
  • Don't let ego and greed inhibit clear thinking and hard work.不要让自我和贪婪妨碍清晰的思维和刻苦的工作。
  • They passed a law to inhibit people from parking in the street.他们通过一项法令以阻止人们在街上停车。
12 toxic inSwc     
adj.有毒的,因中毒引起的
参考例句:
  • The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
  • There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。
13 molecules 187c25e49d45ad10b2f266c1fa7a8d49     
分子( molecule的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
  • Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里,大分子裂变为小分子。
14 regenerating 0fd51be890ff4b873643d13907e3ab4f     
v.新生,再生( regenerate的现在分词 );正反馈
参考例句:
  • It is not proposed to deal with the detailed histology of regenerating tissues here. 这里未提出详细的再生组织的组织学。 来自辞典例句
  • This is accomplished by using a thermocompressor to recycle regenerating steam through the absorber. 它用热压机使再生蒸汽经吸附器循环完成解吸过程。 来自辞典例句
15 therapeutic sI8zL     
adj.治疗的,起治疗作用的;对身心健康有益的
参考例句:
  • Therapeutic measures were selected to fit the patient.选择治疗措施以适应病人的需要。
  • When I was sad,music had a therapeutic effect.我悲伤的时候,音乐有治疗效力。
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