第1856期:Breach the brain barrier

The blood-brain barrier does a good job of keeping toxins out. But this tightly-packed layer of cells which separates the brain from its blood vessels is a hindrance if you want to deliver drugs into the brain.

血脑屏障可以很好地防止毒素侵入。但是，如果你想将药物输送到大脑中，这种将大脑与其血管隔开的紧密堆积的细胞层就会成为一个障碍。

The patient – 56-year-old Bonny Hall from Canada – had a brain tumour that was growing in size despite conventional treatment and so she was given an intravenous infusion of chemotherapy along with a small dose of microbubbles. A focus beam of ultrasound was then applied to her skull to make the bubbles vibrate and punch holes in the blood-brain barrier.

这位来自加拿大的 56 岁患者 Bonny Hall 患有脑瘤，尽管进行了常规治疗，但脑瘤的体积仍在增大，因此她接受了静脉输注化疗和小剂量的微泡。然后将超声波束聚焦在她的头骨，使气泡振动并在血脑屏障上打孔。

Mrs Hall's neurosurgeon Dr Todd Mainprize says the procedure went well but more tests and safety checks are needed. Another six to ten patients will take part in a safety trial to check for any side effects. If it goes well, the technique could eventually be used to treat other brain conditions, such as dementia, as well as cancer.

霍尔夫人的神经外科医生 Todd Mainprize 博士说手术进行得很顺利，但还需要更多的测试和安全检查。另外六到十名患者将参加一项安全试验，以检查是否有任何副作用。如果进展顺利，该技术最终可用于治疗其他大脑疾病，例如痴呆症和癌症。

toxins 毒素 I try to eat organic food to avoid consuming toxins.（我尽量食用有机食品，以避免摄入毒素。)
hindrance 障碍，阻碍物 The heavy traffic was a hindrance to my timely arrival at the meeting.（交通拥堵妨碍了我准时到达会议的计划。）
conventional 传统的 Although online shopping is popular, some people still prefer the conventional method of shopping in physical stores.（虽然网上购物很受欢迎，但仍有人更喜欢传统的实体店购物方式。）
chemotherapy 化学疗法 My aunt is undergoing chemotherapy for her cancer treatment, and she has experienced some side effects like hair loss and fatigue.（我阿姨正在接受化疗治疗她的癌症，她经历了一些副作用，如脱发和疲劳。）
ultrasound 超声波 The doctor recommended an ultrasound to get a clearer picture of the internal organs.（医生建议进行超声波检查以更清楚地了解内部器官情况。）
procedure 手术，程序 Before undergoing surgery, the patient must follow the pre-operative procedure, which includes fasting and medical tests.（在接受手术之前，病人必须遵循术前程序，包括禁食和医学检查。）
eventually 最终，终将 It took a lot of hard work and dedication, but I eventually achieved my goal of running a marathon.（经过努力和奉献，我最终实现了参加一次马拉松的目标。）