VOA慢速英語:一種使得艾滋病診斷更為容易的新裝置

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health Report.

這里是美國之音慢速英語健康報道。

December 1 marked World Aids Day. People around the world join together to celebrate progress in fighting acquired immune deficiency syndrome, better known as AIDS.

12月1日是世界艾滋病日。世界各地的人們一起慶祝在對抗常被稱為艾滋病的獲得性免疫缺陷綜合征上取得的進展。

A new device aims to make identification of AIDS easier and to lower the cost of testing in developing countries. The device is used to count a disease-fighting white blood cells called the CD4 cell.

一種新的設備旨在使發(fā)展中國家診斷艾滋病更為容易并降低檢測費用。該設備被用于統(tǒng)計被稱為CD4細胞的抗病白細胞總數(shù)。

The human immunodeficiency virus -- HIV attacks and destroys CD4 cells making patients unable to fight off infection. Doctors often suggest patients use antiretroviral drugs to help strengthen the body's natural defences for fighting disease. A CD4 cell count can help doctors decide if the drug treatment is necessary or not.

人類免疫缺陷病毒，即艾滋病病毒攻擊和破壞CD4細胞，使得患者無法抵抗感染。醫(yī)生們大多建議患者使用抗逆轉錄病毒藥物幫助增加身體抵抗力以對抗疾病。CD4細胞總數(shù)可以幫助醫(yī)生決定是否需要采取藥物治療。

The count requires a blood sample and a laboratory equipped to study the cells. This can be difficult to do in some African nations where many people have AIDS but where testing laboratories are in short supply.

統(tǒng)計該細胞總數(shù)需要一份血液樣本和一個相應配備的實驗室。這在一些很多人感染但檢測實驗室短缺的非洲國家很難做到。

Rashid Bashir heads the bioengineering department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He and his team have developed the new device which they call "lab on a chip". It is a 3-centimeter-by-4-centimeter cartridge with all the equipment and chemicals needed to perform a CD4 cell count.

拉希德·巴希爾(Rashid Bashir)負責伊利諾伊大學厄巴納 - 香檳分校的生物工程系。他和他的團隊已經(jīng)開發(fā)出這種被他們稱為“芯片上的實驗室”的新裝置。它是一個3厘米×4厘米的盒子，里面裝有進行CD4細胞計數(shù)所需的設備和化學品。

"The promise is to bring the lab to the patient rather than the patient to the lab," he said.

他說，“我們承諾將實驗室?guī)У讲∪嗣媲埃皇菍⒉∪藥У綄嶒炇摇?rdquo;

The device uses just a drop of blood. It separates the white cells from the red cells which carry oxygen. It then counts the CD4 cells immediately.

該設備只需要使用一滴血。它將白細胞從攜帶氧氣的紅細胞中分離出來，然后統(tǒng)計CD4細胞的總數(shù)。

Rashid Bashir has a financial interest in a business called Daktari Diagnostics. The company is working to market the "lab on a chip" and develop a hand-held device to read the results.

巴希爾在一家被稱為Daktari Diagnostic的公司中擁有股份(財務利益)。該公司致力于將“芯片上的實驗室”推向市場，并開發(fā)出一種讀取檢測結果的手持裝置。

Xuanhong Cheng is a bioengineering professor at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. She is not involved in Mr Bashir's research, but she says combining processing and identification in one chip is more helpful than other CD4 counters in development.

程萱東(音譯)是賓夕法尼亞州里哈伊大學的一位生物工程學教授。她并未參與巴希爾先生的研究，但她表示，將處理和識別結合到一個芯片上和其它開發(fā)中的CD4計數(shù)器相比更為有用。

"A lot of people just look at the detection side. But if the sample has to be processed using very complicated methods, then it's still not quite applicable in resource-limited settings," she said.

她說，“很多人只關注檢測方面。但如果血液樣本需要經(jīng)過非常復雜的手段處理，那么它就仍然不能完全適用于資源有限的環(huán)境。”

Ms Cheng says it will be at least a few years before any of those devices is available on the market. She is also working on developing a CD4 counter.

程女士說，至少還需要數(shù)年這些設備才能上市。她也致力于開發(fā)一種CD4細胞計數(shù)器。

"The way that we make a device in a lab is very different from industrial manufacturing processes. So, the process is not as straightforward as some people would think," she said.

她說，“我們在實驗室做一種設備的方式和工業(yè)制造工藝有很大不同。所以，這個過程并不是一些人想的那么簡單。”

There is an urgent need for better CD4 tests, and she says she is happy about the competition.

目前急需更好的CD4檢測方法，她說，她對該競爭感到高興。