Human reproduction

　　人類繁衍

　　Life begins at 45

　　45歲也能生娃

　　Hope for older mothers

　　高齡母親的福音

　　WHEN it comes to reproduction, men have it easy.

　　講到繁衍，男人表示壓力很小。

　　Almost to the end of their lives most have an ample supply of sperm.

　　大多數人直到去世前都擁有充足的精子。

　　Women are not so lucky.

　　女人可就沒這么幸運了。

　　They are born with a supply of eggs that typically runs out when they reach middle age.

　　人到中年，她們就會耗盡出生時攜帶的卵子。

　　That could be about to change, however.

　　不過，這一情形很快就能得到改變。

　　Researchers have confirmed that women harbour ovarian stem cells, and that these cangive rise to new eggs.

　　研究者們證實，女人擁有卵巢干細胞，而這種細胞能成為新的卵細胞的來源。

　　Stem cells have the ability to divide continuously and to change into different types of cells.

　　干細胞具有不斷分裂的潛力，可以分化成許多種類的細胞。

　　Stem cells from adults can produce a variety of cell types, in addition to those that makeup the tissue in which they are found.

　　成人干細胞不僅可以分化成其來源組織的細胞，還能分化成其它細胞。

　　In 2004 Jonathan Tilly of Harvard Medical School and his colleagues discovered stem cells inmouse ovaries.

　　2004年，哈弗醫學院的Jonathan Tilly及其同事在老鼠卵巢里發現了干細胞。

　　Since then it has been shown thatthese ovarian stem cells can develop into eggs, be fertilised and produce perfectly healthymouse pups.

　　迄今已經證實，此類卵巢干細胞能夠分化成為卵細胞，卵細胞在受精后還能發育成健康的鼠寶寶。

　　But researchers have been reluctant to believe that something similar might be possible inhumans.

　　但是研究者尚不能確信人類也存在類似機能。

　　Proving that this was indeed the case was tricky.

　　想要弄清真相有些困難。

　　Human ovarian tissueespecially from young, healthy donorsis not easy to come by.

　　人類卵巢組織很難找到，健康的年輕捐獻者的組織更難尋覓。

　　Dr Tillys breakthrough came when he discovered that a former colleague, Yasushi Takaiof Saitama Medical University in Japan, had in his freezer healthy ovarian tissue from 30patients who had changed sex.

　　幸而Tilly博士發現他的前同事日本埼玉醫科大學的Yasushi Takai在冰箱里存放了30個變性人不再需要的健康卵巢組織，取得了突破。

　　Using a sophisticated cell-sorting technique, the researchers developed a way to identifyovarian stem cells that works for both mice and humans.

　　研究人員運用尖端的細胞分選技術，找出方法，證實人類和老鼠身上都存在卵巢干細胞。

　　Then they took the human ovarian stem cells, labelled them with a green fluorescentprotein and put them back into a slice of human ovary.

　　隨后，他們分離出人類卵巢干細胞，用熒光蛋白做上標記再把它植入一片人類卵巢組織。

　　The glowing green cells soon produced a brand new crop of human eggs, according to theirfindings published this week in Nature Medicine.

　　這片組織被移植到了活鼠體內，使其保持正常卵巢的機能。他們本周發表在《自然醫學》上的結果稱，這些綠芒閃爍的細胞很快制造出了一批人類卵細胞。

　　Offshoring fertilisation

　　國外受精

　　Fertilising these eggs for experimentation is forbidden in America.

　　美國禁止為實驗用的卵細胞受精，

　　Britains Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, however, will allow it in certaincases.

　　不過英國的人類受精和胚胎學管理局將在某些研究中允許給卵細胞授精。

　　So next month Dr Tilly will take some of his stem cell booty to Edinburgh to collaborate withEvelyn Telfer, who has developed a technique for growing human eggs from an early stage.

　　所以，下個月Tilly博士將帶著卵細胞去愛丁堡與Evelyn Telfer合作。Evelyn Telfer掌握了用卵母細胞培育卵細胞的技術，

　　She holds a licence to fertilise them experimentally.

　　持有給試驗用細胞授精的許可。

　　The discovery could revolutionise infertility treatment for women in several ways.

　　這項發現會是女性不育癥治療的一場革命。

　　For one thing, research has shown that in mice, even aged ovaries contain ovarian stemcells.

　　一方面，老鼠體內衰老的卵巢里也有卵巢干細胞;

　　And when those stem cells are placed into a young ovary, they will develop healthy eggs.

　　將這些細胞移植到年輕的卵巢中后，它們能制造健康的卵子。

　　This raises the possibility that, one day, women of advanced age could have their ownbiologically related children.

　　這意味著將來的某天，年齡較大的婦女也能擁有生物學意義上的自己的孩子。

　　Currently, many women over 45 have to make do with in-vitro fertilisation using the egg of ayounger woman.

　　目前，許多45歲以上的婦女只能湊合著用年輕女人的卵細胞進行體外受精。

　　Other treatments will become available sooner.

　　另一種療法也將很快得到應用。

　　OvaScience, a fertility company based in Boston which has exclusive rights to exploit DrTillys research on mammalian ovarian stem cells, will begin offering a novel treatment inJuly.

　　波士頓的OvaScience公司獨家開發Tilly博士的哺乳動物卵巢干細胞細胞研究。

　　This uses a womans own stem cells to provide her eggs with extra energy by creating freshmitochondriasub-units that exist within cells and supply them with energy.

　　今年7月，該公司將開始提供一種全新的療法：使用卵巢干細胞制造線粒體，給婦女的卵細胞增添活力。

　　They too can become scarcer and less productive with age.

　　線粒體的數量和活力也會隨著年齡增長而遞減。

　　Previous studies have shown that boosting mitochondria can dramatically increase the successrates of IVF.

　　此前的研究表明，增加線粒體數量能極大提高體外受精的成功率。

　　When it comes to reproduction, men will still have it easier for some time.

　　談起繁衍來，男人還能優哉游哉一陣子。

　　But women are catching up.

　　不過，女人即將迎頭趕上。

　　詞語解釋

　　1.reproduction n.再現;復制;生殖

　　Her description of the meeting is an exactreproduction of the reunion.

　　她對會面的描述是這次團聚的真實再現。

　　2.supply v.供應;提供;補充

　　They wrote off for a fresh supply of penicillin.

　　他們發信要求再供應一批青霉素。

　　3.ovarian a.卵巢的

　　Ovarian cancer is a malignant tumour in the ovary.

　　卵巢癌是生長在卵巢的惡性腫瘤。

　　4.fertilise v.施肥于;使肥沃;使受精

　　Flowers are often fertilized by bees as they gather nectar.

　　蜜蜂采蜜時常使花受粉。

　　5.reluctant a.不情愿的;勉強的

　　I was reluctant to do over the stitching in the dress.

　　我不愿意把衣服上的線腳拆了重縫。

　　Human reproduction

　　人類繁衍

　　Life begins at 45

　　45歲也能生娃

　　Hope for older mothers

　　高齡母親的福音

　　WHEN it comes to reproduction, men have it easy.

　　講到繁衍，男人表示壓力很小。

　　Almost to the end of their lives most have an ample supply of sperm.

　　大多數人直到去世前都擁有充足的精子。

　　Women are not so lucky.

　　女人可就沒這么幸運了。

　　They are born with a supply of eggs that typically runs out when they reach middle age.

　　人到中年，她們就會耗盡出生時攜帶的卵子。

　　That could be about to change, however.

　　不過，這一情形很快就能得到改變。

　　Researchers have confirmed that women harbour ovarian stem cells, and that these cangive rise to new eggs.

　　研究者們證實，女人擁有卵巢干細胞，而這種細胞能成為新的卵細胞的來源。

　　Stem cells have the ability to divide continuously and to change into different types of cells.

　　干細胞具有不斷分裂的潛力，可以分化成許多種類的細胞。

　　Stem cells from adults can produce a variety of cell types, in addition to those that makeup the tissue in which they are found.

　　成人干細胞不僅可以分化成其來源組織的細胞，還能分化成其它細胞。

　　In 2004 Jonathan Tilly of Harvard Medical School and his colleagues discovered stem cells inmouse ovaries.

　　2004年，哈弗醫學院的Jonathan Tilly及其同事在老鼠卵巢里發現了干細胞。

　　Since then it has been shown thatthese ovarian stem cells can develop into eggs, be fertilised and produce perfectly healthymouse pups.

　　迄今已經證實，此類卵巢干細胞能夠分化成為卵細胞，卵細胞在受精后還能發育成健康的鼠寶寶。

　　But researchers have been reluctant to believe that something similar might be possible inhumans.

　　但是研究者尚不能確信人類也存在類似機能。

　　Proving that this was indeed the case was tricky.

　　想要弄清真相有些困難。

　　Human ovarian tissueespecially from young, healthy donorsis not easy to come by.

　　人類卵巢組織很難找到，健康的年輕捐獻者的組織更難尋覓。

　　Dr Tillys breakthrough came when he discovered that a former colleague, Yasushi Takaiof Saitama Medical University in Japan, had in his freezer healthy ovarian tissue from 30patients who had changed sex.

　　幸而Tilly博士發現他的前同事日本埼玉醫科大學的Yasushi Takai在冰箱里存放了30個變性人不再需要的健康卵巢組織，取得了突破。

　　Using a sophisticated cell-sorting technique, the researchers developed a way to identifyovarian stem cells that works for both mice and humans.

　　研究人員運用尖端的細胞分選技術，找出方法，證實人類和老鼠身上都存在卵巢干細胞。

　　Then they took the human ovarian stem cells, labelled them with a green fluorescentprotein and put them back into a slice of human ovary.

　　隨后，他們分離出人類卵巢干細胞，用熒光蛋白做上標記再把它植入一片人類卵巢組織。

　　The glowing green cells soon produced a brand new crop of human eggs, according to theirfindings published this week in Nature Medicine.

　　這片組織被移植到了活鼠體內，使其保持正常卵巢的機能。他們本周發表在《自然醫學》上的結果稱，這些綠芒閃爍的細胞很快制造出了一批人類卵細胞。

　　Offshoring fertilisation

　　國外受精

　　Fertilising these eggs for experimentation is forbidden in America.

　　美國禁止為實驗用的卵細胞受精，

　　Britains Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, however, will allow it in certaincases.

　　不過英國的人類受精和胚胎學管理局將在某些研究中允許給卵細胞授精。

　　So next month Dr Tilly will take some of his stem cell booty to Edinburgh to collaborate withEvelyn Telfer, who has developed a technique for growing human eggs from an early stage.

　　所以，下個月Tilly博士將帶著卵細胞去愛丁堡與Evelyn Telfer合作。Evelyn Telfer掌握了用卵母細胞培育卵細胞的技術，

　　She holds a licence to fertilise them experimentally.

　　持有給試驗用細胞授精的許可。

　　The discovery could revolutionise infertility treatment for women in several ways.

　　這項發現會是女性不育癥治療的一場革命。

　　For one thing, research has shown that in mice, even aged ovaries contain ovarian stemcells.

　　一方面，老鼠體內衰老的卵巢里也有卵巢干細胞;

　　And when those stem cells are placed into a young ovary, they will develop healthy eggs.

　　將這些細胞移植到年輕的卵巢中后，它們能制造健康的卵子。

　　This raises the possibility that, one day, women of advanced age could have their ownbiologically related children.

　　這意味著將來的某天，年齡較大的婦女也能擁有生物學意義上的自己的孩子。

　　Currently, many women over 45 have to make do with in-vitro fertilisation using the egg of ayounger woman.

　　目前，許多45歲以上的婦女只能湊合著用年輕女人的卵細胞進行體外受精。

　　Other treatments will become available sooner.

　　另一種療法也將很快得到應用。

　　OvaScience, a fertility company based in Boston which has exclusive rights to exploit DrTillys research on mammalian ovarian stem cells, will begin offering a novel treatment inJuly.

　　波士頓的OvaScience公司獨家開發Tilly博士的哺乳動物卵巢干細胞細胞研究。

　　This uses a womans own stem cells to provide her eggs with extra energy by creating freshmitochondriasub-units that exist within cells and supply them with energy.

　　今年7月，該公司將開始提供一種全新的療法：使用卵巢干細胞制造線粒體，給婦女的卵細胞增添活力。

　　They too can become scarcer and less productive with age.

　　線粒體的數量和活力也會隨著年齡增長而遞減。

　　Previous studies have shown that boosting mitochondria can dramatically increase the successrates of IVF.

　　此前的研究表明，增加線粒體數量能極大提高體外受精的成功率。

　　When it comes to reproduction, men will still have it easier for some time.

　　談起繁衍來，男人還能優哉游哉一陣子。

　　But women are catching up.

　　不過，女人即將迎頭趕上。

　　詞語解釋

　　1.reproduction n.再現;復制;生殖

　　Her description of the meeting is an exactreproduction of the reunion.

　　她對會面的描述是這次團聚的真實再現。

　　2.supply v.供應;提供;補充

　　They wrote off for a fresh supply of penicillin.

　　他們發信要求再供應一批青霉素。

　　3.ovarian a.卵巢的

　　Ovarian cancer is a malignant tumour in the ovary.

　　卵巢癌是生長在卵巢的惡性腫瘤。

　　4.fertilise v.施肥于;使肥沃;使受精

　　Flowers are often fertilized by bees as they gather nectar.

　　蜜蜂采蜜時常使花受粉。

　　5.reluctant a.不情愿的;勉強的

　　I was reluctant to do over the stitching in the dress.

　　我不愿意把衣服上的線腳拆了重縫。