《中英對照讀新聞》Mouse stem cells used to repair sheep hearts老鼠幹細胞用來修補羊的心臟

◎魏國金

Embryonic stem cell research moved a step forward as French scientists reported they had used master cells from mice to repair heart damage in sheep.

胚胎幹細胞的研究向前推進一步，法國科學家指出，他們利用老鼠的種源細胞修補了羊隻的心臟損害。

Researchers at the National Centre for Scientific Research in Montpellier, France and the European Hospital Georges Pompidou in Paris transplanted mouse cells into 9 sheep that had suffered a heart attack. A month later the sheep had healthier hearts than a control group of animals that hadn't received the cell transplant, the scientists said. The finding strengthens the possibility the technique will be used one day to treat heart disease in humans.

法國蒙彼利埃國立科學研究中心與巴黎龐畢度歐洲醫院的研究人員，將老鼠細胞移植入9頭有過心臟病發的羊隻體內。一個月後，這群羊的心臟比沒有接受細胞移植的控制組動物健康，科學家說。這項發現強化了未來利用該技術來治療人類心臟疾病的可能性。

“As far as I know there has been no previous large animal study looking at the effects of stem cells in myocardial infarction（heart attack）,” said Professor Philippe Menasche, a cardiac surgeon who worked on the research. Menasche and his colleagues, who reported the research in The Lancet medical journal, said an important aspect of their study was that the embryonic stem cells used in the research were not completely undifferentiated. They had been guided or coaxed into developing into heart cells before they were transplanted in the sheep.

「就我所知，之前並未有大規模的動物研究，來探究幹細胞在心肌梗塞（心臟病發）時所能發揮的效用，」進行該研究的心臟外科醫師菲力普．蒙納謝教授說。蒙納謝與他的同事已將研究成果發表於刺胳針醫學期刊，他們說，這項研究一個重要的面向是，研究所用的胚胎幹細胞並非全然未分化。它們在移植入羊體前，已被引導或誘導發展成心臟細胞。

新聞辭典

master cells：種源細胞、主細胞或主控細胞，即是有潛力發展成身體各種細胞與組織的幹細胞。

As far as：就…的限度，如 as far as I know：就我所知。as far as I am concerned：就我而言。As far as I am concerned, this is all nonsense.（就我而言，這一切都是無稽之談。）

myocardial infarction：心肌梗塞，也稱為突發性心臟病。

coax：好言相勸、哄誘。He coaxed the secret from her.（他哄誘她吐露秘密。）