精讀新科學家：懷孕期間的孕吐歸咎於胎盤中的蛋白質

MORNING sickness has been blamed on many things – from female fetuses to multiple pregnancies. But a UK study of nearly 800 pregnant women suggests that a protein is the real culprit.

It has long been known that pregnant women produce high amounts of a protein called GDF15 in their liver and placental tissue. The protein is normally involved in inflammatory processes associated with tissue injury. But it was recently found that high levels of GDF15 put mice off eating their meals.

Word & expression

1. blame

• vt. 責備；歸咎於

The commission is expected to blame the army for many of the atrocities.

該委員會預計會將大量暴行歸咎于軍隊。

talk to , tell off

blame for 責備；因……責備

• n. 責備；責任；過失

Im not going to sit around and take the blame for a mistake he made.

我不會閑坐著，為他犯的錯誤承擔責任。

duty , liability , error , burden , trust

take the blame 承擔過錯

put the blame on 歸咎於…

be to blame for 對…應負責任；應該為某事負責任

2. fetus

• n. 胎兒，胎 [複數 fetuses]

Pregnant women who are heavy drinkers risk damaging the unborn fetus.

酗酒的孕婦冒有傷害胎兒的危險。

foetus , homunculi

3. pregnancy

• n. 懷孕；豐富，多產；意義深長

It would be wiser to cut out all alcohol during pregnancy.

懷孕期間最好完全戒酒。

conception , abundance , plenty , amplitude , enrichment

ectopic pregnancy [醫]子宮外孕

tubal pregnancy 輸卵管妊娠

pregnancy test 妊娠試驗，驗孕

4. protein

• n. 蛋白質；朊

Fish was a major source of protein for the working man.

魚曾是勞動者獲取蛋白質的主要來源。

albumose

protein content 蛋白質含量

soy protein 大豆蛋白；醬油蛋白質

high protein 高蛋白；高蛋白質麵粉

• adj. 蛋白質的

glaireous

5. culprit

• n. 犯人，罪犯；被控犯罪的人

All the men were being deported even though the real culprits in the fight have not been identified.

儘管那次鬥毆事件的真兇未被確認，但那些男人都在被驅逐出境。

prisoner , zek

6. liver

• n. 肝臟；生活者，居民

Three weeks ago, it was discovered the cancer had spread to his liver.

三周前，發現癌已擴散到了他的肝臟。

resident , dweller

liver cancer 肝癌

liver transplantation 肝臟移植

liver function 肝功能

7. placental

• adj. 胎盤的；胎座的

If the cells did cross the placental barrier, the childs immune system should have recognised them as foreign invaders and destroyed them.

如果癌細胞確實穿過胎盤屏障，孩子的免疫系統應該會將它們視為入侵者，從而消滅它們。

placental abruption 胎盤早剝；胎盤早期剝離

placental barrier 胎盤屏障

• n. 有胎盤哺乳動物

8. tissue

• n. 組織；紙巾；薄紗；一套

As we age we lose muscle tissue.

隨著年紀的增大，我們會失去一些肌肉組織。

set , gauze

tissue engineering 組織工程學

soft tissue 軟組織

tissue culture 組織培養；體素培養

• vt. 飾以薄紗；用化妝紙揩去

9. inflammatory

• adj. 炎症性的；煽動性的；激動的

...nationalist policies that are too drastic and inflammatory.

…過於激烈、煽動性強的民族主義政策。

excited , hot

inflammatory reaction 炎症反應，炎性反應

pelvic inflammatory disease 盆腔炎；骨盆腔發炎；盆腔炎性疾病

inflammatory pseudotumor [醫]炎性假瘤

10. associate

• vt. 聯想；使聯合；使發生聯繫

Through science weve got the idea of associating progress with the future.

通過科學我們已有了將進步與未來聯繫起來的觀念。

combine

• n. 同事，夥伴；關聯的事物

...the restaurant owners business associates.

…該餐館老闆的商業夥伴們。

brother , partner , fellow , comrade , colleague

research associate 研究助理；助理研究員

business associate 生意夥伴；業務聯合

associate member n. 準會員

• vi. 交往；結交

What would they think if they knew that they were associating with a murderer?

如果他們知道了他們正與一個殺人犯打成一片，他們會怎麼想？

company , travel , sort , mix

associate with 聯合；與…聯繫在一起；和…來往

• adj. 副的；聯合的

Mr. Lin is associate director of the Institute.

林先生是該研究所的副主任。

deputy , linked , vice , joint , auxiliary

associate dean 副院長

associate editor 副主編；副編輯

associate justice 助理法官，副大法官

11. put off

• 推遲；扔掉；阻止

Women who put off having a baby often make the best mothers.

晚育的婦女常常會成為最佳母親。

wait , dispute

參考譯文

孕吐已經被「怪罪」到了許多事情上——從女胎到多胎妊娠。但英國對近800名孕婦的研究表明，一種蛋白質才是罪魁禍首。

眾所周知，孕婦會在肝臟和胎盤組織中大量產生一種叫做GDF15的蛋白質。這種蛋白質通常存在於與組織損傷相關的炎症過程。但最近發現，高含量的GDF15會使小鼠停止進餐。

Stephen O』Rahilly at the University of Cambridge and his colleagues have now analysed the levels of this protein in the blood of 791 pregnant women. After delivery, the women completed questionnaires about the morning sickness they had experienced throughout the pregnancy.

Those who reported vomiting mid-pregnancy had around 1000 more picograms of GDF15 per millilitre of their blood than women who were sickness-free. And those who said they took anti-sickness tablets had nearly 3000 picograms per millilitre more than women with no sickness. Because these women took medication, the team assumed they experienced the worst morning sickness (bioRxiv, http://doi.org/cgm4).

Word & expression

1. delivery

• n. [貿易] 交付；分娩；遞送

In the end, it was an easy delivery: a fine baby boy.

最終，分娩順利——一個健康的男嬰。

labour , handing over

delivery time 交貨時間

delivery system 傳送系統；運載系統；分配系統

prompt delivery 限時專送

2. throughout

• adv. 自始至終，到處；全部

The national tragedy of rival groups killing each other continued throughout 1990.

1990年全年，敵對組織互相殘殺的民族悲劇持續不斷。

everywhere , around , wholly , about

• prep. 貫穿，遍及

"Sight Savers," founded in 1950, now runs projects throughout Africa, the Caribbean and Southeast Asia.

國際防盲救盲組織成立於1950年，如今在非洲、加勒比海和東南亞各地區開展項目。

over all

3. vomit

• vi. 嘔吐；吐出

Any product made from cows milk made him vomit.

任何牛奶製品都會讓他嘔吐。

shoot the cat , hork

• vt. 吐出；使……嘔吐

spit out , regorge

• n. 嘔吐；嘔吐物；催吐劑

Zimmer slipped and nearly fell on a pool of vomit.

齊默滑了一跤，差點兒摔倒在一灘嘔吐物上。

sickness , emesis

4. picogram

• n. 微微克，沙克

The experts established a provisional tolerable monthly intake (PTMI) of 70 picogram/kg per month.

專家確定了暫定每月容許攝入量（PTMI）是70微微克/公斤。

5. millilitre

• n. [計量] 毫升

...100 millilitres of blood.

…100毫升的血液。

mil

6. tablet

• n. 碑；藥片；寫字板；小塊；平板電腦

...half a tablet of aspirin.

…半片阿斯匹林。

wordpad , nubble

buccal tablet 口腔片，頰含片

tablet press 壓片機

calcium tablet 鈣片

• vt. 用碑牌紀念；將(備忘錄等)寫在板上；將…製成小片或小塊

7. medication

• n. 藥物；藥物治療；藥物處理

When somebody comes for treatment I always ask them if they are on any medication.

有人來治療時，我總是會問他們是否在服藥。

drugs , pharmaceutical

oral medication 內服；口服法

8. assume

• vt. 僭取；篡奪；奪取；擅用；侵佔

If mistakes occurred, they were assumed to be the fault of the commander on the spot.

如果出現了錯誤，它們就被以為是現場指揮官的錯。

undertake , adopt , accept , shoulder , sustain

assume responsibility 承擔責任

assume liability 承擔責任

subjective assume 主觀臆斷

• vi. 假定；設想；承擔；採取

attitudinize , put on the dog

參考譯文

劍橋大學的Stephen O』Rahilly和他的同事們已經分析了791名孕婦血液中該種蛋白質的含量。在分娩之後，這些婦女完成了關於她們在懷孕期間所經歷的孕吐的問卷調查。

那些被報道在懷孕中期嘔吐的婦女，其每毫升血液中比沒有孕吐跡象的婦女大概多了1000微微克每毫升的GDF15。而那些說過她們服用抗孕吐藥片的女性則比無孕吐跡象的女性在每毫升血液中多了將近3000微微克每毫升的GDF15。因為這些婦女服用了藥物，所以研究小組認為她們經歷了最嚴重的孕吐。

「We currently only have medications treating the symptoms, not the cause, of vomiting in pregnancy」 O』Rahilly and his colleagues suggest that the placenta may have evolved to use GDF15 to put mothers off food that could harm the fetus, especially at sensitive stages of the pregnancy.

「Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy can be devastating for women,」 says Kristine Heitmann of Haukeland University Hospital in Norway. The team』s findings suggest that targeting GDF15 may be a way to treat morning sickness. 「It is a path worth exploring further,」 she says. 「Today, we only have medications treating the symptoms, and not the cause of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy.」

Word & expression

1. currently

• adv. 當前；一般地

And, this is how Im doing now in relationship to what were currently discussing or evaluating or experiencing.

這也可以表達我手頭正在做的事情與我們正在討論、評價或者經歷的事情之間的聯繫。

commonly , normally , generally

2. symptom

• n. [臨床] 癥狀；徵兆

One of the most common symptoms of schizophrenia is hearing imaginary voices.

精神分裂症最常見的癥狀之一是幻聽。

premonitor , prefiguration

symptom complex 症候群

3. evolve

• vi. 發展，進展；進化；逐步形成

The bright plumage of many male birds was thought to have evolved to attract females.

許多雄鳥的鮮艷羽毛被認為是為吸引雌鳥而進化來的。

grow , expand , advance

evolve into vt. 發展成，進化成

evolve from v. 由…進化

• vt. 發展，進化；進化；使逐步形成；推斷出

...a tiny airline which eventually evolved into Pakistan International Airlines.

…最終發展成為巴基斯坦國際航空公司的一家小型航空公司。

go way , to develop

4. sensitive

• adj. 敏感的；感覺的；[儀] 靈敏的；感光的；易受傷害的；易受影響的

The classroom teacher must be sensitive to a childs needs.

課堂教師必須理解孩子的需求。

vulnerable , subtle , quick

sensitive skin 敏感性皮膚

highly sensitive 高靈敏度的

• n. 敏感的人；有靈異能力的人

5. stage

• n. 階段；舞台；戲劇；驛站

The way children talk about or express their feelings depends on their age and stage of development.

孩子們談論或表達情感的方式取決於他們的年齡和成長階段。

drama , phase , age , grade , theater

stage by stage adv. 逐步地，一步一步地；分階段地

early stage 早期，初期

by stages 分階段地

• vt. 舉行；上演；籌劃

Maya Angelou first staged the play "And I Still Rise" in the late 1970s.

瑪雅?安吉羅在20世紀70年代末首次將戲劇《我仍將奮起》搬上舞台。

celebrate , put on

• vi. 舉行；適於上演；乘驛車旅行

come off , to hold

6. devastating

• adj. 毀滅性的；全然的

Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.

外遇著實對婚姻有極具破壞性的影響。

fell , destructive , fatal

• v. 摧毀（devastate的ing形式）；毀壞

annihilating , rubbling

7. explore

• v. 探索；探測；探險

After exploring the old part of town there is a guided tour of the cathedral.

考察老城區之後，有到大教堂的導覽之旅。

detect , probe into

參考譯文

「針對孕吐，我們目前只有藥物去治療癥狀，而不是根源。」O』Rahilly和他的同事認為，胎盤可能已經進化到使用GDF15使母親遠離可能會危害胎兒的食物，特別是在懷孕的敏感時期。

「在懷孕期間的噁心和嘔吐對於女性來說可能是毀滅性的。」來自挪威海於克蘭大學醫院的Kristine Heitmann說。該小組的研究結果表明，針對GDF15的研究可能是治療孕吐的一種方式。她說：「這是一條值得進一步探索的道路。」「今天，我們只有治療癥狀的藥物，而不是引起懷孕期間噁心和嘔吐的根源。」

句子精講

It has long been known that pregnant women produce high amounts of a protein called GDF15 in their liver and placental tissue.

it作形式主語

• 形式主語是動詞不定式的一種，它也是邏輯主語, 可以把它歸類到邏輯主語的第一種（不定式的邏輯主語） 用作賓語的不定式，用作目的狀語，用作結果狀語的不定式都是屬於不定式的大概念裡面的。
• it作邏輯主語

形式主語it 作為形式主語的it並無實際語義，只是為滿足語法上的需要，避免句子頭重腳輕，它代替的是句子的邏輯主語，概括起來會有如下情況：

① 不定式作邏輯主語

It is very kind of you to give me a hand in time.

你能及時幫我真是太善良了。

② 從句作邏輯主語

It so happened that the tickets were sold out.

票被賣完的事情又發生了。

③ 動名詞短語作邏輯主語

這類句子遠不如前面兩種出現率高，主要在（no good, waste, useless, no use, dangerous）等詞語的後面用

It is no use reasoning with him.

問他是沒有用的。

④ 作形式主語的代詞只能用it，不能用that，this等詞

It is easier to lose friends than to make friends.

交朋友難而失去朋友比較容易。

It is important for modern young people to master at least two foreign languages.

掌握至少兩門外語對於當代年輕人來說是很重要的。

【以上兩句中的it是形式主語，真正的主語是後面的不定式短語。】

It is considered no good reciting without understanding.

不理解的背誦被認為是沒有好處的。

It is no use crying over spilt milk.

覆水難收。

【以上兩句中的it是形式主語，真正的主語是V-ing形式。】

It is a fact that English is being accepted as an international language.

英語作為一門國際語言正日益為人們所接受，這是不爭的事實。

It depends on the weather whether we will go.

我們去不去得看天氣行事。

（其中的whether 不能換成if，因為if不能引導主語從句。）

【以上兩句中真正的主語是名詞性從句。】

• it作形式主語

① 不定式作真正主語

主要用於下列句型：

a. It + is/was + adj./n. (形容詞或名詞） +to do sth.

a). 名詞作表語。主要有a pity,a pleasure,an idea等。

It is a great pleasure to do this.

這樣做多好啊。

除be外，其他動詞也有跟名詞的情況。

It seems a pity to waste the food.

浪費這些食物真可惜。

b). 形容詞或形容詞短語作表語。

下列形容詞：kind, good, nice, clever, wrong, right, foolish, wise, unwise, stupid, rude, careless, cruel, brave, naughty, polite, selfish等詞作表語時，不定式前常可加一個由of引起的短語，來說明不定式指的是誰的情況。形容詞表示不定式邏輯主語的特徵，即形容詞用來描述不定式行為者的性格、品行等。

It was foolish of you to leave school.你中途退學，真是傻瓜。

It was brave of her to speak out in public. 她能當眾大聲講話，真勇敢。

其他形容詞作表語，常見的形容詞有：necessary,hard, important, difficult, easy, possible, common等。

It is necessary to use a short-wave radio to pick up the programmes.

必須用短波收音機才能收到節目。

b. It + v. + to do sth.

動詞不定式作主語時除動詞be以外，動詞take,cost， need,require,make,sound,occur 等也可用it作形式主語，而把動詞不定式放在後面。

It took us three years to complete the project.

我們花費三年時間才完成了這項工程。

It sounds reasonable to do it this way.

聽起來這樣做有道理。

② 動名詞作真正主語

用於這種形式的是一些特定的形容詞和名詞。

It was nice meeting you.

見到你真高興! （分別時用）

它與不定式作真正主語的區別在於，動名詞說到的動作已經發生。

It is nice to meet you.

（剛剛見面時用)

主要用於下列句型：

Its +n.（名詞或名詞短語）/adj.（形容詞）+ doing sth.

a. 下列形容詞後常用動名詞作真正主語：nice, good, useless, hard, foolish, enjoyable, worthwhile等。

It is nice talking to you.

跟你交談真是愉快。

Its foolish behaving like that.

這樣的表現是很愚蠢的。

b. 下列名詞或名詞短語作表語時常用動名詞作真正主語：use, good, fun, a waste of, job, task等。

Its a waste of time doing this.

這樣做是浪費時間的。

Its an awful job doing this.

做這事真是一件可怕的差事。

③ 名詞從句作真正主語

主要用於下列句型：

It +謂語+名詞從句（主語從句、表語從句、同位語從句）

a. It is +名詞+從句： 這樣的名詞有a fact,a surprise,an honor（非常榮幸），a pity,common knowledge（常識）等。

It is common knowledge that the full moon brings fair weather.

皓月兆天晴，這是常識。

It is a surprise that you gave such an answer to the question.

你對這個問題作了這樣的回答，令人吃驚。

b. It is +形容詞+從句: 這樣的形容詞有natural, true, strange, necessary, important, obvious（很明顯），certain, wonderful, funny, possible, likely, probable等。

It is certain that free medical care will be given to most people in our city.

我們城市的多數人將享受免費醫療，這是一定的。

c. It +動詞+從句： 這樣的動詞有seem, happen, appear, look, matter, make, strike, occur（突然想起）等。

It appeared that he had a taste for music.

看來他對音樂有一定的鑒賞力。

d. It + be + 分詞+從句： 這樣的分詞有 said（據說）， reported（據報道），believed（人們相信），known（眾所周知），decided（已決定），proved（已證實），thought, expected, annouced, arranged, amusing, puzzling,striking等。

It is said that Li Hao has been to Europe.

據說李郝去過歐洲。

需要說明的是，大部分連接詞引導的主語從句都可以用 it充當形式主語。

It remains unknown when they are going to get married.

他們何時結婚依然不明。

It says in the newspaper that the enemy has been defeated.

報紙上報導敵人被打敗了。

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