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Reading for Writing & Speaking 1
写作和口语阅读 1

Read the following essay from Nature and give a 3-minute speech which includes the context, purpose, materials and method, result and discussion of the research.
阅读以下来自 Nature 的文章并发表 3 分钟的演讲,其中包括研究的背景、目的、材料和方法、结果和讨论。

Links between gut microbes* and depression strengthened
肠道微生物*与抑郁症之间的联系得到加强

Feb. 4th, 2019 |503 words
2019 年 2 月 4 日 |503 字

1 The once-wild idea that1 intestinal bacteria influence mental health has transformed into a major research pursuit2
1 曾经认为肠道细菌影响心理健康的想法已经转变为一项主要的研究追求2
.

2 Just ten years ago, the idea that microorganisms* in the human gut could influence the brain was often dismissed as wild3. Not any more.
2 就在十年前,人类肠道中的微生物*可以影响大脑的想法经常被当作疯狂的想法而被忽视3。现在不是了。

3 Links between the central nervous system4 and the trillions of bacteria in the gut — the microbiota — are now a major focus of research5, public interest and press coverage. But how does this ‘gut–brain axis’ work? The mechanisms by which microorganisms shape aspects of brain functioning such as memory and social behaviour, and how they might contribute to conditions such as depression and neurodegenerative* disease, are tenuous and often controversial6
3 中枢神经系统4 与肠道中数万亿细菌(微生物群)之间的联系现在是研究 5、公众利益和新闻报道的主要关注点。但是这个“肠脑轴”是如何工作的呢?微生物塑造大脑功能的各个方面(如记忆和社会行为)的机制,以及它们如何导致抑郁症和神经退行性*疾病等疾病,都是脆弱的,而且经常有争议6
.

4 Much of what we know so far is based on studies showing correlations between specific gut bacteria, their metabolites and neurological symptoms. But these correlations do not prove cause and effect7. Many studies use animal models, which don’t accurately mirror human traits or behaviours8. Human studies have been limited: they’re usually based on relatively small numbers of people, and might not control for a wealth of confounding factors9 — such as unusual diets, antibiotics or antidepressants — that can affect the microbiota.
4 到目前为止,我们所知道的大部分都是基于显示特定肠道细菌、其代谢物和神经系统症状之间相关性的研究。 但这些相关性并不能证明因果关系 7.许多研究使用动物模型,这些模型并不能准确反映人类特征或行为8人体研究是有限的:它们通常基于相对较少的人群,可能无法控制可能影响微生物群的大量混杂因素9,例如不寻常的饮食、抗生素或抗抑郁药。

5 A study published this week in Nature Microbiology10 tackles some of these issues (M. Valles-Colomer et al. Nature Microbiol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-018-0337-x; 2019). The authors used DNA sequencing to analyse microbiota in the faeces* of more than 1,000 people enrolled in Belgium’s Flemish Gut Flora Project. The team then correlated different microbial taxa* with the participants’ quality of life and incidence of depression, using self-reported and physician-supplied diagnoses11. The researchers validated the findings12 in an independent cohort of 1,063 individuals in the Netherlands’ LifeLines DEEP project. Finally, they mined the data to13 generate a catalogue describing the microbiota’s capacity to produce or degrade molecules that can interact with the human nervous system.
5 本周发表在自然微生物学10 上的一项研究解决了其中的一些问题(M. Valles-Colomer 等人,Nature Microbiol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-018-0337-x; 2019)。作者使用 DNA 测序分析了 1,000 多名参加比利时佛兰德肠道植物群项目的人的粪便*中的微生物群。然后,该团队使用自我报告和医生提供的诊断,将不同的微生物分类群*与参与者的生活质量和抑郁症发病率相关联 11研究人员在荷兰 LifeLines DEEP 项目的 1,063 人独立队列中验证了 12 项发现。最后,他们挖掘数据以13 生成一个目录,描述微生物群产生或降解可与人类神经系统相互作用的分子的能力。

6 The researchers found that two groups of bacteria, Coprococcus and Dialister, were reduced in people with depression. And they saw a positive correlation between14 quality of life and the potential ability of the gut microbiome* to synthesize a breakdown product of the neurotransmitter dopamine, called 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid. The results are some of the strongest yet to15 show that a person’s microbiota can influence their mental health.
6 研究人员发现,抑郁症患者的两组细菌,Coprococcus 和 Dialister 减少了。他们发现 14 生活质量与肠道微生物组*合成神经递质多巴胺分解产物(称为 3,4-二羟基苯乙酸)的潜在能力之间存在正相关关系。结果是迄今为止最强15 结果表明,一个人的微生物群会影响他们的心理健康。

7 These are still correlations, not causes.16 Researchers know that the gut microbiota can produce or stimulate the production of neurotransmitters and neuroactive compounds, such as serotonin, GABA and dopamine, and that these compounds can modulate* bacterial growth. The challenge now is to find out whether, and how, these microbe-derived molecules can interact with the human central nervous system, and whether that alters a person’s behaviour or risk of disease17. At least now, answering these questions is a wise pursuit, not a wild one.18
7 这些仍然是相关性,而不是原因。16 研究人员知道,肠道微生物群可以产生或刺激神经递质和神经活性化合物的产生,例如血清素、GABA 和多巴胺,并且这些化合物可以调节*细菌生长。现在的挑战是找出这些微生物衍生的分子是否以及如何与人类中枢神经系统相互作用,以及这是否会改变一个人的行为或患病风险17。至少现在,回答这些问题是一个明智的追求,而不是一个疯狂的追求。18

Nature 566, 7 (2019)
自然 566, 7 (2019)

doi: 10.1038/d41586-019-00483-5
doi: 10.1038/d41586-019-00483-5

*microbe['maɪkrəʊb] n. 微生物

*gut microbes肠道菌群
*肠道微生物肠道菌群

1. 曾经很不靠谱的想法

2. 一个很重要的研究课题

*microorganism[maɪkrəʊ'ɔːg(ə)nɪz(ə)m] n. [微] 微生物
*微生物[maɪkrəʊ'ɔːg(ə)nɪz(ə)m] n. [微] 微生物

3. 被认为是无稽之谈

4. 中枢神经系统

5. 重点研究领域

6. The mechanism by which ... are tenuous and often controversial.对机制不是很确定,也很有争议
6. ...是脆弱的,而且经常有争议的。对机制不是很确定,也很有争议

*neurodegenerative
*神经退行性

[,nju:rəudi'dʒenərətiv] adj. 神经变性的...
[,nju:rəudi'dʒenərətiv] adj. 神经变性的...

7. 但这些只表明了相关而非因果

8. 不能很好地反应人类的特点和行为

9. 大量的干扰因素

10. 这周发表在《自然---微生物学》上 的一项研究

*faeces ['fiːsiːz] n. [生理] 粪便

*microbial taxa微生物类群
*微生物类群

11. 利用自述和医生的诊断

12. 研究者们验证了他们的发现

13. 挖掘分析了数据

14. 他们发现......和......正相关

microbiome微生物群系
微生物组微生物群系

*a breakdown product 分解产物

15. 其结果是目前为止最有力的

16. 这也只表明相关性而非因果关系。

*modulate['mɒdjʊleɪt] vt. 调节
*modulate['mɒdjʊleɪt] vt.调节

17. 改变一个人的行为和患病可能性

18. 至少现在这些研究不再被认为是不靠谱的想法了