精读外刊第60期:怀孕期间的孕吐归咎于胎盘中的蛋白质

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红色字体为生词和词组

黄色阴影为精讲句子

词组

蓝色字体为该词在文章意思

红色字体为该词的搭配使用

紫色字体为该词的其他意思

绿色字体为该词的同义替换

橙色字体为短语中的词汇

【原文】

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.

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, doi.org/cgm4).

“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.”

【笔记】

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. 责备；归咎于

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

该委员会预计会将大量暴行归咎于军队。

talk to , tell off

blame for 责备；因……责备
n. 责备；责任；过失

I'm not going to sit around and take the blame for a mistake he made.

我不会闲坐着，为他犯的错误承担责任。

duty , liability , error , burden , trust

take the blame 承担过错

put the blame on 归咎于…

be to blame for 对…应负责任；应该为某事负责任

2. fetus

n. 胎儿，胎 [复数 fetuses]

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

酗酒的孕妇冒有伤害胎儿的危险。

foetus , homunculi

3. pregnancy

n. 怀孕；丰富，多产；意义深长

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

怀孕期间最好完全戒酒。

conception , abundance , plenty , amplitude , enrichment

ectopic pregnancy [医]子宫外孕

tubal pregnancy 输卵管妊娠

pregnancy test 妊娠试验，验孕

4. protein

n. 蛋白质；朊

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

鱼曾是劳动者获取蛋白质的主要来源。

albumose

protein content 蛋白质含量

soy protein 大豆蛋白；酱油蛋白质

high protein 高蛋白；高蛋白质面粉
adj. 蛋白质的

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.

尽管那次斗殴事件的真凶未被确认，但那些男人都在被驱逐出境。

prisoner , zek

6. liver

n. 肝脏；生活者，居民

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

三周前，发现癌已扩散到了他的肝脏。

resident , dweller

liver cancer 肝癌

liver transplantation 肝脏移植

liver function 肝功能

7. placental

adj. 胎盘的；胎座的

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

如果癌细胞确实穿过胎盘屏障，孩子的免疫系统应该会将它们视为入侵者，从而消灭它们。

placental abruption 胎盘早剥；胎盘早期剥离

placental barrier 胎盘屏障
n. 有胎盘哺乳动物

8. tissue

n. 组织；纸巾；薄纱；一套

As we age we lose muscle tissue.

随着年纪的增大，我们会失去一些肌肉组织。

set , gauze

tissue engineering 组织工程学

soft tissue 软组织

tissue culture 组织培养；体素培养
vt. 饰以薄纱；用化妆纸揩去

9. inflammatory

adj. 炎症性的；煽动性的；激动的

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

…过于激烈、煽动性强的民族主义政策。

excited , hot

inflammatory reaction 炎症反应，炎性反应

pelvic inflammatory disease 盆腔炎；骨盆腔发炎；盆腔炎性疾病

inflammatory pseudotumor [医]炎性假瘤

10. associate

vt. 联想；使联合；使发生联系

Through science we've got the idea of associating progress with the future.

通过科学我们已有了将进步与未来联系起来的观念。

combine
n. 同事，伙伴；关联的事物

...the restaurant owner's business associates.

…该餐馆老板的商业伙伴们。

brother , partner , fellow , comrade , colleague

research associate 研究助理；助理研究员

business associate 生意伙伴；业务联合

associate member n. 准会员
vi. 交往；结交

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

如果他们知道了他们正与一个杀人犯打成一片，他们会怎么想？

company , travel , sort , mix

associate with 联合；与…联系在一起；和…来往
adj. 副的；联合的

Mr. Lin is associate director of the Institute.

林先生是该研究所的副主任。

deputy , linked , vice , joint , auxiliary

associate dean 副院长

associate editor 副主编；副编辑

associate justice 助理法官，副大法官

11. put off

推迟；扔掉；阻止

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

晚育的妇女常常会成为最佳母亲。

wait , dispute

【参考译文】

孕吐已经被“怪罪”到了许多事情上——从女胎到多胎妊娠。但英国对近800名孕妇的研究表明，一种蛋白质才是罪魁祸首。

众所周知，孕妇会在肝脏和胎盘组织中大量产生一种叫做GDF15的蛋白质。这种蛋白质通常存在于与组织损伤相关的炎症过程。但最近发现，高含量的GDF15会使小鼠停止进餐。

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, doi.org/cgm4).

word & expression

1. delivery

n. [贸易] 交付；分娩；递送

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

最终，分娩顺利——一个健康的男婴。

labour , handing over

delivery time 交货时间

delivery system 传送系统；运载系统；分配系统

prompt delivery 限时专送

2. throughout

adv. 自始至终，到处；全部

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

1990年全年，敌对组织互相残杀的民族悲剧持续不断。

everywhere , around , wholly , about
prep. 贯穿，遍及

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

国际防盲救盲组织成立于1950年，如今在非洲、加勒比海和东南亚各地区开展项目。

over all

3. vomit

vi. 呕吐；吐出

Any product made from cow's milk made him vomit.

任何牛奶制品都会让他呕吐。

shoot the cat , hork
vt. 吐出；使……呕吐

spit out , regorge
n. 呕吐；呕吐物；催吐剂

Zimmer slipped and nearly fell on a pool of vomit.

齐默滑了一跤，差点儿摔倒在一滩呕吐物上。

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.

专家确定了暂定每月容许摄入量（PTMI）是70微微克/公斤。

5. millilitre

n. [计量] 毫升

...100 millilitres of blood.

…100毫升的血液。

mil

6. tablet

n. 碑；药片；写字板；小块；平板电脑

...half a tablet of aspirin.

…半片阿斯匹林。

wordpad , nubble

buccal tablet 口腔片，颊含片

tablet press 压片机

calcium tablet 钙片
vt. 用碑牌纪念；将(备忘录等)写在板上；将…制成小片或小块

7. medication

n. 药物；药物治疗；药物处理

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

有人来治疗时，我总是会问他们是否在服药。

drugs , pharmaceutical

oral medication 内服；口服法

8. assume

vt. 僭取；篡夺；夺取；擅用；侵占

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

如果出现了错误，它们就被以为是现场指挥官的错。

undertake , adopt , accept , shoulder , sustain

assume responsibility 承担责任

assume liability 承担责任

subjective assume 主观臆断
vi. 假定；设想；承担；采取

attitudinize , put on the dog

【参考译文】

剑桥大学的Stephen O’Rahilly和他的同事们已经分析了791名孕妇血液中该种蛋白质的含量。在分娩之后，这些妇女完成了关于她们在怀孕期间所经历的孕吐的问卷调查。

那些被报道在怀孕中期呕吐的妇女，其每毫升血液中比没有孕吐迹象的妇女大概多了1000微微克每毫升的GDF15。而那些说过她们服用抗孕吐药片的女性则比无孕吐迹象的女性在每毫升血液中多了将近3000微微克每毫升的GDF15。因为这些妇女服用了药物，所以研究小组认为她们经历了最严重的孕吐。

“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. 当前；一般地

And, this is how I'm doing now in relationship to what we're currently discussing or evaluating or experiencing.

这也可以表达我手头正在做的事情与我们正在讨论、评价或者经历的事情之间的联系。

commonly , normally , generally

2. symptom

n. [临床] 症状；征兆

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

精神分裂症最常见的症状之一是幻听。

premonitor , prefiguration

symptom complex 症候群

3. evolve

vi. 发展，进展；进化；逐步形成

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

许多雄鸟的鲜艳羽毛被认为是为吸引雌鸟而进化来的。

grow , expand , advance

evolve into vt. 发展成，进化成

evolve from v. 由…进化
vt. 发展，进化；进化；使逐步形成；推断出

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

…最终发展成为巴基斯坦国际航空公司的一家小型航空公司。

go way , to develop

4. sensitive

adj. 敏感的；感觉的；[仪] 灵敏的；感光的；易受伤害的；易受影响的

The classroom teacher must be sensitive to a child's needs.

课堂教师必须理解孩子的需求。

vulnerable , subtle , quick

sensitive skin 敏感性皮肤

highly sensitive 高灵敏度的
n. 敏感的人；有灵异能力的人

5. stage

n. 阶段；舞台；戏剧；驿站

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

孩子们谈论或表达情感的方式取决于他们的年龄和成长阶段。

drama , phase , age , grade , theater

stage by stage adv. 逐步地，一步一步地；分阶段地

early stage 早期，初期

by stages 分阶段地
vt. 举行；上演；筹划

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

玛雅•安吉罗在20世纪70年代末首次将戏剧《我仍将奋起》搬上舞台。

celebrate , put on
vi. 举行；适于上演；乘驿车旅行

come off , to hold

6. devastating

adj. 毁灭性的；全然的

Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.

外遇着实对婚姻有极具破坏性的影响。

fell , destructive , fatal
v. 摧毁（devastate的ing形式）；毁坏

annihilating , rubbling

7. explore

v. 探索；探测；探险

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

考察老城区之后，有到大教堂的导览之旅。

detect , probe into

【参考译文】

“针对孕吐，我们目前只有药物去治疗症状，而不是根源。”O’Rahilly和他的同事认为，胎盘可能已经进化到使用GDF15使母亲远离可能会危害胎儿的食物，特别是在怀孕的敏感时期。

“在怀孕期间的恶心和呕吐对于女性来说可能是毁灭性的。”来自挪威海于克兰大学医院的Kristine Heitmann说。该小组的研究结果表明，针对GDF15的研究可能是治疗孕吐的一种方式。她说：“这是一条值得进一步探索的道路。”“今天，我们只有治疗症状的药物，而不是引起怀孕期间恶心和呕吐的根源。”

【句子精讲】

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

it作形式主语

形式主语是动词不定式的一种，它也是逻辑主语, 可以把它归类到逻辑主语的第一种（不定式的逻辑主语）用作宾语的不定式，用作目的状语，用作结果状语的不定式都是属于不定式的大概念里面的。
it作逻辑主语

形式主语it 作为形式主语的it并无实际语义，只是为满足语法上的需要，避免句子头重脚轻，它代替的是句子的逻辑主语，概括起来会有如下情况：

① 不定式作逻辑主语

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

你能及时帮我真是太善良了。

② 从句作逻辑主语

It so happened that the tickets were sold out.

票被卖完的事情又发生了。

③ 动名词短语作逻辑主语

这类句子远不如前面两种出现率高，主要在（no good, waste, useless, no use, dangerous）等词语的后面用

It is no use reasoning with him.

问他是没有用的。

④ 作形式主语的代词只能用it，不能用that，this等词

It is easier to lose friends than to make friends.

交朋友难而失去朋友比较容易。

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

掌握至少两门外语对于当代年轻人来说是很重要的。

【以上两句中的it是形式主语，真正的主语是后面的不定式短语。】

It is considered no good reciting without understanding.

不理解的背诵被认为是没有好处的。

It is no use crying over spilt milk.

覆水难收。

【以上两句中的it是形式主语，真正的主语是V-ing形式。】

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

英语作为一门国际语言正日益为人们所接受，这是不争的事实。

It depends on the weather whether we will go.

我们去不去得看天气行事。

（其中的whether 不能换成if，因为if不能引导主语从句。）

【以上两句中真正的主语是名词性从句。】
it作形式主语

① 不定式作真正主语

主要用于下列句型：

a. It + is/was + adj./n. (形容词或名词） +to do sth.

a). 名词作表语。主要有a pity,a pleasure,an idea等。

It is a great pleasure to do this.

这样做多好啊。

除be外，其他动词也有跟名词的情况。

It seems a pity to waste the food.

浪费这些食物真可惜。

b). 形容词或形容词短语作表语。

下列形容词：kind, good, nice, clever, wrong, right, foolish, wise, unwise, stupid, rude, careless, cruel, brave, naughty, polite, selfish等词作表语时，不定式前常可加一个由of引起的短语，来说明不定式指的是谁的情况。形容词表示不定式逻辑主语的特征，即形容词用来描述不定式行为者的性格、品行等。

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

It was brave of her to speak out in public. 她能当众大声讲话，真勇敢。

其他形容词作表语，常见的形容词有：necessary,hard, important, difficult, easy, possible, common等。

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

必须用短波收音机才能收到节目。

b. It + v. + to do sth.

动词不定式作主语时除动词be以外，动词take,cost， need,require,make,sound,occur 等也可用it作形式主语，而把动词不定式放在后面。

It took us three years to complete the project.

我们花费三年时间才完成了这项工程。

It sounds reasonable to do it this way.

听起来这样做有道理。

② 动名词作真正主语

用于这种形式的是一些特定的形容词和名词。

It was nice meeting you.

见到你真高兴! （分别时用）

它与不定式作真正主语的区别在于，动名词说到的动作已经发生。

It is nice to meet you.

（刚刚见面时用)

主要用于下列句型：

It's +n.（名词或名词短语）/adj.（形容词）+ doing sth.

a. 下列形容词后常用动名词作真正主语：nice, good, useless, hard, foolish, enjoyable, worthwhile等。

It is nice talking to you.

跟你交谈真是愉快。

It's foolish behaving like that.

这样的表现是很愚蠢的。

b. 下列名词或名词短语作表语时常用动名词作真正主语：use, good, fun, a waste of, job, task等。

It's a waste of time doing this.

这样做是浪费时间的。

It's an awful job doing this.

做这事真是一件可怕的差事。

③ 名词从句作真正主语

主要用于下列句型：

It +谓语+名词从句（主语从句、表语从句、同位语从句）

a. It is +名词+从句：这样的名词有a fact,a surprise,an honor（非常荣幸），a pity,common knowledge（常识）等。

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

皓月兆天晴，这是常识。

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

你对这个问题作了这样的回答，令人吃惊。

b. It is +形容词+从句: 这样的形容词有natural, true, strange, necessary, important, obvious（很明显），certain, wonderful, funny, possible, likely, probable等。

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

我们城市的多数人将享受免费医疗，这是一定的。

c. It +动词+从句：这样的动词有seem, happen, appear, look, matter, make, strike, occur（突然想起）等。

It appeared that he had a taste for music.

看来他对音乐有一定的鉴赏力。

d. It + be + 分词+从句：这样的分词有 said（据说）， reported（据报道），believed（人们相信），known（众所周知），decided（已决定），proved（已证实），thought, expected, annouced, arranged, amusing, puzzling,striking等。

It is said that Li Hao has been to Europe.

据说李郝去过欧洲。

需要说明的是，大部分连接词引导的主语从句都可以用 it充当形式主语。

It remains unknown when they are going to get married.

他们何时结婚依然不明。

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

报纸上报导敌人被打败了。