Eggshells are perhaps one of the most discarded items in kitchens around the world.
蛋殼可能是全世界廚房里被丟棄最多的東西之一。
Once we break the egg to release the yolk and use it in our meals, the shells usually end up in the trash.
當我們的飯菜需要雞蛋,一旦把蛋殼敲破倒出蛋液,我們就會把蛋殼扔進垃圾桶里。
Yet these often discarded bits are made entirely of calcium carbonate, a substance that is crucial for maintaining bone health.
然而,這些經常被丟棄的碎片完全由碳酸鈣制成,碳酸鈣是一種對維持骨骼健康至關重要的物質。
For this reason, some people crush eggshells into a fine powder that they use as a natural calcium supplement for their bones.
因此,有些人把蛋殼粉碎成細粉,作為骨骼的天然鈣補充劑。
However, this practice also comes with risks; eggs can sometimes become contaminated with the bacterium Salmonella enteritidis, which, if ingested, can cause a salmonella infections.
然而,這種做法也有風險;蛋殼有時會被腸道沙門氏菌污染,如果攝入這種細菌,就會導致沙門氏菌感染。
Mostly, though, eggshells' potential for health has remained untapped — until now. Researchers from the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Lowell have used finely crushed eggshells to create a biomaterial that helps bones regenerate after having sustained damage.
迄今為止,蛋殼對健康的潛在影響大多尚未得到開發(fā)。來自馬薩諸塞大學洛厄爾分校的研究人員利用磨碎的蛋殼制造了一種生物材料,可以幫助骨骼在遭受損傷后再生。
In their study — the findings of which now appear in the journal Biomaterial Sciences — assistant professor Gulden Camci-Unal and her colleagues from UMass have used an innovative process to create a medium that can help scientists grow new bone tissue by using eggshells.
在他們的研究中,來自馬薩諸塞州立大學的助理教授Gulden Camci-Unal和她的同事,用一種新方法創(chuàng)造了一種培養(yǎng)基,可以幫助科學家利用蛋殼來生長新的骨組織。
So far, they have conducted laboratory and in vivo experiments — using a rat model — to test their novel process. Nevertheless, the scientists believe that in the not-so-distant future, their biomaterial could become available for use in humans receiving treatment for bone damage.
到目前為止,他們已經進行了實驗室和體內實驗——使用老鼠模型——來進行他們的實驗項目??茖W家們相信,在不遠的將來,他們的生物材料將可以用于治療人類骨骼損傷。