VOA慢速英語：醫(yī)學之謎 現(xiàn)實版“太陽的后裔”

醫(yī)學之謎 現(xiàn)實版“太陽的后裔”

Doctors in Pakistan are studying two brothers who seem in fine health during the day, but are unable to move when the sun goes down.

巴基斯坦的醫(yī)生發(fā)現(xiàn)有兩兄弟在白天時健康狀況良好，而在晚上就無法動彈。

The school-age boys, 9-year-old Shoaib Ahmed and 13-year-old Abdul Rasheed, live near the city of Quetta. They have been called “solar kids” because of their condition.

9歲的男孩艾哈邁德(Shoaib Ahmed)和13歲的拉希德(Abdul Rasheed)住在奎塔附近。由于他們的特殊病情，他們被稱作“太陽的孩子”。

Their father, Muhammad Hashim, says the boys lead a perfectly normal life during the day. But once the sun goes down, they go into a vegetative state. They are unable to walk, talk or even open their eyes.

他們的父親Muhammad Hashim說孩子在白天可以正常生活，但一到晚上，他們就進入植物人狀態(tài)，不能行走、說話甚至睜開眼睛。

“They can’t eat or drink, nor get up or lay down,” the father said. “But we are hopeful they will be okay by the grace of God,” he added.

“他們不能吃也不能喝，不能起來也不能躺下。”這位父親說，“但我們都希望上帝能開恩讓這兩個孩子好起來。”

A team of 38 doctors has performed hundreds of tests on the boys in an effort to identify the possible cause of their condition. Pakistan’s government is providing free medical care to their family.

由38名醫(yī)生組成的醫(yī)療隊已在兩個男孩的身上做了上百次試驗，以探究病因。巴基斯坦政府為這家人提供免費的醫(yī)療服務。

Doctors have sent blood samples to researchers in other countries. They have also conducted tests on other family members. Researchers have gone to the boys’ village to collect soil and air samples.

醫(yī)生們將血樣送往其他國家進行化驗。他們還在其他家庭成員上做實驗。研究人員還去了這兩個男孩所在的村子搜集泥土和水的樣本。

Doctor Javed Akram is with Pakistan’s Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad. He said the nightly paralyzation of the boys remains a big mystery.

伊斯蘭堡巴基斯坦的醫(yī)學科學研究所的阿克拉姆醫(yī)生(Javed Akram)說這兩個孩子夜間癱瘓癥是一個難解之謎。

“What we have understood from research is that it happens when neurotransmitters in the brain suffer imbalance,” he said.

“我們經(jīng)研究了解到這種情況會在大腦中的神經(jīng)傳導物質失衡時發(fā)生。”他說。

Dr. Akram’s team is currently working with doctors in five other countries to learn more about the condition. “They guide us a lot and we are moving forward together on this,” he said.

阿克拉姆醫(yī)生目前正和其他國家的醫(yī)生一起工作，了解更多情況。“他們給了我們很多指導，我們正在一起慢慢推進研究。”他說。

The boys’ father has a simple theory about what causes the condition. “I think my sons get energy from the sun,” he said.

孩子們的父親有一個簡單的理由來解釋這一現(xiàn)象：“我認為我的兒子們從太陽中獲得能量。”他說。

But doctors have already ruled out the possibility that sunlight is responsible. They note that the boys can move normally during the day even when kept in a dark room or during a storm.

但醫(yī)生們基本已經(jīng)排除了太陽說這一可能性。醫(yī)生們發(fā)現(xiàn)孩子們即使是在陰暗的屋子或在大雨天中仍可以任意活動，