Mystery Condition Makes Brothers Collapse at Sunset

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.
巴基斯坦的医生发现有两兄弟在白天时健康状况良好，而在晚上就无法动弹。

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岁的男孩艾哈迈德(Shoaib Ahmed)和13岁的拉希德(Abdul Rasheed)住在奎塔附近。由于他们的特殊病情，他们被称作“太阳的孩子”。

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.
他们的父亲Muhammad Hashim说孩子在白天可以正常生活，但一到晚上，他们就进入植物人状态，不能行走、说话甚至睁开眼睛。
怪病 白天正常晚上瘫痪

“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.
“他们不能吃也不能喝，不能起来也不能躺下。”这位父亲说，“但我们都希望上帝能开恩让这两个孩子好起来。”

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名医生组成的医疗队已在两个男孩的身上做了上百次试验，以探究病因。巴基斯坦政府为这家人提供免费的医疗服务。

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.
医生们将血样送往其他国家进行化验。他们还在其他家庭成员上做实验。研究人员还去了这两个男孩所在的村子搜集泥土和水的样本。

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.
伊斯兰堡巴基斯坦的医学科学研究所的阿克拉姆医生(Javed Akram)说这两个孩子夜间瘫痪症是一个难解之谜。
巴基斯坦两兄弟患怪病 白天正常晚上瘫痪

“What we have understood from research is that it happens when neurotransmitters in the brain suffer imbalance,” he said.
“我们经研究了解到这种情况会在大脑中的神经传导物质失衡时发生。”他说。

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.
阿克拉姆医生目前正和其他国家的医生一起工作，了解更多情况。“他们给了我们很多指导，我们正在一起慢慢推进研究。”他说。

The boys’ father has a simple theory about what causes the condition. “I think my sons get energy from the sun,” he said.
孩子们的父亲有一个简单的理由来解释这一现象：“我认为我的儿子们从太阳中获得能量。”他说。

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.
但医生们基本已经排除了太阳说这一可能性。医生们发现孩子们即使是在阴暗的屋子或在大雨天中仍可以任意活动