发现:哮喘与关节炎之间的联系

There is new hope for asthma sufferers. Researchers in Australia have discovered that people suffering from asthma and arthritis share the same mutant gene. The revelation could allow the use of arthritis drugs to treat the respiratory disease.
这是哮喘患者的新希望。澳大利亚的研究人员发现，患哮喘和患关节炎的人有同样的变异基因。这个发现可能允许使用关节炎的药来治疗呼吸道疾病。

Maryanne Venables has chronic asthma.
Maryanne Venables患有慢性哮喘。

Maryanne Venables said, "I can't go anywhere without my little gray friend, my little Ventolin inhaler."
Maryanne Venables表示：“没有我的灰色小朋友，喘乐宁气雾剂，我哪儿都不能去。”

Like many asthmatics, she has long hoped for a drug breakthrough that makes managing the condition easier.
与很多哮喘患者一样，她一直希望有种突破药能使情况管理更加简便。

Now, there may be one.
现在，可能会有一种。

In "The Lancet" medical journal, Australian researchers say they have found that asthmatics share a common gene with sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis.
在医学期刊《柳叶刀》上，澳大利亚研究人员称他们已经发现，哮喘病患者和风湿关节炎患者有相同的基因。

And there's already a drug on the market, Tocilizumab (TOE-si-LIZ-oo-mab), to treat rheumatoid arthritis.
市场上已经有一种药，叫Tocilizumab，可以治疗风湿性关节炎。

The hope is that the drug, which reduces arthritis inflammation, can also reduce inflammation in asthmatics.
人们希望这种可以减轻关节炎炎症的药也能减轻哮喘病患者的炎症。

Dr. Manuel Ferreira is one of the scientists.
曼纽尔．费雷拉博士是其中一名科学家。

Dr. Manuel Ferreira said, "It's a drug that reduces the activity of the gene that we've now found has something to do with asthma.
曼纽尔．费雷拉博士表示：“这是一种降低基因活性的药，这种基因现在我们发现，它与哮喘有关。”

Maryanne Venables said, "I think it certainly uncovers ground that doesn't seem to have been addressed before."
Maryanne Venables称：“我认为它无疑揭开了我们之前似乎未曾涉及的领域。”

More than 235 million people worldwide have asthma and the World Health Organization says it's the most common chronic disease among children.
全世界患有哮喘病的人超过2.35亿，而且世界卫生组织表示，这是儿童中最常见的慢性疾病。

Maryanne Venables said, "I use a preventer, and I use an inhaler. If there are clinical trials in the future, if I was eligible for them I'd be very interested in participating."
Maryanne Venables称：“我使用一种预防药，我使用吸入器。如果将来进行临床试验，如果我有资格参加，我会非常有兴趣参与的。”

The researchers say more study needs to be conducted to asses the drug's effectiveness in treating asthma.
研究人员表示，需要进行更多的研究来评估这种药在治疗哮喘方面的效果。