Ever since Alzheimer’s was discovered more than a hundred years ago in 1906 (though this is subject to discussion), the medical community has been trying to find ways to cure it. To date, there is no known cure for the disease but there are a lot of breakthroughs occurring in the field of research.
One such breakthrough is the discovery of the potential of vitamin B3 to slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. In lab trials, researchers infused mice with high doses of the vitamin and they found out that it had positive effects in retarding the disease. Now, they are ready to try the vitamin on humans. The Guardian has this report:
A vitamin pill that could slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease is to enter human trials after scientists found it protected animals from memory loss associated with the condition.
High doses of vitamin B3 will be given to 70 people who have recently been diagnosed with the disease as part of the trial due to begin in the new year, which is open to volunteers over the age of 50.
If the six-month trial is a success it could have a dramatic impact on the treatment of an estimated 417,000 people in Britain who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. There is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s or any other type of dementia.
Delaying the onset of the disease by five years would halve the number of deaths from the condition, saving 30,000 lives a year, according to the Alzheimer’s Society.
Though this is by no means a cure to the disease, it does look like the researchers are headed toward the right direction.
译文:
维他命减缓阿尔茨海默氏病发作将在人类身上试验
自从阿尔茨海默氏病在一百多年前的1906年发现后（是否是1906年还需要讨论），医疗团体一直在探索治愈该病的方法。到目前为止，虽然还没有治愈该病的方法，但是在研究领域已经取得了大量的突破。
其中之一的突破就是发现维他命B3可以减缓阿尔茨海默氏病的发病进程。在实验中，研究人员在老鼠身上注射了大剂量的维他命后，他们发现维他命在延迟病情恶化方面有着积极的作用。现在，他们会将维他命试用在人类身上。卫报上有此报道：
当科学家发现维他命可以保护动物防止因阿尔茨海默氏病造成的失忆后，维他命药丸可以延迟阿尔茨海默氏病发病的理论正式进入人类试验阶段。
在新年初，作为人类试验的一部分，70位已确诊为阿尔茨海默氏病的患者服用了大剂量的维他命B3。在这70位患者中，也有50多岁的志愿者。
如果六个月的试验是成功的话，那么它将对英国41.7万名阿尔茨海默氏患者的治疗产生巨大的影响。目前，人类对阿尔茨海默氏病或者其他种类的痴呆治疗均不能完全治愈。
据阿尔茨海默氏病协会声称，如果能对该病发作推迟5年，那么阿尔茨海默氏患者的死亡率可以减少一半，那么，每年能挽救3万人的生命。
尽管阿尔茨海默氏病无法治愈，但是研究者研究的方向看起来是正确的。