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進入《中英對照讀新聞》Scientists find gene defect link to heart disease 科學家發現與心臟病有關的基因缺陷
◎陳成良
Five generations of a family in Dallas, Texas have helped scientists discover a genetic mutation that causes a common birth defect and contributes to heart disease in adults.
美國德州達拉斯1個5代之家，協助科學家發現了1種引起常見出生缺陷、並導致成年後心臟病的基因突變。
Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre in Dallas studied DNA from 11 members of the family, including children and adults, who suffered from aortic heart disease. They found that all of them had a mutation on a gene called NOTCH 1.
位於達拉斯的德州大學西南醫學中心研究人員，對這個家庭11個成員的DNA進行研究，這11人包括罹患主動脈心臟病的兒童及成人。他們發現，這些人的NOTCH 1基因都有突變。
“Mutations in NOTCH 1 cause an early developmental defect in the aortic valve,” said Dr Vidu Garg, an assistant professor of paediatrics and molecular biology. Researchers found a second mutation on the same gene in members of a smaller family in San Diego which they said confirmed their finding.
「NOTCH 1基因突變，引起主動脈瓣膜的早期發育缺陷，」小兒科和分子生物學助理教授維杜．加爾格博士表示。研究人員在聖地牙哥一個比較小的家庭也發現了這種基因的突變，並表示這證實了他們的發現。
The scientists said the finding, which is reported in the science journal Nature, could help to identify people at risk of the problem. When researchers better understand the full impact of the mutation it could pave the way for new treatments for the heart ailments.
科學家稱，這項刊登在《自然》科學期刊的發現，可能有助於辨識有罹患這種心臟病變風險的人。一旦研究人員更加了解這種基因突變的完整影響，便可能促成找出治療這種心臟病的新療法。
新聞辭典
defect：名詞，缺點、缺陷。例句：Indecision is his chief defect.（優柔寡斷是他的主要缺點。）defect當不及物動詞時有「脫離、背叛」之意，例句：He defected to the enemy.（他投敵了。）
contribute to : 促成、有助於。例句：Drink contributed to his ruin. （飲酒毀了他。）contribute也有「捐助」的意思，例句：He contributed half of his savings to the relief fund.（他將積蓄的一半捐獻給救濟基金會。）
pave the way for：為…作準備；為…鋪路。
