Episode Transcript
Interviewer: There's a brand new treatment for patients suffering from chronic or acute liver failure. We'll talk about that next on The Scope.
Announcer: 来自犹他大学医生和专家的医学新闻和研究，你可以用它来过上更快乐、更健康的生活. You're listening to The Scope.
Interviewer: There's a brand new treatment that are suffering from alcoholic liver related failure. We're talking with Dr. Juan Gallegos. He's a liver expert here at the University of Utah Hospital. 你真的很关心这种治疗的新可能性它现在还在临床试验中. Tell me a little bit about what's going on.
Dr. Juan Gallegos: Thank you very much Scott. 是的，大发娱乐非常高兴能参与这项针对严重酒精性肝病患者的新疗法的临床试验. 大发娱乐对此感兴趣是因为酒精性肝病在美国非常非常常见. 据估计，美国约有三分之二到四分之三的成年人饮酒, most of them do so very mildly and moderately, 但有一小部分患者酗酒，这些患者患肝脏疾病的风险增加. 大多数患者都听说过酒精性肝硬化，这可能是美国导致肝移植的三大肝衰竭原因之一.
But there is another entity called acute alcoholic hepatitis, 或者过量饮酒会导致严重的炎症和肝脏损伤，从而导致肝脏衰竭, 这些病人是大发娱乐感兴趣的研究和治疗在这个试验中因为到目前为止，这些病人的死亡率, 这意味着死于这种疾病的患者人数在最初发作后六个月约为70%. So there's a very dramatic impact of this condition.
Interviewer: And up until this point really no way to treat it, is that correct?
Dr. Juan Gallegos: 有一些方法可以治疗它，主要是让这些病人戒酒，这是主要的治疗方法. Also adequate nutritional support is very important, 大发娱乐可以使用一些药物疗法可以用来治疗这些病人, 但即便如此，酒精性肝炎发作后3到6个月死亡率仍在30%到40%左右.
Interviewer: Okay so this is a dialysis machine, just briefly explain what this machine does then and why you're so excited about it?
Dr. Juan Gallegos: We're very excited about it because this is a machine that yes in a way is a dialysis machine; basically it is able to replace at least for a few days the major function of the liver. 所以基本上这家公司制造的是一种特殊的机器里面装满了活的人类肝细胞这些细胞可以维持肝脏功能好几天, and these liver cells are grown here in the United States, and they're put in the special cartridges that go into this dialysis machine for the liver. 这些细胞盒里的细胞数量相当于500克肝组织. Which is about a third of a normal liver.
Interviewer: Does it act as a filter, all those liver cells?
Dr. Juan Gallegos: 它们不仅起到过滤器的作用它们还能制造对身体正常生理功能很重要的蛋白质所以它们能制造有助于凝血因子的蛋白质, 它们能解毒某些化学物质这些化学物质只有肝细胞才能解毒在急性肝功能衰竭的病人身上不起作用.
Interviewer: 是不是像呼吸机一样，它能完成肺的工作最终这个机器也能完成肝脏的工作?
Dr. Juan Gallegos: So what it can actually do the livers job for a few days but not more than that. Other machines that don't use liver cells really they only act like you mention as filters.
Interviewer: So traditional dialysis would be one of those machines?
Dr. Juan Gallegos: 传统透析在某种意义上就是这样一种机器，只是传统透析可以长期使用, and substitute the kidney function. The liver function is a bit more difficult to replace, and that's why this is so exciting. 所以大发娱乐想看看这台机器是否能大发娱乐这些病人渡过严重或急性肝功能衰竭的难关，这样他们就能挺过这段时间，继续从酒精性肝病中恢复过来, 或者如果他们没能恢复但能保持清醒几个月他们就可以考虑进行肝移植这将是酒精性肝病的最终治疗方法.
Interviewer: Yeah so the ultimate goal is the liver transplantation. This machine is by no means something you would stay on for the rest of your life.
Dr. Juan Gallegos: 对，不是这样的基本上只是治疗急性发作让你克服这个急性问题随着时间的推移，你要么恢复因为清醒对一些病人来说是非常重要的实际上恢复了如果他们保持清醒他们的肝脏可以恢复到几乎正常的状态.
Interviewer: Really it will heal almost to precondition?
Dr. Juan Gallegos: It might, it depends on how advanced the condition is to begin with. So in those patients that already have severe liver disease, and on top of this have an acute insult they're less likely to recover, 但有些病人一开始并没有严重的肝脏疾病，如果他们能克服这种急性损伤，他们的肝脏就会恢复到将来可能不需要肝脏移植的程度. As long as they maintain their sobriety.
Interviewer: 这显然是前沿技术因为它还在试验阶段，FDA还没有批准.
Dr. Juan Gallegos: Correct.
Interviewer: The whole process you're going through is hoping to prove...
Dr. Juan Gallegos: 是的，大发娱乐希望证明这将增加病人存活的机会，达到比大发娱乐目前的医学疗法更好的程度, FDA对此非常感兴趣，所以他们允许大发娱乐参与这项试验. It's a multi-centric trial in the United States, and there are other centers in Europe and other places of the world.
Interviewer: So if somebody was interested in this trial what would they have to do?
Dr. Juan Gallegos: Well generally it will be a physician, or somebody taking care of these patients, they would just need to contact us at the University of Utah. 我是首席研究员，所以我和大发娱乐的研究协调员随时待命.
Interviewer: Any final thoughts on this topic?
Dr. Juan Gallegos: 我认为认识到酒精性肝病在美国是一个严重的问题是很重要的, and that episodes of acute alcoholic hepatitis can be deadly, and we're trying to improve that with this machine, and hopefully people out there will be interested in and contact us.
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