評論
打印
A step towards a pill for men?
向男性避孕藥更進一步？
How often does locker-room talk involve nuanced discussion of the various types of contraceptives available, and the merits and difficulties associated with them all?
在更衣室中細致談論各種避孕方式，以及這些避孕方式優缺點的頻率有多高？
In women's locker rooms, the answer is "surprisingly frequently".
在女更衣室，答案是“談論非常頻繁”。
In men's, "hardly ever".
而在男更衣室，“幾乎從不談論”。
Contraception has long been an overwhelmingly female issue.
長期以來，避孕一直是“當之無愧”的女性話題。
At least in part, that is because men have little to discuss.
在一定程度上，這是因為男性幾乎沒有什么可討論的。
Their choice is between condoms and vasectomy.
他們的選擇不是避孕套就是輸精管結扎術。
Women, by contrast, may pick from a range which includes the Pill, vaginal rings, copper intrauterine devices, hormonal intrauterine devices, contraceptive sponges, cervical caps, spermicides, diaphragms, female condoms and tubal ligation.
相比之下，女性的選擇包括避孕藥、陰道避孕環、銅質宮內節育器、含孕激素宮內節育器、避孕海綿、子宮帽、殺精劑、避孕膜、女用安全套和輸卵管結扎術。
For decades, therefore, researchers have hunted for ways to level the playing field by extending men's options.
因此，幾十年來，研究人員一直在尋找為男性提供更多選擇，以實現公平競爭的方法。
But none of the resulting injections, gels and hormonal pills has so far advanced beyond clinical trials.
但到目前為止，研究的所有注射類藥物、凝膠和荷爾蒙藥物都沒能通過臨床試驗。
Jochen Buck and Lonny Levin, who work at Weill Cornell Medicine, in New York, have now entered a new runner into the race.
約亨·巴克和朗尼·萊文在紐約威爾·康奈爾醫學院工作，現在，他們找到了一名新的參賽者。
Their candidate, rather than requiring the consistent and long-term application associated with pills and gels, is fast-acting and temporary.
這名參賽者不像藥丸和凝膠一樣提供長期持續性效果，而是迅速、短暫地起作用。
In a paper published in Nature Communications they show that, in mice at least, it works within half an hour, rendering the animals temporarily infertile by stopping their sperm swimming, but with no perceptible changes in their behaviour or sexual performance.
他們在發表于《自然-通訊》上的論文中表示，在小鼠身上進行試驗后發現，藥物在半小時內起效，通過阻止精子移動而使動物暫時不育，同時動物的行為或性表現沒有明顯的變化。
Importantly, within a day, their fertility returns.
重要的是，小鼠在一天之內就能恢復生育功能。
The substance concerned, TDI-11861, belongs to a class of molecules called soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC) inhibitors.
這種名為TDI-11861的物質屬于可溶性腺苷酸環化酶(sAC)抑制劑。
SAC itself is found in nearly every body cell.
sAC本身幾乎存在于所有的體細胞中。
It is a source of a messenger molecule called cAMP, and its activity is regulated by bicarbonate ions.
它是一種名為cAMP的信使分子的來源，其活動受到碳酸氫根離子的調節。
A preponderance of those ions speeds up the rate at which sAC produces camp.
大量離子能夠加快sAC產生cAMP的速度。
A dearth slows it down.
而離子的減少會減緩cAMP產生的速度。
