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Herbal extract may help treat bladder infections
Combined with antibiotics, forskolin helps wipe out tough bacteria in mice
草药提取物有助于治疗膀胱感染
结合使用抗生素、forskolin可清除小鼠体内的难治性病菌
Updated: 3:08 p.m. ET April 8, 2007
WASHINGTON - An herbal extract that is sold in health food stores and promoted as an allergy and fat loss aid may improve treatment of bladder infections when it is taken with antibiotics, research suggests.
更新时间：2007年4月8日下午3：08
华盛顿——研究表明：一种健康食品店销售的用来防止过敏和减肥的草药提取物结合抗生素服用，可能有助于治疗膀胱感染。
Some 90 percent of bladder infections are caused by E. coli bacteria. They affect women four times more often than men, sometimes recurring over and over.
大约90％的膀胱感染是由大肠杆菌引起的。女性被感染几率数倍于男性，并且呈经常性反复发作。
The bladder is lined with small pouches that allow it to stretch as it fills. Researchers at Duke University reported in Sunday's online edition of Nature Medicine that some bacteria were able to hide in those pouches, escaping the antibiotics used to treat the infection.
膀胱两侧布满小囊，使得膀胱可以充盈伸展。杜克大学的研究者周日在《自然医学》上发表了网络版报告，认为一些细菌隐藏在这些小囊内，从而逃过了治疗感染的抗生素的杀菌作用。
In tests in mice, the extract forskolin can cause the pouches to kick out the bacteria, allowing antibiotics to kill them, said the lead researcher, microbiologist Soman N. Abraham. Forskolin is derived from the Indian coleus plant.
首席研究者、微生物学家Soman N. Abraham说，小鼠实验证明forskolin提取物能够从小囊中清理出细菌以便抗生物杀菌。Forskolin是提取自印度的薄荷植物。
"If we combine this with antibiotics we would be in a very good position to eradicate urinary tract infection," he said in a telephone interview.
他在电话采访中表示：“如果我们结合使用forskolin与抗生素，这会非常有利于我们根除尿道感染。”
In the experiments, forskolin was injected into some mice and placed directly into the bladders in others, Abraham said.
Abraham说，在这些实验中，forskolin被注射入一些小鼠体内，其余的小鼠则被直接注射入膀胱内。
The extract is available in health food stores and some people take it by mouth as a supplement, he said. It is promoted as a treatment for allergies, breathing problems and even fat loss.
他说，这种提取物在健康食品店有售，被一些人作为补品食用。它被用作治疗过敏、呼吸疾病甚至减肥。
That availability does "absolutely not" mean people should attempt to treat themselves for bladder infections, Abraham said.
Abraham说，人们很容易买到这种提取物，绝对不是意味着人们应当试图自己治疗膀胱感染。
See your doctor first
Urinary tract infections must be treated with antibiotics because they can quickly spread to the kidneys, so infected people needed to see their doctor, he said. But the fact that forskolin is being used by some people does help indicate it is safe, he said.
首先去看医生
他说，由于尿道感染可能很快扩散到肾，尿道感染者需要获得抗生物治疗，因此感染者被要求去医院治疗。但实际上一些人服用forskolin的确说明了其安全性。
Abraham said the next step for the researchers is to experiment in larger animals to see if they can completely eliminate a bladder infection.
Abraham说，研究者下一步是进行大规模动物实验以观察他们是否可以完全消除膀胱感染。
"If we can show an impact in combination with antibiotics it should not be too long before we can go to clinical trials" in people, he said.
“如果我们能够证明联合抗生物的有效性，那么不久以后我们就能进入临床实验。”他说。
Extracts from the Indian coleus were used in ancient Asia to treat a variety of diseases including urinary tract infections, Abraham said. "So, we have come full circle," he said.
Abraham这种印度薄荷提取物在古印度被用来治疗包括尿道感染在内许多疾病。“因此，我们再一次回到了起点。”
Walter Hopkins, a scientist in the Division of Urology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, said the research shows "forskolin may provide a means to interrupt the infection-reinfection cycle" and lead to a quicker resolution of the illness.
Walter Hopkins是威斯康星州大学医学与公共健康学院泌尿学系的科学家，说这项研究表明forskolin提供一个打破感染－再感染怪圈的方法，并且提供了比较快速治疗疾病的解决办法。
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"If these results could be duplicated in human studies, forskolin could offer a new treatment option for recurrent" urinary tract infection said Hopkins, who was not part of the research team.
“如果人体实验能够重复这些结果，forskolin可能为反复性尿道感染提供一种新的治疗选项。” Hopkins，一位非研究团队人士如此说道。
Dr. Gregor Reid of the Lawson Health Research Institute in London, Ontario, said the research was interesting.
安大略州伦敦市劳森健康研究所的Gregor Reid博士说这项研究非常有趣。
"In some patients, such augmentation may be beneficial. Once human studies are done, we'll have a better idea," he said. "For now, this concept is a long way from being used in patients," said Reid, who was not part of the research team.
“在一些病人体内，补充此类物质可以是有益的。一旦开始人体研究，我们将会有更好的想法。”他说。“目前这还是个概念，离在病人身上使用还有很长的路要走。”非研究团队人士Reid说道。
The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health.
这项研究是由国家卫生研究所资助进行的。
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
版权2007 美联社。保留所有权力。文章禁止印刷、传播、复写或散播。
forskolin: 佛司可林，又称毛喉素，是从印度唇形科植物毛喉鞘蕊花(Coleus Forskohlii(Willd.)Briq.)中提取的有效成分，属于二萜类。历史上用来治疗烧伤, 湿疹和皮肤感染, 口服作为强心剂。现代药理研究表明，佛司可林是腺苷酸环化酶激动剂。
目前国内对该类成分也有所研究。
