第2882期:Child diabetes discovery could lead to drug breakthrough

Children, particularly those under the age of seven, seem to develop more aggressive type 1 diabetes than those diagnosed later in life. Researchers at the University of Exeter studied pancreas samples from 250 donors, allowing them to see how the beta cells which produce the hormone insulin formed normally and in type 1.儿童，尤其是七岁以下的儿童，似乎比在年龄更大时诊断出的人 1 型糖尿病发展得更凶猛。埃克塞特大学的研究人员仔细研究了来自 250 名捐赠者的胰腺样本，这让他们得以一窥产生胰岛素这种激素的胰岛 β 细胞在正常人的胰腺和 1 型糖尿病患者的胰腺中形成方式的区别。They showed early in life the beta cells live in small clusters which are easy for the immune system to pick off and destroy. The researchers say it's a really significant finding and that the future was looking much brighter with drugs that can slow the immune system's attack.这些样本显示出在生命早期胰岛 β 细胞会以小团的形式存在，这让免疫系统能够轻易地识别并破坏它们。研究人员称这项发现意义重大，它为糖尿病治疗的未来带来了希望，因为将会有可以减缓免疫系统攻击的药物。