特定基因型的糖尿病患者：VE降低心脏事件

Vitamin E can significantly reduce risk of heart attacks for diabetics with certain gene variant
V-E可以减少特定基因型糖尿病患者的心脏病发作
Vitamin E supplements can significantly reduce the risk of heart attacks and related deaths for diabetics who carry a particular version of a gene, according to researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and the Clalit Health Services in Israel.
Technion-Israel技术学院和以色列Clalit健康服务机构的研究人员声称，补充维生素E可以显著降低携带某特定基因型糖尿病患者的心脏病发作风险，并减少相应的死亡事件。
After 18 months of treatment, people with the haptoglobin (Hp) 2-2 gene who took 400 International Units (IU) of vitamin E daily had more than 50 percent fewer heart attacks, strokes, and related deaths than Hp 2-2 patients who took a placebo pill. 40% of individuals with diabetes carry the Hp 2-2 gene.
接受了18个月的治疗后，每日服用400国际单位（IU）V-E的结合珠蛋白（Hp）2-2基因携带者与服用安慰剂的HP 2-2基因携带者相比，心脏病发作率、卒中及相应的死亡率大约降低了50%。而40%的糖尿病患者携带有HP 2-2基因。
The researchers will present the results on November 5 at the American Heart Meetings in Orlando, Florida. The full study will appear in the November 21 online edition of the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.
研究人员将在于11月5日佛罗里达奥兰多举行的美国心脏学会上公布这一结果。这项研究的全文将于11月21日，在《动脉硬化血栓血管生物学》杂志网络版上发表。
Most of the difference came from the reduced number of heart attacks among those taking vitamin E. In the group of 1,434 Hp 2-2 individuals taking part in the study, seven people had a heart attack, compared to 17 who did not take the vitamin. Dr. Andrew Levy, of the Technion Faculty of Medicine, said there were no side effects observed in patients who took vitamin E.
这项研究中2组患者之间最大的差别，在于服用V-E的患者心脏病发作数量的降低。在参与研究的1434名HP 2-2携带者中，服用V-E的患者有七名出现心脏病发作，而对照组有17名患者出现。Technion医学院的 Andrew Levy博士说，在服用V-E的患者中未发现有副作用。
The study suggests that genetic testing for the Hp 2-2 gene \"may be useful to identify a large group of diabetes individuals who could potentially derive cardiovascular benefit from a very inexpensive treatment,\" Levy said.
Levy还说，这项研究表明HP2-2的基因学检测“对于鉴别这些患者，并使这些患者能够通过一种廉价的治疗获得潜在的心血管受益，将有所帮助。”
The finding is a new answer to an old question: can antioxidant vitamins such as vitamin E help prevent heart disease? Previously, cardiologists routinely prescribed vitamin E for their patients, but the practice has dwindled as several major studies in the past decade showed no heart-protective effects and potential harm from vitamin E mega-doses.
同时，这项发现也是对一个老问题的新回答，即像V-E这样的抗氧化维生素能否对避免心脏病提供帮助。以前，心脏病学家给病人们常规开V-E，但是由于在过去的几十年中，几项主要的研究表明V-E并没有没有心脏保护功能，而且大剂量服用还会有潜在的危害，所以，常规使用V-E的做法越来越少见了。
However, Levy and colleagues suspected that there might be one group of patients who could benefit from vitamin E: diabetic individuals with a particular variant of the haptoglobin gene. Haptoglobin is a powerful antioxidant protein that stabilizes the iron-rich red blood cell molecule called hemoglobin, preventing inflammation in the walls of arteries.
然而，Levy和他的同事们怀疑可能有一类病人能够从服用V-E中获益，这就是携带一种特定基因型结合珠蛋白基因的糖尿病患者。结合珠蛋白，是一种强力的抗氧化蛋白，它能够稳定富铁红细胞分子（也叫做血红蛋白），并避免动脉壁炎症反应。
There are several versions of the haptoglobin gene. In previous studies, Levy and colleagues showed that Hp 2-2 is an inferior antioxidant compared to its genetic siblings, and that this difference is exaggerated in patients with diabetes. The researchers also discovered that diabetic patients with Hp 2-2 are two-to-three times more likely than other diabetics to suffer a cardiovascular event such as a heart attack.
结合珠蛋白有几种基因型。在之前的研究中，Levy和他的同事发现，HP2-2与其他的基因型相比，具有较弱的抗氧化作用，并且这种强弱的差别在糖尿病患者更加显著。而且，研究人员还发现，与其他糖尿病患者相比，携带HP2-2基因的糖尿病患者发生心血管事件，例如心脏病发作，的几率大约高2-3倍。
\"This version of the gene does not determine whether or not an individual will develop diabetes but rather whether an individual with diabetes is susceptible to developing the devastating complications associated with diabetes such as heart disease, kidney disease or visual loss,\" Levy noted.
Levy指出：“这种基因型，并不能决定个体是否会发展为糖尿病，但它缺决定一个糖尿病患者是否易患与糖尿病有关的严重并发症，例如心脏病发作，肾脏疾病或者视力损失。”
A genetic test for Hp 2-2 is commercially available, said Levy, who is also a consultant for Synvista Therapeutics, which owns a patent on the use of Hp testing to predict diabetic complications.
作为Synvista Therapeutics顾问的Levy还表示，HP 2-2的基因检测商业上是可行的。这家公司拥有使用HP检测预测糖尿病并发症的专利权。
By making a kit, the group hopes to considerably lower the price of testing. According to Levy, the test would cost about $30 and only have to be done only once.
这一团体希望通过制造一种试剂盒来显著降低检测的费用。据Levy表示，这项检测可能只花费大约30美元，并且只需进行一次。
The Technion-Israel Institute of Technology is Israel's leading science and technology university. Home to the country's winners of the Nobel Prize in science, it commands a worldwide reputation for its pioneering work in nanotechnology, computer science, biotechnology, water-resource management, materials engineering, aerospace and medicine. The majority of the founders and managers of Israel's high-tech companies are alumni. Based in New York City, the American Technion Society (ATS) is the leading American organization supporting higher education in Israel, with 21 offices around the country.
Technion-Israel技术学院是以色列顶尖的科学技术大学。作为以色列科学诺贝尔奖得主的摇篮，这所大学在纳米技术、计算机科学、生物技术、水资源管理、材料工程、航空和医学领域拥有先进的成果，并在全球享有盛誉。以色列众多高科技公司的创立者管理着都是该校校友。而美国Technion协会（ATS）是支持以色列高等教育的主要美国机构，它在全美拥有21家办公室，以纽约为基地。