新科技 Wifi信號能治病

Researchers have developed a method to activate electronic implants in the body and eliminate bacterial infections using a wireless signal.
研究者已經開發了一種運用無線信號激活人體中電子植入物來消除細菌感染的方法。

When triggered by remote technology, the gadget delivers heat to infected tissue.
當通過遠程技術觸發時，那個小裝置就向被感染的組織傳遞熱量。

And it could lead to technologies that enable drugs and treatment to be delivered to patients at the press of a button.
一旦按下按鈕，它就能夠通向保證藥物和治療傳遞給病人的技術。

The technology was developed by researchers at Tufts University in Massachusetts and the University of Illinois.
這種技術是由美國馬薩諸塞州的塔夫茨大學和伊利諾斯大學的研究者開發的。

Mice were given electronic implants that, when a signal was sent, heated up to treat tissue that was infected with staphylococcus, or staph, which can cause minor skin abscesses or life-threatening infections of the blood.
當信號發出，小白鼠體內的電子植入物就通過加熱來治療被葡萄球菌感染的組織，這種被感染的組織可能會引發輕微的皮膚膿腫或者威脅生命的血液感染。

Tissues collected from the mice 24 hours after treatment showed no sign of the infection, while the device dissolved in 15 days, proving it can not only treat infections but also be disposed of easily.
在治療之後24小時內從小白鼠身上收集到的組織已經沒有感染的跡象了。這個裝置在15天內自動降解，這也證明它不僅能夠治療感染，同時也是很容易處理的。

The research, which also eliminated E. coli bacteria, was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
這個同時也消除了大腸桿菌的研究被髮表在美國國家科學院的會刊上。

Each device, made of silk and magnesium, harmlessly dissolved in the animals after the tests.
每個設備都是由絲和鎂製成，在實驗結束後會自動降解，對動物的身體沒有傷害。

The heating device in the implants has a resistor and power-receiving coil made of magnesium, and the magnesium is wrapped in 'packet' of silk, keeping it safe and controlling its dissolution time.
植入物中的加熱設備有一個電阻器和一個電力接收線圈，線圈是由鎂製成的，而鎂的外表又包裹了一層絲，這樣既保證了安全又控制了其降解的時間。

The ability of the device to dissolve is important, as it means such implants would not need to be removed.
這個裝置的自動降解能力是十分重要的，因爲這意味着這種植入物不會再需要另外移除。

Implantable medical devices normally use non-degradable materials that have limited operational lifetimes and must eventually be removed or replaced.
植入式醫療設備通常使用的都是不可降解的材料，它們的的使用壽命有限，而且最終必須移除或者重置。

But these new wireless therapy devices can handle the surgical process, and can then dissolve in minutes or weeks, depending on the time needed.
但是這些新式的無線治療設備可以處理手術過程，而且能夠根據需求時間在幾分鐘或者幾周內自動降解。

"This is an important demonstration step forward for the development of on-demand medical devices that can be turned on remotely to perform a therapeutic function in a patient and then safely disappear after their use, requiring no retrieval," said senior author Fiorenzo Omenetto, professor of biomedical engineering at Tufts School of Engineering.
資深作家菲奧倫佐·澳門託——塔夫茨大學工程學院生物醫學工程的教授說道：“對於需求式醫療設備的發展，這是重要的一步進展。需求式醫療設備能夠在病人身上遠程操作治療功能，而且治療完成後能夠安全降解，不需要再取出來。”

"These wireless strategies could help manage post-surgical infection, for example, or pave the way for eventual Wi-Fi drug delivery."
“比如，這些無線戰略可有助於處理術後感染或者爲最終的無線藥物傳輸鋪平道路”。