Sure, it's still a thing out there you can catch, but most people seem tired of hearing about it.

確實，新冠肺炎仍然存在，你仍然可能被它感染，但大多數人似乎已經厭倦了聽到關於它的消息。

But not only is COVID not going anywhere – for some people, infection is followed by a protracted, debilitating condition known informally as long COVID.

然而，新冠肺炎不僅沒有消失，對於一些人來說，感染後可能出現長期、令人虛弱的病情，俗稱為長新冠。

The good news is that scientists are hard at work on solving that.

好消息是，科學家正在努力解決這個問題。

And while we don't know what causes long COVID yet, we're getting closer to understanding what's involved, which points at ways to treat it.

雖然我們還不知道是什麼原因導致長新冠，但我們正逐漸接近了解其中的相關因素，這指向了治療長新冠的方法。

Today, let's talk about one area where we've made some progress.

今天，讓我們來談談我們在某個領域取得的一些進展。

And it has to do with sticky notes on your DNA.

這跟標記你的 DNA 有關。

Symptoms of long COVID vary dramatically between individuals, but depending on who you ask,

長新冠的症狀因人而異，不同個體之間存在巨大差異，但根據不同的定義，

it's defined as experiencing signs of illness somewhere between 4 weeks and 3 months following infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

它被定義為在感染 SARS-CoV-2 病毒後的四週至三個月之間出現疾病症狀。

These effects can be devastating, and have dramatic effects on a patient's quality of life, including their ability to work.

這些影響的破壞力可能很強，對患者的生活品質產生巨大的影響，包括他們的工作能力。

Now, there is a flurry of interest in this topic – which is great!

現在，人們對這個話題興趣盎然，這是非常好的！

And you can find scientists looking at everything from the heart to the brain to the lungs to the everywhere.

科學家正在研究各個層面，從心臟到大腦，再到肺部，各個地方。

But a few research groups are thinking smaller.

但有幾個研究小組正在考慮縮小調查規模。

Way smaller, down to the fine print and the genes that dictate our response to infection.

縮小非常多，小至調查包括細微的細節和決定我們對感染作出反應的基因。

While most every cell in your body has the same sequence of DNA in its nucleus, there are a lot of ways for the cell to decide what genes to use when.

雖然你身體裡的大多數細胞都是在其細胞核內有相同的DNA序列、 有很多方法可以讓細胞 來決定什麼時候使用什麼基因。

They don't all get used the same amount, or at the same rate.

它們的使用量不盡相同，也不盡相同。

Think of it like a textbook that you don't read cover to cover.

把它想象成一本你沒有從頭到尾閱讀的教科書。

You're probably going to reference some important sections more often, and skip over others that are less relevant to you.

你可能要更經常地參考一些重要的章節、並跳過其他與你不太相關的內容。

You might even use sticky notes to mark a page you want to come back to often.

你甚至可以使用粘性紙條來標記一個你想經常回來的頁面。

Well, cells have their own version of sticky notes in their genetic libraries.

好吧，細胞的基因庫裡有它們自己版本的便籤。

Genes may get marked up with tags that tell the cell's machinery to use that gene more or less often.

基因可能被打上標籤它告訴細胞的機器要更多或更少地使用該基因。

This is the basis for the science of epigenetics a way for the cell to modulate genetic information without changing the sequence of DNA.

這就是表觀遺傳學科學的基礎細胞調控遺傳信息的一種方式 而不改變DNA的序列。

The kind of epigenetic sticky note we're going to be talking about is called DNA methylation.

那種表觀遺傳學的貼紙我們將要討論的問題叫做DNA甲基化。

The best-understood version of methylation usually adds a tag to quiet the gene down, causing it to be read out less often than it would otherwise.

對甲基化理解得最透徹的版本通常會添加一個標籤，讓基因安靜下來、 導致它被讀出的次數比其他情況下少。

And we have good reason to think the virus that causes COVID-19 may affect epigenetic signals in our cells.

而且我們有充分的理由認為導致COVID-19的病毒 可能會影響我們細胞中的表觀遺傳信號。

Back in 2017, before anyone had ever heard the word “COVID”, researchers were looking into the epigenetic effects of SARS and MERS infections, which are both coronaviruses, like SARS-CoV-2.

早在2017年、在任何人都沒有聽說過 "COVID "這個詞之前、 研究人員正在研究SARS和MERS感染的表觀遺傳效應、 這兩種病毒都是冠狀病毒、 如SARS-CoV-2。

It's unlikely that the virus is moving genetic sticky notes itself Rather, the thinking seems to be that our own bodies produce more or less of the products of certain genes to make infection less severe.

病毒本身不太可能移動遺傳性便條相反，這種想法似乎是 我們自己的身體或多或少會產生一些 某些基因的產物的 以使感染不那麼嚴重。

In long COVID, research is starting to suggest that the changes to these signals persist when the body should have scaled them back after infection.

在長的COVID、研究開始表明 這些信號的變化持續存在 當身體在感染後應該將它們縮減。

And here's the thing – we can read these epigenetic signals.

而事情是這樣的--我們可以讀取這些表觀遺傳信號。

So if we can identify genes whose signals are consistently changed in patients with long COVID,

是以，如果我們能夠識別出那些信號在長線COVID患者中持續改變、

we might be able to both diagnose long COVID more easily, and shake those genes down for answers about how to treat those patients.

我們也許能夠更容易地診斷出長的COVID、並將這些基因搖身一變 以尋求關於如何治療這些病人的答案。

A research group based in Sweden has studied DNA methylation in the blood cells of patients with long COVID.

設在瑞典的一個研究小組已經研究了DNA甲基化問題 在長COVID患者的血細胞中。

In the study, published in the journal Clinical Epigenetics in 2022.

在2022年發表於《臨床表觀遺傳學》雜誌的這項研究中。

they found several genes and groups of genes with changes in their methylation after infection.

他們發現了幾個基因和基因組感染後其甲基化的變化。

These included some seriously tantalizing hits: genes involved in regulating ACE2, the now-famous protein that the SARS-CoV-2 virus uses to invade cells.

這些包括一些嚴重誘人的打擊：參與調控ACE2的基因、 現在著名的蛋白質 證實了SARS-CoV-2病毒 用來入侵細胞。

Some genes were also involved in histamine signaling, which lines up with the evidence that some antihistamine medications can benefit long COVID patients.

一些基因也參與了組胺信號的傳遞、這與證據相吻合 一些抗組胺藥物 可以使長COVID患者受益。

Most intriguing, some of these methylated genes were related to taste and smell, which makes sense given that one of COVID's signature symptoms is loss of those senses.

最耐人尋味的是、其中一些甲基化的基因 與味覺和嗅覺有關、 這是有道理的，因為 COVID的標誌性症狀之一是 是失去了這些感覺。

Before we get too excited, though, this was a small study with only 10 long COVID patients.

不過，在我們過於興奮之前、這是一項小規模的研究，只有10名長COVID患者。

So while it isn't as robust as we would like, that's unfortunately the case for a lot of COVID-related research because it's just so new.

是以，雖然它並不像我們希望的那樣強大、不幸的是，許多與COVID有關的研究都是如此。 因為它實在是太新了。

Another research group, this one based in the US, looked at patients recovering from COVID in a pair of papers between 2021 and 2022.

另一個研究小組、這個是在美國的、 觀察了從COVID恢復的病人 在2021年和2022年之間的一對文件中。

They had a total of 102 participants with COVID in their first study, and followed up one year later with 15 of them who reported symptoms of long COVID.

他們總共有102名參與者在他們的第一次研究中使用了COVID、 並在一年後對其中的15人進行了跟蹤調查 報告長COVID症狀的人。

They also found changes in DNA methylation that persisted after infection…

他們還發現了DNA甲基化的變化感染後持續存在的...

but in pretty much totally different genes than the Swedish study identified.

但與瑞典的研究確定的基因完全不同。

Their previous study had found about 1500 genes whose methylation status changed during acute COVID-19 infection.

他們之前的研究發現了大約1500個基因其甲基化狀態發生變化 在急性COVID-19感染期間。

Of those, 71 remained altered a year later.

其中，71人在一年後仍被改變。

Broadly speaking, those genes tended to be related to inflammation and response to infection.

廣義上講，這些基因往往與對發炎和感染的反應。

Basically, a totally different group of genes than what the Swedish team found, although at least some of those genes had similar functions.

基本上是完全不同的一組基因比瑞典團隊所發現的要好、 儘管這些基因中至少有一些具有類似的功能。

Unfortunately, not all of the studies on methylation and long COVID

不幸的是、並非所有關於甲基化和長COVID的研究都是如此。

have supported a connection between them.

已經支持了它們之間的聯繫。第三項研究發現在甲基化方面沒有差異

A third study found no difference in methylation between people with long COVID and people in remission.

患有長期COVID的人和處於緩解期的人之間。

These studies were all on the smaller side, with tons of differences between the patients who participated in them.

這些研究都是偏小的、患者之間有大量的差異 參加這些活動的人。

But just for fun, let's revisit a few of the methylated genes that those studies did find.

但只是為了好玩、讓我們重新審視一下幾個甲基化的基因 這些研究確實發現了這一點。

Because they do all seem relevant to long COVID if larger studies can validate their involvement.

因為它們似乎都與長期的COVID有關如果更大的研究能夠驗證他們的參與。

For example, the US-based group says that the pattern of gene expression they found could help to explain the increase in cardiovascular events that follows COVID-19.

例如，總部設在美國的集團表示，他們發現的基因表達模式 這可能有助於解釋增加的 在COVID-19之後的心血管事件中。

And the Swedish group identified genes related to ACE2, which interestingly lines up with an idea out there that patients develop antibodies to their own ACE2 after infection, which might contribute to inflammation occurring in long COVID.

而瑞典小組確定了與ACE2有關的基因、有趣的是，這與外面的一個想法相一致 患者會產生抗體 感染後對自己的ACE2、 這可能有助於在長COVID中發生的發炎。

Even more interestingly, this group also noticed that their patients had some similar self-antibodies floating around to patients with MECFS – what you might know as chronic fatigue syndrome.

更有趣的是，這個小組還注意到他們的病人有一些類似的自我抗體浮動 圍繞著MECFS的病人 - 你可能知道的是慢性疲勞綜合徵。

And they noticed epigenetic changes to those self-antibody receptors as well.

而且他們注意到這些自我抗體受體的表觀遺傳變化。

I don't want to get too excited about such a small study, but the evidence for a link between long COVID and chronic fatigue syndrome is piling up everywhere you look.

我不想對這樣一個小的研究過於激動、但有證據表明，長的COVID之間有聯繫。 和慢性疲勞綜合徵 在你所看到的任何地方都堆積如山。

And what's better than understanding one disease?

而有什麼比了解一種疾病更好呢？

Understanding two.

瞭解二。

So while it's early days for this research, there's a lot going on in the world of COVID-19 epigenetic studies, and studies of COVID-19 in general.

是以，雖然這項研究還處於早期階段、在COVID-19表觀遺傳學研究的世界裡，有很多事情正在進行、 以及對COVID-19的一般研究。

But as we discover more about how this spiky little virus is messing with our sticky notes,

但隨著我們對這種帶刺的小病毒的發現越來越多是搞亂了我們的便條、

we can hopefully find ways to get our DNA textbooks back in order.

我們希望能找到辦法讓我們的DNA教科書恢復正常。

Which is something that's worth learning, even if you're tired of hearing about COVID.

這是值得學習的事情、即使你聽膩了關於COVID的說法。

This video was made possible thanks to our supporters on Patreon.

這段視頻是由感謝我們在Patreon上的支持者。

Our patrons allow us to cover topics like COVID-19, which take way more time and research than regular videos in order for us to bring you the most accurate information possible.

我們的贊助人允許我們報道COVID-19這樣的主題、這需要更多的時間和研究 比起普通視頻 為了使我們能給你帶來最準確的資訊。

Not only do our Patreon supporters make these videos possible, they also get access to tons of neat perks from names in the video credits to Patreon-exclusive content,

不僅是我們的Patreon支持者使這些視頻成為可能、他們還可以獲得大量整潔的福利待遇 從視頻字幕中的名字到PATREON的獨家內容、

like bonus monthly podcasts and a private Discord server.

比如每月獎勵的播客和一個私人Discord服務器。

If you're interested in joining the community of SciShow patrons, head over to patreon.com/scishow to learn more.

如果你有興趣加入SciShow的贊助人社區、 請到patreon.com/scishow去。 以瞭解更多資訊。

And, thanks for watching.

而且，感謝您的觀看。[OUTRO]