Hey there!

嘿，大家！

Welcome to Life Noggin.

歡迎來到 Life Noggin。

In the world of science, it's not just about coming up with the latest and greatest equation or piece of tech, but also making sure that it can indeed help the world.

在科學的世界裡，不是只有創造出最新最好的等式或是科技，而是也要確保它們真的可以幫助這個世界。

That's where the science of medicine comes in.

那正是藥物科學的起源。

Before a doctor can prescribe a drug or treatment, it has to be tested in clinical trials to verify it's both effective and safe for people to use.

在一位醫生可以開這個藥及治療前，它必須經過臨床檢測以證實它在人體使用上是有效且安全的。

So, just what is a clinical trial you might ask?

那究竟甚麼是臨床檢測呢？

Well, using volunteers or participants, a clinical trial is a research study that's meant to evaluate a new or existing medical, surgical, or behavioral intervention.

事實上，利用自願者或是參與者，臨床檢測是為了評估一個新的或是現存的有關醫療、外科手術或是行為介入事務而設計的一種研究計畫。

They let us see if a specific treatment, maybe a medical device like a pacemaker or a vaccine to prevent chicken pox is safe, effective, and if it has any bad side effects which are all very important!

它們讓我們知道一個特定的治療，也許是一種像心律調整器的醫療器材或是預防水痘的疫苗，是安全、有效的，及知道它是否有任何的反效果，這些都非常重要！

Because we are all different, drugs don't affect everyone the same way.

因為我們每個人都不一樣，藥物在每個人身上的作用也都不同。

Your sex, age, and ethnicity can play a significant role in certain health risks.

你的生理性別、年齡及種族在特定的健康風險中都扮演十分重要的角色。

For instance, according to the National Cancer Institute, the incidence and mortality rates of kidney cancer are twice as high in men as they are in women.

舉例來說，根據美國國家癌症研究所，男性罹患腎臟癌的發生率及致死率是女性患者的兩倍。

For most major cancers, black Americans have the highest mortality rate, while white women have the highest incidence rates for breast cancer and Asian Americans are the most likely to get liver and stomach cancers.

對於多數嚴重的癌症而言，美國黑人有最高的死亡率，而美國婦女有最高的乳癌罹患率，及亞裔美國人最有可能罹患肝癌和胃癌。

So, if you just conduct a clinical trial on one part of the population, you could be missing a lot!

所以，如果你只在部分人口執行臨床檢測，你可能錯過很多細節！

That's why it's very important for clinical trials and research to have diverse participants.

這就是為什麼臨床檢測和研究需要多樣化的受試者是非常重要的。

I mean, you should be testing whatever you're coming up with on the people it's meant to help.

我的意思是，不管你要測試的是甚麼，你必須盡可能地透過所有需要這個藥物或醫療器材的受試者去進行測試。

The FDA themselves even say that medical products are safer and more effective for all of us when we have diversity in our clinical research.

美國食品藥物管理局自己也說如果我們的臨床研究具有多樣性，那麼醫療產品對大家來說也會更安全和更有效。

That said, there are some legitimate concerns around clinical trials, mostly with people of color, and much of it traces back to the 40-year Tuskegee Study on the treatment of syphilis in black Americans.

不過話說回來，對於臨床試驗仍有許多正當的疑慮，大多與有色人種有關，許多疑慮可以追溯至為了治療美國黑人的梅毒所進行的四十年塔斯基吉梅毒實驗。

Back in 1932, this study involved 600 black men, 399 with syphilis, and 201 without it, who, in exchange for being a part of the study, were told they would get adequate treatment.

倒回 1932 年，這個研究包含 600 位黑人男子，其中 399 位患有梅毒，而 201 位沒有，這些受試者被告知他們的參與將使他們獲得適當的治療。

But that didn't happen.

但那並沒有發生。

Even when penicillin became the go-to treatment in 1947, researchers didn't offer it to the participants or give them a chance to quit the study, which lasted for another 25 years.

即使當盤尼西林在 1947 年變成萬靈丹時，研究者並沒有提供其受試者使用，也沒有給他們離開此研究的機會，反而更延長了另一個 25 年的計畫。

Many men died and some of their loved ones contracted the disease.

許多男性死亡且他們之中的一些愛人也感染了這個疾病。

Saying it went really bad is an understatement.

說它糟透了一點都不為過。

To prevent another study like Tuskegee, the government passed the National Research Act in 1974, which added many rules and regulations to protect participants and ensure every study meets a host of ethical standards before it's approved.

為了預防另一個像塔斯基吉梅毒實驗的研究發生，政府在 1974 年通過國家研究法案，增加了許多規定和限制，以保護參與者及確保每個研究在被認可前，都達到一定的倫理標準。

If you volunteer for a clinical trial today, rest assured, there's a whole network of Institutional Review Boards, or IRBs, that guarantee your safety and protection in the research.

今天如果你自願參與一個臨床試驗，請安心，有一個完整的倫理審查委員會體系，或又稱 IRBs，會確保你在研究中的安全及受到保護。

Despite this, the FDA reported in 2011 that African Americans represent 12 percent of the U.S. population, but still only 5 percent of clinical trial participants.

儘管如此，據美國食品藥物管理局報導，在 2011 年，非裔美國人佔了美國總人口的百分之十二，但仍只有百分之五有參與臨床試驗。

Hispanic and Latino Americans make up 16 percent of the U.S. population, but only about one percent participate in clinical trials.

西班牙裔美國人和拉丁裔美國人佔了美國總人口的百分之十六，但其中只有百分之一有參與臨床試驗。

It's all pretty clear, we need to accurately represent our populations.

這一切都十分清楚，我們需要精確地呈現我們的總人口。

The Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation makes strides toward this.

資訊及臨床研究受試者調查中心在這方面已獲得很大的進展。

It's a nonprofit organization that educates the public about the clinical research process, and also makes ongoing trials easier to locate so more people can volunteer.

它是一個教導大眾有關臨床研究過程的非營利組織，它也致力於讓不間斷的試驗更容易被定位以讓更多人自願參與。

Seems like a pretty smart mission.

感覺像是一個很聰明的任務。

Because if everyone participates in research studies and clinical trials, our medicines and treatments will be safer and more effective.

因為如果每個人都參與研究調查和臨床試驗，我們的藥物及治療將會更安全也更有效。

And that's not just a dream… it's science.

而那不只是一個夢，那是科學。

So would you ever sign up for a clinical trial?

所以你會願意報名參加臨床測試嗎？

Have you participated in one in the past?

你過去曾經參與過嗎？

Let me know in the comment section below, or tell me, what should we talk about next?

在下方的留言區告訴我，或是告訴我，我們下次該談些甚麼好呢？

Down in the description we have a very quick survey about this clinical trials video.

在下方的描述中，我們有一個關於這支臨床測試影片的快速調查。

It would really help us if you let us know your thoughts.

如果你讓我們知道你的想法，將會對我們有很大的幫助。

Check it out before you go.

在你離開前去看看吧！

As always my name is Blocko, this has been Life Noggin, don't forget to keep on thinking!

一如以往地，我叫 Blocko，這是 Life Noggin，別忘了持續思考！