The real beauty of inhalers is how they get these medications into your lungs. They work by suspending, or aerosolizing, medications into the air to be easily inhaled. Each type of inhaler does this in a slightly different way.吸入器真正的妙处在于，它能将药物高效地送入肺部。它的原理是将药物悬浮在空气中，或将其雾化成可吸入的微粒。而不同类型的吸入器实现这一过程的方式略有不同。Dry powder inhalers require a person to breathe in to aerosolize a powder medication.干粉吸入器需要使用者主动吸气，使粉末状药物被雾化并吸入肺部。Nebulizers, on the other hand, use either ultrasonic vibrations or compressed air to turn liquid medication into a mist.雾化器则利用超声波震动或压缩空气，将液态药物转化成细微的雾状颗粒。The pressurized metered-dose inhaler works a lot like hairspray. This medicine is dissolved in a fluid called a propellant, and it's under high pressure. This causes the fluid and medication mixture to shoot out in a fast-moving mist.加压定量吸入器（MDI）的工作方式与喷发胶非常相似。药物被溶解在一种称为推进剂的液体中，并处于高压状态。当按下装置时，药液与药物的混合物会以高速喷出，形成可吸入的雾气。But this mist can sometimes be hard to coordinate with breathing. So there’s one more device, called a soft mist inhaler, that administers doses at lower speeds, without the use of a propellant.不过，这种喷雾有时需要与呼吸动作配合，操作并不总是容易。因此，又出现了一种称为“软雾吸入器”的装置，它不使用推进剂，而是以较低速度释放药物，使吸入更加平稳自然。Asthma and COPD each affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide each year. But thanks to inhalers, what once kept Proust confined to a cork-lined room, can now be treated in a few short puffs.哮喘和COPD每年都影响着全球数以亿计的人口。但多亏了吸入器，这种曾让普鲁斯特困于软木包裹房间、饱受折磨的疾病，如今只需几次轻轻吸入，就能得到有效控制。
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第2809期:How exactly do inhalers work?(3)
In chronic bronchitis, the airway’s lining is inflamed and produces more mucus to trap incoming smoke or dust particles. And the little hairs lining the airways that normally help push the mucus out are often damaged, so the mucus gets stuck. During a COPD attack, rescue inhalers open the airways, just as they do for asthma.在慢性支气管炎中，气道的内壁会发炎，并分泌出更多的黏液来捕捉进入的烟雾或灰尘颗粒。而那些原本排列在气道上的微小毛发（纤毛），通常负责将黏液向外排出，却常常受到损伤，导致黏液堆积无法排出。当COPD（慢阻肺）发作时，急救型吸入器可以像治疗哮喘一样，帮助打开气道。Preventative inhalers are used daily to stop asthma and COPD symptoms before they even start. They often contain both a corticosteroid, which reduces inflammation, and a long-acting bronchodilator.预防型吸入器则是每天使用，用来在哮喘或COPD症状出现之前就加以控制。它们通常同时含有糖皮质激素（可减少炎症）和长效支气管扩张剂。In fact, one class of bronchodilators for patients with COPD is related to the compounds in thorn apples. These drugs block signals from the nerves that tell the airway muscles to contract. Those same nerve signals are thought to be responsible for increasing mucus in the lungs, so these drugs may help clear the airways as well.事实上，用于治疗COPD患者的一类支气管扩张剂，其化学成分与曼陀罗中的化合物有关。这类药物通过阻断神经向气道肌肉发出的收缩信号来起作用。而这些神经信号也被认为会促进肺部黏液的增加，因此这种药物可能还能帮助清除气道。
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第2808期:How exactly do inhalers work?(2)
So how do they work? When you take a breath, air travels through your lungs using tubes called airways, or bronchi. The airways funnel to sacs, called alveoli, where your red blood cells absorb all the oxygen your body needs.那么，它们是如何起作用的呢？当你吸气时，空气通过称为气道或支气管的管道进入肺部。气道最终通向被称为肺泡的气囊，红血球就在这里吸收身体所需的全部氧气。But if you have asthma, the muscles around your airways may tighten, the lining of your airways may get inflamed, and your lungs may make too much of the mucus they use to trap dust and germs. Essentially, this clogs the pipes and makes it difficult to exhale.但如果你患有哮喘，气道周围的肌肉可能会收缩，气道内壁可能发炎，而肺部可能会产生过多的黏液——这种黏液原本用于捕捉灰尘和病菌。结果就像管道被堵住一样，使呼气变得困难。Rescue inhalers deliver a medication called a bronchodilator that quickly relaxes these muscles, making it easier to breathe. These bronchodilators are short acting, lasting around four hours.急救型吸入器会输送一种名为“支气管扩张剂”的药物，它能迅速放松这些肌肉，使呼吸变得顺畅。这类支气管扩张剂属于短效药物，作用时间大约为四小时。Rescue inhalers can be used for COPD, too. COPD is a catch-all term to describe the most common breathing conditions, like emphysema and chronic bronchitis, which people often have at the same time.急救型吸入器同样可以用于治疗慢性阻塞性肺病（COPD）。COPD 是一个总称，用来描述最常见的呼吸系统疾病，如肺气肿和慢性支气管炎，这两种疾病往往会同时出现。In emphysema, repeated exposure to smoke or irritating particles breaks the inner walls of the alveoli. Because there's less surface area for blood and oxygen to interact, less oxygen makes its way to your bloodstream, causing you to constantly feel out of breath.在肺气肿中，长期接触烟雾或刺激性颗粒会破坏肺泡的内壁。由于血液与氧气交换的表面积减少，进入血液的氧气也随之减少，因此患者会持续感到呼吸困难。
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第2807期:How exactly do inhalers work?(1)
Early 20th century writer, Marcel Proust, finished his magnum opus “In Search of Lost Time” from bed— in a cork-lined room to keep allergens out. Proust suffered from severe asthma. At the time, there weren’t great treatments. When breathlessness set in, he’d burn powders that filled the space with smoke and fumes. Or, for a quick fix, he’d smoke a doctor-recommended anti-asthma cigarette. These powders and cigarettes commonly contained thorn apple, which can open your airways. However, both were clearly terrible ideas. Smoking and fumes bring damaging, carcinogenic toxins into your lungs.二十世纪初的作家马塞尔·普鲁斯特，在床上完成了他的鸿篇巨著《追忆似水年华》——他住在一个用软木塞包裹的房间里，以隔绝过敏原。普鲁斯特患有严重的哮喘，而当时并没有有效的治疗方法。当他呼吸困难时，会燃烧一些粉末，使房间充满烟雾和气味；或者，为了快速缓解，他会抽医生推荐的“抗哮喘香烟”。这些粉末和香烟通常含有曼陀罗成分，可以帮助打开气道。然而，这两种做法显然都是糟糕的主意——吸入烟雾会把有害的致癌毒素带入肺部。Thankfully, today we have inhalers— simple but powerful devices that deliver lung medications straight to the source and without the nasty side effects of smoke inhalation.幸运的是，如今我们有了吸入器——这种简单而强大的装置能将药物直接输送到肺部病灶处，而不会产生吸入烟雾带来的副作用。Inhalers are mainly used to treat two conditions: asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. And there are two main types: preventative inhalers and rescue inhalers. Preventative inhalers can be used every day to control symptoms. There are also rescue inhalers, which are great in an emergency, but using them regularly can be dangerous.吸入器主要用于治疗两种疾病：哮喘和慢性阻塞性肺病（COPD）。吸入器分为两大类：预防型吸入器和急救型吸入器。预防型吸入器可以每天使用，以控制症状；而急救型吸入器在紧急情况下非常有用，但若经常依赖使用则可能带来危险。
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第2806期:Energy drinks to be banned for under-16s in England
The major supermarkets have imposed their own voluntary ban on selling high-caffeine drinks to the under-16s, but this isn't the case in many smaller stores. Plans to prohibit their sale to children in England were published by the last government but then shelved. Now they're being revived by ministers.英格兰各大主要超市已经开始在店内自主实施禁令，不再向 16 岁以下的未成年人售卖咖啡因含量高的饮料，但许多小型商超并没有这样做。禁止在英格兰向未成年人售卖能量饮料的计划由上一届政府发布，但随后被搁置。现在政府大臣们正着手恢复这一计划。The ban will apply to drinks containing more than 150 milligrams of caffeine per litre. Some drinks contain almost three times this amount. By contrast, a standard cola contains about 120 milligrams per litre. The British Soft Drinks Association said under its code of practice members didn't market or promote the sale of energy drinks to under-16s.该禁令将涵盖咖啡因含量超过每升 150 毫克的饮料。有些饮料中的咖啡因含量几乎达到了这个量的三倍。相比之下，普通的可乐饮料每升含约 120 毫克咖啡因。英国软饮料协会称，根据该协会的行业准则要求，协会的成员企业并没有向 16 岁以下的未成年人推销或宣传能量饮料。In Scotland, there are restrictions at public sector sites. In Wales and Northern Ireland, ministers are considering a ban.在苏格兰，公共部门负责的场所内对能量饮料的售卖有所限制。在威尔士和北爱尔兰，政府大臣们也在考虑实施禁令。
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