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<p>An <u>ingredient</u> in chocolate could be used to stop persistent coughs and lead to more effective medicines, researchers say. The study found that <u>theobromine</u>, found in <u>cocoa</u>, was nearly a third more effective in stopping persistent coughs than <u>codeine</u>, currently considered the best cough medicine.</p><p><font color="#0000ff"><em>ingredient n.成分 theobromine n.可可碱 cocoa n.可可粉 codeine n.可待因</em><br/></font><br/>The researchers, from Imperial College London (ICL), said the discovery could lead to more effective cough <u>treatments</u>. Ten healthy <u>volunteers</u> were either given theobromine, codeine or a dummy pill during the trial, which also involved Royal Brompton Hospital and St Bartholomew's Hospital.</p><p><font color="#0000ff"><em>treatment n. 治疗 volunteer n. 志愿者</em></font><br/><br/>The researchers, writing in the online FASEB Journal, said that theobromine worked by suppressing <u>vagus nerve</u> activity, which is responsible for causing coughing. They also found that unlike standard cough treatments, theobromine caused no <u>adverse effects</u> on the <u>cardiovascular</u> or central nervous systems, such as <u>drowsiness</u>.</p><p><em><font color="#0000ff">vagus nerve 迷走神经 adverse effect 反作用、副作用 <br/>cardiovascular adj. 心脏血管的 drowsiness n. 睡意<br/></font></em><br/><font face="Verdana"> 辅助阅读：</font></p><p> 伦敦帝国学院的科学家发现，巧克力中含有的可可碱成分的止咳效果优于常用止咳药可待因30%以上。从事该研究的彼得·巴内斯教授认为，此发现有望改进现在普遍采用的止咳方法。 <br/><br/> 科学家们让10位志愿者分别服用了可可碱、可待因或者安慰剂。为了检验上述三种物质的作用，研究人员让志愿者吸入了可以诱发咳嗽的辣椒素。通过对辣椒素水平进行分析，研究人员发现，服用可可碱的志愿者与服用安慰剂的志愿者相比，前者要吸入浓度高三分之一的辣椒素才能引发咳嗽；服用可待因的志愿者与服用安慰剂的志愿者相比，前者需要吸入的辣椒素浓度要稍高于后者即可引发咳嗽。研究者还表示，与通常的止咳方法不同，可可碱对心血管和中枢神经系统不会产生任何副作用。</p><br/> |
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