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New blood tests could help to identify, or diagnose, Alzheimer’s disease faster and with more accuracy, researchers reported recently. However, some of the tests for the brain-wasting disease appear to work better than others.

新的血液检测可能有助于更快、更准确地识别或诊断阿尔茨海默病，研究人员最近报告说。然而，一些检测似乎比其他检测更有效。 

Doctors can confirm Alzheimer’s in a patient if they find one of the disease’s main signs: the development, or buildup, of a sticky protein called beta-amyloid. Currently, doctors use brain imaging or a special test known as a spinal tap to look for beta-amyloid buildup. Brain imaging is hard to get and spinal taps are painful. 

医生可以通过发现疾病的主要迹象之一来确认阿尔茨海默病：一种叫做β-淀粉样蛋白的粘性蛋白质的形成或积累。目前，医生使用脑部影像或称为脊髓穿刺的特殊检测来查找β-淀粉样蛋白的积累。脑部影像难以获取，而脊髓穿刺则很痛苦。 

Instead, many patients are diagnosed based on their behavior and cognitive exams. 

相反，许多患者是根据他们的行为和认知考试来诊断的。 

Now, labs have begun offering blood tests that can show some signs of Alzheimer’s. Scientists are excited about the possibilities that the tests offer. 

现在，实验室已经开始提供能够显示一些阿尔茨海默病迹象的血液检测。科学家们对这些检测提供的可能性感到兴奋。 

But the tests are not widely used yet because there is little data to guide doctors about which kind to order and when. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not officially approved any of them, and few patients have insurance coverage for such tests. 

但这些检测尚未被广泛使用，因为目前的数据很少，无法指导医生选择哪种检测以及何时进行。美国食品药品监督管理局（FDA）尚未正式批准任何一种检测，且少有患者的保险覆盖这类检测。 

“What tests can we trust?” asked Dr. Suzanne Schindler of Washington University in St. Louis. Schindler is part of a research project examining the tests. While some tests are very accurate, Schindler said, “other tests are not much better than a flip of a coin.”

 “我们可以信任哪些检测？”圣路易斯华盛顿大学的苏珊娜·辛德勒博士问道。辛德勒是一个研究检测的项目组成员。尽管一些检测非常准确，辛德勒表示，“其他测试的效果不比掷硬币好多少。” 

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