医療関係 以下の英文の和訳をお願いします
医療関係 以下の英文の和訳をお願いします
In one of the many curious coincidences in the history of science, the first modern high explosive -nitroglycerin- became one of the very first man-made drugs. Prior to the invention of nitroglycerin, most truly effective drugs in common use, like aspirin, digitalis, morphine and quinine, were all derived from plant sources.
Due to its explosive power, nitroglycerin was known as the most hazardous compound that man had ever concocted. Alfred Nobel combined it with an inert binder and invented dynamite in the middle of 19th century. It was also Nobel who first observed nitroglycerin's benefits in treating chest pain.
Nitroglycerin relaxes the blood vessels, permitting them to expand. This expansion reduces the pumping force the heart exerts while circulating blood through the body, lightening the heart's workload and relieving the crushing pain of angina.
Nitric oxide is thought to play a critical role in the process of vasodilation. Until recently, however, scientists did not understand the mechanism by which nitric oxide is generated from the nitroglycerin molecule. In 2002, an American research team found that a certain enzyme breaks down nitroglycerin and releases a nitric oxide-related molecule. This biochemeical reaction takes place in the mitochondrion, a compartment within cells commonly known as the cell's "powerhouse."
Nitroglycerin is known to cause one unpleasant side effect: severe headaches. It is thought that these symptoms are caused by the expansion of the blood vessels on the brain. Nitroglycerin may also produce dizziness from hypotension -excessive lowering of the blood pressure.
Nitroglycerin is only effective when it is absorbed through the mucous membranes into the bloodstream. For this reason, the tables are not swallowed but placed under the tongue. If swallowed, nitroglycerin would be completely broken down and rendered ineffective by the liver before it enters the bloodstream.
One bit of nonsense perpetrated by Hollywood is the idea that if a patient with a "week" heart gets to his nitroglycerin tablets in time, the tablets will save his life. In real life, however, many attacks of angina cannot be treated effectively with nitroglycerin. In such cases, the patients should seek immediate medical help.