出国留学首选一诺留学

　　Mystery Condition Makes Brothers Collapse atSunset

　　Doctors in Pakistan are studying two brothers whoseem in fine health during the day, but are unable tomove when the sun goes down.

　　The school-age boys, 9-year-old Shoaib Ahmed and13-year-old Abdul Rasheed, live near the city of Quetta. They have been called "solar kids"because of their condition.

　　Their father, Muhammad Hashim, says the boys lead a perfectly normal life during the day. Butonce the sun goes down, they go into a vegetative state. They are unable to walk, talk or evenopen their eyes.

　　"They can't eat or drink, nor get up or lay down," the father said. "But we are hopeful they willbe okay by the grace of God," he added.

　　A team of 38 doctors has performed hundreds of tests on the boys in an effort to identify thepossible cause of their condition. Pakistan's government is providing free medical care to theirfamily.

　　Doctors have sent blood samples to researchers in other countries. They have also conductedtests on other family members. Researchers have gone to the boys' village to collect soil andair samples.

　　Doctor Javed Akram is with Pakistan's Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad. He said thenightly paralyzation of the boys remains a big mystery.

　　"What we have understood from research is that it happens when neurotransmitters in thebrain suffer imbalance," he said.

　　Dr. Akram's team is currently working with doctors in five other countries to learn more aboutthe condition. "They guide us a lot and we are moving forward together on this," he said.

　　The boys' father has a simple theory about what causes the condition. "I think my sons getenergy from the sun," he said.

　　But doctors have already ruled out the possibility that sunlight is responsible. They note thatthe boys can move normally during the day even when kept in a dark room or during a storm.

　　I'm Bryan Lynn.