English

20140413

Is Komodo dragon blood the key to new antibiotics?
The Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard in the world
Komodo dragon blood contains an important compound which scientists think could offer a new treatment for infected wounds.
The reptile's saliva harbours many different types of bacteria, which somehow do not affect the dragon.
Scientists at George Mason University in the US created a synthetic compound based on a molecule in dragon blood that had antimicrobial activity.
somehow【副】どういうわけか、どうしたものか
They found it promoted the healing of infected wounds in mice.
The study - published in npj Biofilms and Microbiomes - suggests that the protein could potentially be developed into an antibiotic in the future.
The scientists believe this could be a step forward in the quest to find new antibiotics that are needed to fight multidrug-resistant pathogens.
The dragons that are found on five islands in Indonesia have more than 80 bacterial strains in their mouths, including some that cause blood poisoning or sepsis.
The reptiles are not harmed by the bacteria - suggesting they are immune.
Led by Monique van Hoek, the team in Virginia found DRGN-1 worked well on infected wounds in mice against two bacterial strains, the "superbugs" Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphlyococcus aureus, also known as MRSA.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa 緑膿菌
Pseudomonas aeruginosaの種形容語のaeruginosaも「緑青に満ちた」を意味するギリシア語に由来し、本菌が作る緑色色素（ピオシアニン。）に因んだ名称である。なお、属名のPseudomonasは、それぞれギリシア語のpseudo-（偽の）とmonas（鞭毛を持った単細胞原生生物の総称）に由来する。
These two bacteria are particularly stubborn and hard to treat as they have bacteria that stick together to form colonies (or biofilms) that are much more resistant to antibiotics than a single bacterium.
biological film生体膜
緑膿菌の一部には、ムコイドと呼ばれる粘質物を産生して、菌体外に分泌するものがある。これらをムコイド型緑膿菌と呼び、これに対してムコイドを作らないものを非ムコイド型緑膿菌と呼ぶ。ムコイドの主成分は、アルギン酸とよばれる粘性の高いムコ多糖である。ムコイド型緑膿菌が増殖した場所では、分泌されたムコイドが菌体を覆い包んで、薄層（フィルム）を形成する。このような微生物が形成する薄層状のものをバイオフィルムと呼び、緑膿菌はこのバイオフィルムを生活の場として、その内部で効率よく増殖、生存している。
They suggest that DRGN-1 assists wound-healing both through antimicrobial activity and also by promoting the migration of skin cells to close the wound.
Although it has only been tested on mice and on only two bacteria strains, they believe DRGN-1 is a good candidate for additional studies and possible development as a topical therapeutic agent for infected wounds.

20170410

Microdosing: The people taking LSD with their breakfast
lysergic acid diethylamide
《化学》リセルグ酸ジエチルアミド◆幻覚剤。略称のLSDは、ドイツ語のLysergsaure 
There is a small community of people in the UK who "microdose" - or take small amounts of psychedelic drugs as part of their daily lives. They say it boosts creativity and can have medicinal benefits, despite a lack of scientific research.
On a table in his house in Durham, Simpa shows me a tab of LSD he has cut into about 10 pieces.
The whole thing would be enough for a trip he says, but today he's taking just a tiny dose of it.
On the days he does this, Simpa says it's just part of his morning routine.
"I take it with a cup of tea, my toast and my vitamins," he tells the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme.
tab【名】タブレット（tablet）、錠剤
In another part of the UK, "Dylan" - whose name we have changed - is going through a similar ritual with some magic mushrooms, weighing out a tiny dose and eating it with his cup of tea.
Some people use microdosing simply to "improve their day", others to enhance their creativity and some use it in a therapeutic manner - arguing it helps with their mental health problems.
weigh out検量する
Both LSD and magic mushrooms, the drugs most commonly used to microdose, are illegal Class A drugs carrying a maximum sentence of seven years in prison for possession.
A small number of people we spoke to had tried it with MDMA, also a Class A drug.
MDMA【略】 ＝methylenedioxymethamphetamine 
メチレンジオキシメタンフェタミン
Dylan says the law is not much of a deterrent for him. He argues he is "not hurting anyone or creating a trail of devastation by doing this".
leave a trail of～の痕跡を残す
He has a very ordinary, respectable job. The fact that he goes to work having taken illegal drugs is not something his colleagues know, although his friends do.
He says the microdoses make him better at his job; more able to concentrate.
"It just gives you that very kind of calm and relaxed sense of being centred," he says.
Simpa is one of the people using microdosing for therapeutic purposes.
At 28, he is living with quite severe mental health problems - "depression and anxiety as a result of childhood trauma, that led to borderline personality disorder and PTSD".
borderline personality disorder 《精神医学》境界性パーソナリティ障害
He says the prescription medication he has been given results in more side-effects than benefits.
"I've found that these substances, psychedelics, give me the benefits without any of those drawbacks. Me using these substances means I've been able to view my trauma so that it's just an experience, a memory like any other."
Such individual experiences are, of course, anecdotal. There is no scientific proof behind claims of the medicinal benefits of microdosing.
drawback 【名】障害、不利、欠点
anecdotal【形】逸話の、逸話的な
James Rucker, a psychiatrist, is one of a number of people carrying out scientific experiments into the potential medical applications of psychedelic drugs.
James Rucker says a lack of research means scientists do not know what the long-term risks of microdosing might be
"Microdosing at a medical level, we know absolutely nothing about," he explains.
"The only way that we can sort out whether or not it works is by doing a blinded, placebo-controlled randomised trial."
He says the dangers of people self-medicating like this are currently completely unknown, and that is where the problem lies.
"The definition of a microdose is that you don't notice the subjective effect, but that doesn't mean it's not having any effect on you?.
"We don't know what the risks in the long term might be.
"There was some concern before 1970 - when the drugs were being used clinically - that in people who were liable to develop schizophrenia and psychotic disorders, the drugs might actually uncover those problems in some people.
"Some studies showed that that might be a risk, some studies showed that it wasn't. So again, it's another area where we don't know."
Those who microdose, however, argue its benefits go beyond alleviating mental health issues.
In Silicon Valley in the US, home to thousands of start-up businesses and some of the world's largest technology companies, some entrepreneurs have claimed it makes them more creative.
Dr James Fadiman, who has been researching psychedelics since the 1960s, runs a website on microdosing where he asks people to report back to him about their experiences.
He says more than 900 people have responded so far.
"The most consistent result is people saying, 'My life seems to be working better.' [They are] more effective, their sleeping habits improve, their eating habits improve, they feel better in social situations."
"Anna", who lives in the UK, says she has tried microdosing in the past, both with LSD and more recently with magic mushrooms picked from the hills near where she lives with her two children.
She says the experience wasn't very dramatic, but on the days she microdosed she felt more productive.
"It's just like having a slightly better quality of life.
"I would have quite an ordinary day - I just felt quite happy, calm and grounded and I would sleep better."
There is, however, a further danger to microdosing - the risk of taking too much.
Psychedelics are very powerful drugs and Dylan admitted accidentally tripping at work when he took too big a microdose.
James Rucker says he knows he cannot stop people using drugs recreationally. "That's something we have to work with," he says.
He argues it is all the more reason to conduct research into the effects of these drugs.
 

20170409

Caterpillar farms: Growing the food of the future?

Two scientists and an entrepreneur are crunching the science behind edible caterpillars to help fight malnutrition and food security problems in West Africa.
For most people the idea of chewing on a caterpillar or tucking in to a tarantula is pretty unpalatable, to put it mildly. Yet according to the United Nations, some two billion people around the world consume insects regularly. This prompted World Service listener Saman from Pakistan to ask the BBC CrowdScience team "are insects a serious food source?"
tuck in 【句動】～に押し込む、～にしまい込む ～を腹に詰め込む、～を腹いっぱい食べる
unpalatable【形】〔飲食物が〕味の悪い、まずい、口に合わない
to put it mildly控えめに［穏やかな表現で］言うと［言えば・言って］
BBC World Service 【組織】《the ～》BBCワールド・サービス
In order to tackle this question the programme team headed out to Burkina Faso in West Africa, where shea caterpillars are an important part of the local diet in a country where over 30% of children suffer from chronic malnutrition and 2.7 million people are at risk for food insecurity.
shea 【名】《植物》シアバターノキ shea butter シアバターシアバターノキの実から採れる白色の油脂。肌用保湿クリームなどに用いられる。
food insecurity食料不足、飢え
Shea caterpillars contain high levels of protein and micronutrients
Caterpillar enthusiast Charlotte Payne is a PhD student at Cambridge University who is currently conducting research on the caterpillar lifecycle.
"Shea caterpillars have the potential to help people break out of a cycle of poverty," she exclaims when we met her on a farm in the rural village of Soumousso in the West of Burkina Faso.
At the moment the caterpillars are only available for a few weeks a year. But with their high levels of protein and micronutrients like iron and zinc, they have the potential to fend off "hidden hunger", as micronutrient deficiency is sometimes called, and change the financial situation of the poorest people in West Africa, especially women and children.
Caterpillars can be cooked whole or turned into products, such as protein bars or croquettes
croquette【名】 〈フランス語〉コロッケ
How to breed caterpillars
Together with her colleague Darja Dobermann, a PhD student at the University of Nottingham and Rothamsted Research, Charlotte is trying to crack the science behind shea caterpillars and make them available all year round.
crack【他動】解読［解明］する
"In the same way they keep chickens in their backyard, the women would be able to keep caterpillars too," Charlotte explains.
While in Burkina Faso, Charlotte is collecting as much information as she can about the needs and wants of the local people. Her preliminary results suggest that breeding caterpillars would be very welcome in the region. "It would be great if I could rear the caterpillars all year round because I would have enough to eat and earn a lot of money selling them," one woman in Soumousso told us.
Once processed and packaged, shea caterpillars stay edible for up to 18 months
To help accomplish this vision there are many hurdles that the researchers must overcome. For starters the caterpillars are fussy customers. They only feed on the leaves of the shea trees.
Similar to how scientists have spent years working out what the best feed for livestock is, Darja explains, the same needs to happen for the caterpillars. From an environmental point of view it is of some consequence how these caterpillars are fed.
fussy 【形】面倒な
of consequence重要な、重大な
Insects are often touted as a panacea for the environmental problems that come with producing meat, because they emit less greenhouse gasses and take up less space.
panacea 【名】万能薬、〔あらゆる問題の〕解決策
touted as ～とうたわれている
"The unfortunate thing is that the majority of insects that are commercially farmed are predominantly fed with chicken feed. Chicken feed is made out of soy and this isn't very sustainable. Unless you can get the insects onto a waste product as their food source, they aren't more sustainable than chickens from an environmental perspective," Darja explains.
We investigated caterpillar farms after Saman from Pakistan asked us: "Are insects a serious food source?" If you've got a science question you want BBC CrowdScience to look into, get in touch via the form below and we'll investigate a selection.

In her lab in England, Darja will be analysing shea tree leaves to uncover why the caterpillars like them so much. This includes figuring out what nutrients the caterpillars are getting from the leaves and discovering whether the leaves send out a special "smell" - volatile aromatic compounds - that the caterpillars are drawn to.
"There might be something particularly appealing about these leaves that we could synthesise and spray onto artificial feed to attract the caterpillars," Darja explains.
Charlotte and Darja are not alone in their quest to turn caterpillars into a sustainable food source. They work closely with local entrepreneur, Kahitouo Hien, who is betting all on the success of these nutritious critters.
critter  【名】   〈話〉生き物
Outside Kahitouo's factory in the capital Ouagadougou a huge caldron filled with thousands of caterpillars is bubbling and filling the air with a pungent aroma. With his business, FasoPro, Kahitouo is trying to create an industry for shea caterpillars. Something that no-one else has dared do before.
Today he sells 10 tonnes of caterpillars every year to markets and shops around the country. But it has not been easy to get to this point.
caldron 【名】 大釜
"A lot of people laugh when they hear about my business," Kahitouo explains as he leads us into a room filled from top to bottom with tightly packed boxes of dried caterpillars.
Even though caterpillars are traditionally eaten in Burkina Faso, Kahitouo has had a hard time convincing the community that they should eat more of them.
"In the beginning it was very difficult for me to find even one shop that would sell the product, but now I don't even have to leave my office. The shops call me up. When I think about that I feel really proud of myself and the business."
Kahitouo hopes to spread the business model to other countries but using the local insects found in each place.
With nine billion people in the world by 2050 and food production needing to increase by 70% according to the UN, we may all have to get used to the taste of bugs like many people in Burkina Faso already have.
Indeed, there is scope for edible insects to play a serious role in food culture beyond being a fashionable snack.
However working out how to farm them in an environmentally friendly way is a question that continues to bug.

20170408

Vaccine credited with HPV virus reduction in Scotland
credited with～の効果があると信じられている
HPV human papillomavirus《病理》ヒト・パピローマ［乳頭腫］ウイルス。パピローマまたは乳頭腫と呼ばれる疣を形成することから名付けられた。
A campaign to vaccinate girls against a cancer-causing sexually transmitted infection has led to a dramatic drop in reported cases.
Researchers have found a 90% fall in levels of the human papilloma virus (HPV) in Scottish women since the vaccine was made available in 2008.
HPV virus types are thought to account for about 90% of cervical cancers.
Scientists hope the drop in HPV cases will lead to a significant drop in future cervical cancer cases.
The researchers, led by senior epidemiologist Dr Kevin Pollock at Health Protection Scotland, said they hoped to see a decrease in new diagnoses within a year.
cervical the neck or cervix from Latin neck
He told BBC Radio Scotland: "The two HPV types we were vaccinating against - HPV 16 and HPV 18 - cause about 70% to 80% of cervical cancers within Scotland but the vaccine has exceeded our expectations because it appears to have knocked out another three high-risk HPV types which cause about 10% of cervical cancers.
"So we do forecast within the next few years a 90% reduction in cervical cancer within Scotland."
Researchers compared the cervical screening and vaccination records of women born in 1995, who had been vaccinated as teenagers, with those from unvaccinated women born between 1989 and 1990.
They found just 0.5% of women from the 1995 group tested positive for the virus, compared with 21.4% of women born before 1990.
The study also showed evidence that the vaccine protected against three other high-risk HPV genotypes involved in the development of cervical cancer.
genotype 【名】《生物》遺伝子型
The research will be presented to the Microbiology Society's annual conference in Edinburgh on Wednesday by Dr Kate Cuschieri, director of the Scottish HPV Reference Lab.
She said: "These new findings indicate that the positive impact of the HPV vaccine may be even greater than we initially thought.
"Collectively, these data demonstrate the significant and continued benefits of the HPV vaccination programme in Scotland, which has achieved a consistent and high uptake of around 90% in 12 to 13-year-old girls."
Dr Pollock added: "The very high uptake of the HPV vaccine is strongly associated with these massive reductions in high-risk HPV types that are known to cause approximately 90% of cervical cancer in Scottish women."
He said the virus was also known to cause a number of other cancers, including vulvovaginal, anal and a subset of head and neck cancers.
collectively 【副】トータルで
uptake 【名】〔体内への〕摂取   取り込み
subset of ～の一部、一部の
"These results suggest that this vaccine will also have a significant impact on these cancers in the years ahead", he said.
The research, which was funded by the Scottish government, looked at samples from more than 20,000 women, making it one of the largest population-based studies on the impact of the vaccine.
There were 388 new cases of cervical cancer in Scotland in 2014.

20170406

Antibiotic 'link to bowel cancer precursor'
People who take antibiotics for a long time are more likely to develop growths on the bowel which can be a precursor to cancer, a study suggests.
growth【名】《医》腫瘍
Researchers say this adds to emerging evidence that the diversity of bugs in the gut could have role in the development of tumours.
Their paper appears in the journal Gut.
But experts warn that the early results need further investigation and say people should not stop taking antibiotics.
'Hostile bugs'
Bowel polyps - small growths on the lining of bowel - are common, affecting 15%-20% of the UK population.
In most cases, they do not cause any symptoms and do not become cancerous but some go on to develop into cancers if left untreated.
lining 【名】 裏張り［裏当て・内張り］すること
In this study, researchers looked at data from 16,600 nurses who were taking part in a long-term US trial called the Nurses' Health Study.
They found that nurses who had taken antibiotics for two months or more, between the ages of 20 and 39, were more likely to be diagnosed with particular types of bowel polyps - known as adenomas - in later life, compared wtih people who had not taken long-term antibiotics in their 20s and 30s.
adenoma 【名】 《医》アデノーマ、腺腫 腺腫（せんしゅ、adenoma）とは、腺細胞の腫瘍性増殖性病変（良性腫瘍）である。正常な腺上皮細胞に変異が生じて腫瘍化し、腺腫細胞が発生部位に限局してモノクローナルに増殖し、規則的な配列や増殖パターンを形成したもののことである。
And women who had taken antibiotics for two months or more in their 40s and 50s were even more likely to be diagnosed with an adenoma decades later.
But the study does not look at how many polyps went on to become cancerous.
The authors say their research cannot prove that antibiotics lead to the development of cancer and acknowledge that the bacteria which the drugs are deployed to treat might also play an important role.
But they say there is a "plausible biological explanation" for the patterns seen.
Writing in the journal they said: "Antibiotics fundamentally alter the gut microbiome, by curbing the diversity and number of bacteria, and reducing the resistance to hostile bugs."
"This might all have a crucial role in the development of bowel cancer, added to which the bugs that require antibiotics may induce inflammation, which is a known risk for the development of bowel cancer."
They added: "The findings if confirmed by other studies, suggest the potential need to limit the use of antibiotics and sources of inflammation that may drive tumour formation."
'Slight and variable'
Meanwhile, Dr Sheena Cruickshank, am immunology expert at the University of Manchester, said anything that disturbs our gut bacteria, such as changes in diet, inflammation or antibiotic use, could potentially have an impact on our health.
But she said it was difficult to tease out whether other factors - like diet - could be more deeply involved in the current study.
tease out【句動】～を徐々にほぐす、～を少しずつはがす〔入念に調査して情報などを〕引き出す、得る
She added: "This study's findings imply that any risk is very slight and also quite variable.
"Whilst the data adds to our growing knowledge of the importance of the gut bacteria to our health, I would be concerned about advising people to avoid using antibiotics.
"Antibiotics are crucial medicines for treating bacterial infections and, if prescribed and used appropriately, can be life-saving."
prescribed【形】規則として定められた、規定の、所定のprescribed a course of antibiotics 《be ～》抗生物質［剤］治療を受ける
line break
line break 《コ》（強制）改行、行末中断
What increases the chance of getting bowel cancer?
A diet high in red or processed meats and low in fibre can increase the risk, according to NHS Choices.
NHS experts also say bowel cancer is more common in people who are overweight or obese and people who are inactive.
Drinking a lot of alcohol and smoking also increase the chance of getting cancer of the bowel.
And people who have bowel cancer in the family can also be at higher risk.
What about people taking long-term antibiotics?
Dr Jasmine Just, health information officer at the charity Cancer Research UK told the BBC: "This research is at a very early stage so it is too early to draw definitive conclusions.
"People who are prescribed antibiotics by medical professionals should continue taking them and discuss any concerns with their doctor."
Meanwhile Dr Cruickshank added that a prescribed course of antibiotics - which can be life-saving in some circumstances - should not be stopped without expert guidance.
How great are the risks?
Experts say it is difficult to be sure of exact risks for individuals from this paper. That's because the paper looks at precursors of cancer, not cancer itself.
The risk of bowel cancer can depend on many things- a family history of bowel cancer, diet, alcohol and smoking all play a part.
Interpreting the results, Dr Cruickshank describes any potential increased risk is "very slight and very variable."
Meanwhile Dr Just, said: "It is not possible to be sure of cause and effect from this paper. We are still one step away from being able to suggest either way whether there is an increased risk.
"But this is very interesting research that builds on other studies looking at how the microbes in the bowel affect our health."
only one step away from 《be ～》〔目標達成などについて〕～まであと一歩である

20170403

More than 20 million Britons 'physically inactive'

Harriet Mulvaney says she thought she was active before her heart attack but she was really "just busy"
More than 20 million people in the UK are physically inactive, according to a report by the British Heart Foundation.
The charity warns that inactivity increases the risk of heart disease and costs the NHS around ￡1.2bn each year.
Harriet Mulvaney experienced a heart attack at 44 and decided to make changes to her lifestyle.
NHS＝National Health Service  〈英〉国民健康保険
"Looking back on it now I would say I was very inactive. I thought I was active but actually I think I was just busy," she says.
Women are 36% more likely than men to be classified as physically inactive - 11.8 million women compared with 8.3 million men.
The report defines "inactive" as not achieving the government guidelines for physical activity of 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity a week and strength activities on at least two days a week.
Harriet had a busy life as an HR consultant, driving an hour to work and then sitting at a desk for eight to 10 hours a day.
She would then be busy with family life but didn't make time for activity or exercise.
"I just thought it was one of those things I'd get to in another point in time," she says.
The BHF analysis found that the average man in the UK spends a fifth of his lifetime sitting - equivalent to 78 days a year. For women, it is around 74 days a year.
Harriet had no symptoms or warning signs before her heart attack.
"I was climbing the stairs to go and brush my teeth and get ready for bed when I suddenly had the onset of severe chest pain which went down my left arm and into my upper jaw - it was at that point that I realised it was fairly serious.
'Crashing halt'
"We called an ambulance - which was exactly the right thing to do as the sooner you get help on a heart issue, the better your outcome is going to be."
Harriet had suffered from spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), a rare but dangerous condition which often strikes out of the blue and in people with few or no risk factors. It mainly affects young women.
"It was like the having the rug pulled from under your feet," she says.
coronary artery dissection 冠動脈解離 自然冠動脈解離  裂け目側の偽腔に、真腔が押しつぶされて、真腔の血流が不十分となり、心筋梗塞になります。
strike ~ out of the blue 前触れもなく［出し抜けに］～を襲う［殴りかかる］
the rug pulled from under your feet足をすくわれたも同然だ  rug【名】ラグマット
"You feel your life is going in a certain direction, you have a certain plan, you feel very confident about the way that your life is.
"I didn't have any long-term health conditions and then to suddenly be struck by such a traumatic incident was very difficult.
"It brought everything to a crashing halt for a short period of time while I collected myself and found myself again."
crash halt(車の)急停車
In the UK, physical inactivity contributes to almost one in 10 premature deaths from coronary heart disease, and one in six deaths from any cause.
Harriet's heart attack prompted an immediate lifestyle change.
"I had to think about the job that I did and the life I was leading - and start generally looking after myself better."
She admits getting active has been "a very slow and steady process".
She took part in the BHF MyMarathon challenge that involves running or walking the equivalent of a marathon across a whole month.
Harriet went into cardiac rehab after her heart attack and was helped to get more active and build her confidence
The charity is hoping more people take up the challenge this year to kickstart a more active lifestyle.
They found that three-quarters of people in England (76%), when referred for rehabilitation after suffering a heart attack or having heart surgery, are considered physically inactive.
They warn that more than 5 million deaths worldwide can be attributed to physical inactivity, making it one of the top 10 leading causes of death.
Dr Mike Knapton, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: "Levels of physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour in the UK remain stubbornly high, and, combined, these two risk factors present a substantial threat to our cardiovascular health and risk of early death.
"Evidence shows keeping physically active can reduce the risk of heart and circulatory disease by as much as 35% and risk of early death by as much as 30%."
The charity also found regional variations, with the North West of England having 47%, or 2.7 million adults that are insufficiently active.
The South East had the lowest rate at 34%.
In Northern Ireland, almost half (46%) of the adult population - that's around 650,000 people - are deemed to be physically inactive.
deemed to  《be ～》～と見なされる
In Wales, 42% of the population, more than one million people are physically inactive.
While in Scotland, 37% of the adult population, around 1.6 million people - are physically inactive.
 

20170401

Night-time loo trips 'linked to salt in diet'
loo  【名】 〈英話〉トイレ
People who wake at night with an urge to go to the loo may need to cut back on salt in their diets, doctors from Japan are suggesting.
The problem - called nocturia - which mainly affects the over-60s, leads to disrupted sleep and can significantly affect people's lives.
nocturia【名】夜間頻尿
In a study of more than 300 volunteers, researchers found that reduced salt intake led people to urinate less.
Advice to follow a sensible diet could help improve symptoms, UK doctors said.
follow a sensible dietしっかりとした［健康的な・理にかなった］食生活を送る
The researchers, from Nagasaki University, presented their findings at the European Society of Urology congress in London.
They followed patients who had a high salt intake and sleeping problems for three months, after giving them advice to cut back on salt in their diet.
On average, trips to the loo fell from more than twice a night to just one.
This happened at night as well as during the day, and their quality of life also improved.
Conversely, 98 people in the study ended up eating more salt than normal and found they went to the loo more often at night-time.
Study author Dr Matsuo Tomohiro said larger studies were needed to confirm the link but the results could offer help for older people.
"This work holds out the possibility that a simply dietary modification might significantly improve the quality of life for many people," he said.
hold out the possibility that 〔that以下〕の可能性を残す
dietary modification食事の変更、食習慣の改善
Prof Marcus Drake, a nocturia expert from the University of Bristol, said the amount of salt people ate was not generally considered to be a cause of nocturia.
Usually, doctors tended to focus on the volume of water patients drank before bedtime and on bladder and prostate problems (in men), he said.
"Here we have a useful study showing how we need to consider all influences to get the best chance of improving the symptom."
The need to wake up at night to empty the bladder affects more than half of men and women over the age of 50.
It is particularly common in elderly people, many of whom get up at least twice a night.
When you start to need to make two or more trips to the bathroom at night, sleep is being disturbed - which can lead to stress, tiredness and irritability.
Is it just a side-effect of getting old?
Hormonal changes do happen as we age, making us produce more urine at night.
Men's prostate glands also often start growing with age.
An enlarged prostate can press on the tube that urine passes through before leaving the body, increasing the need to pass urine.
But this isn't the whole story.
Nocturia can be a sign of an underlying health problem, such as diabetes, heart problems or sleep-related conditions, such as sleep apnoea.
apnea【名】 《医》無呼吸
How much salt is too much?
Adults in the UK are recommended to eat no more than 6g of salt a day, equal to 2.4g of sodium.
Children should eat less - only 2g of salt for ages one to three, rising to 5g for seven to 10-year-olds.
After age 11, children can have up to 6g.
Which foods are high in salt?
Bread and breakfast cereals can contain more salt than you think.
Bacon, ham, cheese, crisps and pasta sauces are also high in salt.
When buying food, look at the figure for salt per 100g on the packaging.
High salt content is more than 1.5g salt (0.6g sodium) per 100g. These foods may be colour-coded red.

20170331

Meningitis outbreak kills at least 140 in Nigeria

An outbreak of meningitis in several states of Nigeria has killed at least 140 people, officials say.
It has been reported over the last week in six states and has so far infected more than 1,000 people, the Abuja Centre for Disease Control says.
meningitis髄膜炎、脳膜炎
Meningitis causes an acute inflammation of the outer layers of the brain and spinal cord.
The current outbreak is the worst in Nigeria since 2009 when it killed at least 156 people.
The disease is spreading amidst fears it could be out of control if refugee camps, prisons and police cells become affected through crowds, the BBC's Chris Ewokor in Abuja says.
Vaccination is an effective way of preventing against meningitis.
However, a new strain, which may have been imported from a neighbouring country is now prevalent in Nigeria and requires a different type of vaccine, Nigerian Minister of Health Isaac Adewole said.
The seasonal outbreak has been attributed to cold nights, dusty winds and dry weather, which were aggravated by traditional beliefs, poor hygiene, and overpopulation, our reporter says.
Nigeria lies on the meningitis belt, stretching from the Sahel region to the Horn of Africa, where outbreaks occur regularly.

20170327

Discovery enables 'mass produced blood'
Scientists say they have made a significant leap towards mass-producing red blood cells suitable for donation.
Red blood cells can already be made in the lab, but the problem is scale.
suitable for 《be ～》～に向いている、～に適している
donation after brain death  《医》〔移植用臓器などについて〕脳死後の（臓器）提供
A team at the University of Bristol and NHS Blood and Transplant have developed a method to produce an unlimited supply.
The artificial blood will be far more expensive than conventional donation. So it is likely to be used for people with very rare blood types.
The old technique involved taking a type of stem cell that manufactures red blood cells in the body and coaxing it to do so in the lab.
a type of stem cell research幹細胞
coax 【他動】（人）を説得する［誘導する・まるめ込む］、（人）をおだてて［うまく説得して・口車に乗せて］～させる
However, each cell eventually burns out and produces no more than 50,000 red blood cells.
The trick developed by the Bristol team was to trap the stem cells at an early stage where they grow in number indefinitely.
It is known as making them immortal.
Once the researchers have this group of cells, they can just trigger them to become red blood cells.
Dr Jan Frayne, one of the researchers, said: "We have demonstrated a feasible way to sustainably manufacture red cells for clinical use.
feasible  【形】 〔計画などが〕実現［実行］可能な
sustainably 【副】持続的に
"We've grown litres of it."
Blood on tap?
The work is far from over.
The researchers now have the biological resource to mass produce red blood cells, but they still need the manufacturing technology for mass production.
It is like the difference between home-brewing beer and a large brewery.
brewery  【名】〔ビールなどの〕醸造所
A bag of blood contains about a trillion red blood cells.
Prof David Anstee, another of the researchers, told the BBC: "There is a bioengineering challenge.
"To produce that much at scale is quite a challenge, and really the next phase of our work is to look at methods of expanding the yield."
The cost will be a massive barrier to wide-scale use of manufactured blood.
NHS Blood and Transplant says it has no plans "in any way at all" to move away from traditionally donated blood.
However, it can be almost impossible to match some people's blood - often from minority ethnicities - with a donor.
ethnicity【名】民族性
Prof Anstee added: "The first therapeutic use of a cultured red cell product is likely to be for patients with rare blood groups, because suitable conventional red blood cell donations can be difficult to source."
Safety trials of lab-made blood are already planned for later this year.
 

20170326

British scientists in world-first TB breakthrough
British scientists have made a world-first breakthrough in the diagnosis of tuberculosis.
Researchers in Oxford and Birmingham say they can isolate different strains of the disease using a process called genome sequencing.
genome sequencing 《遺伝》ゲノム解読［配列決定］
It means patients who may have waited months to get the right drugs can now be diagnosed in just a few days - so they have a greater chance of recovery.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the breakthrough "will save lives".
Cases of TB in the UK have begun falling recently, but England still has one of the highest rates in Europe.
The scientists who made the discovery say genome sequencing allows them to identify the DNA of different samples in little more than a week.
in little more than __ hours わずか＿時間余りの間で
Speedy diagnosis means patients can begin their recovery much quicker and also reduces the chances of the infection being spread.
Consultant microbiologist Dr Grace Smith said: "We're able to provide information on the species of the organism and the drugs to which it may be resistant if it's TB."
consultant dietitian顧問栄養士
Public Health England says it is the first time anyone in the world has applied the technique on such a large scale.
The breakthrough comes after experts warned that a rise in drug-resistant strains of TB was threatening to derail efforts to eradicate the disease.
A new study found one in five global cases of the disease is now resistant to at least one major treatment drug.
Health secretary Mr Hunt said: "If we can show that using the most modern technology can help reduce the time it takes to identify who has got TB and get them onto a treatment programme, we can move closer to what we all want, which is to eradicate TB from the shores of the country."

20170317

Extreme exercise an 'escape from life', Cardiff Uni says
extreme exercise激しい［行き過ぎた］運動
Extreme adventure challenges can help office workers deal with the "anxieties of modern life" new research suggests.
Cardiff University academics looked into the reasons why people participate in the Tough Mudder event.
The experience is "deliberately marketed" as painful, with obstacles including wires delivering 10,000 volt electric shocks.
academic 【名】〔高等教育機関の〕教員、研究者
障害物レース「タフマダー（Tough Mudder）
market【他動】 売り込む、市場に出す
Injuries have included strokes, heart attacks, and even death - but 2.5m people have entered.
Researchers discovered that pain helps individuals deal with the physical inactivity of office life, and allows participants to "rediscover the nature of their body."
deal with 【句他動】〔自分の苦しい気持ちを〕抑えようと［コントロールしようと］する
nature of の性質
Dr Rebecca Scott, of Cardiff Business School, said: "On the one hand, consumers spend billions of dollars every year on pain relief, while exhausting and painful experiences such as obstacle races and ultra-marathons are gaining in popularity."
The research, a joint project between Cardiff, Singapore's Nanyang Business School, and Kedge Business School, France, also found pain "facilitates escape" and provides a "temporary relief from the burdens of self-awareness."
Professor Bernard Cova, of Kedge Business School, added: "Electric shocks and ice-cold water may be painful but they also allow participants to escape from the demands and anxieties of modern life.
"By leaving marks and wounds, painful experiences help us create the story of a fulfilled life spent exploring the limits of the body."

20170314

The biggest killer you may not know
"I flat-lined seven times, it was very uncertain for a long time whether I would make it," says Patrick Kane.
He nearly died from a condition that kills more people in the UK each year than bowel, breast and prostate cancer combined.
flatline 【自動】〈俗〉死ぬ◆【語源】心電図の線が水平になることから
make it〔健康状態などが〕回復する、良くなる
nearly die from a heart attack 心臓発作で死にかける
Patrick was just nine months old when one morning he became poorly, floppy and "generally unresponsive".
The family GP said he just needed Calpol, but Patrick's mother was still concerned and took him to hospital.
But on the journey things got rapidly worse.
Calpolというのは、鎮痛解熱剤で、発熱のときも、腹痛のときも、予防接種後などに機嫌が悪くてぐずったときにも飲ませてよい、という便利な薬。
floppy【形】だらりと垂れた
"It really was a sudden thing... upon arrival I had multiple organ failure," he says.
Patrick spent three and a half months in St Mary's hospital in London, lost his right leg below the knee, his left arm and fingers on his right hand.
upon arrival 到着時に、到着次第、着いたらすぐに
The 19-year-old is now studying biochemistry at university in Edinburgh.
What he had was sepsis.
"Either you know someone who's had sepsis, or you've never heard of it," Patrick tells the BBC.
What is sepsis?
Sepsis is triggered by infections, but is actually a problem with our own immune system going into overdrive.
go into overdrive 過熱する
It starts with an infection that can come from anywhere - even a contaminated cut or insect bite.
Normally, your immune system kicks in to fight the infection and stop it spreading.
But if the infection manages to spread quickly round the body, then the immune system will launch a massive immune response to fight it.
This can also be a problem as the immune response can have catastrophic effects on the body, leading to septic shock, organ failure and even death.
  septic shock 《医》敗血（症）性ショック
In the UK, there are 44,000 deaths from the condition each year.
What are the symptoms?
The UK Sepsis Trust lists six symptoms to be aware of:
slurred speech
extreme shivering or muscle pain
passing no urine in a day
severe breathlessness
"I feel like I might die"
skin mottled or discoloured
mottle 【他動】～をまだらにする
Symptoms in young children include:
looks mottled, bluish or pale
very lethargic or difficult to wake
abnormally cold to touch
breathing very fast
a rash that does not fade when you press it
a seizure or convulsion
Patrick says "there's no magic symptom" but people need to be asking "could this be sepsis?"
Is anything being done about sepsis?
The NHS is doing more than it used to, but still not enough.
A report in 2015 said four in 10 patients being admitted to accident and emergency units were not being reviewed quickly enough and uncovered delays in giving antibiotics in nearly a third of cases.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence - which advises doctors on best practice - is coming up with new rules.
Prof Gillian Leng, the organisation's deputy chief executive, says: "We know from recent case reviews that there are inconsistencies in how people's symptoms are assessed in different settings.
"More can be done to provide rapid treatment."
The organisation says patients should be assessed rapidly and those with life-threatening sepsis should be treated within one hour.
Previous guidance said doctors and other healthcare staff must treat sepsis with the same urgency as a suspected heart attack.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said there was a "relentless drive" to raise awareness.
relentless【形】無慈悲な、容赦ない、苛酷な◆動詞relent（和らぐ）に「～のない」「～し難い」を意味する接尾辞 -lessがついてできた形容詞 絶え間なく続く
raise awareness 〔人の〕自覚を促す［鼓舞する］、認識［関心］を高める

20170313

Neanderthals 'self-medicated' for pain
Neanderthals dosed themselves with painkillers and possibly penicillin, according to a study of their teeth.
One sick Neanderthal chewed the bark of the poplar tree, which contains a chemical related to aspirin.
poplar treesポプラ
bark【名】樹皮
He may also have been using penicillin, long before antibiotics were developed.
The evidence comes from ancient DNA found in the dental tartar of Neanderthals living about 40,000 years ago in central Europe.
tartar【名】歯石
Microbes and food stuck to the teeth of the ancient hominins gives scientists a window into the past.
give someone a window on（人）に～への扉を開く
By sequencing DNA preserved in dental tartar, international researchers have found out new details of the diet, lifestyle and health of our closest extinct relatives.
"Their behaviour and their diet looks a lot more sophisticated and a lot more like us in many ways," said Prof Alan Cooper, director of the University of Adelaide's Australian Centre for Ancient DNA.
"You know, we've got a guy self-medicating either because he's got a dental abscess, which was bad, or a nasty gastrointestinal parasite, which was also bad, either way he wasn't a happy guy.
either wayどちらにしても
"And, here he is eating aspirin and we're finding penicillin mould in him."
The Neanderthal's abscess left a trace on his jawbone. The intestinal parasite was identified through studying DNA in dental tartar.
It appears the Neanderthals had a good knowledge of medicinal plants and how these might relieve the pain of toothache or stomach ache. They might also have used antibiotics, long before the medicines were developed in modern times.
"The use of antibiotics would be very surprising, as this is more than 40,000 years before we developed penicillin," said Prof Cooper.
"Certainly our findings contrast markedly with the rather simplistic view of our ancient relatives in popular imagination."
contrast markedly with～と極めて対照的である
Window on the past
The research also gives new details of the diet of Neanderthals. Neanderthals at a cave site in Belgium were prolific meat eaters, dining on rhinoceros and wild sheep supplemented with mushrooms. Others, living further south in Spain, were largely vegans, consuming moss, bark and pine nuts.
prolific【形】豊富な、潤沢な
vegan【名】完全ベジタリアン
This DNA evidence contradicts archaeological and isotopic data suggesting Neanderthals were as carnivorous as polar bears or wolves, with a diet largely based on reindeer, woolly mammoth and woolly rhinoceros.
The researchers also examined bacteria that lived in the mouths of Neanderthals to see how microbial flora has changed over time. In the process, they reconstructed the oldest microbial genome yet sequenced - a bacteria associated with gum disease that is 48,000 years old.
yet【副】今までのところ
They discovered that the collection of bacteria in the mouths of ancient populations seems to be linked to the amount of meat in the diet.
"This extraordinary window on the past is providing us with new ways to explore and understand our evolutionary history through the microorganisms that lived in us and with us," said Prof Keith Dobney, from the University of Liverpool, a co-researcher on the study.
Neanderthals lived between about 400,000 and 40,000 years ago in Europe and southwestern to central Asia.
They occasionally interbred with modern humans, meaning their genes live on today.

 

20170306

Teenager's sickle cell reversed with world-first therapy
A French teenager's sickle cell disease has been reversed using a pioneering treatment to change his DNA.
The world-first procedure at Necker Children's Hospital in Paris offers hope to millions of people with the blood disorder.
Scientists altered the genetic instructions in his bone marrow so it made healthy red blood cells.
So far, the therapy has worked for 15 months and the child is no longer on any medication.
Sickle cell disease causes normally round red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body, to become shaped like a sickle.
genetic instruction遺伝的指令
These deformed cells can lock together to block the flow of blood around the body. This can cause intense pain, organ damage and can be fatal.
locked tightly together《be ～》〔二つの物が〕きつく［しっかりと］絡まって［組み合って・固定されて］いる
The teenager who received the treatment had so much internal damage he needed to have his spleen removed and his hips replaced.
Every month he had to go into hospital to have a blood transfusion to dilute his defective blood.
dilute【他動】〔液体を〕薄める、薄くする、希釈する、希薄（化）する
But when he was 13, doctors at the Necker Children's Hospital in Paris did something unique.
'No sign of disease'
Doctors removed his bone marrow - the part of the body that makes blood. They then genetically altered it in a lab to compensate for the defect in his DNA that caused the disease.
Sickle cell is caused by a typo in the instructions for making the protein haemoglobin, which is densely packed into red blood cells.
typo【名】タイプミス、タイポ、誤字、誤植
A virus was used to infect the bone marrow with new, correct instructions.
The corrected bone marrow was then put back into the patient.
The results in the New England Journal of Medicine showed the teenager has been making normal blood since the procedure 15 months ago.
Philippe Leboulch, a professor of medicine at the University of Paris, told the BBC News website: "So far the patient has no sign of the disease, no pain, no hospitalisation. He no longer requires a transfusion so we are quite pleased with that.
hospitalization 入院
"But of course we need to perform the same therapy in many patients to feel confident that it is robust enough to propose it as a mainstream therapy."
feel confident確信している、自信がある
robust《コ》〔システムが〕安定している、堅固なローバスト
'Given his life back'
Prof Leboulch is nervous about using the word "cure" as this is just the first patient to come through clinical trials.
But the study does show the potential power of gene therapy to transform the lives of people with sickle cell.
"I think it's very significant, essential they've given him his life back," said Dr Deborah Gill from the gene medicine research group at the University of Oxford.
She told the BBC: "I've worked in gene therapy for a long time and we make small steps and know there's years more work.
"But here you have someone who has received gene therapy and has complete clinical remission - that's a huge step forward."
remission【名】鎮静、緩和、許すこと、赦免、減刑〔病状の一時的な〕回復、〔痛みなどが〕和らぐこと、寛解
However, the expensive procedure can only be carried out in cutting-edge hospitals and laboratories, while most sickle cell patients are in Africa.
The next big challenge will be to transform this pioneering science into something that really can help millions of people.
 

20170304

DNA clues to why woolly mammoth died out
The last woolly mammoths to walk the Earth were so wracked with genetic disease that they lost their sense of smell, shunned company, and had a strange shiny coat.
wrack【自動】難破する
shun company疎外する、人前に出ることを嫌う
shunt【名】《医》シャント
That's the verdict of scientists who have analysed ancient DNA of the extinct animals for mutations.
verdict【名】判断、意見
The studies suggest the last mammoths died out after their DNA became riddled with errors.
riddled with《be ～》〔好ましくないもの〕で満ちて［いっぱいになって］いる
The knowledge could inform conservation efforts for living animals.
There are fewer than 100 Asiatic cheetahs left in the wild, while the remaining mountain gorilla population is estimated at about 300. The numbers are similar to those of the last woolly mammoths living on Wrangel Island in the Arctic Ocean around 4,000 years ago.
ウランゲリ島は北極海、東シベリア海とチュクチ海との間にあるロシア領の島。
Woolly mammoths died out because of "mutational meltdown", Dr Rebekah Rogers tells The World Tonight
Dr Rebekah Rogers of the University of California, Berkeley, who led the research, said the mammoths' genomes "were falling apart right before they went extinct".
This, she said, was the first case of "genomic meltdown" in a single species.
"You had this last refuge of mammoths after everything has gone extinct on the mainland," she added.
"The mathematical theories that have been developed said that they should accumulate bad mutations because natural selection should become very inefficient."
The researchers analysed genetic mutations found in the ancient DNA of a mammoth from 4,000 years ago. They used the DNA of a mammoth that lived about 45,000 years ago, when populations were much larger, as a comparison.
The woolly mammoth roamed during the last Ice Age and vanished about 4,000 years ago
Woolly mammoths were once common in North America and Siberia. They were driven to extinction by environmental factors and possibly human hunting about 10,000 years ago. Small island populations clung on until about 4,000 years ago.
cling onto～に執着する［固執する・しがみつく］
"There was this huge excess of what looked like bad mutations in the genome of the mammoth from this island," said Dr Rogers.
"We found these bad mutations were accumulating in the mammoth genome right before they went extinct."
Knowledge of the last days of the mammoth could help modern species on the brink of extinction, such as the panda, mountain gorilla and Indian elephant. The lesson from the woolly mammoth is that once numbers drop below a certain level, the population's genetic health may be beyond saving. Genetic testing could be one way to assess whether levels of genetic diversity in a species are enough to give it a chance of survival. A better option is to stop numbers falling too low.
better option for～にとってのよりよい［もっといい］選択（肢）
"When you have these small populations for an extended period of time they can go into genomic meltdown, just like what we saw in the mammoth," said Dr Rogers.
"So if you can prevent these organisms ever being threatened or endangered then that will do a lot more to help prevent this type of genomic meltdown compared to if you have a small population and then bring it back up to larger numbers because it will still bear those signatures of this genomic meltdown."
bear someone's signature正式な署名がある（人）の署名がある
The critically endangered mountain gorilla population is threatened by habitat loss, poaching, disease and war
Scientists think the genetic mutations may have given the last woolly mammoths "silky, shiny satin fur". Mutations may have also led to a loss of olfactory receptors, responsible for the sense of smell, as well as substances in urine involved in social status and attracting a mate.
Love Dalen is professor of evolutionary genetics at the Swedish Museum of Natural History and head of the team of scientists that originally published the DNA sequences of the mammoths.
He said they found "many deletions, big chunks of the genome that are missing, some of which even affected functional genes".
"This is a very novel result," he said. "If this holds up when more mammoth genomes, as well as genomes from other species, are analysed, it will have very important implications for conservation biology."
hold up【句動】支持する

 

20170218

Scientists appeal for more people to donate their brains
Scientists are appealing for more people to donate their brains for research after they die.
They say they are lacking the brains of people with disorders such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
In part, this shortage results from a lack of awareness that such conditions are due to changes in brain wiring.
brain wiring脳の神経経路
The researchers' aim is to develop new treatments for mental and neurological disorders.
The human brain is as beautiful as it is complex. Its wiring changes and grows as we do. The organ is a physical embodiment of our behaviour and who we are.
embodiment【名】具現化、具象化権化、化身 。思想や抽象的特質などが具体的な形をとって現れたもの
In recent years, researchers have made links between the shape of the brain and mental and neurological disorders.
More than 3,000 brains are storied at the Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center at McLean Hospital just outside Boston. It is one of the largest brain banks in the world.
make the link関連があると見る
storied【形】物語で名高い
Most of their specimens are from people with mental or neurological disorders.
Samples are requested by scientists to find new treatments for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and a whole host of psychiatric disorders.
whole host of《a ～》たくさんの

But there is a problem. Scientists at McLean Hospital and at brain banks across the world do not have enough specimens for the research community.
According Dr Kerry Ressler, who is the chief scientific officer at McLean hospital, new treatments for many mental and neurological diseases are within the grasp of the research community. However, he says it is the lack of brain tissue that is holding back their development.
within the grasp of（人）が入手できる
hold back妨げる、阻害する
"We have the tools and the ability to do some great deep-level biology of the human brain now.
"What we are lacking are the tissues from those with the disorders we need to really understand."
One donor visiting the hospital, who wished to be known only as Caroline, told BBC News that she decided to donate her brain for medical research partly because her sister has schizophrenia.
She hopes that her donation will help researchers find a cure ? and she's urging others to do the same.
“My parents were fine but why did my sister get schizophrenia? We are not sure where it came from. How are we going to find out if we don’t do the research on the brain, which is where the problem is."
There is a shortage of brains from people with disorders that are incorrectly seen as psychological rather than neurological in origin. These include depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Prof Sabina Berretta, the scientific director of the Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Centre, said: "If people think that there are no changes in the brain of somebody that suffers from major depression or post-traumatic stress disorder then there is no reason for them to donate their brain for research because (they think that) there is nothing there to find.
"This conception is radically wrong from a biological point of view."