​20171011

In Cervical "Selfies," A Solution
What do candy crush and cervical cancer have in common? Well, nothing except, both can now be ‘screened’ on a smartphone.
candy crush英国のKing（King.com Ltd.）が開発したゲームアプリである。
nothing except for《be ～》～以外の何物［何者］でもない
The innovation, by Israeli based firm MobileODT, is a compact medical device that comprises a powerful microscope and lighting. It incorporates an android enabled mobile phone that takes a photograph of the cervix. This non-intrusive system enhances visual assessment (EVA) while storing a digital copy, which is relayed to a specialized application that interprets the image and also links up to other specialists for further consultation.
Unlike existing technology, “It never enters the patient, it’s always at a distance” says Ariel Beery, Chief Executive Officer and Cofounder of MobileODT. This feature could serve as a motivation in conservative communities where women shy away from being checked. 
The cervix, where cervical cancer starts and then spreads, is the narrow passage that connects the vagina and the uterus. Though deadly, if detected early, cervical cancer can be treated and the patient cured. Discovering the disease at an early stage is crucial for treatment. 
In Western nations, taking a pap smear annually is routine in order to detect pre-cancerous cells and begin early treatment. But in sub-Saharan Africa, where the most number of women are affected, very few ever get screened for the disease.
pap smear 〈米〉パップスメア、子宮頸部細胞診
Apart from poor awareness, the existing technology to provide the service is expensive, while other resources like laboratories and trained specialists are limited. However, the portability of the EVA system means affordable reproductive health care services can be brought to women in far-flung communities. Also, women with access to smartphones can remotely send their physicians ‘selfies’ of their own cervixes for analysis.
According to the WHO, cervical cancer is the most widespread form of cancer in the world. Over 90% of the estimated 275,000 annual deaths from the disease occur in developing nations like Kenya and Nigeria where access to reproductive health care is broadly inadequate, gender inequality is high and economic resources are low.
Because culture, religion and poverty often limit the demand for reproductive health care in many developing countries, experts advocate mobile solutions that take health care to at-risk-populations. Though, mobile devices have in the past couple of years been used to track cervical cancer screening, MobileODT takes it a step further by actually improving the screening process itself and potentially saving the lives of many women not only in sub-Saharan Africa but across the world. The device has been rolled out in 8 developing countries including Kenya and Haiti.
Access to qualitative yet affordable reproductive health care lies at the core of gender equality and economic development, says Felicitas Zawaira, Director of Family and Reproductive Health at WHO’s Africa Regional Office. Speaking during the Women Deliver conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, Zawaira noted that “money” remained a big impediment to provision and demand for services.
MobileODT believes EVA has successfully bridged this gap between affordability, portability and technological advancement. The device is 10% the size of existing technology and retails for about $1500.
An earlier version of this story incorrectly placed the price of the device at $800, rather than $1500.
 

​20171010

Gene test 'narrows down breast cancer risk'
A gene test informing women how likely they are to develop breast cancer could soon be used on high-risk groups.
The Manchester researchers behind the test said it could reduce the number of women having surgery to remove their breasts, by narrowing down their risk.
The test, on blood or saliva, looks at 18 genetic variants known to affect the chances of getting breast cancer.
Cancer charities said it would have a real impact on women and lead to fewer being diagnosed with the disease.
The Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) test will initially be available for patients having tests at St Mary's Hospital and Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester for BRCA1 and 2 gene mutations, with a family history of breast cancer.
single nucleotide polymorphism 一塩基多型のこと。スニップと読む。遺伝情報はDNAの塩基配列によって書かれています。遺伝情報はすべての人が同じではなく、個人ごとに違っている部分があります。個人ごとの塩基配列の違いを「遺伝子多型（いでんしたけい）」と呼びます。多型にはいろいろな種類がありますが、1塩基の違いをSNP（スニップ：single nucleotide polymorphism、一塩基多型）といいます。 
　疾患と遺伝子との関係が、急速に明らかになりつつあります。従来から知られている1つの遺伝子の異常で起きる遺伝病だけでなく、生活習慣病といわれている"ありふれた病気"にも、遺伝的要因がかかわっていることが分かってきました。生活習慣病などの遺伝的要因には、遺伝子の"異常"ではなく" 個人差程度の違い"であるSNPが、いくつも複雑に関連していると考えられています。 
BRCA1（breast cancer susceptibility gene I、乳がん感受性遺伝子I）とは、がん抑制遺伝子のひとつ。BRCA1遺伝子の変異により、遺伝子不安定性を生じ、最終的に乳癌や卵巣癌を引き起こす（遺伝性乳癌・卵巣癌症候群）。BRCA1の転写産物であるBRCA1タンパク質は他の多数のとともに核内で大きな複合体を形成し、相同性による遺伝子の修復に関わっている。
BRCA has been dubbed the 'Angelina Jolie gene' after the actress revealed she had surgery on learning she had up to 87% chance of developing breast cancer.
That is the figure quoted to all women with a BRCA gene mutation, but in fact their risk of cancer is much more complex than that, and different for every person.
Prof Gareth Evans, who led the research into the test at Manchester University Foundation Trust, says women with a BRCA mutation have a risk of breast cancer somewhere between 30% and 90%.
Being able to narrow down a woman's individual risk will mean they are better informed about whether to have a mastectomy or not, he says.
By combining the results of the test with information on breast density, the age a woman has children or reaches puberty, women are given a percentage change of developing breast cancer within the next 10 years, and throughout their lifetime.
Becky Measures had a mastectomy 11 years ago at the age of 24 after learning she carried the BRCA1 gene mutation.
She is due to have further risk-reducing surgery to remove her womb and ovaries in the next four months and has welcomed the news.
"When they find that they have the BRCA1 or 2 gene, many women fear that they have to take action immediately.
"The new test will give women more options and help them to make a more informed decision," she said.
Prof Evans wants the test to become more widely available, eventually allowing all women to find out their likelihood of developing breast cancer.
He said: "This is a massive game changer for breast cancer where we now have tests which can give accurate risk in the whole population, those with a family history and those with BRCA mutations."
Prof Evans' team has been working with Cambridge University and researchers in the US, Australia and Europe to look at samples from 60,000 women.
Within two years they hope to have improved the gene test to include up to 300 genetic variants that are known to affect the likelihood of developing breast cancer.
They are also investigating whether they can use their work to understand how genes increase or reduce the risk of developing prostate, uterine, ovarian, lung and colorectal cancers.
That could be particularly beneficial to BRCA mutation carriers, who are also at increased risk of ovarian cancer.
Dr Justine Alford from Cancer Research UK said: "The more that we learn about the genetic components behind these increased risks of developing breast cancer in women who have a family history of the disease, the better the choice they can make about their health."
Lester Barr, chairman of Prevent Breast Cancer, a Manchester-based charity which funded some of the research, said the next step was to help women with no family history of breast cancer who may still carry a genetic risk of the developing the disease.

​20171004

Carrying the shopping can improve strength in over-65s, say experts
Carrying the shopping, gardening, or vacuuming, can help older people to lead healthier lives for longer, according to leading physiotherapists.
physiotherapist 【名】 理学療法士
They warn that millions of older people risk falls because they are failing to maintain their strength.
Nearly a quarter of over-65s don't do any strength exercises, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) says.
And it warns that the rise of internet shopping means fewer people carry home their groceries.
strength exercise強化運動
chartered【形】公認の
Physiotherapists say not enough people realise the need to maintain strength as we age.
NHS guidelines suggest people do two strengthening sessions a week, such as exercising with weights, or lifting and carrying heavy loads such as groceries.
But a survey of more than 2,000 older people in the UK, carried out on behalf of the CSP, found nearly a quarter do no strengthening exercises at all.
behalf 【名】支持、味方、利益  ～に代わって、～のために
Nearly one in five people said they didn't know how to do them, while a similar number said they just didn't want to.
Falls among the elderly cause the vast majority of hip fractures and cost the NHS around ￡1bn each year.
Physiotherapists say maintaining your strength into old age can help avoid falls and other forms of ill health.
They argue that encouraging people to keep their strength up - by doing simple things such as gardening or vacuuming - will pay dividends, helping them to live independent, healthier lives for longer.
Exercises to strengthen muscles
dividend  【名】《金融》配当
pay a  dividend利益を生む   
lift weights
work with resistance bands
do exercises that uses your own body weight, such as push-ups and sit-ups
heavy gardening, such as digging and shovelling
carrying shopping
yoga
Source: NHS Choices
Prof Karen Middleton, chief executive of the CSP, says it's not inevitable that we become weaker and frailer as we get older.
frail【形】 〔人や体が〕弱い、虚弱な
"Research shows getting stronger brings a whole host of health benefits so it is incredibly important that people don't overlook strengthening when being active."
She said that could mean digging in the garden or standing up out of a chair 10 times.
Prof Middleton also said online shopping had removed a potential source of muscle exercise.
"We're carrying fewer bags home from the supermarket because it arrives at our door.
"We're also waiting at home for other goods to be delivered when in the past we would have gone out to buy them."
She said we should look for ways to build strength exercises into our everyday lives.

20170928

'Instant' blood test for heart attacks
A blood test that could rule out a heart attack in under 20 minutes should be used routinely, say UK researchers.
A team from King's College London have tested it on patients and say the cMyC test could be rolled out on the NHS within five years.
rule out 【句動】無視する、除外する、排除する
roll out【句他動】本格展開する
They claim it would save the health service millions of pounds each year by freeing up beds and sending well patients home.
free up  【句動】 ～を完全に自由にする、～を解放する
About two-thirds of patients with chest pain will not have had a heart attack.
will not have had  未来完了形
A heart trace, called an ECG, can quickly show up major heart attacks, but it is not very good at excluding more common, smaller ones that can still be life-threatening.
Currently, patients with suspect chest pain and a clear ECG can have a different heart-attack blood test, called troponin, when they arrive at A&E. But it needs to be repeated three hours later to pick up signs of heart muscle damage.
A&E 【略】＝accident and emergency （department）  〈英〉〔病院の〕救急救命科［センター］
troponin   【名】トロポニン 筋原線維の収縮に関わる物質 トロポニンは、心筋（心臓の筋肉）の細いフィラメント（細い線）を形成する収縮蛋白で、トロポニンT、IとCからなります。これらのうち、臨床的に測定されているのは、トロポニンTとIです。トロポニンは心筋の構成成分であるため、これが血液中に出現する場合には、急性心筋梗塞（こうそく）や不安定狭心症などによって、心筋が傷害されていることを意味します。
Alison Fullingham, 49 and from Bolton, did not realise she was having a heart attack when she experienced pain in her upper chest, neck and jaw.
Despite a small change in her ECG, doctors initially suspected she was having a simple panic attack.
It was only hours later when her troponin tests came back that the correct diagnosis was reached.
Rapid diagnosis
Levels of cMyC (cardiac myosin-binding protein C) in the blood rise more rapidly and to a higher extent after a heart attack than troponin proteins, studies suggest.
That means doctors can use the new test to rule out a heart attack in a higher proportion of patients straightaway, according to the researchers who report their trial findings in the journal Circulation.
They carried out troponin and cMyC blood tests on nearly 2,000 people admitted to hospitals in Switzerland, Italy and Spain with acute chest pain.
The new test was better at giving patients the all-clear within the first three hours of presenting with chest pain.
all-clear 危険なし
Dr Tom Kaier, one of the lead researchers, funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) at St Thomas' Hospital, London, said: "Our research shows that the new test has the potential to reassure many thousands more patients with a single test, improving their experience and freeing up valuable hospital beds in A&E departments and wards across the country."
He says if the test were to be used routinely, it could provide doctors with reliable results within 15 to 30 minutes. It is only being used for research at the moment, however.
Dr Kaier's hospital carries out around 7,800 troponin blood tests each year. By his calculations, switching to cMyC would save his hospital ￡800,000 through reduced admissions. Extrapolate that to other NHS hospitals and the savings could be millions of pounds, he says.
extrapolate【他動】〔未知の事柄を既知の事柄から〕推定する   《数学》外挿する
Prof Simon Ray, from the British Cardiovascular Society, said more research was needed before the new test could replace the troponin test.
"Unlike currently available blood tests which need to be repeated at least three hours after pain it looks as though a single test is enough to make a confident decision on whether a patient has or has not suffered a heart attack. Not only can it be done earlier after the onset of symptoms but it also seems to be better at discriminating between heart attacks and other causes of chest pains. This is very important."

20170927

Doctors warn of rare but serious liposuction complication
Doctors are highlighting a rare but serious complication of liposuction, which can lead to fat globules entering the lungs.
globule 【名】 小球
They reported on the case of a 45-year-old woman who developed respiratory failure after fat was sucked out of her lower legs and knees.
She recovered from the life-threatening condition, the Birmingham medics said.
Liposuction is increasingly common in the UK and being carried out in higher risk patients, the BMJ report said.
Dr Adam Ali, from Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals intensive care unit, said no previous case of fat embolism syndrome (FES) had been reported in the UK before.
BMJ 【略】＝British Medical Journal《英》医学会会報
fat embolism syndrome脂肪塞栓症候群    脂肪細胞に血管を塞栓された臓器が虚血による不全を起こす事が本症の病態である。
長管骨の骨折もしくは軟部組織の広範な挫滅を伴う外傷、手術、熱傷、炎症などにより、骨髄もしくは皮下の脂肪組織が遊離し、血管もしくはリンパ管内に流入して循環障害を来すのが脂肪塞栓症である。損傷を受けた静脈系に流入した脂肪滴が肺血管を閉塞し、数時間から数日後に呼吸困難、チアノーゼを呈して肺水腫に陥り、重篤となることがある。まれに肺を通過して動脈系に入り、脳や腎血管を閉塞することがある。全身性の脂肪塞栓症の原因としては、骨折の他に、皮下脂肪組織の挫滅、脂肪肝による障害、急性膵炎、減圧症、広範囲の火傷、糖尿病、骨髄炎などがある。
But he said it was important to consider the possibility that it could occur.
The patient in question had been morbidly obese and had undergone a gastric bypass before having liposuction to help her become more mobile and start to lose weight.
morbidly 【副】病的に
But 36 hours after the operation, she became very unwell with serious breathing problems and was transferred to intensive care.
Thanks to the prompt actions of doctors, she was sedated and ventilated. She was discharged from hospital three weeks later.
The report said recognising and diagnosing FES was "a significant challenge" for most doctors because there were few obvious symptoms.
significant challenge  重要な課題
What is liposuction?
It is a cosmetic procedure where fat is sucked out of the body from areas where it is hard to shift, such as the thighs, hips and tummy.
tummy 【名】  〈幼児語〉おなか、ポンポン
It works best in people who are a normal weight and in areas where the skin is tight.
The results normally last for a long time, providing a healthy weight can be maintained.
But there are side-effects and NHS Choices describes how liposuction can sometimes go wrong.

20170926

Australian schoolgirl raises alarm over flesh-eating disease
An Australian schoolgirl suffering from a flesh-eating ulcer is calling for better government funding for research into the infectious disease.
Ella Crofts, 13, is slowly recovering from a Buruli ulcer, a skin disease usually found in the developing world.
ブルーリ潰瘍（Buruli ulcer）はグラム陽性桿菌の Mycobacterium ulcerans ないしその近縁の M. ulcerans subsp. shinsuenseが病原体となり発症する潰瘍などの皮膚病変を主症状とする感染症である。
この菌は、マイコラクトン(mycolactone)という脂質毒素を産生し、局所の壊死、アポトーシスを引き起こし、皮膚潰瘍を形成する。
Her case has prompted doctors to warn of a growing epidemic in area of Victoria state where she lives.
Health authorities there have recorded 159 cases of the infection in the year to September.
That is nearly three times the number of cases recorded three years ago.
Experts do not know how to prevent the disease nor how it is contracted.
Ms Croft, from the town of Tyabb, says her case began in April, with a sore knee that deteriorated into an open wound.
"Slowly it got worse, with my knee becoming swollen and inflamed, until one day, the skin started breaking down," she said in a statement online.
The outdoors-loving teenager said dry swab tests failed to pick up any bacteria, and antibiotics for common infection also didn't stop her knee worsening.
'I had blood all over my ankles'
Her doctor, infectious disease expert and Associate Prof Daniel O'Brien at the Geelong and Royal Melbourne hospitals, told the BBC that Ella had suffered a severe case of Mycobacterium Ulcerans disease or Buruli ulcer.
"The bacteria gets under the skin and slowly eats its way through the skin and the tissue underneath a limb until it's treated. The longer you leave it the worse it gets, it's a progressive, destructive infection."
Ella has had three operations and months of powerful antibiotics to treat the destructive infection.
"I've had six months of quality medical care and still have not recovered," she said.
What is the Buruli ulcer?
A skin disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium ulcerans.
The bacteria emits toxins that destroy skin cells, small blood vessels and the fat under the skin, leading to ulcers forming and skin loss.
The ulcer gets bigger with time and can lead to permanent disfigurement or disability.
Usually affects limbs but can also be found on the face and body.
Doctors do not know how the disease is transmitted to humans but it's believed to arise from the environment and soil.
There are also theories that mosquitoes can carry the bacteria.
The teenager has set up a petition calling on federal and state government to increase research into the disease.
"Why are the numbers in Victoria increasing so rapidly? Why is it moving? It used to be common on the Bellarine peninsula, now it's mostly on the Mornington Peninsula," she wrote in her petition.
Associate Prof O'Brien told the BBC there was a "worsening epidemic" in coastal Victoria.
"The cases are rapidly increasing, they seem to be doubling every year, and we're getting twice as many severe cases than we used to, maybe because the organism is growing more virulent," he said.
He was also concerned that the disease was popping up in different areas, and said health authorities had limited knowledge of how to intervene.
Victoria's Department of Health said it was studying local possum faeces for traces of the bacteria and providing funding for studies into mosquitoes.
possum 【名】《動物》フクロネズミ ポッサム
It is also working with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners to develop training guides for doctors to help them diagnose the disease quicker.
In Australia, cases of Buruli ulcers are most common in localised coastal areas of Victoria. It has also been diagnosed in the tropical regions of Queensland.
It is more commonly found in rural West Africa, Central Africa, New Guinea, Latin America and tropical regions of Asia

​20170921

Eye worm infection 'could spread to UK'
An eye infection caused by a parasitic worm increasingly common in mainland Europe could spread to the UK, pet owners are being warned.
The disease, Thelazia callipaeda or oriental eye worm, is transmitted by a type of fruit-fly that lands on the eyes and deposits infective larvae.
東洋眼虫(Thelazia callipaeda)はヒト、イヌ、ネコなどに眼虫症を引き起こす寄生性線虫である。
Cats, dogs and people catch it from the flies, which feed on eye secretions.
There have been three recent canine cases reported in the UK, but the animals had been imported from abroad.
One had been brought to the UK from Romania. The other two had recently travelled to mainland Europe with their owners.
All made a full recovery following drug treatment and eye washes to flush out the adult worms.
Britain has the same type of fruit-fly - Phortica variegata - and the concern is these could become infected and then spread the condition to people and animals in the UK, says veterinary expert John Graham-Brown, from Liverpool University, in the BMJ publication Veterinary Record.
Mr Graham-Brown said there was no risk of people catching the infection directly from their pets. But dog owners should be on the lookout for signs of the infection in themselves and their pet if they had recently travelled to places where the disease was endemic.
Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Greece, Belgium and Serbia have reported locally transmitted cases.
Infected animals show a variety of symptoms, from mild conjunctivitis (pink eye) to severe corneal ulceration, which, if untreated, can lead to blindness.
corneal ulceration 《病理》角膜潰瘍
Fully grown adult worms might also be visible, but the microscopic larvae cannot be seen with the naked eye.
Mr Graham-Brown said: "So far, there has been only one strain of the infection round in Europe. But it's been spreading quite rapidly recently. We are not sure why.
"We do have this type of fly in the UK as well, so there is the potential for an infected dog to come back and give it to the fly here, and then it could spread."
The flies tend to be found in areas of oak woodland during warmer months.
 

20170914

India baby deaths: Second hospital probed
Over 100 children's deaths in the same state of Uttar Pradesh were linked to lack of oxygen last month
Indian police are investigating the deaths of dozens of newborns at a hospital in Farrukhabad, Uttar Pradesh.
Forty-nine children died at Ram Manohar Lohia hospital in a month, including at least 30 who are said to have died from "perinatal asphyxia".
perinatal asphyxia 周生期［周産期］仮死
妊娠してから生後4週間の時期を指します。
asphyxia 【名】呼吸停止、窒息、仮死
The condition is caused by reduced oxygen levels during childbirth.
In August at least 160 minors died at a Gorakhpur hospital, in the same state. Some of the deaths there were also allegedly caused by lack of oxygen.
But senior government officials have denied that this was the case in either hospital.
In the most recent investigation, a government report blamed medical staff for 30 deaths, prompting the launch of a police investigation.
The Press Trust of India reports that those 30 died from an apparent lack of oxygen while in intensive care at Ram Manohar Lohia hospital. Another 19 infants, who did not survive childbirth, were not part of the government report, the news agency said.
All 49 deaths happened between 21 July and 20 August.
Timeline: Two hospitals and almost 200 dead
12 August: News emerges that at least 60 children died in Baba Raghav Das hospital in Gorakhpur. Thirty died in just two days. Reports said there was a shortage of oxygen - which the state and hospital deny - but family members said they had to manually squeeze artificial bags to aid breathing. By 16 August, the death toll had risen to more than 100 children.
Initial reports suggested that the hospital's oxygen supply had been cut by a private supplier over unpaid bills of more than 6m rupees ($93,500; ￡72,500).
27-29 August: Another 60 children, including 31 infants, die at the same hospital. Officials said there was no oxygen shortage, but blamed a high rate of disease from the monsoon season - saying that many child patients arrive in critical condition.
4 September: Police begin the investigation into at least 30 of the 49 deaths at Ram Manohar Lohia hospital in Farrukhabad.
On the frontline of India's encephalitis war
How did 100 children die in this India hospital?
Police said that in the Farrukhabad case, the hospital "did not insert oxygen pipes [into infants' windpipes] after birth".
The region is one the poorest in India and records hundreds of deaths of children due to various diseases, including encephalitis, every year.
Encephalitis, which is common in Gorakhpur, is a life-threatening inflammation in the brain. Very young children and the elderly are particularly at risk, and it has numerous causes, including bacterial or viral infection.
encephalitis  【名】 《病理》脳炎

20170913

Rare malaria death of girl in northern Italy puzzles doctors
A four-year-old Italian girl has died of cerebral malaria in northern Italy, a region free of the disease, in what doctors see as a very mysterious case.
cerebral malaria 脳マラリア  原虫に寄生された赤血球の表面に形成された突起(Knob)が、血管内皮に固着し血流を阻害するなどして発症する。 脳や他の臓器の毛細血管が多発的に閉塞し、急性腎不全、意識低下、言語のもつれなどの神経症状が起こる。進行すると昏睡状態に陥り、死亡する。熱帯熱マラリア原虫、Plasmodium falciparum に感染した赤血球は、表面にKnobといわれる突起が形成され血管内皮に固着する。その結果、脳や他の臓器の細血管の閉塞、サイトカインやNOなどの血管作動性メディエイターの放出につながり、急性腎不全などとともに意識障害や言語障害、錯乱、痙攣といった脳性マラリアの症状をおこすことになる。意識障害を併発したような重症マラリアの治療では非経口的な薬剤投与が必要となるので、キニーネ注射薬の使用が一般的となる。
in what some see as  一般的な見方では、普通に考えれば、大多数の人の見方では
Sofia Zago died in Brescia on Sunday night, after being rushed to hospital with a high fever on Saturday.
Italy is free of the Anopheles mosquito that carries cerebral malaria, the deadliest form of the blood disease. But after a scorching August, some fear that it might have reached Italy.
mosquito of the genus Anophelesハマダラカ 
A flight could have brought it in.
Sofia had been on holiday with her parents at Bibione, an Adriatic resort near Venice.
Trento, where the girl's malaria was diagnosed on Saturday, lies within the Trentino region in the foothills of the Alps.
"It's the first time in my 30-year career that I've seen a case of malaria originating in Trentino," said Dr Claudio Paternoster, an infectious diseases specialist at Trento's Santa Chiara Hospital.
Since the 1950s, Italy has not had a malaria problem because mosquito-infested marshes were drained.
marsh 【名】沼地
There is speculation that Sofia might have caught malaria from one of two children treated for it at the Trento hospital after 15 August. They had caught it in Africa, and recovered.
Sofia had had treatment there for child diabetes and there was a break before her emergency readmission to the hospital at the weekend.
readmission rate  再入院
A Trentino health official, Paolo Bordon, said Sofia had not been in the same ward as the other two children. Sofia had not had a blood transfusion, he added, stressing that the treatments for malaria and diabetes were utterly different.
The Plasmodium Falciparum parasite carried by the Anopheles mosquito can kill a human within 24 hours.
plasmodium falciparum 熱帯熱マラリア原虫
About 438,000 people died of malaria in 2015 in the 95 tropical countries where it is endemic, Italy's Corriere della Sera daily reports.
Only some types of mosquito are able to transmit the disease from person to person.
Risky insects are found in large areas of Central and South America, Africa, Asia, the South Pacific and some parts of Eastern Europe, but not in the rest of Europe.
As a result, malaria is largely limited to tropical areas - cases appearing within the European Union are typically "suitcase" ones, linked to recent travel to other parts of the world where malaria is present.
The latest case in northern Italy has baffled experts. It is not clear how the girl caught it, but her case is not unique.
baffle 【他動】  （人）を途方に暮れさせる、迷わせる
The European Centre for Disease Prevention Control closely monitors cases and has found a few cases of "locally acquired" malaria in the EU - two in France and three in Spain in 2014.
But there were explanations for how some of these might have occurred. One was a patient who had received a kidney from a donor with malaria; another was a newborn whose mother had recently returned from Equatorial Guinea.
One of the Spanish patients had no history of travel, but lived a few kilometres from a town where a "suitcase" malaria person lived. No infected local mosquitoes were found, but lab tests showed two people had an identical strain of the disease.

20170912

Girl's donated organs help a record eight people
Jemima's organ donations have helped five different children around the country.
A 13-year-old girl who died from a brain aneurysm has helped a record eight different people, including five children, through organ donation.
aneurysm 【名】 《病理》動脈瘤
Jemima Layzell, from Somerset, who died in 2012, donated her heart, pancreas, lungs, kidneys, small bowel and liver.
Jemima's parents said she was clever, compassionate and creative - and would have been "very proud of her legacy".
NHS Blood and Transplant said no other donor had helped as many people.
would have been～するところだが
Jemima collapsed during preparations for her mum's 38th birthday party and died four days later at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children.
Her heart, small bowel, and pancreas were transplanted into three different people while two people received her kidneys.
Her liver was split and transplanted into a further two people, and both of her lungs were transplanted into one patient.
Normally, a donation results in 2.6 transplants - eight is very unusual.
'Special and unique'
Jemima's mum Sophy Layzell, 43, a drama tutor, and dad Harvey Layzell, 49, managing director of a building firm, said they knew Jemima was willing to be a donor because they had spoken about it a couple of weeks before her death, after someone they knew died in a crash.
Sophy said: "They were on the register but their organs couldn't be donated because of the circumstances of their death.
"Jemima had never heard of organ donation before and found it a little bit unsettling but totally understood the importance of it."
She said they still found the decision to donate their daughter's organs hard, but felt it was right.
"Everyone wants their child to be special and unique and this among other things makes us very proud.
"Shortly after Jemima died, we watched a programme about children awaiting heart transplants and being fitted with Berlin Hearts in Great Ormond Street Hospital.
"It affirmed for us that saying 'no' would have been denying eight other people the chance for life, especially over Jemima's heart, which Harvey had felt uncomfortable about donating at the time."
What is a brain aneurysm?
An aneurysm is a bulge in a blood vessel caused by a weakness in the blood vessel wall.
It can develop anywhere in the body, but most commonly in the brain and around the heart.
In the brain, if the ballooning blood vessel bursts, extensive bleeding causes severe brain damage - and usually results in death or serious disability.
There are usually no signs of the problem before the aneurysm ruptures.
Aneurysms in children are rare and it is still not clear why blood vessels weaken to make them form.
Jemima's parents said it was very important for families to talk about organ donation.
"Every parent's instinct is to say no, as we are programmed to protect our child. It's only with prior knowledge of Jemima's agreement that we were able to say yes.
"Jemima was lovely - clever, funny, compassionate and creative - and we feel sure she would be very proud of her legacy," Sophy said.
'Too many say no'
Sophy, Harvey, and Jemima's sister Amelia, aged 17, now run The Jemima Layzell Trust, which helps young people with brain injuries and also promotes organ donation.
NHS Blood and Transplant said hundreds of people were still dying unnecessarily while waiting for a transplant because too many families said no to organ donation.
Last year, 457 people died waiting for a transplant, including 14 children.
There are currently 6,414 people on the transplant waiting list, including 176 children.
In 2015, 22-year-old Tom Wilson died in a freak accident after he was hit on the head by a hockey stick.
freak accident《a ～》不慮の事故
His donated organs, as well as skin, bone and tissue, are thought to have helped the lives of around 50 people.
 

20170909

Endometriosis: My life full of pain
子宮内膜症 子宮内膜あるいはそれと似た組織が子宮内腔以外の部位に発生し、女性ホルモン（エストロゲン）の刺激を受けて増殖する疾患です。本来、子宮内腔にしか存在しないはずの子宮内膜や子宮内膜様の組織が、子宮以外の場所（卵巣・ダクラス窩・Ｓ状結腸・直腸・仙骨子宮靱帯・腟・外陰部・膀胱・腹壁・へそなど）にできる病気です。
Amelia hopes that talking about her condition will help others
Endometriosis isn't just painful periods, it's a chronic condition in a league of its own.
league 【名】部類
One in 10 women has it yet, in the UK, it takes on average seven years to get it correctly diagnosed by a doctor - something experts want to change.
With endometriosis, tissue that behaves like womb lining is found in other bits of the body, causing nasty symptoms.
womb-lining 子宮内膜
Amelia Davies was 12 when she got her first period. She soon came to dread her "agonising Auntie Red".
Auntie Flow（フローおばさん） 「生理」の呼び名
dread 【他動】～を恐れる、ひどく怖がる
"At times it was so bad I couldn't go to school. I missed loads of days. The pain was really intense, with lots of different types - stabbing, cramping and burning. I was so bad I couldn't walk or get out of bed."
New guidelines for the NHS aim to reduce delays in diagnosis and save women years of unnecessary distress and suffering.
cramping 【名】 筋けいれん
Crippling pain
Amelia first explained her symptoms to her GP and then a few different doctors, but they couldn't find anything wrong.
"Finally, they agreed to send me to hospital for an ultrasound scan.
"So, there I am sitting in the hospital waiting room in full school uniform with dad laughing and joking about to try and keep me calm. It felt like people in that waiting room were giving me dirty looks, and assuming I was there for a pregnancy scan or something. I felt judged."
feel unfairly judged誤解［不当な判断を］されていると感じる
The scan revealed she had a cyst on her ovary, plus endometriosis.
cyst  【名】《病理》嚢胞
When a woman with endometriosis menstruates, the misplaced womb tissue bleeds too, causing crippling pain and some rather unusual symptoms.
crippling 【形】〔正常に機能しなくなるほどの〕壊滅的な影響［打撃］を与える
Some women pee blood at their time of the month. Others even cough up some blood if the rogue tissue is in their lungs.
pee【他動】におしっこを漏らす
Over time, the bleeding can irritate the body and lead to scarring or adhesions - tough cords of fibrous tissue that can cause more pain and make organs stick to each other and cause complications.
irritate 【他動】いら立たせる、刺激する
Amelia's doctor advised her to take an oral contraceptive pill to help alleviate her symptoms.
She currently takes the mini pill and hasn't had a period in two years.
But Amelia, now 18 and living in south London, says her endometriosis still causes her daily pain. She's been writing a blog about her experiences.
"Sometimes it can be really bad still. I get flare-ups and that's really difficult.
flare-up  【名】 急激な再燃、突然の再発
"I get the phrase, 'At least you're not dying,' quite a lot.
"I know it's said most of the time by good friends who are trying to be nice and reassure me. But endometriosis for me is the prospect of a long life full of pain. I sometimes feel like people are measuring my level of struggle against others' and that doesn't feel fair. It's daunting."  
daunting 【形】  〔人を〕おじけづかせる、ひるませる
Caroline Overton, a consultant gynaecologist who helped write the new guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence said: "There is no cure for endometriosis, so helping affected women manage their symptoms is imperative.
imperative【形】必要不可欠の、必須の 、威圧的な  避け［逃れ］られない
"As one of the most common gynaecological diseases in the UK, it is vital that endometriosis is more widely recognised."
Emma Cox, from Endometriosis UK, said: "The impact a delayed diagnosis has on a woman's life - her education, work, relationships and personal life - can be huge. On top of coping with the disease itself, women have to put up with being told, sometimes for years, that what they have is 'in their heads' or 'normal', when it isn't."
Endometriosis facts
You can't "catch" endometriosis and nothing you did made you get it
Women and girls of childbearing age and of any ethnicity can have it
It's a long-term condition that can be difficult to diagnose at first
Common symptoms include pelvic pain, period pain, tiredness and pain during and after sex
Your GP may not be able to see any signs that you have endometriosis and some tests may not show up the problem
You may need a procedure called a laparoscopy (where a surgeon passes a thin tube with a camera into your body through a small cut in your skin) to confirm the diagnosis
Medication (including the contraceptive pill) is available that can help control the pain and symptoms
Some women have surgery to get rid of some of the tissue or a hysterectomy to remove the womb
Women with endometriosis can still try for a baby - it's estimated up to 70% of women with mild or moderate endometriosis will be able to get pregnant without fertility treatment
hysterectomy 【名】子宮摘出（術

​20170908

'Pen' identifies cancer in 10 seconds
A handheld device can identify cancerous tissue in 10 seconds, according to scientists at the University of Texas.
They say it could make surgery to remove a tumour quicker, safer and more precise.
And they hope it would avoid the "heartbreak" of leaving any of the cancer behind.
heartbreak【名】 胸が張り裂けるような思い、悲痛
Tests, published in Science Translational Medicine, suggest the technology is accurate 96% of the time.
The MasSpec Pen takes advantage of the unique metabolism of cancer cells.
Their furious drive to grow and spread means their internal chemistry is very different to that of healthy tissue.
How it works
The pen is touched on to a suspected cancer and releases a tiny droplet of water.
Chemicals inside the living cells move into the droplet, which is then sucked back up the pen for analysis.
The pen is plugged into a mass spectrometer - a piece of kit that can measure the mass of thousands of chemicals every second.
It produces a chemical fingerprint that tells doctors whether they are looking at healthy tissue or cancer.
The challenge for surgeons is finding the border between the cancer and normal tissue.
In some tumours it is obvious, but in others the boundary between healthy and diseased tissue can be blurred.
The pen should help doctors ensure none of the cancer is left behind.
Remove too little tissue, and any remaining cancerous cells will grow into another tumour. But take too much, and you can cause damage, particularly in organs such as the brain.
Livia Eberlin, an assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Texas, Austin, told the BBC: "What's exciting about this technology is how clearly it meets a clinical need.
"The tool is elegant and simple and can be in the hands of surgeons in a short time."
Trials
The technology has been tested on 253 samples as part of the study. The plan is to continue testing to refine the device before trialling it during operations next year.
The pen currently analyses a patch of tissue 1.5mm (0.06in) across, but the researchers have already developed pens that are even more refined and should be able to look at a finer patch of tissue just 0.6mm across.
While the pen itself is cheap, the mass spectrometer is expensive and bulky.
Dr Eberlin said: "The roadblock is the mass spectrometer, for sure.
"We're visioning a mass spectrometer that's a little smaller, cheaper and tailored for this application that can be wheeled in and out of rooms."
roadblock 【名】道路上の防塞、バリケード  〈比喩的〉障害（物）
tailor【他動】～をあつらえる、注文して作る  〔婦人服を〕紳士仕立てにする  ～を合わせる、調整する
Dr James Suliburk, one of the researchers and the head of endocrine surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, said: "Any time we can offer the patient a more precise surgery, a quicker surgery or a safer surgery, that's something we want to do.
"This technology does all three."
The MasSpec Pen is the latest attempt to improve the accuracy of surgery.
A team at Imperial College London have developed a knife that "smells" the tissue it cuts to determine whether it is removing cancer.
And a team at Harvard are using lasers to analyse how much of a brain cancer to remove.
Dr Aine McCarthy, from Cancer Research UK, said: "Exciting research like this has the potential to speed up how quickly doctors can determine if a tumour is cancerous or not and learn about its characteristics.
"Gathering this kind of information quickly during surgery could help doctors match the best treatment options for patients sooner."

​20170907

Spiral drawing test detects signs of Parkinson's
A test that involves drawing a spiral on a sheet of paper could be used to diagnose early Parkinson's disease.
Australian researchers have trialled software that measures writing speed and pen pressure on the page.
Both are useful for detecting the disease, which causes shaking and muscle rigidity.
The Melbourne team said the test could be used by GPs to screen their patients after middle age and to monitor the effect of treatments.
The study, published in Frontiers of Neurology, involved 55 people - 27 had Parkinson's and 28 did not.
Speed of writing and pen pressure while sketching are lower among Parkinson's patients, particularly those with a severe form of the disease.
In the trial, a tablet computer with special software took measurements during the drawing test and was able to distinguish those with the disease, and how severe it was.
Poonam Zham, study researcher from RMIT University, said: "Our aim was to develop an affordable and automated electronic system for early-stage diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, which could be easily used by a community doctor or nursing staff."
affordable【形】手頃な［良心的な・手の届く・無理なく買える］価格［値段・料金］の
The system combines pen speed and pressure into one measurement, which can be used to tell how severe the disease is.
David Dexter, deputy research director at Parkinson's UK, said current tests for the disease were not able to accurately measure how advanced someone's condition was.
"This can impact on the ability to select the right people for clinical research, which is essential to develop new and better treatments for Parkinson's.
"This new test could provide a more accurate assessment by measuring a wider range of features that may be affected by Parkinson's, such as co-ordination, pressure, speed and cognitive function."
He added that the test could be a "stepping stone" to better clinical trials for Parkinson's.
steppingstone  【名】踏み石、足掛かり

20170906

Zika virus used to treat aggressive brain cancer
A harmful virus that can cause devastating brain damage in babies could offer up a surprising new treatment for adult brain cancer, according to US scientists.
offer up を提示する
Until now, Zika has been seen only as a global health threat - not a remedy.
But latest research shows the virus can selectively infect and kill hard-to-treat cancerous cells in adult brains.
Zika injections shrank aggressive tumours in fully grown mice, yet left other brain cells unscathed.
unscathed 【形】無傷の scathe  【他動】酷評する
Human trials are still a way off, but experts believe Zika virus could potentially be injected into the brain at the same time as surgery to remove life-threatening tumours, the Journal of Experimental Medicine reports.
still a long way off  《be ～》〔主語の場所は〕まだ遠い［ずっと先である］、〔主語の事柄は〕まだかなり［ずっと］先の話［こと］である  
The Zika treatment appears to work on human cell samples in the lab.
There are many different types of brain cancer. Glioblastomas are the most common in adults and one of the trickiest to treat.
glioblastoma 【名】 《医》グリア芽腫、膠芽細胞腫 グリオーマ(脳の中で神経細胞を支えているグリア細胞が腫瘍化したもの)の中で最も悪性度の高いものがグリオブラストーマ（膠芽腫）です。グリア細胞 は神経膠細胞（しんけいこうさいぼう）とも呼ばれ、神経系を構成する神経細胞ではない細胞の総称であり、ヒトの脳では細胞数で神経細胞の50倍ほど存在していると見積もられている。gliaという語は、膠（にかわ、英: glue）を意味するギリシャ語に由来する。
They are fast growing and diffuse, meaning they spread through the brain, making it difficult to see where the tumour ends and the healthy tissue begins.
diffuse  《医》広範性の
Radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery may not be enough to remove these invasive cancers.
But the latest research, in living mice and donated human brain tissue samples, shows Zika therapy can kill cells that tend to be resistant to current treatments.
It is thought that these glioblastoma stem cells continue to grow and divide, producing new tumour cells even after aggressive medical treatment.
Different, healthy stem cells are found in abundance in baby brains, which probably explains why regular Zika can be so damaging to infants, say the researchers.
Adult brains, however, have very few stem cells. This means Zika treatment should destroy only the cancer-causing brain stem cells without causing much collateral damage.
collateral damage 〔軍事行動による一般市民の〕巻き添え被害
As an extra safety precaution, the team, from Washington University School of Medicine and the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, have already begun modifying the virus to make it more tame than regular Zika. 
precaution 【名】予防措置
Researcher Dr Michael Diamond said: "Once we add a few more changes, I think it's going to be impossible for the virus to overcome them and cause disease.
"It looks like there's a silver lining to Zika. This virus that targets cells that are very important for brain growth in babies, we could use that now to target growing tumours."
silver lining 〔地上から見た灰色の雲の後ろ側で〕銀色に輝く裏地   〈比喩〉希望の兆し
He hopes to begin human trials within 18 months.
Using viruses to fight cancer is not a new idea, but using Zika as the weapon of choice is.
UK scientists at the University of Cambridge are beginning similar trials with Zika.
Dr Catherine Pickworth, from Cancer Research UK, said: "This promising research shows that a modified version of the Zika virus can attack brain tumour cells in the lab.
"This could one day lead to new treatments for this particularly hard to treat type of cancer."
Zika infections in pregnancy have been linked to cases of microcephaly in newborns
Zika is a virus people can catch if they are bitten by an infected mosquito
Most people will have few or no symptoms, but the disease can pose a serious threat to babies in the womb
Affected infants have been born with abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains - a condition known as microcephaly
The infection has been linked to severe birth defects in almost 30 countries
Although Zika is no longer "an international medical emergency", the World Health Organization says it is closely monitoring the infection

20170905

Tenth of men aged 50 'have heart age 10 years older'
In September alone, an estimated 7,400 people will die in England from heart disease or stroke
One-tenth of 50-year-old men have a heart age 10 years older than they are, heightening their risk of a fatal heart attack or stroke, a study suggests.
The Public Health England analysis is based on responses from 1.2 million people to its Heart Age Test - 33,000 of whom were men aged 50.
The organisation also predicts that 7,400 people will die from heart disease or stroke this month alone.
Heart disease is the main cause of death among men and second among women.
Most of these deaths are preventable and a quarter are people aged under 75.
"Addressing our risk of heart disease and stroke should not be left until we are older," PHE's head of cardiovascular disease Jamie Waterall said.
How to improve your heart health:
Give up smoking
Get active
Manage your weight
Eat more fibre
Cut down on saturated fat
Get your five a day fruit and vegetables
Cut down on salt
Eat fish
Drink less alcohol
Read labels on food and drink packaging
PHE said about half of the survey respondents did not know their blood pressure and that 5.6 million people living in England currently have high blood pressure without knowing it.
This is "extremely worrying", according to Dr Mike Knapton of the British Heart Foundation.
"These silent conditions can lead to a deadly heart attack or stroke if untreated," he said.
A new version of the test on the BHF website refers users to apps and other resources to help them get their blood tested and improve their heart health.
Getting your blood pressure tested "can be the first important step to prolonging your life", said Katherine Jenner of Blood Pressure UK.

20170904

First cancer 'living drug' gets go-ahead
The US has approved the first treatment to redesign a patient's own immune system so it attacks cancer.
The regulator - the US Food and Drug Administration - said its decision was a "historic" moment and medicine was now "entering a new frontier".
The company Novartis is charging $475,000 (￡367,000) for the "living drug" therapy, which leaves 83% of people free of a type of blood cancer.
leave ~ free of と無縁にする
Doctors in the UK said the announcement was an exciting step forward.
The living drug is tailor-made to each patient, unlike conventional therapies such as surgery or chemotherapy.
It is called CAR-T and is made by extracting white blood cells from the patient's blood.
キメラ抗原受容体発現T細胞療法（Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell：CAR-T、海外での呼び方はカーティが一般的です）が注目されています。CAR-T療法は生体内の免疫機能を活用したがん治療法。
The cells are then genetically reprogrammed to seek out and kill cancer.
seek out 【句動】～を捜し出す
The cancer-killers are then put back inside the patient and once they find their target they multiply.
'Enormously exciting'
Dr Scott Gottlieb, from the FDA, said: "We're entering a new frontier in medical innovation with the ability to reprogram a patient's own cells to attack a deadly cancer.
"New technologies such as gene and cell therapies hold out the potential to transform medicine and create an inflection point in our ability to treat and even cure many intractable illnesses."
The therapy, which will be marketed as Kymriah, works against acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
Most patients respond to normal therapy and Kymriah has been approved for when those treatments fail.
Dr Stephan Grupp, who treated the first child with CAR-T at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, said the new approach was "enormously exciting".
inflection point  《数学》変曲点
intractable【形】難治性の
Kymriahノバルティス（ティッカーシンボル：NVS）が開発したB細胞急性リンパ芽球性白血病治療薬キムリア（Kymriah/CTL019）
"We've never seen anything like this before," he added.
That first patient had been near to death, but has now been cancer-free for more than five years.
Out of 63 patients treated with CAR-T therapy, 83% were in complete remission within three months and long-term data is still being collected.
However, the therapy is not without risks.
It can cause potentially life-threatening cytokine release syndrome from the rapid proliferation of the CAR-T cells in the body. This can be controlled with drugs.
cytokine 【名】  《免疫》サイトカイン とは、免疫システムの細胞から分泌されるタンパク質
サイトカイン放出症候群または急性輸注反応は抗T細胞抗体等の抗体医薬品を投与した際に起こり得る即時反応であり、アナフィラキシーとは異なる概念である。血中に炎症性サイトカイン等が放出され、悪寒、悪心、倦怠感、頭痛、発熱、頻脈、血圧変動等の種々の症状が起こる。重症の病態をサイトカインストームと呼ぶ
New era
But the potential of CAR-T technology goes beyond one type of cancer.
Dr David Maloney, medical director of cellular immunotherapy at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, said the FDA's decision was a "milestone".
He added: "We believe this is just the first of what will soon be many new immunotherapy-based treatments for a variety of cancers.
CAR-T technology has shown most promise against different blood-based cancers.
However, it has struggled against "solid tumours" such as lung cancer or melanoma.
Dr Prakash Satwani, a paediatric oncologist at Columbia University Medical, said: "The results haven't been that great when you compare it with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, but I'm sure the technology will get better in the near future."
Boosting the immune system is already a cornerstone of modern cancer treatment.
A range of drugs that "take the brakes off" the immune system to allow it to attack cancer more freely have already been adopted around the world.
CAR-T technology, which goes a step further and redesigns the immune system, is at a much earlier stage.
Prof Peter Johnson, the chief clinician at the charity Cancer Research UK, said: "The first genetically modified cell therapy to be approved by the FDA is an exciting step forward.
"We still have a lot to learn about how to use it safely and who might benefit from it, so it is important to recognise this is just a first step."

20170903

New meningitis test 'could save lives'
細菌性髄膜炎（さいきんせいずいまくえん、英: Bacterial meningitis）は、細菌感染によって起こる中枢神経系の感染症。
髄膜炎(meningitis)とは、くも膜、軟膜およびその両者に囲まれたくも膜下腔の炎症を示す。髄膜炎は持続する頭痛と発熱を主徴とし、髄膜刺激症候を認め、髄液細胞の増加を示す。炎症がくも膜下腔から脳実質に及ぶと意識障害や痙攣といった神経症状を起こし、髄膜脳炎(meningoencephalitis)に至る。
A hospital A&E department in Northern Ireland is to start using a new, rapid test for meningitis that should speed up diagnosis and save lives.
Meningitis can kill in hours yet the current way to positively identify the infection takes about two days.
UK researchers say the new test that the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children will use gives results in under 60 minutes.
yet  【接続】けれども、それにもかかわらず
This should let doctors treat fast and accurately, rather than "just in case".
just in case 念のため、万が一の用心に、万一～の場合には
Speedy treatment is vital because the infection can quickly overwhelm the body, and symptoms may not be obvious until it is dangerously advanced.
At the moment, doctors rely on clinical judgement to decide whether antibiotics are urgently needed.
They err on the side of caution, which means some patients are given treatment they don't need.
err on the side of caution 慎重過ぎるぐらい慎重になる
However, on rare occasions cases can be missed, which is where a rapid "Lamp" (Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification) test on blood, spinal fluid or nasal swab samples could help.
on rare occasions ごくたまに
Anyone can get meningitis, but it is more common in babies, children and teenagers or young adults.
Amy's story
Amy Davis was 18 when she became severely ill with meningitis. Initially, she thought she just had a simple case of flu.
Hours later, her body was covered head-to-toe in the alarming blotchy purple rash which is a classic - although not always present - sign of meningitis.
blotchy 【形】  できもののような、染みだらけの
Amy, now 25, recalls: "My mum, being an ex-nurse, knew what it was straightaway and called an ambulance.
straightaway 【名】 〈米〉〔走路などの〕直線コース
"It was really scary. I remember looking at my dad and he looked absolutely terrified so I knew something was seriously wrong."
Amy developed a serious complication called septicaemia or blood poisoning. The damage that this caused meant she needed her left leg amputated below the knee.
Meningitis facts
Meningitis is an infection of the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord and caused by a number of different pathogens
Viral meningitis is the most common and least serious type. Bacterial meningitis is rare but can be very serious if not treated
If you are worried that someone is seriously ill with meningitis, trust your instincts and seek urgent medical help. Don't wait for a "tell-tale" rash
telltale【形】紛れもない、動かぬ
There are vaccines that can protect against some forms of meningitis
Treating potential bacterial cases with antibiotics is still the safest approach and doctors at the Royal Belfast Hospital will continue to do this during the two-year pilot.
pilot試験
But they will also use the rapid Lamp test to quickly see if their clinical hunches are right.
Researcher Dr Tom Waterfield from Queen's University, Belfast, said it could also spot less obvious cases that might otherwise slip through the net.
hunch【名】直感
"With the best will in the world you can still miss cases if a child looks quite well and you think it is viral rather than bacterial.
with the best will in the world  いくら頑張っても［やる気があっても］、心掛けがどれほどよくても
"The test could also provide reassurance earlier to anxious parents that their sick child is getting the right treatment. Two days is a long time to wait for a confirmed diagnosis."
Rob Dawson, from the Meningitis Research Foundation, said a simple, rapid diagnostic was long overdue.
overdue  【形】 期日を過ぎた、延び延びになった
"There is an urgent need for developments in this area and we look forward to seeing how this test could work in a hospital or healthcare settings."
The work is funded by the Health and Social Care NI Public Health Agency and by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine and is being done in collaboration with Queen's University Belfast, the Paediatric Emergency Research UK & Ireland Network and The Belfast Trust.
Private company Hibergene have patented the Lamp testing equipment that is on loan to the hospital for the study.
on loan to  〔物が一時的使用のために〕～に貸出中で、～に貸し付けられて