手机可能很快应用于性病检测与血压监控

    This is the VOA Special English Technology Report.
    这里是美国之音慢速英语科技报道。

    Mobile phone technology is quickly changing the way the world operates. Today, we tell about two new projects involving mobile health, also known as m-health.
    移动电话技术正飞速改变世界运行的轨道。今天,我们将讲述两个与手机保健相关的项目,也被称为m-health。

    Doctors and technology experts in London are developing a new way to test for sexual infections. The new device uses mobile phones and computers to help people find out if they have been infected with a sexual disease. People will be able to perform the test in the privacy of their own homes.
    伦敦的医生和技术专家们正在开发一种检测性传播疾病的新方式。这种新设备借助手机和计算机,帮助人们检查他们是否已经感染性病。人们可以在家中自行检测。

    People place urine or saliva on a small piece of paper. They place the test strip in a small device that contains a computer chip. Then they place the device in their mobile phone or a computer for testing.
    检测者将尿液或者唾液滴到一小张试纸上,放入一个含有计算机芯片的小设备里。然后将该设备连接到手机或电脑进行检测。

    Within minutes, they receive information telling them if they have a sexual disease. And they receive advice on what to do next.
    几分钟内,检测者就能收到是否感染性病的信息,还会得到进一步的建议。

    Claudia Estcourt is with Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry. She is also part of the research team working on the project.
    克罗地亚·艾斯特科特(Claudia Estcourt)是在巴兹伦敦内科及牙科学院工作,她也是该项目研究小组的一员。

    CLAUDIA ESTCOURT: "This isn't designed to replace traditional clinics. This is really opening testing up to people who might find it embarrassing or difficult to get into their clinic. And this might be a much quicker, easier option for them --- that they can be assured of very accurate results."
    艾斯特科特:“该项目并非为了取代传统诊所,而只是为觉得尴尬或无法去诊所的人们设计的一种测试。这对他们来说或许是一种更快捷简便的方式,同时可以得到准确的检测结果。”

    Health experts say many young people are too ashamed to visit a clinic to be tested. This increases the risk of them passing on sexual diseases. The researchers hope the tests will help persuade people to be tested and reduce the number of sexually transmitted infections.
    健康专家表示,很多年轻人觉得不好意思去诊所进行检测,这就增加了他们传播性病的风险。研究人员希望这种检测能有助说服人们进行检测,降低性病传播几率。

    Dr. Estcourt says the project is still seven to ten years away from completion. But she says it holds great promise for the future.
    艾斯特科特表示,该项目还需7到10年的时间才能完成,但她表示,该项目极具发展前景。

    CLAUDIA ESTCOURT: "Clearly one of the major implications of something like this would be for use in developing countries: maybe for testing HIV, maybe for testing for tuberculosis, or perhaps even malaria."
    艾斯特科特:“显然,这类项目的主要意义之一就是在发展中国家应用:可能用来检测HIV,结核病,甚至疟疾。”

    Researchers at the University of Toronto in Canada are studying a mobile phone system that may help people with diabetes control their blood pressure.
    加拿大多伦多大学的研究人员正在研究一个可以帮助糖尿病患者控制血压的手机系统。

    The system collects blood pressure readings from home testing devices that have wireless technology. The readings are then sent to a health-care monitoring system.
    该系统从家用无线血压测量设备中读取血压读数,然后发送到保健监测系统。

    Patients receive a mobile phone message telling them how they are doing. If their blood pressure is too high, they are advised to make an appointment with their doctor. Several high readings will cause the system to automatically contact the doctor.
    患者会收到一条短信告知他们现在的状况。如果血压太高,系统就会建议他们预约医生。如果数次血压读数都很高,系统将会自动与医生取得联系。

    Patients in the study used the mobile phone system for one year. The researchers found that thirty-seven percent of the patients were able to get their blood pressure under control. This compares with about fourteen percent of patients using common equipment.
    参与该研究的患者已经使用了手机系统长达一年。研究人员发现,37%的患者得以保持血压稳定。相比之下,使用普通设备的患者只有14%能够保持血压稳定。