口中呼出来的气体判断疾病

病了——你口中呼出来的气体所含有的气味便是证据

You may have an illness and not even know it—and the proof could be on your breath. That’s because our bodies give off complex aromas some too faint for a human nose. And when sickness alters cell metabolism an array of telltale volatile chemicals make their way into our breath urine and sweat. Now research labs around the world are figuring out how to use gas sensors to detect disease. Here are a few ailments they’ve gotten a whiff of so far.

你可能在自己不知道的情况下已经得病了——你呼出来的气体所含有的气味便是证据。人体会散发许多种不同的味道，这些味道中的某一些对于人类的鼻子来说太微弱了。当人得病时，细胞的新陈代谢会被改变。这时候，大量的挥发性化学物质进入我们的呼吸，尿液和汗液。现如今，世界各地的研究所都在研究如何使用气体传感器来检测出疾病。这篇文章中记载了小部分能够用气味分辨出来的疾病。

Lung Cancer

肺癌

Breath odor: Ammonia fish

呼吸气味：氨臭味，鱼腥味

Source: Methyl hydrazine

气味来源：甲基联胺

Detection: A grid of gold nanoparticles each with different chemiresistive organic coatings. Certain volatile chemicals cause the sensor’s particles to swell changing their electrical resistance and allowing scientists to identify signs of cancer on a patient’s breath.

检测方法：使用不同有机涂层的网格金纳米粒子传感器来检测。具体某些挥发性化学物质会导致传感器粒子膨胀，改变粒子的电阻性，从而能让科学家从患者的呼吸中检测出癌症的信号。

Preeclampsia

子痫前期

Breath odor: Lighter fluid

呼吸气味：火机油

Source: Undecane 6-methyltridecane 2-methylpentane 5-methyltetradecane 2-methylnonane

气味来源：十一烷，6-甲基-13烷，2-甲基戊烷，5-甲基-14烷，2-甲基壬烷

Detection: Gas chromatography/mass spectrometer. The instrument can spot markers of runaway oxidation in a pregnant woman’s body an indicator of preeclampsia.

检测方法：气相色谱分析/质谱仪检测。这些仪器能够在孕妇体内精确的标记失控的氧化物，以此检测这种疾病。

Ketoacidosis

丙酮酸中毒

Breath odor: Rotten apples nail polish remover

呼吸气味：烂苹果，洗甲水

Source: Acetone

气味来源：丙酮

Detection: Polymer sensors. Acetone is produced by the liver when sugar-starved cells shred fat to make energy. In theory the sensors could be built into cheap pocket-sized gadgets that tell diabetics when to take insulin.

检测方法：聚合物传感器。丙酮产自肝细胞分解脂肪产生能量的过程。理论上来说，这些传感器可以被制造得更小更平价，便于提醒糖尿病患者什么时候该注射胰岛素。

Schizophrenia

精神分裂症

Breath odor: Ether

呼吸气味：乙醚

Source: Carbon disulphide

来源：二硫化碳

Detection: Ion trap mass spectrometer. If someone is certifiably nuts their breath may have notes of ether and pentane according to one study. Unfortunately pentane appears in high levels with all sorts of disorders so it’s not a reliable marker.

检测方法：离子阱质谱计。研究表明，精神病患者呼出的气体种中含有乙醚和戊烷。但是戊烷在各种机体混乱中都会出现高含量的情况，因此它不能作为可靠的标识物。

Urinary Tract Infections

尿路感染

Urine odor: Cheese locker rooms feet

尿液气味：奶酪，更衣室气味，脚臭味

Source: Isovaleric acid

气味来源 ：异戊酸

Detection : Electronic nose. Equipped with 14 different types of conductive polymers the synthetic sniffer can distinguish between infections caused by E. coli staph and proteus parasites.

检测方法：电子鼻。合成嗅探器装备着14种不同的导电聚合物，可以分辨由葡萄球菌，大肠杆菌和变形球菌，以及寄生虫导致的不同感染病例。

Melanoma

黑色素瘤

Skin odor: Gasoline

皮肤气味：汽油味

Source: Nonane phthalate butanal dimethylsulfone indole

气味来源：壬烷，邻苯二甲酸脂，正丁醛，二甲基砜，吲哚

Detection: Gas sensor array. Researchers have developed a device that can analyze the volatile chemicals emanating from a tissue specimen tube to determine whether the sample is cancerous.

检测方法：气体传感器阵列。研究人员研制出一种设备，它能分析管组织标本中的挥发性化学物质，以此确定样品是否具有癌变性