美国开发出无痛血糖测量新方法

莺歌燕舞

其原理是，无论人们的血液还是唾液中均含葡萄糖，但唾液里的葡萄糖含量要比血液低得多，仅为血液中葡萄糖含量的百分之几。科研人员已经找到一组特殊酶，当它们与唾液里的葡萄糖在特制氧化铝纳米反应器里结合后，利用特殊光学仪器照射或会发出红色荧光，再利用仪器来测定红色荧光的强度，并利用计算机软件进行分析，即可得到血糖值。一旦这种利用唾液测定血糖的新方法获得批准，将改变市场上各种血糖仪的产销格局，并引发血糖仪产业的革命。

　　据了解，目前市场上的血糖仪的工作原理是利用一种对葡萄糖高度敏感的颜料，与一种特殊生化物质一起制成纳米结构的血浆反应器，将病人取得的血样滴在试纸上并发生反应后，仪器会自动得出血糖值。但现有血糖仪的最大缺点是，必须借助采血针刺破病人手指头获得新鲜血样，才能进行血糖测定，是一种创伤性化验方法。对有血晕症或年老体弱者来说，刺破指头总归是一件令人痛苦的操作。

Saliva Test Might Someday replac Needle Prick for Diabetics
July 13, 2014

A new type of sensor for people with diabetes is being developed to measure sugar levels in the body using saliva instead of blood, researchers report.

Scientists at Brown University in Providence, R.I., created the sensor and successfully tested it using artificial saliva. It uses light, metal and a special enzyme that changes color when exposed to blood sugar.

“Everybody knows that diabetics have to prick their fingers to draw blood to check their blood sugar and then respond to that information. And they have to do that multiple times a day,” said study co-author Tayhas Palmore, a professor of engineering, chemistry and medical science at Brown.

“We’re looking for another possibility, and realized that saliva is another bodily fluid that could be measured,” Palmore said.

This idea is a welcome one, said Dr. Joel Zonszein, director of the Clinical Diabetes Center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. “People are always trying to come up with new ideas of how to measure blood sugar without pricking the fingers.”

The sensor won’t be available anytime soon, however. “The process of [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] approval will take a long time, and we have to see how accurate this device is in humans, especially humans who are eating and drinking, which will possibly contaminate the sample,” Zonszein said.

Findings from the study, which received funding from the National Science Foundation, were published recently in the journal Nanophotonics.

To check their blood sugar — or glucose — levels, people with diabetes — especially those who need insulin — must prick one of their fingers to draw a dro of blood. The blood is put on a test strip that goes into a blood sugar meter. They are supposed to repeat this procedure four times a day, according to the American Diabetes Association.

The results of the blood sugar tests guide treatment, with diabetes patients often adjusting medication or insulin levels based on the test reading to maintain acceptable glucose levels.

The Brown researchers realized that saliva also contains glucose, though in much lower quantities.