The Case of the Disappearing Fingerprints
One useful anti-cancer drug can effectively erase the whorls and other characteristic marks that give people their distinctive fingerprints. Losing 1 become troublesome. A case released online in a letter by Annals of Oncology indicates how big a 2 of losing fingerprints is.
Eng-Huat Tan, a Singapore-based medical doctor describes a 62-year old man who has used capecitabine1 to 3 his nasopharyngeal cancer. After three years on the 4 , the patient decided to visit U.S. relatives last December. But he was stopped by U.S. customs officials 5 4 hours after entering the country when those officials couldnt get fingerprints from the man. There were no distinctive swirly 6 appearing from his index finger2.
U.S. customs3 has been fingerprinting incoming foreign visitors for years, Tan says. Their index fingers are 7 and screened against digital files of the fingerprints of bad guys -- terrorists and potential criminals that our federal guardians have been tasked with keeping out of the country4. Unfortunately, for the Singapore travelers, one potential 8 effect of his drug treatmerit is a smoothing of the tissue on the finger pads6. 9 , no fingerprints.
It is uncertain when fingerprint loss will 10 to take place in patients who are taking capecitabine, Tan points out. So he cautions any physicians who 11 the drug to provide their patients with a doctors note pointing out that their medicine may cause fingerprints to disappear.
Eventually, the Singapore traveler made it into the United States7. I guess the name on his passport didnt raise any red flags8. But hes also now got the explanatory doctors note and wont leave home 12 it.
By the way, maybe the Food and Drug Administration9, 13 approved use of the drug 11 years ago, should consider 14 its list of side effects associated with this medicine. The current list does note10 that patients may experience vomiting, stomach pain and some other side effects. But no where
15 it mention the potential for loss of fingerprints.
词汇：
fingerprint n.指纹 nasopharyngeal adj.鼻咽的 whorl n.罗纹，箩状指纹 swirly adj.旋涡状的
annals n.年度 digit n.数字 oncology n.肿瘤学 onset n.开始 capecitabine n.卡培他滨 vomit v.呕吐
注释：
1. capecitabine 卡培他滨。是一种口服的化疗药物，用于治疗转移性乳腺癌、大肠癌、咽 喉癌等，以缓解肿瘤生长。
2. index finger：食指。
3. U.S. customs：美 国 海 关 。Customs 视作一个组织，用做单数名词，所以在文章中后接has。
4. terrorists and potential criminals that our federal guardians have been tasked with keeping out of the country：我们的联邦卫士的职责是要把那些恐怖分 子和疑似罪犯挡在国门之外。关系代词 that 引导的是一个限制性定语从句，修饰 terrorists and potential criminals。That 在定语从句中做 keeping 的宾语。
5. traveler：旅行者。traveler 是美国英语的拼法。英国英语的拼法是 traveller。
6. the tissue on the finger pads：指尖上的肉垫组织。
7. Eventually, the Singapore traveler made it into the United States：那位新加 坡旅客终于进入了美国。make it into 意为进入。
8. red flags：红旗，即危险信号。挥动红旗表示危险，最初用于铁路，后 来西方公司等用英文 red flags 或红色小旗表示业绩下降等。
9. the Food and Drug Administration：美国食品和药物局。
10. The current list does note：现有的副作用清单中确实列出。在肯定句谓语动词前加do/does/did，是为了强调该动词，汉语可译为确实。如：
He speaks Chinese, English, French, Spanish and Russian.
He does speak Chinese, English, French, Spanish and Russian.