【推荐1】One CT image of a brain changed science and medicine forever.

Half a century ago, the first CT image of a patient lifted the veil (面纱) of invisibility that covers the interior of the human body, providing scientists a window on our innards (内脏) unlike any before.

Today, doctors in the United States alone order more than 80 million scans per year. X-ray computed tomography, or CT, is frequently the quickest way of getting a handle on what’s causing a mysterious problem. CT scans can find out heart disease, tumors, blood clots, internal bleeding and more. The technique can give surgeons a heads-up about what they will encounter inside a patient, and guide treatment for cancer and other diseases.

“It answers so many questions quickly. That’s why it’s used,” says medical physicist Cynthia McCollough of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

A CT scan involves thousands of X-ray measurements taken from multiple angles. Here's how it works: A source of X-rays moves around the body, sending a beam (光束) of radiation through bone, blood and tissue, while moving detectors measure the beam that makes it through.

Different materials in the body absorb X-rays differently. The calcium (钙) in bone actively absorbs X-rays, for example, while soft tissues absorb less. So when the data collected by the detectors are joined together by a computer, it can form a cross-sectional view of what’s inside based on where X-rays are absorbed more or less. Moving the table holding the patient so that the X-ray beam and detectors slide along the body enables 3-D reconstructions of organs and other parts.

Over the years, scientists have continually improved the technology, making it faster and higher resolution (清晰度), and cutting the amount of radiation that patients receive. These improved CT scans have painted ever more detailed landscapes of the human body. It’s hard not to be impressed by the beauty of the inner world that the scans bring to the surface.

【推荐2】In my 25 years of treating heart patients, I’ve noticed that heart attacks don’t always strike randomly. There are certain predictable “danger zones,” especially for patients with heart disease or a risk for it, like smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure. Being aware of these high-risk windows might lead you to improve your lifestyle and lessen your chance of problems.

Researchers who analyzed thousands of U.S. heart attack victims found that those feeling very sad for a death were more likely to have an increased heart attack risk in the week following their loved one’s passing. Swedish research found that the heart attack risk remains elevated for several years after the death of an adult sibling. If you are suffering from a loss and feel alone or depressed, seek out counseling and support from your doctor, friends, and family. Don’t sit home alone and suffer.

As if extreme exhaustion, ache, and high fever weren’t bad enough, the flu may double your chances of having a heart attack for up to three days following the illness. The virus may cause an inflammatory response that can damage arteries. Being dehydrated thickens blood, making it clot. A fever can increase your heart rate, forcing the heart to work harder. A few days after getting the flu, seek medical help.

In the three weeks following the 8.9-magnitude earthquake and accompanying tsunami that killed thousands of people in Japan in 2011, the rate of heart attacks among survivors increased threefold, compared with the rate during the same calendar weeks in past years. It’s important for first responders and healthcare providers to be aware of this.

Believe it or not, even cheering for your team in a big sporting event can break your heart — if you get so wrapped up in the game that your emotions spiral out of control. Soccer’s World Cup is serious business in Brazil. When researchers studied four Cups’ worth of data, they found that heart attacks increased during the tournament’s finals and rates were highest when Brazil was playing compared with other teams. If you’re a screaming sports fan, you could ask your doctor about taking a daily baby aspirin.