1 . Minutes can make a difference when a life is on the line. The American Red Cross has begun offering free training and certification (合格证书) so high school students can act fast in medical emergencies.

Traumatic injuries (创伤性损伤) are the leading cause of death in Americans younger than 45. “What we are trying to do is take lessons that we learned from the battlefield — people with life-threatening injuries might have a much better chance of surviving if they can have immediate treatment,” said Craig Goolsby, a professor of Military Emergency Medicine at the Uniformed Services University. “If people can stop bleeding, particularly bleeding from arms and legs, we have a lot better chance of saving the lives of those people once they reach the hospital,” he said.

First Aid for Severe Trauma (FAST) training is available to teach high school students how to talk to each other effectively during an emergency, how to make sure that the scene is safe so additional people don’t get hurt and how to stop bleeding with a tourniquet (止血带) or direct pressure. “Just some of those really basic things that can be lifesaving before an ambulance arrives,” Goolsby said.

“My team has done a series of research studies over the past several years looking at the public’s ability to apply tourniquets or apply direct pressure. We’ve found that even very brief education, like 15 minutes of education, can have a great effect on how people will react,” Goolsby added. “They start out at a lower level of likelihood of response, get the training, and then all of a sudden, they’re more likely to respond.”

Goolsby noted that in many emergencies, average people on the street jumped in to help people who were injured. “Giving the public these tools and the courage to say ‘I can do this.’ is really important. The FAST program does that. And so we’re excited to be able to empower this next generation of Americans to take those steps,” he said.

2 . A three-year study comparing three different treatment options for tooth decay (腐烂) in children’s teeth has found no evidence to suggest that conventional fillings are more telling than sealing (封闭) decay in teeth, or using prevention techniques alone, in stopping pain and infection from tooth decay.

The FiCTION trial, the largest of its kind to date, also found that 450 children who took part in the study experienced tooth decay and pain, regardless of which kind of dental treatment they received.

Professor Nicola Innes, Chair of Paediatric Dentistry at the University of Dundee, said, “Our study shows that each way of treating decay worked to a similar level but that children with tooth decay at a young age have a high chance of experiencing toothache however the dentist manages the decay. From our trial, the best way to manage tooth decay is not by drilling it out or sealing it in, but it’s by preventing it in the first place.”

During the study, one of three treatment approaches was then chosen randomly for each child’s dental care for the duration of the trial for three years. The first approach aimed to prevent new decay by reducing sugar intake, ensuring twice-daily brushing with fluoride toothpaste (含氟牙膏). The second option involved drilling out tooth decay. For the third treatment strategy, tooth decay was sealed in to stop it progressing.

Of all three different ways of treating decay, sealing-in with preventive treatment was the most likely to be considered the best way of managing children’s decay if society is willing to pay a minimum of £130 to avoid an episode of pain or infection.

Professor Anne Maguire, Chair of Preventive Dentistry said, “The FiCTION findings have focused again on the need to prevent dental decay. The good news is that tooth decay can be prevented. Brushing your teeth with fluoride toothpaste, especially before bedtime, avoiding sugary drinks and snacks between meals and seeing a dentist regularly are all small habits that can help boost the overall health of your teeth.”