2 . Artificial intelligence (AI) technology may soon be a useful tool for doctors. For example, it may help them better understand and treat diseases like breast cancer (乳腺癌) in ways that were not possible.

Rishi Rawat teaches AI at a University in Los Angeles. He is part of a team of scientists who are researching how AI and machine learning can more easily recognize cancerous growths in the breast. He says, “You put information about cancer cells (细胞) into a computer and it will learn the cancerous growth patterns. The pattern recognition is very important to making decisions.”

At present, researchers have to take a thin piece of tissue (组织), put it on a small piece of glass and add color to better see the cell-growth patterns. That process could take days or even longer. Scientists say artificial intelligence can do it better than just count cells. Through machine learning, it can quickly recognize patterns, or structures, and learn how the cells are organized.

The hope is that machines will soon be able to make a quick recognition of cancerous cell-growth patterns that is free of human mistakes. Rawat adds that the process could be done “for almost no cost for the patients”. But having a large amount of information about cells is important for a machine to effectively do its job. Once the cancerous growth pattern is recognized, doctors still have to treat the patient. The form of treatment depends on the kind of cancer.

David Agus is another researcher of the team. He believes, “Computers will help doctors make better decisions and look for those patterns that the human brain can't recognize by itself. But they will not treat patients.”

4 . Paintings and sculptures can be a feast for the eyes of visitors to art museums, but today their viewing is also an unconventional treatment for people with mental illness.

Last month, a group of Canadian doctors started to write a new kind of prescription（处方）,which gives patients free access to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts（MMFA）. There, they will have a "relaxing, revitalizing experience" looking at the museum's collections, according to MMFA.

Nathalie Bondil, the museum's director general, believes that being in contact with culture and arts can help with wellbeing. "In the 21st century, culture will be what physical activity was for health in the 20th century," she said.

Each prescription will allow not only the patients but also their families or friends to go with them. In the museum, the visitor can appreciate the artworks, and take part in a wide range of activities including drawing, sewing（缝纫）and making a sculpture with recycled materials.

The new treatment is said to be the first of its kind in the world. But there's increasing evidence that the display of visual art, especially art depicting（描绘）nature, can have positive effects on people with depression, anxiety and self-esteem（自尊）problems.

In 2017, the UK's All Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing（APPGAHW）also released a report stating that "the time has come to recognise the powerful contribution the arts can make to our health and wellbeing".

Is it possible for art to improve overall health? We may not know the answer yet. But one thing is certain, more and more people today are persuaded by the idea that "art is good medicine".

5 . A drug used to treat severe bleeding could save thousands of lives for mothers giving birth. A global trial of the drug found it reduced the risk of bleeding deaths during childbirth by nearly one-third. The study involved 20,000 women in 21 countries, mainly in Africa and Asia. The trial was carried out by London's School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The drug is called d tranexamic acid (氨甲环酸). It is low-cost and researchers said it does not cause serious side effects for mothers or babies.

The drug is used to treat mothers for severe bleeding during childbirth, also known as postpartum hemorrhage (产后出血).It is the leading cause of mother’s death worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

Haleema Shakur is the project director of the trial. She says despite medical advances in many countries, severe bleeding after childbirth remains a big problem in some parts of the world. “It's one of the biggest killers of mothers. In Africa and Asia. about 10 percent of women will end up with severe bleeding. " The drug works by stopping blood clots(血凝块) from breaking down after a mother gives birth. The treatment can prevent the need for doctors to perform surgery to find the source of bleeding.

Shakur said the best results were reported when the drug was given to women as soon as possible after childbirth, “The earlier you give it- so within the first three hours of giving birth—the better the effect is. ”

The next step will be to get the drug where it is needed provide training for doctors and nurses on how to use it. During the trial, women were given the drug in a hospital. But researchers are looking for easier ways to administer the drug so it can be more widely used in small clinics and rural areas.