Tu Youyou and her team reviewed ancient Chinese medical texts to find traditional     1     treatments for the disease. They examined over 2000 old medical texts, and     2     280,000 plants for their medical     3    . From their research, they discovered and tested 380     4     ancient Chinese medical     5     that showed promise in the fight against malaria.

Skin, the largest organ of the body, is a barrier against toxins and rays and gives you your sense of touch. Therefore, applying first-aid     1    can avoid serious injuries from burns.

Burns are mainly caused by fire, radiation, acids, etc. There are three types of burns.

First degree burns, usually caused by     2    incidents, only affect the top few millimeters of the skin. Going below the top layer of the skin, second-degree burns often go with     3    skin blisters. Third-degree burns affect every layer of the skin. Below are some first-aid techniques for burns. Firstly, place burns under running water without     4    to ease the swelling. Secondly, dry the burnt area. Thirdly, remove clothes unless the fabric sticks to the burnt skin. Fourthly, cover the burnt area with a loose clean cloth. Fifthly, make sure the     5     can breathe.

A new study by a team of Stanford University School suggests that the average human body temperature in USA has decreased over the last century. The idea that the normal human body temperature is about 37°C was first     1     by a German physician in 1851. Since then, it’s become so widely accepted that it serves as a(n)     2     tool used by people as a basic indicator if someone is sick.

However, it turns out that this well-established fact is not completely correct– or, to put it more     3    , human beings have been getting cooler. Recent studies have shown that temperature records have tended to run low compared to the accepted     4    , so the Stanford team decided to do a more in-depth study to compare modern measurements with historical records to try to identify body temperature trends and     5     the reason.

The team looked at three     6     databases from three historical periods. One was the records from Union Army veterans (退伍老兵) that were collected from 1862 to 1930. The second was from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey collected between 1971 and 1975, and third from adult patients visiting Stanford Health Care from 2007 to 2017.

By cross-checking the health records, the researchers concluded that the average American’s body temperature is about 0.03°C and 0.6°C lower for women and men,     7    , than it was in the 19th century.Together, this means that human body temperatures have fallen by 0.03°C per decade. However, considering that many factors influence body temperatures, the team says that it is unnecessary to     8     the definition of the average body temperature.

As for the reasons, the researchers say that the most likely one is a decline in the human metabolic rate (人体代谢速率) due to environmental factors. One possibility is that improvements in public health have reduced the incidence of inflammations (炎症感染率), which     9     metabolism. This,     10     with the fact that people live more comfortable lives in more stable environments means that the body doesn’t have to work as hard to stay warm, so the average temperature falls.

Challenges Ahead With Vaccines Rolled Out

Less than a year after the World Health Organization     1     COVID-19 A global pandemic, people are already rolling up their sleeves for the needle. This is record time for a new vaccine

On December 14, the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID - 19 vaccine made its debut in the United States.

“It signifies hope, healing, restoration of public health and public safety,” said Sarah Lindsay, a nurse in New York who     2     the very first shot.

But that road has proved to be     3    . The reality is that rolling out a new vaccine is logistically (在后勤方面)    4     difficult. A complex distribution system has to be put is place. Coordination between states and the federal government has already been a(n)     5    in the United States.

“If the     6     of the vaccination program continues to move as it is now, it’s going to take years, not months, to vaccinate the American people,” said President-Elect Joe Biden.

Globally, nine vaccines, including four from China, have been approved for either widespread or     7     use in some countries. The European Union has begun a     8     vaccination campaign. Israel and Bahrain have     9     the most doses per 100 people so far.

“It’s really important that we do everything that we can to    10     the spread now with the tools we have,” said Dr. Maria van Kerkhove, the technical lead of COVID - 19 response at the WHO.