Ever feel like you've been hit on the head after a bad night's sleep? According to scientists, the thought isn't as unbelievable as it seems.

    A study found going without sleep for just one night causes changes in the brain similar to those that occur after a blow to the head. The researchers said the healthy young men examined in the study showed a sudden increase in the same chemicals which indicate brain damage. Professor Christian Benedict, of Uppsala University, Sweden, explained that the chemicals NSE and S-100B are biomarkers for brain damage, such as concussion(脑震荡). He said, "What we found was their levels in the blood rose in the group that went without sleep for a night. This was not to the extent that would happen after a head injury, for instance, but it was still significant. During sleep, the brain cleans poisonous substances off itself."

    Benedict also said previous studies which linked a lack of sleep with increased risk of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis could applaud his study. The rise of the chemicals in the blood after sleep loss may suggest not getting enough sleep contributes to a loss of brain tissue, he explained. Benedict, whose study is published in the journal Sleep, added, "In conclusion, the findings of our experiment indicate a good night's sleep may be critical to maintaining brain health."

    A third of the UK population suffer from sleep-related problems, while the average person now sleeps for only seven hours a night, compared with almost nine a few decades ago. Many scientists believe irregular sleeping patterns lead to illnesses ranging from aches and pains to heart disease, while less than eight hours' sleep a night can lower the IQ the next day.

    Life is comprised emotion and sense. When we were babies we reached the pinnacle(顶峰) of emotion. At that time we asked for everything that we wanted, cried as we were uncomfortable, laughed as we were happy and released our emotions day and night. When we grow up we find that if we want to live in a cozier environment we must be sensible enough to deal with our emotions and relationships. Our world is based on sense and beautified by emotion.

    Sense is the base of life; it builds up the structure of life, and helps us see the real world. And emotion is the invaluable element of life. It adds colorful paint to our life. Lacking sense we may lose the guiding light and lacking emotion we may lose the value of life.

    We admire Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, we are attracted by Michelangelo's The Creation of Man, and we are carried away by Monet's Lotus. Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet may bring us tears, Victor Hugo's poems can make a maid's love revive, and Jane Austin's stories arouse our dream of holding a party of ladies and gentlemen as an England beauty in the countryside. All of them are people who deserve our respect and showed us sentimental emotion: love, hatred, betrayal, loyalty and so on. They made their works full of emotion, shocked our nerves, and evoked our passions. Somebody may have found their destiny in these works, and surely they influence people time after time. But in fact, though these people or their works have the power to control our mental world, we don't choose them to be our President or Prime Minister. We cannot deny the fact that our world is based on sense and ration. Mark Twain once said that the passion of friendship is so sweet, steady and royal and enduring a nature that it will last through a whole lifetime if neither of the two friends asks the other to lend money.

    Emotion is our nature and sense gives us an eye to live in reality. Only sense makes Jack a dull boy; emotional moments give us vigor and enthusiasm to live and color our life.

    Once when I was facing a decision that involved high risk, I went to a friend. He looked at me for a moment, and then wrote a sentence containing the best advice I've ever had: Be bold and brave and mighty (强大的) forces will come to your help.

    Those words made me see clearly that when I had fallen short in the past, it was seldom because I had tried and failed. It was usually because I had let fear of failure stop me from trying at all. On the other hand, whenever I had jumped into deep water, forced by courage or circumstance (环境), I had always been able to swim until I got my feet on the ground again.

    Boldness means a decision to bite (咬) off more than you can eat. And there is nothing mysterious about the mighty forces. They are inner powers we have: energy, skill, sound judgment, creative ideas––even physical strength greater than most of us realize.

    Admittedly, those mighty forces are spiritual ones. But they are more important than physical ones. A college classmate of mine, Tim, was an excellent football player, even though he weighed much less than the average player. “In one game I suddenly found myself facing a huge player, who had nothing but me between him and our goal line,” said Tim. “I was so frightened that I closed my eyes and crazily threw myself at that guy like a bullet (子弹) ––and stopped him cold.”

Boldness—a willingness to get yourself to the extreme—is not one that can be gained overnight. But it can be taught to children and developed in adults. Confidence builds up. Surely, there will be setbacks (挫折) and disappointments in life; boldness in itself is no guarantee (保证) of success. But the person who tries to do something and fails is a lot better off than the person who tries to do nothing and succeeds.

    So, always try to live a little bit beyond your abilities — and you'll find your abilities are greater than you ever dreamed.

    Have you ever had your hand held during a dental procedure you feel uneasy about? What about a dental office that mimics（模仿） the spirit of Disneyland? If you're looking for a dental office that provides the best care and the best environment, you're looking for Dr. Licking's office in Sunnyvale.

    Office manager Judy, who has worked with Dr. Licking for 38 years, speaks highly of his kindness. She believes that the office is “the Disneyland of dentistry”. Everyone from children to their grandparents loves the environment and care they receive from this welcoming office.

    Dr. Licking is known as the best dental care provider for anyone who fears facing appointments with the dental office. The staff goes out of their way to make patients feel comfortable and at ease. Dr. Licking and Judy set the standard with their saying, “when someone comes to your home, you stand up and welcome them, like an old family friend.”

    Dr. Licking's office has all. They recently relocated to put the new equipment into their practice. The office is equipped with an intra-oral video camera, and as a patient you can get pictures of your teeth as you're walking out the door.

    Setting himself apart from other dentists, Dr. Licking continues his education beyond what is required. For this reason, he is one of few dentists in the country who offers ozone treatment. Ozone can naturally stop decay (蛀蚀) in its tracks. For more information on this new technology, visit their website at www.drjohnlicking.com.

    Dr. Licking's office is Diamond Certified, an honor given only to companies with the higher quality after extensive and continual research. Dr. Licking's office extends an invitation to you to meet their gentle staff and offers you a free office visit, including x-rays and an exam.

    The office holds extended hours ranging from 7 a. m. to 8 p, m., Monday through Thursday. Don't worry if you have an emergency. Dr. Licking's office responds to all emergencies and urgent calls.

    JOHN LICKING, D.D.S.

    Cosmetic & Family Dentistry since 1970

    408—736—6235

    drjohnlicking.com

    877 W. Fremont Ave. Suite C3, Sunnyvale

    According to the Associated Press (AP), a Chinese scientist claims he successfully created the world's first genetically-edited babies.

    Chinese researcher He Jiankui, a research professor at China's Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, said he had edited DNA of twin girls born a few weeks ago. ①

    He's claims were immediately criticized by some scientists as unsafe and unethical. This kind of gene editing is forbidden in the United States and many other countries. ②Such changes to a person's DNA can pass to future generations and risk harming other genes.

    In interviews, He Jiankui defended his work. He said he had performed the gene editing to help protect the babies from future infection of HIV, the virus responsible for the disease AIDS. He said the process had “worked safely” and the twin girls were “as healthy as any other babies.” He told the AP he felt a strong responsibility “not just to make a first, but also to make an example” for future research. “Society will decide what to do next,” he said.

    When He's claims became public, the university made a statement saying his work had “seriously went against academic ethics and standards.” University officials said they had no knowledge of his research and had looked into the case. ③

    China's National Health Commission was “highly concerned” about the claims and ordered local health officials “to immediately look into” He's activity. “We have to be responsible for the people's health and will act on this according to the law,” the commission said.

    Scientists discovered in recent years a new way to edit genes that make up a person's DNA throughout the body. The tool, called CRISPR-cas9, makes it possible to change DNA to supply a needed gene or take one away that is causing problems. So far the tool has only been used on adults to treat deadly diseases, and the changes only affected that person.

    ④Kiran Musunuru, a scientist from University of Pennsylvania, told the AP that if such an experiment had been carried out on human beings, it could not be “morally or ethically reasonable.” Julian Savulescu, a medical ethics expert at Britain's University of Oxford, agreed. “If true, this experiment may cause disasters,” he told Reuters.

    However, one well-known geneticist, Harvard University's George Church, defended the attempt to edit genes to prevent infections of HIV. He told the AP that since HIV is “a major and growing public health threat” he finds such experiments “valuable.”

Feeling achy and feverish? Your misery has plenty of company. By the end of December, the tally(记录) of flu-like illnesses in the state exceeded the peaks in the two previous seasons, when the biggest number of cases occurred in February and March. This time, the flu virus seems to be hitting even harder.

Flu is unique among human diseases. It circulates constantly in cool and dry areas. Because it spreads from person to person and can be picked up easily, nearly everyone is exposed. While it's unclear whether the annual flu epidemic(流行病) will worsen this year, or just arrived earlier, fears have been increased by the severity of flu in Australia during its most recent season and the fact that the vaccine may protect against the predominant(盛行的) kind of the flu only 30 percent of the time.

Despite the worries, doctors and public health officials say there is no evidence that people are getting sicker than usual. Flu cases in Massachusetts started rising around Thanksgiving and increased steadily, with an especially steep climb in the last week of the year. "This is a bad flu season but not a horrible one," said Dr Andrew G. Villanueva, a lung specialist and chief quality officer at the Lahey Hospital & Medical Centre in Burlington.

"The flu season, while clearly in full swing, doesn't ‘feel different' from previous years," Villanueva said. "We're not seeing a lot of people being hospitalised because of flu," he said. "Most people with the flu recover on their own without medical care."