Something in chocolate could be used to stop coughs and lead to more effective medicines, say UK researchers.

Their study found that theobromine, found in cocoa, was nearly a third more effective in stopping coughs than codeine, which was considered the best cough medicine at present.

The Imperial College London researchers who published their results online said the discovery could lead to more effective cough treatment. “While coughing is not necessarily harmful (有害的) it can have a major effect on the quality of life, and this discovery could be a huge step forward in treating this problem,” said Professor Peter Barnes.

Ten healthy volunteers (志愿者) were given theobromine, codeine or placebo, a pill that contains no medicine, during the experiment. Neither the volunteers nor the researchers knew who received which pill. The researchers then measured levels of capsaicin, which is used in research to cause coughing and as a sign of how well the medicine are stopping coughs.

The team found that, when the volunteers were given theobromine, the capsaicin needed to produce a cough was around a third higher than in the placebo group. When they were given codeine they needed only slightly higher levels of capsaicin to cause a cough compared with the placebo.

The researchers said that theobromine worked by keeping down a nerve activity (神经活动), which causes coughing. They also found that unlike some standard cough treatments, theobromine caused no side effects such as sleepiness.

Doctors in hospital emergency rooms often see accidental poisonings (中毒). A frightened parent arrives with a child who swallowed a cleaning liquid. Or perhaps the harmful substance is a medicine. Or it might be a chemical product meant to kill insects. These are common causes of accidental poisoning.

In cases like this, look for medical help as soon as possible. Save the container of whatever caused the poisoning. And look on the container for information about anything that stops the effects of the poison. Save anything expelled from the mouth of the victim. That way, doctors can examine it.

In the past, some people forced poisoning victims to empty the stomach. They used a liquid, syrup of ipecac (催呕剂), to do this. But an organization of children's doctors no longer advises parents to keep syrup of ipecac. The American Academy of Pediatrics says some poisons can cause additional damage when they come back up the throat.

Millions of people know a way to save a person who is choking on something trapped in the throat. The method is commonly known as the Heimlich Maneuver or abdominal thrusts. The American Red. Cross says a rescuer should first hit the person on the back five times between the shoulder bones. These bac blows may es the choking. If the airway is still blocked, he Red Cross suggests pushing hard five times along he victim’s abdomen. The abdomen is the areas between the chest and the hip (骨)bones.

Lisa Pina never thought she would need the fire safety training she received during her apprenticeship(学徒期) as a union painter and dry waller(筑墙工). On Friday morning, she was thanking God she had it.

On Thursday night, while Pina was babysitting her granddaughter, nephew and two nieces in her sister’s apartment, she smelled smoke and realized the apartment building was on fire. When her 4-year-old granddaughter Ilean Garcia began saying, “We’re going to die,” she knew she had to act. Pina, 39, first sealed the door, and then told all four children to get on the floor. After calling 911, she told the children to start singing and promised them all treats as soon as they reached safety. “I said, ‘OK, we’re going to lie down and we’re all going to play a game,’” Pina said. “We all started singing our ABCs and 123s. I was just trying to make it fun.” Pina patiently waited, and a few minutes later, Riverside County sheriff’s deputies (治安官的助手) arrived. Pina, Ilean, 8-year-old Gabriel Parga, 5-year-old Aubreyana Parga and 4-year-old Meriyah Parga were all trapped on the second floor as flames filled the first story. Pina did the only thing she could. She opened the window and dropped the children, one-by-one, into the arms of the sheriff’s deputies about 15 to 20 feet below. “I just needed to keep the kids calm so they wouldn’t be afraid,” Pina said. “I was deathly afraid inside, but I couldn’t let them know that.” Not long after dropping the children out of the window, fire-fighters arrived with a ladder and rescued her. Ten people were treated at the scene for suffering smoke, but nobody was seriously injured.