The five most-read posts on Scope this week were:
A beautiful blood clot: A colorized scanning electron micrograph of a blood clot. The image comes from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, where findings showed how fibrin behaves in blood clots.
Q&A series with Renal Fellow Network deputy editor: Using social media to foster medical conversations: In a three-part Q&A series this week, Stanford Nephrology Fellow and Renal Fellow Network deputy editor Graham Abra, MD, discusses how he and colleagues are using social media to provide a forum for discussing nephrology cases, scientific papers and clinical topics.
Anti-plaque bacteria: Coming soon to your toothpaste: A recently published study in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology by Japanese researchers has identified a bacterial species S. Salivarus, found on your tongue and the gums, that fights the build-up of plaque on your teeth. Could this research spur development of an anti-plaque bacterial toothpaste?
"Natural" or not, chicken nuggets are high in fat, sodium: A discussion on the nutritional value of chicken nuggets, which a Consumer Reports Health investigation found to be high in fat and sodium.
School of Medicine students and staff host iPad show and tell: Last month, School of Medicine staff and students gathered for a workshop to discuss how they have been using Apple's iPad as a medical education tool. The workshop was recorded in a studio classroom at Stanford's Li Ka Shing Center for Learning and Knowledge and recently posted online.