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.
Stanford biostatistician talks about saving your aging brain: Michael Walker, PhD, a consulting professor at Stanford’s Center for Biomedical Informatics Research, discusses what, if anything, can be done to maintain mental sharpness.
How horsemanship techniques can help doctors improve their art: A conversation with Beverley Kane, MD, Medicine and Horsemanship program director at Stanford, about how working with horses can strengthen medical students' nonverbal communication skills and how the principles of Natural Horsemanship translate to a health-care environment.
Stanford orthopedist reveals problems with Medtronic spinal fusion product: Stanford orthopedist Eugene Carragee, MD, and colleagues published an extensive review in The Spine Journal this week showing a commonly used spinal fusion product from Medtronic, Inc. causes vastly more complications than reported in early industry-sponsored studies.
Stem cell researchers challenge clinics’ questionable practices: A recent Nature article highlighted the International Society for Stem Cell Research's challenges in developing a service intended to educate patients on the potential consequences and dangers of treatments and therapies offered by overseas stem-cell clinics.
