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.
Surprise: Environment’s big role in autism risk: New research from Stanford indicates that scientists have been underestimating the influence of a child’s environment on autism risk. In this Q&A, Stanford scientist, Antonio Hardan, MD, who treats patients with autism at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital but was not directly involved with the study, offers his perspective on the findings.
For the record: Carragee on Medtronic spine stories: There have been many stories about a review in The Spine Journal that found a commonly used spinal fusion product is associated with potentially serious complications not previously reported in industry-sponsored studies. In this entry, Eugene Carragee, MD, the journal’s editor-in-chief and professor of orthopedic surgery at Stanford, responds to what he believes is misleading or inaccurate material carried in these stories about the product, known as rhBMP-2 and marketed as Infuse by its manufacturer, Medtronic, Inc.
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.
A closer look at the role of coping mechanisms in regulating emotions: A new study from Stanford researchers and colleagues shows people choose to respond to feelings of sadness, stress, anger or anxiety differently depending on the intensity of the emotion. Researchers hope the findings will help in understanding how to help patients suffering from depression and anxiety disorders in better regulating their emotions.
