The five most-read posts on Scope this week were:
Examining hand hygiene in the emergency department: A group of researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston launched the largest study (subscription required) to date to evaluate hand hygiene of emergency department workers. Study results showed that appropriate hand washing practices were used 90 percent of the time, but also identified some areas in which improvement is needed.
The placenta sacrifices itself to keep baby healthy in case of starvation, research shows: A study (subscription required) involving mice suggests the placenta is intrinsically linked to the fetal hypothalamus and capable of changing its form in order to fit the growing baby’s needs. The findings were published last month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Can yoga help women suffering from fibromyalgia?: A study recently published in the Journal of Pain Research shows that practicing yoga boosts levels of the stress hormone cortisol and could help ease some symptoms of fibromyalgia such as pain, fatigue, muscle stiffness and depression.
What's 1,454 feet tall, glows pink and sounds like country music?: In an event sponsored by the Stanford Women's Cancer Center, Grammy Award-winning singer Martina McBride will perform her new single, “I’m Gonna Love You Through It,” from atop the Empire State Building as part of the month-long breast cancer awareness campaign.
Examining the connection between unstructured playtime and children's emotional health: Many children these days are spending more time involved in academic or adult-directed activities and less time engaged in free play. Findings published in the latest issue of Journal of Play detail the decline of children’s play time and suggest the lack of free play may increase kids' risk for anxiety, depression and problems of attention and self-control.
