The five most-read stories on Scope this week were:
Packard Children’s physicians discuss new research linking higher urine BPA levels and child obesity: New findings published this week in The Journal of the American Medical Association show that children and teens with higher urinary levels of the plastic additive bisphenol A (BPA) are more likely to be obese. In this entry, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital pediatricians Lawrence Hammer, MD, and Elizabeth Shepard, MD, discuss the findings and offer practical advice to parents on reducing BPA exposure.
Stanford study on the health benefits of organic food: What people are saying: A collection of reactions from journalists and sources featured in various articles in response to Stanford researchers’ recent study on the health benefits of organic foods.
New arterial insights portend potential treatments for life-threatening diseases: Mark Krasnow, PhD, chair of the biochemistry department at Stanford, and colleagues have captured important details of how arterial walls are generated. In a study published in Developmental Cell, the researchers showed that the pulmonary artery wall, and probably many if not all other types of artery walls, is built up from the inside out, layer by layer.
Stanford graduates partner with clinics in developing countries to test low-cost prosthetic: A nonprofit started by Stanford graduates is gearing up to test its latest low-cost prosthetic – the ReMotion JaipurKnee – which is designed for amputees who live on $4 a day or less. The company is partnering with local clinics to fit 1,000 amputees in Latin America and Southeast Asia with the knees and collect data on fit, training, user reaction and distribution.
Is quietly resting as helpful to your brain as sleeping?: Atlantic writer Brian Fung examines past scientific evidence in an effort to tackle a question that many of us have pondered at one time or another: Is lying down and resting just as good for you as sleeping?
