Stanford's Clinical Excellence Research Center, which we've previously written about on Scope, was the focus of a recent edition of Minnesota Public Radio's The Daily Circuit. As …
Month: January 2013
Nature/nurture study of type 2 diabetes risk unearths carrots as potential risk reducers
Nature and nurture have long been the 'tomayto' and 'tomahto' of lengthy arguments in both psychology and medicine. At the end of the day, of course, disease …
How loneliness can impact the immune system
Past studies show that maintaining strong social relationships can lower a person’s risk for certain health conditions. But researchers are still working to unravel the …
Engineering immune cells to resist HIV
People with HIV have to take a cocktail of drugs daily to keep the lethal virus in check. But a novel gene therapy approach, now …
Revealed: Epic evolutionary struggle between reproduction and immunity to infectious disease
Can't blame us if our feet hurt. We humans have been walking erect for well over 3 million years. That new style of locomotion necessitated "considerable anatomical …
Image of the Week: Influenza virus
Although flu activity appears to be easing in some parts of the country, the virus reached a widespread level in California contributing to illness and …
Grand Roundup: Top posts for the week of Jan. 13
The five most-read stories on Scope this week were: Looking for comfort during a less-than-comfortable diagnosis: Inspire contributor and patient advocate Stan Hardin shares his story of being …
Promoting healthy decisions among teens via text
Teenagers get an average of 3,339 texts a month, according to data from Nielsen consumer research group. In light of this data, researchers investigating how …
Scientifically uncovering the power of thinking
For your Friday viewing pleasure, here's a fun video describing how thinking can affect how your brain functions as well as its physical shape and …
Free flu vaccinations being offered to Stanford community
For our Stanford readers who haven't yet gotten a flu shot: It's not too late. The Flu Crew, the student-run organization whose work I wrote …
NIH deputy director discusses blogging and science policy
Rock Talk, a National Institutes of Health (NIH) blog on extramural research policy, debuted two years ago as a way to enhance transparency about how …
Interview tool may aid in early diagnosis of childhood headache disorders
Findings recently published in Pediatrics show that a new structured interview developed by researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health is an effective method …
Researchers shouldn't hide their work behind a paywall, argues scientist
There's a provocative blog entry over on the Guardian's Notes & Theories, where writer/paleontologist Mike Taylor, PhD, argues that it's wrong for researchers to publish …
Video of innate immune reaction in the lymph node
This kaleidoscope-esque video depicts the immune response in the lymph node of a mouse. Titled "Sensing Danger," the clip won first place in this year's …
How "breakthrough" medical findings usually aren't
Over at The Reality-Based Community, Stanford professor Keith Humphreys, PhD, addresses how "breakthrough" medical findings are often unable to be replicated in subsequent studies. Referencing research …
Stanford documentary wins award from the Sundance Film Institute
A documentary by filmmakers in the Program in Bioethics and Film at Stanford has picked up a Sundance award. Winner of the 2013 LightStay Sustainability …