The five most-read stories this month on Scope were: Eating for good blood: Tips for boosting iron levels and hemoglobin: This entry from the Stanford Blood …
Month: April 2015
Genetic testing, autism, and “fixing” the pathological body
How do we know what is pathological, versus what is normal? It seems obvious until you start thinking philosophically, which was the goal of a …
Poetry’s connection to medicine and the body
National Poetry Month has been called the “largest literary celebration in the world,” but some people just call it April. As this year’s NaPoMo winds …
Looking at cancer as a chronic illness
Many of us think of cancer as a terminal illness, but as treatments have become more sophisticated, more and more people are living longer with cancer. …
Long a mystery organelle, the primary cilium is giving up its secrets
Welcome to Biomed Bites, a weekly feature that introduces readers to some of Stanford’s most innovative researchers. Picture a bacterium or a sperm cell — …
Rajiv Shah discusses efforts to end preventable child deaths worldwide at Childx
The inaugural Childx conference was held here this month, and video interviews featuring keynote speakers, panelists and moderators are now on the Stanford YouTube channel. …
Counseling parents of the earliest-born preemies: A mom and two physicians talk about the challenges
When Juniper French was born in April 2011, her mom had been pregnant for 23 weeks and 6 days - a little more than half …
Day 2: “We have heard tales of miraculous survival” following Nepal earthquake
Paul Auerbach is in Nepal to aid victims of the recent earthquake and has been sending periodic reports. Today in Kathmandu was quite different from yesterday. The …
Researchers prime immune system’s T cells with foreign antibodies to target cancer cell
Everyday our immune system defends us against bacterial and viral invaders. But there are some threats that this lifesaving system hasn't evolved to deal with. …
Unmet expectations: Testifying before Congress on the opioid abuse epidemic
My recent trip to Washington D.C. to speak before a congressional subcommittee on the problem of opioid misuse was all about unmet expectations. First of …
My grandfather’s body: Loss and mourning in India
SMS (“Stanford Medical School”) Unplugged is a forum for students to chronicle their experiences in medical school. The student-penned entries appear on Scope once a …
Day 1: Arriving in Nepal to aid earthquake victims
Under the auspices of International Medical Corps, I've just joined a team that will be growing to help meet the needs of Nepal following the …
Eye injuries in children from non-powder guns on the rise, new study says
Eye injuries from BB guns, pellet guns and other non-powder firearms have become more common in recent years in U.S. kids, according to a paper …
Sex matters: Why we shouldn’t conduct basic research without taking it into account
In a PNAS opinion piece (.pdf) published last week, two Stanford faculty are among the authors arguing that sex shouldn't be overlooked in basic research studies. …
Getting to the good gut: how to go about it
In a blog post a few years ago I wrote, with misplaced parenthetical self-assuredness: Anybody who’s ever picked up an M&M off the sidewalk and …
Ebola: It’s not over
Ebola may have receded from the headlines, but the challenges and threat of the disease persist. The epidemic, which has killed more than 10,700 people …