Some of the stories we’re reading this 4th day of December, 2013:

• The journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings is reporting that in a study conducted by the University of South Carolina, American moms are  more sedentary than their counterparts were 40 years ago. Experts believe this has led to the dramatic increase in childhood obesity – apparently, this is an “apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” scenario
• A new study has revealed that oxytocin, aka the “cuddle hormone, makes autistic children more responsive to facial expression and increases their social acumen. Prior research has shown that the hormone makes men more faithful to their significant others
• The Los Angeles city council is moving forward with its effort to regulate e-cigarettes; the council refers to them as the “gateway” to tobacco because of recreational use among non-smokers
• New developments in radioimmunotherapy may hold the key in finding a cure for HIV; although the antiviral therapy HIV patients receive after they’re diagnosed keeps the virus from duplicating, it does not hold promise for a cure.
• Face transplant recipients see an improvement since the procedure was first introduced twenty years ago
• The recreational drug Ecstasy is responsible for an increasing number of ER overdose visits
• The “stand your ground” law is making headlines in the death of a Georgia Alzheimer’s victim