March 16, 2012

Mayo Clinic in the News is a weekly highlights summary of major media coverage. If you would like to be added to the weekly distribution list, send a note to Emily Blahnik with this subject line: SUBSCRIBE to Mayo Clinic in the News.

Thank you.

Karl Oestreich, manager enterprise media relations
oestreich.karl@mayo.edu

Thyroid Cancer: Why Is It on the Rise?
By Camille Noe Pagan

While new cases of some cancers—including breast, lung, and prostate—are leveling off, cancer of the thyroid (an endocrine gland in the neck) is spiking; diagnoses rose a whopping 173 percent between 2002 and 2012, making thyroid cancer one of the fastest-growing types in the U.S. “Better screening and detection may explain part of the increase,” says Robert Smallridge, M.D., chairman of the division of endocrinology at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla. “Still, research suggests other factors must be at play.”

Circulation: PARADE magazine is distributed to more than 32 million people and claims to be read by more than 69 million people each week. PARADE magazine is distributed by more than 600 Sunday newspapers, including the Atlanta Journal & Constitution, The Baltimore Sun, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle, The Los Angeles Times, The Miami Herald, the New York Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, San Francisco Chronicle, Seattle Times & Post Intelligencer and The Washington Post.

Context: This was a reactive inquiry, but we moved on it quickly to find the appropriate expert, Robert Smallridge, M.D., an endocrinologist at Mayo Clinic in Florida.  While the inquiry came into our Rochester, Minn. Public Affairs office, it was important to scan the Mayo enterprise for the right person.

Public Affairs Contact: nellis.robert@mayo.edu

Less sleep, more calories?
By Jennifer LaRue Huget

As I wrote last August, intuition tells us that lack of sleep might contribute to our becoming overweight, but science has yet to confirm that connection or spell out exactly how it might work. A new bit of evidence — albeit in the form of a very small, as-yet-unpublished study — supporting that link emerged today at an American Heart Association conference in San Diego. Researchers from the Mayo Clinic observed 17 healthy young men and women (11 men, six women) ages 18 to 40 for eleven days and nights. For eight of those nights, half the group slept their normal amount, while the others slept two-thirds of their accustomed time — an average of about 80 minutes less sleep per personday. All were allowed to eat as much as they chose to. Their calorie consumption and expenditures were measured during the first three days of the study to establish a baseline and then throughout the sleep-deprivation period.

Circulation: Weekday circulation of The Washington Post averages 518,700, and Sunday circulation averages 736,800.

Context:  This research was presented March 14 at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology and Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism 2012 Scientific Sessions in San Diego. Mayo Clinic study authors are: Andrew Calvin, M.D., Rickey Carter, Ph.D., James Levine, M.D., Ph.D., and Virend Somers, M.D., Ph.D. A news blog post with more background about the study, along with the study abstract are here. Additional coverage: WebMD, UPI, Times of India, Zee News, ABC News, US News & World Report, HealthDay, Huffington Post, NBC10 (NY), International Business Times UK, WJLA Va., Globe News Wire

Public Affairs Contact: klein.traci@mayo.edu

Mayo network expanding to St. Cloud
by Wendy Lee

Mayo Clinic said Tuesday that it is launching a nationwide cancer treatment network that will give various health systems access to its physicians. Coborn Cancer Center in St. Cloud will be the first member of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Care Network. Under the collaboration, Coborn will share medical records with Mayo physicians, which could save patients time and money when seeking a second opinion. Mayo said the partnership formalizes a long-standing relationship with Coborn…"The purpose of the network, from our perspective, is to form even stronger relationships with thriving, independent local health care systems," said Dr. David Hayes, medical director of the Mayo Clinic Care Network.

Circulation: The Star Tribune Sunday circulation is 496,039 copies and weekday circulation is 296,605. The Star Tribune is the state’s largest newspaper and ranks 16^th nationally in circulation.

Context: Mayo Clinic and CentraCare Coborn Cancer Center held a news conference in St. Cloud to make the announcement March 14. A copy of the news release is here. Besides the Star Tribune story, the announcement garnered broad media coverage: BringMeTheNews, Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal, MedCity News, ModernHealthcare, WJON, Wopular, MPR, Post-Bulletin, Post-Bulletin Blog, KVSC St. Cloud, Grand Forks Herald, West Central Tribune (Willmar, Minn).

Public Affairs Contact: anderson.bryan@mayo.edu.

Artificial hip brings only pain
by James Walsh

Terri Wagner-Morley was so hopeful about her new right hip. It would ease her chronic arthritis pain, allow her to exercise, even help her lose a little weight. She had a DePuy metal-on-metal ASR hip implanted in 2008 and, at first, it worked just like she'd hoped. Then she began feeling a "pop" in the hip. The pop turned to pain, making it hurt to move. …Minnesota's renowned Mayo Clinic has dramatically curtailed its use of the metal devices. Dr. David Lewallen, a Mayo orthopedic surgeon, said more data on metal-on-metal hips needs to be gathered, as they remain a viable option for some patients, although he acknowledged the array of concerns. "That continues to be a mystery, what is going on in these patients," he said. "And that continues to be the ongoing mystery and the focus of investigation and work now."

Circulation: The Star Tribune Sunday circulation is 496,039 copies and weekday circulation is 296,605. The Star Tribune is the state’s largest newspaper and ranks 16^th nationally in circulation.

Context: David Lewallen, M.D. a Mayo Clinic orthopedic surgeon, is past chair of Mayo Clinic’s adult reconstruction (hip & knee) section and is current head of the American Joint Replacement Registry.

Public Affairs Contact: anderson.bryan@mayo.edu.

For more coverage of Mayo Clinic in the News, please link to our news clip blog here. 

To subscribe: Mayo Clinic in the News is a weekly highlights summary of major media coverage. If you would like to be added to the weekly distribution list, send a note to Emily Blahnik with this subject line: SUBSCRIBE to Mayo Clinic in the News.

To unsubscribe: To remove your name from the global distribution list, send an email to Emily Blahnik with the subject: UNSUBSCRIBE from Mayo Clinic in the News.

Tags: american heart association, American Joint Replacement Registry, Andrew Calvin, Business Relations, Cancer, Coborn Cancer Center, Dr. David Hayes, Dr. David Lewallen, Dr. James Levine, Dr. Robert Smallridge, Dr. Virend Somers, Endocrinology / Diabetes, Facilities, Industry News & Competitive Intelligence, Mayo Clinic Care Network, Mayo Clinic in the News, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Orthopedics, parade, Research, Rickey Carter, Sleep Medicine, Star Tribune, The Washington Post, thyroid cancer