June 29, 2012

Mayo Clinic in the News Weekly Highlights

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  • June 29, 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

NPR
Obesity Stokes Rheumatoid Arthritis With More Than Just Extra Weight
by Gretchen Cuda-Kroen

A recent study by researchers at the Mayo Clinic found that obese individuals were 25 percent more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than people of normal weight. And although it may seem intuitive that excess body weight could cause joint pain, says Eric Matteson, a rheumatologist at the Mayo Clinic who led the study, the link between rheumatoid arthritis and obesity is more than just stress on the joints from being heavy. "The link, we think, has to do with the activity of the fat cells themselves," says Matteson. Additional Coverage: North Country Public Radio, Arizona Public Radio, Georgia Public Radio

Reach: The NPR Shots Blog covers news about health and medicine. It is written and reported by NPR’s Science Desk.

Context: Mayo Clinic issued a news release May 21. Heart disease risk assessment tools commonly used by physicians often underestimate the cardiovascular disease danger faced by rheumatoid arthritis patients, a Mayo Clinic study has found. Inflammation plays a key role in putting those with rheumatoid arthritis in greater jeopardy for heart disease, yet many cardiovascular disease risk assessment methods do not factor it in, the researchers note. More work is needed to figure out what drives heart disease in rheumatoid arthritis patients, and more accurate tools to assess that risk should be developed, the authors say. The study is published online in The American Journal of Cardiology.

Public Affairs Contacts: Brian Kilen, Sharon Theimer

CBS
CBS This Morning

Dr. Levine talks about how taking regular breaks makes you more productive.

Reach: CBS This Morning Saturday is broadcast by CBS from the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City. The program premiered on January 14, 2012, and airs live from 8 to 10 a.m. Eastern Time Saturday; most affiliates in the Central, Mountain, and Pacific time zones air the show on tape-delay from 7 to 9 a.m. local time.

Context: James Levine, M.D., Ph.D., is a Mayo Clinic endocrinologist who is often sought out by journalists for his expertise. Basing his techniques of non-exercise activity on years of Mayo Clinic research, he offers cost-effective alternatives to office workers, school children and patients for losing weight and staying fit. Author, inventor, physician and research scientist, Dr. Levine has built on Mayo’s top status as a center of endocrinology expertise and has launched a multi-nation mission to fight obesity through practical, common-sense changes in behavior and personal environment.

Public Affairs Contact: Joe Dangor

Wall Street Journal
Vaccine Shows Promise for Nicotine Addiction
by Ron Winslow

A one-dose vaccine aimed at preventing nicotine addiction showed promise in studies on mice, researchers said Wednesday. In the study, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, researchers inserted a gene for a nicotine antibody into the liver cells of mice, preventing most of the nicotine given to the animals from reaching the brain, where it could lead to addiction…Those efforts failed in part because the vaccines didn't yield a high enough concentration of antibodies to block the nicotine, said Richard Hurt, an internist and director of the Mayo Clinic's Nicotine Dependence Center in Rochester Minn., who is familiar with those attempts.

Circulation: The Wall Street Journal, a US-based newspaper published by Dow Jones & Company, is tops in newspaper circulation in America with an average circulation of 2 million copies on weekdays.

Context: Richard Hurt, M.D.,  is director of Mayo Clinic’s Nicotine Dependence Center and a leading expert on tobacco-related issues. As a former smoker, he once smoked three packs a day. Dr. Hurt had his last cigarette on Nov. 22, 1975.

Public Affairs Contacts: Traci Klein, Kelley Luckstein

WCCO
How To Stay Clear Of Germs At The Pool

With the hot, muggy days we are having, kids will be heading to the pools to cool off. It’s fun and good exercise, but even chlorinated pools have germs that can make you sick. We spoke with a pediatrician on Wednesday about water illnesses…Dr. Thomas Boyce from the Mayo Clinic Children’s Center said a swimming pool is basically a community bathtub without the shampoo. That sometimes isn’t a pleasant thought.

Reach: WCCO 4 News is the most-watched newscast in the Twin Cities, in 5 out of 7 newscasts. WCCO 4 News is #1 in 5 out of the 7 newscasts for all viewers in the 25-54 age range and WCCO 4 News is #1 in 7 out of 7 newscasts for female viewers in the 25-54 age range.

Context: Mayo Clinic issued a media expert alert June 18. While swimming is refreshing, fun and good exercise, even chlorinated pools contain many germs that can make them ill. Mayo Clinic pediatric experts warn that many swimmers may not be aware of the water illnesses associated with pools due to the germs that can linger.

Public Affairs Contact: Kelley Luckstein

Wall Street Journal
A Good Stretch or Warm-Up: What's Best Before Exercise
by Jen Murphy

To stretch or not to bother? That is the question athletes and weekend warriors ponder, as advice varies on the importance of stretching before a workout… Edward Laskowski, co-director of the Mayo Clinic's Sports Medicine Center in Rochester, Minn., says you'll see track-and-field athletes at this summer's Olympics performing dynamic stretches. "You often see hurdlers slowly going over a few hurdles and kicking their legs up at the hurdle to get their muscles warmed up," he says.

Circulation: The Wall Street Journal, a US-based newspaper published by Dow Jones & Company, is tops in newspaper circulation in America with an average circulation of 2 million copies on weekdays.

Context: Edward Laskowksi, M.D.'s main research interests involve the areas of sports medicine and musculoskeletal medicine. Dr. Laskowksi is co-director of the Mayo Clinic's Sports Medicine Center.

Public Affairs Contacts: Traci Klein, Bryan Anderson

Florida Times-Union
Young Jacksonville mom lucky to be stroke survivor
by Charlie Patton

Jessica Cook didn't know what was happening to her. The 33-year-old mother of three sons was at Ringhaver Park on the Westside on Sept. 24, 2011, doing her thing as a soccer mom when she began feeling terrible…At first look, an MRI of her brain didn't appear to show evidence of a stroke, she said. But a St. Vincent's radiologist noticed something unusual at the bottom of the image and realized Cook had suffered a stroke in her brain stem. She was rushed to the Mayo Clinic, where neurosurgeon Richard Hanel waited…The stroke Cook had suffered, a basilar artery occlusion of her right vertebral artery, "is one of the most lethal type of strokes you can have," Hanel said. "She was lucky she was diagnosed in time. Eighty percent of the people who suffer that type of stroke die."

Circulation: The Florida Times-Union reaches more than 120,000 daily and 173,000 readers Sunday.

Context: Richard Hanel, M.D., is a neurosurgeon at Mayo Clinic in Florida.

Public Affairs Contact: Cindy Weiss

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

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Tags: Alcohol and Tobacco, arthritis, Business Relations, Cardiology, CBS, Dr. Edward Laskowski, Dr. Eric Matteson, Dr. James Levine, Dr. Richard Hurt, Dr. Thomas Boyce, Endocrinology / Diabetes, Genomics, heart disease, Mayo Clinic Children's Center, Mayo Clinic in the News, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Mayo Clinic's Sports Medicine Center, Neurology, nicotine addiction, Nicotine Dependence Center, NPR, Obesity, Pediatrics, Preventive Medicine, Radiology, Research, Rheumatology, Richard Hanel, Science Translational Medicine, Sports Medicine, The Florida Times-Union, The Wall Street Journal, Wall Street Journal, water illnesses, WCCO, Wellness

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