July 20, 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.

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Karl Oestreich, manager enterprise media relations

USA Today
A person's gait could be early sign of Alzheimer's
by Janice Lloyd

Subtle changes in the way a person walks can be an early warning sign of cognitive decline and a signal for advanced testing, researchers reported Sunday at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Vancouver, Canada…The disease afflicts 5.4 million in the USA, and the number is forecast to spike to 16 million in 2050 as Baby Boomers age. "Walking and movements require a perfect and simultaneous integration of multiple areas of the brain," says Rodolfo Savica, author of a study at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Circulation: USA TODAY has a circulation of 1.8 million and a readership of 3.1 million. USA TODAY websites have 26.3 million unique visitors a month.

Context: This Mayo Clinic study was presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference July 14–19 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Mayo Clinic issued a news release July 18 about this study which outlined that problems walking -- including slow gait and a short stride -- are associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline. Additional coverage: NY Times, ABC News, Medical News Today, Businessweek, Detroit Free Press, US News & World Report, French Tribune, Tucson Citizen, HealthDay, FirstPost Vancouver, Times of India, Morning Star, CBS News, Daily Mail.

Public Affairs Contact: Brian Kilen

ABC News
Researchers Discover Uncharted Territory in Pre-Clinical Alzheimer's
by Jason Karlawish, M.D.

This week, at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Vancouver, researchers from the Mayo Clinic reported results of their study of potential biomarkers for preclinical Alzheimer's disease. "Biomarker," a relatively new term in medicine, is a kind of shorthand for any of the various hints that clue us in to the complex ways in which a disease develops…Their results suggest that among cognitively normal older adults there is a potentially large population who occupy an uncharted territory. Their biomarker results are neither normal, nor clearly abnormal. Dr. David Knopman, the investigator who presented the results, admitted that he and his colleagues "hadn't expected to encounter this result." Additional coverage: WAPI Radio Ala., KARN Radio Ark.

Reach:  ABCNews.com is the official website for ABC News.

Context: David Knopman, M.D., is a Mayo Clinic neurologist. Researchers at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota study Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment and other conditions that affect your memory and thinking skills. Researchers study risk factors, predictors, diagnostic techniques and potential treatments for Alzheimer's disease and other conditions.

Public Affairs Contact: Brian Kilen

Washington Post
Jayson Werth ready for rehab assignment Friday, reflects on recovery process
by Adam Kilgore

Jayson Werth cannot remember the first week after he broke his left wrist. All the post-surgery medication turned it into a haze, which made it easier to take than the months that followed. He sat in the Nationals dugout during home games or watched from home during road games… Richard Berger, the Mayo Clinic surgeon who both repaired Werth’s severe wrist injury early in his career and his broken wrist, told Werth his recovery would be mostly steady, with little rapid improvement, and then improve drastically and quickly at the end. Werth moved his hand in a straight line, then moved it straight up into the air to chart the expected course.

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

Context: Jayson Werth first came to Mayo Clinic in August 2006 after suffering pain and frustration from a wrist injury. After Dr. Berger diagnosed the injury as a “split tear” of the ulnotriquetal (UT) ligament, Werth was on the way to a recovery that saved his Major League Baseball career. His story is chronicled on the Sharing Mayo Clinic blog and has also been noted in USA Today.

Public Affairs Contacts: Lee Aase, Bryan Anderson

Twin Cities Business
Mayo Tops List of 5 MN Hospitals Ranked Best in Nation

U.S. News & World Report ranked five Minnesota hospitals among the best in the nation for at least one of 16 medical specialties—and it ranked Mayo Clinic third on an elite list of only 17 U.S. hospitals that are among the best in at least six specialties… “More than any other health care organization, Mayo Clinic’s model of care is defined by teamwork, with a group of experts focusing their expertise on one patient at a time,” Mayo Clinic President and CEO John Noseworthy said in a statement. Additional coverage: Huffington Post, eWeek, Examiner Los Angeles, NWI.com, Forbes, WRAL N.C., News Medical, Cleveland Plain Dealer, KGTV San Diego, CBS Los Angeles, CBS Baltimore, KTTC, CBS West Palm Beach Fla., WJLA D.C.

Circulation: Twin Cities Business is a monthly business magazine with a circulation of  more than 30,000 and more than 74,000 readers. The magazine also posts daily business news on its website.

Context: Mayo Clinic issued a news release July 17 about No. 3 overall spot on the "Best Hospitals" list. Mayo Clinic in Rochester also was rated best in the nation in three clinical areas — gynecology, diabetes and endocrinology, and gastroenterology. Mayo Clinic in Arizona and Mayo Clinic Health System, Eau Claire also issued news releases after being recognized by U.S. News & World Report. Mayo Clinic in Arizona's ranking was covered in the Phoenix Business Journal, ABC15 Ariz., KPHO Ariz, KFYI Ariz.

Public Affairs Contacts: Nick Hanson, Jim McVeigh, Susan Barber-Lindquist

Arizona Republic
Mayo expands with innovative center, med school
by Peter Corbett

Mayo Clinic in Arizona is moving ahead on the frontiers of medicine a quarter century after it established itself on the fringe of northeast Scottsdale. During that time, Scottsdale neighborhoods have grown out to surround Mayo's once-isolated campus on East Shea Boulevard, sometimes called the "cure corridor," and Mayo has greatly expanded its Valley operation…Dr. Wyatt Decker, the clinic's Arizona chief executive, said Mayo's employees have been celebrating and reflecting on the non-profit clinic's 25-year milestone. "It hasn't always been easy," he said. "It's a very competitive health-care market here in Arizona, yet we are flourishing."

Circulation:  The Arizona Republic reaches 1.1 million readers every Sunday. The newspaper’s website Arizona Central, averages 83 million pages views each month.

Context: Mayo Clinic in Arizona issued a news release June 28 to mark 25 years in Southwest. Mayo Clinic in Arizona now spans two campuses, comprising more than 400 acres of land, and has added two research buildings on the Scottsdale campus and, on the Phoenix campus, a 244-bed hospital, a specialty clinic, housing for transplant and cancer patients and leased space for a child care center, a hospice and a hotel. Offsite family medicine practices were also added in Scottsdale and Glendale, Ariz.

Public Affairs Contact: Lynn Closway

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