June 1, 2012

Mayo Clinic in the News Weekly Highlights

By

June 1, 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

Wall Street Journal
What Everest Teaches About Disease
by Shirley Wang

Researchers are going to great lengths—or rather, great heights—to further their understanding of the heart, lungs and brain. A team of Mayo Clinic scientists recently accompanied climbers to Mount Everest to study the effects of high altitude. And researchers from the University of Colorado, Denver, are planning a high-altitude research trip to Bolivia with 24 study participants. At high altitudes, the body's main challenge is dealing with low oxygen levels in blood or tissue, as well as lesser stresses involving diet, fluid, temperature and UV exposure.

Wall Street Journal
Science in Extreme Conditions
by Shirley Wang

Bruce Johnson, a recreational climber, has spent part of his career studying cardiovascular disease and part studying human performance in extreme environments. A native of Salinas, Calif., Dr. Johnson, 54, runs the Mayo Clinic's Human Integrative and Environmental Physiology Laboratory, which studies the limits on human performance in heart and lung diseases.

Wall Street Journal International
Wie uns der Mount Everest gesünder macht
von Shirley Wang

Forscher der gemeinnützigen Mayo Clinic scheuen keine Mühen, um mehr über Herz, Lungen und das Gehirn herauszufinden. Vor kurzem stiegen sie auf den Mount Everest, um die Auswirkungen großer Höhen auf diese Organe zu untersuchen. Forscher der University of Colorado in Denver planen eine ähnliche Forschungsreise. Die 24 Teilnehmer werden ihre Studien in den Bergen von Bolivien durchführen.

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: Two related stories above (plus the German version in the international edition of The Wall Street Journal above) were garnered after a number of interactions with the reporter by members of Mayo Clinic's public affairs team who were involved in telling the stories about Mayo Clinic researchers who recently returned from Mount Everest. Their reports were chronicled here on Mayo Clinic's Advancing the Science blog.

Public Affairs Contacts: klein.traci@mayo.edu, nellis.robert@mayo.edu, sparks.dana@mayo.edu, theimer.sharon@mayo.edu

Wall Street Journal
Heart Patients May Face a New Drug Dilemma
by Ron Winslow

The newly low cost of Plavix, one of the biggest-selling drugs, is intensifying debate among cardiologists over how to make sure patients get optimal benefit from any blood-thinning medication. A generic version of Plavix became available this month so there is an incentive to switch patients to it…"Professional [medical] societies don't think the overall level of evidence is strong enough to make a wholesale switch" from Plavix to Effient or Brilinta, says Chet Rihal, a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minn.

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: Chet Rihal, M.D., a Mayo Clinic cardiologist and chair of the department of cardiovascular diseases, is often sought out for his expert perspective.

Public Affairs Contact: klein.traci@mayo.edu

NPR
Patients Find Each Other Online To Jump-Start Medical Research
by Gretchen Cuda-Kroen

People with extremely rare diseases are often scattered across the world, and any one hospital has a hard time locating enough individuals to conduct meaningful research. But one woman with an extremely rare heart condition managed to do what many hospitals couldn't. Katherine Leon connected with enough people online to interest the Mayo Clinic in a research trial…Eventually Leon found the opportunity she needed. At a symposium run by womenheart.com at the Mayo Clinic, she spotted cardiologist Sharonne Hayes.

Additional coverage: GPB News, Public Health Library, KERA Texas

Context: Katherine Leon has talked about the important role that social media has played in helping her manage a rare heart condition in a number of venues, including Mayo Clinic's 2011 annual report.

Public Affairs Contacts: kilen.brian@mayo.edu, klein.traci@mayo.edu

Arizona Republic
Mayo Clinic debuts mobile application

The Mayo Clinic has introduced a mobile application for iPhones and the iPad. The new patient application provides health information and management tips from its website and online publications. It also provides access to a list of clinical trials. The application can be personalized to allow patients access to their medical records, an up-to-date appointment schedule and lab results.

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 distributed a news release  May 15 about its new mobile health application.

Public Affairs Contacts: eisenman.rebecca@mayo.edu, mcveigh.jim@mayo.edu

MPR
Is sitting the new smoking?
By Kerry Miller

Science has long been telling us to get active by exercising and walking more. But now, along with smoking and eating poorly, sitting has been declared the latest health threat. Some researchers claim that sitting for extended periods of time can shorten life expectancy, cause cancer and even diabetes… Mayo Clinic researcher James Levine said we need to get active at work now, and that means throwing away your office chair. "There is somewhat shocking data that suggests that if you're a good regular gym-goer, three times a week, that may not be as good for your health as interspersing little activity throughout the day, and standing is part of that," he said.

Reach: Minnesota Public Radio operates 43 stations and serves virtually all of Minnesota and parts of the surrounding states. MPR has more than 100,000 members and more than 900,000 listeners each week, which is the largest audience of any regional public radio network.

Context: James Levine, M.D., Ph.D., is a Mayo Clinic endocrinologist, who is often sought out by journalists for his expertise. Dr. Levine, who appeared on Minnesota Public Radio's Daily Circuit May 29, has spread his message of daily personal activity around the globe. 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 Contacts: nellis.robert@may.edu, klein.traci@mayo.edu

Arizona PBS
Horizon: Prostate Cancer Test Recommendation, by Ted Simons

Doctor Moe Bell of Scottsdale Healthcare and Erik Castle of the Mayo Clinic present differing viewpoints about the new U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation against screening men of any age for prostate cancer using the prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, blood test.

Reach: Eight specializes in the education of children, in-depth news and public affairs, lifelong learning and the celebration of arts and culture. The PBS station began broadcasting from the campus of Arizona State University on January 30, 1961. Now more than 80 percent of Arizonans receive the signal through a network of translators, cable and satellite systems. With more than 1 million viewers each week, Eight consistently ranks among the most-viewed public television stations per capita in the country.

Context: Erik Castle, M.D., is a Mayo Clinic urologist at Mayo Clinic in Arizona.

Wall Street Journal
New Surgery Tries a Device to Treat Stubborn Heartburn
by Laura Johannes

When medications aren't enough to control the unpleasant symptoms of heartburn and acid reflux, surgery is sometimes necessary. A new procedure done with no incisions is being promoted as an alternative to conventional surgery…In a January study, Finnish researchers found nearly half of 48 patients who had a Nissen laparoscopic procedure, as the traditional surgery is called, were experiencing bloating and flatulence 15 years later.  Patients with certain conditions, including hiatal hernias, don't qualify for heartburn surgery through the mouth. "Is this for everyone? The answer is no," says Yvonne Romero, an assistant professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

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: Yvonne Romero, M.D.,  Mayo Clinic gastroenterology and hepatology, provided her expert perspective on the procedure.

Public Affairs Contact: dangor.yusuf@mayo.edu

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: Advancing the Science, Arizona PBS, Arizona Republic, Bruce Johnson, Cardiology, Dr. Chet Rihal, Dr. James Levine, Education, Endocrinology / Diabetes, Erik Castle, GI, Innovation (Center of), James Levine, Mayo Clinic Arizona, Mayo Clinic Human Integrative and Environmental Physiology Lab, Mayo Clinic in the News, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Moe Bell, Mount Everest, MPR, NPR, Research, Scottsdale Healthcare, Sharonne Hayes, Social Media, Technology, The Wall Street Journal, U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, University of Colorado, Urology, Wellness, Yvonne Romero

Please sign in or register to post a reply.
Contact Us · Privacy Policy