Editor, Karl Oestreich; Assistant Editor, Carmen Zwicker

 

Star Tribune
Mayo unravels a mystery disease for Minnesota attorney
by Dan Browning

Greg Widseth didn’t know what hit him. The Polk County attorney felt fine as he coached his son’s ninth-grade basketball workout last March. He remembers smiling at a young woman as he left the building. Now Widseth, who once had a photographic memory, is struggling to reconstruct the events that put him in the hospital and led his wife, a former emergency room nurse, to seek help from the Mayo Clinic… When it became clear that her husband wasn’t getting better, she called her sister in Rochester, whose neighbor happened to be Dr. Jeffrey Britton, a Mayo neurologist specializing in autoimmune encephalitis. Britton and his colleague, Dr. Andrew McKeon, a neuroimmunologist, agreed to see Widseth within a few days.

Reach: The Star Tribune Sunday circulation is 518,745 copies and weekday circulation is 300,277. The Star Tribune is the state’s largest newspaper and ranks 16th nationally in circulation.

Context: Andrew McKeon, M.B., B.Ch., M.D. is a Mayo Clinic physician with appointments in Laboratory Medicine and Pathology and Neurology. His research focuses in autoimmune neurological disorders, paraneoplastic neurological disorders and movement disorders. Jeffrey Britton, M.D., is a Mayo Clinic neurologist. His research focuses on clinical epilepsy, stimulation treatment in epilepsy and cortical stimulation mapping and seizure localization. Sean Pittock, M.D., is a Mayo Clinic neurologist. Dr. Pittock is Co-director of the Neuroimmunology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic's top-ranked team of neurologists diagnoses and treats more than 500 neurological conditions, including many rare or complex disorders. The Mayo Clinic Department of Neurology is one of the largest in the world. It includes more than 100 subspecialized experts trained in epilepsy, movement disorders, dementias and other cognitive conditions, stroke and cerebrovascular diseases, neuro-oncology, multiple sclerosis and demyelinating disorders, autoimmune neurology, pediatric neurology, neurophysiology, headache, neuromuscular diseases, peripheral nerve, sleep neurology, and speech pathology. These care providers work together to evaluate and treat people utilizing the most advanced techniques and technologies.

Public Affairs Contact: Duska Anastasijevic

 

Bloomberg
New Alzheimer's Research Throws Cold Water on Biogen's Recent Breakthrough
by Cynthia Koons

Just days after Biogen Inc. revealed promising early data from an experimental Alzheimer’s treatment, new research from the Mayo Clinic may revive a long-running debate over whether the drug industry is focusing on the right target in developing therapies to treat the disease… “Amyloid has a relationship with cognitive decline, but if you’re looking at both of them together, tau is the bad guy,” Melissa Murray, a neuroscientist at the Mayo Clinic campus in Jacksonville, Florida, said in a telephone interview. The majority of research into the disease has focused on beta amyloid over the past 25 years, she said.

Reach: Bloomberg has 2,300 media professionals in 146 bureaus across 72 countries. Bloomberg delivers its content across more than 400 publications, over 310 million households worldwide through Bloomberg Television and 500,000 in the New York metro area and 18.5 million subscribers through satellite radio.

Additional coverage: Florida Times-Union, Yahoo! News, Science Codex, Science 2.0, News-Medical, Medical Xpress, Health Canal

Context: By examining more than 3,600 postmortem brains, researchers at Mayo Clinic’s campuses in Jacksonville, Florida and Rochester, Minnesota have found that the progression of dysfunctional tau protein drives the cognitive decline and memory loss seen in Alzheimer’s disease. Amyloid, the other toxic protein that characterizes Alzheimer’s, builds up as dementia progresses, but is not the primary culprit, they say. The findings, published in Brain, offer new and valuable information in the long and ongoing debate about the relative contribution of amyloid and tau to the development and progression of cognitive dysfunction in Alzheimer’s, says the study’s lead author, Melissa Murray, Ph.D., a neuroscientist at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. More information can be found on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Public Affairs Contact: Kevin Punsky

 

LA Times
Migraine studies yield fresh approaches to ward off pain
by Lisa Mulcahy

If you suffer from migraine headaches, you're not alone. More than 10% of the population is hurting right along with you, including 18% of women. Migraines are most common from the ages of 25 to 55. The good news: New research can help change your approach to managing your migraines. Here are five strategies to try… If you experience a strong smell like perfume, flickering or flashing lights, less sleep and you eat a cold-cut sub with nitrates all in one day, yes, you may get a migraine, but if you ate that sub on a day when you didn't experience those other triggers, you might be just fine," said Dr. Fred Cutrer, a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., in an interview.

Reach:  The Los Angeles Times has a daily readership of 1.9 million and 2.9 million on Sunday, more than 8 million unique latimes.com visitors monthly and a combined print and online local weekly audience of 4.5 million. The Pulitzer Prize-winning Times has been covering Southern California for more than 128 years.

Context: Fred (Michael) Cutrer, M.D. is a Mayo Clinic neurologist. The study of migraine, particularly its pathophysiology and the optimal delivery of treatment, has been the research focus of Dr. Cutrer.

Public Affairs Contact: Jim McVeigh

 

Reuters
Uncommon form of heart attack likely runs in family – study
by Sharon Begley

… In the new study, in JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers at the Mayo Clinic combed a registry of patients who had suffered spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), in which one layer of a coronary artery splits off from another like cheap laminate. Blood seeps out between the arterial layers, starving the heart of oxygen and causing chest pain. If not treated quickly, it can cause heart attack and sometimes death…That is a problem because treatment for common heart attack - clearing arterial blockages - can worsen SCAD. Some 30 percent to 40 percent of SCADs should be left to heal on their own, said Mayo's Dr. Sharonne Hayes, who led the study.

Reach:  Thomson Reuters is the world’s largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile and interactive television platforms.

Additional coverage: Huffington Post, FOX News

Context:  A Mayo Clinic study has identified a familial association in spontaneous coronary artery dissection, a type of heart attack that most commonly affects younger women, suggesting a genetic predisposition to the condition, researchers say. The results are published in the March 23 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine. Researchers used the Mayo Clinic SCAD Registry of 412 enrollees to identify five familial cases of SCAD, comprised of three pairs of first-degree relatives (mother-daughter, identical twin sisters, sisters) and two pairs of second-degree relatives (aunt and niece, and first cousins). Researchers believe this is the first study to identify SCAD as an inherited disorder. More information, including a video interview with Sharonne Hayes, M.D., the study's senior author and a cardiologist can be found on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Public Affairs Contact: Traci Klein

 

Everyday Health
The Man Without a Heart
by Dr. Sanjay Gupta

“You can feel it,” Charles Okeke says. “It’s pounding. If I opened my mouth, it was very audible.” Okeke is remembering the days when his blood was pumped by a massive 400-pound machine. It was one stage in a remarkable journey that has finally brought him where he is today — a healthy man with a healthy heart once again beating in his chest…“Charles was very sick when he showed up at our hospital,” remembers Eric Steidley, MD, a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic. “Charles was going to die unless we did something.”

Reach: Everyday Health Media, LLC is a provider of online consumer health content across a broad portfolio of over 25 websites that span the health spectrum — from lifestyle offerings in pregnancy, diet and fitness to in-depth medical content for condition prevention and management.

Context: For almost two years, Charles Okeke lived in a Mayo Clinic hospital tethered to a machine. He had just turned 30 when a blood clot destroyed his heart.

Public Affairs Contact: Lynn Closway

 

Jacksonville Business Journal
How Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville makes its reach global
by Colleen Jones

Most international patients seen at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville come from Latin America, the Caribbean, Mexico and Canada. To facilitate inbound medical travel, Mayo offers coordination services at information offices in Quito, Ecuador; Bogotá, Colombia; Guatemala City; Mexico City; and Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.

Reach:  The Jacksonville Business Journal is one of 61 newspapers published by American City Business Journals.

Context: Thousands of people come to Mayo Clinic's campus in Jacksonville, Fla., annually for diagnosis or treatment of a medical condition. In Florida, Mayo Clinic primarily treats adults, although some specialists see teenagers and children. Doctors in the Primary Care centers treat people of all ages. Many people make their own appointments and some are referred by a doctor. Mayo Clinic doctors can work closely with your hometown doctor to coordinate your care.

Public Affairs Contact: Kevin Punsky

Star Tribune
Mayo researcher appeals for increased Alzheimer's funding
by Jim Spencer

Dr. Ronald Petersen did not promise the Senate Special Committee on Aging a cure for Alzheimer’s disease in 10 years. But on Wednesday, the Mayo Clinic’s director of Alzheimer’s research held out hope for highly effective treatments in a decade if the government significantly increases its investment in research. Last year, Alzheimer’s, the disease that has become the curse of 5.3 million Americans and the fear of tens of millions more, received less than $600 million in research funding. That compares with $5.3 billion for cancer, $3 billion for HIV/AIDS and $2 billion for heart disease.

Reach: The Star Tribune Sunday circulation is 518,745 copies and weekday circulation is 300,277. The Star Tribune is the state’s largest newspaper and ranks 16th nationally in circulation.

Additional coverage: CSPAN, Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal

Context: Ron Petersen, M.D., Ph.D., is the Cora Kanow Professor of Alzheimer’s Disease Research at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Petersen is regularly sought out by reporters as a leading expert in his medical field. Dr. Petersen chairs the Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Research, Care and Services. Dr. Petersen testifed this week at the Senate Special Committee on Aging.

Public Affairs Contact: Sharon Theimer

Huffington Post, Endurance Sports and Personal Growth: Ask the Experts by Brad Stulberg… Michael Joyner: Mayo Clinic physiologist — As a kid involved in running, I learned the standard stuff about goal setting, hard work, and pushing through adversity. I learned to take the long view, and that training is a process not an event.

HealthDay, Live Liver Transplants Seem Safe, Effective for Sudden Liver Failure…The study found no difference in recipient survival rates up through five years post-transplant. The procedure appeared to be safe for live donors, too. Still, in an accompanying editorial, Dr. Jean Emond of Columbia University in New York City and Dr. Charles Rosen from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., cautioned that "further experience is necessary to demonstrate that urgent evaluations can be done safely, accurately, and with avoidance of coercion and undue stress on potential donors and their families." Additional coverage: US News & World Report, Science 2.0

Medical News Today, How far away is a cure for blindness?... There are a number of these degenerative diseases, including retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration and Usher syndrome. In particular, age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in the developed world. Medical News Today asked Dr. Raymond Iezzi, an ophthalmology consultant with the Mayo Clinic, what the biggest obstacles were to finding a cure for retinal degeneration disorders. He told us that scientists and clinicians face many challenges in developing treatments as there are several hundred biochemical abnormalities underlying these disorders.

Medscape, Delayed Intraventricular Hemorrhage: Treatment Target in ICH?... Author of an accompanying editorial, Alejandro A. Rabinstein, MD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, explained to Medscape Medical News that both studies confirm IVH at presentation is a poor prognostic indicator, but neither fully establishes whether delayed IVH can independently worsen prognosis. "Delayed IVH was most commonly seen in patients having their first CT [computed tomographic] scan very early and then developing substantial hematoma expansion on the repeat CT scan…

Digital Journal, Alzheimer's test: Mayo clinic finds easy test to detect dementia by Marcus Hondro — Testing for Alzheimer's Disease is an expensive and complicated proposition at the moment but the Mayo Clinic may have a solution. They've released a study this week on a three-part test for dementia that could be done in your physician's office… One involves a costly brain imaging technique, the other involves extracting fluid from the spine. Dr. Ronald Petersen, the director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at the Mayo Clinic, notes that neither test is workable from the standpoint of screening for the illness.

Post-Bulletin, Ideas swirl for Chateau Theatre's next act by Andrew Setterholm — The Rochester Public Library Auditorium was filled to the fire code Thursday for the Post-Bulletin Dialogue discussion of the Chateau Theatre.…"At this point, I will tell you the city has no plans. We're still trying to finalize the sale. Once that happens, then we'll start down that other road, but the first issue is to get that building purchased," Bilderback said. The city made a $6 million bid for the building, with $500,000 of that price kicked in from Mayo Clinic. The price was negotiated from $6.5 million, Bilderback said.

Healthcare Dive, Study: Online hospital ads can be misleading by Katie Bo Williams…Information found online is often difficult to verify, although some providers are trying to change that. Consumers using Google to search for medical information have started seeing an addition to their usual results: A knowledge graph that displays medically-correct and certified information vetted by doctors who work for Google and the Mayo Clinic.

OncLive, BEACON Breast Cancer Study Falls Short, Focus Shifts to Subgroups With Brain or Liver Mets —In the phase III BEACON trial, etirinotecan pegol (NKTR-102) missed the primary endpoint of significantly extending overall survival (OS) versus physician’s choice of therapy, according to Nektar Therapeutics, the company developing the drug. In a silver lining, Nektar reported that NKTR-102 significantly improved OS among patient subgroups with either brain or liver metastases…“Of particular significance, median survival in patients with brain metastases was more than double on NKTR-102,” added Cortes, who served as co-principal investigator of the study, along with Edith A. Perez, MD, deputy director of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center.

Cancer Connect, Have a Question about Polycythemia Vera? Ask the Expert! — CancerConnect announces the opportunity to engage with a polycythemia vera (PV) expert, Ruben A. Mesa, MD. On April 29, 2015, Dr. Mesa will answer your questions about polycythemia vera in the MPN Community on CancerConnect. Additional coverage: A Woman’s Health

Star Tribune, Rochester Civic Center expansion begins by Matt McKinney — Wielding golden shovels, Rochester officials broke ground Thursday on an $84 million expansion of the city’s Civic Center, the latest in a whirlwind week of construction and development news for the Mayo Clinic’s home city. The Civic Center will grow up and out, nearly doubling in size by the time renovations finish in 2017, thanks to a state grant and a boost in the city lodging tax. Additional coverage: KIMT

Harvard Business Review, Artificial Intelligence Is Almost Ready for Business by Brad Power…Many prestigious academic medical centers, such as The Cleveland Clinic, The Mayo Clinic, MD Anderson, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering are working with IBM to develop systems that will help healthcare providers better understand patients’ diseases and recommend personalized courses of treatment. This has proven to be a challenging domain to automate and most of the projects are behind schedule.

NY Times, Turning to Education for Fun by Greg Beato…These days, examples of what is often called edutainment are everywhere. As the word suggests, edutainment combines aspects of education and entertainment into products and experiences that seek to improve learning by making it not just painless but also pleasurable…the Smithsonian has begun offering classes through the Great Courses line, as have National Geographic, the Culinary Institute of America and the Mayo Clinic. The Smithsonian, through its Journeys program, and National Geographic, through its Expeditions program, also offer more than 200 learning vacations a year, charging travelers thousands of dollars to forsake drinks by the pool for in-the-field instruction from art historians and volcanologists.

Huffington Post, 6 Ways To Find Lasting Happiness After 50 by Margaret Manning…Express Your Gratitude through Meditation or Prayer — If you have a spiritual practice, it often helps to start the day by sharing your intentions and expressing your gratitude and hopes. Even if you are not a particularly religious person, you may be able to benefit from meditation. Practicing mindfulness can be a great way to prepare for the day ahead. In addition, according to this article by the Mayo Clinic, practicing meditation regularly can help you to manage stress, reduce negative emotions and increase self-awareness.

Post-Bulletin, Back and Forth: Driving the doctors Mayo by Harley Flathers — "They wanted big, well-equipped, expensive personal cars" said the late Ben Stephan, a Plainview resident and longtime driver for Dr. Charles H. Mayo. This column is from a KROC radio interview on the "Rog and Harley Show", noon hour, Aug. 30, 1971. On Sept. 2, we followed the Stephan interview with Fred Dahle, driver for Dr. William J. Mayo.

Star Tribune, Charity care declines at Minnesota hospitals, but bad debt inches up by Christopher Snowbeck — Charity care costs declined last year at several Minnesota hospitals, and the drop could be linked to the expansion of health insurance coverage under the federal health law….But the Rochester-based Mayo Clinic did not credit the health law for its reported decline of roughly $8.5 million, about 10 percent, in charity care costs. Instead, Mayo credited tight control of expenses across its six-state system of hospitals and clinics.

WKBT La Crosse, Surgeries rescheduled at La Crosse hospital due to dust on supplies — Mayo Clinic Health System Franciscan Healthcare in La Crosse is taking precautionary measures after concerns about the safety of some of its medical supplies.

WKBT La Crosse, Flu season still lingering in spring — Local doctors say they saw the most amounts of flu cases in December, but there are still many instances right now. While springtime weather will help the situation officials said flu won't truly be done until the summer and it is important to stay on high alert. "It's not uncommon to still see, in the early spring and late winter, influenza still hit,"Melanie Young, a physician's assistant at Mayo Clinic Health System said.

Southern Minn., Brian Bunkers: Sincere synergy breeds success — After working all day at the Mayo Clinic Health System in Owatonna, Dr. Brian Bunkers stops by Owatonna High School to do skin checks at the wrestling match. Once home, he talks on the phone with Luke, his youngest son, about soccer tryouts. Meanwhile Bunker examines the foyer and living room, picking up remnants of something wicker, evidence that his dogs Harper and Ella had an exciting day. He sighs, still in his gray suit, Mayo ID badge clipped to his front left pocket, and deposits the scraps in the trash.

KAAL, Mayo Medical Students Celebrate Match Day — Friday was an exciting day for Mayo Medical graduate students as it was Match Day. Match Day is a national wide event where students find out where their residencies will be. “Oh definitely is, the nerves are running really high right now,” said Jennifer Hou a Mayo Medical graduate. Additional coverage: Post-Bulletin

Star Tribune, Charity care declines at Minnesota hospitals, but bad debt inches up by Chris Snowbeck — Charity care costs declined last year at several Minnesota hospitals, and the drop could be linked to the expansion of health insurance coverage under the federal health law. Between 2013 and 2014, charity care costs across 10 hospital systems declined by about $37 million, or 18 percent, according to a Star Tribune analysis…The Star Tribune analysis draws on data from some of the state’s largest health care providers, including Allina Health System, Fairview Health Services and Mayo Clinic. It also includes numbers from Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) in Minneapolis and Regions Hospital in St. Paul, which are two of the state’s largest charity care providers.

Star Tribune, Rochester might give old movie theater a sequel by Matt McKinney — A beloved shuttered theater nestled in the heart of downtown Rochester could see a rebirth after city officials revealed this week that they’ve been in negotiations to buy it. The Chateau Theatre, built in 1927 by the founders of the Mayo Clinic, was home to theater, vaudeville acts and movies before it was converted into a Barnes & Noble bookstore in the 1980s. The bookstore closed at the end of last year, and no future use has been designated…The Mayo Clinic has pledged to help pay for it with a $500,000 gift, Brede said.

Quad-City Times, What are opportunity costs of health care? by Jimi Nowlan ...former Illinois legislator and state agency director. He is a retired senior fellow at the University of Illinois Institute of Government and Public Affairs, When I was a boy in the 1950s, health care was simple. If you got sick, you went to the family doctor. If you were really sick, you went to the local hospital and stayed until you got better, or died. If you could afford it, you might go to Mayo Clinic for the latest in care. Most costs came out of a family’s pocketbook.

Minnesota Daily, Grad health care options may shrink by Charlie Bartlett — In an effort to cut costs, a University of Minnesota committee is recommending to remove providers included in the school’s health care plan for graduate students…In order to cut additional costs, the committee is considering removing Mayo Clinic, Allina Health, and HealthEast Care System from the plan’s in-network system of providers, Chapin said at the COGS meeting earlier this month. If approved, the change would require those currently using the three providers to switch or pay out-of-network costs.

MSP Business Journal, Mayo Spinoff Ambient Hunts for $500,000 — Healthcare Startup Ambient is seeking $500,000 according to to a regulatory filing.

Organic Spa Magazine, A New Spa at the Clinic — There is a growing body of evidence to support the medical benefits of massage, meditation, guided imagery, acupuncture, yoga. As director of the Mayo Clinic Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program, founded in 2001, Dr. Brent Bauer.

Toronto Star, Dementia: a private tragedy looms as a public catastrophe worldwide — A “tidal wave” of Alzheimer's and other brain diseases will place a crippling strain on global health resources unless effective treatments are soon found. Yet government spending on dementia pales in comparison to other diseases. The United States spends $5.4 billion on cancer and $3 billion on HIV/AIDs, according to Ronald Petersen, director of the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center — but only about half a billion on Alzheimer’s disease, which “may be the defining disorder of our generation.”

MPR, Bruce Kramer's journey with ALS reaches its end…By summer of 2014, it had become clear that he did not have it in him. In July, he scheduled a meeting with his Mayo Clinic caregivers to say goodbye, but then he canceled it because he lacked the strength to make the trip to Rochester. In October he told Wurzer that he was finding it more difficult to swallow. Late in 2014, he began receiving hospice care.

KMSP, Mayo Clinic helps offer $6 personal trainer workouts to under-served groups — Mayo Clinic Square rolled out the welcome mat Saturday. The world-renowned medical facility hosted its largest public event at its new digs in the renovated Block E Building in downtown Minneapolis. The Mayo Sports Clinic used the morning to introduce its partnership with a program called Insight 2 Health Fitness Challenge. It's a 10-week fitness program for underserved populations in the Twin Cities. It offers affordable rates of fitness training and overall wellness coaching to those who might never step into a gym otherwise.

Medscape, New Tool Helps Predict Transition to MCI by Megan Brooks — Researchers have developed a new scoring system that can help identify cognitively normal elderly individuals at risk for mild cognitive impairment (MCI). "This risk scale may be an inexpensive and easy way for doctors to identify people who should undergo more advanced testing for memory issues or may be better candidates for clinical trials," study author Ronald C. Petersen, MD, PhD, from Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, said in a statement. Additional coverage: AARP

Health Canal, Could a Tampon Help Predict Endometrial Cancer? Mayo Clinic Researchers Say Yes — Researchers at Mayo Clinic have shown that it is possible to detect endometrial cancer using tumor DNA picked up by ordinary tampons. …“Unfortunately, there is no equivalent to a Pap smear or a mammogram for endometrial cancer,” says Jamie Bakkum-Gamez, M.D., a gynecologic oncologist at Mayo Clinic and lead author of the study.

Post-Bulletin, The heart of the matter by Alyssa Kadansky — Heart health isn't something Panagiotis "Pete" Chafos takes for granted. Chafos, co-owner of Boston Shoe & Boot Repair in the Apache Mall, has, for the past 70 years, been an example of what it means to live a healthy lifestyle, making him an ideal candidate for mitral valve repair surgery… Chafos underwent a miraculous recovery and attributes it to the heart-healthy habits that he has kept up for most of his life. For him, the new studies coming out of Mayo Clinic stating that sitting is as bad as smoking are old philosophies.

WEAU Eau Claire, Betting on the brackets — The Wisconsin Department of HealthServices says more than 300,000 Wisconsinites have some type of gambling addiction. According to Brien Gleeson a Psychotherapist at Mayo Clinic Health System, people struggling with a problem March Madness can get the best of them.

Medscape, Social Media Starter Kit and Managing Your Digital Reputation, Jeffrey B Geske, MD: This is Dr Jeffrey Geske, assistant professor of medicine and cardiology consultant at Mayo Clinic. In this episode of Mayo Clinic Talks we will discuss social media for healthcare providers. I am joined by Dr Farris Timimi, who is a consultant of cardiology and medical director of Mayo Clinic's Center for Social Media.

WFSU (NPR Fla./Ga.), Bill Tries To Lower Insurer Influence Over Patient Medications…Some insurers require what’s called “prior authorization” before approving the name-brand medicine. And that’s the source of conflict Senate Bill 784 by  Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, is trying to address. Gaetz recounts a story he was told by a former employee who, along with her husband, was recently diagnosed with Hepatitis C:   “We went to the Mayo clinic in Jacksonville," Gaetz says the woman told him. "They told us what we needed to do to manage the disease. We went to the health insurance company and they said, ‘no, no, no—you have to fail first with three other therapies'. So we went back to the Mayo clinic and the doctors said, ‘if you do that, it won’t work—and you may not be around if you fail first in all three therapies'.”

Florida Times-Union, Editorial: Jacksonville is great place for retirees…MEDICAL TOURISM — For Jacksonville leaders looking for marketing opportunities, attracting retiring boomers is one promising area. Another is medical tourism. Thanks to the Mayo Clinic and the proton therapy unit at UF Health Jacksonville, the city already attracts its share of domestic and foreign patients. But there are a great many opportunities within the large, growing and impressive health care industry here.

Florida Times-Union, Mayo Clinic, UF Proton Therapy earn 'Cancer Center of Excellence' title by Tia Mitchell — The Mayo Clinic and the University of Florida Health Proton Therapy Institute, both located in Jacksonville, are among the state's first Cancer Centers of Excellence. The Legislature voted in 2013 to create the Center of Excellence title to add an air of prestige and promote Florida cancer centers nationally in the lucrative and growing field of medical tourism. The application and review process included site visits and reviews of each applicants' quality of care. Additional coverage: Sunshine State News, Foster Folly News, Gainsville Sun, Gator Sports

Star Tribune, Time to improvise, again — Reserve point guard Lorenzo Brown started at shooting guard when Martin was scratched because he’s concerned about both of his hamstrings. That left the Wolves with nine men out when Ricky Rubio, Kevin Garnett, Gary Neal, Nikola Pekovic, Justin Hamilton and others didn’t play. The predicament caused Saunders to use newly signed guard Sean Kilpatrick before the first quarter was done. On the road back Hamilton went to Rochester’s Mayo Clinic on Monday to see a neurologist, seeking clearance to play after he was kneed in the back of the head against Brooklyn last week

KAAL, City Council Passes DMC Development Plan — The Mayo Clinic's DMC project has taken another big step forward. On Monday night, the Rochester City Council officially approved the DMC Development Plan that outlines the entire project.

TIME, A Simple 3-Part Test May Predict Alzheimer’s by Alice Park — Diseases like Alzheimer’s start years, even decades, before the first symptoms of memory loss shows up. And with rates of those diseases rising, experts say that more primary care physicians—not neurology experts—will have the task of identifying these patients early so they can take advantage of whatever early interventions might be available. “If we had a simple blood test, a cholesterol test for Alzheimer’s disease, that would help,” says Dr. Ronald Petersen, director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at the Mayo Clinic, “but we don’t.” But Petersen has a potential solution, and according to a new paper released Wednesday in the journal Neurology, his Alzheimer’s test has promise. Additional coverage: CBS Evening News, HealthDay, WJBF Ga., ABC Montana, ScienceBlog, WebMD, San Francisco Gate, Philadelphia Inquirer, New Jersey Herald, Japan Times, com, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal

KARE11, Researchers: tampons could detect cancer by Renee Tessman — There is a promising, new study from the Mayo Clinic. Researchers say tampons can be used to detect endometrial cancer, the most common gynecological cancer in women…Gynecologic Oncologist Dr. Jamie Bakkum-Gamez is lead author of the study. She said, "When we got the results, we were very pleased because we were basically taking a sample of the reproductive tract that is far enough away from the actual tumor that the test is essentially a minimally invasive test." Additional coverage: KTTC

KNXV Arizona, Valley doctor weighs in on Angelina Jolie's removal of ovaries…The Now Arizona's, Justin Pazera sat down with a valley doctor to find out if this is something all women should consider as a preventative measure. Katherine Hunt Brendish is a genetic counselor at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale. She says it is best to know your family's cancer history, especially if patients are younger.

NY Times, Experts Back Angelina Jolie Pitt in Choices for Cancer Prevention by Pam Belluck…Ms. Jolie Pitt’s decision not to remove her uterus was consistent with what experts recommended. “There is no research showing that having a BRCA mutation puts women at risk for uterine cancer,” said Dr. Jamie Bakkum-Gamez, a gynecologic oncologist at the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Jamie Bakkum-Gamez and other experts endorsed her decision to take hormone replacement therapy — an estrogen patch and a progesterone intrauterine device — to counteract symptoms of surgery-induced menopause. Additional coverage: Washington Post, Pioneer Press, WBUR Hear & Now Boston, Tampa Bay Tribune, New Hampshire Public Radio

Reuters, Lack of insurance bars some from hepatitis C treatment by Kathryn Doyle — Survey data from 2001 to 2010 show that lack of insurance kept some people with hepatitis C virus from getting treatment. Recently, more effective and well-tolerated drugs have been developed to treat hepatitis C, removing many of the discouraging side effects of older drugs. The infection is curable and transmission can be prevented, researchers write in the American Journal of Gastroenterology. But for the more than three million people in the U.S. who have chronic liver disease from hepatitis C, there are still two important barriers to getting treatment, said lead author Dr. Ivo Ditah from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Red Wing Republican-Eagle, Reimagining the C-section by Michael Brun — Cesarean section can be a beneficial, often necessary choice for expecting mothers to make, but a downside to the surgical procedure is it lacks some of the intimacy of a traditional birth. A relatively new kind of C-section being performed at Mayo Clinic Health System in Red Wing aims to change that by offering a gentler approach emphasizing skin-to-skin contact. "What we offer is a family-centered cesarean section," said Dr. Seanna Thompson in the obstetrics and gynecology department. Though the C-section is performed in an operating room, she said the goal is "trying to be as natural as possible so it doesn't feel like a scary surgery."

org, Sponsored journalist training on “precision medicine”: Zeroing in on a conflict of interest — The question came from multiple colleagues: Is it okay for a journalist to accept an all-expenses-paid trip to a 4-day workshop on “Precision Medicine: Health Care Tailored For You” at the Mayo Clinic… that is funded by Mayo? Before hollering, “Hell, no!”, there’s an important nuance: the workshop program is being put together, and attendees selected, by the National Press Foundation, a not-for-profit that puts on a variety of training programs. The National Press Foundation says funders have no influence, that it controls its workshops from the choice of topic through the selection of speakers and conduct of the sessions. But what happened in this case seems a bit more convoluted; and it leaves me queasy about sponsors helping to set the agenda for journalists.

Star Tribune, U of M nurse practitioner clinic aims to help fill doctor void by Jeremy Olson — One of the first clinics in the state fully operated by nurses will start scheduling patients Wednesday in what University of Minnesota officials hope will be a solution to the state’s looming shortage of doctors. The University of Minnesota Health Nurse Practitioners Clinic is an outgrowth of a law passed last year that gives autonomy to nurse practitioners…Minnesota became the 19th state last year to grant autonomy to nurse practitioners, who have been promoted under the Affordable Care Act as a way to reduce costs, because they typically cost less for routine care than doctors. Now there are a half-dozen nurse-led clinics in Minnesota, and providers such as the Mayo Clinic are testing team approaches in which nurse practitioners provide more primary-care services.

Infectious Control Today, Mayo Clinic Center for Tuberculosis Launches New TB Journal — The Mayo Clinic Center for Tuberculosis, a regional training and consultation center at Mayo Clinic's campus in Rochester, Minn, is today launching a new medical journal, the Journal of Clinical Tuberculosis and Other Mycobacterial Diseases…“We are very excited that we are launching this journal on World TB Day and hope that it will effectively advance new knowledge that will ultimately help end this terrible disease,” says editor-in-chief Zelalem Temesgen, MD. Two other Mayo Clinic physician-researchers, Stacey Rizza, MD, and John Wilson, MD, will serve as associate editors.

WBEZ Chicago Public Radio, Kennedy: Jesse Jackson Jr. leaving prison for halfway house — Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. will be released from a federal prison on Thursday and will serve out the remainder of his term in a Washington, D.C., halfway house, former U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy told The Associated Press after visiting Jackson…Kennedy said Jackson's mental health is much better than the last time he saw him at the Mayo Clinic. Kennedy said Jackson had even put a positive spin on his time in prison, saying it had allowed him to "unplug" from the world. Additional coverage: USA TODAY, Chicago Tribune

KAAL, Mayo Nurse Delivers Life-Saving Aid to Man who Collapsed by Meghan Reistad — A Mayo Clinic nurse coming home from work and emergency responders are credited with saving the life of a man who collapsed while snow blowing his driveway Monday afternoon in Rochester…The 31-year-old woman, identified as Amber Paulson, was driving through her neighborhood when she saw a 66-year-old man operating a snow blower collapse, police say. Paulson says she got out of her car, rushed to administer CPR to the man and told another neighbor to call police. Additional coverage: KTTC

KIMT, Businesses partner for health care by Jeron Rennie — As health care continues to evolve so do the places people go to get a checkup. Employers are creating mini clinics for their employees and their families to use. Albert Lea Select Foods, Alliance Benefit Group, Innovance, Mrs. Gerry’s and Zumbro River Brands employees and their families now have a new place to go for health care…These are the latest businesses to offer such a clinic. The Albert Lea School District has a very similar clinic with an office in the district building. Austin Public Schools has a partnership with Mayo Clinic Health System and have a couple health kiosk locations.

Entrepreneur, 7 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Relieve Stress by John Boitnott… Try a massage — Millions of people have been seeing massage therapists once in a while as a way to take off that extra edge, relieve back problems or relieve muscle soreness after working out. The Mayo Clinic says, in general, massage is an effective treatment to reduce stress, pain and muscle tension. You can even have a massage therapist come to your office at a time you specify.

Dallas Healthcare Daily, Dallas-based Health System Earns Statewide Recognition by Matt Goodman — The Quality Texas Foundation has awarded Methodist Health System with its Texas Award for Performance Excellence, a statewide recognition based on the criteria used to determine the winner of the federal Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award… Last year, Methodist was the only Texas system to join the Mayo Clinic Care Network, which gives patients and doctors alike access to resources provided by the renowned Mayo Clinic.

Men’s Health, Can You Inherit Cancer? by Cindy Kuzma — Forget skeletons: Search your family’s closet for tumors instead. Having a first-degree relative like a parent or sibling with cancer roughly doubles your own risk of that disease, according to Noralane M. Lindor, M.D., medical geneticist at the Mayo Clinic.

Jacksonville Business Journal, ​Meet The Sims: How Mayo Clinic models patient care through hands-on demos (Video) by Coleen Michele Jones — Walking through the Multidisciplinary Simulation Center at Mayo Clinic of Florida can feel a bit like walking through a video game. Around every corner there are virtual reality-tasked controllers, touch-screen digital displays and 3D-based responsive software applications… Gene Richie, operations director of the simulation center at Mayo, demonstrates how a student might apply a stethoscope to the chest of Hartley — another member of the “Sims” family — and hear an irregular heart sound — “so they know what aortic stenosis sounds like when they hear it on a patient,” explains Richie.

Men’s Health, 19 Things You Probably Didn’t Know Were Gluten-Free…Rice, if it hasn’t been processed with glutinous grains, you’re fine, according to the Mayo Clinic. Packaged rice products bearing a “gluten-free” label might as well have a footnote that says “No, sh!t.”

KJZZ Radio Ariz., Placing Arizona Medical Students In Rural Areas Still A Challenge… A recent national study states the supply of doctors will fall short of the demand by up to 90,000 physicians by 2025. And with this week being the five-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, the report also points out expanded medical coverage under the ACA continues to increase that demand. However, that was not on the mind of Rebecca Fega last Friday at University of Arizona’s Downtown Phoenix College of Medicine. “I’ll be staying locally in Phoenix, yes," said Fega. "I matched into radiation oncology at Mayo Clinic here in Arizona. My top choice! Yay! So excited!”

Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, Tau Urged as Focus of Alzheimer’s Disease over Amyloid… In recent years the amyloid camp has gained ground in research dollars and drug discovery focus. However, new research from the Mayo Clinic may prove to be a watershed moment for scientists that believe toxic tau protein has a much greater role than amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s pathogenesis…"The majority of the Alzheimer's research field has really focused on amyloid over the last 25 years," said Melissa Murray, Ph.D., assistant professor of neuroscience at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville and lead author on the current study. Additional coverage: Indianapolis Business Journal, Fierce Biotech Research, Neurology Advisor, FOX21 KQDS, Yahoo! Health

NY Times (AP), Young Mexican in Need of Transplant Denied Visa by the US — A young Mexican who urgently needs a heart and liver transplant has twice been denied a U.S. visa to go to the Mayo Clinic for treatment, he and his family said Wednesday. Jose Chua Lopez, 20, was born with a heart defect and could die if he doesn't receive the transplants, said his mother, Myra Lopez Martinez. "My world has fallen down," Chua said. "This needs to be fixed quickly." Martinez said Chua has an appointment at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in 10 days, but was turned down for a visa Tuesday by the U.S. State Department for the second time. Additional coverage: ABC News, Washington Post, Star Tribune, Huffington Post, Arizona Daily Star, CTV News

Insight News, What’s eating you? END OF WEEK EIGHT Two weeks to the finish line…During this Fifth Round of the Insight 2 Health Fitness Challenge, we are excited to formally welcome the addition of Mayo Clinic which joins other prestigious supporters and partners…On Saturday, March 21, the weekly Saturday Insight 2 Health Fitness Challenge workout was held at the Mayo Sports Clinic at Block E in Downtown Minneapolis. Mayo Clinic hosts took Fitness Challenge participants on tours of the new facility and talked about the unique collaboration between the Fitness Challenge and Mayo Clinic.

News-Shield Barron, Donated items provide comfort to cancer patients — Area cancer patients are receiving a little extra comfort due to the efforts of Brooke Halverson (left) of Barron and members of area communities who donated money to purchase care bags. The bags include comfort care items such as a fleece blanket, lotion, hand sanitizer, lip balm and more. In all, 66 bags were donated to patients at Mayo Clinic Health System – Northland in Barron and Lakeview Medical Center in Rice Lake or given directly to those with cancer. Halverson and Stacy Cole (right) a chemotherapy nurse at Mayo Clinic Health System, were able to present the first bag to a patient in Barron.

Die Welt, Therapieansatz bekämpft Migräne mit Antikörpern, Zehn bis 15 Prozent der Bevölkerung leiden unter Migräneattacken. Bald könnte ihnen eine Therapie mit Antikörpern helfen. Doch ob sie hält, was sie verspricht, müssen noch weitere Studien zeigen.…Dabei handelt es sich um zwei Studien von Forschern um Prof. David Dodick von der Mayo Clinic in Phoenix (Arizona), die im vergangenen Jahr im Fachmagazin "The Lancet Neurology" veröffentlicht wurden.

Salud Cronica, "Stronger Than That", un video contra el cáncer colorectal — Los fundadores de Mayo Clinic se unen a activistas de pacientes, personajes famosos, colaboradores de las tres sedes de Mayo Clinic y dos simbólicas estatuas de Estados Unidos en un nuevo video musical que apoya a la campaña #StrongArmSelfie, que promueve la detección del cáncer colorrectal. Additional coverage: El Semanario

Criterio Hidalgo, Disfunción eréctil, un efecto collateral — En algunos casos, la disfunción eréctil puede ser la primera señal de advertencia de una cardiopatía o enfermedad del corazón, advierte David Simper, especialista de la Clínica de la Salud Masculina y Enfermedades Cardiovasculares de Mayo Clinic en Arizona.

Impacto.mx, Bebidas energéticas pueden provocar irritabilidad: nutriólogo — Las bebidas energéticas que contienen gran cantidad de cafeína pueden estimular de manera temporal la vitalidad y presentarse acompañada de otros problemas, advierte especialista. La nutrióloga de Mayo Clinic, Katherine Zeratsky, explicó en un comunicado que algunas de éstas bebidas contienen azúcar y otras sustancias que pueden contribuir a ganar peso. Additional coverage: Salud Cronica, El Siglo, Veracruzanos.info, Pulso, ImAgen Poblana, Al Pueblo Pan y Circo, Informador.mx

AARP En Espanol, ¿Una ventaja adicional del bridge? La capacidad intellectual…Keith A. Josephs, un neurólogo en la Mayo Clinic de Rochester, Minnesota, dijo: “Son datos subjetivos que dicen, ‘Vaya, tal vez jugar estos juegos y ser activo en el plano social dan como resultado un mejor desempeño’. Los pacientes tienen menos probabilidades de estar deprimidos; por eso, duermen mejor, tienden a hacer más ejercicio y viven una vida mejor en general.

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