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.

Editor, Karl Oestreich;  Assistant Editor: Carmen Zwicker

 

New York Times
Millions With Leg Pain Have Peripheral Artery Disease
by Jane Brody

More than eight million older Americans have a condition that can cause leg pain when they walk even short distances. The condition, called peripheral artery disease, or P.A.D., is marked by diseased or blocked arteries in the legs. More than half of those with such circulatory problems in the extremities also have coronary or cerebral artery disease, noted Dr. Iftikhar J. Kullo, a cardiovascular specialist at the Mayo Clinic, in The New England Journal of Medicine in March.

Reach: The New York Times has a daily circulation of nearly 649,000 and a Sunday circulation of 1.18 million.

Context: Iftikar Kullo is a Mayo Clinic cardiovascular specialist. Dr. Kullo's research interests include investigating the use of new methodologies in refining cardiovascular risk stratification. These include genetic markers, circulating biomarkers, and noninvasive tests of arterial function and structure.

Contact: Traci Klein

 

Star Tribune
Mayo, GE Ventures launch technology firm near San Francisco
by Christopher Snowbeck

Mayo Clinic and GE Ventures are launching a new company near San Francisco to sell software and manufacturing services to firms developing cell and gene therapies. Pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms and health care providers are among the potential customers for Vitruvian Networks Inc., company officials said during interviews on Monday...Mayo Clinic is the largest private employer in Minnesota. Last year, the system posted $526 million in income on $10.3 billion in revenue across operations that span six states.

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.

Other coverage:

Silicon Valley Business Journal, Bloomberg, Canada Standard, Twin Cities Business, HIT Consultant, Healthcare Dive, Becker’s Hospital Review, Nasdaq, Fierce Pharma

Context:  GE Ventures and Mayo Clinic announced the launch of Vitruvian Networks, Inc., an independent platform company committed to accelerating access to cell and gene therapies through advanced, cloud-ready software systems and manufacturing services. Cell and gene therapy involve time and resource-intense processes to provide personalized therapies to patients. Efficient and cost-effective solutions are required to expedite the transition of promising and potentially curative therapies from early clinical trials to a portfolio of products that advances medical care. More information can be found on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Contact: Duska Anastasijevic

 

US News & World Report
Too Fat for Surgery
by Anna Medaris Miller

Ever since Phyllis Warr was about 10 years old, doctors told her she'd drop dead if she didn't lose weight. They told her she wouldn't be able to walk at 35. They told her weight-loss surgery was her only hope. Warr is among the more than one-third of Americans who are obese – a height-weight combination that makes surgeries more complicated for surgeons, more risky for patients and more costly for the health care system, according to Dr. Robert Cima, a colorectal surgeon and chair of surgical quality at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. "Across all surgical specialties, obesity is associated with increased length of hospital stay, increased readmissions, decreased rate of dismissals to home and increased cost," he said to a group of journalists attending an obesity research fellowship program in February.

Reach: U.S. News & World Report is a multi-platform publisher of news and information, which includes http://www.usnews.com and http://www.rankingsandreviews.com.

Additional coverage: Yahoo! Finance

Context: Robert Cima, M.D. is a Mayo Clinic colorectal surgeon. Mayo Clinic surgeons helped develop minimally invasive (laparoscopic) colon and rectal surgery and use these techniques on almost all surgeries. Laparoscopic procedures use smaller incisions than conventional surgery, which decreases bleeding, lessens pain and shortens both expected hospital stays and overall recovery times. They are also skilled in robotic surgery, a specialized form of laparoscopic surgery, and ileoanal anastomosis surgery that avoids the need for a permanent colostomy.

Contact: Sharon Theimer

 

STAT
Records found in dusty basement undermine decades of dietary advice
by Sharon Begley

Dr. Robert Frantz, a physician at the Mayo Clinic, drove 90 minutes to his childhood home, to search file cabinets. On his third trip he spied moldering, unlabeled boxes in the far corner of the basement. Inside were ancient magnetic computer tapes and reams of yellowed documents. The subject line in his email to Ramsden was “Eureka.” After getting the tapes translated into formats that modern computers can read, Ramsden and his colleagues discovered what had been hidden for nearly half a century: records on 9,423 study participants, ages 20 to 97, all living in state mental hospitals or a nursing home. It was the largest experiment of its kind.

Reach: STAT covers the frontiers of health and medicine including science labs, hospitals, biotechnology board rooms, and political back rooms. Hosted by The Boston Globe, STAT launched on November 5, 2015. The Boston Globe has a daily circulation of more than 274,000 and Sunday circulation of more than 362,000.

Additional coverage: New York Times

Context: Robert Frantz, M.D. is a Mayo Clinic cardiologist. Dr. Frantz's research is centered on the varied forms of pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary vascular disease and right heart failure, including pathophysiology, hemodynamics, causes of exercise limitation and optimal management strategies. Dr. Frantz's research includes defining best strategies for management of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

Contact: Traci Klein

 

Action News Jax
Mayo Clinic Jacksonville completes 3,000 liver transplants

April is Organ Donor Month, and the Mayo Clinic Jacksonville just completed its 3,000th liver transplant. The program started back in 1998. The Mayo Clinic Jacksonville is the seventh center to reach the milestone out of about 120 in the nation.

Reach: WAWS-TV/30 is the Fox affiliate. WTEV-TV/47 is the CBS affiliate in Jacksonville, Florida.

Context: The liver transplant team at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, recently completed the 3,000th transplant since the liver program started in 1998. Mayo Clinic’s Florida campus is only the seventh transplant center in the country to complete 3,000 adult liver transplants. Mayo Clinic’s Florida campus has one of the largest liver transplant programs in the country. The combined volume of theliver transplant program at Mayo Clinic’s campuses in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota makes it the largest overall program in the country. To date, 6,681 liver transplants have been completed at Mayo Clinic’s campuses in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota. The Florida campus leads the way with the most liver transplants. More information can be found on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Contact: Paul Scotti

Woman’s Day — Experts Say Essential Oils Can Pose Dangerous Health Risks by Tori Rodriguez — Odds are you know someone who sells essential oils for a multi-level marketing company, and they might just tout them as a miracle remedy for just about everything. They've even gone mainstream: "We are using a growing number of essential oils in our practice at the Mayo Clinic–such as lavender to help deal with stressful times and peppermint for nausea," says Brent A. Bauer, MD, an internal medicine doctor and director of the Mayo Clinic Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program in Rochester, Minnesota…Anything powerful enough to have a beneficial effect on the body could also have negative effects, says Bauer. "Whether it's a drug, an herb or an essential oil, all should be treated with respect," he says. "What works for one person may not work for the next–or may interfere with medications," he says, or have other side effects.

Fast Company —  See The Many Ways Hospitals Are Redesigning In Response To The Obesity Epidemic by Ben Schiller — Robert Cima is holding up a thick metal paddle, a device bigger than a spatula. It's gray and shiny, and he's showing how he maneuvers it into place. "To get the leverage, you need a wider area," he says, tapping the bulbous end. "We need to keep more tissue away from the wound. The little one doesn't work." Cima, a surgeon at the Mayo Clinic, is explaining how he needs bigger equipment these days to cope with an increasingly obese patient population. The old, smaller retractor clamp in his other hand isn't sturdy enough for patients who are 800, 900 or 1,000 pounds.

WJR-Radio Detroit — Paul W. Smith talks to the CEO of Mayo Clinic. Scroll through clips for podcast.

Atlanta Journal Constitution — Spring cleaning: your makeup bag —There’s something lurking at the bottom of your makeup bag, and it’s not pretty. According to Mayo Clinic Health System Dermatology physician assistant Mary Duh, old and expired cosmetics harbor dangerous amounts of bacteria. This not only directly affects the individual wearing the makeup, but it also can affect anyone they come in contact with. “Makeup can be infected with bacteria after only one use. The bacterium builds up over time and can cause harm to a person’s skin, eyes, lips and overall health,” says Duh.

Los Angeles Times — Why doctors shouldn't have their own secret programs to fight addiction by Michael Hiltzik — Substance abuse among physicians and surgeons certainly is a serious public health issue. Some 10% to 12% of doctors are estimated to fall prey to drug or alcohol abuse during their careers, according to a 2009 survey by Keith H. Berge of the Mayo Clinic and Marvin D. Seppala of the Hazelden Foundation. That's about the same rate as the general population, but it raises special public policy concerns.

TIME magazine — These 10 Cities Are the Best for Women in the Workforce by Courtney Miller and Laura McMullen — The analysis factors in Census data on women’s earnings and labor force participation rate, cost of living, and the average unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Top 10 best cities for women in the workforce 1. Rochester, Minnesota - Rochester, Minnesota, is home to the Mayo Clinic, which employs tens of thousands of health care professionals.

Huffington Post — White Doctors In Training Believe Some Disturbing Stuff About Black Patients by Erin Schumaker — A study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology in March found that black patients were 20 percent less likely to die or have major complications if they received treatment at a racially diverse hospital, as opposed to a hospital with less racial diversity. “Our underlying hypothesis is that hospitals and providers that treat more minority patients have higher levels of cultural competency,” study author Dr. Philip Okafor, a researcher at the Mayo Clinic, told Reuters.

Huffington Post —  An Alert, Well-Hydrated Artist in No Acute Distress—Episode Seventeen: Behold the Mayo by Catherine Armsden — A serial about two artists with incurable neurological disease sharing fear, frustration and friendship as they push to complete the most rewarding creative work of their careers….The teeming tunnel spewed us into the lobby of the Mayo. I took a deep breath as the soaring glass curtain wall lifted the compression in my chest. The Gonda building is the newest in the 3.5 million square foot medical center and has the ambiance of a five-star hotel or corporate headquarters; a sea of beige marble, bronze statuary and medusa-like glass Chihuly sculptures make it easy to believe that it really is The Best Medical Center In The World.

Huffington Post — Teen Refuses To Calculate BMI For Class Because It’s ‘Outdated’ by Elyse Wanshel — When Tessa Embry was asked to calculate her body mass index for a class assignment, the result indicated that she’s obese. So, when she was asked to do it second time, she refused...In a statement, Tessa’s school district offered up this reasoning for the assignment: “The question regarding BMI was part of a larger assignment that provided an opportunity for students to privately calculate their own BMI score. Students also were asked to research government and medical websites such as ChooseMyPlate.gov and Mayo Clinic in order to better understand factors that contribute to a healthy lifestyle.”

Buzzfeed — This Is Why Your Eyelid Is Twitching Uncontrollably by Shannon Rosenberg — BuzzFeed Health spoke with Mayo Clinic optometrist Muriel Schornack and Dr. Payal Patel, clinical instructor in the Department of Ophthalmology at NYU Langone Medical Center. Most of the time it’s the muscle in your eyelid that’s contracting and causing that annoying twitch, says Schornack. But if you’re also experiencing things like blurred vision or periodic jumping of your vision “that makes it seem like the world is moving,” that might be oscillopsia — a visual disturbance often associated with neurological disorders. If it’s your eyeball that’s moving, Schnornack recommends seeing your primary care or eye doctor to get that checked out.

VICE — How Your Vagina Is Supposed to Smell by Bethy Squires — The main thing causing these mini-odors? Bacteria. "Any smell you have is a combination of what the human metabolizes and what the bacteria metabolizes," says Dr. Maria Mendes Soares of the Mayo Clinic. You are what you eat, as the saying goes, and apparently your vagina also smells like what you eat.

SELF magazine — 4 Symptoms That Could Be Early Menopause by Amy Marturana —2. Hot flashes: Hot flashes are the most common symptom of menopause, according to the Mayo Clinic. Some women get them once a day, some, once an hour.

Washington Post — How Silicon Valley — not just Apple — became obsessed with making beautiful objects by Jeff Guo — One of the latest fads in corporate America is “design thinking,” a term that describes how designers tackle problems by studying human behavior. Banks are hiring designers to figure out how to attract more customers. The Mayo Clinic opened its own design lab to study how health care can be improved.

Washington Post — Doctors were startled to find the cause of this 24-year-old’s excruciating pain by Sandra Boodman — In the operating room, Goldman discovered the source of the obstruction: a tumor the size of a plum in Dickson’s small intestine. The pathologist found that the specimen contained abnormally shaped spindle cells — round in the middle with pointed ends. Because such a finding is rare and its implications unclear, Dickson’s pa­thol­ogy samples were subsequently sent to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., for a second opinion.

CNBC — Palomar Health Standardizes Property Management on Yardi Voyager 7S — Healthcare provider Palomar Health anticipates eliminating labor-intensive spreadsheet documentation and data entry with Yardi Voyager® 7S, its new, fully mobile Software as a Service platform…Palomar Health, based in Escondido, Calif., is the most comprehensive healthcare delivery system in northern San Diego County and the first and only California member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network.

Hospitals & Health Networks — Five Reasons to 'Like' Patients’ Use of Social Media by John Glaser — In addition to helping patients find and take advantage of clinical trials, health care social networks also provide an opportunity for participant-led research, in which members initiate new fields of study. For instance, Inspire members with spontaneous coronary artery dissection persuaded researchers at the Mayo Clinic to launch new research into the condition, which led to the creation of a SCAD registry, a key step in the further study of this rare disease.

Golf Digest — What are the yips? Experts say it's not just in your head by Sam Weinman — What are the yips? That's something David Owen, a Golf Digest contributing editor and also a staff writer for the New Yorker, tried to tackle in a feature story for the latter magazine in 2014…. In his story, Owen describes studies of the yips from Debbie Crews, a sports-psychology consultant for the women's golf team at Arizona State, and Aynsley M. Smith, a sports psychologist at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

The Rich Eisen Show — Charles Adler, a Mayo expert on Yips and a Mayo neurologist, is referenced at 2:11 of the interview.

MD Magazine — Relieving Chest Pain Anxiety in Under Two Minutes by Megan Daily — Can “Chest Pain Choice” an informative chart designed to guide emergency patients in making treatment decisions make a difference in care, patient anxiety, and costs? Erik Hess, MD and colleagues at Minnesota’s Mayo Clinic say it can. That includes seeing more patients declining to have stress tests in the ED because they decide their risk of a cardiac event is low.  Additional coverage: Medscape

MSN — 9 Scientifically Proven Ways to Prevent Motion Sickness by Suzanne Raga — 3. Choose Where You Sit Wisely: Where you sit can make all the difference. According to the Mayo Clinic, it's important to try to get a seat where you’ll feel the least amount of motion: In a car, this means the passenger seat rather than the back seat (if you can’t be the driver).

KSTP-TV — 5 State Features Distracted Driving Safety Campaign by Dave Aeikens — Officials are launching a distracted driving safety campaign at the Mayo Clinic in Mankato Friday. Law enforcement and community members will be in attendance hoping to spread the word about the dangers of distracted driving. The event begins at 10:45 a.m.

Star Tribune — Mayo-Franciscan dedicates center to beloved nun by Mike Tighe — Emotions ran close to the surface during the open house and blessing of the new Sister Leclare Beres Learning Resource Center at Mayo Clinic Health System-Franciscan Healthcare. The sentiment flowed from the fact that the $1.1 million center is named for one of the city's most revered health care icons — the late member of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration who was a longtime nursing educator and founder of the St. Clare Health Mission, which provides free health care for uninsured and underinsured people.

NDTV — Dalai Lama To NDTV by Sonia Singh — In a free-wheeling interview, the Dalai Lama said he is in good health, extremely fit, after his recent medical check ups at the Mayo Clinic in the US. On his succession issue, he said that he does have a plan to choose a successor. "At the age of the first Dalai Lama, 84, then I'm going to consult religious leaders of various traditions."

ValueWalk — Brain Cancer Patients Aided By Chemotherapy by Brendan Byrne — In an exciting revelation, proof now exists that adding chemotherapy to the standard treatment of radiation can improve life expectancy in people with certain slow-growing brain tumors. The study followed subjects who were treated for grade 2 gliomas — tumors that begin in certain brain cells called glial cells and are relatively slow-growing. Dr. Jan Buckner, lead researcher and chair of the oncology department at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota claims, “Until now, there hasn’t been any therapy known to improve life expectancy for these patients.”

Virgin — The Sleep Revolution by Arianna Huffington — A study by the Mayo Clinic found that those who get only six hours of sleep per night are 23 per cent more likely to be overweight. Go to less than four hours and the increased likelihood of being overweight climbs to a staggering 73 per cent. And researchers are also finding out why.

KEYC-TV Mankato — Law Enforcement Cracks Down On Distracted Driving by Makenzie Kramer — Local law enforcement is kicking off another crackdown on distracted driving, and what better place to send their message, than the emergency room at MCHS Mankato to talk about their Toward Zero Deaths campaign. Mayo Clinic Emergency Medicine Physician Brian Bartlett, M.D. said, "This is completely preventable. It's a lot like drunk driving; if we don't do it, it won't happen, and we won't see those injuries in our emergency room." Additional coverage: Peter Herald

Florida Today — Parrish deal with Mayo Clinic by Wayne T. Price  — Parrish Healthcare, a network of health providers that includes Parrish Medical Center, Parrish Medical Group and the Florida Health Network, announces that Mayo Clinic will be a preferred provider of tertiary and quaternary care to its network of providers, insurers and others. Mayo Clinic’s Florida campus will provide care for patients with rare and complex conditions when that care isn’t available locally. Individuals will have access to 370 Mayo Clinic physicians, Mayo Clinic Hospital and the resources and knowledge of Mayo Clinic.

Fredericksburg.com — Mayo Clinic News Network: Protect yourself: First seasonal sun exposure — Mayo Clinic dermatologist Dr. Dawn Marie Davis says there are both immediate and long-term effects to sun exposure that include skin damage, skin cancer and premature aging. “You can get a fever from excessive sun exposure,” Davis says. “Stay cool, drink plenty of water, wear sunscreen and protective clothing and seek shade.” She adds, “Excess sun exposure triggers the immune system—similar to contracting an infection. This is why people feel feverish and chilled when sunburned.”

Le Sueur News-Herald — Student ‘lifesavers’ plan mental health by Dana Melius — Depression awareness and suicide prevention are tough topics at any age, but the Le Sueur-Henderson Lifesavers group is hoping Thursday’s program will help erode some of the stigma….Jessie Wolf, licensed social worker for Le Sueur’s Mayo Clinic Health Systems, said she’s encouraged by the local students’ involvement and leadership in a tough topic. “I think there’s still a lot of stigma,” Wolf said. “And I think there’s still a long way to go.”

Healio — Diagnostic tool reliably predicted obstructive sleep apnea — Michael Grover, DO, of the Department of Family Medicine at the Mayo Clinic, and colleagues found the tool “reliably predicted” obstructive sleep apnea in a family medicine practice. “Accurate risk prediction for [obstructive sleep apnea] OSA suspects could have a substantial impact on primary care practice,” they wrote. “High-risk patients could safely have intermediate testing, such as overnight oximetry, deferred and have their access to specialty consultation and polysomnography prioritized.”

KAAL-TV — CDC Warning Raises Concern of Zika Virus by Ben Henry — Mayo Clinic has received $56 million to go towards developing a vaccine.  It has partnered with health experts in Brazil, the region that has been hit the hardest. Director of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group, Dr. Gregory Poland, is leading the charge; he said this to ABC 6 News in March. "It'll be, before there is a license vaccine, probably on the order closer to eight to ten years."

Healthcare IT News — IBM Watson teams up with American Cancer Society to pit cognitive computing against cancer by Bernie Monegain — At Mayo Clinic, Watson is helping doctors match patients to relevant clinical trials. Once developed, the advisor will anticipate the needs of people with different types of cancers, at different stages of disease and at various points in treatment. It will become increasingly personalized as individuals engage with it, getting “smarter” each time, say IBM executives.

Greatist — 5 Sites to Check Before You Freak Yourself Out on WebMD by Alyssa Raiola — If you're feeling under the weather, a quick internet search could save you a trip to the doctor, or it could turn you into a full-fledged hypochondriac. Luckily, there are many sites out there that can give you the medical information you need…The Mayo Clinic: The website for the nonprofit hospital group has its own symptom checker, but this one zeroes in on a few potential causes.

MedPage Today — Alzheimer's Disease: Study Patients With Amyloid and Tau Markers by Kay Jackson — David Knopman, MD, a clinical neurologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., said in an interview that he agrees in principle with the study findings, which confirm what four previous studies have already concluded. "When amyloidosis plus neurodegeneration are both present, this is when further cognitive decline occurs in the AD spectrum," Knopman told MedPage Today, cautioning that the findings currently "have no bearing on clinical practice."

St. Olaf College News — Students have IMPACT in Mayo Clinic research program — Five research teams from St. Olaf College were recently recognized for their work at the Innovative Minds Partnering to Advance Curative Therapies (IMPACT) Symposium at Mayo Clinic. IMPACT, a competition sponsored by Regenerative Medicine Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic Office of Applied Scholarship and Education Science, aims to encourage students to pursue research or careers in medicine.

Myeloma Beacon — Myeloma Morning: Post-Transplant Outcomes, Soliris For TMA, And A Bit More On CCF642 by Boris Simkovich — We reported a few days ago in Myeloma Morning about the drug CCF642. In particular, we discussed a study with results of preclinical research investigating CCF642 as a potential anti-myeloma therapy. Since our article about the CCF642 study, we have gotten feedback about the study from myeloma specialist Dr. Leif Bergsagel of the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Bergsagel told us: “I find the paper about CCF642 very interesting. I agree with the authors that targeting the high protein secretion by multiple myeloma cells is a unique vulnerability that should be exploited. Probably this is one of the reasons for the selective activity of proteasome inhibitors in multiple myeloma.

Counsel & Heal — New Lyme Disease Causing Bacteria Discovered in Midwest by Samantha Page — Health officials in the United States found a new strain of the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. It's been dubbed Borrelia mayonii after the team of Mayo Clinic researchers who helped discover it. Punch reports that before this discovery, Borrelia burgdorferi was the only well-known bacteria that caused Lyme disease. However, when six people exhibiting Lyme disease symptoms were found to have unusual lab results, further genetic testing was done at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Cosmos magazine — Tiny but deadly: four nano cancer-killing weapons — Scientists have engineered sub-microscopic delivery vessels, each so small a thousand lined up would barely span the width of a human hair, to give cancer drugs or other treatments more power, while reducing nasty side effects to normal cells. …“The era of the oncolytic virus is probably here,” Rochester Mayo Clinic cancer researcher Stephen Russell told Nature. “I expect to see a great deal happening over the next few years.”

Breast Cancer News — Susan G. Komen Adds 16 Breast Cancer Research Leaders as Komen Scholars and Advisors by Carolina Henriques — Susan G. Komen, the world’s largest nonprofit breast cancer organization, welcomes 16 new leaders in breast cancer research and advocacy to their Komen Scholars international advisory group. The new members are…From the Mayo Clinic, Deborah J. Rhodes, M.D. (Early Detection, Imaging, Breast Density)

Pioneer Press — Amtrak adds van service from St. Paul to Mayo Clinic in Rochester by Frederick Melo — Amtrak has contracted a passenger van service to make regular trips between the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and the Union Depot in downtown St. Paul. Go Carefree Shuttle will make up to two round-trips daily between Rochester and Amtrak’s Empire Builder train service at the Union Depot in St. Paul, as well as another Amtrak station in La Crosse, Wis.

Science Daily— Testosterone therapy decreases hospital readmissions in older men with low testosterone — A new large-scale population-based study from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston showed for the first time that older men using testosterone therapy were less likely to have complications that require them to go back to the hospital within a month of being discharged than men not using this therapy. The study is currently available in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Tech Cocktail — HOVR Helps Burns Additional Calories While at Your Desk by Kristin Pryor — Perpetual Motion Lab claims they have reinvented the “next generation of sitting” (seriously, that’s what they’re calling it) with a device called HOVR. Their claim is that HOVR burns the same amount or slightly more calories as standing but without the associated risks of spine or joint problem. Creators Ron Mochizuki, M.D., a Physical Medical & Rehabilitation Physician and John Godoy, a Certified Personal Trainer built HOVR with support from the Mayo Clinic and the University of Illinois. It is one of the first NEAT™-certified device. NEAT stands for Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis is basically the calories you burn during daily activity that includes fidgeting, walking, cleaning, etc. and focuses on the daily calories you burn while doing normal, non-exercise activity such as walking, fidgeting, raking leaves and even tapping your foot. Additional coverage: Information Society, Treehugger

Fort Worth Star Telegram — Achoo! ‘Clouds of pollen’ usher in North Texas allergy season by Azia Branson — Seasonal allergies can leave you with a cough, itchy and runny eyes and stuffed up nose. For many with pollen or grass allergies, spring and summer can be uncomfortable. Mayo Clinic allergist Dr. Nancy Ott says over-the-counter remedies such as antihistamines for itchy eyes and noses, and corticosteroid nasal spray for congestion often help. If those treatments don't ease symptoms, it's time to see an allergist.

KAAL-TV — Scheels Donates Exercise Equipment to Gift of Life House by Jessie Johnson — The Gift of Life Transplant House has received a gift from a Rochester business. Almost $900 worth of exercise equipment has been donated by Scheels and split between the two houses. According to Executive Director, Ginger Holmes, the equipment donation was made possible by Mary Weritz, a dietitian at Mayo Clinic, whose husband works with Scheel's.

Bring Me the News — Two Minnesota teens develop app to help cancer patients and get White House invite by Ethan Groothuis — Two Minnesota middle schoolers will be showcasing an app they developed to help cancer patients at the White House Science Fair this week. Lydia Mindermann, 13, and Andrea Richard, 14, of Kasson-Manorville Middle School are two of over 100 students invited by President Obama to show off technological or scientific achievement on Wednesday, April 13. The team’s “Mayo Free Time” app displays activities happening at the Mayo Clinic that patients can participate in, a map of the Mayo campus along with the city of Rochester, and a chat and help screen. Additional coverage: KAAL-TV, KIMT-TV

Post Bulletin — Time to shine for K-M students at White House by Jay Furst — It's been a whirlwind few days for Andrea, 14, and Lydia, 13, who learned two weeks ago that they had been chosen to participate in the White House fair, which Obama launched six years ago to promote interest in STEM education and celebrate top students…They developed a smartphone app called Mayo Free Time, which was designed to assist Mayo patients and visitors find their way around the clinic and the city, for the Technovation entrepreneurship challenge. The app won awards in San Francisco last year. Mayo Clinic has expressed interest in the app and helped pay for the team's trip to Washington, as did the Rochester Area Math Science Partnership and the K-M school district.

Post Bulletin — Chamber of Commerce tops lobbying expenditure list by Heather Carlson — Mayo Clinic spent $140,000 last year lobbying state lawmakers, according to reports filed with the state campaign finance board. While Mayo ranked among the top spenders on lobbying in southeastern Minnesota, the clinic still lags far behind the statewide lobbying leaders. The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce once again topped the list for lobbying expenditures, spending more than $2 million, according to the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board.

Post Bulletin — Mayo gives $300,000 to homeless aid project by Jeff Kiger — An apartment complex and community center being built to combat homelessness is getting a big financial boost from a $300,000 grant from Mayo Clinic. Center City Housing, the nonprofit in charge of the project, announced Friday that Mayo Clinic's Community Contribution Committee awarded a three-year grant for $300,000 to help transform the former Gage East Elementary School into an Empowerment Center. "We are thrilled to have the incredibly strong support from Mayo for our project," Rick Klun, executive director of Center City, said in a news release.

Post Bulletin — More workers needed for health-care jobs by Taylor Nachtigal — These are some of the key positions that need to be filled, according to Dallas Groten, area manager with Workforce Development Inc…Licensed Practical Nurse: The demands for LPNs, especially, was driven by a change in Mayo Clinic's patient-care model following changes with the Affordable Care Act, Borsheim said.

Post Bulletin — Lower health care costs could cut insurance prices by Miguel Paz — If you live in Southeastern Minnesota and MNsure is your primary provider of health insurance, the Affordable Care Act is anything but affordable…In addition, reports have shown health coverage for Southeast Minnesota residents are the highest in the state. Mayo Clinic's dominant presence in Southeast Minnesota gives it the ability to affect prices for insurance companies, which makes it an expensive market for any insurer.

Post Bulletin — Letter: Gonda Singers provided benefits for many Mayo Clinic visitors — I'm a Gonda singer who drives 18 miles every Monday and Thursday to sing with Jane Belau. The music is for the people, some looking for hope or someone to notice them in this busy world. It's the little things that mean so much — a smile, a touch or a song.

Post Bulletin — Letter: Gonda Singers helped make best of health problems, clinic visits — Before I left home to go to the Mayo Clinic, I had counted on the music of Jane Belau and the Gonda Singers. I marked those days on the calendar and counted the days. The music of this groups has helped me get through so much, and there is more to come. I am feeling the loss. This music helped get me through days and nights of health problems, and it changed my outlook….

Valley News Live — WSU sorority member overcomes eating disorder, raises awareness by Alanna Martella — Durigan said she wants others who might be battling an eating disorder to know one thing: "You can get through it and even when you feel so hopeless, life on the other side of an eating disorder is a really beautiful and wonderful thing. "… Some of the events at Winona State University for Delta Phi Epsilon's eating disorder awareness week include: Tuesday, April 12 at 7 p.m. was the annual candle light vigil. Dr. Leslie Sim from Mayo Clinic, who was also Durigan's doctor, spoke at the event. This event also included three other speakers who shared their first hand experiences living with an eating disorder.

Florida Today — Daddy Duty: Weekend naps are a wonderful thing by Tim Walters — I initially was concerned about whether it was bad for my wife and me to be taking naps on weekends. But from everything I read, it’s very normal for parents of small children. (It’s also fairly common for anyone around our age — mid to late 30s and 40s). Information on mayoclinic.org also matches up well with the time of day and amount of time we nap, so if the Mayo Clinic says it’s OK, than I have no worries.

WCCO-TV — Injured Minn. Hockey Player Continues Rehab At Mayo Clinic — A hockey player from Minnesota who suffered a spinal cord injury in a game has left an Illinois hospital to continue his rehabilitation at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. In a statement released Tuesday by the Mayo Clinic, Matt Olson’s parents said he left Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois, on April 8 to continue his rehab at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

Chicago Daily Herald — Injured hockey player Matt Olson returns to Minnesota by Charles Keeshan — Matt Olson, a 20-year-old defenseman for the Chicago Cougars hockey team, sustained a severe spinal cord injury when he crashed into the boards during a Feb. 21 game. Olson will continue his rehabilitation at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, his family said. Additional coverage: Star Tribune

Star Tribune — Back surgery is an option for Zach Parise — A day after the Star Tribune reported Parise was experiencing tingling in his legs and numbness in his feet due to a herniated disk in his back, the Wild announced he will be sidelined indefinitely because of an upper body injury.The news could soon be worse. According to multiple sources, Parise was at the Mayo Clinic seeing a spine specialist Monday. Now being determined is whether Parise needs season-ending microdiscectomy surgery to relieve pressure on the spinal nerve column.

ESPN Twin Cities — Report: Zach Parise suffering from herniated disk, visits Mayo Clinic — According to the Star Tribune, star winger Zach Parise visited a specialist at the Mayo Clinic on Monday to evaluate a herniated disk in his back. The injury was diagnosed in January, and aggravated last Tuesday in a game against the San Jose Sharks. Parise, 31, hasn’t played since and the Wild is reportedly preparing to take on the top-seeded Dallas Stars without him.

Star Tribune — Wild preparing as if Parise won't play anytime soon by Michael Russo — Wild players are approaching the start of their playoff series against Dallas as if veteran winger Zach Parise will not be in the lineup anytime soon. Parise was at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester seeing a specialist Monday, according to multiple sources, a week after aggravating a back injury that has affected him since January.

Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier — Revolution in cancer treatments discussed by Christina Crippes — Twenty-five years ago a nationally renowned cancer expert told George Weiner there was little future in cancer treatments using a particular kind of immunology from cloned antibodies. Weiner and Keith Knutson, a professor of immunology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, discussed the latest in cancer research at the Ignite the Cancer Conversation event Thursday night in Cedar Falls. “There’s going to be a revolution. We’re going to see lots of activity over the next couple of decades, and we’re going to see some tremendous cures, some tremendous activity from a lot of new drugs,” Knutson said.

The Gazette — Senators talk with managed-care organizations about Iowa Medicaid transition by Chelsea Keenan — Medicaid recipient in central Iowa with a rare form of cancer receiving treatments at the Mayo Clinic was given conflicting answers on how the treatments would continue. Another, who is schizophrenic, saw delays in getting a necessary injectable medication.  We’ve had no major system issues,” Iowa Medicaid Director Mikki Stier said. “However, with something this large and of this magnitude,” there will be challenges. “We’re making sure to resolve problems with compassion and as quickly as possible.” Stier said the state has about 100 employees staffing the Iowa Medicaid call centers. So far, it has received 18,000 member calls and 7,800 provider calls.

Mankato Free Press — Report: Blue Earth County STD rates flatten by Brian Arola — Statewide, people between the ages of 15-24 accounted for the vast majority — 64 percent — of chlamydia cases reported in 2015. There is speculation that a high number of college-aged people in a county might lead to higher rates of STDs, said Jennifer Sheehy, physician’s assistant at Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato’s infectious diseases department. “Probably one of the biggest is that we’re a college town,” she said in reference to the three colleges that call Mankato home. “That’s probably a major key portion of it.”

WXOW-TV Lacrosse — "Washburn Corner" brings resources to families in Washburn neighborhood by Heather Armstrong —The ongoing efforts to revitalize the Washburn neighborhood in La Crosse continue. Mayo Clinic Health System, La Crosse County and the La Crosse Area Family Collaborative are teaming up to provide for area families. "Washburn Corner" is a two story home owned by Mayo Clinic Health System. Mayo offered space for two full time community police officers and at the suggestion of the LAXFC added a social worker to bring services to families in the Washburn neighborhood in crisis.

Le Sueur News-Herald — MVHC, Ridgeview Medical Center 'continue discussions of potential affiliation' by Dana Melius — Minnesota Valley Health Center one year ago ended its affiliation with Essentia Health of Duluth. Essentia is an integrated health care system provider of aid and resources to smaller hospitals in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Essentia had been affiliated with MVHC since 2009. At the time of the split with Essentia, MVHC officials expressed a desire to remain independent. MVHC has an informal partnership with Mayo Clinic Health Systems, which operates the adjacent clinic on the center's campus in Le Sueur.

Austin Daily Herald — Mayo, YMCA offer camp for overweight children — Registration is open for Camp Wabi, a typical summer camp, but with a slight twist.The camp is for kids entering sixth through 10th grades who struggle with their weight…Parental involvement is essential to help children overcome weight issues, notes Mayo Clinic Health System pediatrician John Plewa, M.D., Camp Wabi medical director. Before camp starts, parents learn how to help their camper live a healthier lifestyle at home.

Austin Daily Herald — Mayo foundation, Rotary fund Reach Out and Read — When a child arrives for a checkup on the Austin campus of Mayo Clinic Health System — Albert Lea and Austin, the child’s provider first gives him or her not an examination or a vaccination, but a book. The program is Reach Out and Read, and it is possible on the Austin campus thanks to donations from the Mayo Clinic Health System Austin Health Care Foundation and the Austin Rotary Club.

WQOW-TV Eau Claire — Eau Claire transplant recipient talks about organ donation by Jesse Yang — WQOW-TV 18 reporter Jesse Yang interviews Mayo Clinic Health System surgeon Jason Beckermann, M.D. and MCHS patient & liver transplant recipient Carol Allen, on the importance of organ donation.  April is National Donate Life month.

WEAU-TV Eau Claire — Thinking and cooking spring by Courtney Everett — We're all thinking spring these days and today - we're cooking with "spring season" ingredients which are not only fun, but healthy.  Katie Johnson Nutrition Educator with Mayo Clinic Health System joined Hello Wisconsin to share a few.

WEAU-TV Eau Claire — Mayo Clinic Health System puts on CARE Fair to promote cancer awareness by Neil Hebert — Mayo Clinic Health System was in Oakwood Mall Saturday raising cancer awareness. At the annual CARE Fair, which stands for Cancer Awareness Resources and Education, attendees could get further education when it comes to cancer. During the fair, people could sign up for the Be the Match Registry.

El Universal — Científicos descubren cómo prevenir el Alzheimer — Los científicos de Mayo Clinic  descubrieron una nueva manera de prevenir la acumulación de la placa amiloidea, que es una de las características principales de la enfermedad de Alzheimer. El Dr. Guojun Bu, neurobiólogo molecular explica que mediante la eliminación de un tipo de moléculas llamadas heparán sulfatos que se forman en las células cerebrales se puede prevenir la enfermedad.

AARP en español — Nuevos tratamientos para el cáncer que salvan vidas — Los inhibidores de puntos de control funcionan al bloquear la señal —llamada un punto de control— que envían las células cancerosas para indicarle al sistema inmunitario que no ataque. “Los medicamentos le permiten al sistema inmunitario reconocer el tumor”, dice Svetomir Markovic, oncólogo y hematólogo en la Mayo Clinic de Rochester, Minnesota. Incluso cuando los pacientes detienen el tratamiento después de unos meses, la señal equívoca ya no engaña al sistema inmunitario. “Los primeros éxitos de los inhibidores de puntos de control han motivado mucho al mundo científico”.

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