September 30, 2016

Mayo Clinic in the News Weekly Highlights

By Karl Oestreich

Mayo Clinic in the News LogoMayo 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: Emily Blahnik

 

ABC News
9-Year-Old Twin Sisters Dance With Bone Marrow Donor Who Saved Them
by Nicole Pelletiere

A pair of identical twin sisters from Minnesota were able to thank the man whose life-saving donation gave them the ability to be kids again.  “They fell in love with him right away,” mom Michelle Girtler, 43, of Minnesota City told ABC News today. “They took to him like they knew him their entire life. It was emotional, all of us were emotional. Lots of tears, a lot of gratitude."… This year, Elizabeth and Kathryn's doctor,ABC News logo Dr. Shakila Khan of the Mayo Clinic, submitted their story to Be the Match in hopes of setting up a meeting between them and their then anonymous donor.  The man, Ingo Gruda of Munster, Germany, was flown to Minnesota to meet with the girls over four after their transplants, Be the Match confirmed to ABC News.

Reach: ABC News Online has more than 28.8 million unique visitors to its site each month. ABC’s World News Tonight with David Muir averages about 9.2 million viewers each night.

Additional coverage: Inside Edition, KVNU-AM

Previous coverage in September 23, 2016 Mayo Clinic in the News Weekly Highlights

Context: Shakila Khan, M.D., is a physician with Mayo Clinic Children's Center. Dr. Khan's collaborative clinical research efforts include the Children's Oncology Group and Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Consortium (PBMTC). She has also has served as the Mayo Clinic principal investigator for a large number of Children's Oncology Group and PBMTC protocols, and she's also the Mayo Clinic principal investigator for PBMTC.

Contact:  Sharon Theimer

 

Wall Street Journal
Trying to Break Unhealthy Habits? There’s a Coach for That
by Barbara Sadick

Changing unhealthy habits is hard, doctors say. But with Americans suffering from chronic disease in epidemic proportions, a big push is under way to get more individuals to do just that. … A Mayo Clinic study of WSJ Banner100 participants who worked with a wellness coach found that a majority had lost weight, improved nutritional habits and increased their physical activity by the end of the 12-week program. While there was some slippage in healthy behaviors at a three-month follow-up, the participants were still in better shape than before the coaching started, the study found. “Many people can implement positive lifestyle changes, but maintaining change over time is extremely difficult,” says Matthew M. Clark, a clinical psychologist at Mayo Clinic and the lead author of the study.

Reach: The Wall Street Journal, a US-based newspaper published by Dow Jones & Company, has an average circulation of 2.3 million daily which includes print and digital versions.

Context: Several national surveys have found that approximately 15 to 20 percent of adults in the U.S. will report high levels of stress. A new study by Mayo Clinic researchers identified stress and burnout as a major problem employees face within the medical industry, leading to negative health behaviors. With rising stress levels in the workplace for employees, many companies are looking to integrate, engage and enroll employees into wellness programs. “It’s important to teach individuals to monitor their stress levels over time and practice effective, ongoing stress-reduction strategies, such as getting involved in wellness programs, this will in-turn help health care employees live a happy and health life,” says Matthew Clark, Ph.D., lead author of the study and resiliency expert at the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program. More information about the study can be found on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Contact: Kelley Luckstein

 

Wall Street Journal
The Revolution in EMS Care
by Laura Landro

Much of the best equipment—including a helicopter equipped as a mobile emergency room or intensive-care unit—can be found at the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minn. Regarded as a leader in sophisticated onboard equipment and communications, Mayo often consults with other medical transport systems to share best patient care strategies, and works with U.S. military physicians to share expertise on WSJ Bannerhow treatment of battlefield wounds might apply to civilian medicine. Mayo provides increasingly advanced pre-hospital treatment, says Scott Zietlow, a trauma surgeon and medical director of the Mayo One trauma helicopter program.

Reach: The Wall Street Journal, a US-based newspaper published by Dow Jones & Company, has an average circulation of 2.3 million daily which includes print and digital versions.

Context: Emergency Medicine specialists work at all three Mayo Clinic locations to treat life-threatening illnesses. Teams of board-certified physicians, registered nurses, and other specially trained staff are available at all times to treat anyone seeking emergency medical care. Each year Mayo emergency care physicians see more than 80,000 patients in the emergency care setting.  Mayo Clinic Medical Transport provides ground and air medical transport services from its base in Rochester:

Contact: Glenn Lyden

 

Modern Healthcare
Q&A: ‘If Mayo was a high-cost provider, we would be cut out of many of these networks’
by Bob Herman

Mayo Clinic, which has a 150-year history as a medical practice, now operates 22 hospitals and draws patients with complex needs from all over the world to its 1,243-bed flagship facility in Rochester, Minn. The Modern Healthcareorganization has also garnered praise for insulating clinical decisions from financial incentives by paying physicians under a salary model with no productivity bonuses. … Bob Herman, Modern Healthcare's Midwest bureau chief, interviewed Mayo President and CEO Dr. John Noseworthy while he was in Chicago as co-chair of a consortium of 12 health system CEOs convened with the American Medical Association to address physician burnout.

Reach: Modern Healthcare is the industry's leading source of healthcare business and policy news, research and information. The magazine covers health care policy, Medicare/Medicaid, and health care from a business perspective. Modern Healthcare magazine is ranked No. 1 in readership among healthcare executives and deemed a "must-read" by the who's who in healthcare. Modern Healthcare has more than 72,0000 paid magazine subscribers and its website receives more than 568,000 unique visitors each month.

Additional coverage: Modern Healthcare (video)Mayo Clinic CEO Dr. John Noseworthy on physician burnout and value-based care

Context: John Noseworthy, M.D. is Mayo Clinic President and CEO. Mayo Clinic has taken a leadership role in identifying solutions to address the physician burnout issue. This research has been led by  Tait Shanaflet, M.D., a Mayo Clinic hematologist. He is the director of the Mayo Clinic Department of Medicine Program on Physician Well-being, a clinical laboratory evaluating personal and organizational factors that contribute to physician satisfaction. His research in this area has involved physicians at all stages of their career from medical school to practice had has include several multi-center and national studies. This research is intended to identify personal and organizational factors that can be modified in order to promote physician well-being and enhance the quality of care physicians deliver. More information on his physician burnout research can be found on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Contacts: DuskaAnastasijevic, Karl Oestreich

 

Arizona Republic
Many people have expressed interest in wanting to learn what is their risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease
by Dr. Richard Caselli
— Question: What is Alzheimer’s disease and is it wise to get tested for risk? Answer: Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative disease; brain cells slowly dying. We don’t fully understand why. To some degree, degeneration is a natural process, but this accelerates that process to a pathological degree. Many people have expressed interest in wanting to learn what is their risk for developing Alzheimer’s, and that’s whereArizona Republic newspaper logo the idea of predictive testing comes in, somebody who isn’t ill today but who wants to know am I going to get this in the future.…Dr. Richard Caselli is a neurologist specializing in behavioral disorders and serves as associate director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Mayo Clinic in Arizona.

Reach: The Arizona Republic has daily circulation of more than 180,000 and its website azcentral.com has more than 2.6 million unique visitors each month.

Context: Richard Caselli, M.D. is a Mayo Clinic neurologist. Dr. Caselli's research focuses on cognitive aging and the changes that can be detected before the symptomatic onset of memory loss and related symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.

Contact:  Jim McVeigh

Tampa Bay Business Journal, Bay area hospital joins Mayo Clinic network by Pam Huff — Lakeland Regional Health in Polk County has joined the Mayo Clinic Care Network. The partnership, announced Wednesday, gives the Lakeland-based hospital and its providers access to Mayo Clinic's patient education materials library and archived Mayo Clinic Grand Rounds presentations, according to a statement…The hospital is the second health organization in the Tampa Bay area to be a Mayo Clinic Care Network member. Shriners Hospitals for Children is also a member, according to Mayo's website. It is now one of more than 40 members in the U.S., Mexico, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. Additional coverage: The Ledger, The Daily Ridge, Business Observer

Twin Cities Business, Mayo Ventures Ups Investment In Wearable Anti-Smoking Device Maker by Don Jacobson — A close relationship between the Mayo Clinic’s nicotine dependence researchers and a California company developing a wearable nicotine drug delivery device got closer this month with a follow-on investment from Mayo Clinic Ventures. Chrono Therapeutics of Hayward, California announced earlier in September that MCV was among the existing investors to participate in its biggest venture financing so far – a $47.6 million Series B round led by Kaiser Permanente, the Oakland-based health care provider. The Mayo venture arm was also among the takers in Chrono’s $32 million Series A funding event in 2014.

Twin Cities Business, Mayo, Exact Sciences Laud Cologuard’s Success After Long Fight For Acceptance by Don Jacobson — Entrenched interests, skeptical regulators, expensive clinical trials…the list of roadblocks to sparks of innovation remain formidable. That’s why even two years after they helped rewrite the rulebook, Mayo Clinic and Madison, Wisconsin-based Exact Sciences Corp. are still touting the accomplishment of getting their Cologuard home colorectal cancer screening kit out and onto the market. Its inventor, Mayo gastroenterologist Dr. David Ahlquist, and Exact Sciences President and CEO Kevin Conroy, each took to the stage at this month’s Mayo Transform 2016 conference in Rochester to recount to an audience of national health care innovators how the seven-year struggle to get a potentially transformative technology onto the market was ultimately won despite long odds.

Huffington Post, 5 Tiny Ways To Boost Your Metabolism by Emma Haak — Fidgeting could help you burn an additional 350 calories per day, suggests a small study from the Mayo Clinic. Researchers tracked the daily movements of 10 mildly obese people and 10 lean people for 30 days and found that the lean group spent about two more hours per day fidgeting or on their feet than the overweight group, who tended to sit and stay stationary. That difference accounted for about 350 calories per day, gone.

Reuters, More U.S. babies born addicted to opiates like heroine by Lisa Rapaport — The proportion of U.S. babies born suffering from withdrawal syndrome after exposure to heroin or prescription opiates in utero has more than doubled in less than a decade, a study suggests. … Treatment can ease withdrawal symptoms in newborns, but can’t necessarily address developmental problems these infants may have later on, said Dr. William Carey, a pediatrics researcher at pediatrics at Mayo Clinic Children’s Center in Rochester, Minnesota. “While abuse of prescription opiates has declined, the use of illicit opiates has increased such that there may be a zero-sum game at best,” Carey, who wasn’t involved in the study, said by email. Additional coverage: Fox News

CNN, Study: Removing both ovaries speeds aging in premenopausal women by Susan Scutti — A surgery recommended to women as a way to prevent ovarian cancer is unethical in many cases, say Mayo Clinic researchers. Women under 46 who had both ovaries removed experienced a marked increase in eight chronic health conditions, including coronary artery disease, depression, arthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and osteoporosis. The procedure gained attention when actress Angelina Jolie wrote about her experience in The New York Times: "I know my children will never have to say, 'Mom died of ovarian cancer.'" Additional coverage: Daily Gant

Cosmopolitan, 10 Sneaky Things That Make You Eat When You’re not Hungry by Elizabeth Narins — While it’s totally cool to eat solely for pleasure sometimes, it’s important to know the difference between your body’s desire for deliciousness and Real Hunger, TFW your blood sugar has dropped, your hunger hormones flow, your satiety hormones go MIA, and your stomach physically churns because it’s been so long since you ate lunch. That's because regularly eating for a reason besides hunger can cause you to dissociate eating and hunger, so you end up overeating and ultimately gaining weight, warns Amit Sood, MD, professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and author of Mayo Clinic Guide to Stress-free Living. It's why you should think twice about the urge to eat when you crave food in any of the following situations…

Forbes, Meet Dessa, The 35-Year Old Internationally Touring Rapper, Writer, And Social Entrepreneur by Tori Utley — What does it mean to be an entrepreneur? For Minneapolis-based rapper, social entrepreneur and record label president Dessa, entrepreneurship means the ability to spread her passion – her music and writing – with as many people as she can. Chosen to be a speaker at Mayo Clinic’s Transform Conference, focused on innovation, in September 2016, she shares her entrepreneurial journey: “I was a medical technical writer by day, a waitress by night, a rapper by night-night.”

FOX News Health, Young women in early menopause underdiagnosed, experts say by Julie Revelant — Studies show 1 percent of women under age 40 and 5 percent of those under age 45 experience premature menopause. Experts agree that premature menopause is not a common diagnosis and doctors often overlook it.  … If a woman is a teenager when that happens and she then tries to get pregnant when she’s older and her periods don’t start, “that woman probably went through premature menopause years before but it was just never formerly diagnosed,” said Dr. Stephanie S. Faubion, director of the office of Women’s Health at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, M.N., editor of “Mayo Clinic The Menopause Solution,” and Kolar’s physician.

Chicago Tribune, More cancer patients choosing breast removal, reconstruction – but at what cost? by Judy Peres — After two decades in which breast-conserving surgery was the preferred option for women with early breast cancer, mastectomy rates are on the rise. This trend, fueled both by fear of a relapse and by advances in surgical reconstruction, has some experts concerned that women aren't paying enough attention to the potential downside. ... "Although breast reconstruction after mastectomy can enhance quality of life, it is not a simple process," said Dr. Valerie Lemaine, a plastic surgeon at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. "It usually takes a minimum of two operations, and it could take more."

Reader’s Digest, Abnormal Mammogram? 7 Questions You Must Ask by Colette House — The U.S. Preventive Task Force data shows that for every 10,000 women screened in their forties, 1,212 will be told they have a false positive mammogram, resulting in a follow-up screening. “The majority of the time these call-backs are often good news—you’re not going to end up having a cancer diagnosis,” says Sandhya Pruthi, MD and consultant at the Breast Diagnostic Clinic at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. “Often the extra views are just to help clarify something or give more information to radiologist to suggest if an additional test like an ultrasound or magnification views are needed to get more information before they are concerned about a cancer diagnosis.”

The Cancer Letter, Sargent, Mayo Biostatistician and Clinical Trialist, Dies Unexpectedly at 46 by Paul Goldberg — Dan Sargent, one of the world’s foremost experts in oncology clinical trials, died unexpectedly on Sept. 22. Sargent died from an acute illness, Mayo officials said. He was 46. “This is a tremendous loss to Mayo Clinic as well as the national and international cancer research community. Dan has given so much to so many,” said Robert Diasio, director of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center. “We are deeply saddened by his passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and family.”

Minnesota Monthly, Decreased Sexual Desire in Women by Mo Perry — Dr. Jordan Rullo, a clinical health psychologist and sex therapist at Mayo Clinic, explains: “If we think of sexual function as comprising a gas pedal and brake pedal, it’s clear we’ve got to have more pressure on the gas than the brake in order to function.” If the brake is on, it doesn’t matter how much pressure you put on the gas pedal—how many candles you light, massages you get, or blood-flow- augmenting pills you take. You’re just going to spin your wheels. “To treat a sexual function concern,” says Rullo, “we need to figure out what is pressing on that brake, and what we can do to remove it.”

Yahoo! News, Here’s Why Kidney Stone Sufferers Should Ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad by Korin Miller — A Michigan State University urologist has some advice for people who struggle with kidney stones: Hop on a roller coaster. David Wartinger, D.O., a professor emeritus in the Department of Osteopathic Surgical Specialties, conducted a study and discovered that riding a roller coaster helps people pass kidney stones nearly 70 percent of the time… First, a kidney-stone primer: According to the Mayo Clinic, kidney stones form when your urine contains more crystal-forming substances such as calcium, oxalate, and uric acid, than the fluid in your urine can dilute. The crystals can end up sticking together, creating kidney stones.

ATTN, Three Ways to Tell If Your Roommate Is Depressed by Andrew Rose — An uncertain, or even scary, entry into college life is natural for most people. Adjusting to a new environment takes time, and most students are experiencing an utterly foreign degree of personal choice. … As the Mayo Clinic advises, "College students face challenges, pressures and anxieties that can cause them to feel overwhelmed. They might be living on their own for the first time and feeling homesick. They're adapting to new schedules and workloads, adjusting to life with roommates, and figuring out how to belong… Dealing with these changes during the transition from adolescence to adulthood can trigger or unmask depression during college in some young adults."

Medscape, VIDEO: Robotic-Assisted PCI: Time to Jump to the Joystick? by Gayatri Acharya, M.D. & Gurpreet Sandhu, M.D. — Greetings. I'm Dr Gayatri Acharya, cardiology fellow at Mayo Clinic. Today, we'll be discussing robotic percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs). I'm joined by my colleague, Dr Gurpreet Sandhu, director of the cardiac catheterization lab at Mayo Clinic. Welcome, Dr Sandhu.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, A ‘magic stone’ no cure for obesity, doctor says by Jill Daly — The results of the University of Pittsburgh JAMA study on activity trackers didn’t surprise Mayo Clinic obesity researcher James Levine. Last month he published in the research journal Technology and Investment his own observation on wearable technology. He calls consumers’ false belief in activity trackers an example of the Baetylus Theorem, using the term for ancient Greek sacred stones. “It’s based on deep psychology and sociology,” he said. “The Baetylus Theorem says there’s a magic stone you can touch. … It will help you. There’s a basic belief in society that we believe in technology.” Even though the tracker did not seem to help with weight loss, Mayo Clinic bariatric psychologist Karen Grothe praised the Pitt research. “It’s a great study and raises a lot of good questions of the nuances about incorporating technology in lifestyle intervention.”

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Technology falls short in long-term weight loss success by Jill Daly — The headlines last week jolted the public with the baffling results: “Activity trackers may undermine weight loss efforts.” “Wearable activity trackers may not boost weight loss.” “Fitness trackers didn’t help people lose weight. But don’t ditch those devices just yet. Each of these stories carried photos of people wearing activity trackers on their wrists — which were not the kind used in the University of Pittsburgh study published last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association that tested if an activity tracker device could help with weight loss. …

MedCity News, Mayo Clinic is a fan of prep-free colonoscopies to boost colon cancer screening compliance by Nancy Crotti — Colonoscopy is the procedure that everybody loves to hate. Not only is the preparation uncomfortable and gross, but the entire process, including recovery, sidelines patients for days. On top of that, colonoscopies can miss many precancerous lesions, especially in the narrower right side of the colon where they tend to be flatter and less conspicuous due the action of peristalsis, according to Mayo Clinic gastrointestinal cancer researcher Dr. David Ahlquist, who spoke at the recently-concluded Mayo Clinic Transform conference, in Rochester, Minnesota. Now the renowned institution is offering a prep-less colon cancer screening test. “Colorectal cancer is the no. 2 cancer killer and it’s been that over the last three decades, during which there have been huge efforts to screen for this disease,” Ahlquist told attendees. “There’s an imperative to do this better than we have historically.”

WEAU Eau Claire, UW-Eau Claire hosts suicide prevention presentation — According to a psychology study at UW-Eau Claire, nearly 1,100 college students commit suicide every year. To combat that statistic, the university along with Mayo Clinic Health System hosted a suicide prevention presentation Thursday evening. The discussion was presented by retired San Francisco police officer Kevin Briggs and the man he talked down from jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge, Kevin Berthia.

Shape, This Unexpected Eating Disorder Could Cause Serious Health Problems by Julia Malacoff — Most people occasionally binge on junk food, but The Mayo Clinic explains that BED is characterized by frequent episodes of overeating (at least once per week for three or more months), feeling unable to control these episodes, and eating until you're uncomfortably full—among other possible symptoms. In this study, researchers wanted to investigate whether people with BED were likely to have other types of diseases as well, and if so, what kinds were most prevalent.

Epilepsy Research UK, Continuous Electrical Brain Stimulation Could be a Treatment Option for People with Drug-Resistant Epilepsy — Continuous electrical brain stimulation could help to suppress epileptic seizures, offering a new treatment option for people who have epilepsy that cannot be treated with surgery or medication. These findings are published in JAMA Neurology, First Author Dr. Brian Lundstrom, at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, US, said: “We think this approach not only provides an effective treatment for those with focal epilepsy, but will allow us to develop ways of assessing seizure likelihood for all epilepsy patients. It would be of enormous clinical benefit if we could personalise treatment regimens for individual patients without waiting for seizures to happen.”

News-medical.net, ASHG and Mayo Clinic collaborate to facilitate genetic and genomic education — The American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) and Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine (CIM) announced today a formal collaboration under which the two organizations will facilitate the use of genomics in medicine through the education of health professionals… "Prenatal genetics is a rapidly moving area with unique clinical and ethical challenges. If we can help providers and patients have more comprehensive conversations around their prenatal screening and testing options, families can make the informed choices that are right for them," says Megan Allyse, Ph.D., assistant professor, Mayo Clinic Biomedical Ethics Program.

WEAU Eau Claire, Eau Claire Heart Walk celebrates drop in heart disease deaths — Across the nation heart disease continues to be the number one killer but in Wisconsin those statistics are dropping…Mayo Clinic Health System attributes the drop to awareness causing patients to take a proactive approach to their health. “We're not getting people when they're really sick anymore. They're coming in right before they get the really severe symptoms such as heart failure. We are probably seeing the same amount just not as sick,” said physician assistant Gloria Krueger.

ABC2 News, Brain surgeons are operating on awake patients — Reporter Ashley James spoke with Dr. Bendok from the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona. He's the Department of Neurologic Surgery chair. He discussed how the unique surgery works and why it's the best procedure for candidates.

Becker’s Hospital Review, 5 hospitals with strong finances by Ayla Ellison — Here are five hospitals and health systems with strong operational metrics and solid financial positions based on recent reports from Moody's Investors Service, Fitch Ratings and S&P Global Ratings… Mayo Clinic has an "Aa2" rating and stable outlook with Moody's. The Rochester, Minn.-based system has demonstrated national and international draw for patients leading to geographic diversity of revenue, according to Moody's.

Science Daily, Researchers update understanding of damaging liver disease — In the article, Konstantinos Lazaridis, M.D., and Nicholas LaRusso, M.D., of Mayo Clinic's No. 1-ranked Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology highlight research of the clinical features of PSC, which has recently increased in case numbers. Dr. LaRusso published the first case series on PSC in the 1980s, and Mayo Clinic has become a major referral center for patients with PSC and a world leader in basic research on the disease. "These increasing numbers don't necessarily signify more individuals having the disease," says Dr. Lazaridis. "Increased awareness of PSC in the medical community and improved noninvasive methods of detecting this disease may have increased the number of patients." Additional coverage: Medical Xpress

KJZZ Radio, New Maps Could Change Liver Transplants In Arizona, Across Country by Mark Brodie — The system of liver transplants in the U.S. could be changing. The United Network for Organ Sharing, or UNOS, is working on new maps and guidelines that aim to make that system fairer and more equitable across the country… Any changes would presumably have impacts across the country, and here in Arizona. With KJZZ's The Show to talk about that is Dr. Winston Hewitt, a transplant surgeon at the Mayo Clinic and Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

Minnesota Medicine, Why Food Matters by Gayle Golden — The continuing medical education lesson was spread out before a dozen or so doctors at Mayo Clinic’s Dan Abraham Healthy Living Center one recent summer day: grilled eggplant, lightly marinated beets, salad, whole grains and salmon. Their assignment? Dig into the lunchtime spread while listening to an admonition they’ve no doubt heard since childhood. “It’s something your mother would say: ‘Eat your vegetables,’” Donald Hensrud, MD, MPH, told the group. “But there’s really a lot of science behind that idea.” …  As basic as it seems, that lesson about food addresses what many say is a persistent problem in medicine—doctors’ lack of knowledge about nutrition, particularly of the scientific understanding gained during the past two decades.

Medical Research, Chronic Subthreshold Cortical Stimulation to Treat Resistant Focal Epilepsy — Interview with Brian Nils Lundstrom, M.D., PhD: About as many people have drug-resistant focal epilepsy as have multiple sclerosis, and treatment options are limited. This study describes an alternative treatment option that has proven very helpful for the majority of participants. Electrical stimulation is delivered continuously via implanted electrodes to the region of brain where seizures start. The electrical stimulation decreases the seizure-related discharges from the brain, and for about 40% of patients their disabling seizures were completely stopped.

Endocrine Web, Thyroid Cancer: Epidemic or Overdiagnosis? By Kathleen Doheny — Attitudes are changing about how to treat these smallest thyroid cancers, according to a Mayo Clinic expert speaking at the opening session of the American Thyroid Association's annual meeting in Denver. "The pendulum is swinging," says Ian D. Hay, MD, PhD, the Dr. Richard F. Emslander professor of endocrinology and nutrition research at Mayo Clinic, Rochester.

KTTC, Bounce Day prepares students for disaster events by Taj Simmons — Medical students learned how to handle a mass casualty situation during the 6th annual Bounce Day on Thursday. There's no bouncing involved in Bounce Day; the title actually refers to "bouncing back" from a community disaster. This time, the disaster was a mock zombie apocalypse at the Gamehaven Scout Reservation. … Bounce Day enlisted the help of many community organizations, including Mayo Clinic, the Boy Scouts, and local members of the military.

Post-Bulletin, Lives They Lived: Friends, family remember former Mayo CEO by Hannah Yang — Those familiar with Dr. W. Gene Mayberry, knew him as a true gentleman. As CEO and president of Mayo Clinic from 1976 to 1987, he contributed much to the expansion of the clinic's health system into different parts of the country…Mayberry, 87, died Sunday. He was preceded in death by his wife, Jane, and his brother, Thomas. He is survived by his son, Paul, of Atlanta, his daughter, Ann Mayberry, of Chicago and six grandchildren. "He was honest to a fault, and had a great work ethic," the former CEO's son said. "He cared for himself very well. He always was positive for me and others around. He was a dedicated doctor." Additional coverage: Becker’s Hospital Review

Post-Bulletin, A 'hidden gem' at Mayo celebrates 50 years by Brett Boese — Local health leaders gathered Monday at Mayo Clinic to celebrate 50 years of the groundbreaking Rochester Epidemiology Project, while also announcing a new outreach program over the next year. The one-of-a-kind project was created in 1966 as a collaboration between Mayo Clinic and Olmsted Medical Center, spurred by annual funding from National Institutes of Health. More than a dozen speakers addressed the crowd, capped by comments from Mayo Clinic CEO John Noseworthy and current REP co-director Dr. Walter Rocca. "This unique national resource is unmatched in our country in terms of the depth and breadth of information about a single population," Dr. Rocca said. "And it does not have a lot of international equivalents either.

Post-Bulletin, Golf legend Palmer dies at 87 by Associated Press — Arnold Palmer brought a country-club sport to the masses with a hard-charging style, charisma and a commoner's touch. At ease with both presidents and the golfing public, and on a first-name basis with both, "The King," died Sunday in Pittsburgh. He was 87. … Palmer was a Mayo Clinic patient over the past decade and was seen regularly in Rochester when he came to the city for checkups. He played the Rochester Golf and Country Club on multiple occasions and, In 2012, a Wisconsin man was escorted off the grounds of the Rochester International Airport when he attempted to lie his way past security in order to get on Palmer's chartered jet and ask for an autograph.

Post-Bulletin, Answer Man: Yes, Mayo Jacksonville has a ‘destination’ project — Not really, but the CEO of Mayo's Jacksonville campus has used the phrase recently for the $100 million in new construction underway there. According to the Jacksonville Business Journal, Dr. Gianrico Farrugia "said work on the 150,000-square-foot destination medical center will have just under a two-year timeline, with the projected completion being summer 2018."

Post-Bulletin, ‘You can’t help but perk up’ by Brett Boese — Ailing and alone, Denise Krivach lay at Mayo Clinic thinking the worst — until a ball of fur bounded up into her bed in what's being described as a life-changing moment. The 60-year-old, a former Abbott Northwestern physician, was in the early stages of building her dream home in the Montana mountains when she awoke in 2014 and was non-functional. She rejected the initial diagnosis of early onset dementia to seek clarification at Mayo in Rochester. … Then Alta, a 4-year-old golden retriever, spent 45 minutes cuddling with Krivach as part of Mayo's growing Caring Canines program. The connection between the two was immediate and has continued to this day.

Post-Bulletin, New Mayo Clinic division puts focus on elderly by Brett Boese — Mayo Clinic already owns the No. 1 spot in U.S. News & World Report's ranking, but now plans to expand its focus on health care for the elderly. The Department of Medicine will now include a Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, which will "promote the health and independence of older adults through clinical care and translational research discoveries," according to a Mayo Clinic press release. … "I look forward to working with our geriatricians as well as our scientists to find opportunities to strengthen Mayo Clinic's translational research to promote healthier, more independent aging," Dr. Pignolo said.

Post-Bulletin, Would you be ready to ‘Bounce’ back from disaster? by Andrew Setterholm — What would you do in a disaster scenario? Dozens of community members and volunteers found out Sunday as they took part in Bounce Day, the sixth installment of the annual community disaster response experience. The event creates a learning environment for community groups, including medical and nursing students, amateur radio operators and a range of volunteers. …Bounce Day is about community learning, said Byron Callies, an emergency manager at Mayo Clinic and public information officer for the event. "By and large it's really about creating a fun learning environment as a community event, to help us build relationships (and) become more resilient as a community should bad events happen," Callies said.

Post-Bulletin, ‘Truly a night-and-day change in my life’ by Natalie Howell — The goal for every epilepsy patient: to make them seizure-free and able to lead a normal life. So says Dr. Gregory Cascino, a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic who treated Sarah Clark, a Rochester woman who was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2001. Making patients seizure-free, Cascino said, usually can be accomplished through medication. However, patients who are not able to control seizures through medication alone also have to consider the option of having surgery.

Post-Bulletin, Ask Mayo Clinic: For most, salt is the easiest way to get iodine by Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.N., L.D. — For most people, iodized salt is probably the easiest way to maintain sufficient iodine intake. Iodine is an important nutrient that your thyroid needs to produce certain hormones. Not getting enough iodine in your diet can lead to problems such as an enlarged thyroid gland (goiter) and an abnormally low level of thyroid hormones (hypothyroidism).

Post-Bulletin, Heard on the Street: Kahler to use RPU to replace Mayo Clinic power — Heard on the Street: Kahler to use RPU to replace Mayo Clinic power The Kahler Grand Hotel and Mayo Clinic's Franklin Heating Station are planning to disconnect ending an 88-year-old relationship, though the details of the "uncoupling" are cloudy. The hotel leadership confirms that the decision has been made to find a new source and stop using Mayo Clinic's station at 119 Third St. SW for power and heat. The breakup seems to be amicable from both parties. "Mayo's Franklin Heating Station has provided utilities to the Kahler Corporation at cost in addition to sharing some common infrastructure expenses," wrote Mayo Clinic's Kelley Luckstein. "This is at a time when Mayo is also reviewing its future utility needs."

Successful Meetings, Top 10 Ways to Eat Healthier by Matt Alderton — Health and wellness is an increasingly hot topic at meetings and events. And while meeting planners are working hard to integrate them into their meeting programs, the onus to be healthy ultimately falls on attendees themselves, who can improve their health by making a few simple changes to their diet, according to Angie Murad, wellness dietician at the Mayo Clinic's Healthy Living Program. Here, her top 10 ways to eat healthier.

Digital Trends, New platform will offer insights on patient health by listening to people speak by Luke Dormehl — Can the same technology which analyzes emotion in voices also be used to identify health-related issues, ranging from stress and depression to heart conditions? That’s the question being asked as part of a collaboration between voice-driven emotions analytics company Beyond Verbal and researchers at leading global medical institutions, including the Mayo Clinic. Additional coverage: Venture Beat

Health Care Business (DotMed), Stereotactic radiosurgery vs. whole brain radiation therapy: study compares outcomes at ASTRO by Thomas Dworetzky — The bottom line: when cancer has metastasized to the brain, SRS leads to a better quality of life and less cognitive decline at comparable survival rates versus WBRT. However the study did also find that SRS did not do as well as WBRT for local control – which can lead to tumor-related symptoms such as headache, speech problems, seizures and paralysis. “Stereotactic radiosurgery to the surgical cavity is widely used, despite the lack of clinical trials to substantiate its effectiveness,” said Dr. Paul D. Brown, lead author of the study and a radiation oncologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., in a statement. “Our multi-institutional, randomized trial is the first to demonstrate clearly the efficacy of SRS compared to WBRT in a postoperative setting,” he noted. Additional coverage: Healio

Austin Daily Herald, Mayo Clinic encourages children to get flu shots; vaccinations recommended for 6 months and over — Mayo Clinic Health System is urging parents to get their children vaccinated, and it will offer flu shots at elementary schools in Mower County to make it easy and convenient for parents to vaccinate their children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends annual flu vaccination for everyone over the age of 6 months. … “With busy after school schedules, it’s hard to get your child in to see your provider for a flu shot,” said Dr. Vijay Chawla, pediatric physician at Mayo Clinic Health System, in a press release. “This program makes it easy and convenient for children to receive their annual flu vaccination.”

Becker’s Health IT & CIO Review, In honor of health IT week, here are 10 of the biggest IT stories of the year so far by Akanksha Jayanthi — This year's National Health IT week runs Sept. 26-30. President Barack Obama said the week is a chance to recommit to improving healthcare using technologies and pursuing innovation. To celebrate the accomplishments, and acknowledge the remaining hardships, here is a look back on health IT this year. Here are 10 of the most-read health IT stories on Becker's Hospital Review of the year so far. … 5. Mayo Clinic sells data center to Epic. Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic and Epic Systems entered a $46 million sale-leaseback deal for the health system's 62,000 square-foot data center.

KIMT, Mayo celebrates 50 years of Rochester Epidemiology Program by Adam Sallet — It’s meant to help doctors better understand diseases and on Monday the program entered its fifth decade in service.Health professionals gathered in the historic Plummer Building in Rochester to celebrate the milestone achieved by REP. The data base helps doctors better understand where, when, and sometimes why people get diseases during their lifetime. That information is then used to hopefully make changes to healthcare and maybe prevent these diseases from happening.

WNDU (South Bend, IN), Misdiagnosis from doctors can cause severe harm by Maureen McFadden — Each year in the US, roughly 12 million adults are misdiagnosed, according to a study in the Journal BMJ Quality and Safety, which is about one out of 20 adult patients. Researchers say in half of those cases the misdiagnosis could cause you severe harm. When 25-year-old Chelsey Gabrielson was first told that her tremors and slurred speech were nothing more than anxiety and depression, she knew in her heart it was more. … "Don’t be afraid to go get a second opinion," said Dr. Benjamin Brown, a neurosurgeon at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. Doctor Benjamin Brown is the neurosurgeon now treating Gabrielson. He advises patients who aren’t getting answers to keep a hard copy of all of their medical records and to not rely on your doctor to pass them along.

KIMT, Mayo study: suicide attempt a stronger predictor of completed suicide than previously thought by DeeDee Stiepan — Suicide is one of the 10 most common causes of death in the U.S. and a recent Mayo Clinic study found that the risk for people who have had a prior attempt is higher than previously thought … J. Michael Bostwick, M.D., a psychologist at Mayo explains that such a large portion of people who die on the first attempt was essentially unknown to psychiatric literature and prevention literature. “We basically were looking at people who had survived, rather than people who died and I think it has really important implications for prevention, because on the one hand we really need to prevent people from making an attempt at all,” Bostwick explains.

KAAL, Mayo Clinic Albert Lea Gets Cuddle Cot for Families of Stillborn Babies by Meghan Reistad — After months of fundraising, Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea now has a Cuddle Cot. "It's like a big sigh of relief," said Lynne Port. Funds were raised by a GoFundMe page, anonymous donations and ABC 6 News Home Federal Bank's Pay It Forward campaign, which Port was a recipient of this past summer. The Cuddle Cot is essentially a cooling blanket, giving parents more time to grieve after the death of a baby.

Athletic Business, 2016 Facilities of Merit: Mayo Clinic Dan Abraham Healthy Living CenterMayo Clinic Dan Abraham Healthy Living Center Expansion - Rochester, Minn … Presented with a tight urban site, designers had nowhere to go but up when expanding the Dan Abraham Healthy Living Center. Their success in doing so reached unprecedented heights in the eyes of judges. The vertical expansion, encompassing five levels of new space, features the seamless continuation of terracotta brick and glass on the exterior — with a curving south facade — and subtle curves along interior walls, softening circulation patterns connecting the various programming spaces. Concluded one judge, “The most successful architectural response to a major vertical expansion I have seen.”

MedPage Today, For Brain Mets Post-Surgery, Whole Brain RT is Overkill by Kristin Jenkins — There was no statistically significant difference in survival between treatment groups, with a median overall survival of 11.5 months following SRS and 11.8 months following WBRT (P=0.65), Paul D. Brown, MD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, reported here at the annual meeting of the American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). … "Our multi-institutional, randomized trial is the first to demonstrate clearly the efficacy of SRS compared to WBRT in a post-operative setting," Brown told delegates. "Our results confirm that radiosurgery to the surgical cavity is a viable treatment option to improve local control with less impact on cognitive function and quality of life compared to WBRT."

Medscape, Magic Mouthwash Really Works, Says Phase 3 Trial by Nick Mulcahy — New results show that a lidocaine-based mouthwash is effective in reducing radiotherapy-related oral mucositis pain, concludes a team led by Robert Miller, MD, of Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida. "The study confirms what we thought — that it works," Dr Miller told Medscape Medical News here at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) 2016 Annual Meeting, where study results were presented. After patients rinsed once with the mouthwash, there was a 35% reduction in pain over a 4-hour period in comparison with placebo, said Dr Miller.

Des Moines Register, Cinnamon for diabetes? By Keith Miller — Some research has found that cinnamon may be helpful as a supplement to regular diabetic treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes. According to a recent Mayo Clinic report, several studies were reviewed in 2012 that concluded the use of cinnamon may improve blood glucose control in some patients. One of the studies as reported by the Mayo Clinic group published in 2009 found that 500 mg cinnamon capsules taken twice each day for 90 days improved the hemoglobin A1C levels – a reflection of average blood level for the past two or three months – in patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes (hemoglobin A1C levels greater than 7 percent).

KRIS Corpus Christi News, Sinton football coach returns from Mayo Clinic visit by Jane Caffrey — Sinton football coach Tom Allen has just returned from a trip to the Mayo Clinic. The 47-year-old traveled there to undergo tests and meet with doctors after being diagnosed with multiple system atrophy, a rare neurological disorder similar to Parkinson's disease. The trip was so important that Coach Allen missed his first football game in ten years last Friday. He is still waiting for the results of his tests, but hopes those tests will help the medical community learn more about MSA. Coach Allen was confident heading into his trip to the Mayo Clinic. "I'm in a great place. We're taking it day by day, making the best out of every day," he told KRIS 6 News.

Irish Times, What’s the cure for a jellyfish sting? — You can treat some stings yourself using first aid but if the symptoms are serious – such as severe pain, swelling or difficulty breathing, seek immediate medical attention or call an ambulance. According to the Mayo Clinic, for minor stings most jellyfish stings can be treated by rinsing the area with salt water and taking a pain reliever.

Medical Xpress, Study offers insight on antidepressant-induced female sexual dysfunction — The paper, published in this month's issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, discusses treatment options and the research backing them for women who face sexual dysfunction while on antidepressants. "Depression is a significant risk factor for sexual dysfunction and vice versa," says Dr. Rullo. "It is critical as a provider to assess a patient's sexual function before and after she starts an antidepressant. This will help you determine if her sexual function concerns are due to depression or due to the side effect of the antidepressant, or perhaps both. The simplest assessment question is, 'Do you have any sexual health concerns?' and that should be asked during each subsequent visit." Additional coverage: Science Daily

Consumer Affairs, Researchers claim bias in industry-backed artificial sweetener studies by Mark Huffman — On the plus side, the Mayo Clinic says these sweeteners may help you control weight, and be a good alternative to sugar if you have diabetes. It says artificial sweeteners usually don't raise blood sugar levels because they are not carbohydrates. At the same time, the Mayo Clinic acknowledges that there have been health concerns about artificial sweeteners over the years, including possible links to cancer. “But according to the National Cancer Institute and other health agencies, there's no sound scientific evidence that any of the artificial sweeteners approved for use in the U.S. cause cancer or other serious health problems,” the Clinic says on its website.

Construction Dive, Delos, Mayo Clinic team up to create optimal office environment prototype — New York-based wellness real estate and technology company Delos has teamed up with the Mayo Clinic to evaluate human responses to changing and stressful environmental work conditions with the goal of building a prototype of the optimal office space, according to Nature. …New York-based wellness real estate and technology company Delos has teamed up with the Mayo Clinic to evaluate human responses to changing and stressful environmental work conditions with the goal of building a prototype of the optimal office space, according to Nature.

KAAL, Addressing Mental Health Issues by Marissa Collins —The need for mental health funding and lack of resources has been a big issue in Minnesota. So much so, it was brought up by viewers during an ABC 6 Super Tuesday Debate with Senator Carla Nelson and challenger Rich Wright. …."We don't have a mental health system and if you talk to folks, they'll say it's broken to the point where we have to start from ground zero and rebuild it," says Wright. "I’m glad to see that in our community we have two homes that are coming up. Mayo clinic is in the process of developing two homes," says Nelson.

Doctors Lounge, Benign-Appearing Pediatric Skin Lesions May Be Melanoma — Mario Mitkov, M.D., from the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., and colleagues conducted a retrospective review of records from January 2000 to January 2015 for children and young adults (age 21 years or younger) with a diagnosis of primary cutaneous melanoma. "Benign-appearing pediatric skin lesions with a history of evolution, bleeding, or ulceration should raise suspicion for melanoma," the authors write. "Although biopsy of all lesions that exhibit change in children is not practical, safe, or desired, close monitoring is recommended."

Health Data Management, Researchers tap Mayo, Christiana Care EHR data to fight sepsis by Greg Slabodkin — Funded by the National Science Foundation, the research project is a collaborative effort with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and Christiana Care Health System in Newark, Del. Researchers are leveraging engineering and computer science methodologies to analyze patient-level EHR data from the two large-scale healthcare facilities to inform clinical decision making for sepsis.

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