January 13, 2017

Mayo Clinic in the News Weekly Highlights

By Karl Oestreich

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.

Editor, Karl Oestreich;  Assistant Editor: Emily Blahnik

 

First Coast News
The Chat Wednesday January 11: Dr. Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa Part 1

First Coast News
The Chat Wednesday January 11: Dr. Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa Part 2

Dr. Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa, Mayo Clinic neurosurgeon, joined “The Chat,” a live afternoon show on Jacksonville’s First Coast News. TheFirst Coast News Logo show’s web site breaks up the segments in two parts (see links below). The first segment focuses on his early life/career with images of his time at Johns Hopkins, and the second segment focuses on his role and work at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville.

Reach: First Coast News refers to two television stations in Jacksonville, Florida. WJXX, the ABC affiliate and WTLV, the NBC affiliate.

Previous coverage in September 23, 2016 Mayo Clinic in the News Weekly Highlights
Previous coverage in April 22, 2016 Mayo Clinic in the News Weekly Highlights

Context: Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa, M.D., prominent neurosurgeon, researcher and educator, joined Mayo Clinic in 2016 as chair of the Department of Neurosurgery on the Florida campus, along with several members of his research team from Johns Hopkins Medicine. Dr. Quinones-Hinojosa is renown nationally and internationally as a surgeon, researcher, humanitarian and author. His laboratory has published many manuscripts and articles, submitted a number of patents and obtained three NIH grants. Students and fellows who worked with Dr. Quinones-Hinojosa have gone on to join leading neuroscience programs throughout the world. Mayo Clinic's world-renowned neurosurgeons perform more than 7,000 complex surgical procedures every year at campuses in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota.

Contact: Kevin Punsky

 

Yahoo! News
Robert M. Jacobson stresses importance of flu vaccine

The Minnesota Department of Health released a report on Thursday on the increase of flu activity throughout the state. Friday afternoon, we Logo of Yahoo Newsspoke with a health professional at Mayo Clinic about the importance of getting the flu vaccine. According to the Minnesota Department of Health's report released on Thursday flu season is in full swing, and can indeed continue to increase in activity. In fact, Dr. Jacobson, a primary care physician and professor of pediatrics at Mayo Clinic, said in the last two weeks alone, there were 50 hospitalized patients in Minnesota from the flu.

Reach: Yahoo News receives more than 8.4 million unique visitors each month.

Additional coverage: KTTC

Context:  Robert Jacobson, M.D. is a pediatrician with the Mayo Clinic Children's Center. Dr. Jacobson also serves as the medical director for the Population Health Science Program at Mayo Clinic's Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery. He also leads Mayo's Employee and Community Health (ECH) Research Initiative. You can read about his medical research here.

Contact: Kelley Luckstein

 

Wisconsin Public Radio
The Mayo Clinic Diet: Second Edition

It's the beginning of a new year, a time when many people resolve to make healthier choices--like eating a healthier diet. We learn how to improve health while losing weight with the medical editor of "The Mayo Clinic Diet." He says this plan is a lifestyle and not a diet in the traditional sense. We learn how it works.

Reach: Wisconsin Public Radio consists of 34 radio stations programmed by seven regional studios and carrying programming on three content networks: the Ideas Network, the NPR News and Classical Network and the All Classical Network.

Additional coverage: 

Post-Bulletin, The Mayo Clinic Diet earns top honor
KTTC, Mayo Clinic Diet is #1, according to U.S. News & World Report
KWLM Willmar Radio, KFGO Fargo-Moorhead, 104.7 DukeFM, WXOW La Crosse

Previous coverage in the January 6, 2017 Mayo Clinic in the News Weekly Highlights

Context:  As the second edition of The Mayo Clinic Diet hits store shelves, the diet plan has been named Best Commercial Diet by U.S. News & World Report.  “We are honored to be recognized for a weight-loss method that offers lasting results,” says Donald Hensrud, M.D., medical editor of The Mayo Clinic Diet and director of the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program. Learn more about the Mayo Clinic by watching this Mayo Clinic Minute or read more about it on Mayo Clinic Network. “The Mayo Clinic Diet is much more than a diet,” Dr. Hensrud says. “It’s a lifestyle program in which people can eat great-tasting food and feel better right away ─ even while they lose weight. More importantly, these lifestyle changes are sustainable and can improve long-term health as people reach and maintain a healthy weight.”

Contact: Kelley Luckstein

 

MPR
For Rochester, becoming the 'Silicon Valley of Medicine' won't be easy
by Catharine Richert

The Destination Medical Center project wants to give Rochester a reputation for something it's never been: a magnet for tech start-ups and MPR News logoentrepreneurs. But turning the city into what the DMC calls the "Silicon Valley of Medicine" won't be easy. The DMC is a multibillion, 20-year economic development effort to remake Rochester so Mayo can better compete for both patients and top talent. It's also meant to help diversify the region's economy by attracting new businesses. But Rochester's risk-averse culture has held it back, said Jamie Sundsbak, an entrepreneur and former Mayo Clinic researcher. "When you have a large medical institution like the Mayo Clinic — a world renowned, top medical institution in the world — you get that way by eliminating risk," he said. "If you look at some of the entrepreneurial communities, risk is what they are excited about."

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

Context: With Mayo Clinic at its heart, the Destination Medical Center (DMC) initiative is the catalyst to position Rochester, Minnesota as the world’s premier destination for health and wellness; attracting people, investment opportunities, and jobs to America’s City for Health and supporting the economic growth of Minnesota, its bioscience sector, and beyond.

Contacts: Duska AnastasijevicSusan Barber Lindquist

ESPN, Second Shift — Outside the Lines tells the story of Jack Jablonski, whose life was forever changed at the age of 16 during a hockey game. Additional coverage: ESPN

Reuters, Breastfed babies still need extra vitamin D by Lisa Rapaport — The research team surveyed 184 breastfeeding mothers, including 44 mothers who also gave their babies formula in addition to breast milk. Altogether, just 55 percent of the women said they gave their babies vitamin D drops and only 42 percent supplemented with the recommended 400 IU. “Many mothers were not aware of the need for vitamin D supplementation or their physician had not recommended supplementation,” said senior study author Dr. Tom Thacher, a researcher at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. “Others believed that breast milk had all the needed nutrition, and some mentioned the inconvenience of giving a supplement or their poor experience of giving a supplement to previous children,” Thacher added by email. Additional coverage: Daily Disruption, Live Science, Yahoo! News UK

KIMT, Mayo Clinic and other health care leaders called by President-elect Trump to help VA by DeeDee Stiepan — Donald Trump took questions from the media Wednesday morning during his first press conference as President-elect. At one point when talking about veterans affairs, Trump called on the Mayo Clinic to help provide support. We reached out to Mayo and received the following statement in response: “Consistent with Mayo Clinic’s historic commitment of service to the U.S. government and the U.S. military that goes back to the very origins of Mayo Clinic, it will share its expertise with the incoming Veterans Health Administration leadership and provide support on other relevant health care issues…” Additional coverage: KSTP, KTTC, Becker’s Hospital Review, Modern Healthcare, Huffington Post, Washington Post

Huffington Post, Doctors Want To Learn More About Treating Transgender Patients, Survey Shows by Anna Almendrala — One in three transgender patients reports experiencing serious discrimination or bias when seeking medical care, even when that care is unrelated to their transgender status, according to a recent survey of nearly 30,000 people, released in December…The online survey, which was sent to members of the Endocrine Society, is the first to measure American doctors’ confidence levels and willingness to treat transgender patients, explained lead author Caroline Davidge-Pitts, an endocrinologist who specializes in transgender and intersex medicine at the Mayo Clinic. Additional coverage: Medscape

Huffington Post UK, 5 Easy Exercise Hacks That Actually Work by Sophie Gallagher — Take frequent breaks from your desk. It might seem like a last resort to start lunging in front of your colleagues, but even just spending more time standing in the office (as opposed to exercising) can help you lose weight. A study on a group of office workers by the Mayo Clinic showed that standing to stretch, or walking to the toilet, makes a huge difference over a long period. Offer to do a round of tea and we’re sure no one will mind you taking more frequent breaks.

SELF, Over 76,000 People Like This Facebook Post About New-Mom Struggles by Korin Miller — Julie Lamppa, A.P.R.N., a certified nurse midwife at the Mayo Clinic, tells SELF that most women think the transition to motherhood will be easier than it actually is. "Prior to your first baby, you are accustomed to freedom, doing what you want when you want, and likely working regular hours in a career that you feel comfortable with," she says. "Suddenly, you are thrown into uncertainty, responsibility, physical recovery, and sleepless nights. Why should any of us think this would be easy? But most of us do."

The Sun, The 20 foods that contain NO calories revealed – including apples, strawberries and watermelon by Sarah Barns — Dr Donald Hensrud, from the Mayo Clinic, believes these so-called negative-calorie foods can aid weight loss. He said: “Foods that contain few calories, such as celery and other non-starchy vegetables, provide a small number of calories but still require energy to digest. “That means it is theoretically possible to have a negative-calorie food, but there are no reputable scientific studies to prove that certain foods have this effect. “However, even if non-starchy vegetables are not negative-calorie, they are still low-calorie, and a smart choice to include in a predominantly plant-based diet.” He added: “The bottom line: Following extreme diets that promote eating only a few foods can cause you to miss out on important nutrients.

UPI.com, Vaginal microbe study may lead to early detection of endometrial cancer by Amy Wallace — Researchers at the Mayo Clinic are studying vaginal microbes in an effort to diagnose endometrial cancer in the early stages. Doctors have struggled for years to pinpoint the causes of endometrial cancer, but researchers are now examining the role vaginal microbes play in the development of the disease. "We set out to discover whether there is a microbiome component in the malignancy of tumors and if its appearance in patients diagnosed with the disease is distinguishable from that of patients without malignancy," Marina Walther-Antonio, Ph.D, lead author of the first-of-its kind study, said in a press release. Additional coverage: Medical Xpress

Washington Post, Tom Brady sneaks his fancy new pajamas into news conference ensemble by Marissa Payne — Of course, these aren’t just any PJs; these are Under Armour’s official “Athlete Recovery Sleepwear powered by TB12™.” “Without the sleepwear, I don’t think I’d be able to achieve the things that I have done and hope to continue to do,” the four-time Super Bowl champion said. While this may all sound far-fetched, the technology has been used for years in saunas, where studies have shown that it helps ease conditions such as high blood pressure, congestive heart failure and rheumatoid arthritis. Writing for the Mayo Clinic’s website, however, Dr. Brent Bauer said that “larger and more-rigorous studies are needed to confirm these results.”

USA Today, Fight for daughter turns into battle for medical marijuana by Melissa Reinert —Tiffany Wigginton Carnal is in the fight of her life to save her daughter. Lyndi Carnal, 17, has Crohn's Disease, an inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract, which can lead to abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss and malnutrition…According to the Mayo Clinic, medical marijuana is marijuana used to treat disease or relieve symptoms. Marijuana is made from the dried leaves and buds of the Cannabis sativa plant. It can be smoked, inhaled or ingested in food or tea. Medical marijuana also is available as a pill or an oil. Also according to the Mayo Clinic, studies report that marijuana has possible benefits for several conditions. Crohn's is on that list.

Men’s Health, Is Being a ‘Weekend Warrior’ Actually Good For You? by Elizabeth Millard — Federal guidelines recommend that you spend at least 2.5 hours a week on moderate intensity exercise, or 75 minutes on vigorous exercise.  Exercise increases your good cholesterol, while reducing artery-clogging triglycerides, says the Mayo Clinic. It also keeps your weight in check, which may lower your risk of cancer by reducing widespread inflammation, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Good Housekeeping, New Study Reveals Heartburn Meds Might Pose a Risk to Unborn Babies by Caroline Picard — Using the health records of more than 1.3 million children, researchers from Scotland and Finland found that when pregnant moms took drugs like Nexium or Prilosec, their kids were a third more likely to visit a doctor with asthma symptoms later on. If you're not one of the 25 million Americans with asthma (that's one in 12!), the condition causes wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness and coughing, according to the CDC. For some people it's a pesky part of day-to-day life, but the Mayo Clinic says it can also cause life-threatening attacks.

Tampa Bay Times, Mayo Clinic Q&A: smoking cessation; sound sleep; peripheral neuropathy — Sleep may seem elusive at times, especially as you age. Although you might not be able to control all of the factors that interfere with your sleep, you can adopt habits that encourage better sleep. Here are some tips…Info and more articles at link.

Florida Times-Union, Vaccine panel discussion set for Thursday by Charlie Patton — TEDxFSCJ will host a salon from 6- 8 p.m. Thursday exploring the critical role vaccines play in promoting public health. The evening includes a panel discussion with Keith Knutson, a leading cancer researcher at the Mayo Clinic, and Pauline Rolle, the medical director of the Florida Department of Health in Duval County. The salon will provide insight into how a vaccine is brought to market, how vaccines are tested for safety, the challenges of getting vaccines to the public and new hope for using vaccines to fight cancer.

WWLP Massachusetts, Choosing the healthiest diet by Erika Edwards — One of the inevitable truths about getting older is that we lose brain volume, making us more vulnerable to memory problems and disease. Now a new study of nearly a thousand older adults finds the Mediterranean Diet can protect against brain shrinkage. Those who regularly consumed plenty of fruit, vegetables, olive oil, beans and grains throughout their lives did not lose as much brain volume in their 70’s as people who strayed more often from the diet. “So the reduced loss in the people who adhered to the Mediterranean diet would in general be expected to protect them from developing dementia,” says Mayo Clinic neurologist Dr. David Knopman.

Advisory Board, It's tough to telecommute in health care. Here's how Mayo Clinic does it. — According to Global Workplace Analytics, about 3 percent of the U.S. workforce telecommutes at least half the time, an increase of 103 percent since 2005. Yvonne Chase, manager of patient access and billing services for Mayo Clinic's Florida and Arizona campuses, and Lynne Hildreth, director of revenue cycle and patient access at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, says letting employees work remotely at their organizations has been worthwhile. Chase says it is also important to ensure workers stay productive at home. For instance, her Mayo Clinic campuses ensure workers have a clean, quiet place to work remotely. "We visit workers' homes and have them send us pictures of their home offices … and if workers move, they are obligated to let us know," she says.

Sacramento Bee, New advice: Peanuts in baby's diet can prevent scary allergy — Division Chair of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology in the Mayo Clinic Children's Center, Martha Hartz, M.D., explains the connection between food allergies and asthma. Dr. Hartz comments on higher risks for children with asthma, whom should be tested for peanut allergies and how to know when it’s okay to expose children to peanut butter at a very early age to prevent peanut allergies. Additional coverage: Sun Herald

San Diego Union-Tribune, Your best chances for losing weight and keeping it off by Paul Sisson — In its rankings released Wednesday, U.S. News & World Report chose these eating regimens as not only beneficial for weight loss but also for long-term nutrition and specific areas of health. (tie) – Mayo Clinic: Developed by the fabled health network of the same name, it features a customized food pyramid that emphasizes fruits, vegetables and whole grains – items that have “low energy intensity,” meaning you can eat more of them but rack up fewer calories. Sweets and other foods also are calibrated to specific periods of the dieting schedule.

WEAU Eau Claire, Janet Jackson sparks conversations about older mothers — Doctors say older woman can face different health factors compared to pregnant women in their twenties. “In the more elderly patients, when she's pregnant that she feels that pregnancy a lot more than when she's in her 20's because as you can imagine there's weight change, there's muscular skeletal changes; that really takes a toll, and we feel that a whole lot more if we are 40,45,50 compared to 20,” said Dr. Suzette Peltier, OBGYN. Peltier says she recommends woman to be in the best health possible if they want to expand their family.

WQOW Eau Claire, Eau Claire doctor gives tips on keeping kids safe in the cold by Claire Sarafin — On Wednesday, the Mondovi Police Department was called after a child was reportedly spotted outside not dressed appropriately for the freezing cold temperatures. Sue Cullinan, M.D., the Medical Director of Emergency Medicine at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, told News 18 Thursday there's no set temperature or amount of time that could cause you child harm. She said that all depends on the individual. That's why she encourages parents to keep a close eye on their kids when they're playing in the cold weather and suggests they come inside every so often. "Younger kids start playing and they actually don't even notice it," Dr. Cullinan said.

Healthcare IT News, Mayo Clinic teams up with Groupon founder's machine learning startup Tempus to personalize cancer treatment by Jack McCarthy — Mayo Clinic's Center for Individualized Medicine and genomic sequencing specialist Tempus announced a collaboration to provide personalized treatment for cancer patients based on analytics and machine learning technologies. As part of two research projects, Mayo will tap Tempus for molecular sequencing and analysis of some 1,000 patients, spanning bladder, breast, melanoma and lung cancers. Tempus’ bioinformatics analytics and machine learning tools will generate data that Mayo Clinic's research teams can use to better understand biomarkers that novel therapeutics can be applied to treat. Additional coverage: Hospitals & Health Networks

Modern Healthcare, Wayfinding apps finding their way into hospitals by Meeri Kim — …Other health systems are developing their own digital wayfinding technologies. In 2012, the Mayo Clinic's in-house technologies produced a free smartphone app to help patients and visitors find their way through its 59-building campus. The Mayo Clinic Patient app includes interior maps and turn-by-turn directions to any destination on campus, along with more health-focused capabilities like appointment management and lab results.

Mankato Free Press, Study: Minnesota tops midwest in melanoma instances by Brian Arola — Minnesota has the highest melanoma incidence rate among midwestern states, according to a new study by JAMA Dermatology. From 2003 to 2013, Minnesota was also among 21 states total to see both its skin cancer incidence and death rates rise in the study. More screenings and education should lead to lower cancer and death rates, but that doesn’t appear to be happening for melanoma yet, said Dr. Stephan Thome, oncologist at Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato. “It’s a bit worrisome because it can be a highly lethal cancer if it’s not caught early,” he said.

Inforum, Ask yourself tough questions when it comes to work-life balance by Pamela Knudson — It’s a great time to take stock and reflect on what is right about your life, those things you are happy with, and what aspects you’d like to change. For example, getting too wrapped up in a job can drain you of time and energy, and leave you with too little time for self care and for being available for loved ones. “It may be that the job fulfills you in some way, such as pride of accomplishment, and that’s a need you have,” said Brooke Werneburg, resiliency specialist and wellness coach at the Mayo Clinic Health Living Program. “Or you have enjoyable relationships at work.”

Cardiology News, Regenerative medicine is likely game changer for cardiovascular disease by Susan London — Regenerative medicine has much to offer the cardiovascular field, although there is still a way to go before it is ready for routine clinical application, according to Andre Terzic, MD, PhD, director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Regenerative Medicine and a professor in Cardiovascular Diseases Research at the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minn. “This is a true paradigm shift in how we are approaching patients from a more traditional fighting of disease, whether it’s in the vascular or cardiac arena, to ultimately really where regenerative medicine is driving: rebuilding vascular and heart health,” Dr. Terzic maintained.

Live Science, Women's Microbiomes May Give Cancer Warning by Sara G. Miller — A woman's microbiome may signal if cancer is lurking in her body, a small new study suggests. In the study, researchers at the Mayo Clinic looked at the microbes found in women's reproductive tracts, and found that women with one type of uterine cancer had different microbes than women without this cancer.

Austin Herald, Mayo urges steps to prevent norovirus — After seeing an uptick in norovirus cases, Mayo Clinic Health System doctors are urging people to take precautions to prevent the spread of illnesses that cause vomiting and diarrhea. “Because there is no medication or treatment for norovirus, prevention of the illness is your best bet,” said Dr. Jessica Schoen, who works in Emergency Medicine with Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea and Austin. “Prevention is up to each of us, which includes staying home when you’re sick so you don’t spread the virus to others. Prolonged vomiting and/or diarrhea can pose a risk of dehydration for infants, young children, the elderly, and those with chronic medical conditions so it’s important to drink plenty of fluids.” Additional coverage: Albert Lea Tribune

WKBT La Crosse, Early introduction to peanuts prevents allergies — New national guidelines say it may be beneficial to introduce children to peanuts when they are infants. "If you're not allergic, early introduction can be helpful, if. If you've developed an allergy, like to egg or to peanut already, then you have to follow avoiding those foods in your diet,” Dr. Douglas Nelson, an allergist at the Mayo Clinic Health System, said.

No Plane No Gain, Mayo Clinic Enhances Medical Transportation Fleet With Fixed-Wing Capability — A blue and grey Beechcraft-Textron King Air 350C has been plying the skies in the Midwest and other parts of the country since late September, but what’s inside the airplane may be surprising. On any given day, the twin-engine turboprop aircraft may be delivering a heart for immediate transplant, transporting a surgeon to a hospital to provide expert assistance with a life-saving operation or bringing a patient in need of specialized care to the Mayo Clinic facility in Rochester, MN. The new King Air, along with a dedicated fleet of four American Eurocopter EC145 helicopters and a team of 35 pilots, 10 aircraft mechanics and a number of medical support staff, make up the Mayo Clinic Medical Transport (MCMT). The aircraft are owned and operated by the world-renowned Mayo Clinic, which has a large primary campus in Rochester and counterpart campuses in Arizona and Florida, as well as other medical facilities in the Midwest.

Mankato Free Press, Same doctor, new role: Former regional Mayo CEO adjusting to role in hospice care by Brian Arola —    When Dr. Greg Kutcher stepped down after nine years as CEO and president of Mayo Clinic Health System’s southwest Minnesota region, he didn’t think much about retirement. Instead, he went right back to work, this time as medical director of the system’s hospice and palliative care program. He’s now been in the role for about four months, and says much work remains. At the top of his to-do list is giving families who could benefit from hospice care a better understanding of what it entails. “I do believe that hospice care is underutilized,” he said. “There are many patients who never get in hospice who if they did would benefit from it.”

Post-Bulletin, Mayo endorses CDC's new HPV vaccine recommendations by Brett Boese — The Mayo Clinic Cancer Center is one of 69 members of the National Cancer Institute who issued a joint statement Wednesday endorsing updated HPV vaccination guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It's considered a significant move because the number of cancer cases associated with HPV continues to rise in the United States, while vaccination rates remain quite low. "The HPV vaccine is a proven way to prevent certain types of cancer, but it's not being used widely enough," said Dr. Robert Diasio, Director of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center. "We want people to know this is an opportunity to prevent cancer and save lives."

Post-Bulletin, Mayo's microbiome study targets diabetes — The CDC says it's "working to reverse the U.S. diabetes epidemic by tracking disease trends, focusing on prevention, identifying effective treatments, and improving medical care." Mayo Clinic's Dr. Heidi Nelson, director of the microbiome program within the Center for Individualized Medicine, says a nutrition and microbiome study currently underway at Mayo Clinic could prove beneficial in that fight. The study, run by Mayo's Kelly Lyke, will track 500 local participants for a full week while measuring activity, sleep and food intake.

Post-Bulletin, For moderate to severe COPD, two types of bronchodilators may be necessary by Tom Jargo — DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I was recently diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Why do I have different inhalers?...Some bronchodilators offer quick relief. These are called short-acting bronchodilators. They typically start working in 15 to 30 minutes, and last about four to six hours. Your doctor may prescribe a short-acting bronchodilator if your COPD is mild and you only have symptoms every once in a while. Examples of short-acting bronchodilators are albuterol (ProAir HFA, Ventolin). Long-acting bronchodilators usually are prescribed when symptoms occur frequently. These medications act as maintenance therapy by keeping symptoms from developing in the first place. — Paul Scanlon, M.D., Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester.

KTTC, Liberian boy travels to Rochester for treatment at Mayo Clinic with help from Samaritan's Purse — A young boy has made a long journey to Rochester as he begins a road to a healthier future at Mayo Clinic. Sampson traveled to Rochester from Liberia with the help of Samaritan's Purse and a $155,000 GoFundMe campaign. He has been suffering from a deformity that completely covers one of his eyes and part of another. Sampson's father, the only parent in his life, died from ebola two years ago. Sampson lived in a tropical jungle village in Liberia and was greeted in Rochester with friendly faces and a warm winter coat. He will receive treatment at Mayo Clinic in the days to come.

KIMT, Mayo Clinic surgeons find success transplanting organs from older donors by DeeDee Stiepan — Transplant surgeons at Mayo Clinic were inspired to expand their criteria for using deceased donor organs in order to help more patients on the transplant waiting list. They began trails using older livers from donors 65 years and older, and it’s proven to be successful. In fact, Charles Rosen, M.D. the Chair of the Division of Transplant Surgery at Mayo says in certain cases, using older organs are just as effective as younger ones. “We’ve found that we can achieve excellent results and it now comprises a fairly significant, about 10% of the patients that get a transplant at Mayo Clinic Rochester have transplants done with an older donor organ,” Dr. Rosen explains.

KTTC, Mayo Clinic research identifies new potential breast cancer treatment — Mayo Clinic doctors may have found a new way to keep breast cancer from spreading. Mayo Clinic researchers have identified a drug already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that can help regulate a protein known to help spread breast cancer by metastasis. The author of the study, Dr. Zhenkun Lou, said more research is needed, but if backed up, the new findings could play a major role in cancer treatment in the years to come.  Additional coverage: Post-Bulletin

AccuWeather, 6 unexpected ways winter affects your health by Stephanie Coons — Asthma: Asthma is a condition in which the airways narrow and swell. According to Dr. Jeahan Colletti, an emergency medicine physician at the Mayo Clinic, extreme cold weather causes airways to tighten, making breathing even more difficult for individuals who suffer from asthma. In addition, cold weather increases the respiratory rate, which leads many people to breathe through their mouths.

Medical News Today, Spread of triple-negative breast cancer could be halted with existing drug by Honor Whiteman — Study co-author Dr. Matthew Goetz, leader of the Women's Cancer Program at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, and colleagues suggest that CDK 4/6 inhibitors may also be effective for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer. According to Dr. Goetz and colleagues, previous research has shown that CDK 4/6 inhibitors are ineffective in reducing the growth of cancer cells in triple-negative breast cancer. While the new study confirmed these findings, the team found that CDK 4/6 inhibitors may be effective for halting the spread of cancer cells to other areas of the body - otherwise known as cancer metastasis - in triple-negative breast cancer.

Healthcare IT News, Rise of digital health technologies sparks urgent need for identity management, experts say by Chris Nerney — Mayo Clinic IT managers suggest identifying practical solutions, then instituting governance and change management policies around identity management. “When we have users on our system, do we know if they’re the good guys or the bad guys?” asks Brian Decker, senior manager at Mayo Clinic and program manager for the clinic’s Identity Management Platform. “Who actually are users? Are they appropriate users? Who has access to what and why? Who’s accountable for our users’ access?” The bottom line, Decker says, is “you’ve got to be sure the right people have the right access to the right things at the right time, and nothing else.”

LifeZette, Stop Demonizing Wheat by Carleen Wild — Researchers at the Mayo Clinic stated in the January issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings: "In contrast to public interest in following a GFD, it remains uncertain whether there is any benefit of following a GFD for people without gluten-related conditions." In other words, a GFD may not be doing you any good — if you don't need to be gluten-free.

Becker’s Hospital Review, Mayo Clinic shares 6 tips for avoiding norovirus by Brian Zimmerman — While one can contract norovirus any time of the year, the infection is more common in the winter. According to the CDC, norovirus contributes to approximately 570 to 800 deaths and between 56,000 to 71,000 hospitalizations annually. Symptoms of norovirus typically manifest 12 to 48 hours after viral exposure and can include fever, headache, body ache, stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. "Because there is no medication or treatment for norovirus, prevention of the illness is your best bet," said Jessica Schoen, MD, an emergency medicine physician with Mayo Clinic Health System's locations in Albert Lea and Austin, Minn.

WDAZ Grand Forks, 12-year-old Minnesota girl inspires others after heart transplant by Jana Holingsworth — The call came at 2:38 a.m. Kiarra Dixon's wait on a heart transplant list was over, and her family had a four-hour window to get from Duluth to Rochester's Mayo Clinic. But Dixon, a seventh-grader at Lincoln Park Middle School, refused to go. "I freaked out. I went from being a 12-year-old to a 3-year-old in about five seconds," Dixon said, about the late September call. The Dixons arrived at Mayo Clinic by 7 a.m. Sept. 20, but surgery would still be 18 hours away. Kiarra couldn't eat, but was in good spirits, Jenny Dixon said. They spent the hours talking and laughing and playing games. She was at peace with what was to come, comforting her brother right before she was taken into surgery.

Wisconsin State Journal, Just Ask Us: How can I get started losing weight? by Shelley Mesch — The way to weight loss comes down to calories, the Mayo Clinic says. People need to burn more calories than they are taking in to reduce excess fat. Increasing the amount of calories burned through physical activity is one part of weight loss, and reducing the number of extra calories consumed from food and beverages is another part of the equation.

Prairie Business magazine, Ask yourself tough questions when it comes to work-life balance by Pamela Knudson — It’s a great time to take stock and reflect on what is right about your life, those things you are happy with, and what aspects you’d like to change. For example, getting too wrapped up in a job can drain you of time and energy, and leave you with too little time for self care and for being available for loved ones. “It may be that the job fulfills you in some way, such as pride of accomplishment, and that’s a need you have,” said Brooke Werneburg, resiliency specialist and wellness coach at the Mayo Clinic Health Living Program. “Or you have enjoyable relationships at work.”

Modern Healthcare, Veterans Health Administration thinks key to interoperability may be in the cloud by Joseph Conn —The goal of the Digital Health Platform is to pull patient data from the VA, military and commercial electronic health record systems, applications, devices and wearables and send it to a patient's healthcare team in real-time…Apervita, one of the participants, operates an online marketplace in which providers and other users of its platform can sell their intellectual property. For example, the Mayo Clinic offers an application that enables users to estimate a heart disease patient's risk of sudden cardiac death and recommends whether an implantable defibrillator is indicated.

itech Post, Debbie Reynolds May Have Died Due To A “Broken Heart Syndrome” by Joana Verdflor — Debbie Reynolds, 84, died just one day after the death of her daughter, Carrie Fisher. Reynolds and Fisher had a close relationship in recent years. This devastating news is a reminder of what pain and grief can do to the body. "Grief is so complicated because there's physiology, there's self-care and then there are a lot of unknowns," said Dr. Sharonne Hayes, professor of medicine and cardiovascular diseases at the Mayo Clinic. "Medicine doesn't entirely understand how grief and hope affect people's life," she added.

Tech Times, New Hope For Breast Cancer Treatment In 2017: Potential Drug Against Metastasis Identified by Maricris Francisco — Breast cancer metastasis may be prevented using a class of drugs that have already been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to the Mayo Clinic. A group of Mayo Clinic researchers has identified that CDK 4/6 inhibitors can regulate a cancer metastasis protein and prevent the spread of triple-negative breast cancer. The announcement was published in the journal called Nature Communications.

Health News Review, BMJ: Can we trust the numbers that define pre-diabetes? — Dr. Victor Montori is a diabetes specialist at the Mayo Clinic who believes it’s important to step back from just focusing on numbers and ask questions regarding what he feels is a neglected bigger picture: “The problem is not simply lowering the threshold of what qualifies as ‘pre-diabetes.’ The problem is adopting a strategy that makes people patients. The potential for medicating healthy people that need to be managed by a system. Also, you are telling people it is their poor judgement, or lack of will power and education that is the problem. What about this environment we live in? I think we scapegoat and blame individuals when what we need is a public health response that makes our communities healthier.”

WEAU Eau Claire, Hospice patients at area hospital get handmade gift by K.C. Brown — Patients in hospice care at Mayo Clinic Health System will be receiving a handmade gift this year. Volunteers for hospice care have knitted “twiddle muffs”. The knitted or crochet unique hand-warmers are adorned with objects for patients to twiddle and keep their hands busy. About a dozen volunteers with Hope Lutheran Church in Eau Claire, and other community members, participated in making the gifts. Volunteers say they love knowing that the work they put into the project stays and helps local people.

Lonsdale News Review, Mayo Clinic Health System in New Prague now offers 24-hour behavioral health services — Mayo Clinic Health System in New Prague is now offering behavioral health services to patients in its Emergency Department via telemedicine. These services include assessment, treatment and placement for outpatient or inpatient behavioral health needs.“On any given day, a number of patients come to our local Emergency Department who are medically stable, but who otherwise are in crisis,” stated Jason Becker, M.D., an emergency medicine physician at Mayo Clinic Health System in New Prague. “Through the use of technology, we can now connect those patients experiencing a behavioral crisis with the right resources when they’re needed.”

Wisconsin State Journal, Exact Sciences touts early results of new cancer screening tests in the works by Judy Newman — A blood test that can identify early cases of lung cancer is showing high levels of accuracy in preliminary tests, Exact Sciences Corp., of Madison, said Monday, and several other cancer tests look promising, as well. With its Cologuard DNA stool test for colorectal cancer used last year by nearly 250,000 Americans, Exact Sciences says it is collaborating with Mayo Clinic on seven more products to screen for cancer. “Our collaboration with Mayo Clinic has identified proprietary methylation markers for most major cancers,” Exact will say, in its presentation to the conference. Methylation is a process used to turn specific genes on or off.

Wired, Think Exercise is Hard? Try Training like a Nike Super-Athlete by Ed Caesar — Running is a simple sport: lace ’em up, and put one foot in front of the other. When I began training to break 90 minutes for the half-marathon, however, the coaches and scientists at Nike decided to make my running life a little more complicated…As a runner, I lived by the haiku written by my friend Mike Joyner, a Mayo Clinic anesthesiologist and former marathoner: Run a lot of miles | Some faster than your race pace|Rest once in a while. Within the parameters of that elegant advice, my training was governed by more important considerations: my family and my job

Twin Cities Business, OneOme Expands Reach To Five More States by Burl Gilyard — OneOme was founded in 2013 and has backing from Minneapolis-based Invenshure LLC, an incubator and venture investor, and Rochester-based Mayo Clinic. The technology underpinning OneOme’s software is licensed from the Mayo Clinic, which co-developed the product. OneOme started selling its product in July 2016; in December, TCB reported that the company had landed its first non-Mayo Clinic customers. On Tuesday, the company announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued “patent-pending” status for the RightMed test and RightMed Advisor, an online tool allowing providers to interpret test results.

Prevention, 11 Effective Solutions For Heartburn by Karyn Repinski — Eat smaller meals. Relaxing while you eat can also help, so try not to eat on the run: When you're relaxed, you tend to chew your food more completely, gastric and intestinal juices flow more freely, and digestive muscles contract and relax normally, according to the Mayo Clinic on Digestive Health.

MSN, New Study Warns Moms-to-Be: Don't Take Heartburn Medicine — Using the health records of more than 1.3 million children, researchers from Scotland and Finland found that when pregnant moms took drugs like Nexium or Prilosec, their kids were a third more likely to visit a doctor with asthma symptoms later on. If you're not one of the 25 million Americans with asthma (that's one in 12!), the condition causes wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness and coughing, according to the CDC. For some people it's a pesky part of day-to-day life, but the Mayo Clinic says it can also cause life-threatening attacks.

McGraw Hill, 5 Facts About Physician Depression, Burnout, and Suicide — There are a number of resources and suicide prevention services available from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention for physicians who struggle with depression and burnout in an effort to combat this epidemic of physician suicides. AFSP, in conjunction with the Mayo Clinic, and the ACGME produced After Suicide: A Toolkit for Residency/Fellowship Programs. This toolkit gives advice to program directors and team leaders who must deal with the suicide of one of their students.

Red Wing Republican Eagle, Know the ABCs of vitamins by Michael Brun —The start of a new year can be a source of inspiration to get healthy, and for some that means a renewed focus on nutrition. But how much of a good thing is too much when it comes to taking vitamins? "It is always best to ask your primary provider or pharmacist about the specifics of a vitamin, if you are planning to start one or are having problems from taking it," according to Dr. Scott Benson, a family medicine physician at Mayo Clinic Health System in Cannon Falls.

Medical Daily, 5 Myths And Facts About Light Therapy: This Bright Treatment’s Effect On Your Brain by Elana GLowatz — Myth: Light is harmless: Just because you can’t feel a medicine going through your veins doesn’t mean there can’t be side effects. In addition to potentially affecting sensitive skin and eyes, the Mayo Clinic says eyestrain, headaches, nausea or irritability may occur, although it is often mild and goes away after a short period.

Southeast Sun Alabama, 4 mindful strategies for a healthy 2017 — Losing weight and increasing exercise commonly make the top of New Year's resolution lists. Yet many people fall short of their wellness goals each year. What can you do differently in 2017 to ensure you’re among those who succeed? “Mental health and taking time for yourself can greatly improve your chances of achieving your health and wellness goals,” says the Mayo Clinic. “It’s important to realize that changing any behavior is often a complex process that requires you to address the mental as well as physical aspects of the change you want to achieve.”

Alzforum, Dementia Risk Ticks Up Near Major Roadways — If confirmed, the data suggest a major global health concern for millions of people, Walter Rocca at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, wrote to Alzforum . Researchers are particularly intrigued by the findings because air pollution represents a modifiable risk factor. Rocca believes that improved air quality in high-income countries in recent decades might explain some of the drop in dementia incidence. “If this hypothesis is correct, further emission control policies and traffic reduction interventions may impact the future risk of dementia,” he wrote.

Prensa Libre, ¿Por qué se producen los sangrados nasales? — Un sangrado ocasional de la nariz no es motivo de preocupación ni tampoco es peligroso, aunque es recomendable acudir al médico, si los sangrados se vuelven regulares y molestos, explica el médico Paul Takahashi, de Atención Primaria de Medicina Interna de Mayo Clinic en Rochester, Minnesota. La mayoría de los sangrados nasales son fáciles de tratar con esas recomendaciones…

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