July 21, 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

 

US News & World Report
Mayo Clinic Launches New $1B Electronic Records System

Mayo Clinic officials say a $1 billion project launched by the health care provider will combine all of its electronic health records into a single, upgraded computer system. Mayo Clinic Health System sites switched to the new system by Wisconsin-based Epic Systems Corp. on Saturday, the Post-Bulletin reported. It allows all medical personnel involved to see informationUS News Best States Logo about a patient's medications, allergies and health issues. "By applying the world's most forward-thinking technology and processes to our electronic health records and collaborative care systems, our experts will be even more connected in delivering the high-value care, research and education that Mayo is known for and patients deserve," said Christopher Ross, a spokesman for Mayo Clinic.

Additional coverage: American Nursing Informatics Association, Healthcare IT News, Star Tribune, Post-Bulletin, KSTP, Mankato Free Press, Albert Lea Tribune, KEYC Mankato, Fierce Biotech, WQOW La Crosse, Becker’s Hospital ReviewSFGate, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, Austin Daily Herald, Milwaukee Business Journal, EHR Intelligence, KTTCHealthcare Informatics, DOTmed.com 

Reach: US News reaches more than 10 million unique visitors to its website each month.

Context:  Mayo Clinic has started the process of moving to a single, integrated electronic health record and billing system with the implementation of Epic at its Mayo Clinic Health System sites in Wisconsin. Mayo Clinic Health System sites in Wisconsin began implementing Epic last weekend. Mayo Clinic Health System sites in Minnesota are scheduled to go live in November 2017, followed by Mayo Clinic’s Rochester campus in May 2018 and Mayo Clinic’s campuses in Arizona and Florida in October 2018. More information can be found on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Contact: Rhoda Fukushima Madson

 

Star Tribune
Mayo joint venture looks for new uses for drug molecules
by Joe Carlson

A new venture between the Mayo Clinic and a Boston-area artificial intelligence firm will work with drug companies to discover whether molecules researched for treatment of one disease can effectively treat other conditions. The month-old Star Tribune newspaper logoresearch company is called Qrativ and will target conditions for which current treatments are lacking. Mayo’s partner in the joint venture is Cambridge-based Nference. “Mayo’s interest in this is not only will we be making new therapies for patients, but I believe that this is also going to enhance Mayo’s research capabilities,” said Mayo’s Dr. Andrew Badley, an infectious disease specialist who directs Mayo’s Office of Translation to Practice. “Already we’ve used the Nference platform for a few investigators at Mayo, which has led to new insights and new associations that have advanced the progress of science tangibly.”

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

Additional coverage: Xconomy, Fierce Biotech

Context: Recently, Mayo Clinic and nference launch a startup company for drug development that will be powered by clinical expertise and artificial intelligence (AI). The company, named Qrativ(pronounced cure-a-tiv) will combine nference’s AI-driven knowledge synthesis platform with Mayo Clinic’s medical expertise and clinical data. Qrativ seeks to discover and develop treatments for diseases with unmet medical need. This effort is being boosted by an $8.3 million Series A financing supported by Matrix Capital Management, Matrix Partners and Mayo Clinic. Qrativ’s initial focus will be on rare diseases and highly targeted patient populations. More information can be found on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Contact: Duska Anastasijevic

 

HuffPost
Obesity: An Individualized Approach Doubles The Success Rate Of Weight Loss Therapy

In the new Obesity Clinic within Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine, a multidisciplinary team selects therapy for each patient based on his or her genetic and biological characteristics, environment and behavior. The new approach is alreadyHuff Post Logo dramatically increasing treatment success and pioneering the application of precision medicine to treat chronic diseases. The Obesity Clinic is open to anyone who is overweight or obese and wants to lose weight.

Reach: The Huffington Post attracts over 38.7 million monthly unique viewers.

Context: Individualized medicine, also known as personalized medicine or precision medicine, means tailoring diagnosis and treatment to each patient to optimize care. Patients have experienced this kind of care for a century and a half at Mayo Clinic, where teams of specialists have always worked together to find answers. The Center for Individualized Medicine solves the clinical challenges of today and tomorrow by bringing the latest discoveries from the research laboratory to your doctor's fingertips in the form of new genomics-based tests and treatments.

Contacts: Colette GallagerSusan Buckles

 

HuffPost
Study Pioneers Use Of Pharmacogenomic Data In Electronic Health Record

Each one of us has a unique genetic makeup, and we all respond differently to drugs. In recent years, precision medicine has Huff Post Logomade headlines by predicting the possibility an individual may develop a specific disease — think BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic mutations linked to breast and ovarian cancer. But that is just the tip of the genomic iceberg, says Richard Weinshilboum, M.D., director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine’s Pharmacogenomics Program and the Mary Lou and John H. Dasburg Professor of Cancer Genomics. “When you look at the clinical application of genomics, everyone thinks of cancer — and this is appropriate, because cancer is a genomic disease,” Dr. Weinshilboum says. “However, the aspect of clinical genomics that will affect everyone everywhere is pharmacogenomics,” or how an individual’s genetic makeup influences how the body responds to medications.

Reach: The Huffington Post attracts over 38.7 million monthly unique viewers.

Context: Individualized medicine, also known as personalized medicine or precision medicine, means tailoring diagnosis and treatment to each patient to optimize care. Patients have experienced this kind of care for a century and a half at Mayo Clinic, where teams of specialists have always worked together to find answers. The Center for Individualized Medicine solves the clinical challenges of today and tomorrow by bringing the latest discoveries from the research laboratory to your doctor's fingertips in the form of new genomics-based tests and treatments.

Contacts: Colette Gallager, Susan Buckles

 

Post-Bulletin
Gehrig-signed ball completes a circuit
by Brett Boese

A baseball signed by New York Yankees legend Lou Gehrig is finally home — with a story to tell. Mayo Clinic has opened a new display at Heritage Hall, its free museum staffed by volunteers, to display a baseball Gehrig signed for a Rochester boy in 1939 just before he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which is often called Lou Gehrig's disease.Logo for Post-Bulletin newspaper That boy — Rochester native Bob Tierney — cherished the artifact for decades before selling it to Rochester businessman Andy Chafoulias in December 2014, shortly before Tierney's death. Chafoulias and his 13-year-old daughter, Taylor, immediately donated the ball to Mayo, sparking more than a year of planning and preparation before the display recently opened along the back wall of Heritage Hall.

Reach: The Post-Bulletin has a daily readership of more than 32,000 people and more than 442,000 unique visitors to its website each month. The newspaper serves Rochester, Minn., and Southeast Minnesota.

Context: Bob Tierney connected with Yankees legendary first baseman Lou Gehrig instantly. "We hit it off," says Bob, now 91 years old. The advice the Iron Horse gave the 15-year-old changed his life. The year was 1939. Bob would come to the fields just south of Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, to hit and play catch with the American Legion team, a group of young men in love with the game but with long odds of making a career out of it. Gehrig, too, was looking for the game he'd spent a lifetime mastering. Gehrig was eager to find local players in Rochester when he asked the hotelier, who pointed the Yankees legend to the same fields that Bob and the rest of the boys occupied. More information about this story can be found here.

Contact:  Kelly Reller

Scottsdale Independent, The Mayo Clinic School of Medicine — Arizona Campus launches in Scottsdale — The Mayo Clinic School of Medicine — Arizona Campus has opened its doors to an inaugural class of 50 first-year medical students. This pursuit by the Mayo Clinic, which has been six years in the making, expands one of the most highly sought-after, affordable medical schools in the country to the Valley of the Sun…To facilitate the new medical school, Mayo Clinic redesigned an existing building on its Scottsdale campus into a state-of-the-art learning facility, complete with high-tech classrooms, modern small-group and team study spaces, student lounge, simulation training-style exam rooms and a technology-enhanced anatomy lab, the release states. Additional coverage: ASU NowFOX 2 St. Louis

NPR, Doctor Shortage In Rural Arizona Sparks Another Crisis In 'Forgotten America' by Kirk Siegler — For now, Copper Queen has been able to get around the shortage of family doctors by incorporating telemedicine into its practice. Patients in need of specialty care or other emergency services can get consultations in real time from physicians at the Mayo Clinic. The hospital also has been able to hire more nurse practitioners and physician assistants. But no one knows whether these coping strategies are sustainable. Dickson thinks there is another big problem, beyond the student loan issue, that is being ignored: a shifting immigration policy that is squeezing off the supply of young physicians from outside the U.S.

NPR, That Drug Expiration Date May Be More Myth Than Fact by Marshall Allen — …One pharmacist at Newton-Wellesley Hospital outside Boston said the 240-bed facility is able to return some expired drugs for credit, but had to destroy about $200,000 worth last year. A commentary in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings cited similar losses at the nearby Tufts Medical Center. Play that out at hospitals across the country and the tab is significant: about $800 million per year. And that doesn't include the costs of expired drugs at long-term care pharmacies, retail pharmacies and in consumer medicine cabinets.

NPR, Seeking Online Medical Advice? Google's Top Results Aren't Always On Target by Jacob Margolis —Take for instance the snippets about colloidal silver, a popular homeopathic supplement trumpeted by the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and sold at stores like Whole Foods. It's silver particles in water. Check out the search results: The Mayo Clinic writes that colloidal silver is unsafe, while the WebMD result is unclear. DrAxe.com champions its health benefits. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, part of the National Institutes of Health, colloidal silver can be dangerous and could potentially lead to a condition called argyria, where the user's skin takes on a blue tone.

Reuters, Don't avoid vasectomy for fear of prostate cancer: study by Andrew M. Seaman — Men considering a vasectomy shouldn't worry that the procedure will increase their risk of prostate cancer, researchers say. In a review of past research, they did find a slight increase in the risk of prostate cancer among men who had vasectomies, but the study's lead author said the finding might be due to other factors and should not be a concern.  "It shouldn’t stop you from gaining something that is otherwise very effective for family planning purposes," said Dr. Bimal Bhindi, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Additional coverage: HealthDay, Medical Xpress

Washington Post, Interrupted sleep may lead to Alzheimer’s, new studies show by Tara Bahrampour — Getting a solid night’s sleep is crucial not only for feeling good the next day – there is increasing evidence that it may also protect against dementia, according to new research presented Tuesday at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in London. …It may be in the deepest stages of sleep that the clearing up takes place, said Ronald Petersen, director of the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging. “If you’re only making it to Stage 1 or Stage 2 and then you start choking or snoring or whatever and you wake yourself up and you do it again and again, you may not even be aware of it, but you...may be accumulating this bad amyloid in the brain rather than clearing it,” he said. Additional coverage: Star Tribune, Florida Times-Union

Washington Post, A gunshot destroyed her face. A rare surgery just gave her a new one. by Cleve R. Wootson Jr. — A gunshot wound to the face left a teenager with so much damage that for years doctors knew plastic surgery could only help so much to give her back a regular life.In May, the now-21-year-old woman joined the small but growing ranks of face transplant recipients, doctors announced Tuesday...In February, the Mayo clinic announced that doctors there had performed a successful face transplant on Andrew Sandness, a 32-year old man who had been shot in the face when he was 21. After the surgery, he said he had fresh hope of being normal again. “I am now able to chew and eat normal food, and the nerve sensation is slowly improving, too. My confidence has improved, and I’m feeling great ― and grateful.” Additional coverage: Daily Mail

CBS News, Blood test holds promise for earlier pancreatic cancer detection by Mary Brophy Marcus — "What we found is a biomarker panel that's very cheaply, conveniently assayed in the blood and that uses conventional methods used by diagnostic centers around the country. So it could be used to detect pancreatic cancer at stages 1 and 2," study author Kenneth Zaret, director of the Penn Institute for Regenerative Medicine, told CBS News. The 5-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer patients is only 7 percent, and it's projected to become the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States by 2020.Zaret worked with Gloria Petersen, from the Mayo Clinic, to identify a pair of biomarkers that physicians could soon use to discover the disease earlier.

TIME, Norovirus Is the Worst. Here's What to Know About It by Sarah Begley — Norovirus is a stomach bug that causes inflammation of the stomach or intestines. As a result, symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain and fever. According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms usually come on between 12 and 48 hours after exposure to the virus and last between one and three days. While contagion is low after a couple of days, you could continue to shed the virus for up to eight weeks.

Chicago Tribune, American runners have never been slower, a new report says — but why? by Amby Burfoot — Mayo Clinic health and endurance expert Michael Joyner has been following marathon trends for more than 40 years. He notes several reasons for slowing marathon times. First, most runners no longer aspire to performance goals, as they did in the 1970s and 1980s. Second, the marathon has become a "suburban Everest," where the goal is to reach the summit rather than to test one's limits. And third, a kinder-gentler zeitgeist encourages a broader range of body types to enter marathons. "There aren't a lot of people who want to run more miles, add interval training and lose weight," says Joyner. "But that's what it takes to run faster marathons."

Chicago Tribune, Dealing with knee pain — According to Mayo Clinic, it is time to see a doctor if you can't bear weight on your knee without pain. To determine the cause of the pain, the doctor might order an X-ray of the knee to look for fractures or signs of disease. In some cases, a CT scan might be used to allow the doctor to see cross-sectional images of the knee to detect bone problems. Ultrasound or MRI are two other diagnostic tools which allow the doctor to see the soft tissue structures like ligaments, tendons, cartilage and muscles inside and around your knee to determine if they are cause of the pain.

FOX News, Herbal Viagra: Just plain dangerous by Dr. Manny Alvarez — Because doctors don’t have to prescribe herbal supplements, people often mistake them as low-risk with few side effects. What they don’t realize is that herbals can have the same potency as traditional medicine. They have highly active ingredients and can interact with other drugs. Because of their potency, they can influence health for the worse if not used correctly. According to Dr. Landon Trust, a urologist at the Mayo Clinic, men are endangering their health by taking herbal Viagra. Normally, a doctor would evaluate a man’s overall health to give him the right prescription with the right dosage. If he has underlying health problems, the doctor may look into other options.

CNBC, Former Google exec is teaming up with the Mayo Clinic to help prevent a major cause of sudden death by Christina Farr — The same type of machine learning technology that can automatically organize Google photos might someday be used to prevent sudden death. That's the vision of Vic Gundotra, chief executive officer of medical technology start-up AliveCor and a former executive at Google. Gundotra announced on Wednesday that his company is teaming up with the Mayo Clinic to develop tools to screen for a heart rhythm condition called Long QT that causes thousands of deaths per year. Additional coverage: MobiHealthNews, MedCity News, Fierce Biotech, Cardiovascular Business

MSN South Africa, Five things you can learn about health just by looking at your fingernails. by Luca Lavigne — 2. Horizontal ridges. Also known as Beau's lines, horizontal ridges are more likely to signify a deeper issue. The Mayo Clinic explains, “Conditions associated with Beau’s lines include uncontrolled diabetes and peripheral vascular disease, as well as illnesses associated with a high fever, such as scarlet fever, measles, mumps and pneumonia."

SELF, Could You Be at Risk for Hepatitis C? by Korin Miller — For some people, hepatitis C is a short-term illness, the CDC says, but for up to 85 percent of people who contract the disease, it’s a chronic infection that can cause long-term health problems and even death. Unfortunately, about half of people don't know they're infected with hepatitis C, according to the Mayo Clinic. That's because the infection is usually silent for years, meaning a person can have it and not realize it. Once they do develop symptoms, they typically include bleeding easily, bruising easily, fatigue, a poor appetite, jaundice (i.e., yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes), dark-colored urine, itchy skin, weight loss, and swelling in the legs, the Mayo Clinic says.

Romper, What Causes A Miscarriage In Early Pregnancy? Here's What You Should Know by Abi Berwager Schreier — What are some signs you may be having a miscarriage? The Mayo Clinic noted that vaginal spotting or bleeding, pain or cramping in your lower back or abdomen, and fluid and tissue passing are some signs, and you should seek medical attention immediately. "If you have passed fetal tissue from your vagina, place it in a clean container and bring it to your health care provider's office or the hospital for analysis," the Mayo Clinic's website recommended.

Bustle, 7 Things That Might Not Look Like Anxiety, But Are by Mia Mercado — Feeling anxious is a normal part of the human spectrum of emotion, like feelings of sadness or being overjoyed. So, knowing when the anxiety you’re experiencing requires medical attention can be especially difficult. As Mayo Clinic explains on their website, “people with anxiety disorders frequently have intense, excessive and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations.”

Healthline, Pharmacogenomics Is Ushering in a New Era of Personalized Prescriptions by Patrick Keeffe — Dr. Richard Weinshilboum, whom some have called the father of pharmacogenomics, has been a pioneer in this field of research for three decades. He’s also an internist, professor of medicine and pharmacology, as well as co-medical director of the pharmacogenomics program at the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine. Richard Weinshilboum, whom some have called the father of pharmacogenomics, has been a pioneer in this field of research for three decades. He’s also an internist, professor of medicine and pharmacology, as well as co-medical director of the pharmacogenomics program at the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine.

Medscape, Melanoma, Parkinson's: See One, Be Aware of the Other by Nick Mulcahy — Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) have about a 4-fold increased risk of having preexisting melanoma and those with melanoma have a similar risk of developing PD, according to new retrospective, case-control analyses. Despite the significantly heightened risks, the authors of the combined study stopped short of strongly recommending screening for all such patients. I think that the results of the study have to be replicated by others before coming out with stronger guidelines," said senior author, Jose Pulido, MD, MPH, from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. "In the meantime, I think that this should at least raise our awareness of the possible reciprocal association," he told Medscape Medical News.

Live Science, People with Alzheimer's May Have More Bacteria in Their Brains by Rachael Rettner — Although more research is needed to confirm the findings, the study may provide evidence to support the hypothesis that inflammation — including inflammation from bacterial infections — contributes to Alzheimer's disease, the study's researchers said. Alzheimer's is a progressive brain disease in which brain cells become damaged and die, leading to shrinkage of the brain, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Healio, Caffeine intake lowers risk for death — Moderate caffeine intake was associated with a decreased risk for all-cause mortality, regardless of the presence or absence of coffee consumption, according to findings recently published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. “Few studies have investigated the association between daily caffeine intake and mortality, and no study has yet evaluated the effects of caffeine intake compared with no caffeine intake,” Tetsuro Tsujimoto, MD, PhD, National Center for Global Health, Tokyo, and colleagues wrote.

New York Times, McCain’s Surgery May Be More Serious Than Thought, Experts Say by Denise Grady and Robert Pear — The condition for which Senator John McCain had surgery on Friday may be more serious than initial descriptions have implied, and it may delay his return to Washington by at least a week or two, medical experts said on Sunday. The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, has already announced that votes on a bill to dismantle the Affordable Care Act will not begin until Mr. McCain’s return. A statement released by Mr. McCain’s office on Saturday had suggested that he would be in Arizona recovering for just this week, but neurosurgeons interviewed said the typical recovery period could be longer. The statement from Mr. McCain’s office said a two-inch blood clot was removed from “above his left eye” during a “minimally invasive craniotomy with an eyebrow incision” at the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix, “following a routine annual physical.” Surgeons there are not conducting interviews. Mr. McCain’s communications director, Julie Tarallo, said further information would be made public when it became available. Additional coverage: Associated Press, Washington Post, Star Tribune, Bloomberg, WMUR Manchester, New York Magazine, Modern Healthcare, ABC News, New York Daily News, Chicago Tribune, New York Post, Arizona Republic, NBC Connecticut, USA Today, NBC News, Slate, KVOA Tucson, KGUN, MedPage Today, Grand Forks Herald, Seattle Times,  Business Insider, Yahoo! News, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Reuters, Senate delays healthcare vote as McCain recovers from surgery by David Morgan — The U.S. Senate will delay its consideration of healthcare legislation while Arizona Republican Senator John McCain recuperates from surgery, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said on Saturday. McCain's surgeons removed the clot during a minimally invasive craniotomy through an incision in the 80-year-old lawmaker's eyebrow. Tissue pathology reports would be available within the next several days. "Thanks to @MayoClinic for its excellent care -- I appreciate your support & look forward to getting back to work!" McCain, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on social network Twitter late on Saturday.

Associated Press, McCain colleague says senator 'sounding strong' post-surgery — Arizona Sen. John McCain is "sounding strong" as he recovers from surgery to remove a blood clot above his eye, his closest Republican colleague in the Senate said Monday. "They found the spot and it looks like everything is going to be A-OK," South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham told reporters after speaking to McCain. "He wants to come back so bad he can't stand it. I think they won't let him fly for a week. But I think he would walk back if they would let him." McCain, 80, underwent surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona last Friday.

MedPage Today, Bim Biomarker Predicts, Monitors Responses to anti-PD-1 Therapy by Mark Fuerst — "While the field is currently using programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in melanoma tissues as a potential biomarker for cancer immunotherapy, our study proposes a less invasive T-cell biomarker that can be measured in the peripheral blood," the study's senior author, Haidong Dong, MD, PhD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., explained. "Our biomarker can be measured at multiple time points before and during treatment, and can be used to pre-select patients who are most likely to derive benefit from anti-PD1 therapy, and to monitor treatment response during treatment."

Managed Healthcare Executive, Population health expert highlights medicine’s “third pillar” by Donna Marbury — Natalia Wilson, MD, MPH, authored the “Population Health” chapter of the Health Systems Science textbook that is expected to be used in medical schools across the country. The book was released in December 2016, and is a first in an effort by the American Medical Association (AMA) to educate medical students about the “third pillar” of medicine. This education initiative includes patient safety, quality improvement, teamwork, leadership, healthcare policy and economics, clinical informatics and population health. The textbook was co-written by members of AMA’s Accelerating Change in Medical Education consortium. “Population health is a dynamic area that is continually evolving, thus necessitating innovation in our approach to teaching, frequent update of our teaching materials, and consideration of new methods of practice for medical students and trainees,” says Wilson, a clinical associate professor at the School for the Science of Health Care Delivery at Arizona University, who teaches at the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine.

Becker’s Hospital Review, Mayo Clinic, Jvion launch cognitive computing tool to reduce avoidable inpatient deaths by Alia Paavola —Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic and Jvion, a cognitive software developer, released a cognitive computing tool to help reduce preventable inpatient deaths. The bedside patient rescue tool identifies patients at risk and in need of intervention by measuring data such as patient frailty and other hospital system metrics. The BPR tool will be installed in Jvion's Cognitive Clinical Success Machine, which measures internal and external factors in a patient to identify risks and recommendations. Additional coverage: Healthcare Dive, Healthcare GuysHealthcare IT News

SELF, How Worried Should You Actually Be About Drug-Resistant Gonorrhea? by Korin Miller — According to the CDC, gonorrhea is the second most commonly reported notifiable disease in the U.S. In 2015, the most recent year for which data is available, 395,216 cases of gonorrhea were reported in the U.S. Gonorrhea is especially concerning for women, since it can cause tubal infertility, ectopic pregnancy (where a pregnancy progresses outside the uterus), and chronic pelvic pain. Even scarier: gonorrhea often has no symptoms. When symptoms do appear, they can manifest as pain during urination, increased vaginal discharge, bleeding between periods, pain during sex, and pelvic pain, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Chemical & Engineering News, Mayo Clinic researcher says you’re using bar graphs wrong by Celia Henry Arnaud — If you’re a biomedical researcher and you’re using bar graphs to plot continuous data, Tracey L. Weissgerber has one word for you: “Stop.” Weissgerber, a physiologist at Mayo Clinic, is on a crusade to change the way biomedical scientists and others who work with biological samples present their data. She’s especially keen for people to trade bar graphs for other types of plots that reveal, rather than obscure, the underlying data points…

Digital Journal, Mayo Clinic’s new start-up to tackle diseases using AI by Tim Sandle — Mayo Clinic and the technology company nference have launched an innovative new startup to discover, develop treatments for diseases that are not currently addressed through existing medical technology. Central to the new company will be a mix of established medical expertise (from Mayo Clinic’s team) and artificial intelligence (using nference’s computer experts). The new company will be called Qrativ. The new organization will set-out to discover and develop treatments for diseases which have an unmet medical need. This includes a range of rare diseases affecting specific patient populations.

South Florida Reporter, Do Cholesterol Medications Work For Older People? —The risk of having a heart attack or stroke increases with age. Having high cholesterol is a known risk factor, and many people over 65 are on statins, which are cholesterol-lowering medications. Dr. Stephen Kopecky, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist, says statins are beneficial for a large number of older people, especially those with known cardiovascular disease or those at high risk. However, the medication may not always be the best option for others.

Good4Utah, What are the symptoms and treatments for Scoliosis? by Tyson Romero — Scoliosis is an abnormal shaping of the spine. It commonly happens in children, but adults can be affected as well. To learn more about scoliosis, we were joined by Dr. Jeremy Fogelson from the Mayo Clinic.

News 13 Orlando, John McCain has brain cancer, Mayo Clinic says — Sen. John McCain has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Staff at the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix says surgery McCain underwent to remove a blood clot above his left eye was associated with a tumor known as glioblastoma. McCain is recovering from the surgery well, according to doctors and he and his family are looking at treatment options, including chemotherapy and radiation. Glioblastoma is an aggressive tumor that forms in the tissue of the brain or spinal cord. Statement from Senator John McCain.

KARE 11, Cancer patient drives 1,000 miles to thank marrow donor by Boyd Huppert — Michelle desperately needed a bone marrow transplant, but no one in her family provided the necessary match. About that time a phone rang in the suburban Twin Cities home of Peter Favilla…August, two years ago, Peter checked into the Mayo Clinic. While he was sedated, surgeons removed with needles, from Peter’s pelvis, more than one-and-a-half liters of bone marrow. Peter’s marrow was flown to Houston and funneled by an IV tube in Michelle’s blood stream. “Within 24 hours or so, it was part of Michelle,” Peter says.

Twin Cities Business, Mayo Continues Venture Funding of Gut Microbiome Companies with Latest Stake by Don Jacobson — The Mayo Clinic is continuing to place venture capital investment bets on the promise of the human gut microbiome as an avenue for the advancement of medical science. After taking equity stakes in San Francisco-based Second Genome in 2014 and again last year, as well as in Israeli startup DayTwo earlier in 2017, it was revealed last week that Mayo Clinic Ventures has also taken part in a $50 million Series B financing round for Evelo Biosciences of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Minnesota Public Radio, Rochester's affordable housing shortage threatens job growth by Catharine Richert — As she packed her belongings in her downtown Rochester apartment, Brittany Dubbels said her wish list for a new place was short. "We needed an extra bedroom for the baby — a big thing. More space. And we were really looking for a house with a backyard because we have two dogs that need to run," she said.  Dubbels is a housekeeper at the Mayo Clinic making $17 an hour. Her boyfriend trims trees. Together, they make on average $3,000 a month. That might seem like enough for rent in Rochester. But with most two-bedroom rentals starting at more than $1,000, the city's housing is unaffordable for the couple.

KTTC, Rochester residents talk Discovery Square during open house by Chris Yu — Described as an "urban life science hub," Discovery Square is a cornerstone of Destination Medical Center. And on Tuesday evening, developers and designers updated the public about the project. They had an open house at Bleu Duck Kitchen in Rochester, where residents got to ask questions and brainstorm ideas. Discovery Square is a proposed four-story, 88,000-square-foot building that would be located at the corner of 2nd Avenue Southwest and 4th Street Southwest, according to developer Mortenson Company.

KAAL, In-Depth at 6:30: Warrior Wagons — The parents of an Austin boy who lost his battle with cancer are giving back to help other families whose children were recently diagnosed with cancer. We were there when 2-year-old Drew Becker was surprised by Santa in December and in January when the Make-A-Wish Foundation surprised him with a trip to Disney World. Drew died about one week after returning home from that vacation. During his battle with stage four neuroblastoma, Drew spent 160 days at Mayo Clinic Hospital, Saint Marys Campus. Drew’s mom and dad, Heidi and Josh Becker started a non-profit called "Warrior Wagons" after a collapsible wagon was given to them during Drew’s treatment and turned out to be very helpful.

Post-Bulletin, Study: Mayo Clinic overprescribing opioids after surgery by Brett Boese — An internal study has found that 80 percent of opioid prescriptions after surgery at Mayo Clinic exceeded new guidelines, raising red flags as opioid deaths have become an epidemic across the country… "In light of the opioid epidemic, physicians across the country know overprescribing is a problem, and they know there is an opportunity to improve," said Dr. Elizabeth Habermann, senior author of the study and scientific director of surgical outcomes research in the Mayo Clinic Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery. "This is the first step in determining what is optimal for certain surgeries and, eventually, the individual patient." Additional coverage: News-medical.net, KAAL

Post-Bulletin, Good news for QT syndrome patients by Brett Boese — Mayo Clinic researchers published a study Monday that offers new hope for patients suffering from long QT syndrome, a potentially-fatal heart rhythm condition…"Although long QT syndrome is a potentially lethal syndrome, when it is recognized and treated, sudden death should almost never happen," said senior author Dr. Michael Ackerman, director of Mayo Clinic's Long QT Syndrome/Genetic Heart Rhythm Clinic in Rochester. "The expectation needs to shift from merely preventing sudden death to enabling these patients and their families to live and thrive despite the diagnosis. Hopefully, the results of this study should be reassuring and encouraging to these families who live with long QT syndrome." Additional coverage: Science Daily

Post-Bulletin, Sleep study to diagnose sleep apnea often can be performed at home by Tom Jargo — DEAR MAYO CLINIC: Based on my snoring and from everything I've read, I think I may have sleep apnea. But I don't want to spend a night at the hospital for sleep testing. Is there an easier way to know if I have sleep apnea? Can I somehow test for it at home?... A diagnosis of sleep apnea usually does require a sleep study, but that test doesn't always have to be in a hospital or other health care facility. Home tests are often recommended for people suspected to have sleep apnea. — Eric J. Olson, M.D., Center for Sleep Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester.

Post-Bulletin, City prepares for state DMC funds by Randy Petersen — According to the report filed with DEED, $297.7 million had been invested in local construction efforts during a four-year period starting in 2013. Last year saw $145.3 million in private investment, with the largest share — $107.2 million attributed to Mayo Clinic spending. The nearly $38.1 million in additional private investment ranged from $12.5 million spent on the 501 on First Apartments to $200 used to alter a rental unit on Fifth Avenue Northwest. Under DMC legislation, the city receives $2.75 for each $100 spent beyond the initial $200 million in private investment.

MedCity Beat, 'She is my best friend': Mayo patient has sister to thank for life-saving transplant — This past September, at the age of 11, Jack was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a form of cancer in which the bone marrow produces too many immature lymphocytes (a form of white blood cells). In need of a bone marrow transplant, doctors began testing family members to find a potential donor. As it turned out, his twin sister Kaylie was a perfect match…Asked about their experience at Mayo Clinic, Jack, who had been shy up until this point in the interview, jumped into the conversation with enthusiasm: "It's fantastic. I mean, those nurses are so kind and nice to me ... They made me feel like family."

Clearfield Progress, Tour of Mayo Clinic School of Medicine in Arizona — An animated tour of the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine campus in Scottsdale, Arizona. Mayo Clinic School of Medicine is a premiere medical school with a unique national footprint, with locations in Rochester, MN; Jacksonville, FL; and Scottsdale/Phoenix, AZ.

Austin Daily Herald, Mayo Clinic Health System; Check-ups offered for school-age children — For most students, the previous school year is a distant memory as summer vacation is in full force. Summer is also a great time to make sure your children are up-to-date on their immunizations before the back-to-school rush begins. “It is a good idea for parents to schedule a school physical every other year after age 6,” says Dr. Vijay Chawla, a pediatrician at Mayo Clinic Health System. “The needs of each child are unique, so taking the time to discuss the following topics in-depth ensures all health and safety factors are addressed as your child grows.”

Clearfield Progress, Hurricane safety: Staying safe and healthy during severe weather — Severe weather can happen anywhere. Dr. Michael Boniface, emergency medicine physician from Mayo Clinic's campus in Jacksonville, Florida, provides some tips for staying safe and healthy before a hurricane or other storm hits. Additional coverage: Hartford City News Times

WKBT La Crosse, Dragon boat competitor prepares for race day by Madalyn O’Neill — The Big Blue Dragon Boat festival celebrating breast cancer patients and survivors has become a La Crosse area tradition. Now in its fifth year, festivities kick off this weekend. Debbie Koenig has been paddling in the dragon boat races since they first began in La Crosse five years ago. She said plenty of hard work goes into preparing for the races...Mayo Clinic Health System-Franciscan Healthcare hosts the event, with opening ceremonies starting Friday night at 6 p.m., followed by youth races.

WXOW La Crosse, New Molecular Breast Imaging technique to improve cancer detection by Tianna Vanderhei — A new method of screening is currently available at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Florida, and Arizona. Franciscan Healthcare in La Crosse will be the very first Mayo Clinic Health System to offer the technique full time and the only one in the La Crosse area. Dr. Richard Ellis, Breast Care, Radiology, and Imaging at Mayo Clinic in La Crosse said the new tool using Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI) is improving the detection of abnormalities. "The greater the amount of milk producing gland tissue, which demarcates the density of the breast-the harder it is for us to identify breast cancer. And the reason for that is breast tissue appears white on the mammogram and most cancers will also appear white," said Ellis.

Kenyon Leader, New retail pharmacy and Wellness Center grand opening by Mary Phipps — Mayo Clinic Health System’s continued commitment to the community will be showcased during the grand opening celebration of the new Mayo Clinic Pharmacy and Wellness Center. After only three months of construction, contractors are putting the finishing touches on the new spaces as equipment and products are being delivered. The new spaces will be ready in time for a July 28 grand opening event. The public is invited to a ribbon cutting ceremony at 1:30 p.m. and tours from 2-5 p.m.

KEYC Mankato, Uncertainty About Future Of Health Care Policy by Shawn Loging — The latest attempt to repeal and replace Obamacare appears dead after two more Republican senators came out against the plan. The uncertainty going forward was one of many topics discussed at a forum July 18 looking at the future of health care. Region Vice President, Mayo Clinic Health System southwest Minnesota region Dr. James Hebl said, "There's a lot of questions out there, a lot of uncertainty, a lot of unknowns right now." Area city and business leaders are trying to get some answers to their health care questions at a forum hosted by Greater Mankato Growth.

Fillmore County Journal, Fillmore Central Schools sets 2017 eligibility meeting — The eligibility meeting for 2017-2018 Minnesota State High School League activities will be held at Fillmore Central High School varsity gym in Harmony on Monday, July 24, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. All students entering grades 7-12 and planning to participate in any sports, band, choir, or other MSHSL activities, MUST attend this meeting with at least one parent/guardian. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a concussion presentation for parents by Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine.

WEAU Eau Claire, Initiative aims to improve mental health of Chippewa Valley youth by Jessica Bringe — Eighteen organizations from Chippewa and Eau Claire counties have come together to form the coalition over the past year as well as complete the first phase of the initiative. Now, the coalition is gearing up to implement phase two…Director of community engagement and wellness at Mayo Sara Carstens said, “We're all coming into this together realizing that problems that we're facing with mental health are so massive. We'll be much more able to impact the issue by working together and pooling our resources, our expertise, our time and coming together to make a bigger, broader impact that will hopefully last.”

Clay Center Dispatch, Making Mayo's Recipes: Capture flavor when cooking fresh vegetables — Each Friday one of the 100+ tasty video recipes from the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program is featured on the Mayo Clinic News Network, just in time for you to try at the weekend. You can also have the recipes delivered via the Mayo Clinic App.

Salem News, Infectious Diseases A-Z: Salmonella safety — Salmonella infection is one of the most common forms foodborne illness in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 1 million people become sick, and and 380 people die each year from the bacterial disease. Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, a Mayo Clinic pediatric infectious diseases specialist, says Salmonella bacteria are often found in poultry products, "so chicken and eggs tend to be the biggest culprits."

Williston Daily Herald, Mayo Clinic Minute: Do cholesterol medications work for older people? — The risk of having a heart attack or stroke increases with age. Having high cholesterol is a known risk factor, and many people over 65 are on statins, which are cholesterol-lowering medications. Dr. Stephen Kopecky, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist, says statins are beneficial for a large number of older people, especially those with known cardiovascular disease or those at high risk. However, the medication may not always be the best option for others.

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