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

 

STAT
Doctors fear mental health disclosure could jeopardize their licenses
by Leah Samuel

Medicine is grappling with rising levels of physician burnout, one of the factors driving high rates of depression and suicide in the profession. Now, a new study shows, those concerns break down along geographic lines — and in those states whose licensure applications ask the most sweeping questions about mental illness, physicians are most likely to be reluctant to seek treatment. The problem lies in how they ask, said Mayo Clinic professor and internist Dr. Liselotte Dyrbye, who led the study. “In some states, the question is really broad, as in, ‘Have you ever been treated for a mental health condition?'” she said. “It’s simply not a fair question.”

Reach: STAT covers the frontiers of health and medicine including science labs, hospitals, biotechnology board rooms, and political back rooms. Hosted by The Boston Globe, STAT has more than 603,000 unique visitors to its web site each month.

Additional coverage: Doctors Lounge,  Becker’s Hospital Review

Previous coverage in October 13, 2017 Mayo Clinic in the News Weekly Highlights

Context: Despite growing problems with psychological distress, many physicians avoid seeking mental health treatment due to concern for their license. Mayo Clinic research shows that licensing requirements in many states include questions about past mental health treatments or diagnoses, with the implication that they may limit a doctor's right to practice medicine. The findings appear in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. “Clearly, in some states, the questions physicians are required to answer to obtain or renew their license are keeping them from seeking the help they need to recover from burnout and other  emotional or mental health issues,” says Liselotte Dyrbye, M.D., a Mayo Clinic physician and first author of the article. More information about the study can be found on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Contact:  Bob Nellis

 

Today.com
America's 'silent killer' is still out of control: Here's how to stop it
by Aliyah Frumin

Although it's a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, less than half of adults — 48 percent — with the condition actually have it under control, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. “The fact that we’ve made no progress on controlling hypertension is disappointing, although not entirely surprising,” Dr. Sharonne N. Hayes, a cardiologist and founder of the Women’s Heart Clinic at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, told TODAY.

Reach: The TODAY Show reaches an average daily audience of 4.25 million viewers each week. Today.com, the website for NBC's TODAY show receives more than 23.9 million unique visitors each month.

Context:  Sharonne Hayes, M.D. is a Mayo Clinic cardiologist. Dr. Hayes studies cardiovascular disease and prevention, with a focus on sex and gender differences and conditions that uniquely or predominantly affect women. With a clinical base in the Women's Heart Clinic, Dr. Hayes and her research team utilize novel recruitment methods, social media and online communities, DNA profiling, and sex-specific evaluations to better understand several cardiovascular conditions. A major area of focus is spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), an uncommon and under-recognized cause of acute coronary syndrome (heart attack) that occurs predominantly in young women.

Contact: Traci Klein

 

ActionNewsJax
New therapy at Mayo Clinic helps cancer patients keep hair
by Erica Bennett

It’s a process that looks a little strange -- and for those who have gone through it, it's one that feels even stranger. “Essentially, your head is frozen for seven hours. It’s not comfortable, but it's worth it and it kind of feels like an ice cream headache,” Kristin Ferguson said. Ferguson got “cold cap” treatments at Mayo Clinic while she was battling breast cancer earlier this year. For Ferguson and many other women, the thought of losing hair was daunting…“While the chemo is circulating around in our body, we can try to preserve certain part of our body by keeping them cold," Dr. Saranya Chumsri, a breast cancer specialist at Mayo, said.  Ferguson said going through breast cancer is tough enough, so having one less thing to worry about like losing your hair is a blessing. She hopes her cold cap story encourages women far and wide.

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

Previous coverage in the October 13, 2017 Mayo Clinic in the News Weekly Highlights

Context: Saranya Chumsri, M.D., is a Mayo Clinic medical oncologist.

Contact:  Paul Scotti

 

First Coast News
Harmonicas help transplant patients learn to breathe again
by Juliette Dryer

Larry Rawdon first spoke with First Coast News for a different story, where he chronicled how the harmonica helped him rehabilitate his diaphragm after his second lung transplant. Tuesday, Larry returned to the Mayo Clinic to teach breathing exercises using the harmonica to a room full of heart and lung transplant patients… Rawdon has been teaching harmonica classes to transplant patients at the Mayo Clinic since 2013. He also teaches private lessons to those in need. Dr. Francisco Alvarez with Mayo Clinic’s lung transplant program called the diaphragm the most important muscle for breathing. “If your diaphragm couldn’t move you literally couldn’t breathe,” Dr. Alvarez said. “And that’s why it’s so important for the purpose of aspiration.”

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

Context: After surviving two separate lung transplant procedures in 2005 and 2008, musician Larry Rawdon is sharing new ways of healing through music with other patients at Mayo Clinic in Florida. It was, after all, music that led him to Mayo Clinic and aided in his recovery after he was diagnosed in 2002 with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. You can read more about Larry's story in this Sharing Mayo Clinic piece. Larry told his story in The Wall Street Journal and you can also read about it in Mayo Clinic In the Loop.

Contact:  Paul Scotti

 

HealthDay
Who's Most at Risk of Head Injury in Youth Football?
by Dennis Thompson

About 8 percent of the head impacts that occurred during youth play and practice were hard enough to be classified as high-magnitude, the researchers found. One neurologist put that into perspective. "That's equivalent to getting punched in the head by a boxer," said Dr. David Dodick, a professor of neurology with the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz. "No one would want their 9-year-old or 11-year-old punched in the head or involved in a boxing match, but that's the kind of force some of these kids are exposed to regularly."

Reach: HealthDay distributes its health news to media outlets several times each day and also posts its news on its website, which receives nearly 405,000 unique visitors each month.

Additional coverage: KTTC

Context: David Dodick, M.D. is a Mayo Clinic neurologist.

Contact:  Jim McVeigh

Forbes, Is The U.S. Healthcare System Terminally Broken? by Arlene Weintraub — Four healthcare experts sat down recently at the Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation’s annual conference to debate that exact question. The winning contenders in the debate—who were crowned after polling both the live audience and those following along on the Web—had an answer to the question that may seem surprising. Yes, the healthcare system is struggling, they argued, but the problems are fixable. Therefore it is not terminally broken.

Forbes, Excessive Exercise May Harm The Heart, Study Suggests by Alige G. Walton — The new study, published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, looked at data from almost 3,200 participants taking part in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study. Participants, beginning the study as young adults, reported their physical activity and had physical exams at least three times (and up to eight times) during the 25-year study period. Physical activity scores were calculated based on how much each participant exercised and with what intensity. Some participants fell into a group that did not meet the recommended 150 minutes/week; another group met the 150 minutes/week; and a third group exercised excessively: 450 minutes/week, or three times the recommended amount. Additional coverage: Miami Herald, Sacramento Bee, Cardiovascular Business, Medical News Today

Men’s Health, Yes, There Is Such a Thing as Too Much Exercise—Here's What to Watch Out For by Christa Sgobba — Love exercise? Turns out, too much of it may actually put your heart at risk. According to a new study in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings, people who exercise well above the current recommendations—150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week—may actually be at higher risk of early heart disease. They discovered that people who exercised at three times the recommended guidelines, which would come out to at least 450 minutes of moderate physical activity per week, were 27 percent more likely to show significant levels of coronary artery calcium than those who exercised less than 150 minutes per week. Additional coverage: Express UK, Daily Mail, New York Post

Reader’s Digest, 9 Fatty Liver Symptoms You Need to Watch Out For by Claire Nowak — The most common liver disorder in the U.S., nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an accumulation of excess fat in liver cells, taking up 5-10 percent of the entire organ. Typically, consuming too much alcohol is a primary cause of fat build-up in the liver, but those with NAFLD may not drink much alcohol at all. Approximately 30 percent of the entire U.S. population has this disease, and Dr. Harmeet Malhi, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic, says it is the leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide.

Reader’s Digest, This Is the Absolute Best Anti-Aging Workout, According to Science by Brooke Nelson — Mayo Clinic researchers recruited 72 sedentary adults ranging from 18 to 80 years old and assigned them to one of three 12-week workout programs: high-intensity interval cycling, strength training with weights, or a combined strength-training and cycling plan. Throughout the study, the research team tracked volunteers’ progress via improvements in their leg strength, lean muscle mass, oxygen capacity, and insulin sensitivity. They also biopsied tissue samples and analyzed cells from the volunteers’ thighs. All three exercise groups showed improvements in their lean muscle and aerobic capacity by the end of the 12-week session, the researchers reported. However, only those in the high-intensity interval training (HIIT) group reaped the most benefits in their mitochondrial performance, or the cell’s ability to convert oxygen into energy.

Bloomberg, Why Having a Baby Pushes Women Out of Medicine by Rebecca Greenfield — Erin O’Brien (Mayo Clinic ENT surgeon) tried to get pregnant at a more convenient time. Granted, when you’re a surgeon-in-training, there’s never a great time to have a baby—but O’Brien, then an ear, nose and throat resident at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, was aiming for a three-month window during a research stint, her only respite from 80-hour work weeks and hours-long operating-room stretches. Life, as is its wont, didn’t work out that way. After two miscarriages, she gave birth in 2007, halfway through her last year of residency. Like many medical residents, O’Brien forwent maternity leave, against the advice of her doctor. She’d already been accepted to a fellowship with a strict start date; she couldn’t extend her training any further. Instead, she used up all her days off, sent her newborn to day care, and returned to work, often ducking into a shower stall mid-surgery to pump breast milk.

Los Angeles Times, PSA tests aren't great for diagnosing prostate cancer. Here are some better options in the works by Chris Woolston — The test measures the amount of prostate specific antigen, or PSA, in the blood. This protein is produced in the prostate and tends to spike in men with cancer…The PHI test, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administrationin 2012, uses a different scale than the PSA test. If your PHI score is below 27, there’s only about a 10% chance that you have cancer, according to the Mayo Clinic. If your score is above 55, there’s about a 50% chance you have cancer.

KABC Los Angeles, 5 habits to help keep your mind sharp by Denise Dador — Researchers who are part of a Mayo Clinic team say there are five strategies that can help keep your brain sharp. Those healthy brain habits are being studied to see if they can help people with mild cognitive impairment stem the tide of decline..Fred Guggenheimer said his wife of almost 60 years was just diagnosed with dementia. He said it's very tough to watch the disease progress. "I've seen her sit there and just put her hands, cause you know she's confused. And then she just cries," Guggenheimer said. But a Mayo Clinic program called "The Habit" may be able to help people like Guggenheimer's wife. Clinical neuropsychologist Glenn Smith is a part of the Mayo research team that developed program, which is based on habit-healthy actions to boost independence and thinking.

CBS News, Are you drinking enough water? The importance of staying hydrated as you age by Lauren Meltzer — Prolonged or repeated bouts of dehydration can lead to serious health problems such as heatstroke, kidney failure, bladder infections and seizures, according to Mayo Clinic experts. "Even (with) mild dehydration, you end up getting confusion, dizziness, headaches," Dupree said. "If you don't have enough water, you get fatigue, you get muscle weakness."

FOX News, California looks to 'green-ify' death after Brown signs water-cremation bill by Edmund DeMarche — Vice’s Motherboard interviewed Terry Regnier, director of anatomical services at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, last summer about water cremations. He said he believes the method will be the wave of the future. “I think if people understand it a little bit more, they might not be so confused,” he said. “They might embrace change a little bit more positively.” He mentioned that, under the procedure, titanium joint replacements are retrieved intact and could be used again for future patients.

NPR, Age-Defying Athletes May Provide Clues For The Rest Of Us — Tom Brady, now 40, still is the gold standard for NFL quarterbacks. Late-30-something tennis stars Venus Williams and Roger Federer had major championship success this year. And baseball star Ichiro says he wants to play into his 50s. This isn't new. There's a scattering of aging outliers throughout sports history, but there's a bunch now, says Dr. Michael Joyner. He studies exercise physiology at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota…

SELF, Everything You Need to Know About Allergy Shots by Nina Bahadur — Inhalant allergens like grass, pollen, weeds, dust mites, and pet dander can cause nasal symptoms like an itchy or runny nose, or lung-based symptoms like asthma and wheezing. Food allergies work the same way. If you’re allergic to something like peanuts, your body recognizes peanut proteins as an allergen and produces Immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies. According to the Mayo Clinic, food allergy symptoms can include vomiting or diarrhea, hives, shortness of breath, throat tightening, and life-threatening anaphylaxis.

BuzzFeed, Here’s Why Some People Feel Sick If They Read In The Car by Caroline Kee — We spoke to Joanne Feldman, MD, polar expedition physician and assistant clinical professor at UCLA’s Department of Emergency Medicine and Jane Rosenman, MD, pediatrician at Mayo Clinic Children’s Center… "People often get it from reading in the car because their eyes are focusing on a steady thing, the book, but the inner ear senses motion, so your brain gets confused and you feel sick," Rosenman says. Some people can read on car or plane rides and they’re fine, others can’t, and that just means they’re more prone to motion sickness than other people. It totally depends on the person.

Quartz, Oral sex has helped HPV spread to 1 in 9 American men by Katherine Ellen Foley — The most common sexually transmitted infection is becoming even more widespread in part thanks to the rise in popularity of oral sex. From 2011 to 2014, the number of men with an oral HPV infection rose from one in 13 US men in 2012 to to one in nine, or about 11 million in total, in 2014. Roughly 7.3% of these cases were “high-risk” strains that have been known to lead to cancer… The good news is, throat cancer is highly treatable. “Overall treatment-related cure rates are upwards of 90%,” says Eric Moore, a head and neck surgeon at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota—meaning that five years after treatment, 90% of patients are cancer-free. Still, Moore advises that everyone should be vaccinated for HPV. And of course, to practice safe sex with new partners, which means using a condom for oral sex.

HuffPost, Warts Aren't Just For Witches: Here's What You Should Know About Them by Chloe Tejada — Common warts: These are small, grainy skin growths that usually appear on your fingers, hands, or toes. According to the Mayo Clinic, they feature a pattern of tiny black dots, which are clotted blood vessels. Generally, they feel rough to the touch.

Romper, How To Relieve Pregnancy Carpal Tunnel, Because You Have Enough Going On by Cat Bowen — According to the Mayo Clinic, poor posture is also a risk factor for carpal tunnel because it compresses the neck and spine, which affects the wrists and hands. Maintaining good posture during pregnancy is complicated at the best of times, and when you're in pain, it seems impossible. How to relieve pregnancy related carpal tunnel is tricky, but the Mayo Clinic had a few tips, like keeping your hands warm because cold hands are more likely to sense the nerve pressure, and keeping your hands and wrists level with splints.

How Stuff Works, People Sleep More Soundly With Their Dogs in the Bedroom ... With One Exception by Alia Hoyt — Many people see dogs as legit members of the family, so it's no surprise that dog and owner often wind up snoozing side by side. But are these pet parents sacrificing their own sleep quality? Researchers at the Mayo Clinic's Arizona campus recently sought to uncover the truth, with some surprising results…"Most people assume having pets in the bedroom is a disruption," says Lois Krahn, M.D., a co-author of the study and a sleep medicine specialist at the Mayo Clinic, in a press statement. "We found that many people actually find comfort and a sense of security from sleeping with their pets."

Refinery 29, When Should You Take A Pregnancy Test? by Cory Stieg — So, when should you take a pregnancy test? Ideally, the best time to take a home pregnancy test would be the day after your missed period — in other words, a full week after your first missed day, according to the Mayo Clinic. Taking a test at this time ensures that your results will be the most accurate they can be, which is around 99%, according to a 2014 study (and pretty much every pregnancy test box).

FiveThirtyEight, A Blood Test Promised To Make Me A Better Runner, But It Just Made Me Worry I Pee Too Much by Christie Aschwanden — I did talk to my doctor, who advised me not to panic. When you start testing healthy people, she said, it’s not unusual to get some incidental findings — things that look a little off but don’t signify anything worrisome. Michael Joyner, a physician and human physiology researcher at the Mayo Clinic, agreed. Because my creatinine level was a bit high, Joyner said, it was almost inevitable that my eGFR would also be off, because it is calculated based on creatinine levels. “That’s the easy explanation, but if you showed that data to the average clinician, you could get a big kidney workup out of it,” Joyner said. Had my doctor been less well-versed on the dangers of testing the so-called “worried well,” I could have been sent down a spiral of escalating testing that ultimately cost me money, time and anxiety without making me any healthier.

International Business Times, Stressed by high blood pressure? Here's 5 natural ways to curb hypertension by Bikash Rai — Maintain your weight: Doing physical exercise daily is a very important factor as it assists to keep your body fit and healthy. "Blood pressure goes up as weight does, so, losing just 10 pounds can help reduce your blood pressure," noted Mayo Clinic. Even if you think doing heavy physical exercise would be a tough job, you could still walk briskly for an hour or two which would help to keep your body fit physically.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Protect your hearing while hunting — For many people, autumn colors and cool mornings signal the beginning of the long-awaited hunting season. Gun safety is important to most hunters, but some other lesser-known precautions are overlooked. “I’m an avid sportsman, and I’m amazed by how many people don’t wear hearing protection when they shoot guns,” says Thomas Lowry, M.D., an otolaryngologist at Mayo Clinic Health System. “I see patients every week with hearing loss, and a large number of those patients have a history of noise exposure without the use of hearing protection.”

Atlanta Reporter-News, Weight gain puts middle-age women at risk for several problems — “This population of women faces multiple challenges for maintaining a healthy weight,” said Dr. Ekta Kapoor, a Mayo Clinic endocrinologist and the study’s lead author. “Mood changes, sleep disturbances, hot flashes and the many other changes of menopause can disrupt what may have previously been a healthy lifestyle.” Mayo Clinic Women’s Health researchers recommend primary care providers screen this population of women for being overweight, and establish behavioral interventions, including psychological support, regular physical activity and changes in eating habits.

Citrus County Chronicle, What Glen Campbell taught us by Ed Youngblood — The result of this decision is “I’ll Be Me,” a documentary of Campbell’s final year on the road, from September 2011 to November 2012. No one knew how long he could function on tour; how long he would be able to play; how long he would remember his lyrics. At mid-tour, when Glen and Kim visited the Mayo Clinic for a checkup, Campbell’s doctor expressed astonishment. It was his opinion that Campbell’s dogged determination to pursue his music as long as possible had been good for him, enabling him to stay sharp and functional longer than had he retired to a more sedentary life.

HealthDay, Nearly 4 in 10 U.S. Adults Now Obese by Dennis Thompson —  The increase in youth obesity is of particular concern because these children are at greater risk for lifelong health problems, said Dr. Seema Kumar, a childhood obesity specialist with the Mayo Clinic. Kumar said she regularly sees children with diseases that used to be considered adult-only, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and fatty liver disease. "Because rates of obesity are so high, despite all the advances we're seeing, our children may live less healthy and shorter lives than their parents," Kumar said. "We're going to have a much higher number of adults with diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease down the line."

Medscape, Menopause Triggers Metabolic Brain Changes Linked to Alzheimer's by Megan Brooks — Reached for comment, Walter Rocca, MD, a neurologist and epidemiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, said the study "is a next step in the work conducted over the years by Dr Diaz Brinton and her team. Dr Diaz Brinton has proposed that some metabolic changes related to menopause and to the decrease in sex hormone production by the ovaries may be an early step in the chain of events leading to the pathological brain changes underlying cognitive decline and dementia. "It remains unknown whether the bioenergetic dysfunction precedes the deposition of amyloid or follows the deposition of amyloid in the most common form of late-onset dementia (late-onset Alzheimer's disease). A lot of the work supporting the hypothesis has been done in animal models or cell cultures. This paper is bridging previous laboratory work with clinical work," said Dr Rocca.

AccuWeather, Now is the time to protect yourself from the flu by Bianca Barr Tunno — Experts won’t make specific predictions about the upcoming influenza season because the severity of the season varies from year to year, but they do suggest flu shots and simple, preventative measures to keep illness at bay. “Generally, people with influenza are very ill. To put it in simple terms, they look like they’ve been hit by a bus,” said Dr. Mark Beahm, a family medicine doctor with the Mayo Clinic Health System. “They’re very achy and tired. They complain of headaches, sore throat, body aches, joint aches, and they often times have high fevers and a cough.” In most cases, Beahm said he doesn’t treat flu patients with antiviral medications because many times, it’s too late. Patients have had their symptoms for several days and at that point, he said using an antiviral medication would be ineffective. Additional coverage: FOX News

NJ.com, Playing with heart: How N.J. teen went from death’s door back to football field by Matthew Stanmyre — Suddenly, Nick Zahos stopped breathing. His eyes rolled back in his head. His face turned red and sweaty. His throat gurgled as he struggled for air.On Feb. 27, Nick and his family flew to Minnesota to consult with renowned genetic cardiologist Michael Ackerman of the Mayo Clinic. Ackerman tested for all of the known heart conditions capable of causing sudden cardiac arrest. When everything came back normal, Ackerman diagnosed Nick with the default designation idiopathic ventricular fibrillation, which means that while he suffered sudden cardiac arrest, they don’t know why it happened. Additional coverage: Bleacher Report

Digital Health, Mobile health and apps news in brief by Shireen Khalil — Minnesota-based nonprofit medical practice The Mayo Clinic is now providing basic health information and advice on Amazon Alexa-enabled devices. Owners who have downloaded the Mayo Clinic First Aid app voice their concerns to receive answers to dozens of everyday health issues or other self-care instructions. It is the first health guidance skill Mayo Clinic has developed and launched for Amazon Alexa. The organisation cautions that The Mayo Clinic First-Aid does not replace medical care and should not be used in emergency situations.

MedPage Today, Electronic Nose Promising for Barrett's Esophagus Detection by Nancy Walsh — A noninvasive "electronic nose" device that analyzes exhaled volatile organic compounds showed promise as a screening tool for Barrett's esophagus, a researcher reported here. In a study comparing breath samples from patients with untreated Barrett's esophagus and those without Barrett's esophagus undergoing endoscopy for other reasons, a predictive model found that the sensitivity of the test was 89%, specificity was 71%, accuracy was 79%, and area under the curve was 0.81, according to Kavel Visrodia, MD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. "The prognosis for advanced esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) remains dismal. However, while persons with Barrett's esophagus (the only known precursor of EAC) undergo surveillance, over 90% of EACs are diagnosed outside of surveillance programs, which suggests that current screening and surveillance programs are inadequate," Visrodia reported.

MedPage Today, Deep Learning May Help Detect Colon Polyps by Alexandria Bachert — Jonathan A. Leighton, MD, of Mayo Clinic Arizona, who wasn't involved in the study, said that while research on visual gaze patterns has been going on for the last few years, using computers to pick up abnormalities is relatively new. "We go to medical school and we learn a lot of things, but vision is not something that everyone studies or analyzes. Sometimes if you have a polyp miss rate it might be just because it's hard to visualize the entire screen," he told MedPage Today.

Medscape, Frozen Gloves, Socks Reduce CIPN in Patients With Breast Cancer by Pam Harrison — Getting patients with breast cancer to wear frozen gloves and socks for 90 minutes while receiving weekly paclitaxel chemotherapy significantly reduces objective and subjective assessments of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) across at least 12 treatment cycles, a self-controlled, prospective study indicates. "CIPN is a substantial clinical problem, there is no good prevention of it except to not give the drug or to decrease the dose, and there's limited benefit for treating established neuropathy," Charles Loprinzi, MD, professor of breast cancer research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, told Medscape Medical News. He was not involved in this research and was approached for comment.

Mass Device, Boston Scientific, Mayo Clinic file joint patent for self-centering TAVR cath by Fink Densford — Boston Scientific and the Mayo Clinic recently filed a joint patent application for a new ‘self-centering’ catheter device as a result of a collaborative development deal the two announced last March, according to a Twin Cities Business Magazine report. The new device is being designed to help improve heart valve replacement surgery by improving the process of threading guide wires through shrunken and often times shifted aortic valve openings in calcified hearts, according to the report.

Healthline, Diabetes Drug Can Now Be Used to Treat Obesity by Ginger Vieria — A recently published study from the Mayo Clinic reports that a pharmaceutical weight loss drug already exists and has proven to be effective, even in those who are obese...“Our paper shows that liraglutide, administered for 3 months at the approved dose of 3 milligrams per day, was associated with an average weight loss of 12 pounds compared to an average 6.6-pound weight loss for patients receiving a placebo,” explained Dr. Michael Camilleri, a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic and a senior author of the study.

Practical Pain Management, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Overview — Ulcerative colitis affects the inner lining of the colon (large intestine), while Crohn’s disease can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract from the mouth to the anus. While the exact cause of these conditions is not known, both diseases can run in families. “Both are chronic conditions, which means there is no cure, but they can be managed effectively with medications, with long-lasting periods of remission,” says Darrell S. Pardi, MD, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. “There is a lot of research going on in the area of IBD treatment, and we hope to see new treatment options in the next several years.”

Becker’s Hospital Review, 50 hospital and health system CMIOs to know by Laura Dyrda — Steve Peters, MD. CMIO of Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minn.). Peters is an internist, pulmonologist and critical care specialist with a background in IT and population health. He earned the Excellence in Leadership Award from Mayo Clinic in 2010 and currently serves as co-chair of the health system's EMR Convergence Steering Group. He also has experience as president of the National Association for Medical Direction of Respiratory Care and served as president of the Office and Councilors of Staff for Mayo Clinic Rochester committees.

KJZZ, When Short-Term Memory Fades, Researchers Try Tapping Into Procedural Memory by Carrie Jung — For people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, short-term memory fades first. While this may not seem like the best time in a person’s life to start learning a new skill, researchers at the Mayo Clinic are realizing that learning a new procedure or habit, is not only possible, it could also have long-term benefits for patients as their dementia progresses… We’re not asking them to learn a new list of facts," said Dona Locke, a neuropsychologist at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale. "We’re asking them to learn a new process." She said a program at Mayo called HABIT is trying to do just that: create new habits in their patients with mild cognitive impairment.

Star Tribune, In Minnesota 18 Years, Beloved Doctor Faces Deportation by Farrah Fazal — A shift in U.S. immigration policy to include deporting people without criminal records has resulted in a deportation order for a Minnesota doctor who has spent the past 18 years in the state, and, according to her patients, saved lives. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents said they will enforce Dr. Guan Lee's voluntary deportation order from September of 2011. She's scheduled to Leave Monday…In 2011, a judge ordered her to leave the country, but she was given stays of removal because she wasn't a priority for deportation under President Obama.  The former president's immigration policy prioritized deporting people with criminal records and convictions. As the years passed, and Lee waited for work authorization, she volunteered for medical missions with the Mayo Clinic and Visiting Angels.

Post-Bulletin, How should center honor the Mayo brothers? by Randy Petersen — The Mayo name could drop off Rochester's civic center, but it may find its way inside a prominent entrance of the facility. Wednesday afternoon, the Mayo Civic Center Commission approved sending a pair of resolutions to the Rochester City Council regarding the Mayo name. The first would officially change the civic center's name to the Rochester, MN Convention and Event Center, with the state designation being dropped for local uses.

Post-Bulletin, Strong city-region bond is a marketing angle by Gary Smith — All grants are awarded by the city council and to date $1,047,333 has been granted to support entrepreneurial growth. These grants have been leveraged by an additional $2,835,651 invested by private entities. One of the grantees, Mayo Clinic Business Accelerator (a partnership between the City of Rochester, Mayo and RAEDI), currently houses 20 new companies. These companies have created 65 jobs and raised $38 million of additional funding. Grants were also used to further development of a local regenerative medicine industry.

Post-Bulletin, Twins find hope after addiction by Brett Boese …That scarcity of local access is a key reason why local officials are celebrating the opening of MnTC's new women's facility in Rochester. The $7.1 million facility will soon add 44 beds for long-term addiction treatment and 30 beds for short-term treatment, effectively filling a missing niche in Southeast Minnesota. However, those gains will be offset by Mayo Clinic's recent decision to "pause admissions" at its women's residential unit at Fountain Centers, which opened in 1974 in Albert Lea. Mayo spokeswoman Ginger Plumbo said "critical staffing shortages" forced Mayo's hand at what was once a 50-plus bed facility that could serve up to 12 females. Mayo plans to create a "behavioral health center of excellence" in Albert Lea by combining its residential program at Fountain Centers with its inpatient psychiatric services unit, which is moving from Austin to Albert Lea in 2018 as part of Mayo's optimization plan. It will serve up to 18 men in the residential unit and 16 patients in the psychiatric unit.

KTTC, New Mayo Clinic event celebrates women's health — Women's health was the main focus at a forum Wednesday in downtown Rochester at the Marriott Hotel. The Mayo Clinic Women's Health Research Center and Office of Women's Health hosted its first ever Celebration of Women's Health Research…Mayo's Director of Women's Health Research, Dr. Virginia Miller, says one of the biggest issues still facing women's health is the lack of diversity of participants in clinical trials. "Women are receiving treatments that aren't really tested on women or developed on female animals," she explained. "So, we really feel it's important to emphasize why we need to include female animals in pre-clinical studies and women in clinical trials."

KAAL, Time to Get Your Flu Shot — It was "an ounce of prevention" for some kids in our area. Mayo Clinic Health System conducted flu shot clinics at the school in LeRoy and at the Sacred Heart School in Adams. The vaccine might not prevent you from getting the flu, but if you do get it, the vaccine might make your case less severe. If you've ever been sick, you know how important that can be.

KIMT, Mayo Clinic gathers experts to help fight opioid crisis by Calyn Thompson — Experts in the medical field are trying to fight the current opioid epidemic with individualized medicine. Mayo Clinic has been gathering experts together at the Individualizing Medicine Conference 2017 to start the conversation about the causes and solutions of the opioid epidemic. "People who are prescribing the pain medicines may not be addiction specialists and aren't really thinking about addiction when they're starting that process,” Dr. Timothy Curry, the director of education for the Center for Individualized Medicine, said. ”That's changing. It's a different climate right now. Everyone's aware of the problem.

KIMT, Mayo Clinic hosts conference about individualized medicine by Calyn Thompson — Mayo Clinic along with the Center for Individualized Medicine is hosting the Individualizing Medicine Conference 2017…Dr. Matthew Ferber, who has a Ph.D in clinical molecular genetics, said if someone is curious about their ancestry or health and wellness, they should look into getting a consumer test either from the doctor’s office or at home. “It gets you engaged,” Ferber said. “If you’ve ever cracked open a genetics textbook, they’re pretty dry. But if I sprinkle that information with your own genetic information, I bet I can get you engaged and interested in learning more about genetics and genomics.” Additional coverage: KAAL

La Crosse Tribune, Skemps spread like-father, like-son over four generations by Mike Tighe — Dr. Adam Skemp is continuing the four-generation like-father, like-son Skemp lineage at Mayo Clinic Health System-Franciscan Healthcare in La Crosse. So it’s little surprise that one of the first questions Adam said he has heard during his first few weeks on the job as an internal medicine physician at Mayo-Franciscan is, “Are you related to the Skemps?” An almost equally common question runs something like, “Are you old enough to be a doctor?” the 31-year-old Adam acknowledged with a smile.

WXOW La Crosse, Increase seen in pregnant women with opioid addictions by Emily Young — Phillip Nielsen, a perinatal social worker at Mayo Clinic Health System said that healthcare providers must equip themselves and their staff with the ability to understand where these women are coming from, and be sensitive to what they have experienced in their life, as well as to understand the resources available to them. "We know that trauma and chemical dependency often go hand-in-hand, so we recognize the inter-relatedness of some of these issues. So if we treat one thing, we have to be thinking about are their other things that are operating in that woman's life," said Nielsen.

Austin Daily Herald, Learn about the history of the parachuting troops — The Mayo Clinic in Rochester is partnering with the senior center and will be here Oct. 17, 25 and Nov. 3 for a study. The purpose of this study is to evaluate a program to find atrial fibrillation (AFib) and increase awareness about it in people who have not been diagnosed with AFib. AFib is a common heart rhythm problem that if untreated may increase a person’s risk for stroke. Many people with AFib may not be aware that they have AFib because they may not have symptoms that cause them to seek medical care. To reduce the risk of having a stroke related to untreated AFib, the Heart Rhythm Society is providing funds to Mayo Clinic and seven other medical centers in the United States to screen people in the community for AFib using mobile devices to record a person’s heart rhythm.

Mankato Free Press, Feeling your best on race day: Crucial nutrients for before and after by Angie Harguth — Whether a recreational athlete or an elite athlete, many factors influence performance including, but not limited to, diet, hydration, fitness level, intensity and duration. There are many factors that predict what source of fuel will be used. Proteins, fats and carbohydrates are all possible sources of fuel for exercise and muscle contraction. During moderate-intensity exercise, roughly half of the energy is derived from glycogen, while the other half comes from glucose in the blood and fatty acids. Carbohydrates (glucose/glycogen) serve as the primary source of fuel as duration and intensity increase. If exercise continues for a significant period of time, fatty acids will serve as the fuel source when glycogen stores are nearly depleted. … —Anne Harguth is a registered dietitian with Mayo Clinic Health

WXOW La Crosse, Physician explains Aaron Rodgers' injury by Emily Young — Green Bay Packer fans are all taking a keen interest in human anatomy this week. They're hoping quarterback Aaron Rodgers can make a quick recovery from a broken collarbone…Mayo Clinic Health System sports medicine Dr. Jacob Erickson says the long term outlook is good though the short term is less certain. "Is it possible if Aaron Rodgers can make a complete recovery with the appropriate surgery and with the appropriate rehab and the short answer is yes. He more than likely will return to 100% of his pre-injury form, the question is just when that will happen," says Erickson. "Is he going to be able to make it back in time for the end of the season?"

KEYC Mankato, MIDDAY EXPERT: Prolonging Energy For The Mankato Marathon by Kelsey Barchenger — Registered Dietitian with Mayo Clinic Health System-Mankato Anne Harguth joined KEYC News 12 this Midday with some tips for runners taking part in the Mankato Marathon this weekend. Harguth offered both pre and post-race nutrition tips, as well as advice for whether or not you should eat or drink during the race. You can learn more by the presentation Harguth is giving over Marathon weekend, taking place from 12:30 to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21 at the Mankato Marathon Expo in Myers Field House at MSU.

Los Altos Town Crier, Passion Fit: Reduce risk of breast cancer via exercise, nutrition by Reena Vokoun — The Mayo Clinic suggests following a Mediterranean diet, which is high in healthful fats such as olive oil, nuts and fish. In general, try to eat clean, whole and natural foods rather than processed foods, which are high in sugar, refined grains, saturated fats and sodium. Lifestyle plays an important role in reducing the risk of breast cancer. The Mayo Clinic reports that smoking and heavy alcohol consumption have been linked to higher risks of breast cancer in women. Therefore, it’s important for women to limit their alcohol intake to less than one drink per day and refrain from smoking altogether.

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