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

 

Reuters
Heart health disparities take toll on African-Americans
by Will Boggs

Dr. LaPrincess Brewer from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, who has worked to promote cardiovascular health in African-American communities, told Reuters Health by email there’s a need for “culturally relevant, community-based cardiovascular health interventions that focus more on positive motivation towards promoting cardiovascular health rather than the negative impact of cardiovascular disease.” “By increasing awareness of this enduring and colossal issue, we can then in turn empower African-Americans to play a role in improving their own cardiovascular health in tandem with their healthcare providers and social support networks,” she said.

Reach: Reuters offers 24-hour coverage of global happenings for professionals around the world. With 196 editorial bureaus in 130 countries and 2,400 editorial staff members, it covers international news, regional news, politics, social issues, health, business, sports and media.

Context: LaPrincess Brewer, M.D., M.P.H.,  is a Mayo Clinic researcher who has special interest in increasing minority and women's participation in cardiovascular clinical trials through mobile health (mHealth) interventions.

Contacts:  Sharon Theimer, Ethan Grove

 

Washington Post
I heard what my doctor thinks; now I want a second opinion. How do I get one?
by Steven Petrow

Q: I’ve been diagnosed with cancer and hope for a second opinion before I start treatment. I’d like to ask my oncologist for a referral, but that feels like I don’t trust her. How do I do this without offending her?... James Naessens, a policy and health services researcher at the Mayo Clinic who led a study on misdiagnoses, told me that 10 to 20 percent of all cases nationwide are misdiagnosed, affecting at least 12 million people and possibly many more.

Reach: The Washington Post averages a daily circulation of 313,000. Its website has more than 43.9 million unique visitors each month.

Previous coverage in the May 5, 2017 Mayo Clinic in the News Weekly Highlights

Previous coverage in April 28, 2017 Mayo Clinic in the News Weekly Highlights

Previous coverage in April 7, 2017 Mayo Clinic in the News Weekly Highlights

Context: Many patients come to Mayo Clinic for a second opinion or diagnosis confirmation before treatment for a complex condition. In a new study, Mayo Clinic reports that as many as 88 percent of those patients go home with a new or refined diagnosis – changing their care plan and potentially their lives.  Conversely, only 12 percent receive confirmation that the original diagnosis was complete and correct. These findings were published online recently  in the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice. The research team was led by James Naessens, Sc.D., a health care policy researcher at Mayo Clinic. More information can be found on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Contact:  Elizabeth Zimmerman Young

 

HuffPost
Breast Cancer Screening And Research

Dr. Karthik Ghosh, director of the Mayo Clinic Breast Diagnostic Clinic, says mammogram is still the best test to screen the breast for women an average risk of breast cancer.”It has really been one of the long-standing tests, with a lot of research showing that there is a decrease in mortality.” Dr. Ghosh says the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that women 40 to 49 consider screening after discussion with their health care provider. For women 50 to 75, mammograms should be performed every other year. Dr. Ghosh adds there can be downsides to a mammogram, which include callbacks for further testing, false positives and the anxiety related to those events.

Reach: The HuffPost attracts more than 22.9 million unique monthly visitors each month.

Context: Karthik Ghosh, M.D. is an internist with Mayo's Breast Diagnostic Clinic.

Contact: Joe Dangor

HuffPost
This Is the Sex Education you Missed
by Brett Berhoff

I had the pleasure of meeting one of the great minds of the medical world, Dr. Virginia M. Miller of Mayo Clinic. Her research into sex hormones and sex differences is groundbreaking in the treatment of individuals based on how a disease affects them as either male or female. Dr. Miller currently serves as the principal investigator for the Specialized Center of Research on Sex Differences and has written more than 250 original publications. We discussed her research and the implications it could have on the medical treatment of men and women…

Reach: The HuffPost attracts more than 22.9 million unique monthly visitors each month.

 

WCCO
Exercise A Lot? You Could Be At Risk For Rhabdomyolysis
by Angela Davis

We exercise for many reasons: To maintain a healthy weight, lower the risk for disease and to improve our mental health. But across the country, some people are heading to emergency rooms because they’ve pushed themselves too hard during workouts. “They push through the pain, they keep pushing and pushing and pushing to the point where they just tear their muscles apart,” Dr. Jonathan Finnoff with the Mayo Clinic said. It’s a condition called Rhabdomyolysis. It happens when high-intensity movements cause muscles to tear so much, they release toxins into the bloodstream. WCCO’s Angela Davis shows us how the condition typically occurs, and what can be done to prevent it.

Context: Johnathon Finnoff, D.O. is a Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation physician.

Reach:  WCCO-4 is the CBS affiilate in Minneapolis.

Contact: Rhoda Fukushima Madson

 

KIMT
Women’s Celebration of Research

Dr. Virginia Miller is interviewed at the Celebration of Women’s Health Research event.

Reach: KIMT 3 serves the Mason City-Austin-Albert Lea-Rochester market.

Additional coverage: KTTC

Context: The research of Virginia Miller, PH.D  focuses on conditions specific to women: ovarian function, preeclampsia of pregnancy and menopause. These conditions are associated with dramatic changes in one of the sex steroids, estrogen, and can accelerate development of chronic conditions including cardiovascular disease and aging processes. Dr. Miller's work evaluates how estrogen affects progression of atherosclerosis, and changes in brain structure and cognition at menopause. For these studies, she works collaboratively with other researchers associated with the Rochester Epidemiology Project, the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, the Center for Translational Science Activities and the Women's Health Research Center.

Contact: Kelly Reller

Huffington Post, My Aging Body Gives Me My Comeuppance by Lorie Eber — As a Mayo Clinic Certified Wellness Coach, NASM Personal Trainer, and Certified Nutritionist, I live and breathe healthy lifestyle. I eat the nutritious Mediterranean Diet, work out daily, and have the visceral fat level of a Kenyan marathoner. Sounds like I’m the picture of health, right? I thought so too, but, as it turns out, not so much. At the ripe old age of 62, I blithely assumed that I was still walking around in a 20 year old’s body. In an effort to take primo care of my health, I’ve religiously worked out my entire adult life, even while putting in 12 hour workdays as a corporate litigator…

Consumer Reports, Guide to Having Less Mammogram Pain by Michele Lent Hirsch — Preparing for Your Appointment: Avoid coffee and tea the day of your exam, suggests Dana Aragon, R.T.(R)(M), a mammographer and chief governance officer of the American Society of Radiologic Technologists. The Mayo Clinic notes that lowering or eliminating caffeine intake may be helpful to reduce breast pain, although research on the subject is not conclusive.

Women’s Health, Everything You Need to Know About Breast Cysts by Stella Katsipoutis — Not all bumps mean you have cancer. If you find one, you might be experiencing what doctors call a fibrocystic breast change, or a breast cyst: “It’s a term used to describe normal breast tissue that is nodular or lumpy on palpation [a fancy term for examination by touch] of the breast,” says Lauren Cornell, M.D., an internal medicine physician at the Robert and Monica Jacoby Center for Breast Health at Mayo Clinic. “When examined microscopically, the tissue has fluid-filled sacs, or cysts, and prominent fibrous tissue.”

Forbes, Jennifer Lawrence Says She Was Told To Lose 15 Pounds In Two Weeks, Much Faster Than Doctors Advise by Bruce Y. Lee — …When considering weight loss think of Guns N Roses and try to have "just a little patience, Mm, yeah." As Donald Hensrud, M.D. described for the Mayo Clinic, many doctors recommend aiming for a rate of no more than 1 to 2 pounds of weight loss a week. Yes, the range of healthy weight loss rates does vary for different people and different circumstances. Yes, losing weight may seem easier for some than others.

USA Today, 5 ways to fit healthy habits into your busy lifestyle by Ashley Davison — In addition to good nutrition, it’s no secret that exercise is an important part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Mayo Clinic suggests 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity per week, combined with strength training twice a week.[5] If a trip to the gym isn’t in the cards, fitness trackers can be a helpful tool for monitoring your daily movement and setting fitness goals that can be met by moving more throughout the day.

Chicago Tribune, Who's most at risk of head injury in youth football? — 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 Rochester, Minn. "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."

Atlanta Journal-Constitution, New research says too much exercise can kill you, but how much is too much? by Fiza Pirani — That’s according to a new long-term study from Mayo Clinic Proceedings, for which researchers analyzed workout and health patterns of 3,175 black and white men and women between ages 18-30. The researchers found that those who exercised more than three times the recommended amount per week were more likely to develop heart disease than those who exercised a moderate amount. And white men were specifically at risk. For reference, the Mayo Clinic recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity or 75 minutes of a combination of both moderate and vigorous aerobic activity each week. Additional coverage: US News & World Report, The Independent, Global News, TIME, HealthDay, Doctors Lounge, Men’s Fitness

Harvard Business Review, Patient-Reported Outcomes to Improve Care by Elizabeth Olson — Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Shehzad Niazi had a problem. He wanted to build an electronic program for measuring depression and anxiety outcomes to systematically capture ICHOM’s Depression and Anxiety Standard Set — a set of PROs and clinical outfcomes that matter most to patients. However, he knew that if he emphasized only the quality assessment uses of outcomes reporting, his clinicians were unlikely to embrace the program. Therefore, Dr. Niazi designed his program to focus on using outcomes to improve the quality and productivity of clinical care conversations and reduce the time needed for documentation — all of which matter greatly to clinicians. Ultimately, he plans to use the outcomes data from the measurement program to compare his department’s performance with others’ in order to find ways to improve, but this was not touted as the central benefit. Additional coverage: Becker’s Hospital Review

Modern Healthcare, Fewer lab tests can produce better patient results by Alex Kacik — Mayo Clinic has built out its electronic health record to flag repetitive laboratory tests, which has helped the not-for-profit health system lower costs and improve care. The clinic's EHR aggregates how often certain tests are ordered, cost data and guidance on how to reduce redundancy, among other metrics. It has been an important tool as hospitals and health systems look to get more bang for their buck, said Dr. Curtis Hanson, chief medical officer at Mayo Medical Laboratories. "Excess lab tests are a problem everywhere, whether it's here at Mayo or at other systems across the country—it's a common recurring theme," he said.

Daily Mail, Revealed: 6 causes of vaginal dryness and how to combat them, according to a gynecologist by Claudia Tanner — The Mayo Clinic advises to choose lubricants that don't contain glycerin because women who are sensitive to this chemical may experience burning and irritation. It also says to avoid petroleum jelly or other petroleum-based products for lubrication if you're also using condoms. Petroleum can break down latex condoms on contact.

Healio, Researchers, amputees talk 'tech gap' at National Press Club event — “The prevalence of amputees is about the equivalent of people with breast cancer, autoimmune-deficiency syndrome, schizophrenia or Parkinson’s disease,” Kenton R. Kaufman, PhD, PE, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, told the National Press Club. “The hospitalization costs for amputees was more than $8 billion in 2009.” Kaufman discussed three studies, including one he presented at the AOPA 2017 World Congress, which found transfemoral amputees who can walk independently prior to amputation are more likely to receive prostheses after amputation. Another study he discussed focused on the high cost of falls among transfemoral amputees. According to that study, which was published in Prosthetics and Orthotics International, the additional cost for falls among transfemoral amputees who required a visit to the emergency department was $18,000. For those who required hospitalization, the additional cost was more than $25,000.

Healio, Educating Rheumatologists on Hepatic Associations With Rheumatic Diseases — Historic advances have been occurring in hepatitis C therapy during the last decade. This once difficult-to-treat chronic infection is essentially curable with direct-acting antiviral therapies. For hepatitis B, a wave of biologic therapies is changing the landscape and offering hepatologists, gastroenterologists and infectious diseases clinicians a host of options to manage patients…Despite the complexity of the process, screening is imperative, according to Eric L. Matteson, MD, professor of medicine in the division of rheumatology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science.

Healio, New colonoscopy dye product receives PDUFA date — “Increases in ADR have important clinical relevance,” Michael B. Wallace MD, MPH, of Mayo Clinic Florida, said in the release. “We know that for each 1% increase in ADR, a 3% decline in the incidence of interval cancer and a 5% decline in the incidence of fatal colorectal cancer (CRC) should be expected. MB MMX has the potential to provide gastroenterologists with a significant new means to improve their ADR and potentially help reduce colorectal cancer rates in the United States.”

Genome Web, Tech Advances Could Help Unlock Plasma Proteome's Biomarker Potential by Adam Bonislawski — ….Another development that could push the field closer toward a "rectangular" model of biomarker discovery is the move of high-resolution instruments into the clinic. In a recent interview, Ravinder Singh, director of the Mayo Clinic Endrocrine Laboratory, noted that while his lab still relies mainly on triple quadrupoles, it has increased its use of high-resolution accurate mass instruments, which offer advantages in terms of accuracy and specificity. Cost is currently a limiting factor, but Singh said that were money not an issue, he would prefer to do all his lab's clinical testing on HRAM instruments.

Romper, Women Who Give Birth In These Seasons Are Less Likely To Suffer From Postpartum Depression, Study Finds by Casey Suglia — Detecting PPD is so important for the health of a new mother. Up to 50 percent of women with postpartum depression will go undiagnosed, according to Postpartum Progress. The symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic, can show themselves in different ways and be anything from excessive crying, to difficulty bonding with the baby, to severe mood swings. For some moms, treatment may involve finding support groups or talking to a therapist to help overcome PPD, according to the APA. And things such as medications and psychotherapy can be a viable solution to PPD as well.

Romper, What Does Effaced Mean In Pregnancy? Experts Have The Answer by Alexis Barad-Cutler — According to the Mayo Clinic's website, before labor, your cervix is typically 3.4 cm to 4 cm long. But as labor begins, your cervix softens, shortens, and thins, and that, my friends, is called effacement. Effacement could be accompanied by mild contractions, or none at all, so you might not know you're effaced without the help of an OB-GYN and/or midwife.

Live Science, California Bill: What Is Water Cremation? by Sara Miller —  People in California no longer need to decide between being buried or cremated when they die. On Oct. 15, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill that will allow for new option called "water cremation." Water cremation, or "alkaline hydrolysis," is said to be a more eco-friendly option for handling end-of-life remains. Because nothing is burned during the procedure, no toxic gases or air pollutants are produced, according to the Mayo Clinic, which uses the procedure in their anatomy department in Rochester, Minnesota. Additional coverage: Bustle

SELF, This 3-D Tissue Culturing System Could Change the Way Doctors Treat Endometriosis by Abby Haglage — There are hormone treatment drugs, which work by “blocking the production of ovarian-stimulating hormones, lowering estrogen level, and preventing menstruation," according to the Mayo Clinic. But these hormones, administered by shot or pill, send women into a pseudo-menopause, causing side effects like hot flashes, headaches, depression, and insomnia. In severe cases of endometriosis, doctors might consider a hysterectomy as a last resort, according to the Mayo Clinic. However, this procedure (radical and still not a cure) is falling out of favor, especially for women still in their reproductive years.

Pioneer Press, A year after her heart transplant, Ramsey County prosecutor is back in court — and on the race course by Sarah Horner — Yasmin Mullings just wrapped up three grueling back-to-back criminal trials and was training for a marathon when she found herself with a sick feeling she couldn’t shake…At the urging of a friend, she called Mayo Clinic in Rochester. After a battery of tests, she finally had an answer. A flu virus — viral myocarditis – had infected the otherwise healthy woman’s heart, causing fluid to build up that her heart couldn’t pump out. “The cardiologist comes in the room and says ‘I’ve got good news and bad news.’ The good news is we know what’s wrong with you. The bad news is you are in end-stage heart failure,” Mullings said. “I remember being like, ‘Say what?’ ”

Pioneer Press, Ramsey County prosecutor keeps the faith — and keeps running — after heart transplant by Sarah Horner — Yasmin Mullings just wrapped up three grueling back-to-back criminal trials and was training for a marathon when she found herself with a sick feeling she couldn’t shake. The longtime Ramsey County assistant attorney took a couple days off work to recuperate and thought the worst was behind her when she hopped on a treadmill for a workout. After a half-mile, the longtime runner could barely breathe… At the urging of a friend, she called Mayo Clinic in Rochester. After a battery of tests, she finally had an answer. A flu virus — viral myocarditis – had infected the otherwise healthy woman’s heart, causing fluid to build up that her heart couldn’t pump out… In June 2016, doctors informed her she needed a heart transplant, and soon, or she would die. She was added to the waiting list but was told it could take a year to get her a donor.

Healthcare Analytics News, Defining Quality with Mayo's Nilay Shah, PhD — “Billions and billions of dollars are spent on just measuring quality that could be used for actually delivering care,” said Nilay Shah, PhD. While in Rochester for the Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation’s Transform meeting in late September, Healthcare Analytics News had the opportunity to catch up with Shah, who is Deputy Director of Research at Mayo’s Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery. The Kern Center works to evaluate and shape newer, more efficient ways of administering care and delivering outcomes.

MedPage Today, Early Transplant in Alcoholic Hepatitis Feasible by Michael Smith — The study is interesting, but probably not enough to change practice, commented AASLD plenary session co-moderator Russell Wiesner, MD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. "We've always done chronics," he said -- patients with alcoholic hepatitis who have been abstinent for 6 months or longer and have gone through an alcohol rehabilitation program. On the other hand, treating acute patients who have not been abstinent, and in some cases don't even recognize they have a drinking problem, is "absolute insanity," Wiesner told MedPage Today. However, he agreed that the 1-year survival in the study cohort looked reasonably good.

MedPage Today, Women With NAFLD at Higher Risk of Heart Disease by Joyce Frieden — In a group of more than 4,000 patients with NAFLD and nearly 16,000 age- and sex-matched controls, the protective effect of female sex on cardiovascular events decreased from 24% in the general population (HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.71-0.83, P<0.001) to 13% in women with NAFLD (HR 0.87, 95% CI 0.76-0.99, P=0.04), according to Alina Allen, MD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and colleagues. "In the general population, female sex is protective for CVD, with women having a 20% lower risk of cardiovascular events even after stratification for cardiovascular risk factors," Allen said at a press briefing at the at the Liver Meeting, the annual conference of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). "Sex is such an important risk modifier that it's included in heart risk calculators ... [but we find] that it doesn't hold true in people with NAFLD; women are not protected more than men." Additional coverage: Medscape, Healio, News-medical.net

MedPage Today, RA Patients and Their Docs Often Differ on Disease Severity by Gregory M. Weiss MD — One-third of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disagreed with their provider as to the severity of their disease, researchers reported, while close to one-third (29%) thought their disease severity was worse than their doctor thought it was. RA patients who have fibromyalgia, depression, or nonerosive disease were most likely to have disagreements with their provider as to the severity of their disease, according to Divya Challa, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and colleagues, writing in Arthritis Research & Therapy.

AccuWeather, What is leptospirosis, the deadly disease spreading in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico? by Emma Curtis — A total of 74 Puerto Ricans are suspected to be suffering from leptospirosis since Hurricane Maria wreaked havoc across the island last month, and four deaths are being investigated as possible cases of the disease, according to the Associated Press…"While most patients have mild or self-limiting infection, some patients will develop severe infection and present with bleeding or hemorrhage, kidney failure, meningitis and hepatitis," said Dr. M. Rizwan Sohail, a professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Mayo Clinic. "The death rate in patients who develop severe infection is between 5 and 15 percent." Additional coverage: FOX News, Smithsonian

Amsterdam News, Seasons are changing by Christina Greer, Ph.D. — Every year around this time, the seasons change and so do we… The Mayo Clinic has served as a great resource for people who suffer from SAD. They note that symptoms start in the fall months and continue into the winter months. Often times individuals are sapped of their energy and feel unlike themselves. They state that some of the symptoms of “winter sadness” or “winter depression” may include irritability, tiredness or low energy, problems getting along with other people, a heavy “leaden” feeling in the arms or legs, oversleeping, appetite changes, especially a craving for foods high in carbohydrates, and weight gain.

Irish Times, It was time to make a stand against sitting down at work by Justin Comiskey — James Levine, endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic, is a leading expert in the field and his research has linked the cumulative impact of sustained sitting to obesity, diabetes and cancer. He was quoted in a recent Smithsonianmag.com article: “The way we live now is to sit all day, occasionally punctuated by a walk from the parking lot to the office. The default has become to sit. We need the default to be standing.”

Neurology Advisor, Anesthesia and Long-Term Cognitive Decline: Is There a Link? by Tori Rodriguez — Transient postsurgical cognitive decline is more likely to occur in patients who already have lower levels of cognitive reserve, and recovery from this state may take months. “By that time, the patient's cognitive status ‘recovers' to a lower level, which is on trajectory of their ongoing cognitive decline,” but family members and other observers may interpret this new, lower cognitive state as related to the anesthesia, coauthor Juraj Sprung, MD, PhD, a professor of anesthesiology at Mayo Clinic, told Neurology Advisor. However, he and colleagues believe that “anesthesia-induced postoperative cognitive decline only unmasks individuals who are already in cognitive decline.”

Women’s Health, 6 Reasons Why You're Experiencing Spotting Between Periods by Laura Stampler — According to the Mayo Clinic, breakthrough bleeding is common with women taking any kind of birth control pill, particularly in their first few months of use. “Your body is just adjusting to something new,” Sasan says. “Sometimes it’s a fluke and will never happen again, and for others it could be an indication that they need to be on a higher dosage of pill.” This is also common in women who recently got an IUD, switched to the injection, or got an implant.

Practical Pain Management, Diarrhea, Bloating, Abdominal Pain May Appear Together But Should Be Evaluated Individually by Kathleen Doheny — Chronic diarrhea, bloating, and abdominal pain are likely to make the top three list of complaints heard daily by primary care physicians, gastroenterologists and pain specialists who see patients with gastrointestinal disorders. While this commonly occurring constellation of symptoms is often presented together, focusing on one at a time may achieve a better resolution,1 according to Amy S. Oxentenko, MD, FACG, professor of medicine and associate chair of the Department of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She addressed the necessary assessment process for each of the three symptoms during a presentation at the World Congress on Gastroenterology at ACG 2017, which was the American College of Gastroenterology annual meeting, held in Orlando, Florida.

Neurology Today, In the Clinic: Risks Reported for Neurologic Adverse Events with Two Cancer Immunotherapies by Kurt Samson — Two of the most promising immune checkpoint inhibitors for cancer carry a small risk of neurological adverse events, and clinicians need to remain vigilant for them, according to researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN… “The adverse events varied widely in their time of onset, with some starting in just after one cycle and others after many cycles of therapy,” co-author Michelle L. Mauermann, MD, FAAN, associate professor of neurology at the Mayo Clinic, told Neurology Today. “Although the rate of these complications was low, we expect they will be found in increasing numbers as this type of immunotherapy is expanded to other cancers.”

Neurology Today, In the Clinic-Multiple Sclerosis in Children: Children with Radiologically-Isolated Syndrome Tend to Convert Quickly to MS by Susan Fitzgerald — Researchers found that among children with radiologically-isolated syndrome, two factors in particular predicted whether a child would progress to MS: the presence of two or more unique oligoclonal bands in cerebrospinal fluid and spinal cord lesions on magnetic resonance imaging… Moses Rodriguez, MD, FAAN, professor of neurology and immunology at Mayo Clinic, said the finding that progression to the first clinical event happens quickly in children with RIS “is really telling us that there is something unique about this disease in children.”

Nature, To stay young, kill zombie cells by Megan Scudellari — Jan van Deursen was baffled by the decrepit-looking transgenic mice he created in 2000. Instead of developing tumours as expected, the mice experienced a stranger malady. By the time they were three months old, their fur had grown thin and their eyes were glazed with cataracts. It took him years to work out why: the mice were ageing rapidly, their bodies clogged with a strange type of cell that did not divide, but that wouldn't die1. That gave van Deursen and his colleagues at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, an idea: could killing off these 'zombie' cells in the mice delay their premature descent into old age? The answer was yes.

ActionNewsJax, Vaccines capping tumors from spreading in breast and ovarian cancer patients by Kaitlyn Chana — Local cancer researchers are working on vaccines aimed at keeping cancer cells from spreading. Dr. Keith Knutson, immunology professor at Mayo Clinic, explained our bodies work constantly to fight off diseases. “Basically it’s a shield and it’s a very complex shield that we don’t quite understand how it works,” Knutson said.  In clinical trials, a vaccine has shown success for patients in remission after undergoing surgery, chemotherapy and radiation for breast or ovarian cancer.  “What we want to do is come in after those treatments and we want to vaccinate to boost your own immune system to fight the cancer,” Knutson said.

Jacksonville Business Journal, NLP Logix, Mayo Clinic partner for AI analysis by Will Robinson — Jacksonville-based NLP Logix rolled out its first medical use for artificial intelligence in partnership with Mayo Clinic, deploying the technology on brain MRI scans. The company announced in July that it was partnering with Mayo to develop AI that could confirm stroke diagnoses. The current technology, unveiled Tuesday at the Mayo Clinic Convergence Neuroscience 2017 Conference in Atlanta, can identify white matter hyperintensities (WMI), which is a critical factor to monitor in patients with diabetes, hypertension, cerebrovascular disease and multiple sclerosis.

Post-Bulletin, Main Event: Hope Lodge is 'second home' for some patients by Holly Galbus — The 10th annual Evening of Hope Gala, a benefit for the Sandra J. Schulze American Cancer Society Hope Lodge, brought the community together in support of a place of comfort and rest for those on the cancer journey…Dr. Kathryn Ruddy, who is a breast medical oncologist with Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, attended the event with her husband, Dr. Peter Noseworthy. "My patients take advantage of the services of the American Cancer Society," Ruddy said. "It's a fantastic organization to support and a big part of how we can help patients."

Post-Bulletin, Get ready for things to change fast, says futurist by Tom Weber — Gerd Leonhard, a Swiss futurist and humanist, will deliver the 2017 Rewoldt Lecture Oct. 26 at Mayo Clinic. The topic is "The Future of Technology and Its Impact on Direct Democracy." Leonhard has been listed by Wired magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in Europe. His work focuses on the future of humanity and technology.

Post-Bulletin, Mayo offers health-care scholarships in Austin, Albert Lea for non-traditional students — Mayo Clinic Health System announced Monday that it will award four scholarships to non-traditional students in the Austin and Albert Lea service area who are interested in pursuing an education in health care. The scholarships will be given to two people from each service area. Eligible recipients are those pursuing postsecondary education five or more years after completing high school or earning their GED. Students must also live within the Austin or Albert Lea service area to qualify.

KTTC, Mayo Clinic planning $1.2 billion in capital spending in Rochester from 2018-2022 by Noel Sederstrom — The leadership of Mayo Clinic revealed to Rochester community and business leaders Wednesday that the medical non-profit is planning to spend an additional $1.2 billion on capital projects in Rochester from 2018-2022. Mayo has already spent $1.1 billion so far in the Med City as part of its "Destination Medical Center" initiative. Also, as part of its expansion in Rochester in the past five years, the Clinic has added 3,000 new employees, bringing its total work force in Rochester to 36,547 people.   The overview of Mayo Clinic's footprint in Rochester and its general plans for the future under DMC came at an invitation-only luncheon at Phillips Hall in the Siebens Building at noon on Wednesday.

Duluth News Tribune, What men need to know about planning a family — Having children can sometimes be a crapshoot. Some couples achieve pregnancy on the first try, while other can try for years with no success. Mayo Clinic urologist and fertility specialist Dr. Landon Trost says there are things men can do to improve their odds. “In general, the lower the sperm count, typically, the harder time you’ll have to achieve a pregnancy,” Trost says. He says you can now get over-the-counter sperm count tests. Ideally, you want more than 55 million sperm.

ABC 15 Arizona, Mayo Clinic explains the benefits of whole-person care — Over the past couple of decades, widespread campaigns have brought about an increased awareness and understanding of breast cancer . With this, breast cancer survival rates have significantly increased. This change can largely be attributed to a number of factors including earlier detection and a new personalized approach to treatment of the disease. At Mayo Clinic, breast cancer specialists provide personalized, whole-person care to those with breast cancer. Treatment options may include surgical removal of tumors, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and reconstructive surgery. The multidisciplinary team consists of professionals across various specialties who work together to find a cure for their patients. For certain breast cancer patients who have cancer in their left breast, Mayo Clinic offers a specialized therapy. Proton beam therapy delivers radiation to a breast cancer tumor, while avoiding key organs like your heart and lung.

News 3 Las Vegas, Double-lung transplant recipient turns to harmonica playing to regain strength by Juliette Dryer — A double-lung transplant recipient in Florida who turned to the harmonica after surgery now shares his passion with others to help them recover as well. Larry Rawdon took up the harmonica to help him rehabilitate his diaphragm after his second lung transplant. Larry now returns to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville to teach breathing exercises using the harmonica to a room full of heart and lung transplant patients.

Mankato Free Press, Mayo Clinic Health System unveils peace crane project by Brian Arola — Over the summer, staff and patients at Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato set out to fold 1,000 origami peace cranes. On Thursday, the hospital unveiled the fruits of their labor. A colorful installation of the cranes overhangs an atrium patients pass through on their way to receive care… That sentiment aligned with the message the hospital wanted to send to its patients. April Lanz, operations administrator for Mayo Clinic Health System, said staff passionately took to the idea, working for months on the cranes. A stand was set up in the atrium so patients could learn to make the folds too. They were invited to write names or messages on the paper, Lanz said, giving the cranes an even deeper meaning. “Truly when I say it has a lot of meaning for folks, it really does,” she said. Additional coverage: KEYC-Mankato

KEYC Mankato, Safety Day Program Teaches Employees About Business Safety by Temi Adeleye — The Minnesota Safety Council held the Southern Regional Safety Day program to educate employees and employers on business safety…The event had many vendors including the Mayo Clinic Health Systems. Occupational Nurse Practitioner Linda Boylan Starks believes it is important for businesses like Mayo Clinic Health Systems to attend safety programs. "It's important to be a part of events like this to let the companies know what's out there and available as a vendor and provider to help them meet the needs of their employees," said Starks.

Chippewa Herald, Chippewa Falls man hopes operation will save his life by Rod Stetzer — Tery Spear’s doctors were blunt about the many blood clots in his body, and especially his lungs. “We’ve got some bad news, Tery,” the doctors said, according to Spear’s grandmother, Violet Spear of Chippewa Falls. “If you do not have the surgery, you will die.”… “Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy is an open heart surgery that removes the blood clots from the lungs. This surgery is quite complicated and only performed at a few centers in the county, but is considered the “treatment of choice” for CTEPH and can be curative and life-saving,” said Dr. Hilary DuBrock, a physician with Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

WXOW La Crosse, The Enchanted Forest provides a unique trick or treating experience by Peter Lenz — Halloween is still more than a week away, but people of all ages had a chance to trick or treat in Myrick Park's Enchanted Forest on October 21. Presented by Mayo Clinic Health System, the Enchanted Forest is a non-spooky trick or treating hike and Wiscorps fundraiser. The hike offers people an opportunity to learn more about what Wiscorps does while experiencing nature with the whole family. Additional coverage: La Crosse Tribune

The Union Democrat, Impaired sleep may hasten development of Alzheimer’s disease — How often do you get a good night’s sleep? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines recommend adults get an average of at least seven hours of sleep a night. Dr. Ronald Petersen, a Mayo Clinic neurologist, said prolonged lack of sleep could raise your risk of many health issues, including Alzheimer’s disease…“There were several studies on the impact of sleep, on developing cognitive impairment and maybe even Alzheimer’s disease, showing that disrupted sleep, sleep apnea, various disorders of breathing can be deleterious with regard to cognitive function, and maybe even the development of Alzheimer’s disease,” Petersen said. Petersen said the theory behind the sleep-Alzheimer’s link has to do with a substance called amyloid.

Fir Podcast Network, FIR Interview: Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Sandhya Pruthi and Jay Maxwell on Creating a Smart Audio First Aid Skill by Shel Holtz — Voice will be the interface to everything. Searching “voice technology” on Google News produces headlines like “Why voice technology is a marketer’s new best friend,” “Voice technology will change your relationship with consumers,” “Kayak sees potential with voice technology-assisted bookings,” and “Google goes all in on voice first with its latest product.” The Mayo Clinic has a reputation for experimenting early with new and emerging technologies, both in medicine and in delivering information to and engaging with patients and healthcare consumers.

ASU, ASU students discover passion for holistic health care in Mayo Clinic Global Medical Brigade — When Mayo Clinic School of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota, readied a group of volunteers for its summer Medical Brigades Volunteer Program to Nicaragua, three Arizona State University students seized the chance to join them for a life-changing medical outreach. Selected by ASU’s Pre-Health Internship Program in the Office of Clinical Partnerships through a rigorous application and interview process, the students traveled to rural areas of Nicaragua with Mayo Clinic physicians and medical students to provide much-needed medical support. All three ASU members knew the Spanish language, a requirement for their selection.

ASU, ASU series on tough health conversations begins with talk on taking away the keys — Driving is one of those privileges we all take for granted until we can’t do it anymore. We drive to get to work (some of us drive for work), we drive to meet with friends, we drive to get food — we drive to complete any number of mundane, everyday tasks that require us to get from point A to point B. As one of Joseph Sirven’s patients told him, “Driving is life.” Sirven, a faculty memb3er of Arizona State University’s School for the Science of Health Care Delivery, told the anecdote to a crowd gathered Tuesday night at the Downtown Phoenix campus as he introduced the first of six talks to be hosted by the school over the coming academic year: “We Need to Talk: A Series of Tough Conversations About Health.”

Lincoln Journal Star, Nebraska officials tout efforts to combat opioid abuse, but say it's no 'final chapter' by Riley Johnson — State and federal government officials touted a series of measures taken to address opioid abuse in Nebraska on Thursday, one year after a coalition of area law enforcement and medical groups took aim at the issue. "A year down the road, the deeds have been significant, but they need to continue," Attorney General Doug Peterson said at a news conference at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Image caption: Mayo Clinic researchers found that 1 in 4 patients prescribed an opioid painkiller for the first time progressed to long-term prescriptions.

WRVO Public Media, Unlocking tips for a longer and healthier life — One doctor doesn’t want you to be his patient. As a medical oncologist and palliative care specialist at the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Edward Creagan sees patients fighting for their life every day. Joining us to discuss his book "How Not to Be My Patient: A Physician's Secret for Staying Healthy and Surviving Any Diagnosis," Creagan also reveals some of his tips for living longer and healthier lives.

MobiHealthNews, Roundup: Digital health provider news in Q3 2017 by Jonah Comstock — The Mayo Clinic was also involved in a couple of developments in the digital health space this quarter. It launched Mayo Clinic First Aid, an Amazon Alexa skill to follow up its existing Mayo Clinic News Network skill. Users may open the voice-driven platform to access and browse a listing of common health topics. Otherwise, vocally addressing Alexa with the name of the skill and a specific question will prompt a spoken response from the device. The Mayo Clinic also partnered with smartphone-connected ECG maker AliveCor, its second such partnership. The two will work together to develop algorithms to screen for Long QT syndrome, a heart condition that can often cause sudden death, especially in children. The partnership also includes an additional, undisclosed investment in AliveCor from Mayo Clinic.

Clinical Lab Products, Mayo Clinic, National Decision Support Company Partner to Develop Online Decisionmaking Tool for Clinicians — Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn, has teamed with National Decision Support Company (NDSC), Madison, Wis, to develop CareSelect Lab, a decision-support tool that aggregates clinical knowledge around a comprehensive menu of conditions and translates that knowledge into best-practice recommendations. “CareSelect Lab is a natural extension of NDSC’s capabilities to deliver EHR-integrated guidelines and brings together the industry standard for EHR-delivered guidance with the more than 1,500 best-practice care models authored, curated, and maintained by Mayo Clinic,” says Michael Mardini, CEO of NDSC.

Express UK, Heart disease causes: Five avoidable risk factors for UK’s DEADLIEST condition by Lauren Clark — Heart disease is a leading cause of death in the UK, with heart and circulatory diseases killing more than one in four people in the UK. According to the Mayo Clinic, heart disease symptoms depend on which type you have. However, they commonly include racing heartbeat, lightheadedness, fluttering in the chest, swelling in the ankles and fatigue.

Health, I Gained 15 Pounds After Going on the Pill—So I Spoke to Gynecologists to Find Out Why by Jazmine Polk — “Over 40 studies have basically disproved the theory or myth that birth control is related to significant weight gain,” says Petra Casey, MD, associate professor and ob-gyn at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. However, taking hormonal birth control of any kind, such as the pill, an IUD, or an implant, may prompt your body to retain more fluid before your period. That can cause you to gain a few pounds, but this typically vanishes after your period is over, says Dr. Casey. It's also normal to gain one to four pounds after starting hormonal birth control, she adds, but this is a temporary side effect that goes away after three months.

DOTmed.com, Mayo Clinic installing first clinical 7-Tesla MR scanner in North America by John Fischer — “I think patients who will benefit the most will be patients that have things that are difficult to assess on a standard MR,” Dr. Kimberly Amrami, chair of the division of musculoskeletal radiology at Mayo Clinic, told HCB News. “We’re going to be using 7-Tesla for those things that requires an even higher resolution. The signal to noise ratio is directly correlated to the field strength. When we have more signal, we can image smaller structures and still have good images. If the signal to noise is lower and we try to get very, very fine on small structures, it’s difficult because the images get very noisy.”

The Atlantic, Better Than Ambien by Olga Khazan — There are other psychological hacks to curing insomnia, most of which are targeted at easing the oh-god-I’m-going-to-be-so-wrecked-at-the-meeting-tomorrow dread that comes with lying awake at night. For example, the Mayo Clinic also recommends remaining “passively awake,” or “avoiding any effort to fall asleep,” so you can finally stop worrying and, you know, go to sleep. Your mind, it seems, can be a toddler, so sometimes you have to tell it that sleep is yucky and there’s nothing more fun than staying awake all night.

Radiology Business, 7 reasons why radiation exposure, patient dose are decreasing in cardiology by Melissa Rohman — In the last decade, radiation exposure and patient dose has decreased in cardiology, according to trends analyzed and evaluated in a recent article published by the Journal of the American College of Radiology. "In the past several years, patient doses and personal exposures in cardiology have shown a decreasing trend," stated authors Richard L. Morin, PhD with the Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, and Mahadevappa Mahesh, MS, PhD, with Johns Hopkins. "This is very encouraging as many cardiologic procedures that are complex and require prolonged fluoroscopic guidance are becoming routine."

Global News, The flu is coming, are you ready? by Shadoe Davis — The big myth that flies around that seems to have gotten much larger with the mass appeal of social media is: If you get the flu shot, you’ll get the flu…This morning on the show I quoted Dr. Gregory Poland of the Mayo clinic’s department of infectious diseases. The quote? “Injectable flu vaccines are composed of pieces of inactivated flu proteins — and it’s impossible for them to “cause” flu. The nasal spray vaccine has live flu organisms weakened so they cannot multiply or cause disease.”

Medical Xpress, Proton therapy may be better option for elderly patients with esophageal cancer — A study led by Mayo Clinic researchers has found that proton beam therapy, in combination with chemotherapy, prior to surgery, may be a better option than a combination using traditional radiation therapy techniques with chemotherapy when treating elderly patients with esophageal cancer. Standard X-ray radiation therapy techniques include 3-D conformal radiation and intensity-modulated radiation therapy. Results were presented by Scott Lester, M.D., a radiation oncologist at Mayo Clinic, today at the fourth-annual Particle Therapy Cooperative Group—North America Fourth Annual Conference in Chicago. "Elderly patients experience more posttreatment heart and lung problems, and are at higher risk for death after surgery than younger patients after receiving a combination of preoperative chemotherapy and radiation therapy," says Dr. Lester.

Salud ediciones, El Parkinson, mucho más que un ‘temblor de viejo’ — Creemos que el Parkinson es “eso de los viejos, que tiemblan”, pero es mucho más. Afecta a no tan viejos y peor que los temblores son sus invalidantes agarrotamientos. La incapacidad y deterioro de la calidad de vida que genera ha llevado incluso a desarrollar neurocirugía para aliviarla… Según los expertos de la Clínica Mayo, el médico también puede recomendar cambios en el estilo de vida, en especial el ejercicio aeróbico continuo y la fisioterapia en busca del equilibrio y la elongación.

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