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

 

Today.com
7 things your doctor wants you to know about Alzheimer's
by Aliyah Frumin

It’s time to see a doctor when you forget the big things, said Dr. Ronald Petersen, a neurologist and Alzheimer’s expert at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. "When people start to forget important information, things they formerly wouldn’t have forgotten, like the kids are coming over, or a doctor’s appointment, or having tee time with your buddies every Tuesday," Petersen elaborated. "When the pattern of forgetfulness changes in the individual regarding important information, it doesn’t mean you have Alzheimer’s, but it means, let’s take a look at this.”

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: Ron Petersen, M.D., Ph.D., is the Cora Kanow Professor of Alzheimer’s Disease Research at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Petersen is regularly sought out by reporters as a leading expert in his medical field. Dr. Petersen chairs the Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Research, Care and Services.

Contact: Susan Barber Lindquist

 

Washington Post
Tom Brady says an anti-inflammation diet is good for him. Would it work for you?
by Emily Sohn

…Many questions remain about whether benefits come solely from omega-3s or from interactions among nutrients in certain foods. The same kinds of complexities surround other foods and food components that often get linked with inflammation, including turmeric, cherry juice, resveratrol and gluten. “We might find one study that says something, but can you find another to back it up? Not usually,” says Katherine Zeratsky, a registered dietitian and nutritionist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. “I don’t mean to imply it’s bad science. It’s science that doesn’t necessarily have the rigor behind it to say this is an absolute conclusion.” Brady’s restrictive advice could even backfire for some people. Strict diets tend to fail, Zaretsky says. And some of the foods he avoids are full of vitamins and antioxidants.

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

Context:  Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D. is a Mayo Clinic registered dietitian and nutritionist.

Contact:  Duska Anastasijevic

 

HuffPost
Emerging From Mastectomy With A Healthy Body Image Intact

…After having the abnormal cells surgically removed, Margaret took medication to suppress her estrogen production in hopes of decreasing her breast cancer risk. But in 2016, her fears were realized. A mammogram showed she had suspicious calcifications in her right breast. Further testing revealed Margaret had breast cancer. …Margaret made an appointment with the Breast Diagnostic Clinic at Mayo Clinic’s Rochester campus. There she met with general surgeon Amy Degnim, M.D., and plastic surgeon Valerie Lemaine, M.D., in January 2017. “Both are outstanding in their field. The level of caring was unlike the other medical centers I’d been in,” Margaret says. “I liked that both Dr. Lemaine and Dr. Degnim treated me as a partner in my treatment. They didn’t tell me what to do. They told me what my options were.”

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

Context:  Valerie Lemaine, M.D., M.P.H. is a Mayo Clinic plastic surgeon. Her clinical research evaluates how to reduce preventable complications following breast reconstructive surgery. Amy Degnim, M.D. is with Mayo Clinic's Breast Diagnostic Clinic and is a general surgeon. Dr. Degnim's research focuses on improving the ability to predict breast cancer risk for individual women by studying breast tissue for very early signs of premalignant change.

Contacts:  Joe Dangor, Sharon Theimer

 

Post-Bulletin
Mayo hires new chief financial officer
By Brett Boese

Mayo Clinic announced Thursday it has hired Dennis Dahlen as its new chief financial officer. He will replace Kedrick Adkins Jr., who is retiring after almost four years in that role at Mayo and a 40-year career in health care. Dahlen spent the last 11 years as Banner Health's senior vice president of finance and chief financial officer. Banner Health is located in Phoenix, Ariz.

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

Additional coverage: Post-Bulletin, KTTC, HealthExec, Becker’s Hospital Review, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal

Context: After an extensive national search, Dennis Dahlen has been named chief financial officer, Mayo Clinic. Dahlen comes to Mayo Clinic from Banner Health, an integrated health care delivery system in Phoenix, where he served 11 years as senior vice president of finance and chief financial officer. He previously served as Banner’s system vice president of finance. “I’m thrilled to join Mayo Clinic, an organization with a 150-year legacy of providing expert care to each patient,” Dahlen says. “As the health care industry faces enormous challenges, I’m confident that Mayo’s capacity for discovery and innovation will provide an excellent platform for success.” More information can be found on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Contact:  Susan Barber Lindquist

 

Fox Business
Doctors spending more time on paperwork than with patients?

Mayo Clinic in Florida CEO Dr. Gianrico Farrugia on what is needed to improve health care in America.

 

Reach: Fox Business Network is headquartered in News Corporation's studios in midtown Manhattan with bureaus in Chicago, Los Angeles,San Francisco (Silicon Valley), Washington, D.C. and London.

Context: Gianrico Farrugia, M.D. is a Mayo Clinic vice president and CEO of Mayo Clinic's campus in Florida.

Contact: Traci Klein

New York Times, How to Age Well by Tara Parker-Pope — Exercise in Intense Intervals: High-intensity interval training is less intimidating than it sounds. It just means repeating short bursts of all-out exercise with longer periods of easy recovery…A Mayo Clinic study of 72 healthy but sedentary men and women who were randomly assigned to different exercise groups or a control group found that interval training actually led to changes in muscles at the cellular level, essentially reversing the natural decline that occurs with aging. Even if you’re not an exerciser, it’s not too late to start. In the study, older people’s cells responded more robustly to intense exercise than the cells of the young did.

HuffPost, New Study Finds Possible Links To Obstructive Sleep Apnea Risk In Middle-Aged Women — To track this occurrence in middle-aged women, researchers used the Data Registry on Experience of Aging, Menopause and Sexuality, which contains health information on women seen in the Women’s Health Clinic at Mayo Clinic… “Obstructive sleep apnea is often thought of as a man’s disease, and men’s symptoms are more outwardly noticeable, in large part because of snoring,” says Stephanie Faubion, M.D. “However, the risk for obstructive sleep apnea in women goes up in their menopausal years. The symptoms they face – headache, insomnia, anxiety, depression, in addition to the more common symptoms of snoring and fatigue – may not be as audible or visible to others, but they pose just as much risk to overall health.”

CSPAN, John McCain on the Senate Floor — Sen. McCain expresses his gratitude to Mayo Clinic. Starts at 00:22 mark.

Washington Post, No hotel gym, no problem: 10 gear-free ways to exercise while traveling by Melanie D.G. Kaplan — Cool it. Gillanders recommends dedicated stretching time after your workout, when muscles are warmed up. “People don’t like the idea of stretching,” Gillanders said, “but think about your non-vacation habits (hunch over a computer screen, anyone?) and areas where you’re prone to tightness, such as your hamstring, back and hip flexor.” The Mayo Clinic offers a helpful slideshow on basic stretches.

Washington Post, Hints from Heloise — Dear Heloise: I’ve been told by a dietitian that one cup of green tea has less caffeine than one cup of “decaf” coffee. Can you tell me if that is true? Marilyn and Jerry…According to the Mayo Clinic, the caffeine content of a drink varies due to several factors, such as origin, processing and more. However, it offers as a guideline the following information: 8 ounces of brewed decaf has 2-5 milligrams of caffeine, while 8 ounces of brewed green tea has 25-29 milligrams of caffeine. This refers to green tea, which is not decaffeinated.

AccuWeather, Skip the gym this season: Why exercising in cold weather is so beneficial for your health by Amanda Schmidt — Preparations for cold versus warm workouts differ. Both require proper nutrition and hydration. However, in warmer weather, your body will "climatize," or adapt to the heat, whereas your body does not do that for the cold, according to Dr. Jonathan Finnoff, medical director at the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center. The body will constrict blood vessels more vigorously and earlier as well as start to shiver earlier in cold weather. Layers of clothing are especially important in preparation for cold-weather exercise, differing from warm weather. "You can take off a layer if you start to sweat and get too hot and put them back on if you get too cold. You can't really take off enough clothes in the heat when at risk for heat-related illnesses, such as heat stroke," Finnoff said.

Yahoo! Sports, New study says push-ups and sit-ups are tied to a longer life by Korin Miller — You probably do your best to work out when you can, but life has a funny way of interfering with your ability to log some serious time at the gym. Still, when most people do get time, they typically focus on cardio, like going for a run, biking, or hitting the elliptical, over lifting weights. But now a new study suggests it’s important to throw some strength training into the mix too… A Mayo Clinic study published earlier this year found that people who did interval training, which combines cardio and strength-based exercises, had improved aerobic capacity, enhanced energy, enlarged muscles, and decreased markers of aging.

Outside, A Tenacious 87-Year-Old Tames a Towering Climb by Andrew Tilin — Figure it one way, and the news that Rob Kelman, who’s been climbing half his life, recently summited Wyoming’s iconic Devils Tower is unspectacular. Lots of experienced climbers bag the basalt-like, 900-foot monolith. But Kelman started climbing in 1971, at age 41... “The main thing with these older athletes? They’ve stayed with it,” says Michael Joyner, a physician and faculty member focused on human performance at the Mayo Clinic. “They’ve kept their muscle mass up, they’re not overweight. They go at their sports just about every day.”

Reader’s Digest, 8 Silent Signs Stress Is Making You Sick by Alyssa Jung — Stress can disrupt the function of your GI tract in more than one way. It can cause the body to produce more digestive acid, leading to heartburn. "It can also slow the emptying of food from the stomach, which causes gas and bloating, and may even increase the number of times your colon contracts, leading to cramping and diarrhea," Deborah Rhodes, MD, a Mayo Clinic internal medicine physician, told Parents.com. Here are common stomach pains and what they really mean.

Reader’s Digest, Too Much Exercise Can Raise Heart Disease Risk for This Specific Group—Here’s How by Claire Gillespie — According to a new study led by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Kaiser Permanente, there may be serious dangers of excessive exercise for some people. For the longitudinal, cohort CARDIA study, the team examined the physical activity ranges of 3,175 black and white participants who self-reported physical activity during at least three of eight follow-up examinations over 25 years, from 1985 through 2011. The results, published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, show that white men who exercise the most per week are 86 percent more likely to have a buildup of plaque in their heart arteries by middle age, compared to people who exercise at low levels.

Runner’s World, Here’s How to Build Up Your Willpower by Brad Stulberg — It’s really hard to be uberfocused on everything at once, says Michael Joyner, M.D., an expert on human performance at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. “In order to be a maximalist, you’ve got to be a minimalist.” In other words, if you’re tackling a big goal that you know requires a lot of willpower, do what you can to automate some of your smaller decisions. “Every choice takes mental energy,” says Joyner. “The fewer there are, the better.”

Reader’s Digest, 5 Surprising Ways Doctors Stop Their Own Headaches by Lisa Lombardi — "I really try to practice what I preach—preventing migraines with 'SEEDS': S—stands for sleep hygiene (here's a guide to practicing good sleep hygiene). E—is for exercising regularly (at least three times a week, I get my heart rate up to the target for 20 minutes). E—stands for eating healthy (I will do six small meals a day—you're trying to prevent blood sugar peaks and valleys). D—is a headache diary. I use an app on my phone called Migraine Buddy. D also stands for drinking water! Dehydration is a strong migraine trigger for me. S—The last one is hardest: stress reduction. I can't control external things but I try to control how I respond so I don't get headaches from stress." — Amaal Starling, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurology at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Reader’s Digest, Too Much Exercise Can Raise Heart Disease Risk for This Specific Group—Here’s How by Claire Gillespie — The results, published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, show that white men who exercise the most per week are 86 percent more likely to have a buildup of plaque in their heart arteries by middle age, compared to people who exercise at low levels. Participants were split into three groups, based on their physical activity patterns. Group one exercised below the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) national guidelines (less than 150 minutes per week), group two met the national guidelines (150 minutes per week), and group three exercised three times above the national guidelines (more than 450 minutes per week).

USA Today, It's far more than overdoses: IV opioid users' diseases overwhelm hospitals by Jayne O’Donnell and Terry DeMilo — There's no national data on endocarditis costs, but a recent study showed North Carolina's costs to treat endocarditis in opioid users shot up from $1.1 million to $22.2 million between 2010-2015, an 18-fold increase. One small rural hospital in Waycross, Ga., spent nearly $400,000 to treat one uninsured IV opioid user's four cases of endocarditis. That doesn't include her cardiac surgery at another hospital…"The addiction issue is causing the endocarditis, so if you're not treating the addiction, they're going to be coming back," says Ulas Camsari, a Mayo Clinic addiction psychiatrist who co-authored the Georgia study while working for the Waycross hospital. Additional coverage: Cincinnati.com

HuffPost, Ken Burns, Still Chronicling America’s Stories by Loretta Bolger Wish — It’s inspiring to hear someone at the top of his game talk about the work he does. Especially when he describes it with a sense of joy and, even after enthralling viewers for decades, a touch of awe and humility. From a distance the trim, shaggy-haired Ken Burns looked barely older than the Brookdale Community College students who greeted him with a standing ovation on a recent October day at the Jersey shore. Yet despite his boyish appearance, the 64-year-old documentarian infused his America’s Stories lecture with statesmanlike wisdom and fatherly words of caution…Among the topics he will explore in the near future are Muhammad Ali, the Mayo Clinic, country music, Ernest Hemingway, the American Revolution and Benjamin Franklin.

Los Angeles Times, Depressed? Drug-free treatments can make life enjoyable again — Try something new: The Mayo Clinic cites trying new things as one of the habits of highly healthy people. New perspectives and experiences can be good for you, as trying new things can lead to increased confidence and self-esteem. Not all change is bad and you may surprise yourself.

Daily Mail, Mumps infections are sky-rocketing among VACCINATED communities, experts warn by Mia De Graaf — For decades, the CDC has advised children get two doses of the MMR vaccine - their first at around one year old, and their second between four and six years old - which gives a child about 88 percent protection against mumps, measles and rubella. 'That's high but not 100 percent,' warns Dr Pritish Tosh, MD, an infectious diseases specialist at the Mayo Clinic told Daily Mail Online.  According to Dr Tosh, the strength of the vaccine also relies on 'herd immunity', requiring that the vast majority of each community (at least 90 percent) is protected.

Daily Mail, Mayo Clinic neurologist explains rare disorder neuromyelitis Optica — Mayo Clinic neurologist Sean Pittock, M.D. explains rare autoimmune disorder Neuromyelitis Optica, which affects the optic nerves and the spinal cord.

U.S. News & World Report, U.S. News' Fifth Annual Healthcare of Tomorrow Summit Draws Industry Leaders to Washington, D.C. — The nation's most influential hospital and healthcare executives, policymakers, patient advocates and industry analysts gathered in Washington, D.C., Nov. 1-3, 2017, for U.S. News & World Report's fifth annual Healthcare of Tomorrow summit… Healthcare of Tomorrow featured a wide range of keynote speakers including: Peter Slavin, President of Massachusetts General Hospital, Johnese Spisso, CEO of UCLA Hospital System, Marvin O'Quinn, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Dignity Health and Wyatt Decker, CEO of Mayo Clinic in Arizona, who discussed navigating healthcare in a time of uncertainty.

Vogue, Why Doctors Say You Need at Least This Much Sleep Every Night by Kristen Dold — “If you’re getting less than six hours a night, you’re really in trouble,” says Lois Krahn, M.D., a sleep medicine specialist at the Mayo Clinic. “The real goal is seven and a half to eight hours [a night].” Krahn’s warning has scientific weight behind it: In one of the most famous studies done on sleep restriction, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania cut down people’s sleep to six hours a night for two weeks straight, and ran cognitive tests to see how their scores compared to the results they got with eight hours of sleep. The study subjects’ reaction times, focus, and memory all took a hit, and after 14 days of getting two hours less of sleep a night, they were functioning as if they’d gotten no sleep at all the night before.

MPR, Is Cleveland a model for med-tech success in Rochester? by Catharine Richert — Cleveland Clinic is the force of gravity in a medical-technology universe now pulling businesses, investor money and millennials into the city. It's a success story that Mayo Clinic and Rochester leaders aim to write in Minnesota. While the cities are obviously very different demographically and economically, Rochester and Mayo officials see parallels between Cleveland's success and Rochester's ambitions as they try to attract 30,000 workers to southeastern Minnesota and fulfill a vision for a Destination Medical Center.

Star Tribune, Mayo's Discovery Square starts to take shape in Rochester by Matt McKinney — Crews broke ground Thursday on a four-story, 90,000-square-foot building heralded as the first step toward the creation of “Discovery Square,” a life sciences and biotechnology hub where Mayo Clinic doctors and researchers will collaborate with private firms to create new medical technology. The 16-block “Discovery Square” district is one of six within Mayo’s $5.6 billion Destination Medical Center plan. Construction of the Mortenson building project is scheduled to be completed in 2019. Additional coverage: Post-Bulletin, MPR, Commercial Property Executive

Star Tribune, Minnesota Historical Society creating an app to help care for Alzheimer's patients by Jackie Crosby — As dementia slowly steals people’s memories, caregivers often struggle to make an emotional connection. The Minnesota Historical Society wants to bridge that gap. The museum is working on a mobile app that will help professional and family caregivers draw stories out of those with memory loss. It also is developing a training program for caregivers, who don’t always know the best way to spark a conversation…To understand training needs, the museum worked with the Charter House, the Mayo Clinic’s assisted-living center in Rochester, and Twin Cities-based Rakhma Homes. They showed hundreds of images to people with dementia who attended memory cafes and a volunteer-based drop-off program called the Gathering.

Star Tribune, A Minnesota couple's love story leads to a philanthropic legacy by Shannon Prather — Rauenhorst, with the support and savvy of his wife, Henrietta, grew up to become one of Minnesota’s most successful contractors. His company, the Opus Group — a series of commercial real estate development, construction and design companies — helped sculpt the Minneapolis skyline. ….Over the past decade, GHR grants and commitments have totaled $175 million, of which $75 million went to local recipients. The foundation funds global development with an emphasis on peacemaking and supporting children and families; health research, including work on Alzheimer’s disease at the Mayo Clinic and Harvard; and Catholic education, including the couple’s alma maters, the University of St. Thomas, St. Catherine University and Marquette University in Milwaukee.

WCCO, Jablonski Excited After Mayo Patient Has Paralysis Breakthrough by John Lauritsen — A Mayo Clinic research project could help people with paralysis get back on their feet. Jack Jablonski is among those encouraged by a procedure called epidural stimulation. It has been almost six years since Jablonski became paralyzed after during a hockey game. He is now a college student at the University of Southern California, but he’s back in town this weekend to help raise money for what could be life-changing research… Dr. Kristin Zhao of the Mayo Clinic says a team of 30 people, ranging from therapists to neural engineers, have been working on this research. She says the results are very promising, and are hopefully a sign of more progress to come.

Twin Cities Business, Mayo, Texas Medtech Firm to Conduct Trial for Minimally Invasive Weight-Loss Surgery by Don Jacobson — A medtech company co-founded by a prominent former Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist is launching a new clinical trial to assess the effectiveness of an emerging, minimally invasive surgical procedure for weight loss. Apollo Endosurgery Inc. (Nasdaq: APEN), based in Austin, Texas, revealed in a U.S. Securities Exchange Commission filing last week it has entered in a clinical trial agreement with Mayo to measure the efficacy of the endoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (ESG) procedure… One of Apollo’s co-founders and stockholders is Dr. Christopher Gostout, the founder and former director of Mayo’s Developmental Endoscopy Unit, which helped pioneer novel gastroenterological interventions such as ESG.  Gostout retired from his Mayo post at the end of last year following more than 30 years at the clinic, and was named as Apollo’s chief medical officer shortly thereafter.

Florida Times-Union, Clay County survivor of deadly pancreatic cancer is symbol of Purple Stride walk by Beth Reese Cravey — Three doctors at three different medical practices told Becky Gillan and her family not to worry. They said she did not have deadly pancreatic cancer, which has a five-year survival rate of just 9 percent. She did not have the classic symptoms of back pain and jaundice. The appropriate blood test was normal. Endoscopic ultrasounds were inconclusive. She did not “look sick” and was as physically fit as she had been in years, she said. Still, the Fleming Island woman did have fatigue, weight loss and diarrhea, which are also pancreatic cancer symptoms. After five months of seeing multiple doctors and taking multiple tests, she landed at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville in June 2013, where specialist Massimo Raimondo diagnosed pancreatic cancer and ordered surgery.

Florida Times-Union, Mayo’s Murray Voted President of Orthopaedic Board by Charlie Patton — Peter M. Murray, professor and chair of orthopaedic surgery for the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, has been elected president of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery for a one-year term. Murray, who does hand microsurgery, was elected to the board in 2011. His is currently co-chair of the Joint Committee on Surgery of the Hand.

Florida Times-Union, Health Notes by Charlie Patton — A team of researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville has received a grant of $3.5 million from the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health to better understand the interconnected genetic and vascular pathways involved in Alzheimer’s. The grant follows a previous grant of $5.8 million. Both grants went to a team led by co-principal investigators Guojun Bu, the Mary Lowell Leary professor of medicine and a professor of neuroscience, and Nilüfer Ertekin-Taner, professor of neurology and professor of neuroscience.

News4Jax, Eat Smart Day with the American Heart Association — Amanda Howard and Anya Guy of Mayo Clinic discuss healthy eating habits.

South Florida Reporter, Mayo Clinic Minute: Fall Back With Daylight Saving Time (Video) — As daylight saving time ends, we turn back the clock and gain that hour of sleep we lost in the spring. Do these hour gains and losses make a difference? Dr. Lois Krahn, a sleep disorders specialist at Mayo Clinic, says, “We know that it does disrupt sleep and one hour does not seem like a big deal, but when you look at research data, it is a big deal.” Dr. Krahn says we all have a body clock that expects a consistent 24-hour cycle. “We all know people who have erratic schedules, but that’s not as healthy as a consistent schedule, and our body just is not designed for changes in our sleep time.”

KTTC, Mayo Clinic emphasizes lung health — Mayo Clinic is sharing healthy lifestyle tips as part of its Lung Health Awareness Event…Mayo Clinic Coordinators say the event serves to show just how important it is to keep our lungs healthy. "Our lungs are our number one defense against diseases and infections it's so important that we take really really good care of them, but you know over time between the length of environment, exposure to different chemicals, gasses, particles, tobacco use things like that can actually cause a lot of different kinds of cancers," said Janine Kokal of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Education Program.

Post-Bulletin, Mayo's Harmon humbled by national recognition by Brett Boese — Head bowed in emotional silence, Warren Harmon gathered himself before rising to accept a prestigious award named after his mentor. Harmon, Mayo Clinic's director of video operations, was selected as the first-ever recipient of the Richard A. Blackburn President's Award for Leadership and Service at a trade association's national convention held Sept. 26 in Texas. He's is one of the longest tenured members of the Communications Media Management Association and his primary mentor was Richard Blackburn, the former CMMA president who died in 2016.

MedPage Today, mRCC Agents: Similar Outcomes in Cross-Trial Comparison by Ed Susman — "You really aren't supposed to compare across trials, but it is fun to do it," said Bradley Leibovich, MD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, "However, in this case, the exercise may have found that one drug is better than another, but it may not really be relevant to how we are going to be practicing medicine in the near future." Leibovich, who was not involved in the study, told MedPage Today that the field is moving to combining targeted agents and the the idea of using monotherapy in second-line treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma may be moot.

Medpage Today, CHEST: Women Hospitalized for COPD Have Better Outcomes by Salynn Boyles — In a nationwide, retrospective analysis, female COPD patients showed a reduced adjusted in-hospital mortality versus males (odds ratio 0.88; P=0.02). Women also had a lower mean length of stay (4.16 versus 4.38 days, P<0.01), and lower rates of thoracentesis (OR 0.74, P<0.01), and incidence of shock of any type (OR 0.78, P=0.02) throughout the examined time period, reported Navid Gholitabar of the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, and colleagues.

MedPage Today, Rituxan Has Promise in Idiopathic Nephropathy by Alexandria Bachert — In a randomized comparison, rituximab (Rituxan) proved non-inferior to cyclosporine for the treatment of idiopathic membranous nephropathy, a researcher reported here. Preliminary results from the Membranous Nephropathy Trial of Rituximab trial (MENTOR) suggested that B-cell targeting with IV infusion rituximab was as effective as the pill cyclosporine in inducing remission of proteinuria during a year of treatment, according to Fernando C. Fervenza, MD, of the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota.

MedPage Today, Tolvaptan Slows Kidney Function Decline in ADPKD by Alexandria Bachert — In the REPRISE trial, the mean change in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was −2.34 mL/min/1.73 m2 (95% CI −2.81 to −1.87) in the tolvaptan group compared with −3.61 mL/min/1.73 m2 (95% CI −4.08 to −3.14) in the placebo group. The overall difference of 1.27 mL/min/1.73 m2 was statistically significant (95% CI 0.86-1.68, P<0.001), Vicente E. Torres, MD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, reported here at ASN Kidney Week and simultaneously online in the New England Journal of Medicine. "In the REPRISE trial, in patients with ADPKD and declining renal function, tolvaptan slowed the rate of decline," Torres said during a press briefing. "This, together with those of TEMPO 3:4 and TEMPO 4:4 over five years in earlier-stage ADPKD, show that tolvaptan is effective over a broad range of disease and may delay ESKD." Additional coverage: Medical Xpress

MedPage Today, High Surgical Valve Center Volume Doesn't Mean Lower Mortality by Nicole Lou — The investigators acknowledged that their study was limited by not having all patient-level baseline data or procedural complications captured by the database. In an accompanying editorial, Hartzell Schaff, MD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, expressed other qualms with the study. "Elixhauser comorbidity measures may have value in many areas, but these variables were selected as risk factors separate from the primary reason for hospitalization. In assessing patients for valvular heart surgical procedures, variables such as causes of valve disease, degree of functional disability (and frailty), left and right ventricular function, pulmonary vascular disease, extent of coronary artery disease, and prior cardiac interventions are important patient-related factors that affect outcome and often drive referral patterns," Schaff said.

Medscape, One in Four Physicians Rethinking Clinical Practice by Diana Phillips — Struggling to find joy in the practice of medicine, many physicians are planning to reduce their clinical work hours or leave their clinical practice, a study has shown. In a national survey of physicians across all specialties in the United States in 2014, nearly one in five respondents indicated their plan to reduce practice hours within 12 months, and one in four said they would likely leave their current practice within 2 years, Christine A. Sinsky, MD, from the American Medical Association, Chicago, Illinois, and colleagues report in an article published in the November issue of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Medscape, A Closer Look at Inguinal Hernia Recurrence Rates by Albert B. Lowenfeis — The aim of a report published in Surgery[1] was to estimate the proportion of primary hernias that recur in a sample of approximately half a million patients. To determine recurrence rates, the authors captured data from two large nationwide databases, along with information from three Mayo Clinic centers. In the nationwide data sets, the overall hernia recurrence rate ranged from about 10.5% to 11% in males and about 6% to 7% in females; in the Mayo Clinic patients, the results were similar but somewhat higher.

Medscape, Kidney Stones, Even Asymptomatic, Heighten Renal Risk by Pam Harrison — Risk for end-stage renal disease and all-cause mortality can be elevated in people who develop certain stones, according to a longitudinal cohort study presented here at Kidney Week 2017. "Recurrent stone formers are at much higher risk for end-stage renal disease than control subjects, whereas incident (first time) symptomatic stone formers are not," said Tsering Dhondup, MD, a resident at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Surprisingly, asymptomatic stone formers are also at higher risk for renal disease, "even after adjustment for things like chronic kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, gout, and obesity — all of which can increase the risk for kidney failure and end-stage renal disease," he reported.

OncLive, Truty on Challenges With Treating Patients With Pancreatic Cancer by Mark Truty — Mark J. Truty, MD, MS, assistant professor of surgery, Mayo Clinic, discusses challenges with treating patients with pancreatic cancer. There have been 2 main issues over the past 3 decades: many patients are getting surgery when they probably should not while others are being denied an operation when they need one, says Truty. The main treatment options for patients with pancreatic cancer are surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. The challenge is putting them in the right sequence with the right dosage to ensure survival, explains Truty.

Health Data Management, Mayo Clinic starts to roll out second phase of Epic implementation by Greg Slabodkin — The Mayo Clinic has started the second phase of its implementation of a $1.5 billion integrated Epic electronic health record and revenue cycle management system, replacing three disparate EHRs that the healthcare provider currently uses. “The second go live began last Saturday, November 4 and that was Minnesota Health System—so everything in Minnesota and into Northern Iowa, except for Rochester,” says Steve Peters, MD, Mayo Clinic’s chief medical information officer. “It’s going quite well.”

Alzheimer’s News Today, 6 Ways to Manage Alzheimer’s Disease by Wendy Henderson — The treatment of Alzheimer’s is multifaceted, and can include medication, environment, exercise, and diet. As the disease progresses, patients will require different treatment plans. We’ve compiled a list of ways to manage Alzheimer’s disease based on information from the Mayo Clinic.

OncLive, Kumar on Updates to Treatment for Patients With High-Risk Myeloma — Shaji Kumar, MD, professor of medicine, chair of the Myeloma, Amyloidosis, Dysproteinema Group, Mayo Clinic, discusses updates to the treatment paradigm of high-risk multiple myeloma in an interview during the 2017 Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium. Multiple myeloma is a very heterogenous disease; although the median overall survival has improved, one-quarter of patients will still die within the first 3 to 4 years, Kumar explainns. The high-risk nature of the disease in some patients seems to be primarily driven by genetic abnormalities, as well as other tumor characteristics. Moreover, patients may present with standard-risk disease but then, over time, they can progress to higher-risk disease and require different treatment.

DOTmedcom, Medical 3-D printing: Q&A with Dr. Jonathan Morris, Mayo Clinic radiologist — For Dr. Jonathan Morris, a Mayo Clinic neuroradiologist specializing in spine procedures, the brave new world of medical 3-D printing is practically business as usual. That’s because he and fellow radiologist, Dr. Jane Matsumoto, co-direct an in-house 3-D printing lab at Mayo and are at the forefront of discovering new ways 3-D printing is poised to improve patient care.

AJMC, Rheumatology Patients at Increased Risk for Cardiac Disease by Kelly Davio — During a session at the 2017 American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San Diego, California, a cardiologist joined rheumatologists to give a detailed look at the relationship between rheumatic conditions and cardiovascular disease. Rekha Mankad MD, FACC, director of the women’s heart clinic at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, presented “Getting to the Heart of the Matter: The Heart in Autoimmune Diseases.” Mankad began with the sobering statement that increased morbidity and mortality from heart disease is present in all autoimmune diseases. She pointed to recent data demonstrating that patients with connective tissue diseases had a higher rate of coronary artery disease compared with the total population. “All of these diseases should alert you that this patient population needs to be looked at a little differently,” she said.

Becker’s Orthopedic & Spine, Abba Zubair researches whether stem cells grow faster in space: 5 highlights by Megan Wood — Abba Zubair, MD, PhD, of the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., investigated whether stem cells would multiply at an accelerated speed in zero gravity, according to Action News Jax. Here are five highlights…

Fierce Healthcare, Physician burnout: 1 in 5 doctors want to reduce their clinical hours by Matt Kuhrt — New research shows that burnout has led 1 in 5 doctors to plan to reduce their clinical hours. And roughly 1 in 50 plans to leave medicine altogether within the next two years. A study of professional satisfaction among 6,880 physicians practicing in the United States conducted by researchers at the Mayo Clinic, American Medical Association and Stanford University indicates that burnout continues to dog many physicians, who said they were inclined to leave the field within the next two years. Additional coverage: Medscape, Healthcare Dive, U.S. News & World Report

Medical Economics, To give care to others, physicians shouldn’t be afraid to get help by Keith L. Martin — Earlier this year, the American Medical Association and the Mayo Clinic examined the specialties facing the greatest physician burnout, and internists, cardiologists and family docs were all among the top eight. And a new study portrays an even grimmer reality: Physicians are hesitant to seek help for fear of losing their license. Published in October in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, the study found that four out of 10 U.S. physicians reported they would be reluctant to seek formal medical care for treatment of a mental health condition for fear of repercussions to their licensure. In addition, docs practicing in states where questions regarding mental health treatment are featured in licensure and renewal applications were the least likely to seek help.

Science Daily, Genetic pathways to individualized treatment for advanced prostate cancer — Researchers at Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine have uncovered genetic clues to why tumors resist a specific therapy used for treating advanced prostate cancer. This discovery can guide health care providers to individualized treatments for castration-resistant prostate cancer, a deadly disease that does not respond to standard hormone therapy. Several U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved therapies are available for castration-resistant prostate cancer, but the treatments affect each patient differently.

Page Six, Meghan McCain got engaged at the Mayo Clinic by Francesca Bacardi — Meghan McCain and conservative writer Ben Domenech got engaged in an unlikely place. “We were at Mayo Clinic and my father [Sen. John McCain] had his scan, and we got engaged because we decided to sort of celebrate life and celebrate being alive and all these things,” she said on “The View” Thursday morning. “It’s not the most romantic story, but he is my partner,” said the new “View” co-host, noting, “I love him very much and I’m very happy.” She said they’ve been together “for years.” Additional coverage: ABC News, USA Today, Yahoo!, Dayton Daily News, Entertainment Tonight

Sioux City Journal, Sioux City baby has life-saving procedure before birth by Dolly A. Butz — A Sioux City specialist initially referred the Nolens to Omaha, but doctors there wanted to wait to intervene until after Faith was born. Haley Nolen's sister-in-law, a pediatrics resident who was set to begin a neonatology fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, contacted her fellowship director to see what additional treatment options might be available for Faith. At Mayo Clinic's Fetal Care Center, the Nolens learned that Faith's condition was more severe than initially thought. Rodrigo Ruano, a fetal surgeon, could perform fetal endoscopic tracheal occlusion (FETO), a very delicate procedure that involves placing a balloon into Faith's airway in utero to help her lungs develop. Ruano, who is originally from Brazil, has been performing FETO since 2004. He came to Mayo Clinic in 2016 after practicing in Texas.

Madison.com, Does Your Company Force You to Take Vacation Time? Here’s Why That’s Not a Bad Thing — 1. You'll avoid burnout -- and a host of health issues: Burnout isn't just some buzz word that tired or bored workers like to throw around. According to Mayo Clinic, it has a clinical definition: "A state of physical, emotional, or mental exhaustion, combined with doubts about your competence and the value of your work."

WKBT La Crosse, Holmen school sees 'stomach bug' outbreak, cancels conferences by Sarah Thamer — Mayo Clinic Pediatrics consultant Charles Peters recommends following specific guidelines to prevent students from further spreading the illness. "We strongly urge them to stay home and to rest and take in plenty of fluids and avoid food that make either vomiting or diarrhea worse." County health officials say in regards to the outbreak, there was no connection to food. They are recommending that parents keep their children home 48 hours even after they're feeling well.

WEAU Eau Claire, Local respiratory therapist uses art to inspire patients by Brooke Schwieters — A local respiratory therapist’s not-so hidden talent is giving her patients a new perspective on the importance of lung health. One woman's piece of art is hoping to inspire people to live a healthier life. And while you typically wouldn't think of a hospital when it comes to stain glass art, a lab on the second floor of Mayo Clinic Health System was the perfect location for it. Day-to-day, Maureen O’Donnell is a lead respiratory therapist, but on the evenings and weekends- an artist emerges.

KING 5, Harmonicas could help COPD patients breathe easier by Amity Addrisi and Bill Abeyta — Playing the harmonica could help lung transplant patients strengthen their diaphragm and breathe better. Pulmonary fibrosis is a disease which causes tissue in the lungs to harden and become still, thus making it difficult for oxygen to get through the body. Sometimes, it requires a lung transplant as was the case for Larry Rawdon. Now, he’s like a conductor of a great orchestra commanding the stage. Only his stage is a conference room and his musicians are lung and heart transplant patients at the Mayo Clinic.

Dallas New Era, WellStar Health System expands collaboration with Mayo Clinic — WellStar Health System is expanding its collaboration with Mayo Clinic, a global leader in medical research and education. All WellStar facilities now have access to the resources of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, a national network of like-minded organizations who share a commitment to better serving patients and their families. “At WellStar, we are focused on finding innovative ways to improve patient care,” said John A. Brennan, M.D., executive vice president & chief clinical integration officer. “WellStar is home to some of the most accomplished and preeminent physicians in the Southeast. By collaborating with Mayo Clinic, we are giving our physicians and patients another resource that can improve the health of our community.” Additional coverage: North Fulton Neighbor

Hindustan Times, Hospitals should work to become cathedrals of care, says Victor Montori by Anonna Dutt — “The desire to see things as they are, to find out true facts and store them up for the use of posterity,” that is the reason one must write, George Orwell said. It’s the reason Victor Montori, a professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic, wrote this book. Through a series of personal essays, the author explores the inherent cruelty of industrialised healthcare and how it has dehumanised the patient… Montori talks to people from within the healthcare industry as well as to patients about whether they too feel that this is now a system where care is accidental and cruelty incidental. Instead, he asks, could we not work towards a system where a hospital more closely resembles a “cathedral of care” where patients receive treatment that makes emotional, intellectual and practical sense to them and their worldview?

Fillmore County Journal, Yoga in Southeast Minnesota by Sara Snipes — I’m sure you’ve witnessed millennials walking around in leggings, hipsters burning incense, and ads targeting women to “zen out.” What do these things have in common? Likely, you’ve associated these things with the practice of yoga. But chances are you don’t have a full understanding, or perhaps even have a misunderstanding, of yoga and the ideals behind this sacred practice… Mayo Clinic describes yoga as a mind-body practice that brings together physical and mental disciplines to help achieve peacefulness of body and mind that is proven effective in stress management

Petra News Agency, King honors prominent Jordanian scientists — His Majesty King Abdullah II on Tuesday honored a number of prominent Jordanian scientists who have excelled in various fields of science, research, medicine, engineering, physics and technology. King Abdullah presented awards to the Jordanian scientists, who work as deans of faculties and directors of scientific departments in the world's most renowned universities and institutes, at the World Science Forum (WSF) 2017… Barham Abu Dayyeh, Associate Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, who developed procedures to reduce stomach volume and treat obesity.

Gulf News Today, ‘Radiologists help in diagnosing many illnesses’ by Mariecar Jara-Puyod — A visiting radiology professor from the US underscored the significance of encouraging future medical practitioners to consider specialising in the “non-invasive modality on viewing what is happening inside the (human body).” Dr Christine Menias defined radiology as “basically having a reality image of (one’s) internal organs and internal systems without having pathology and the need for surgery.” Interviewed, she said: “Not many people know that radiologists are doctors. That radiology is important across a number of disciplines in medicine. That radiology is by far the most practical way to diagnose, monitor treatment and detect progression or relapse of many important and common diseases in a minimally invasive and anatomically precise manner.” “But, radiologists play a vital role in the diagnosis of many illnesses, particularly cancers by using imaging techniques such as X-rays, CAT scans and ultrasound and in treatment through radiation therapy,” added Menias, who teaches radiology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science (Arizona, US).

Albuquerque Journal, Research: Alzheimer’s risk linked to Type 3 diabetes — Researchers have known for several years that being overweight and having Type 2 diabetes can increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. But they’re now beginning to talk about another form of diabetes: Type 3 diabetes. This form of diabetes is associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Type 3 diabetes occurs when neurons in the brain become unable to respond to insulin, which is essential for basic tasks, including memory and learning. Some researchers believe insulin deficiency is central to the cognitive decline of Alzheimer’s disease. Mayo Clinic’s Florida and Rochester campuses recently participated in a multi-institution clinical study, testing whether a new insulin nasal spray can improve Alzheimer’s symptoms. The results of that study are forthcoming.

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