NBC News, Is this the shoe that will help rewrite marathon history? by David Cox — Dr. Michael Joyner, a Mayo Clinic researcher who predicted that a sub-two hour marathon might be physiologically possible back in 1991, notes that Kipchoge had help from a team of 30 pacemakers, who helped break the wind. What’s more, the course had no sharp turns, and Kipchoge didn’t have to slow to grab drinks because they were handed to him by a cyclist. “He might have got a marginal gain from the shoes, but is somebody going to buy them and suddenly magically run 4 percent faster in a real race?” Joyner asks. “Unlikely.”

Los Angeles Times, 4 fitness and lifestyle devices to improve your health — at work by Kavita Daswani — There are tech companies across the nation where the chairs in boardrooms have been replaced by FluidStance balance boards, said company founder Joel Heath…Heath advises getting onto the FluidStance while taking a phone call, chatting with a colleague or even at the desk; the movement provided by standing on the board increases the body's energy expenditure by 19.2%, according to a study by the Mayo Clinic.

Los Angeles Times, In pursuit of a miracle, paralyzed by a hockey injury, Jack Jablonski finds purpose, and sees movement, off the ice by Helene Elliott — Relying on his mind to prevail over limbs that had become paralyzed after he was driven face-first into the boards during a Minnesota high school hockey game nearly six years ago, Jack Jablonski stared at his feet one recent night and willed them to move. Since the accident in his sophomore year, on Dec. 30, 2011, physical therapy has allowed him to activate some muscles in his core and lower back and regain some control of his biceps. He also got into the habit of focusing on his feet, especially when he wore flip-flops and could directly look at his feet and toes, but the mind-body link there remained elusive … until about 10 days ago, when he saw a twitch. As of a few days ago, he hadn't repeated that movement. But the fact that he did it was worth celebrating and incentive for him to continue raising money for spinal cord injury research through his Bel13ve in Miracles Foundation, which partners with the Mayo Clinic. Additional coverage: Chicago Tribune

Washington Post, Why online reviews are not the best way to choose a doctor by Steven Petrow — While people can generally agree on what a five-star dry cleaner is, what is a five-star doctor? That’s pretty complicated — and my list of criteria that matter may be different from yours…Many Americans consult online physician ratings, with a 2012 University of Michigan study finding that 59 percent reported that such sites are “somewhat important” or “very important” in choosing a doctor, although a recent Mayo Clinic survey found that the influence of the ranking sites “on [a patient’s] decision to seek (or not seek) care from a particular physician appears to be limited.”

New York Times, Being a Doctor Is Hard. It’s Harder for Women. by Druv Khullar — Despite large increases in the number of women in medicine, female physicians continue to shoulder the bulk of household and child care duties. This unequal distribution of domestic labor is not unique to medicine, of course, but its manifestations are particularly acute in a physically and emotionally demanding profession with a lengthy training process that allows few, if any, breaks...“I remember being on a panel with all men, and the moderator thanking Dr. X, Y, Z — and Julia,” said Dr. Julia Files, an associate professor at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona and lead author of the study. “It happens all the time.” After her study came out, Dr. Files said, “we heard from women across the world who said: ‘Thank you, this is our shared reality.’ ”

USA Today, Deadly boozing: Walking you through getting wasted by Sean Rossman — Dr. Venkatesh Bellamkonda, an emergency physician and director of curriculum at the Mayo Clinic's Quality Academy, provides a blueprint of what an unchecked night of drinking brings. Put simply, all people more-or-less follow the same process when getting drunk. It just depends on your tolerance, which could be guided by how much you drink, your gender, weight and genetics. For agreement's sake, Bellamkonda walked us through what a night of getting wasted is like for someone who doesn't drink routinely or is a first-timer. Regular drinkers — not alcoholics — will experience the same effects, it just requires more alcohol. Additional coverage: KSDK Missouri

New York Post, Restless sleep may be an early sign of Parkinson’s, dementia by Lizzie Parry — People suffering rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, or RBD for short, are at higher risk of the debilitating conditions as they get older, scientists at Aarhus University in Denmark discovered. Symptoms of RBD include acting out your dream, as well as making noises including talking, laughing, shouting and swearing. And being able to remember your dreams is also a key sign, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Men’s Health, Why You Get a Headache When You Work Out—and How to Stop It by Maggie Niemiec — A lot of times when you’re working out, the exercises cause you to bear down, like when you’re stabilizing your core doing an overhead press This is called the Valsalva maneuver—it’s the same thing you use when you poop—and it boosts the pressure inside your abdomen. “That in turn is transmitted into the head via the jugular veins causing an increase in intracranial pressure—which can lead to a headache,” explains Michael Cutrer, M.D., a neurologist who specializes in headaches at the Mayo Clinic.

Men’s Health, Can an Orgasm Really Cure Your Cold? by Emily Shiffer — Think about sex in four phases, says Landon W. Trost, M.D., urologist at the Mayo Clinic. These include: excitement (foreplay/pre-erection), plateau (when you're fully erect and in the act), orgasm (ejaculation), and resolution (the post-orgasm return to 'normal'). During the first two phases, your body is 'gearing up' for sex—this is your sympathetic nervous system at work. "This controls the release of the hormone epinephrine (aka adrenaline)," says Dr. Trost. That causes the blood vessels in your nose to constrict, making you feel less stuffy by reducing inflammation. Plus, the pleasurable feelings during sex can help you forget about the misery of your blocked-up nose, too.

BuzzFeed, Here’s What Experts Want You To Know About HIV Right Now by Caroline Kee — We spoke to four different HIV/AIDS experts to find out what they REALLY want people to know: Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); Rowena Johnston, PhD, vice president and director of research at amfAR; Dr. Stacey Rizza, chair of HIV clinic at the Mayo Clinic; and Dr. Diane Havlir, chief of the HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine Division at University of California San Francisco… "The issue is that we still have this many new infections each year despite millions of dollars of public health spending and research and education," Rizza says. The experts point to stigmatization, barriers to care, and a lack of education and awareness, especially among young people. "I think a lot of younger people just don't believe it’ll happen to them, so they don't always practice safe sex or get tested," Rizza says.

HuffPost, 5 Sneaky Reasons You’re Crying All The Time by Abigail Wise — …Men’s tear ducts are actually larger than women’s, meaning that it takes less liquid to spill over a woman’s eye than it does a man’s. So when guys tear up, it’s easier for them to blink the blubbering away, while women’s tears are more likely to start streaming down their cheeks. In addition, somewhere between 20 and 40 percent of women report experiencing premenstrual syndrome in the days before their menstrual cycle begins. In addition to bloating and headaches, crying spells are one of the most common symptoms of PMS, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Quartz, There are new migraine drugs on the way, for the first time in decades by Chase Purdy — A drug of this sort could be transformative for people who suffer from the condition. Currently the only real way to treat migraines are with so-called “rescue” medications, which can relieve some symptoms but only once a migraine is well underway. Some people have turned to anti-epilepsy and blood pressure drugs to try and prevent migraines, though many of those come with side effects, according to the Mayo Clinic.

US News & World Report, Rochester Airport Sees Increase in Passengers — The Rochester International Airport is seeing a spike in its number of passengers with the addition of more flights and an endorsement from Mayo Clinic. The airport has already had more passengers so far in 2017 than in all of 2016, the Post Bulletin reported. More than 230,000 passengers have used the airport through October this year, compared to about 229,000 passengers for all of last year. "The airport is making huge strides . in passenger numbers," said John Reed, the airport's director. The airport's passenger numbers were down in 2015 and 2016. The spike occurred in June after the Mayo Clinic's policy change. Mayo Clinic amended its travel policy to require employees traveling for work to use the Rochester airport instead of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Additional coverage: Pioneer Press, Houston Chronicle, Kansas City Star, WKBT La Crosse

Post-Bulletin, Our View: Mayo, Fly RST deserve credit for growth — …Mayo changed its travel policy to require employees traveling for work purposes to fly from Rochester rather than from Minneapolis-St. Paul International. That was in June, when 22,878 passengers flew from Rochester. In July, that number jumped to 25,480 and has remained above 25,000 every month since then. Clearly, once Mayo Clinic threw its institutional weight behind the effort to fly from Rochester, the results were almost immediate…Travelers have complained for years that there weren't enough flights to and from Rochester, and that the price of tickets was too high compared with Minneapolis. For most travelers, the convenience of flying from a small airport could not overcome those factors.

SELF, This Is How Your Weight Can Affect Your Fertility by Nita Landry, M.D. — When you’re at a healthy body weight, you have a higher probability of producing an appropriate amount of estrogen, but when you’re overweight or obese, your adipose tissue produces more estrogen than necessary—which can prevent regular ovulation… On the flip side, when you're underweight your ovaries make less estrogen, which can also impact ovulation (at ovulation, you need your estrogen levels to rise, helping along the release of the egg from its follicle). According to the Mayo Clinic, "being significantly underweight can affect hormone production and inhibit normal ovulation." Plus, being underweight can stop menstruation altogether (what's known as amenorrhea).

Forbes, How To Stay Motivated When Business Slows Or Stagnates by Kristin Marquet — Change your mindset to positive thinking. Although it might sound like a cliché, the Mayo Clinic has found that a positive attitude can lower rates of depression, help your body's immune system and improve coping skills. Examine your own mindset: Are you acting and interacting in a positive manner with those around you? If not, eliminate all negative self-talk from your everyday conversation. Doing so can help transform your potential failures into valuable lessons.

Daily Telescope, Rafael J. Sierra Celebrates more than 15 Years of Professional Excellence in Orthopedics by Brad Bennett — Rafael Sierra has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process. With more than 15 years of practiced industry experience, Dr. Sierra works as a professor of orthopedics for the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, and as a consultant for the Mayo Clinic's Department of Orthopedic Surgery. He has also previously served with the Mayo Clinic and its affiliated college in a number of other positions, including Mayo Foundation Scholar, senior associate consultant, assistant professor of orthopedics, and associate professor of orthopedics.

Mirror.co.uk, Shocking study reveals women are less likely than men to receive CPR in public by Miriam Stoppard — A study reports that only 39% of women suffering cardiac arrest in a public place were given CPR versus 45% of men, and men were 23% more likely to survive. It involved nearly 20,000 cases and is the first to examine gender differences in receiving heart help from the public. Researchers put it down to a reluctance to touch a woman’s chest and move clothing out of the way for better access…“All of us are going to have to take a closer look at this gender issue,” said the Mayo Clinic’s Dr Roger White, who co-directs the paramedic program in Rochester, Minnesota. He said he has long worried that large breasts may impede proper placement of defibrillator pads if women need a shock to restore normal heart rhythm.

Express UK, Flu Warning: Killer strain set to be worst ever - vaccine only '10 per cent effective' by Matt Atherton — The US should expect the worst flu season in recent years, according to an expert. An outbreak of the H3N2 virus is expected - the same virus that has given Australia the worst outbreak of flu in 50 years. Infectious diseases specialist, Dr Pritish Tosh of the Mayo Clinic, warned that early indications of this year’s flu jab were that it was just 10 per cent effective.

Star Tribune, Women's hands really are colder than men's, scientists confirm by Allie Shah — Women’s hands generally are colder than men’s, and the old saying “cold hands, warm heart” may go a long way to explaining why…For most women, having cold hands, though uncomfortable, isn’t cause for concern — unless it is a symptom of a medical condition known as Raynaud’s. Raynaud’s disease causes fingers and toes to feel numb and cold in response to chilly temperatures or stress, according to the Mayo Clinic. The condition causes small blood vessels that carry blood to the extremities to spasm and severely constrict, affecting blood flow. This can lead to tissue damage.

Minnesota Monthly, The Gluten-Free Craze: Should You Join In? by Rachel Fergus — A 2016 Mayo Clinic study looked into the continued increase of GF options in the U.S. The study explains that, between 2009 and 2010, 5 percent of the people who chose to avoid gluten had celiac disease; 51 percent who avoided gluten had celiac but were undiagnosed; and 44 percent were people without CD. By 2013–2014, 16 percent of those who ate GF were diagnosed with CD; 12 percent had undiagnosed CD; and 72 percent of those eating GF did not have CD. According to the same study carried out by Mayo, there was no significant change in the prevalence of CD between 2009 and 2014. In other words, eating foods without wheat has become popular among those who are able to eat and digest gluten. This population is, in fact, largely responsible for driving the demand for GF foods.

Twin Cities Business, Mayo Clinic, Optum Collaboration Yields New Insights on Risks of Blood-thinners by Don Jacobson — For heart patients on blood-thinning drugs — especially the long-standard warfarin treatment — there’s always been a risk of kidney damage. Now, however, a research collaboration between Mayo Clinic and UnitedHealth Group subsidiary Optum Inc., has found that other kinds of blood-thinners are easier on the kidneys. OptumLabs, a collaboration established in 2013 between UnitedHealth/Optum, Mayo and AARP as an open research center, supplied data from the deidentified records of 9,769 patients from its health insurance “data warehouse,” while a Mayo team led by cardiologist Peter Noseworthy, M.D., conducted the research with funding from the Mayo Clinic Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery.

News4Jax, Cancer causes: Popular myths about the causes of cancer — Scary claims circulate on the internet that everyday objects and products, such as plastic and deodorant, are secret cancer causes. Beyond being wrong, many of these myths may cause you to worry unnecessarily about your own health and the health of your family. Before you panic, take a look at the facts.  Timothy J. Moynihan, M.D., a cancer specialist at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, takes a closer look at some popular myths about cancer causes and explains why they just aren't true.

ActionNewsJax, New lung restoration center coming to Mayo Clinic's Duval County campus — More than 100,000 people are on the list waiting for an organ transplant, but with a new lung restoration facility being built in Jacksonville, doctors are hopeful they will be able to reduce that number. "My life has completely changed since then," lung transplant recipient, Curtis Higgons said. Higgons credits that to his double lung transplant. He said he was undergoing heart surgery when doctors had to immediately add him to the transplant list and within days he said they found a match.  "There's a good chance I wouldn't be here right now," Higgons said.

SpaceCoastDaily, VIDEO: Parrish Medical Center In Titusville Recognized as Primary Stroke Center — Parrish Medical Center’s recertification as a Primary Stroke Center extends its first-in-Brevard County achievement for area patients endangered by stroke’s potentially debilitating effects...“Stroke is a major cause of death and disability,” said David Miller, MD, director, National Comprehensive Stroke Center, Mayo Clinic’s Florida campus. “Stroke care has been greatly improved with new drug therapies, including the clot-busting agent tPA, administered in appropriate patient populations. About 85 percent of strokes are due to a blood clot blocking a blood vessel to the brain.” PMC is a Mayo Clinic Care Network member, and Mayo Clinic is part of the Parrish Healthcare integrated care team.

Augustine Record, St. Augustine man flies halfway across the globe to receive live-saving liver by Colleen Michele Jones — A 17, Tom Walsh was diagnosed with a rare hereditary condition known as alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, a condition that significantly raises the risk for lung and liver disease…“AAT deficiency is not very common. Liver disease only occurs in about 15 percent of patients with the appropriate genetic makeup,” said Andrew Keaveny, medical director of the liver transplant program at Mayo Clinic’s Jacksonville campus, where Walsh was eventually treated. Walsh knew he could potentially have a serious problem down the road. He just never imagined it might happen while on a long-term job assignment in a country halfway around the world… Walsh said the Mayo team have been amazingly supportive, as has his own family, which includes mom, Lisa; brother, Sean; and sister Bridget.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Sleep and Alzheimer’s disease connection — 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, says prolonged lack of sleep could raise your risk of many health issues, including Alzheimer’s disease. Getting a good night’s sleep is important. Lack of sleep increases your risk of daytime sleepiness, weight gain and even heart disease. Now you might be able to add Alzheimer’s disease to that list. “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,” says Petersen.

KIMT, Local lung cancer survivor participates in "Team Draft Super Bowl Challenge" by Calyn Thompson — A lung cancer survivor who was treated at Mayo Clinic is participating in a fundraiser that uses health competition and the excitement of the Super Bowl. “Ten years ago, I was shockingly diagnosed with lung cancer,” Linda Wortman said.  Today, Wortman is a survivor. She’s competing in the “Team Draft Super Bowl Challenge.”...“We need awareness. We need support,” Wortman said. “Mayo Clinic is a leader in lung cancer research and I’m here to give back for the people who work in teams so tirelessly to save lungs and lives.”

KTTC, New event in Rochester celebrates people with disabilities by Erin O’Brien — Every December 3rd, the United Nations celebrates the International Day of Disabled Persons. It's a day to acknowledge people with disabilities and challenge misconceptions about them. A new event in Rochester from the Mayo Clinic Office of Diversity and Inclusion brought the celebration here on Monday.

Post-Bulletin, Feeling the pressure? by Anne Halliwell — The new guidelines are the first comprehensive, new blood pressure guidelines to be set in 14 years. One of the committee members who helped write the new guidelines is Sandra Taler, a professor of medicine and staff consultant at Mayo Clinic in the division of nephrology and hypertension…The intention was to make people think about hypertension and not just (say), 'Oh, this is OK,'" Taler said. "Prehypertension may be stronger, but prehypertension just didn't work. You know, you're pre-dead. Everybody is pre-dead. It did not get people thinking, 'I'm really at risk here and I need to change my ways.'"

Post-Bulletin, Our View: Winter resolution: Don't be a bear and hibernate — A survey of 34,294 U.S. adults found no link between winter and people's depression symptoms. Geographical latitude and exposure to sunlight were also found to be unrelated to symptoms. That isn't to say you can't still fall victim to symptoms of SAD. Mayo Clinic takes it seriously and offers this advice for treatment: "It's normal to have some days when you feel down. But if you feel down for days at a time and you can't get motivated to do activities you normally enjoy, see your doctor. This is especially important if your sleep patterns and appetite have changed, you turn to alcohol for comfort or relaxation, or you feel hopeless or think about suicide."

KVOA Tucson, Does blowing out birthday cake candles spread germs? Experts say... — We may be entering the height of cold and flu season which means the tissues are flying, hand sanitizer is being squirted left and right, and everyone is trying their best to cover their mouths when they cough. But when it comes to sharing food, we're not always so cautious. Let's face it, who can resist nabbing a that last bite of pie from a loved one's plate?..Dr. Bobbi Pritt, head pathologist at Mayo Clinic, says she has never encountered someone getting sick from eating birthday cake, either. Pritt points to cell phones as being bigger culprits of spreading bacteria.

Fairmont Sentinel, Meals ending tenure at Mayo — Dr. Sam Meals didn’t keep track of the number of babies he delivered during his medical career — he estimates it to be upwards of 5,000 — but he remembers the first one and the last one. “The first baby I delivered was in September 1961 during Hurricane Carla in Galveston (Texas),” he said. “I was a third-year medical student. There were six or seven Carlas born during the storm, and mine was one of them.” His last delivery was on Aug. 30 and was for “one of the funnest couples anywhere,” he said. “This was their sixth baby, and she is, I’m sure, a fantastic mom.”

MedPage Today, Long, Slow Decline in BP Often Precedes Seniors' Death by Salynn Boyles — In the microinfarct study published in JAMA Neurology, Jonathan Graff-Radford, MD, of the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, and colleagues, examined autopsy data on some 300 participants in the population-based Mayo Clinic Study of Aging who had ante mortem blood pressure measurements. Mean age at death was 87. Of the participants with autopsy-revealed chronic microinfarcts, around 64% had cortical microinfarcts and 40% had subcortical microinfarcts. "Our study suggests that hypoperfusion from declining BP is associated with subcortical microinfarcts," the researchers wrote, adding that "purely cortical microinfarcts may be related to a degenerative vasculopathy independent of BP."

MedPage Today, CREST Failed to Dampen Enthusiasm for Carotid Stenting in Elderly by Nicole Lou — Writing in an accompanying editorial, James Meschia, MD, of Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, said: "The effects of CREST on the practice of stenting may have been muted because not everyone accepts the validity of having included perioperative MI in the primary composite endpoint, although the trial showed that perioperative MI carried significant morbidity. Meschia pointed to the 31% increase in the odds of stenting in symptomatic women in the post-CREST period, noting that the measured periprocedural risk of stroke in CREST for this population was 7.5% for CAS and just 2.7% for CEA. Then again, "multivariable adjustment is not a substitute for a stratified analysis of CREST-eligible and -ineligible patients. Regrettably, the NIS database did not afford an opportunity for this type of analysis."

MedPage Today, CardioBrief: FDA Clears ECG Band for Apple Watch by Larry Husten — ...Weiss expressed concern over the potential for misdiagnosis or overdiagnosis if it is used to screen for stroke risk in the general population. Michael Joyner (Mayo Clinic) offered a similar warning. "Measuring things is not therapy," he pointed out. "So in terms of patient care applications, if this is not linked to a coherent way to deal with and act on the data, then any assumptions about better outcomes are premature. The well-done RCTs [randomized controlled trials] on things like CHF [congestive heart failure] and home monitoring have not been especially impressive." Joyner also expressed concern about the effect the consumer devices will have on the "worried well." How will they handle information about "funny" heartbeats? "It is easy to envision a cascade of overdiagnosis stemming from more monitoring," he said. Additional coverage: Woman’s Day

Elite Daily, How The Weather Affects Your Mood & Your Personality, According To A New Study by Julia Guerra — The weather can affect not only how you’re feeling on a daily basis, but also your overall mental health. For example, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is defined by the Mayo Clinic as a “type of depression that’s related to changing seasons.” Those who suffer from SAD generally show symptoms like low energy and a loss of interest in social activities at the start of winter, and tend to feel better once spring has sprung.

WGN-TV, Marriage may lower risk for dementia — The researchers found no evidence that dementia risk in divorced people differed from those who were married, and they could not examine whether the duration of being widowed or divorced had any influence on the findings. With pooled data from multiple studies, the new paper had adequate power to test the hypothesis that marriage could impact dementia risk, Dr. Bryan Woodruff, a neurologist at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, wrote in an email. However, “the findings for lifelong single and divorced participants should be interpreted with some caution since they were a much smaller proportion of the sample studied,” said Woodruff, who was not involved in the new paper but has researched widowhood and dementia. Additional coverage: Fatherly

Markets Insider, ASU adds diversity to $8.6 million Mayo Clinic-led network for patient-centered research — Arizona State University (ASU) has joined a national initiative that brings patients, researchers, health systems and clinicians together to help people make informed healthcare decisions and improve healthcare delivery and outcomes. That innovative initiative is the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network (PCORnet) funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). PCORnet is a national evidence generation system of large, highly representative health and healthcare data that supports clinical research… LHSNet is comprised of 12 million patients across seven member institutions, led by the Mayo Clinic. The network provides expertise to support research that improves health and health care in ways meaningful to its ethnically and socioeconomically diverse patient population, their families, and providers.

Healio, Immune response predicts longer OS for ovarian cancer — Women with high-grade serous ovarian cancer and high levels of cytotoxic CD8 appeared to have longer OS than those with low or no CD8, suggesting the presence of the cells may be a prognostic factor for patients, according to study results. “This study shows the higher the level of cytotoxic CD8 tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in a tumor, the better the survival for patients with high-grade ovarian cancer,” Matthew Block, MD, PhD, oncologist at Mayo Clinic and researcher with the Ovarian Tumor Tissue Analysis (OTTA) Consortium, said in a press release. “Developing a better understanding of factors that increase cytotoxic CD8 tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes will be the key to developing treatments to achieve better outcomes in treating patients with high-grade ovarian cancer.”

Healio, Carotid stenting increasing among elderly population in recent years — There are a number of ways to interpret these findings, according to James F. Meschia, MD, from the department of neurology at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. “Certain trends in the NIS seem counterintuitive,” he wrote in an accompanying editorial. “It is possible that the unexpected apparent enthusiasm for stenting in individuals older than 70 years relates to a perception among stent operators of a lower risk of periprocedural stroke with an evolving technology.”

Healio, Lumbar plexus nerve block, liposomal bupivacaine led to modest improvement for opioid use after THA — Patients who received either posterior lumbar plexus nerve block or periarticular infiltration with liposomal bupivacaine during total hip arthroplasty experienced a modest improvement with respect to analgesia and opioid consumption compared with patients who received periarticular infiltration with ropivacaine, according to results. “While the more complex lumbar plexus block delivered slightly better pain relief, all three strategies provided good pain relief and required relatively little supplemental use — useful information in the context of today’s opioid epidemic,” Mark W. Pagnano, MD, told Healio.com/Orthopedics.

Healio, Microbiome integral to precision diagnosis, personalized treatment — Advances in microbiome science will play a key role in a new era of patient care, enabling precision diagnostics and personalized treatment strategies, according to a new review article published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. “The ability to characterize the microbiome, which includes all the microbes that reside within and upon us and all their genetic elements, using next-generation sequencing, allows us to now incorporate this important contributor to human disease in developing new preventive and therapeutic strategies,” Purna Kashyap, MBBS, review co-author and gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic, said in a press release.

Multiple Sclerosis News Today, Mayo Clinic Develops Test to Distinguish Other Demyelinating Diseases from MS by Marta Figueiredo — The Mayo Clinic has developed a test that allows doctors to distinguish other inflammatory demyelinating diseases from multiple sclerosis in the early stages of a disorder. The test, the first of its kind in the United States, looks for an antibody against a protein known as myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein in the blood. Loss of the protein is associated with inflammatory demyelinating diseases, whose name stems from loss of the myelin protein sheath that protects nerve cells.

Science Codex, Study finds no evidence that gadolinium causes neurologic harm — There is no evidence that accumulation in the brain of the element gadolinium speeds cognitive decline, according to a new study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA)… "It's estimated that approximately 400 million doses of gadolinium have been administered since 1988," said the study's lead author, Robert J. McDonald, M.D., Ph.D., neuroradiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. "Gadolinium contrast material is used in 40 to 50 percent of MRI scans performed today."

Medscape, Helping Cancer Patients Through the Trauma of Hair Loss by Kate M. O’Rourke — According to Rochelle Torgerson, MD, PhD, a dermatologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, hair loss from endocrine therapy can be classified as a telogen effluvium. "It [EIA] really doesn't deserve its own name. It is a telogen effluvium," Dr Torgerson told Medscape. Telogen effluvium, which results in thinning or shedding of hair, occurs when a large number of hairs in the growing phase of the hair cycle abruptly enter the resting phase, triggered by metabolic stress, hormonal changes, or medication.  Dr Torgerson said that most telogen effluvium is not permanent and will stop when therapy stops. "Most telogen effluvium will reset to the normal amount of shedding for that person, and hair will return to the density that they recall," explained Dr Torgerson.

Science Codex, Stephanie Faubion, M.D., talks genitourinary syndrome of menopause — A new article in Mayo Clinic Proceedings reviews options for women going through genitourinary syndrome of menopause - an encompassing term for vaginal dryness, itching, dyspareunia and urinary tract infections brought on by low estrogen levels after menopause. "It's a common problem that affects at least 50 percent of postmenopausal women; yet, only about 7 percent are receiving treatment," says Stephanie Faubion, M.D., director, Mayo Clinic Office of Women's Health. "Aside from the physical discomfort, genitourinary syndrome of menopause can put a strain on relationships, and women need to know that this is common and nothing to be embarrassed by. Their health care provider can help."

Business Insider, The darkest day of the year is almost here — here are science-backed ways to fight winter blues by Hilary Brueck — Good light therapy boxes are designed to filter out damaging UV light, however, these are not FDA-regulated so it can be tricky to find a reliable one. The bulbs, which are usually white florescent and may carry the full spectrum of light, can come with side effects like mild sunburns, eye strain, and migraines. On the more serious side, some research has suggested the lights can increase thoughts of suicide, or trigger mania.   The Mayo Clinic says they should be used in the morning, and patients should spend around a half hour of time in front of their lights after waking up. But again, it's not a device that should be self-prescribed.

Star2.com, Antibiotics or home remedies? — To prevent overuse of these drugs, it’s important to know when home remedies can be used instead of antibiotics. “If your child has an ear infection, consider using over-the-counter pain relievers in place of antibiotics,” says Dr Tiffany Casper, a Mayo Clinic Health System family physician. “Children’s ear infections usually improve within two to three days, especially for kids who are two years or older. If your child’s health does not improve within a few days, it would be wise to take them in to see their healthcare provider.”

The Medium, A natural form of relaxation therapy by Haley West — According to Dr. Brent Bauer, who represents the Mayo Clinic, smaller studies have linked lavender to the reduction of pain for osteoarthritis in the knee and reduction in pain linked to kidney stones. The National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy claims that eucalyptus is indicated to have more of an effect on children with respiratory complaints due to the lower cineole content, but only in a diluted form. However, the Healthwise staff and Dr. Bauer recommend that anyone considering using essential oils talk to a licensed health professional who has experience or training in using aromatherapy, especially if dealing with a chronic condition, such as asthma allergies, or arthritis.

Radiology Business, RSNA 2017: Why radiologists should start using social media by Melissa Rohman — Although social media allows radiologists to directly reach out to patients and vice versa, Ranginwala warns that clinicians alike should check with a legal team for posting and sharing guidelines. Most importantly, the patient must be protected at all costs. Additionally, Amy Kotsenas, MD, a consultant in the radiology department at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, discussed that radiologists using social media must be aware of the privacy and security of their accounts. She suggested that using a password manager, using two-factor authentications for login information, and disabling location services will help keep accounts protected from hacking.

Korea IT Times, Mayo Clinic, National University Hospital in Singapore Announce First Direct Laboratory Interface in Asia-Pacific by D. Peter Kim — Mayo Medical Laboratories, the global reference laboratory of Mayo Clinic, and National University Hospital (NUH) in Singapore announced on December 5 that are now electronically linked via the widely used and secure Health Level 7 interface. The system enables NUH to order specialized Mayo laboratory tests and receive patient results in real time…“Setting up an HL7 interface represents a major commitment of time and resources,” says William Morice, II, M.D., Ph.D., president of Mayo Medical Laboratories and chair of Mayo Clinic’s Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology. “This progressive decision by NUH supports its commitment — and Mayo’s — to putting the needs of the patient first.”

Science Daily, Exercise changes gut microbial composition independent of diet, team reports — In the first study, scientists transplanted fecal material from exercised and sedentary mice into the colons of sedentary germ-free mice, which had been raised in a sterile facility and had no microbiota of their own. In the second study, the team tracked changes in the composition of gut microbiota in human participants as they transitioned from a sedentary lifestyle to a more active one -- and back again…The work with mice was conducted at the U. of I. and with scientists at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, who develop and maintain the germ-free mice.

Williston Daily Herald, Mayo Clinic Minute: Kids with high blood pressure — High blood pressure is a common condition that raises your risk of heart disease, stroke and other diseases. While you might think that high blood pressure is an adult disease, Mayo Clinic's Dr. Vandana Bhide says research shows the condition is becoming increasingly common in kids. And this has prompted new recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

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