New York Times, At the Heart of a Vast Doping Network, an Alias by Michael Powell — Dr. Todd B. Nippoldt, an endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., spoke to the scientific and health consequences of unregulated and illegal use. “These people are carrying out quite sophisticated experiments on themselves at doses that far exceed anything in a lab,” Nippoldt said. “It’s quite remarkable and dangerous.”

Washington Post, Genetics may make some babies vulnerable to SIDS or ‘crib death,’ study says by Ariana Eunjung Cha — The research involved 278 infants who died of SIDS, also called “crib death” or “cot death,” and 729 healthy controls. Four of those who died of SIDS had a variant of a gene called SCN4A associated with an impairment of breathing muscles, while no babies in the control group had it. Authors Michael Hanna from the United Kingdom's Medical Research Council's Center for Neuromuscular Diseases and Michael Ackerman from the Mayo Clinic in the United States wrote that these mutations are typically found in fewer than 5 out of 100,000 people. Additional coverage: NBC News, Medical Xpress

New York Times, Your Cute Rubber Duck May Be a Haven for Bacteria by Ceylan Yeginsu — Recently, a microbiology student’s photo on Facebook of the colonies of fungi and bacteria that grew in a petri dish she had opened inside a Dyson hand dryer drew alarm when the image spread online. But studies disagree on whether hand dryers are more or less hygienic than paper towels. One study published by the Mayo Clinic in 2000 found no statistically significant hygienic difference between dryers and paper towels.

Forbes, She Was Given Three Years To Live. So She Transformed Cancer Research by Ellie Kincaid — Keith Stewart, director of Mayo Clinic's Center for Individualized Medicine, remembers an MMRF meeting right after 9/11—the doctors traveled on empty planes—in which the group hashed out how a new research consortium could share tissue samples, produce genetic data and create a network to run clinical trials better. It helped speed studies of thalidomide and of Celgene's follow-up drug, Revlimid. The success of those drugs is one reason Celgene now has a $65 billion market capitalization. The MMRF's research consortium has grown from 4 cancer centers to 25.

CNN, Former cancer patient now a doctor at the hospital that helped her survive by Mercedes Leguizamon — People say it's important to give back to your community. Jennifer Pratt is doing exactly that. She was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer, when she was just 11. The diagnosis meant she spent many days in the hospital…Her journey started when Pratt felt an unusual pain in her leg. She was referred to Children's by a pediatrician, and an x-ray revealed a tumor. ratt had many sessions of chemotherapy -- spanning more than a year -- and eventually had surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She then needed to use crutches for nine months. Additional coverage: WTVR

Post-Bulletin, Mayo releases diet video course — Mayo Clinic has released a video course to supplement its previous weight-loss publications with The Great Courses. “The Mayo Clinic Diet: The Healthy Approach to Weight Loss” shares weight-loss tips and techniques, based on the second edition of the print edition of “The Mayo Clinic Diet.” The course will teach participants how to cut calories and exercise more, as well as how their moods affect weight loss attempts. The goal will be to craft a long-term, sustainable weight-loss and maintenance plan.

Post-Bulletin, Music remains: Chorus for cognitive decline strikes chord in community by Anne Halliwell — …Angela Lunde, a board member for Resounding Voices, also studies Alzheimer’s Disease at Mayo Clinic...“We’ve known for a long time that people even in the late stages, even in the end stages, maintain the ability to connect to certain types of music,” she said. “Even though they might not be singing the music, you can tell there’s a connection there. Maybe by their eyes opening a little bit wider or some facial expression or tapping of the toes, or movement of the hands and arms, something like that. It’s a strong indication that there is some connection to that music or that song.”

Post-Bulletin, Answer Man: Who's next in line to lead Mayo? — Who is in the running for the Mayo CEO position? — I love a reader who gets right to the point, Nancy, so I’ll deal with the most obvious and important element of this story first: I am not in the running, and if elected, I will not serve. Sorry, folks. But there are plenty of other worthy candidates out there to replace retiring CEO Dr. John Noseworthy, even if none of them is as splendid a choice as I would have been.

Post-Bulletin, Civic Center helps make Rochester a medical destination by Randy Petersen — Jacob Malwitz, event producer for Mayo Clinic and a member of the Experience Rochester board, said connections within the clinic help attract medical-related events to the civic center. He said he encourages Mayo physicians to help recruit medical-related conferences and meetings. The expansion also helps Rochester complete with similar-sized venues in the state. “This addition puts us on an equal playing field,” he said. He added that the proximity to Mayo Clinic provides an additional benefit when it comes to attracting medical-related events. “With all things being equal, we’ve got this great facility now and we’ve got these Mayo folks who are willing to provide a speaker for free and things like that, so why wouldn’t they choose Rochester,” he said of the clinic’s efforts to work with the convention sales staff.

Post-Bulletin, Where was the DMC investment made? by Randy Petersen — In all, non-Mayo Clinic private investment in the DMC district contributed $44.7 million to the reported $131.1 million for 2017. It’s up from $38.1 million in 2016 and $20.5 million in 2015, the first year non-Mayo investment was documented. DMC Economic Development Agency Executive Director Lisa Clarke said the numbers are a sign that local economic development efforts are working.

Post-Bulletin, Reduce your risk of kidney stones — Kidney stones are on the rise, but that doesn’t mean you have to get one. John Lieske, a professor of medicine at Mayo, said there are some ways to reduce the risk of developing kidney stones. There are genetic, dietary, and environmental components to kidney stones, he said. “Of all the factors you can look at, calcium metabolism is something that you can clearly pass along,” Lieske said.

Post-Bulletin, Mental health facility opening soon by Saint Marys by Jeff Kiger — Rochester’s growth is attracting more than just hotels and luxury apartments. Construction of a 16-bed residential treatment complex is in the final stages on 14th Avenue Southwest, across from Mayo Clinic Hospital-Saint Marys Campus. Mayo is collaborating with Maryland-based nonprofit ClearView Communities to build and manage the John E. Herman Home and Treatment Facility, which will offer mental illness recovery care.

Post-Bulletin, Mayo Clinic, OMC show profits in independent financial report by Jeff Kiger — A new report on Minnesota health care shows net revenues climbing at most Mayo Clinic facilities and Olmsted Medical Center, though moves to reduce the number of insured patients could reverse that trend. The study, conducted by Minneapolis-based research consultant Allen Baumgarten, includes data from more than 140 hospitals and health care systems in Minnesota and neighboring states. Baumgarten, an independent analyst who has reviewed the medical field for 27 years, found the Mayo Clinic system had a combined net income of $528 million in 2016, which reflects a margin of 18.3 percent.

KTTC, Mayo Clinic offers bleeding control course by Erin O’Brien — After an accident or an active shooter situation, bystanders are usually the first ones to help the injured before first responders can arrive. That's why staff from Mayo Clinic's Trauma Center taught a bleeding control course Monday for Mayo employees.  It's in advance of National Stop the Bleed Day on Saturday.

KAAL, First Minnesota Patient to Receive Groundbreaking Therapy at Mayo Clinic by Marissa Collins — For many women going through chemotherapy, it can be devastating losing their hair. Now, breast cancer patients at Mayo Clinic in Rochester can have hope in keeping their hair during treatment. "Feeling very, very sad and depressed that I have to lose my hair, as well," said Joanna Mankowski. Joanna was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and while taking on the fight of her life, as a woman, the thought of possibly losing her breasts and her hair was a lot to take on.

KIMT, During cancer fight, 10-year-old providing inspiration for many by Jared Patterson — Emersyn Brown was never worried about her hair. “Who cares? It will grow back,” Brown, 10, told her mother, Kelly Patterson, when the effects of cancer began to kick in. Brown, a fifth-grader at West Fork, has been at Mayo Clinic since March 2.

KTTC, Recent violent crime wave prompts RFD to host traumatic cardiac arrest training — The Rochester Fire Department held an airway management training session Friday morning. Mayo Clinic professor and medical director for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Dr. Matt Sztajnkrycer led the lecture portion of the training which focused on approaches to patients with breathing difficulties. Because of the recent violent crime wave, Sztajnkrycer says he also added lessons on handling traumatic cardiac arrest, which are caused by gunshot and stab wounds. Dr. Sztajnkrycer says developing a specific RFD curriculum can be challenging because of ever-changing firefighter realities.

Twin Cities Business, Mayo Clinic Biotech Spin-Off Vyriad Raising $9M for Expansion, Clinical Trials by Don Jacobson — Mayo Clinic spin-off company Vyriad Inc., maker of genetically-engineered viruses designed to destroy cancer tumors, is raising $9 million to fund an expansion at the former IBM building in Rochester where it plans to hire and house up to 30 new employees.  Vyriad CEO Dr. Stephen Russell, who is also director of Mayo Clinic’s molecular medicine program, announced last year the start-up had signed a lease for 25,000 square feet of lab space, offices and other uses in a vacant building on the city’s IBM campus as it sought to ramp up its pipeline of oncolytic virus products.

Twin Cities Business, Mayo Clinic Radiologists Closing in on Financing for Stroke Treatment Device by Don Jacobson — A Rochester-based startup founded by a pair of Mayo Clinic radiologists who invented a new device for improving the treatment of ischemic strokes is close to wrapping up a $1 million financing round. Marblehead Medical LLC, led by Mayo colleagues Drs. Waleed Brinjikji and David Kallmes, revealed its fundraising intentions earlier this year and that it would be seeking regulatory approvals for its innovation.

Twin Cities Business, Minnesota Gets First Medtech-Specific Startup Accelerator Program by Amanda Ostuni — Through a multi-entity endeavor, the Twin Cities is getting its first medical technology startup accelerator program. Backed by the Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota, Boston Scientific will launch the accelerator under Gener8tor, a business incubator that partnered with the University in 2016. Additional coverage: Mass Device, Star Tribune

Florida Times-Union, Mayo’s Medical School Ranked No. 6 by U.S. News — U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 Best Graduate Schools report, released last week, rates the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine as No. 6 in medical education research rankings. The original school, which began in 1972, sits nestled on Mayo Clinic’s Rochester, Minn., campus, which is ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the No. 1 hospital in the country. In 2017 the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine expanded, adding a new four-year campus in Arizona. The school also started a new program at Mayo’s Clinic’s Jacksonville campus that enables third- and fourth-year medical students at other Mayo campuses to complete their last years of training in Jacksonville.

WEAU Eau Claire, Hello Wisconsin — March is National Nutrition Month. Health educator Katie Johnson with Mayo Clinic Health System, shares tips on portion control and how to easily reduce food waste.

WEAU Eau Claire, "Legends of the Knight" movie screening — April is National Donate Life Month. Currently, more than 115,000 people in the U.S. are awaiting an organ transplant. Donn Dexter, M.D. and Kelly Buchholtz, R.N., both with Mayo Clinic Health System, discuss a free movie screening coming to Eau Claire that features true stories of people who were inspired to become real-life heroes by their childhood love of Batman. The family-friendly event is designed to raise awareness on the importance of becoming an organ donor. Additional coverage: WQOW Eau Claire

WEAU Eau Claire, How spring cleaning can decrease stress by Zach Prelutsky — Officials with Mayo Clinic Health System Franciscan Healthcare say spring cleaning can be a good time to clear your mind. They say it can foster creativity, provide a sense of accomplishment, and motivate you as we head into warmer weather. "It can improve your mood and decrease stress by removing excess clutter and unfinished projects in the area can help not only organize your environment but help you feel more at ease in your environment," said Mayo Clinic Health System Franciscan Healthcare Family Nurse Practitioner Heidi Stenerson.

Fairmont Sentinel, Newborn screenings helping to save lives — States differ in what conditions are included in testing, but Minnesota has one of the most comprehensive newborn screening programs in the country, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. Recently, a new test for spinal muscular atrophy was added, bringing the number of conditions screened to 61. Jonathan Buchholz, OB/GYN at Mayo Clinic Health System in Fairmont, said all newborns are tested unless parents opt out of the screening, which is completed via a single blood sample. “We want to screen for things where treatment would make a difference in the outcome, and screening does make a significant difference as far as treatment and outcomes,” he said.

Modern Healthcare, Health Care Hall of Fame — In the late 1800s, southeastern Minnesota wasn't exactly a booming metropolis. And it certainly wasn't what sprang to mind when people thought “medical innovation.” But today, people from all over the world are drawn to Rochester, Minn., by one simple word: Mayo. And it all started with two brothers—Drs. Charles and William Mayo—and their physician father, William Worrall Mayo. The origins of the Mayo Clinic can be traced to a deadly tornado that struck Rochester in the late 1800s, destroying much of the town….

WXYZ Detroit, Many misusing over the counter medications with potentially dangerous consequences — Headache pain specialist Dr. David Dodick of the Mayo Clinic says over -the-counter medications are an important tool. But, his research shows a problem. “My colleagues and I recently completed a population-based study across the United States and found that amongst patients who had at least one headache within the past 30 days, fifteen percent overused these over-the-counter analgesics,” he says.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Exercise stress test to diagnose heart issues — Dear Mayo Clinic: I have a treadmill stress test scheduled to look for heart disease. I know this involves exercising, and I’m worried that I’m not physically up to it. Is there another way to gather this information? A: Yes. There’s another way to conduct a heart stress test that doesn’t involve exercise. Several drugs can be safely used to mimic the effects of exercise or stress on the heart. This is known as a pharmacological stress imaging study.

SELF, 6 Sleep Problems You Should Discuss With Your Doctor by Korin Miller — Your partner or roommate says you snore a lot. The most common form of this condition is obstructive sleep apnea, according to the Mayo Clinic. The sleep disruption aspect arises if your throat muscles relax too much, which can cause your airway to narrow, forcing oxygen levels in your body to drop. As a result, your brain basically scares you awake so that you can catch your breath, the Mayo Clinic explains.

International Business Times, What is Listeria? Know about the deadly infection linked to cheese by Pinaz Kazi — Listeria is a foodborne bacterial illness and commonly contracted by consuming unpasteurized milk products or not properly processed deli meats, according to Mayo Clinic. It can be dangerous to pregnant women, people with impaired immune systems, and fatal to newborns.

Finance & Commerce, Private dollars for Rochester build-out top $428 million by William Morris — At a Destination Medical Center Corp. board meeting last week, officials said that annual private investment reached $131 million in 2017, down from $145 million in 2016. As in past years, the majority of 2017’s investment came from Mayo Clinic, which was the driving force behind the DMC initiative. Mayo’s 2017 investments throughout the city totaled $86 million, down from $107 million the year before. That work includes $21.2 million to expand the surgical suites and robotics capabilities of the Jacobson building, $6.3 million to consolidate Mayo’s radiology practices into one location, and $2.2 million for a new complex intervention unit at St. Marys Place. The Mayo Clinic board in 2017 approved more than $200 million in projects for the St. Marys campus to take place over the next four years.

Cure, Chemotherapy Could Make a Comeback, But Only Clinical Trials Will Tell by Brielle Urciuoli — Immunotherapy has been a hot topic in the bladder cancer space, with five Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals in 2017 alone. But patients and physicians should not discredit chemotherapy, which may be making a comeback to help improve outcomes in these patients, according to Parminder Singh, M.D. “Chemotherapy is going to make a comeback as a sensitizing agent for the immune system and consequent immune therapy,” Singh, a hematologist/oncologists at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona, said in an interview with OncLive, a sister publication of CURE.

MedPage Today, Registry: Rapid Deployment SAVR Valves Faster, Not Better by Nicole Lou — That the study suggests that the use of rapid deployment valves may even be associated with increased risk of complications changes the value proposition, Hartzell Schaff, MD, of Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, suggested in an accompanying editorial. "The natural attraction of new devices and technologies coupled with commercial pressure has led to wide interest and use of rapid deployment valve prostheses, especially in aortic valve procedures performed with intercostal incisions or partial upper sternotomies. There are, however, limited data on the durability of rapid deployment valves, and ... these new technologies increase cost with little positive impact on early outcomes," Schaff wrote.

EHR Intelligence, Mayo Clinic Cuts Cluttered EHR Data with AWARE EHR Interface by Kate Monica — Mayo Clinic is using a new EHR interface powered by ambient intelligence applications to strip away excess EHR data and deliver meaningful information to clinicians for improved clinical decision-making. Herasevich, MD, et al. noted that EHR data overload has become a growing problem in fast-paced, complex care settings such as intensive care units (ICUs) and emergency departments. The team sought to develop a way to streamline clinicians’ ability to quickly obtain and utilize only necessary data. Additional coverage: Fierce Healthcare

Hindustan Times, Ladies, here’s the silver lining. Menopausal hormone therapy may boost memory — Hormone therapy refers to either oestrogen or combination oestrogen or progesterone treatment. The study led by researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, US, showed that women who took oestradiol – an oestrogen steroid hormone – via skin patches maintained brain volume in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex – an area of the brain that assists with memory, thinking, planning and reasoning, for over the seven years of the study.

Business Insider, A bald head is not all your mom's fault — these are the other factors that can cause you to lose your hair by Hilary Brueck — For years, many people have believed the myth that the genes for male pattern baldness are passed down from a mother to her son on her x-chromosome. The conventional wisdom has been that men could simply take a look at the heads on their mom's side of the family and get a pretty good indication of how theirs might wind up looking... "To assess your chances for hair loss, look at all relatives in your mother's and father's families," Dawn Davis, a doctor from the Mayo Clinic's dermatology department, wrote in a blog post.

MedPage Today, Simple Office Screen May Predict Parkinson's Dementia by Judy George — Its longitudinal design and large sample size are benefits, but MoPaRDS needs more work before it can be used clinically, noted Rodolfo Savica, MD, PhD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, who also was not involved in the study. "The observation time was only 4.4 years, which is relatively short to assess the long-term risk of dementia in Parkinson's disease," he said. "Studies with a larger sample and a longer follow-up are definitely needed to confirm this finding."

Medscape, Insurance Exec to Oncologists: Take Financial Toxicity Vow by Nick Mulcahy — This price differential has recently been highlighted by multiple myeloma expert Vincent Rajkumar, MD, a professor of medicine and a hematologist/oncologist at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. He noted in a Twitter thread that the difference in price also leads to a difference in reimbursement, as "we have a system that rewards oncologists and their chemotherapy offices with more $ for giving more expensive chemo."

Word & Way, PBS Film Explores How We Go Gently – or Kicking and Screaming – into the Night — The two-hour film "Into the Night: Portraits of Life and Death," which premiered March 26 on PBS, pushes viewers to confront their own mortality. In the film, Whitney asks nine men and women grappling with death to tell their stories...Jeffrey Piehler, a Mayo Clinic heart surgeon, was living out the last days of his 12-year battle with prostate cancer when he was filmed. Additional coverage: Sojourners

Duluth News Tribune, Essentia’s public-private vision: Reshape the medical district by Brooks Johnson and John Lundy — What Essentia Health calls “Vision Northland” has city leaders thinking about Duluth’s version of the Mayo Clinic-led Destination Medical Center in Rochester. “We think this would generate additional spinoff private development, similar to what’s happening down in Rochester,” said David Montgomery, Duluth’s chief administrative officer.

Fierce Healthcare, How the Mayo Clinic involves doctors in action learning-based leadership by Joanne Finnegan — Want to help your physicians become effective leaders who can help transform how your healthcare organization works? The Mayo Clinic says it has one answer: Put them on a team, give them a problem to solve and a deadline. It’s formally called action learning, a leadership-development process in which small groups work on real-world organizational business problems, write three of the advisors for the Mayo Clinic program in NEJM Catalyst. It goes beyond the traditional leadership training that focuses on classroom lectures, role modelling, hypothetical practice scenarios and self-help activities, according to Ji Yun Kang, Ph.D., Mary Ann Djonne and Joslyn Vaught, senior leadership and organization development advisors.

Jewish Exponent, Play Explores Prostate Cancer with Laughs by Marissa Stern — It’s not a funny topic on the surface, but the play A Man and His Prostate is a “gag riot.” That’s according to the actor playing the titular “Man” in the production, Ed Asner. Asner, a seven-time Emmy winner and prolific actor, started working on the play with its writer, Edwin “Ed.” Weinberger, a year and a half ago… “It’s interesting to me that [it’s] such a successful play both in information and humor, and people were afraid to touch it,” he said. However, just a few days before the Philly show, he will perform the play in Rochester, Minn., in performances sponsored by the Department of Urology of the Mayo Clinic.

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Tags: Allison Matthews, baldness, Boston Scientific, Cancer, Chemotherapy, cognitive decline, destination medical center, DMC, doping, Dr. Angela Lunde, Dr. Charles Mayo, Dr. David Dodick, Dr. David Kallmes, Dr. Dawn Davis, Dr. Hartzell Schaff, Dr. John Lieske, Dr. Jonathan Buchholz, Dr. Keith Stewart, Dr. Matt Sztajnkrycer, Dr. Michael Ackerman, Dr. Parminder Singh, Dr. Rodolfo Savica, Dr. Stephen Russell, Dr. Todd B. Nippoldt, Dr. Vincent Rajkumar, Dr. Waleed Brinjikji, Dr. William Mayo, Ed Asner, EHR, Gener8tor, headaches, heart health, Heidi Stenerson, integrative medicine, Jennifer Pratt, Joanna Mankowski, Joslyn Vaught, Katie Johnson, Kelly Buchholtz, kidney stones, Listeria, Marblehead Medical, Mary Ann Djonne, Mayo Clinic Diet, Mayo Clinic School of Medicine, menopause, mental health, newborn screening, Nutrition, parkinson's disease, SIDS, sleep medicine, spring cleaning, Uncategorized, Vyriad