April 27, 2018

Mayo Clinic in the News Weekly Highlights for April 27, 2018

By Emily Blahnik

 

 

 

 

CBS News, East Asian tick species arrives in New Jersey, could carry dangerous virus — It's the East Asian tick, sometimes called a longhorned or bush tick. Originally found in Asia, thousands of them are now in the Garden State. …That's a problem, because like the deer ticks that spread Lyme disease, East Asian ticks have been known to spread a deadly virus called SFTS, which stands for severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome. Thrombocytopenia means a low blood platelet count, according to the Mayo Clinic.

NBC News, A guide to leftovers: How to store them safely and when to toss them by Vivian Manning-Schaffel — Other common ways to sabotage your leftover game are not labeling and dating them before putting them in the fridge (so you forget how long you’ve had them), not having a purpose for them (or a set time in mind to reheat them) so they sit in the refrigerator and spoil, and not regularly cleaning out your refrigerator, says Angela L. Murad, RDN, LD, wellness dietitian at the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program.

HealthDay, Medical Marijuana May Not Help Your Sleep Apnea: Experts by Mary Elizabeth Dallas — Medical marijuana shouldn't be used to treat sleep apnea, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine says in a new position statement. The group warned that the drug and its synthetic extracts haven't been shown to be safe, effective or well-tolerated by patients with this condition. "Until we have further evidence on the efficacy of medical cannabis for the treatment of sleep apnea, and until its safety profile is established, patients should discuss proven treatment options with a licensed medical provider at an accredited sleep facility," said statement lead author Dr. Kannan Ramar. He's a professor of medicine with the Mayo Clinic's division of pulmonary and critical care medicine, in Rochester, Minn. Additional coverage: US News & World Report, Health, NewsweekDoctors Lounge

HealthDay, Anesthesia Doesn't Seem to Harm Child's IQ: Study by Robert Preidt — Receiving anesthesia before age 3 does not appear to affect a child's intelligence, according to a new study. However, having anesthesia a number of times at a young age may affect fine motor skills, behavior and learning problems, the Mayo Clinic researchers found. "For the majority of kids undergoing surgery, the results overall are reassuring," said lead author Dr. David Warner, a pediatric anesthesiologist at the Mayo Clinic Children's Center in Rochester, Minn. Additional coverage: US News & World Report, Philly.comMinnPost, WebMDIndependent Online, Brinkwire

US News & World Report, 7 Great ‘Excuses’ to Go to Bed When the World Wants You to Stay Awake by Anna Medaris Miller — Doctor or not, sufficient sleep is critically important, even potentially life-lengthening, for us all. And yet, it's increasingly difficult to achieve on a consistent basis. "We prioritize exercising or eating right, but when it comes to sleep, we tend to put it to the wayside pretty quickly," says Dr. Brynn Dredla, a neurologist and sleep medicine specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. And who can help it? With smartphones, Netflix and bosses without boundaries competing for our interests, "bedtime" rarely stands a chance.

NBC News, A guide to leftovers: How to store them safely and when to toss them by Vivian Manning-Schaffel — Other common ways to sabotage your leftover game are not labeling and dating them before putting them in the fridge (so you forget how long you’ve had them), not having a purpose for them (or a set time in mind to reheat them) so they sit in the refrigerator and spoil, and not regularly cleaning out your refrigerator, says Angela L. Murad, RDN, LD, wellness dietitian at the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program.

Washington Post, Nasal spray of party drug shows promise as fast-acting antidepressant, researchers say by Amy Ellis Nutt — The latest clinical trial of esketamine, the nasal-spray form of the club drug ketamine, is boosting confidence among some psychiatrists that it could be a major advance in the treatment of suicidal depression… “There is a desperate need for a better treatment for those who are suicidal,” said Jennifer Vande Voort, a psychiatrist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. “The fact that it's rapid-acting … that type of treatment can save lives.”

Vice, The Guilt and Grief That Comes With Waiting for a Heart For Your Child by Shayla Love — Where do transplant hearts for children come from? Joseph Derani, the chair of the department of cardiac surgery at the Mayo Clinic, lets out a big sigh when I ask him this. It's not a happy topic, he says. The most common source is trauma: Car accidents, shaken baby syndrome, or any instance when a child's head gets injured and they experience brain death. “Another category is child abuse, just to be candid,” he says. “It's not something that we like to talk about, but that’s one of them.” There’s also crib death, when babies die in their sleep, drownings, and in rare cases asthma, due to low oxygen levels in the brain.

CNN, Caffeine in pregnancy linked to childhood weight gain in new study by Mark Lieber — Most pregnant women know to avoid certain foods and drinks, such as raw meat and alcohol. But a new study lends weight to the notion that a high intake of caffeinated substances may also be detrimental to a baby's health…For reference, an 8-ounce cup of caffeinated coffee typically has between 100 and 150 milligrams of caffeine, and an 8-ounce cup of black tea or cola has between 25 and 50 milligrams of caffeine, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Reader’s Digest, 13 Dangerous Myths About Food Allergies by Lisa Lombardi — Myth: You either have a mild or severe food allergy — The truth: There are no mild or severe allergies, only mild or severe reactions. "Reactions are somewhat unpredictable," explains Joshua Dorn, MD, allergy/immunology fellow at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. That means you can eat a food a few times and have nothing more than a couple of hives, then boom, you might have anaphylaxis—a severe systemic reaction that requires immediate medical treatment. "There have been many reports of people having severe reactions after mild ones," Dr. Dorn confirms.

People, Groom Paralyzed Playing Football Walks Down The Aisle: 'The Accident Brought Me To Her' by Caitlin Keating — Just before sunset at the Abacoa Golf Club in Jupiter, Fla., on April 21, Chris Norton and Emily Summers exchanged their wedding vows and nearly identical white gold rings. Almost 200 guests watched tearfully as they then prepared to take the 7-yard walk down the aisle as a married couple…After being airlifted to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, he was told that he had fractured his C3-C4 vertebrae and had a three percent chance of ever moving anything below his neck ever again. People, “I wasn’t going to accept that,” he says, firmly. “I was going to be part of that three percent.” Additional coverage: KCCI Des Moines

People, Meghan McCain Says Dad Is ‘Doing Well,' Hints She’ll Be Off-Air More to ‘Just Hang Out' with Him by Tierney McAfee — “My dad’s doing well,” Meghan said on The View. “I want to thank everyone at Mayo Clinic, especially his doctors and nurses. I think it just takes a really special person to become a doctor or a nurse because I could never do it and it’s a really amazing thing.”

People, Can a Wearable Fertility Tracker Actually Help You Get Pregnant? We Put It to the Test by Maria Mercedes Lara — …There is some science behind tracking these variables. The skin temperature tracker monitors your basal body temperature (BBT), which is your lowest body temperature during a period of rest (i.e., sleeping). According to the Mayo Clinic, you are most fertile the two or three days before your temperature rises, and tracking temperature over time can help women predict when they will potentially ovulate.

People, Dancing with the Stars' Alan Bersten Reveals He Needed Surgery After Finding a Tumor in His Neck by Brianne Tracy — At 23 years old, Alan Bersten never imagined he would be faced with a life changing diagnosis...The day after getting his diagnosis, Bersten flew back to his hometown of Minnesota to visit an endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic. “They did a quick scan of everything and couldn’t tell if [the tumor] was benign or malignant until they opened me up,” he says. “Unfortunately the only surgery available was on April 11 so my mom quickly was like, ‘You don’t understand, he has to be on Dancing with the Stars. Is there anything we can do?'”

Los Angeles Times, Liver transplants are better all around when you hold the ice by Melissa Healy — (PHOTO) A surgical team at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., prepares to transplant a liver into a patient. In a clinical trial, patients who received livers preserved at body temperature fared better than patients who got livers stored on ice.

TIME, How to Kick Your Caffeine Dependence for Good by Jamie Ducharme — That said, most experts recommend that adults consume no more than 400 milligrams of caffeine per day (approximately the amount in four cups of coffee). If you regularly drink more than that, you may be at risk of side effects including sleep disruption, migraines and other headaches, quickened heartbeat, muscle tremors, irritability, nervousness and an upset stomach, according to the Mayo Clinic. For some people, those side effects can kick in with even fewer cups, as caffeine tolerance tends to be highly individual.

Post-Bulletin, List is long at Mayo's transgender clinic by Anne Halliwell — Near the end of March, Jessi Wangen returned to her Mayo Clinic finance job after a long-awaited surgery. Six weeks earlier, Wangen, 28, had undergone one of Mayo Clinic’s gender confirmation surgeries. Wangen moved to Rochester from Wisconsin in 2016. She reached out to the Transgender and Intersex Specialty Care Clinic (TISCC) to continue her hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Additional coverage: Post-Bulletin,

Post-Bulletin, Choose cleaners with low levels of toxic chemicals when possible for lung health — DEAR MAYO CLINIC: Is it true that frequently working with cleaning products can hurt your lungs? Are there certain kinds of products that should be avoided? Lung function in everyone slowly declines after age 35. That’s because, with age, the tiny sacs in the lungs (called alveoli), where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged, don’t work as well as they did in youth. In addition, over time, it becomes harder for the spongy part of the lung — the parenchyma — to match areas of ventilation with areas of blood perfusion that carry oxygen to the body’s tissues. That means the amount of airflow through the lungs decreases. Also with age, the chest wall becomes less limber and the abdomen can get in the way of the ability to take deep breaths…—Clayton Cowl, M.D., Preventive and Occupational and Aerospace Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester.

Post-Bulletin, Our View: Barbara Bush represented a 'kinder, gentler' nation — She was everyone’s grandma when she came to Rochester for a Mayo board meeting but took time to read to young people at the public library. Thirty years ago, at a time when people afflicted with AIDS were often feared and shunned, she embraced a child infected with HIV. “There is a need for compassion,” she said. There is a need for more people like Barbara Bush.

Post-Bulletin, Mayo says nurse postings look to the future by Jeff Kiger — Mayo Clinic is posting about 100 nursing jobs that will be created or become available in the next two years as part of its controversial consolidation of the Austin and Albert Lea campuses. On Monday, the Mayo Clinic Health announced what it described as "an innovative plan" to provide "a roadmap" for its nurses. The idea is to list nurse, nursing assistant and health unit coordinator positions that will be needed in the two Minnesota cities throughout the phased transition. Additional coverage: KIMT

Post-Bulletin, How an Irish immigrant found himself on the front lines in Vietnam by Tom Weber — For Dr. Tom McDonald, the journey from his home in Ireland to an internship at Mayo Clinic in the mid-1960s included a year-long detour to Vietnam. That’s just the shorthand version of how a physician who was not yet an American citizen ended up on the front lines of a war that most American men were anxious to avoid…He was discharged from the Army in March 1968, and started a residency in the ENT department at Mayo Clinic. In 1972, he became a consultant, and later served as vice present of the clinic’s board of governors. He retired in 2007, but continues to attend weekly education conferences at the clinic.

Post-Bulletin, Do you have expired medications at home? by Randy Petersen — The Drug Enforcement Administration's National Take Back Day is Saturday. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. unused and expired prescription medications will be collected for disposal at west entrance of Mayo Clinic's Gonda Building, 200 First St. SW.  Saturday's event is the 15th sponsored by the DEA. The most recent take-back day on Oct. 28 reportedly saw Minnesotans drop off 26,145 pounds of prescription medication at 91 participating sites.

Post-Bulletin, Heard on the Street: Gold shovels appearing as Med City projects start to sprout by Jeff Kiger — …While the 13-story Alatus luxury apartment building has been under construction on the corner of Second Street Southwest and 14th Avenue for the past few months, the Twin Cities-based developer is hosting its own groundbreaking on May 2. Alatus is also expected to announce a name for the tower by Mayo Clinic's Saint Marys Hospital at the ceremony. The 13-story tower and attached condominiums with 350 housing units will also include 21,000-square-feet of commercial and retail space. If everything goes according to plan, the project should be completed in early 2020.

KAAL, Mayo Clinic Holds Volunteer Luncheon — Mayo Clinic Health System held a luncheon for the volunteers who lend a helping hand in three major programs… "It's fulling for yourself as well it helps you to become a more well-rounded person you're able to give back and to put others in front of yourself,” said Lisa Brink, Manager at the St. Mary’s Campus for Mayo Clinic Volunteer Programs.

KAAL, Ronald McDonald House Takes First Step for Expansion — The Rochester Ronald McDonald house is one step closer to providing more families with a home away from home. On Tuesday, it announced it’s ready to break ground and start on a house expansion… Dawn Davis a physician at Mayo Clinic’s Children’s Center says those can be tough times "when children and their families have to travel, it's a lot of stress with regards to time and resources. Much less the emotional and physical stress of going through complex medical care."

KAAL, Warrior Wagons Hosting First Fundraiser — An Austin couple who lost their son to cancer last year is continuing their mission to give back to other families in the same situation. Two-year-old Drew Becker spent 160 days at Mayo Clinic Hospital Saint Marys Campus battling Stage 4 neuroblastoma. He died one week after his Make-A-Wish trip to Disney World. In July of 2017, his parents started a non-profit called “Warrior Wagons” to help other families beginning their journeys with pediatric cancer. The organization donates collapsible wagons with items like plastic plates, snacks, movies and much more to families at Mayo Clinic.

Star Tribune (Mayo Clinic News Network), New definition of Alzheimer's changes how disease is researched — “Alzheimer’s disease is one cause of dementia,”Dr. Clifford Jack Jr., a Mayo Clinic radiologist and Alzheimer’s researcher, says. “It’s the most common cause, but it’s certainly not the only cause. And that has been a source of major confusion.” Jack helped lead a team of scientists with the Alzheimer’s Association and the National Institute on Aging releasing the new Alzheimer’s research framework. Currently, Alzheimer’s is diagnosed by evaluating symptoms and cognitive behavior associated with the disease. But, Jack says, that can be misleading for research.

Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, NIH funding is on the rise; here's who is benefiting in Minnesota by Katharine Grayson — NIH awards going to Minnesota institutions reached $557 million in fiscal 2017, up roughly 7 percent from $520 million in 2016. Mayo Clinic accounted for much of that change. The Rochester, Minn.-based health care provider received $256 million in funding in 2017, up from $221 million a year earlier.

Twin Cities Business, Mayo Clinic Revealed as a Top Shareholder of Hyped Silicon Valley Anti-Aging Co. by Don Jacobson — Newly filed company documents have detailed Mayo Clinic’s substantial and potentially highly lucrative stock ownership position in the touted anti-aging startup Unity Biotechnology, which has filed for an $85 million initial public offering. The San Francisco-based biotech is backed not only by Mayo but also by a who’s-who of legendary Silicon Valley investors such as Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, ARCH Venture Partners and the Founder’s Fund, headed by PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, all of whom are intrigued by its promise to slow down or reverse age-related diseases such as osteoarthritis.

AZCentral, With her father hospitalized, Meghan McCain tweets: 'I am going home to Arizona' by Yvonne Wingett Sanchez — Meghan McCain was returning to Arizona this week to be with her ailing father, Sen. John McCain, who is battling a deadly form of brain cancer and has been in the hospital after surgery. The younger McCain, a political commentator and co-host of ABC's "The View," tweeted the news Wednesday… McCain has been in Arizona since Dec. 17. The disclosure Monday of the surgery at Mayo Clinic was the first official update on his health since that date.

KEYC Mankato, Mankato MoonDogs To Partner With MCHS In Mankato by Samantha Huot — A multi-year partnership between Mayo Clinic and the Mankato MoonDogs was announced Wednesday morning. Officials with the MoonDogs say the partnership will offer athletic training and top-quality care to players pursuing their major league dreams. "We are very excited to work with Mayo. It's going to be a great opportunity for our athletes to receive top-quality care when they need it. Hopefully, of course, they don't need it very often. But whenever it does arise, they know they can come to a great facility here in Mankato, a brand new facility, and receive top-quality care," Mankato MoonDogs Director of Ticket Sales Justin White said.

Albert Lea Tribune, Women gather for symposium — Over 230 women gathered for breakfast and a morning of food for thought during Mayo Clinic Health System’s women’s health and well-being symposium, according to a press release. The free event was April 7 at Wedgewood Cove in Albert Lea…“Each day, before you get out of bed think of five people whom you are thankful for,” said Sarah Stinson, a licensed professional counselor and facilitator in stress management and resiliency training at Mayo Clinic Health System.

WEAU-Eau Claire, New prenatal program cuts number of visits to the doctor in half by Brooke Schwieters — When having a baby, expectant mothers can expect more than a dozen doctors visits before their bundle of joy arrives, so a local hospital’s new program is looking to help them save a little time. The Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire is now enrolling patients in its new OB Nest program, a new alternative for prenatal care that will help reduce the number of trips to the doctor’s office… “They're totally engaging more in their pregnancy, and I think that's kind of exciting actually,” says Dr. Jennifer Bantz, an OB/GYN at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. “And perhaps they’re more in tuned each trimester and perhaps learning more because they are more involved in gathering that data.” Additional coverage: WQOW-Eau ClaireLa Crosse TribuneWXOW La Crosse

WEAU Eau Claire, Exploring gluten free foods by Courtney Everett — We all hear a lot about gluten free foods - whether in the media or in the grocery aisles. Gluten free, or gluten friendly menu items, omit the use of gluten which is found in wheat, barley and rye. Although wheat is excluded, there are still plenty of other options. Health Educator Katie Johnson of Mayo Clinic Health System joined Hello Wisconsin to share a few recipes.

WKBT La Crosse, 90-year-old La Crosse woman prepares special gift for family by Sarah Thamer — At almost 91 years old, Bev Bjergum can teach us all a few lessons…Mayo Clinic Music Therapist Fran Felton, has been seeing Bev for the last four months. "We utilize live music in order to help with pain management, anxiety management." She's using music to help Bev deal with heart failure.

WKBT La Crosse, New research on Alzheimer's disease could lead to earlier diagnosis by Mal Meyer — "By the time a person starts showing signs or symptoms of Alzheimer's [disease], they have a large burden of the disease already, and it's probably too late for a lot of medications," said Dr. Thomas Loepfe, chair of the Geriatrics Department at Mayo Clinic Health System. About one-third of people over 70 who show no thinking problems actually have brain signs that suggest Alzheimer's disease according to the research published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association.

WEAU Eau Claire, Being alert for symptoms of "dry drowning" by Jesse Home — Paul Horvath, a physician practicing in emergency medicine for Mayo Clinic Health System, said a better term for what’s referred to as “dry drowning” is better described as aspiration pneumonia. “What happens when anybody gets fluid down into their lungs, it actually disrupts the normal mechanisms of breathing,” Dr. Horvath said to WEAU 13 News on Wednesday. “There's other the chemical in the lungs called surfactant that allows the lungs to inflate and deflate without having to use a whole lot of energy. When that surfactant gets washed out, segments of the lungs actually collapse, and then we're at risk for getting a secondary infection in that area.”

WEAU Eau Claire, "Steering into the Skid" play — Kathy Schmiedeskamp, Home Health & Hospice, and Kaylynn Stahlbusch, ADRC, discuss the upcoming play and discussion, “Steering Into the Skid,” which deals with issues related to memory loss and caregiving, with WEAU 13 News 5pm anchor Judy Clark.

La Crosse Tribune, More holistic therapy rescues La Crosse man from precipice of depression by Mike Tighe — James Wheeler struggled for years with depression that plunged him ever deeper into dark places, with therapies and medications that provided no relief — until he entered a program with the intimidating name of Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Now, after three years in the program at Mayo Clinic Health System-Franciscan Healthcare in La Crosse, the 27-year-old La Crosse man not only is recovering from depression but also has gained enough self-esteem that he is a youth coordinator at the La Crosse Youth and Learning Center.

WISC-TV-Madison, How much calcium do you need? By Jason Howland — Getting the right amount of calcium every day is important for keeping your bones healthy throughout your life. But what is the right amount? And when should you consider taking a calcium supplement? Calcium is an essential mineral that keeps your bones strong. But your body doesn't make it on its own. "Calcium is exclusively in the diet," says Dr. Kurt Kennel, a Mayo Clinic endocrinologist. "There are some foods that are very rich in calcium."

Men’s Health, 6 Things You Never Knew About Your HIV Risk by Cassie Shortsleeve — In short, HIV can be dangerous because it attacks the immune system hard. “HIV kills a particular kind of immune cell called CD4 T cells, which, once it's killed enough of them, makes us vulnerable to getting infections and cancers,” says Stacey Rizza, MD, an infectious disease specialist at Mayo Clinic. Left untreated, HIV can progress into AIDS. The disease is something we should all have a solid understanding of, too, since anyone can get it. Here are six things you didn't know about your risk of transmission.

Men’s Health, What Happens If You Let an STD Go Untreated? by Cassie Shortsleeve — HIV: Initial symptoms: In the weeks following infection, HIV symptoms might look like those of mononucleosis, says Pritish Tosh, MD, an infectious diseases physician and researcher at the Mayo Clinic. Think a fever, sore throat, rash, or simply feeling pretty under the weather.

Men’s Health, 5 Terrifying Signs of Diabetes You Probably Don't Know About by EJ Dickson — …Over time, sugar deposits in the tiny blood vessels in the back of your eye, which are caused by chronic levels of high blood sugar, can damage the cells. To supply your eye with proper nutrients and blood flow, your body creates new blood vessels to ‘work around’ the defunct ones, explains Adrian Vella, M.D., an endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic.

Becker’s Hospital Review, Mayo Clinic infectious diseases physician aids fellow passenger during in-flight medical emergency by Megan Knowles — With the help of a nurse and EMT on board, Aditya Shah, MD, a fellow in infectious diseases at Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic, was flying to Minneapolis when he aided a fellow passenger who started feeling intense pain in his eye during the flight. Margaret Shields and her husband, Jim Rogers, were returning home from London, when Mr. Rogers complained of the severe pain in his right eye. The pain quickly intensified, and Mr. Rogers doubted whether he could survive the six-hour flight to Minneapolis. "I went up to the nearest flight attendant and said we needed immediate medical attention," Ms. Shields said. "When I heard the [overhead] announcement, I immediately went up to the front of the plane to see what was going on," said Dr. Shah. "[Mr. Rogers] was wearing an eyepatch over the eye, and as soon as I took that off to see what was going on, blood started spurting out."

Becker’s Orthopedic & Spine, Mayo Clinic opens new orthopedic, sports medicine clinic: 5 things to know by Shayna Korol — Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato, Minn., unveiled its new orthopedic and sports medicine clinic April 18, The Free Press reports. Here are five things to know. 1. The health system began the $5 million upgrade in 2017, which nearly doubled the space and includes 16 exam rooms and radiology services.

Healthcare IT News, Can Lean methodology help improve EHR documentation? By Mike Miliard — Clinical documentation improvement has been a major focus of many health systems' value-based care initiatives. But getting to more efficient and more accurate charting, especially for providers using older electronic health record systems, is a tall task with no dependable template for success. But in AHIMA's Perspectives in Health Information Management, four experts from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine showed how their department – the college's Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation – used Lean processes for a redesign of an inefficient, first-generation EHR documentation system. Additional coverage: EHR Intelligence

Healthcare IT News, Mayo Clinic's Epic EHR go-live: A look at major milestones leading up to big switch by Bernie Monegain — Mayo Clinic is just days away from rolling out Epic’s EHR at its Rochester, Minnesota, headquarters. The May 5 go-live will advance an enterprise implementation that is estimated to cost $1.5 billion and began when Mayo and Epic started collaborating in 2013. By 2015, Mayo CIO Christopher said the organization would move from Cerner and GE to a single Epic electronic health record.  While Mayo has already implemented Epic at several sites in Wisconsin, the headquarters roll-out is a major milestone, with final sites in Arizona and Florida slated to follow in October 2018.

Daily Mail, Mayo Clinic breaks down what you need to know about testosterone — The Mayo Clinic explains everything you need to know about testosterone, including how it effects mens health as they age. (video)

Daily Mail, Mayo Clinic shares the top five breakfast foods for brain power — Mayo Clinic's top five breakfast foods for brain power, helping to boost your mood and improve concentration.

MD Magazine, Statins Show Protection Against Clostridium Difficile, Should Not Be Withheld in At-Risk Patients by Gail Connor Roche — “Health care providers should continue to encourage and reinforce the use of statins when indicated in patients, not only for their direct cardiovascular benefits but also for indirect benefits such as prevention of CDI,’’ corresponding author Sahil Khanna, MBBS, told MD Magazine. The recommendations are especially true in settings involving systemic exposure to antibiotics, the researchers wrote in a study published by Dove Medical Press.“Elective withholding of statin medications in hospitalized patients with multiple risk factors for CDI should be discouraged,” said Khanna, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.

Rheumatology Advisor, Expert Q&A: Effects of Collaborative Care Models on Patient Satisfaction in Rheumatoid Arthritis by Linda Peckel — Several new studies indicate a substantial divide between clinical practice and patient satisfaction with care. However, recent evaluations of multicare models suggest greater patient satisfaction compared with models where patients are treated only by primary care physicians. Rheumatology Advisor spoke with John M. Davis III, MD, MS, vice chair and practice chair in the Division of Rheumatology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and Jennifer Gorman, MD, MPH, chief of subspecialty medicine at The Polyclinic in Seattle, Washington, for their insights on the evolving RA therapy model.

Bustle, 9 Unexpected Signs Of Hormonal Imbalance In Young People by Carolyn Steber — …Other symptoms of hyperthyroidism include sensitivity to heat, trembling hands, fatigue, brittle hair, thinning skin, and changes in your bowel patterns. Treatment for this usually includes anti-thyroid medications, according to the Mayo Clinic, which is an option you can discuss with your doctor.

Healthcare Analytics News, Don't Interrupt a Nurse When They're in the EMR by Ryan Black — Every workplace comes with its distractions, but most don’t carry stakes quite as high as an emergency department (ED). And for nurses in the ED, interruptions during electronic medical record (EMR) documentation are worse for their workflow than during any other task. That finding came from a group of University of Missouri researchers. Jung Hyup Kim travelled with his students up to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota to spend a week observing how the ED nurses there worked.

Healthcare Analytics News, IBM Watson Health Names Its 15 Top-Performing Health Systems by Ryan Black — Familiar names, like Rochester, Minnesota’s Mayo Clinic system led the large system category, mingling with entries from around the country in the small and medium groups. By following the lead of these systems, the Watson researchers said, the US could save more than 60,000 more lives per year while substantially decreasing hospital infection rates and time in emergency departments.

CAP Today, TB testing: new approaches to old scourge by Karen Titus — Scratch the surface of TB testing, and things quickly get interesting. The standard skin reaction test, widely adopted by the early 1940s, is still in use today. The goal has remained steady as well: break the transmission cycle. “From the clinician perspective and the laboratory perspective, because of its infectious nature, we want to identify people with latent tuberculosis,” says Elitza Theel, PhD, lab director for the infectious disease serology laboratory, Mayo Clinic and Mayo Medical Laboratories. “The ultimate goal is to treat them, so they don’t progress to active TB.”

Cure, Treating Relapsed Myeloma Is Not One-Size-Fits-All by Brielle Urciuoli — There are numerous ways to treat patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, with even more options being studied in ongoing clinical trials. Most recently, triplet regimens have been largely established as an optimal approach for treating these patients. “If you’re going to treat a patient with relapsed or refractory myeloma, it is generally better to use three drugs over two drugs,” Leif Bergsagel, M.D., a professor of medicine and consultant in the division of hematology/oncology in the department of internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona, said in an interview with OncLive, a sister publication of CURE.

South China Morning Post, Tattoo or urine: two new early cancer detection methods announced separately — “Alzheimer’s disease is one cause of dementia,” says Dr. Clifford Jack Jr, a Mayo Clinic radiologist and Alzheimer’s researcher. “It’s the most common cause, but it’s certainly not the only cause. And that has been a source of major confusion.” Alzheimer’s affects about 44 million people around the world, and more than 100,000 Hongkongers, but remains poorly understood, with no effective treatments despite billions of dollars spent on research.

Queens Chronicle, Get tested and then combat your seasonal allergies by Mark Lord — If you suffer from seasonal allergies, now is the time to start taking precautions to combat them… According to the Mayo Clinic website, reducing exposure to allergens is an effective way of decreasing symptoms. The site advises sufferers to stay indoors on dry, windy days. The best time to go outdoors, it says, is after a good rain, which clears the pollen from the air. The clinic suggests removing the clothes you’ve worn outside and showering to rinse the pollen from skin and hair.

Science Direct, Improved early morbidity and mortality after Fontan operation — The mayo clinic experience, 1987 to 1992 — Records of 339 consecutive patients who had a Fontan operation at the Mayo Clinic between 1987 and 1992 (recent cohort) were reviewed. This cohort was compared with the previous 500 patients who had Fontan operations performed between 1973 and 1986 (early cohort).

Elite Daily, The Signs Of Salmonella Can Be Really Hard To Spot, So Here's What You Need To Know by Caroline Burke —  In fact, Mayo Clinic reports that a salmonella infection can cause no symptoms at all in some people… One way you might have an idea of whether your illness is salmonella-related or not, is if you try to think about what you've recently been eating. Since salmonella is commonly found in raw meat, poultry, seafood, and raw eggs, Mayo Clinic reports, this might give you a hint, depending on what your diet looks like.

Romper, 7 Things That Should *Not* Happen When You're Breastfeeding by Steph Montgomery — ...And while the Mayo Clinic notes that pain during breastfeeding can be normal, they also tell new moms that if their breasts are red or hot to the touch they might have mastitis — a condition that requires medical treatment… The Mayo Clinic notes that symptoms like burning or breasts that are red and hot to the touch might be signs of a breast infections like mastitis.

Consumer Reports, How to Get Better Sleep by Hallie Levine — Get in a daytime walk. “Exercise boosts the effect of sleep hormones like melatonin, especially if it’s done in bright daylight in the morning,” says Timothy Morgenthaler, M.D., co-director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Sleep Medicine in Rochester, Minn. A 2010 study in the journal Sleep Medicine found that people 55 and older who exercised about four times a week for about a half-hour had an easier time falling asleep than those who did not exercise.

Cronkite News, Catch some Z’s: Lack of sleep can put you in ER by Joan Magtibay — Insomnia and sleep apnea are familiar to most Americans, and up to 70 million adults in the U.S. are affected by sleep disorders, according to the federal Institute of Medicine. Aside from illnesses, sleep deprivation or interruption has an economic impact, cutting into optimum performance at work and other parts of everyday life, said Dr. Brynn Dredla of Mayo Clinic. Certain sleep disorders can lead to long-term health consequences, such as high blood pressure, Dredla said. Additional coverage: AZ Family

Cronkite News, Domestic abuse is the new realm of concussion studies by Tristan Ettleman — Dr. Amaal Starling of Mayo Clinic/Arizona said concussions and their effects are varied. “There is not a test that does or does not rule out a concussion,” she said. She compared a brain to Jello. When it sustains damage, it ripples, and when the brain attempts to restore equilibrium, pathways and brain cells can become mismatched.

Ozy, A Debate for Oral Cancer Treatment: Radiate or Not? by Daniel Malloy — The results, the authors declared, were “promising” but require further study. “It appears effective while avoiding adverse effects of” radiation therapy, they concluded. Dr. Daniel Ma, a radiation oncologist who treats head and neck cancers at the Mayo Clinic, is less impressed. While he commended the “innovative trial,” he says seeing cancer recur in 21 percent of patients is not great — and when you add in the patients unavailable for follow-up, the misses rise to 42 percent. “Based upon this failure rate, it is difficult for us to be enthusiastic about this approach,” Ma says.

The Week, Could a Mediterranean diet prevent dementia? — The prestigious US Mayo Clinic says that the exact nature of the link between a Mediterranean-style diet and a lower dementia risk is unclear. Some scientists believe that the healthy cholesterol and blood sugar levels associated with a Mediterranean-style diet may improve “overall blood vessel health, which may in turn reduce the risk of MCI or Alzheimer’s disease”.

Healthcare Analytics News, IBM Watson Health Names Its 15 Top-Performing Health Systems by Ryan Black — Familiar names, like Rochester, Minnesota’s Mayo Clinic system led the large system category, mingling with entries from around the country in the small and medium groups. By following the lead of these systems, the Watson researchers said, the US could save more than 60,000 more lives per year while substantially decreasing hospital infection rates and time in emergency departments.

International Business Times, What is fatty liver? Symptoms, causes, diet and treatment for the disease by Pinaz Kazi — According to Mayo Clinic, the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a term used for a range of liver conditions that affect people who drink little or no alcohol. On the other hand, the alcoholic fatty liver disease is can happen to people who drink a lot. If the person keeps drinking, despite the condition it could lead to alcoholic hepatitis, liver failure, cirrhosis, and risk of even liver cancer.

Healthcare Dive, Mayo, UPMC among top hospital systems named in IBM survey by Meg Bryant — IBM Watson Health named its 15 top health systems for 2018, including the Mayo Clinic and UPMC. The annual study assesses clinical, operational, financial and patient experience measures to determine overall performance for large, medium and small health systems.

MD Magazine, Clinical Manifestation of C. diff Infections — I’m Dr Peter Salgo. I’m a professor of medicine and anesthesiology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. I’m an associate director of Surgical Intensive Care at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. I see far too much C. diff, so let’s figure out how to deal with this stuff. Joining me for this discussion are: Dr Dale Gerding, a research physician at the Edward Hines Jr. Veterans Administration Hospital of Hines, Illinois; Dr Yoav Golan, an attending physician from Tufts Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts; and Dr Darrell Pardi, professor of medicine and vice chair of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science and associate dean of the Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education in Rochester, Minnesota.

Carlsbad Current Argus, Celebrate professionals during Medical Laboratory Professionals Week by Shana Griffith — Medical Laboratory Science professionals provide up to 70 percent of patients' laboratory testing to physicians so they can provide an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan. Rodney Forsman, Administrative Director Emeritus of the Mayo Clinic Medical Laboratories and President of the Clinical Laboratory Management Association, stated that 94 percent of the objective medical data in the patient record comes from the laboratory professionals.

Billboard, Avicii Suffered From Pancreatitis -- What is It? by Gil Kaufman — The music world is still mourning the death of Avicii, and with two autopsies revealing nothing suspicious about the 28-year-old DJ's death, many questions remain about how he died at such a young age... "When there is damage to the pancreas from any cause, there is spillage of these enzymes in the pancreas and into the fat surrounding it," Dr. Rahul Pannala, director of the pancreas clinic at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona tells Billboard. Pannala, who did not treat Avicii and was speaking about pancreatitis in general terms, says that the most common causes are related to alcohol abuse and gallstones.

Medscape, Cognitive decline: Impaired sense of smell could be used as marker by Catharine Paddock, Ph.D. — This study is not the first population-based study to find a link between decreased sense of smell and a decline in cognitive performance. Research led by the Mayo Clinic that was published in 2015, for example, came to this conclusion after studying a large group of men and women, aged 80 years, on average.

WKYT News, 'Everything went great.' Woman donates kidney to former UK coach Billy Gillispie — The woman who gave former Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie her kidney is out of surgery sharing positive news. Ericka Downey, the wife of a basketball coach, reached out to help Gillispie when she found out he needed a kidney transplant in late 2017. Downey found out she was a match and set up the transplant at the Mayo Clinic Tuesday. Downey met Gillispie for the first time after finding out she was a match in late March. Additional coverage: WYMT News

Dallas News, Update from Mayo Clinic: 'Praise God!' Former A&M, Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie's new kidney is functioning well by Brad Townsend — Former Texas A&M and Kentucky basketball coach Billy Gillispie and his kidney donor, Ericka Downey, are doing well following a roughly 90-minute transplant on Tuesday at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Downey, a 33-year-old Oklahoma mother of two who never had met Gillispie before offering to give him one of her kidneys, said Wednesday on her Facebook page that she had yet to see Gillispie but that she had received positive reports from their surgeon. Additional coverage: Lexington Herald Leader, WDRB

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