November 9, 2018

Mayo Clinic in the News Weekly Highlights for November 9, 2018

By Emily Blahnik

USA Today, How Daylight Saving affects your sleep and overall health by Ashley May — Daylight Saving Time ends and clocks will “fall back” an hour this weekend, giving Americans the feeling of an extra hour in the morning, which could negatively affect their health. “Ever since the institution of Daylight Saving Time, there has been controversy regarding whether it accomplishes its goals or not, and if so — at what cost,” Timothy Morgenthaler, Mayo Clinic’s co-director of the Center for Sleep Medicine, said in an email. Morgenthaler has reviewed about 100 medical papers related to how the time change could affect health. Here’s what you should know...Additional coverage: Chicago Sun-Times

Prevention, Type 2 Diabetes: Every Important Fact to Know About Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments by Brittany Risher — …“Caloric restriction alone can have very sudden, big effects on diabetes. We know that just cutting calories improves your ability to make insulin and respond to it,” says diabetes physician Adrian Vella, MD, head of Mayo Clinic endocrinology research. “We presume this applies to pre-diabetes too.” Follow a diet that you can live with, as no on diet is best. “Ultimately calories trumps the actual content,” Dr. Vella says.

Reader’s Digest, 7 Clear Signs You Might Need Sleep Meds by Colette Harris — You snore like a chain saw: Snoring can be a sign of obstructive sleep apnea. When we’re awake, muscles hold the back of the throat open; when we sleep, those muscles relax. Sometimes that muscle relaxation obstructs air from getting from the mouth or nose to the lungs, says Michel H. Silber, MD, professor of neurology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and co-director of the Center for Sleep medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. “In some people who snore, that obstruction gets severe enough that the throat shuts altogether,” Dr. Silber explains. “When that happens, not enough air can get into the lungs effectively and the brain responds by waking people up.” Symptoms of heavy snoring include waking with a “snort” noise or choke in the throat, or a bed partner noticing that their significant other suspends breathing for periods during sleep.

CNN, Time is running out to score an amazing deal on DNA kits by Anna Hecht — If you haven't yet got your hands on a DNA kit, now is your chance to score an amazing deal on one ..These deals aren't limited to the Helix DNA kit. You can also shop the Geno 2.0 DNA kit from National Geographic ($69.99, originally $99.99; helix.com) and the Mayo Clinic GeneGuide ($159.99, originally $199.99; helix.com) for an at-home DNA test that also helps users understand how DNA affects health.

Wired, An Aging Marathoner Tries to Run Fast After 40 by Nicholas Thompson — According to Michael Joyner, a sports physiologist at the Mayo Clinic and a historian of running, there’s been an evolution in the way elite runners train. A century ago, the world’s fastest distance runner, Alfred Shrubb, just ran at a steady pace for less than an hour a day, three to five times a week. Gradually, people realized they could get faster by running longer and varying the pace. By the 1950s, the world’s best marathoner, Emil Zápotek, was running more than two hours a day and adding in interval training: workouts where you run a set distance (say a mile) at a faster-than-usual pace and then recover for a set amount of time (say, two minutes). Now, the classical training program followed by elites includes interval runs, fast steady runs, long runs, and recovery runs.

The New Yorker, Why Doctors Hate Their Computers by Atul Gawande — In recent years, it has become apparent that doctors have developed extraordinarily high burnout rates. In 2014, fifty-four per cent of physicians reported at least one of the three symptoms of burnout, compared with forty-six per cent in 2011. Only a third agreed that their work schedule “leaves me enough time for my personal/family life,” compared with almost two-thirds of other workers. Female physicians had even higher burnout levels (along with lower satisfaction with their work-life balance). A Mayo Clinic analysis found that burnout increased the likelihood that physicians switched to part-time work. It was driving doctors out of practice.

Post-Bulletin, Heard on the Street: RAVE event honors local businesses by Jeff Kiger — The RAVE event spotlighted three local companies…Vyriad Inc., a Rochester biotechnology firm launched by Mayo Clinic Drs. Kah-Whye Peng and Stephen Russell, was also honored. Vyriad uses viruses, such as measles and others, to attack cancer tumors. After raising $9 million, the young company is building a state-of-the-art headquarters to manufacture anti-cancer vaccines on Rochester’s former IBM campus. Mayo Clinic, RAEDI, the Southeast Minnesota Capital Fund LLC and a Korea-based venture firm committed financing for the project. In addition, a total of $370,000 in funding for equipment is committed by the state of Minnesota, and the City of Rochester.

Post-Bulletin, Run and raise funds on your own time by Anne Halliwell — Looking for your next fundraising run? Consider making your own track with the online Running Lungs campaign. Linda Wortman, a former Mayo Clinic lung cancer patient, has organized a virtual race to raise interest and awareness of lung cancer. The Wortman Lung Cancer Foundation pledges $5,000 a year to the Longitudinal Healthy Lungs Research Project, a project by Mayo Clinic doctor Bruce Johnson. The virtual race will help Wortman achieve that goal, she said, and any additional funds raised go to lung cancer research as well.

Post-Bulletin, Our View: Talk (and laugh) about death and dying — In 2014, Forbes reported that La Crosse, Wis., had an unbelievably high percentage of adults with an advance care directive – 96 percent of the population had done it. In doing so, the report said, they’d slashed end-of-life medical costs by avoiding unwanted care, and had avoided the stress to families that comes with trying to hash out what an ill loved one would really want . How did they manage that? Well, they talked about end-of-life planning. A lot. A “Respecting Choices” initiative led the way. Families discussed the matter openly, and doctors broached documentation with patients well before it became necessary.That’s where Stevie Ray’s comedy show comes in. Ray’s improv comedy troupe presents “Stevie Ray’s Death and Dying Comedy Show” Nov. 8 at the Civic Theatre. The Rochester show is sponsored by Mayo Clinic Hospice and the Center for Palliative Care, and is part of a monthlong run of events dealing with the end of life.

KAAL, Battle of the Badges — The latest "Battle of the Badges" competition kicked off in September. Law enforcement, firefighters and paramedics are going head-to-head to see who can give the most blood before the end of December. So far, the fire department is leading the race. You can help your favorite team win by donating blood on their behalf at the Mayo Clinic Blood Donor Program. "Everybody that's coming in and donating today, they are providing this safety net of blood that our community is going to be using as early as this weekend,” said Justin Kreuter, the Medical Director of Mayo Clinic’s Blood Program.

KAAL, Stewartville Woman Leaves Lasting Legacy Through Organ Donation — Forty-seven-year-old Kari Koens, of Stewartville, died Monday. She was hit by a car crossing Second Street Southwest in Rochester early Friday morning; but through her death, Koens was able to breathe life into others. On Monday, there was a moment of silence, followed by "Amazing Grace," as friends, family and hospital workers said goodbye to Koens. Tuesday morning, the "Donate Life" flag flew high outside Mayo Clinic Hospital, Saint Marys Campus, as it always does when a patient offers a gift of life; inside, dozens of people gathered to pay their respects to Koens and her family. Additional coverage: Post-BulletinKTTCKIMT

KEYC Mankato, November Is National Diabetes Awareness Month by Kelsey Barchenger — Dr. Rachel Singh, M.D., Pediatrician with Mayo Clinic Health System and 10-year-old Daniel Hudson, whose living successfully with Type 1 Diabetes, joined KEYC News 12 to talk about November as Diabetes Awareness Month. Singh talked about the importance of spreading awareness about diabetes, and Hudson spoke about his experience living with diabetes.

Faribault Daily News, Mayo Clinic Health System in Faribault welcomes new sports medicine physiatrist by Anne Kopas — Jason Lee, a sports medicine physiatrist, recently joined the physical medicine and rehabilitation team at Mayo Clinic Health System in Faribault. Lee obtained his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine-Bradenton in Bradenton, Florida. He completed his residency training at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois and a sports medicine fellowship at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He is board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation with subspecialty certification in sports medicine.

AZ Big Media, Mayo Clinic recognized for meritorious surgical outcomes — The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP®) has recognized Mayo Clinic as one of 83 ACS NSQIP participating hospitals that have achieved meritorious outcomes for surgical patient care in 2017. As a participant in ACS NSQIP, Mayo Clinic is required to track the outcomes of inpatient and outpatient surgical procedures and collect data that assesses patient safety and can be used to direct improvement in the quality of surgical care. The ACS NSQIP recognition program commends a select group of hospitals for achieving a meritorious composite score in either an “All Cases” category or a category which includes only “High Risk” cases. Risk-adjusted data from the July 2018 ACS NSQIP Semiannual Report, which presents data from the 2017 calendar year, were used to determine which hospitals demonstrated meritorious outcomes. Mayo Clinic has been recognized on both the “All Cases” and “High Risk” Meritorious lists.

WXOW La Crosse, Experts In Health: Why should I get the flu immunization? — Getting a flu shot gives us the best chance to fight influenza according to Dr. Ala Dababneh.

WXOW La Crosse, Experts In Health: Who’s most at risk for Pertussis (Whooping Cough)? — Dr. Ala Dababneh discusses the potential locations where Pertussis, better known as Whooping Cough, can spread.

WXOW La Crosse, Experts In Health: What is Influenza? — Many of us have gotten it, but Dr. Ala Dababneh explains exactly what influenza is.

Live Science, What Is Cellulitis? by Rachel Ross — Cellulitis can also cause fever, chills, sweat, fatigue, lethargy, blistering, dizziness or muscle aches. These symptoms could mean that the cellulitis infection is spreading or becoming more serious. Anyone with symptoms that may be related to cellulitis should immediately consult their doctor, as the infection can rapidly spread throughout the body, according to the Mayo Clinic. Untreated cellulitis can damage lymph nodes, infect the bloodstream, and can even become life-threatening.

Live Science, What Is Salmonella? by Rachel Ross — Salmonella can be found in many food sources, including raw meat, undercooked or improperly stored poultry and seafood, raw eggs, fresh produce, and even spices, nuts and supplements, according to the Mayo Clinic…People at an increased risk of developing a Salmonella infection include young children, older adults, pregnant women, and people who have compromised immune systems or diseases of the intestinal tract, such as inflammatory bowel disease, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Live Science, 'Broken-Heart' Syndrome Is Real. This Complication Makes It Deadly. by Rachael Rettner — The condition is often triggered by emotional stress, such as the death of a loved one or the loss of a job, according to the Mayo Clinic. But it may also be triggered by physical stress, such as an asthma attack or major surgery. Symptoms of broken-heart syndrome can resemble those of a heart attack and include chest pain and shortness of breath. But unlike a heart attack, there is no blockage of the heart's arteries, and patients usually make a full recovery within days to weeks, the Mayo Clinic says.

Becker’s Hospital Review, 5 most popular health IT stories in October by Jessica Kim Cohen — Here are the five most-read health IT stories from Becker's Hospital Review in October, beginning with the most popular: 4. Mayo completes Epic transition with Arizona, Florida go-lives Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic completed its "Plummer Project," the name given to its systemwide rollout of a new Epic EHR.

Health Data Management, Mayo Clinic uses telemedicine in ambulances to assess stroke patients by Greg Slabodkin —The system from telehealth services vendor InTouch Health of Santa Barbara, Calif., enables neurologists to have a presence in the ambulance to conduct real-time visual assessments of patients while they are being brought to the hospital. Virtual neurological exams using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale enable providers to gauge the severity of stroke and identify the best treatment options, leading to quicker care of patients when they arrive at the hospital. “Typically, when a suspected stroke patient is in an ambulance being brought toward the hospital, there is downtime—their vital signs are being monitored, but there’s not a lot of active medical care,” says William David Freeman, MD, a neurologist at Mayo Clinic’s Jacksonville campus. “Mayo Clinic recognized that there was an opportunity for improvement that could directly impact patient outcomes,” Freeman adds. “We believed we could beam in robotically through telemedicine, examine the patient using the national standard of care metric—the NIH Stroke Scale—and use that time to help expedite treatment.”

Healthcare Finance, Mayo Clinic to implement physicians assistant master's program in effort to mitigate looming physician shortages,care gaps by Beth Sanborn — Mayo Clinic has received initial accreditation approval from the Higher Learning Commission for a new physician assistant master's degree program through their School of Health Sciences. The 24-month program leads to a Master of Health Sciences in physician assistant studies. The program will feature problem-solving skills in small group and other hybrid learning activities and some courses and labs will be held at the expanding Cascade Meadow facility in Rochester for Saint Mary's University of Minnesota. Another highlight will be hands-on clinical experiences at Mayo Clinic. The second year of the curriculum is dedicated to clinical rotations at Mayo Clinic's hospitals and clinics in southern Minnesota, western Wisconsin, and northern Iowa. Additional coverage: Becker’s Hospital Review

Health Exec, Mayo Clinic partners with FundamentalVR to develop novel virtual reality solutions by Anicka Slachta —The Mayo Clinic and London-based virtual reality developer FundamentalVR have announced a three-year strategic alliance and joint development agreement, making the Mayo Clinic the first American medical center to institute the company’s technology. The idea behind the partnership involves both companies working to develop joint surgical VR simulations and educational products, officials said in a release. FundamentalVR’s Fundamental Surgery platform—an interface that combines virtual reality with haptics to create a lower-cost surgical simulator—has already been instituted at the Mayo Clinic’s main campuses in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota.

Healthcare Dive, Physician misery index increases to nearly 4 out of 5 by Heather Lavoie — …In the years since our first physician survey, I have been – and continue to be – gratified at the increasing awareness of the problem. The Mayo Clinic, Medscape and many others have highlighted the pervasiveness of physician burnout, and, more and more, these organizations are discussing ways to reverse and prevent physician burnout.

Virgin Islands Daily News, Mayo Clinic Q&A: Understanding multiple sclerosis — Dear Mayo Clinic: What causes multiple sclerosis, or MS, in people who don’t have it in their family? Answer: The exact cause of MS isn’t known. But it’s clear that a variety of factors can increase a person’s risk of developing this disease. Along with genetics, those risk factors include age, sex, a medical history of certain infections or diseases, race, and the climate where you live.

Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, Stepped Up Spinal Cord Repair Helps Patients Walk Again — “One of the most exciting pieces of this work,” according to Peter Grahn, Ph.D., senior engineer at the Mayo Clinic Neuroengineering Laboratory, is “the observation of sustained functional gains when stimulation was turned off.” After a few months, participants regained voluntary control over previously paralyzed muscles without stimulation and could walk or cycle in ecological settings during spatiotemporal stimulation. This is not the first time that this type of research has allowed previously paralyzed people to walk. Indeed, just over a month ago, two papers made a big splash in the same field: one from the Mayo clinic published in Nature Medicine and from the Harkema lab at the Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center at the University of Louisville, published in NEJM.

MedPage Today, IBD Stool Therapy: Not Quite There Yet by Diana Swift — Unlike the one-time, one-size-fits-all approach used for C. diff., in which heterogeneous stool from any donor works, in IBD patients FMT will be an idiosyncratic modality in which each stool donor produces a unique fecal drug that will engraft similar microbial diversity, composition, and functionality in the host to those in donor stool. And each patient's condition may respond differently to each donor drug. "For C. difficile, all donors are created equal, but in IBD not all donors are created equal, since the type of bacteria needed for each individual seems to be different," Purna C. Kashyap, MBBS, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., told the Reading Room. And with the evolving nature of IBD inflammation, multiple doses will likely be needed. "So how often will we need to transplant – once a week, every other week, every 3 weeks?"

Medscape, Oncologist Mom With Baby Bounced From Poster Session by Nick Mulcahy — Jennifer Cowart, MD, an internist at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, tweeted a photo of herself and her 8-month-old Henry at a poster session of the 2017 Society of Hospital Medicine conference in Las Vegas. She appears in the photo with friend Glynda Caga-Anan Raynaldo, MD, a hospitalist in Houston. Cowart wrote: "Super lame! I wore my babies to multiple conferences in general med and hospital med. No one was worried about a stray poster or a rouge thumbtack causing grievous bodily harm."

Costco Connection, Slope Safety — Dr. Amaal Starling is quoted.

Bustle, How To Get Your Coworkers To Get The Flu Shot Because No One Wants To Get Sick by Sanam Yar — “The flu shot should be a routine part of care…it’s like wearing a seatbelt or an air bag, it’s not perfect but it practically cuts your risk in half,” Dr. Robert Jacobson, a pediatrician at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, told BuzzFeed News. In the face of such jarring statistics for such an avoidable phenomenon, it’ll be hard for your coworker to contest the pros to getting the shot for their own health.

Science, A social media survival guide for scientists — Having a presence on social media may even lead to opportunities, exposure, and impact beyond scientific circles. A recent study suggests that scientists with more than approximately 1000 Twitter followers reach a broad audience, including educational organizations, media, and members of the general public—people who are unlikely to dust off an academic journal to read your research. Some academic institutions are starting to realize the benefits of social media and are rewarding their scientists for engagement. For instance, the Mayo Clinic recently started including social media scholarship activities in their criteria for academic advancement.

OncLive, Ruddy on the Management of CNS Metastases in HER2+ Breast Cancer — Kathryn Ruddy, MD, associate professor of Oncology, Mayo Clinic, discusses the management of central nervous system (CNS) metastases in HER2-positive breast cancer. CNS metastases are relatively common in women with HER2-positive breast cancer. says Ruddy. There are drugs that can penetrate the blood-brain barrier into the CNS such as the combination of capecitabine and lapatinib (Tykerb), explains Ruddy.

MD Linx, Mayo researchers correlate specific antibody with relapse of neurological disorder — For patients who have been diagnosed with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), Mayo researchers have found a direct correlation between a specific antibody, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein—also known as MOG, and an increased risk of recurring attacks in these individuals. Mayo Clinic neurologists Sean Pittock, MD, and Sebastian Lopez, MD, have found that when patients test positive for the MOG antibody, they have an increased possibility of another ADEM episode. The study was published in JAMA Neurology. “Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis—often called ADEM—is a rare neurological disorder where inflammation occurs, usually in the brain, spinal cord, or sometimes the optic nerves,” says Dr. Pittock, director of the Mayo Clinic Neuroimmunology Laboratory and the Marilyn A. Park and Moon S. Park, MD, director of the Center for Multiple Sclerosis and Autoimmune Neurology. “Oftentimes, ADEM occurs in patients after a viral or bacterial infection, and it tends to occur more often in children than in adults.”

MD Linx, Mayo Clinic 4th Annual Multimodality Cardiac Imaging 2018 — This course provides CME to the practicing cardiologist or radiologist in all aspects of cardiovascular imaging, with a particular focus on advanced echocardiography, cardiac computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and nuclear cardiology. All didactics will be presented in a case-base, interactive format with audience participation. Breakout sessions will be provided to hone hands-on skills in all aspects of cardiovascular imaging including 3-D interventional echocardiography.

Medical Xpress, Societies publish new guidance for the treatment of slow, irregular heartbeats — "Treatment decisions are based not only on the best available evidence but also on the patient's goals of care and preferences," said Fred M. Kusumoto, MD, cardiologist at Mayo Clinic Florida in Jacksonville and chair of the writing committee. "Patients should be referred to trusted material to aid in their understanding and awareness of the consequences and risks of any proposed action." Yet, according to the authors, there are still knowledge gaps in understanding how to manage bradycardia, especially the evolving role of and developing technology for pacing. "Identifying patient populations who will benefit the most from emerging pacing technologies, such as His bundle pacing and transcatheter leadless pacing systems, will require further investigation as these modalities are incorporated into clinical practice," Kusumoto said. "Regardless of technology, for the foreseeable future, pacing therapy requires implantation of a medical device, and future studies are warranted to focus on the long-term implications associated with lifelong therapy."

Elite Daily, How Does Coffee Affect Your Brain? The Drink Can Protect Your Health In So Many Ways, Study Says by Jordan Bissell — If you've ever wanted to give your brain a bit of a boost in preparation for a big test or an important presentation at work, chances are you turned to a cup of coffee (or three) to give your mind that extra kick.. If you're still not convinced, though, Trevor Rich, M.D., of the Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, told NBC News, “Studies associate coffee drinking with a decreased risk of depression, Parkinson’s disease, type 2 diabetes, liver disease and liver cancer." If caffeine makes you jittery, you don't necessarily have to miss out on these brain boosting perks. Pour yourself a hefty mug of the decaf stuff, because Dr. Rich told NBC News that your body could still benefit from the drink sans caffeine. “Some of these associations are seen even in drinkers of decaffeinated coffee and may be related to the antioxidants contained in coffee.”

Mayo Clinic in the News is a weekly highlights summary of major media coverage. If you would like to be added to the weekly distribution list, send a note to Emily Blahnik with this subject line: SUBSCRIBE to Mayo Clinic in the News. Thank you.

Editor, Karl Oestreich;  Assistant Editor: Emily Blahnik

Tags: blood donation, Breast Cancer, broken-heart syndrome, cellulitis, coffee, daylight saving time, diabetes, DNA kits, Dr. Adrian Vella, Dr. Ala Dababneh, Dr. Amaal Starling, Dr. Fred M. Kusumoto, Dr. Jason Lee, Dr. Jennifer Cowart, Dr. Justin Kreuter, Dr. Kah-Whye Peng, Dr. Kathryn Ruddy, Dr. Michael Joyner, Dr. Michel H. Silber, Dr. Peter Grahn, Dr. Purna C. Kashyap, Dr. Rachel Singh, Dr. Robert Jacobson, Dr. Stephen Russell, Dr. Timothy Morgenthaler, Dr. Trevor Rich, Dr. William David Freeman, EHR, Epic, flu shot, FundamentalVR, GeneGuide, IBD, Influenza, Kari Koens, Linda Wortman, liver transplant, marathon, multiple sclerosis, organ donation, paralysis, physician burnout, Salmonella, sleep medicine, Tanis Milicevik, Telemedicine, Uncategorized, Vyriad, whooping cough

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