Health, This Is the Best Diet for Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome by Emily Shiffer — …For starters, it helps to understand what exactly PCOS is. "Polycystic ovary syndrome is often misunderstood because there is no one test that gives the diagnosis," says Alice Chang, MD, endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic. While difficult to diagnose, it’s common, affecting one in 10 women of childbearing age in the United States. Women may be diagnosed based on ultrasound findings of cysts on the ovaries. Hormone blood tests may also be used, since women with PCOS have elevated androgens, or male hormones. And these can cause some noticeable physical symptoms.

Advisory Board, How Mayo's stroke care pathway improves bed capacity—and why the process works for more than just your stroke patients by Phoebe Donovan and Sarah Musco — We've distilled Mayo's process into four steps that you can use, regardless of the unit or patient population you're targeting…1.Map existing care pathways using TDABC. Mayo first developed process maps of various stroke care pathways and used TDABC to assign each step of the pathway a comparable cost-per-time value. Historically, all stroke patients were sent to the intensive care unit (ICU); Mayo also maintained a neuroscience progressive care unit (NPCU) that could receive stroke patients after the ICU. By developing these process maps, the team found that a stay in the NPCU cost an average of $500 less per day than in an ICU…

MedPage Today, Deep Sleep Linked to Early Alzheimer's Signs by Judy George — Previous studies have found that increased napping was associated with increased amyloid beta (Aβ) accumulation over time, and that decreased non-REM slow waves correlated significantly with Aβ burden in the medial prefrontal cortex. "The hypothesis is that one function of sleep is to clear metabolites out of the brain, and amyloid may be one of those -- to the extent that, if you get disrupted sleep, you may get into a vicious cycle where amyloid builds up," said Ron Petersen, MD, PhD, director of the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer's Disease Research Center in Rochester, Minnesota, who was not involved with the study. "The bigger question is a chicken-and-egg one: is it that your sleep is disrupted and the Alzheimer's proteins build up -- or are the Alzheimer's proteins being deposited in the brain disrupting sleep and that's where the cycle gets initiated? That still is uncertain," Petersen told MedPage Today. "Nevertheless, the message is probably the same: disrupted sleep may enhance the buildup of the proteins and enhance the Alzheimer's process itself."

MedPage Today, Early Capillary Damage May Predict Dementia by Judy George — The study adds to the overall picture of aging and cognition, noted Ron Petersen, MD, PhD, director of the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer's Disease Research Center in Rochester, Minnesota, who was not involved with the research. "When you look at cognition and aging, you have a whole host of players that contribute -- amyloid and tau are big players, but there's also vascular disease, there's alpha synuclein, there's TDP-43, and other things we probably haven't discovered yet," Petersen told MedPage Today. "It's really a collection of all these different pathologic elements that contribute to a person's clinical state and cognitive function as they age. Vascular disease is a prominent one. And small vessel disease is a prominent one, and it goes up rather dramatically with age."

InStyle, 8 Ways to Boost Your Immune System Before it's too Late by Kasandra Brabaw — We imagine vitamin C like it’s Popeye’s spinach: a handful of orange-flavored pills will give your white blood cells instant strength to fight off any cold or flu. Unfortunately, for anyone trying not to get sick right now, that's not quite the case. As nice as it’d be to drink a glass of orange juice and suddenly be Popeye-strong, it doesn’t work that way. In fact, taking a bunch of vitamins could have some not-fun consequences. “Really high doses of vitamin C gives you diarrhea,” says Abinash Virk, MD, from the division of infectious diseases at Mayo Clinic Health System. “Besides, vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, meaning that the body will only absorb what you need and then pee out the rest.”

InStyle, How to Tell if You Have a Cold or the Flu by Kasandra Brabaw — It’s impossible to know exactly how many people die from the flu, because it can cause complications like pneumonia, congestive heart failure, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and therefore the flu itself might not be listed on a death certificate — which is how the CDC tallies up how dangerous different illnesses are. Needless to say, it’s much more risky to have the flu than to catch a cold (especially if you have a weak immune system, are elderly, pregnant, or a child), which is why the CDC urges people to get their flu shot every year. “It’s hard for people to understand that the cold and flu can have overlapping symptoms, but they’re two different problems,” says Abinash Virk, MD, of the infectious disease department at Mayo Clinic Health System.

Tonic, The Infrared Sauna Is Not a Weight Loss Tool by Kimberly Truong — Though many claims about infrared saunas say that they target fat cells, Nelligan says the only weight you would lose really is water weight that you’re sweating out. Even then, that’s only a short term loss that goes away as soon as you hydrate. “Short-term weight loss [from infrared saunas] is very possible and almost entirely due to water loss,” says Brent A. Bauer, research director at Mayo Clinic Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program. “Long-term weight loss has yet to be proven.” This might be appealing if you'll be on the beach in a couple of days and want to drop a quick five, but it doesn't go much further than that. "Some manufacturers claim that the infrared radiation ‘melts’ fat cells—but the evidence for this is nil," Bauer adds.

KTTC, Retired Mayo doctor proves it’s never too late to hone your skills — Learning a new melody can be tricky, but Dr. David Dines does it with ease on his six-string guitar. “I’d say on the basis of 10, I think I’m a 6 or 7,” joked Dines. He’s been taking guitar lessons once a week for the past six years with instructor Ben Gateno. “Oh, boy. When I play some of these songs I really feel that I’m accomplishing something,” smiled Dines. A retired Mayo Clinic pulmonologist in critical care, Dines first picked up a guitar in the 1940s. “I enlisted in the Marine Corps when I was 17. There was always a Marine playing the guitar and singing, and I decided when I got out in ’46 that I wanted to do that too.” At 93 years old, Dines is Gateno’s oldest student.

KTTC, Twins players visit Mayo Clinic Children’s Center patients — While the calendar may say January, that didn’t stop Minnesota Twins players from getting fans excited for the upcoming baseball season. As part of their 2019 winter caravan tour, team members made a stop at the Mayo Clinic Children’s Center and brought smiles to the faces of many sick children. This is the 59th year that the Twins have done a winter caravan tour and while the time the players spent with the kids was short, it absolutely made their day and a memory the kids will never forget. “Very Exciting,” said Emilee Riedel, a patient at Mayo Clinic Children’s Center. Additional coverage: KIMT, FOX 47, Post-Bulletin

KTTC, Rochester Chamber of Commerce has high hopes for financial future — Rochester’s business community looked to the future during Tuesday’s economic summit. The Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce has high hopes for the financial future after hosting the Southeast Minnesota Economic Summit. Representatives from several industry sectors voiced their hopes and concerns for 2019… In the Med City, Mayo Clinic looks to expand on a number of projects. “Even over the next few years, the number that I was given yesterday was over a billion dollars in facility and capitol investments between now and 2021 so that’s a lot of money in a short time period,” said Piper Su, Mayo Clinic Community and Government Engagement.

KIMT, Mayo doctors say keto diet is more hype than help by Jeremiah Wilcox — It's the start of the new year... a lot of people hitting the gym and trying new diet trends. Doctors at Mayo Clinic are warning that the fad diet does more than cut the fat. The Keto diet is a case in point, that's the high fat low carb diet that makes the body burn fat rather than carbs. Athletes including Eli Kelley believe will not work. He works out six days a week and says trendy diet results won’t last. Kelley says it's about finding a balance. “Lifestyle that fits them and work for them something they can do in the long run and continue to do,”said Kelley Mayo Clinic says diets that are low in carbs tend to have side effect including constipation and headaches.

Rochester Magazine, Kim Norton isn’t here to cut ribbons by Paul John Scott — …Critics are worried about political partisanship from the former DFLer. A recent Facebook post called her a shill for Mayo Clinic and the DMC. They question how she can be a strong mayor in a system in which the position doesn’t even get a regular vote on council issues. “You can get a lot done through meetings and building relationships and sharing your vision,” says Norton. “I won’t be shy about weighing in.” And while the mayor can veto council actions, Norton says she would rather work together with council members. As for the partisanship and Mayo Clinic-shill fears, Norton says that “anyone who knows me would probably laugh at that. Most people are worried that I have too strong an opinion and won’t agree with them on everything. I’m usually more of a devil’s advocate.”

KARE 11, Mayo Clinic experts debunk 6 weight loss myths by Pat Evans — You might be one of millions of people who started the year with a goal to lose weight to lead a healthier lifestyle. There are so many different diets and approaches to accomplishing this goal that it can be tough to sort through what works and what doesn't. Mayo Clinic experts have come up with some facts to help…

Star Tribune, Can St. Paul startup succeed where Theranos failed? Ativa bets on $8 blood tests by Joe Carlson — Dr. Brad Karon, a pathologist and co-director of the Mayo Clinic Point of Care Testing program, said some elements of what Ativa is trying to do are already common in the market, like using microfluidics to create tiny samples for CLIA-waived lab tests. But the overall product would be unique, if validated. “The microfluidic technology to produce the right sample, like a plasma-like substance to measure glucose, or sodium or potassium or all electrolytes, is not new. And it is being done well now,” Karon said. “What no one is doing well now, and is a home run for whoever does it first, is the universal platform.”

Star Tribune, Children's Hospital hires new inclusion executive by Maya Rao — Lor Lee did similar work at Children’s years ago and now serves as administrative director at Mayo Clinic’s office of diversity and inclusion. While diversity and inclusion efforts aren’t new in medicine, he said, “there is a higher sense of urgency for health care institutions to be taking this on.” Over the past 15 years, he noted, the work has expanded beyond just hiring and retaining a more diverse workforce to having a larger impact across the organization and improving community engagement, the diversity of suppliers and more. “There’s more and more conversations about disparities,” said Lee, noting that Minnesota is one of the healthiest states overall but that large gaps emerge when the numbers are broken down by race. “More and more health care institutions across the state are really having a key focus on that.”

News4Jax, TEDxJacksonville 2018 talks now available on YouTube by Francine Frazier — Here’s a look at the talks and background on the speakers behind those talks from the 2018 conference …“The Promise of Nanomedicine” by Dr. Joy Wolfram: Wolfram is an assistant professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic in Florida, where she leads the Nanomedicine and Extracellular Vesicles Laboratory. She also holds affiliate faculty positions at the Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas, the Department of Biology at the University of North Florida, and the Wenzhou Institute of Biomaterials and Engineering in China. Her goal is to bring new nanomedicines with increased therapeutic efficacy and safety to the clinic.

South Florida Reporter, Watch: 3 Tips To Ditch Junk Food For A Healthier Diet — The steady stream of holiday cookies and treats may have slowed, but for millions of Americans, the appetite for high-fat, sodium-laden sweets continues. Making the switch from highly processed junk food to healthier whole foods can be challenging. Kate Zeratsky, a Mayo Clinic registered dietitian nutritionist, says making changes in your eating habits can help.

South Florida Reporter, Honesty Is Key In Checkups (Video) — Tops on the list of suggestions for becoming a better patient: Don’t let embarrassment get in the way of honesty. “It starts when a patient calls our office to schedule an appointment,” says Dr. Tina Ardon, a Mayo Clinic family medicine physician. Dr. Ardon says you should be as specific as possible when explaining why you’d like to see a doctor. “It helps to make sure we know how quickly we need to see the patient, how much time we may want to allot – knowing that certain symptoms or complaints may deserve more time,” Dr. Ardon says.

Phoenix Business Journal, Phoenix saw second-highest employment growth in 2018 by Corina Vanek — Most of the biggest announcements were in high-demand submarkets on the east side of the Valley. The two biggest announcements of the year, each for 2,500 jobs, were from Deloitte and Allstate, which will be located in Gilbert and Chandler, respectively. Mayo Clinic announced it will add 2,000 new jobs and expand its north Phoenix campus, which was the second-largest job announcement of the year.

Arizona ABC 15, Are vitamins and supplements a waste of money? by Joe Ducey — It’s the new year and some of you may have new goals of living a healthier life, but adding vitamins and supplements to your diet may not be a good choice. Most experts agree it’s best to get your vitamins from the food you eat. You excrete anything beyond what your body needs and other vitamins stored in your body can cause issues if you take too much.  In other words, more is not always better. We talked to dietitians at the Mayo Clinic. They say consult a doctor to see if you are deficient in a certain vitamin.

KVOA Tucson, 4 Your Health: Smoking connection to opioid abuse — A new study reveals a link between the use of tobacco and opioids. The findings come from an annual survey of outpatient doctor visits in the U.S. It showed tobacco users were more likely to get prescriptions for opioids with muscle relaxers and sedatives, than people who did not use tobacco. Past research shows taking these drugs at the same time increases the risk for opioid addiction or overdose. Smoking can also worsen the prognosis of patients with bladder cancer. A new Mayo Clinic study of 200 adults with the disease found smokers did not respond well to chemotherapy treatments. They also had a much higher risk of their cancer coming back than people who had quit or had never smoked.

ASU, New Mayo Clinic-ASU MedTech Accelerator opens applications — The Mayo Clinic-ASU MedTech Accelerator, a collaboration between Mayo Clinic and Arizona State University that is designed specifically for medical device and health care technology companies, is now accepting applications. The program, leveraging the resources and venture expertise of two innovative institutions, is designed for companies looking to take their business to the next level. Participants can expect to walk away from the program with personalized business development plans to collaborate with Mayo Clinic and ASU, as well as accelerate go-to-market and investment opportunities.

La Crosse Tribune, Mayo-Franciscan workers donate shirts off their backs to missions by Mike Tighe — Sometimes, it’s almost impossible to give people the shirt off your back — just ask Paula Hogan. Hogan, a hospital registration worker at Mayo Clinic Health System-Franciscan Healthcare, had nearly given up in her search to donate 542 Mayo-Franciscan shirts to a worthy cause after two departments changed their dress code and employees contributed their shirts to the effort. Hospital officials deemed it inappropriate to donate the shirts to local agencies such as Goodwill or The Salvation Army because of security concerns if 500-plus shirts with the health system’s logos were floating around, said Becki Hanson, Mayo-Franciscan’s office access management supervisor. Additional coverage: WKBT La Crosse

Eau Claire Leader-Telegram, Ex-MLB player talks sucesses, fears, positive coaching by Chris Vetter — Former Major League Baseball player Corey Koskie shared stories of his successes and his fears on Friday as the keynote speaker at the Sports Medicine Symposium at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. Koskie, 45, played for the Minnesota Twins from 1998 to 2004. After one season with the Toronto Blue Jays, he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers, where he played until he had a concussion on July 5, 2006, effectively ending his pro career.

WKBT La Crosse, $15,000 from match day for Salvation Army in La Crosse by Greg White — Mental health care is getting a boost in our community. Mayo Clinic Health System made a $15,000 donation for the hospital's bell ringing match day. The money will benefit the mental health care offerings at the Salvation Army. Group and individual counseling will be funded as part of the effort... Mayo's match day on December 22nd resulted in the largest one day total for the Salvation Army in La Crosse in the past three years.

WKBT La Crosse, WAFER food pantry and Mayo Clinic Health System offer support for federal workers by Jordan Fremstad — Mayo Clinic Health officials said if a medical emergency happens to a federal worker during the shutdown, they have programs in place to help with medical bills. "Patients who are federal employees, if they contact us facing financial hardship, we will take a look at their account and provide some additional time or put their payment arrangements on hold for up to 60 days until we know more about the shutdown," said Jill Hamilton, senior operations analyst with Mayo Clinic Health System.

WBKT La Crosse, Local doctors want expecting mothers to get flu shots by Alex Fischer — Christopher Tookey, M.D., a resident physician with the Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse, encourages expecting mother to get vaccinated during flu season. He said that, "Every major body of medicine recommends getting the flu shot in pregnancy". Pregnancy increases the risk of hospitalization from the flu, and the flu increases the risk of other infections like pneumonia.

Chippewa Herald, Mayo Clinic offering Knapp winter hike — Mayo Clinic Health System is offering a free snowshoe and winter hike in Knapp Saturday, Feb. 2…“Snowshoeing is a great chance to get outside, enjoy nature and get some exercise,” says Tina Tharp, a specialist in Community Engagement and Wellness at Mayo Clinic Health System. “It’s a great cardio workout, and helps build strength, agility, balance and endurance. Being outside in the fresh air with nature all around you brings mental health benefits, as well.”

KEYC Mankato, Mayo Clinic Suggests Eliminating Bantam-level Body Checks by Lauren Andrego — Mayo Clinic is offering new recommendations to youth hockey teams in an effort to reduce the risks of concussions. Last Wednesday, the clinic updated its stance on body checking in youth hockey. USA Hockey took checking out of the game for boys 12 and below, seven years ago. New guidelines from Mayo now suggest banning checking from the bantam level, predominantly played by 13-15 year old boys. Within the hockey community, viewpoints differ.

KEYC Mankato, More People Mistaking Food Intolerance With Food Allergies by Nick Kruszalnicki — Food intolerance usually involves upset stomach or headaches, while food allergies can be much more severe. Dr. Richard Crockett, an allergist with Mayo Clinic Health System said, "Classic symptoms would be itching or hives. The symptoms we worry most about are low blood pressure, which most people will feel as light-headedness or like they might pass out, and throat swelling or lung inflammation that can result in shortness of breath."

Reader’s Digest, 14 of Your Biggest Sleep Questions, Answered by Samantha Rideout — Should you let Spot into your room at night? Mayo Clinic researchers tackled this question by putting accelerometers on volunteers and their dogs for one week. Most of the pooches spent some time playing or moving around while their owners dozed. Even so, they didn’t affect the humans’ sleep much—so long as they weren’t allowed up on the bed. A blanket or a pet bed on the floor would be a good compromise if you’d like to enjoy a comforting canine presence without being disturbed.

MD Magazine, Adding Ultraviolet Light to Disinfection Reduces C Difficile Infection by Rachel Lutz — Adding the use of ultraviolet light to disinfection practices are helpful in reducing Clostridium difficile (C difficile) infections, according to a team of investigators from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. At the team’s clinic in 2014, the infection rate was 9.23 per 10,000 patient days, though some units were as much as 5 times higher, including the hematology and bone marrow transplant wards. Despite the implementation of bleach cleaning, C difficile rates remained high.

Neurology Today, Neurofilament Light Protein Appears to Be Useful Marker for Predicting Mild Cognitive Impairment by Susan Fitzgerald — Neurofilament light (NfL) protein has been the focus of many studies in the past few years as a potential biomarker for early neurodegeneration in a wide range of neurologic conditions. Now a new analysis from the community-based Mayo Clinic Study of Aging adds one more condition to the list — mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The study found that elevated NfL in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was a good predictor of MCI among people who had normal cognition when enrolled and tested. The risk of developing MCI was more than three times higher for those with high levels of NfL compared with those with low levels.

Neurology Today, Mayo Clinic: Multiple Diversity Awards by Orly Avitzur — Widely known for its diversity advances since 2011, the Mayo Clinic has won multiple diversity awards over the past several years for its work as an institution under the leadership of its neurologist-chief executive officer John H. Noseworthy, MD, FAAN. Neuromuscular specialist Michelle L. Mauermann, MD, has been the diversity leader for the department of neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, since 2015. Up until then, Mayo had about 10 such leaders, a figure that has tripled in number over time. The Office of Diversity and Inclusion, which oversees the program, encourages department diversity leaders to be given protected time; indeed Dr. Mauermann receives protected time from her department chair, Claudia Lucchinetti, MD. Dr. Mauermann meets with other diversity leaders every other month, and attends a yearly two-day retreat with people involved in some way with diversity and inclusion from practice, education, and research areas.

Neurology Advisor, Higher CSF NfL Protein Levels Linked to Risk for Mild Cognitive Impairment — Elevated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) neurofilament light (NfL) protein levels — but not CSF total tau (T-tau), phosphorylated tau (P-tau), or CSF neurogranin (Ng) levels — are a risk factor for mild cognitive impairment (MCI), according to the results of a prospective, population-based study. Findings from these analyses from the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging, conducted between January 2004 and December 2015, were published in JAMA Neurology. The researchers sought to determine whether CSF NfL and CSF Ng levels are associated with risk for MCI, the effect size of these markers vs CSF T-tau or CSF P-tau regarding risk for MCI, and whether CSF amyloid-β 42 modified any of these associations. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to establish whether the baseline CSF markers, continuous and in quartiles, were associated with risk for MCI among a population-based cohort of participants without cognitive impairment.

Orthopedics This Week, Patellar Dislocation: Does Surgery Give Best Results? by Tracey Romero — A team from Mayo Clinic has advanced our knowledge of how to assess patients at high risk for recurrent instability after an initial patellar dislocation. Their work, “The Recurrent Instability of the Patella (RIP) Score: A Statistically Based Model for Prediction of Long-Term Recurrence Risk After First-Time Dislocation,” was published in the January4 , 2019 edition of Arthroscopy. Co-author Mario Hevesi, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, explained the new research to OTW, “Lateral patellar dislocation is relatively common, particularly in the young and active population, and greater than 85% of patients injure their medial patellofemoral ligament, a main patellar restraint, following first-time dislocation.”

South China Morning Post, Don’t kiss your health goodbye: all you need to know about mono, the virus that hits teens and young adults hardest by Anthea Rowan — Dr Tina Ardon, a doctor in family medicine and a general practitioner at the Mayo Clinic in Florida, agrees that “the symptoms of mono, including fatigue, can last for several weeks and sometimes can have an enormous impact on quality of life, school, activities, and so on. For athletes, it may mean abstaining from sports for a period of time.” More uncommon complications may include problems with the liver, leading to hepatitis and jaundice, different types of blood cell dysfunction such as anaemia – a low red blood count – or thrombocytopenia – a low platelet count, and less commonly, complications with the nervous system, Ardon adds.

Medscape, Analysis Blasts Disregard for Unsolved High Troponin in Suspected ACS by Steve Stiles — Myocardial injury and infarction "are two separate entities. They ought to be thought of separately," said Allan S. Jaffe, MD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, a coauthor of the 2018 report redefining MI. It's well established that "critically ill patients who have elevated troponins have an adverse prognosis even if they get discharged and they're doing well," he told theheart.org | Medscape Cardiology. "The problem is that a lot of clinicians don't understand that. Once acute myocardial infarction has been excluded, many clinicians think all is well." Jaffe, who is not a coauthor of the current study, said it's a reminder that patients with elevated troponin without ischemia deserve further scrutiny. "My suspicion, although this is not well studied, is that one of the reasons they have an adverse prognosis is because once the patient goes home, the troponin is out of sight, out of mind."

DePauw University, Rick Locke '83, Renowned Mayo Clinic Gastroenterologist and Longtime DePauw Trustee, Dies at Age 57 — G. Richard Locke III, M.D., a 1983 graduate of DePauw and a member of the University's Board of Trustees, died yesterday at his home in Rochester, Minnesota, surrounded by his family, from complications of progressive supranuclear palsy. Dr. Locke, a Mayo Clinic physician who was internationally known for his work in the epidemiology of functional gastrointestinal disorders and gastroesophageal reflux disease, was 57 years old. Additional coverage: Post-Bulletin

Decatur Daily, Cracking the code on ‘cavernous malformations’ — Although most have never heard the term “cavernous malformation,” as many as 1 in 500 people may have this condition, which can cause bleeding, seizures, muscle weakness, and motor and memory problems. “Cavernous malformations are rare — even to a neurologist or neurosurgeon,” says Dr. Kelly Flemming, a Mayo Clinic neurologist. “Having coordinated care by providers familiar with the disease is very important to patients.”

Highlands News-Sun, Patients who make research happen by Kate Ledger — Neuroscientist Tania Gendron, Ph.D. was in her lab on Mayo Clinic’s Florida campus when she received a phone call. On the line was a neurologist saying a patient had requested to meet her. It was an unusual request. “I’m not a clinician, and my work is in the lab,” Dr. Gendron says. “As scientists, we almost never have occasion to interact with patients.”

Health Data Management, Mayo Clinic, Wake Forest Baptist Health join clinical research network by Greg Slabodkin — The Mayo Clinic and Wake Forest Baptist Health have become members of a clinical research network designed to facilitate the use of electronic health record data on more than 14 million patients. The healthcare organizations are the latest to join the Mid-South Clinical Data Research Network, founded in 2014 with funding from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, authorized by Congress to fund research aimed at improving the health of entire populations. Additional coverage: Fierce Healthcare

WTHI-TV, Rose student works with Mayo Clinic researchers on flu vaccine — The flu virus is always changing, and that means vaccines also have to be constantly changed to protect people. Bailey MacInnis is a senior at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. We caught up with her working in a lab on campus. She was part of a group of researchers at Mayo Clinic over the summer. They looked at how genetics may impact a person or creature with the flu.

Chemical & Engineering News, A blood test for Alzheimer’s disease draws near by Jyoti Madhusoodanan …Yet another promising marker is a protein named neurofilament light (NFL). NFL is released from neurons damaged by injury, concussions, multiple sclerosis, or neurodegenerative conditions, including AD. Increasing nerve damage of any kind causes its levels in the blood to increase, so it’s not specific to AD, but it is useful as a relative marker to track how a person’s disease is progressing, says Michelle M. Mielke of the Mayo Clinic.

Live Science, What Are Corticosteroids? by Rachel Ross Although corticosteroids are effective medications, they can also have serious side effects. For oral corticosteroids, these side effects may include glaucoma, fluid retention, high blood pressure and weight gain, according to the Mayo Clinic. There can even be psychological effects, including mood swings, confusion and behavior changes, the Mayo Clinic said. Taking the medication long term can also lead to cataracts, high blood sugar and diabetes, increased risk of infection from common bacteria and viruses, osteoporosis, suppressed adrenal-gland hormone production, and thin skin that has higher rates of bruising and slower wound healing.

Bustle, Benefit Your Health by Natalia Lusinski — With January almost halfway over, you may be focusing more on wellness goals, including Dry January. Of course, there are many ways a month without alcohol can benefit your health…According to the Mayo Clinic, your blood pressure can reach dangerous levels if you drink too much alcohol, particularly if you repeatedly binge drink. Plus, alcohol can make certain blood pressure medications less effective and increase said medication’s side effects.

Bustle, Nurx Just Launched At-Home HPV Test Kits — Here's Why That's So Important by Natalia Lusinski — These days, you can get just about anything delivered to your doorstep, from food and drinks to a new phone or TV, and even birth control, condoms, and at-home STD kits. And as of January 15, you can now get an at-home HPV screening kit… But to help detect cervical cancer, women need to make sure to get tested. Last week, the Mayo Clinic released a new study that revealed cervical cancer screenings in the United States are “unacceptably low.” Less than two-thirds of women aged 30-65 were up-to-date with cervical cancer screenings, and even fewer women were being tested below the age of 30 and among women of color. So, an at-home HPV test can help many women get access to HPV screening who may not have easy access otherwise.

SELF, Heart Cancer: Is There Such a Thing? — Heart cancer (primary cardiac tumor) is cancer that arises in the heart. Cancerous (malignant) tumors that begin in the heart are most often sarcomas, a type of cancer that originates in the soft tissues of the body. The vast majority of heart tumors are noncancerous (benign). Heart cancer is extremely rare. For example, one study reviewed more than 12,000 autopsies and found only seven cases of primary cardiac tumor. At Mayo Clinic, on average only one case of heart cancer is seen each year…Answer from Timothy J. Moynihan, M.D.

Denver Post, Colorado women dominated Sports Illustrated list of fittest athletes in the world by John Meyer — You only have to look around to know Colorado is one of the fittest states in the United States, but when it comes to bragging rights, Colorado actually rocks the world when it comes to really fit women. That, at least, is the conclusion of a story in the current issue of Sports Illustrated, which says five of the world’s most fit women call Colorado home. They are Boulder track and field runner Emma Coburn (No. 9); Golden ultrarunner Courtney Dauwalter (12th); EagleVail ski racer Mikaela Shiffrin (18th); Boulder rock climber Sasha Digiulian (19th); and Vail ski racer Lindsey Vonn (20th)… SI used a panel of experts that included Dr. Michael Joyner, human performance expert at the Mayo Clinic…

Mindbodygreen, Have Fears About Menopause? According To New Research, This Can Really Help Reduce Symptoms by Gretchen Lidicker — Hot flashes, irritability, anxiety, night sweats, low libido, and depression are just a few of the many symptoms associated with menopause. But is there anything you can do about it? Can you reduce the discomfort you experience with diet and lifestyle changes? According to a new Mayo Clinic study—published in Climacteric: The Journal of the International Menopause Society—yes. Their research showed that mindfulness can help reduce symptoms of menopause, especially for women who are under higher amounts of perceived stress…According to the study's lead author Richa Sood, M.D., "These findings suggest that mindfulness may be a promising tool to help women reduce menopausal symptoms and overall stress."

Canada.com, ‘The results were impressive’: Drug to fight aging purges the body of damaged 'zombie cells' — Dr. James Kirkland, the senior study author, of the Mayo Clinic, said: “This is like a glimmer that it might actually work. The results were impressive. All 14 got better in their functional ability. “We know there are at least 20 serious conditions that senescent cells are implicated in. We’re starting with the most serious, but then we hope to move on to the rest. The same approach should work in multiple diseases. “This is simply the start of human studies. We don’t know what lies ahead and full trials are now ongoing. So at the moment, it’s baby steps, but those baby steps are moving quickly.” The new treatment involves a drug called dasatinib which is already licensed for killing cancer cells in leukaemia patients and quercetin, a common plant pigment.

CBC, Got 10 minutes? Here's how to give your memory a boost in the time it would take to grab a coffee by Jillian Bell — …The world's top health authorities also recommend breaking a sweat as a memory-booster. The Mayo Clinic suggests working out multiple times per week to improve memory in those with mild cognitive impairment, and the World Health Organization advises all adults over 65 to get 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week, in part to ward off cognitive decline.

The Ringer, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and the Era of the Forever QB by Kevin Clark — …Brady won the MVP at age 40 last season. Brees, who turned 40 this week, broke the record for career completions in September. “I think it’s reasonable to think that some of these guys can play to their middle-40s,” said Dr. Michael Joyner of the Mayo Clinic, who studies the physiology of elite athletes… “The first thing to playing this long is you have to stay motivated,” said the Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Joyner, who has studied the way athletes age. “Then you have to avoid catastrophic injury.”

Globoplay, Pesquisadores usam inteligência artificial para detectar problemas cardíacos — Estudo foi conduzido por uma das maiores clínicas dos Estados Unidos e pode antecipar diagnósticos, como o de arritmia.

La Prensa, Muy pocas mujeres realizan las pruebas de detección del cáncer del cuello uterino — La cantidad de mujeres de Estados Unidos que reciben las pruebas de detección recomendadas para el cáncer del cuello uterino es "inaceptablemente baja", señalan unos investigadores… Esas tasas están bastante por debajo del 81% que reportaron las mismas mujeres en la Encuesta nacional de entrevista de salud de Estados Unidos de 2015, apuntaron la autora del estudio, la doctora Kathy MacLaughlin, y sus colaboradores. MacLaughlin es especialista en medicina familiar en la Clínica Mayo en Rochester, Minnesota.

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.

Editors: Emily Blahnik, Karl Oestreich

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