June 14, 2019

Mayo Clinic in the News Weekly Highlights for June 14, 2019

By Emily Blahnik

CNN, Changing your meat-eating habits could mean a longer life, study suggests by Jacqueline Howard — The study provides "valuable and informative" data regarding the associations of red meat with poor health outcomes, said Dr. Heather Fields, an internal medicine specialist at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, who was not involved in the research. "We've also seen that replacing red and processed meats with other protein sources has been associated with decreased risk of mortality in this study and in past studies," Fields said. "Keeping these findings in mind, we can now shift focus on which foods we can add to the diet to improve longevity and decrease risk of chronic diseases," she said. "In addition, how can we prepare these foods to optimize nutrient intake while improving palatability and make healthy eating more enjoyable? This is where nutrition research gets exciting." Additional coverage: WPLG Local 10, KXLH 9

NBC News, Two Wisconsin men die competing in IronMan 70.3 triathlon by Safia Samee Ali — …Preparation is key, said Edward Laskowski M.D, co-director, Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine, and specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Mayo Clinic. "You want to gradually condition your body for the demands it will experience during the event, and specifically train for each of the events involved. So, you will need to spend time in the water, on the bike, and on the pavement," he said. "You shouldn’t just run triathlons to be in shape, you should be in shape to handle the stresses the triathlon places on the body."

NPR, Asia's Longhorned Tick Takes Its First Documented Bite In The U.S. by Fran Kritz — …Health experts are keenly aware that in Asia, and in Australia and New Zealand, where the tick is found as well, it is known to spread pathogens that can be lethal to humans and animals. One such pathogen is SFTS virus, a potentially fatal hemorrhagic fever. SFTS is not found in North America but is similar to the Heartland virus, which is present in North America and can be transmitted by ticks, according to Dr. Bobbi Pritt, director of the Clinical Parasitology Laboratory at the Mayo Clinic. So far there is no evidence that the longhorned tick carries this virus… Bobbi Pritt says it's a good thing that more attention is being paid to the longhorned tick. The USDA, for example, is issuing regular reports on which states are involved: so far, Arkansas, Connecticut, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee and West Virginia. "A lot of people are interested, and a lot of projects are starting," she says.

Washington Post, Surgeons opened her skull to remove a cancerous tumor. Instead, they found a tapeworm. by Lindsey Bever — …Doctors diagnosed Palma with neurocysticercosis, a parasitic infection in the brain caused by the tapeworm Taenia solium. Bobbi Pritt, director of the Clinical Parasitology Laboratory in the Mayo Clinic’s Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, said Taenia solium is not common in the United States but, when people do become infected, the parasite can present in two different forms. The most common form, she said, is the adult tapeworm, which is ingested from undercooked pork and lives in the gut. Additional coverage: The Oregonian, FOX News

Bloomberg Businessweek, Upgrade Your Memory With a Surgically Implanted Chip by Caroline Winter — In a grainy black-and-white video shot at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, a patient sits in a hospital bed, his head wrapped in a bandage. He’s trying to recall 12 words for a memory test but can only conjure three: whale, pit, zoo. After a pause, he gives up, sinking his head into his hands. In a second video, he recites all 12 words without hesitation. “No kidding, you got all of them!” a researcher says. This time the patient had help, a prosthetic memory aid inserted into his brain.. The Mayo Clinic device was created by Michael Kahana, a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, and the medical technology company Medtronic Plc. Connected to the left temporal cortex, it monitors the brain’s electrical activity and forecasts whether a lasting memory will be created. “Just like meteorologists predict the weather by putting sensors in the environment that measure humidity and wind speed and temperature, we put sensors in the brain and measure electrical signals,” Kahana says.

Reuters, Young adults see less harm in tobacco products, prefer online health information by Rob Goodier — The findings come as no surprise, says Dr. Tamim Rajjo of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, who was not involved in the research. “We have been seeing a trend in the younger populations, especially millennials, to obtain their health information from sources other than healthcare professionals. We have also seen younger populations open to using multiple non-traditional tobacco products like e-cigarettes and hookah,” he said in an email. One take-away from the data may be a renewed emphasis on telemedicine and other services that do not require an office visit, Rajjo said. “The study comes in as a confirmation of previous research supporting the shift in healthcare delivery to younger populations who are seeking faster, more convenient care. Tele-medicine and services other than in-person office visits are slowly gaining popularity and should be integrated in health care delivery systems.” Additional coverage: Physician’s Weekly

US News & World Report, Electrocardiogram: Purposes and Types of EKGs by Lisa Esposito — An EKG provides a snapshot of what's happening in your heart at the moment. Therefore, a brief EKG test can miss episodes of abnormal heart activity that come and go.  "The ECG can tell us many important things," says Dr. Sharonne Hayes, a cardiologist and founder of the Women's Heart Clinic at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. "But it isn't supersensitive. And for arrhythmias, for palpitations, an ECG is only useful if you're having symptoms at the time you have your ECG. That's an important concept because we have patients who have spells. They say, 'I get this racing heart' and then they have a normal ECG."

Modern Healthcare, Hospitals look to cut opioids from surgery and beyond by Steven Ross Johnson — Dr. Candace Granberg, a pediatric urologic surgeon at the Mayo Clinic, said her department since at least 2012 has adopted an opioid-free pain management approach toward postoperative patients that has been successful enough for many patients to not require any pain medications while in recovery or after discharge. She said a key part of her approach has been the focus on anticipating the need for treatment before the patient actually experiences pain, with patients receiving doses of acetaminophen and ibuprofen on an alternating schedule throughout their visit and having a nerve block applied to surgical areas prior to their procedure.

Post-Bulletin, Not blowing smoke: Air quality affects public health by John Molseed — State health commissioner Jan Malcolm and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency commissioner Laura Bishop joined local and county officials at Chester Woods for a public release and discussion of the report Tuesday. Malcolm said the report expands a 2015 air quality report for the Twin Cities to a statewide scope. She said holding the event outside the metro area was fitting for the expanded report. One of those partners, Ashok Patel, a lung doctor and specialist at Mayo Clinic, said the report shows leaders the impact environmental policies have on public health. “When you can’t breathe, nothing else matters — try it,” Patel said.

KIMT, 2nd Annual Battle of the Badges kicks off by Annalise Johnson — 2018's Battle of the Badges was held in the fall and winter, but the Mayo Clinic moved it to the summer months this year. There's a shortage of donors because people are traveling and schools are out for the summer and can't host blood drives. The need for blood in the summer increases because more people are out and about, so the potential for accidents increases. Snowbirds return to Minnesota and some people schedule surgeries during the summer months. The hope is that the friendly competition will draw in more donors. Mayo would particularly like to increase the amount of young donors regularly giving blood. "Hopefully the young professional that's out there can find a little bit of time in the summer to come down and donate for one of these teams," says Dr. Justin Kreuter, Medical Director of the Blood Donor Center.

Duluth News Tribune, Science Museum of Minnesota summer exhibit highlights inventors by Molly Korzenowski — Here are some of the Minnesota innovations featured in the exhibit…Cortisone: Mayo Clinic staff members Edward Kendall, a biochemist, and Philip Hench, a rheumatologist, developed Cortisone, a drug that lowers inflammation and aids in pain relief. It provided an effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, a crippling disease that previously had no form of relief. The two scientists received the 1950 Nobel Prize for Medicine for their contribution. Additional coverage: Pioneer Press

KEYC Mankato, Clinic garden invites patients and volunteers to grow produce by Temi Adeleye — Cute critters, watering plants, and laughing your pants off are some of the expectations of volunteering at Mayo Clinic Health System’s Eastridge Community Clinic Garden, but this space represents more than just a good time. Registered Nurse Care Coordinator Jennifer Pollitt said the mission of the garden is to assist in access of fresh produce. “Many of our patients don’t have access to fresh fruits and vegetables, and so this is an opportunity for them to not only help grow and produce the produce," said Pollitt. "But also to not worry about the costs of getting those things to help with a lot of their chronic health issues.”

KEYC Mankato, Award recipient preparing to finish residency, reflects on recent win by Temi Adeleye — Dr. Ryan Brower is named this year’s Family Medicine Resident of the Year, after humbly devoting his time to nutrition education and food advocacy. The Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians chose Dr. Brower for the award, which honors a third-year resident for outstanding contributions to family medicine through different facets like community involvement. Dr. Brower directs the Mayo Clinic Health System Eastridge Community Clinic Garden, ensuring that patients have access to fresh produce.

KEYC Mankato, Aussie Peppers take over Caswell Park — …“It took a lot, it took a lot of partners we got a lot of good partners in the community supporting us. Certainly Jerry Maschka and Mayo Clinic, Aluma trailers but also a lot of smaller partners too, that really contributed and thought this was great to get some international teams here all that coming together really helped make this happen," Aussie Peppers General Manager Matt Mangulius added.

Mankato Free Press, Pilot care model treats mental health/addiction by Brian Arola — Jennifer Denn sought help for her substance abuse in the past, but the strategies didn't adequately take into account her other health issues. The Mankato woman, 36, has bipolar-depression and anxiety, and she’s not alone in living with addiction and mental illnesses. Research shows 43 percent of people with addictions have a mental health condition. Celebrating two years of sobriety this spring, Denn credits a holistic care model with helping improve her health. The approach she benefited from will launch as a pilot program this fall at Mayo Clinic Health System’s Eastridge clinic.

Mankato Free Press, Volunteer-run, free clinic opens in St. Peter by Brian Arola — Dr. Keith Stelter, who came up with the idea, said the organizing team is working to connect with patients who could most benefit from free care. “I’ve been noodling on this for several years now after learning about free clinics that are in Faribault, Northfield and Red Wing,” he said. “I thought St. Peter would be another good place to try to start one and see what the need is.” Stelter, the associate director of the family medicine residency program at Mayo Clinic Health System’s Eastridge Clinic, offered free medical screenings alongside other clinicians at the St. Peter Area Food Shelf last year. The clinic takes the services further, providing free primary health care like treatment for minor injuries and chronic disease management.

Mankato Free Press, Doc's food focus a sound prescription — Thumbs up to a local doctor’s efforts to connect good nutrition with better health and getting his hands dirty in the process. Family medicine resident Dr.Ryan Brower has kept up a garden at Mayo Clinic Health System’s Eastridge clinic, using the eight-plot garden as an education piece.After talking to patients abouthow healthy eating fits into overall wellness, he can walk them outside to get started with fresh fruits and veggies.

Caledonia Argus, Mayo Clinic Health System - Franciscan Healthcare donates funds to Caledonia Ambulance Department by Sahnje McGonigle —Family Medicine Physician Michelle Rein presented the Caledonia Ambulance Department, with a $10,000 donation from the Mayo Clinic Health System. A ceremony was held on Monday, June 3. Caledonia Ambulance Director Mike Tornstrom accepted the donation on behalf of the department. Both members of Caledonia Ambulance and the Mayo Clinic Health System were present. “We are pleased to be here today with the representatives from the Caledonia Ambulance Service,” Rein said.

WKBT La Crosse, Mayo Clinic Health System staff plant vegetables, flowers by Greg White — Healthy food will be on the plates at a local hospital, thanks to a gardening effort. Mayo Clinic Health System staff planted vegetable plants and flowers in a flower bed on an outdoor balcony. The hope is to make healthy foods available for patients and staff. People can take the produce from the plants, as well as new ideas for their homes. "They're really here as kind of a way to educate people to see what they can do in their own patio, on their own backyard," said Cindy Shireman, Sustainability Coordinator, Mayo Clinic Health System.

WXOW La Crosse, Telemedicine could increase health care accessibility in rural areas by Marcus Aarsvold — Experts from local hospitals met with community members to discuss rural health care and how telemedicine could bridge the urban and rural gap. People can use smartphones to check in with doctors remotely if they so choose. “Increasingly we’ve had success with telehealth where if there’s sufficient broadband in an area we can actually deliver a piece of advice via smartphone,” Health Tradition Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Tim Bartholow said.

WEAU Eau Claire, New fitness trail opens in Altoona — A new fitness trail has opened in Altoona. The trail is located behind Altoona Elementary School and offers six fitness stations in an effort to encourage activity for people of all ages. The Altoona Fun Fitness Trail was funded with a $20,000 grant from Mayo Clinic Health System in 2016. According to the School District of Altoona, the project provides opportunities for collaboration with students in the school district. Additional coverage: WQOW Eau Claire

WQOW Eau Claire, New science hall at UW-Eau Claire voted in by state budget writing committee by Stephen Kelley — UW-Eau Claire Chancellor James Schmidt weighed in on the vote Tuesday night, saying: “We are grateful for the support shown for this project by the Joint Committee on Finance. I also am extremely thankful to our bipartisan delegation of local legislators, Mayo Clinic Health System, our area business community and our engaged alumni, all of whom see the important impact the new Science and Health Sciences Building will have on northwest Wisconsin and have helped to garner statewide support for the project.”

Chippewa Herald, Stepping Stones, Boyceville School District receive Mayo Clinic grants — The Boyceville School District and Stepping Stones of Dunn County were two local groups that received grants from Mayo Clinic Health System. Mayo awarded the Boyceville School District $20,000 for a coaching trauma-informed resilience program to reduce stress in schools. The program is focused on addressing the development of stress resilience by incorporating mindfulness and self-regulation activities in the school, according to a Mayo news release: “Funding will build the capacity of internal coaches and teachers, and help them expand collaboration with Mondovi schools.

Post-BulletinMayo Clinic expects to end Albert Lea service sooner than scheduled by Jeff Kiger — In the latest twist in a controversial plan, Mayo Clinic announced today that it might be ending childbirth services in Albert Lea and shift those services to Austin much earlier than the previous deadline of 2020. In 2017, Mayo Clinic Health System rolled out a plan to consolidate services between the Austin and Albert Lea campuses due to financial losses. Albert Lea’s Intensive Care Unit services and in-patient surgeries have since been shifted to Austin. Mayo Clinic said it expected to move Albert Lea's childcare services to Austin in 2020, when construction of a new birth center was expected to be completed. Additional coverage: Albert Lea TribuneKTTCKAALMPRKIMTFOX 47

WisBusiness, Panelists agree improving rural health care will take new technologies, workforce solutions; Wisconsin Medical Society highlighting report on drug monitoring — Dr. Paul Mueller, a top Mayo Clinic executive, says new technologies “need to be leveraged” to make it easier for rural residents to connect to care. Because these patients face transportation challenges as well as a general lack of qualified workers in the healthcare field, telemedicine tools were highlighted as one solution to both of these problems. “That relates to the discovery and research that’s really important in medicine, including in rural medicine,” Mueller said. “We have to understand, what are the best models of care?”

Men’s Health, Beyond Viagra: 4 New Biohacks for E.D. by Eric Spitznagel — “We already have excellent ED treatments that work,” says Tobias Köhler, M.D., a Mayo Clinic urologist. But they’re not immediate and often require effort—as in exercising, losing weight, or quitting smoking. So researchers keep looking for that quick fix that will lead to boners on demand. Additional coverage: Yahoo!

Parents, The Dangers of Vaping Around Your Kids by Emily Shiffer — If you have toddlers or young children, they can more easily be exposed to residues of vaping. “Because children are often in contact with the environment to a much greater degree than adults (children are constantly on the floor and infants often put objects in her mouth or lick objects in the environment exposing them to higher concentrations of these chemicals that land on surfaces more so than adults).  We have concerns that these chemicals could cause problems with the developing lungs and developing nervous system,” says  J. Taylor Hays, MD, internist at the Nicotene Dependence Center at the Mayo Clinic.

Finance & Commerce, Mayo plans new Discovery Square research building in Rochester by William Morris — Mayo Clinic is planning to add even more cranes to the downtown Rochester skyline in 2020. The Rochester health care network announced Tuesday it plans to build a new 64,000-square-foot research building at 410 Third St. SW, just southwest of the downtown core. Behind the proposal is a $32 million gift from the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation of New York, named for an investment firm president and his wife who both received care at Mayo Clinic over a span of decades. Additional coverage: Winona Daily News

HealthDay, AHA News: Diabetes and Heart Failure Are Linked; Treatment Should Be Too — People who have Type 2 diabetes, characterized by elevated blood sugar levels, are two to four times more likely to develop heart failure than someone without diabetes. But heart failure, a condition in which the heart fails to efficiently pump oxygenated blood through the body, also is a risk factor for diabetes. Both disorders are characterized by insulin resistance and high levels of inflammation, said Dr. Rozalina McCoy, another member of the statement's writing committee. "People who have both these conditions have a much higher risk of worse health outcomes -- more hospitalizations, more emergency department visits, earlier death, and worse health overall than people who have just one of these conditions," said McCoy, an endocrinologist and internal medicine physician at Mayo Clinic.

Healthline, Rheumatoid Arthritis: ‘I Was Disabled Before I Was Disabled’ — The idea that everyday functional disability may precede RA diagnosis even two years ahead of time “is a new finding and a finding that is quite intriguing,” Dr. Elena Myasoedova, PhD, a Mayo Clinic rheumatologist and the study’s primary author said in a statement. “It may reflect an accumulation of symptoms between the time of first onset and the time required for providers to actually diagnose patients.”

Health Data Management, 15 top health systems named by IBM Watson Health by Fred Bazzoli — Mayo Foundation, Rochester, Minn.: The Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit academic medical center based in Rochester, Minn., focused on integrated clinical practice, education, and research. It employs more than 4,500 physicians and scientists, along with another 58,400 administrative and allied health staff. The practice specializes in treating difficult cases through tertiary care and destination medicine. It also has campuses in Arizona and Florida.

HuffPost, Marcia Cross Doesn’t Want Anyone To Be ‘Ashamed’ Of Anal Cancer by Carly Ledbetter — Marcia Cross is continuing to speak out about her experience with anal cancer, hoping that it will emayorase some of the taboo surrounding both the disease and its name… The Mayo Clinic describes anal cancer as an “uncommon” type of cancer, with symptoms that include itching, the appearance of certain growths, pain and/or bleeding from the anus.

PharmaTimes, Mayo Clinic, Oxford Uni announce team of physicians — Mayo Clinic Healthcare has announced a new team of physicians in partnership with Oxford University Clinic, to coincide with the opening of its new preventative healthcare facility, set to open its doors this summer. The the new private clinic is set to offer “world-class premium screening and diagnostic services tailored to the needs of individual clients.” The screening centre in London is the first example of a new partnership between Mayo Clinic and Oxford Uni, who will join forces for the first time to boost innovation in medical research and patient care. The team includes Dr Robert Orford and Dr Kevin Fleming joining from Mayo Clinic US, and Dr Sihame Benmira and Dr Sandeep Kapur joining from UK-based practices.

KSAT ABC 12, Using AI to stop cancer in its tracks — The researchers train the system to look for patterns in the scan to find tiny tumors. Then the system analyzes it and determines whether the tumor is cancerous. It’s 95% accurate, compared to 65% when done by a human...The success has led them to a partnership with the Mayo Clinic in Florida to develop a similar system to spot pre-malignant cysts in the pancreas that can lead to pancreatic cancer.

Sacramento Bee, Dietary supplements are a waste of money for most seeking to avoid dementia, experts say by Cathie Anderson — Sales of purported brain-health supplements such as fish oil and jellyfish are expected to reach $5.8 billion by 2023, but in a report released Tuesday, an AARP panel of brain experts called them a huge waste of money for healthy seniors seeking to avoid or reverse dementia. “The market is so large they get by without rigorous documentation of the efficacy of their products,” says neurologist Ronald Petersen, director of the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center in Rochester, Minn. He and other members of the Global Council on Brain Health do not recommend any dietary supplements to prevent, slow or reverse cognitive decline.

Becker’s Hospital Review, CFO Jeff Froisland on Mayo Clinic's goals, expansion plans in Arizona by Kelly Gooch — Before taking the role in 2006, he was the organization's controller and director of revenue cycle. Although Mayo Clinic's campuses in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota have similar philosophies and cultures, they are in significantly different markets and present their own set of challenges, said Mr. Froisland.  Here, Mr. Froisland discusses those challenges, shares insights about the campus expansion and offers advice for other hospital finance chiefs.

Becker’s Hospital Review, 5 tips from hospital CFOs by Kelly Gooch — 5. Jeff Froisland, CFO of Mayo Clinic's Phoenix campus, on getting back to the basics: "I think it's the basics — building a very strong team around you. You can't do everything yourself, and you've got to be able to rely on your revenue cycle leader, your financial reporting leader, supply chain and even help influence people outside of finance."

Becker’s Spine Review, Dr. Selby Chen of the Mayo Clinic: The major challenges facing spine today by Alan Condon — Selby Chen, MD, is a board-certified neurosurgeon and an assistant professor of neurosurgery at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla. Here, Dr. Chen discusses current challenges in spinal medicine, how he stays mentally strong and what advice he has for physicians considering a career in spine.

Chronicle of Philanthropy, Mayo Clinic Gets $32 Million, and the NFL Pledges $20 Million for Social Justice (Grants Roundup) by M.J. Prest — Here are notable new grant awards compiled by the Chronicle…Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation: $32 million to the Mayo Clinic for a new 64,000-square-foot research building in Rochester, Minn.

MedPage Today, AMA Members: 'Mature Minors' Should Get Vax Sans Parent OK by Joyce Frieden — The committee also considered a resolution from the Medical Student Section asking for the AMA to "recognize the need for ethical, transparent, and consistent body donation regulations." "During medical school, many benefitted from the generosity of those who donated their bodies to medical education, providing the foundation for much of the rest of our training and careers," said Nathan Rockey, a medical student at the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota, on behalf of the section. "While the AMA has specific policies surrounding organ and tissue donation, it does not have any stance pertaining to the donation or use of human bodies for medical education and research."

MedPage Today, Clinical Challenges: Targeting the Immune System in Breast Ca by Mike Bassett — While immunotherapy has changed the outcomes of many patients with different malignancies, the situation has been different with breast cancer. "With immunotherapy, it has taken a bit longer to figure out what is the right population of patients with breast cancer, and what settings in breast cancer immunotherapy can be successful," said Roberto A. Leon-Ferre, MD, a breast cancer specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. "So we've clearly lagged behind compared to melanoma, lung cancer, and other malignancies."

Korea Biomedical Review, US expert says Asians less vulnerable to dementia than Europeans by Lee Han-soo — Alternative treatments can help dementia patients psychologically, if not physiologically, while East Asians appear to be less prone to the disease than Europeans, a U.S. expert said.  Richard Caselli, medical director for service and neurology professor at Mayo Clinic, made these and other points during an interview with Korea Biomedical Review on the sidelines of a joint international medical symposium with Myongji Hospital.  Myongji Hospital and Mayo Clinic held the symposium to commemorate the one year mark for the Korean hospital joining the Mayo Clinic Care Network (MCCN) at the Conrad Hotel in Seoul, on Tuesday.

Multiple Sclerosis News Today, Need to Know: What Are Stem Cells? by Tamara Sellman — The Mayo Clinic describes stem cell therapy as “regenerative medicine” that “promotes the repair response of diseased, dysfunctional or injured tissue.” Stem cell therapies promise many opportunities for research…

Cancer Therapy Advisor, Novel Metric Sheds Light on When Adverse Events May Occur by Agata Boxe — “Fifty years ago we were using chemicals to treat our patients and our focus was on: ‘Are they surviving these very, very toxic treatments that we are giving them?’” said lead study author Gita Thanarajasingam, MD, an assistant professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. “Now we have oral targeted agents, we have immune therapies, we have all sorts of different approaches that are chronically administered and have drastically different toxicity profiles than the usual cytotoxic chemos. Yet our approach to adverse event assessment has not changed in parallel.”

Healio, Combined heart-kidney transplants show better patient, graft survival than single-organ transplant — Although only younger donor age was found to be significantly associated with improved survival, research presented here showed patients who received combined heart-kidney transplants had better overall survival and rejection-free graft outcomes at 1 year, 5 years and 10 years post-transplant compared with patients who had heart transplants alone. “Analysis of combined heart-kidney transplants (HKTx) reveals equivalent or improved patient survival and reduced allograft rejection rates as compared to single-organ transplants,” Victoria M. Lim, MD, and colleagues from the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix wrote in their abstract. “We seek to provide an updated comprehensive analysis of risk factors and outcomes in the HKTx cohort, which may help guide future selection processes and therapeutic interventions.”

Healio, VIDEO: Novel DNA markers accurately detect pancreatic cancer across all stages — In this video from Digestive Disease Week, Shounak Majumder, MD, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic, discusses the results of a study that assessed the accuracy of a blood-based test for detecting pancreatic cancer. “Pancreatic cancer is a deadly disease,” Majumder told Healio Gastroenterology and Liver Disease. “It is one of the leading cancer killers in this country and we know that detection can improve outcomes. However, currently there is no effective test to detect this disease early.”

Medscape, More Anti-Obesity Drugs for Teens Coming, Devices Are Next Step by Marlene Busko — …During the same session, Andrew C. Storm, MD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, summarized the growing number of endoscopic devices that are approved or being tested for weight loss. The approvals have happened "in the past 3 to 4 years and three to five have FDA approval trials ongoing or starting within the summer [in adults], so I expect to see — if not this year then definitely in the next year or two — quite a number of endoscopic therapies for obesity and metabolic disease available," he told Medscape Medical News. "It is pretty clear that obesity from childhood carries into adulthood," Storm added. "Given that these [devices] are so safe and have such reasonable impacts in obesity upfront, I think the next step will be studying them in young adults." 

Medscape, What Lies Ahead for Dementia Therapy by Andrew N. Wilner — While attending this year's annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), Medscape contributor Andrew Wilner, MD, interviewed Bradley F. Boeve, MD, professor of neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Boeve noted that although this year's meeting failed to produce any relevant advances in dementia therapy, there is still much to look forward to in the years ahead.

Genome Web, This Week in Genome Biology — A team led by investigators at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville focuses on genome regions that are missed or difficult-to-pin down with Illumina short read data due to a dearth of mappable reads or ambiguous alignments. After identifying almost 37,000 'dark' genome regions with little or no coverage depth — which fell in or around more than 6,000 gene bodies from disease-, development-, or reproduction-related pathways — they looked at how well the regions could be resolved with 10x Genomic, Pacific Biosciences, or Oxford Nanopore linked- or long reads.

GenomeWeb, Diagnostic Power of Pancreatic Cancer Blood Test Gets a Boost From Methylated DNA Markers by Christie Rizk — Exact Sciences, the company that's already well known for its at-home stool-based colorectal cancer test, has set its sights on improving the early detection of pancreatic cancer, a disease that is often diagnosed too late for most patients. During a recent earnings call, Exact CEO Kevin Conroy highlighted that the company was conducting a study in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic for pancreatic cancer detection from blood. Although this test is several years away from commercialization, data from that collaborative study recently published in the journal Gastroenterology shows how researchers are trying to improve diagnosis of early-stage patients compared to currently available methods.

Clarin, Una exigencia incómoda - Desde el antiguo Egipto a los Louboutin: historia y polémicas sobre los tacos altos en la era del #KuToo— "Ningún taco es bueno para la salud de los pies, aunque algunos son mejores que otros", dice a Entremujeres el doctor Glenn Shi, cirujano en ortopedia y traumatología de Mayo Clinic, mientras se siguen sumando las miles de firmas en Change.org que reclaman a las autoridades japonesas eliminar la obligatoriedad de las mujeres de usar tacos altos en ámbitos laborales. En un momento de cambio social en donde las mujeres quieren sacarse de encima viejos mandatos e imposiciones estéticas machistas (¡e incómodas!), las niponas llaman la atención sobre este elemento de moda tan arraigado en las pasarelas, y también en las oficinas.

CNN en Espanol, Una herramienta que modifica los genes para tratar enfermedades genéticas — La tecnología CRISPR es una herramienta molecular que literalmente corta y corrige cualquier molécula de ADN. Este sistema que está en fase de investigación se utiliza para cortar y reemplazar pedazos de genes que están causando enfermedades como algunos tipos de cáncer, Parkinson y algunas enfermedades de la sangre, entre otras. La Clínica Mayo nos explica en qué consiste.

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