July 12, 2019

Mayo Clinic in the News Weekly Highlights for July 12, 2019

By Emily Blahnik

Science, Even if you don’t play contact sports, you could develop signs of traumatic brain injury by Sabine Galvis — Scientists looking for a link between repeated brain trauma and lasting neurological damage typically study the brains of soldiers or football players. But it’s unclear whether this damage—known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)—is prevalent in the general population. Now, a new study reports those rates for the first time. To conduct the research, neuropathologist Kevin Bieniek, then at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and colleagues sorted through nearly 3000 brains donated to the clinic's tissue registry between 2005 and 2016. Then, by scanning obituaries and old yearbooks, the researchers narrowed the group to 300 athletes who played contact sports and 450 nonathletes.

Washington Post, Thank God it’s Thursday: the four-day work-week some want to bring to the U.S. by Jeff Stein — Workers may also face higher, not lower, levels of stress if the shorter workweek means they have to accomplish the same amount in a shorter amount of time, according to Allard Dembe, a retired Ohio State University public health professor who authored an op-ed arguing against the four-day week. Xiaoxi Yao, a researcher at the Mayo Clinic who worked with Dembe, also said the four-day week could have serious negative health ramifications if it results in workdays lasting longer than eight hours. “I think this may work for some people,” Yao said. “But when you try to work 10 or 12 hours per day, you increase your risk of injuries. When you work long hours, you’re more likely to get chronic diseases.”

New York Times, The World’s Fastest (Old) Man by Matthew Futterman — Age has slowed Charles Allie, but only slightly. At 71, he wants the world record in 100 meters to go along with his age group records in the 200 and 400…Michael Joyner of the Mayo Clinic, a leading researcher of exercise and physiology, said Allie’s performances put him at the very edge of the aging curve, in which athletic performance declines at least 6 percent per decade. But given all the injuries sprinters are susceptible to, Allie’s crazy-slow fade is even more striking. “When you are running seven- or eight-minute miles, you’re not exploding your legs the way these guys do,” Joyner said. “Clearly he stayed fit.”

CNN, What is epilepsy? Here's what you need to know about the seizure-causing spectrum of disorders by Scottie Andrew — About 70% of people diagnosed with epilepsy can manage the disorder with surgery or medicine, according to the NINDS. Anti-epileptic medication can decrease the frequency and intensity of seizures, and in some cases, particularly among children, end patients' seizures entirely. At least half of people with a new epilepsy diagnosis can live seizure-free after their first prescription, the Mayo Clinic says. Additional coverage: KTVZ

CNN, Many sudden cardiac deaths linked to prior silent heart attacks, study by Jacqueline Howard —  A sudden, unexpected loss of heart function results in an equally sudden loss of breathing and consciousness. One cause of sudden cardiac arrest is a heart attack. Sudden cardiac death accounts for about half of all deaths attributed to cardiovascular disease in the United States and is most commonly associated with coronary artery disease, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Evening Standard, Top US hospital opens London clinic offering £5k 'health MoTs' by Ross Lydall — The Mayo Clinic will offer £5,000 “health MoTs” targeted at executives and wealthy individuals near Harley Street. These include a 75-minute initial consultation — almost eight times longer than with an NHS GP — and two to three days of “head to toe” diagnostic scans and investigations looking for early signs of cancer, heart disease and other conditions. It is part of a drive towards “bespoke” preventative healthcare that analyses family medical history, age and lifestyle to enable patients to remain healthy…Patients will also benefit from the Mayo’s pioneering research as UK-based physicians consult with their colleagues in the US. The Mayo has health campuses in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota.

Yahoo!, The Top 4 Ways to Lose Belly Fat for Good by Richard Laliberte —  …It’s also a concern for the 38 percent of guys classified as overweight, whose BMI is in the 25 to 29.9 range. But even men sporting modest paunches are at risk. Yup, Dad Bods, Skinny Fat dudes, Beer Belly Light guys-maybe even you. Recent Mayo Clinic research shows that men who are in the normal range (with a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9) but have fat in their midsection are up to four times as likely as leaner men to have metabolic disorders.

CBS News, Former Patriots star Tedy Bruschi recovering after suffering stroke — New England Patriots legend and three-time Super Bowl champion Tedy Bruschi is recovering after suffering a stroke, CBS Boston reported. His charity, Tedy's Team, said in a statement that Bruschi suffered a transient ischemic attack on Thursday. A transient ischemic attack is often called a mini-stroke that doctors consider a warning sign for a major stroke, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Post-Bulletin, Eviction response continues with new help by Randy Petersen — …Last week, Mayo Clinic awarded Legal Assistance of Olmsted County a $30,000 grant for its overall work, with at least $10,000 of the amount being used to staff the evictions clinic. Additionally, the twice-weekly effort is getting a boost from members of the Mayo Clinic legal team. On Monday, Chris Wendt, who usually handles immigration and employment cases for the Clinic, sat in on Melbie’s case, hoping to soak in what it takes to work with people facing eviction.

Post-Bulletin, Mayo's head of physical security calls post life changing by Emily Cutts — New jobs are life-changing events. And then there is Matthew Horace's new position, heading up Mayo Clinic Hospital's Chief Security Office. "Working for Mayo has more meaning than anything I could have ever imagined that I would be involved with,” Horace said. Horace, who started with Mayo on May 6, spent nearly 25 years working as a federal agent. During that time, he was with eight different offices of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. During that time, Horace said, he worked in almost every state.

Post-Bulletin, Friends remember Pompeian as selfless leader who helped others by Jeff Kiger — Friends and family of Rochester philanthropist, Realtor and developer Edward Pompeian describe him as a "selfless" man who made an enormous difference in the community he made his home. Pompeian, a two-time transplant patient who founded the Gift of Life Transplant House in Rochester in 1984, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday. He was 67…Mayo Clinic Chief Development Officer Cheryl Hadaway remembers Pompeian as a "very humble… very committed individual" who truly just wanted to help people. "It wasn't about how big the building would be, it was about how many people they could help. He was committed to providing a home away from home for patients," she said. "He lived his entire life in service of others." Additional coverage: Med City Beat

KAAL, ABC 6 Chief Photographer Chad Corey Shares How Life has Changed, Post Kidney Transplant by Laura Lee — Two months after receiving a life-saving organ transplant, ABC 6 News Chief Photographer Chad Corey says his life is good and filled with so much hope all thanks to fellow photographer and friend, Chris Douglas…ABC 6 News was given permission to use video and images from their organ transplant operation at Mayo Clinic.

KIMT, 9-year-old with goal of curing cancer makes blankets for Mayo patients by Isabella Basco — Sophie Neu is a special 9-year-old girl who once told her mother she wanted to cure cancer. Her mother - Lori Neu- a nurse at Mayo Clinic Children's Center had the idea to start smaller by working with her daughter to make 25 blankets for patients at Mayo. A lot of care, passion and a big process goes into making these blankets, according to Sophie. Sophie will continue making blankets for patients in need.

FOX 47, SIDELINED: with the help of Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine, Meghan Brown is getting back in the game by Holden Krusemark — Just as sports have become more specialized, so too has the medical field. Giving rise to the sports medicine industry and doctors specialized in the surgery and recovery of specific injuries. As with all things medical, the Mayo Clinic is on the cutting edge of the field, helping athletes from near and far stay in the game after some pretty devastating injuries, just like Meghan Brown.

KNUJ-Radio, Mayo Clinic offering walk-in sports physical clinic — Mayo Clinic Health System is hosting a walk-in sports physical clinic on July 24th from 5 to 7:30p.m. at the Madison East Center in Mankato. Student athletes can stop by and receive a Minnesota State High School League pre-participation physical for $20 from Mayo Clinic experts. The event is open to all, regardless of whether or not you’re a Mayo Clinic Health System patient. A parent or guardian must accompany students under 18 years of age.

Star Tribune, Miromatrix spins out a company, steps up focus on bioengineered organs for humans by Joe Carlson — Miromatrix has spent more than a decade researching how to make bioengineered organs for human transplants. Now, the company with University of Minnesota roots is accelerating that work after spinning out a new company to focus on incremental products developed as part of its larger organ-engineering business.…The firm was spun out of the U around 2009 with public fanfare over its long-term goal of creating bioengineered human hearts from decellularized animal material. Creating such a heart is still a major goal, but Miromatrix has shifted to creating transplantable livers for humans first, working with the Mayo Clinic.

Florida Times-Union, HEALTH TIPS: Toenail fungus not generally a huge concern — When treatment is necessary, it usually involves a topical medication or antifungal medications. Oral antifungal medications taken for about six months are the most effective. These drugs help a new nail grow free of infection, slowly replacing the infected part. For milder infections or if you can’t take the oral options, a topical medication may be appropriate. These medications require regular application for up to a year to prevent new fungal growth. Laser treatments also may be an option, although there’s little data supporting their effectiveness. It’s important to note that reinfection is likely, regardless of treatment chosen, especially as you age. Talk with your health care provider about your concern. He or she can help you determine whether treatment is necessary, and, if so, what kind of treatment will work best for your situation. — Dr. Dawn Davis, Dermatology, Mayo Clinic.

WKBT La Crosse, Babysitting classes provides skills for area youth by Greg White — Babysitting classes are getting area kids ready for part-time jobs. Mayo Clinic Health System is hosting one-day child safety classes throughout the summer. They include lessons on how to care for infants and children, problem solving and handling emergencies.

La Crosse Tribune, Mayo Clinic Health System to recognize La Crosse area organizations serving people with disabilities by Emily Pyrek — Mayo Clinic Health System is supporting the wellness of individuals with disabilities by offering $195,000 in funding to area nonprofit organizations focused on inclusive recreation and health.  Applications for the Inclusive Health and Recreation Awards, special to 2019 and not likely to be given out again in subsequent years, are open to 501(c)(3) organizations in the Coulee Region, the counties of Houston in Minnesota and Allamakee in Iowa, with a special focus on those serving children with disabilities. Additional coverage: WKBT La Crosse

Mankato Free Press, Report highlights local air quality concerns by Brian Arola — A recent report on air quality highlighted the alarming rates of negative health impacts attributed to pollution in south-central Minnesota… Dr. Richard Crockett, allergist at Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato, said air quality in southern Minnesota is most concerning during planting and harvesting season or when weather conditions bring particles from far away forest fires to the region. “As far as air quality, those are the three things around here that make the biggest difference,” he said.

Red Wing Republican Eagle, Dialysis dilemma: With DaVita closing in November, where will local residents go? by Matthew Lambert — When Roger Walker finished a day of treatment at DaVita's Red Wing location in early June, he was handed a letter. It stated the Red Wing location would close on Nov. 29, citing financial constraints as the reason. DaVita "is unprofitable to a degree that can't be corrected," putting an almost 92-year-old Walker in a difficult spot: Where will he go to get his lifesaving treatments? Two decades ago, Walker had emergency surgery to remove one kidney. Late last year, Walker said he suffered an aneurysm and would have died if he hadn't been airlifted to Rochester Mayo Clinic and had emergency surgery. At first, Walker received treatment in Rochester, but was transferred to St. Crispin Living Community and he began going to DaVita last December. Walker is back at home with his wife now and goes to DaVita two times a week for three-hour treatments.

St. Cloud Times, 'I live because of him': St. Cloud professor reflects on liver transplant one year later by Nora G. Hertel — Bel Kambach's dying liver had maybe seven days left by the time she received a transplant last summer. She read that assessment in her medical records a month after surgery, but Kambach knew her liver was essentially dead by July 1, 2018.  She was dying too.  Her transplant took place three weeks later at the Mayo Clinic campus in Scottsdale, Arizona.

NBC Washington, 7 Tips for Treating Jellyfish Stings — Many of the home remedies often recommended to treat jellyfish stings can actually make it worse. The Mayo Clinic advises that people keep it simple and don’t use urine or scrape the skin.

Next Avenue, Why You Shouldn’t Rely on Home DNA Tests for Health Information by Liz Seegert — A 2018 study of commercial DNA tests, in the journal Genetics in Medicine, found that 40% of variants in raw data were false positives. Some results that indicated “increased risk” were actually considered harmless by other clinical labs or were simply common variations in populations. This doesn’t mean all commercial tests are bad. But they shouldn’t be taken as the final word on risk, says Matthew Ferber, director of Mayo Clinic’s Clinical Genome Sequencing Laboratory in Rochester, Minn. One positive effect of direct-to-consumer DNA tests: “Some of these tools allow people to become engaged and learn about genetics in ways they otherwise wouldn’t,” Ferber says. We don’t have a good handle on how genetics really affects our muscle mass, our body mass index or what foods we should eat to maximize our longevity, Ferber says. “But if someone thinks that by taking this test, they know if they’re going to live another ten or fifteen years, that’s not going to happen,” he says.

The Week, Sleep loss, memory loss by Shyla Jovitha Abraham — The study found that people with sleep apnoea have a higher accumulation of tau, an Alzheimer's disease biomarker, in an area of the brain that is important for memory…“A person normally has fewer than five episodes of apnoea per hour during sleep,” study author Diego Z. Carvalho of the Mayo Clinic explained in an American Academy of Neurology news release. “Bed partners are more likely to notice these episodes when people stop breathing several times per hour during sleep, raising concern for obstructive sleep apnoea. Recent research has linked sleep apnoea to an increased risk of dementia, so our study sought to investigate whether witnessed apnoeas during sleep may be linked to tau protein deposition in the brain.”

The Week, Sleep apnoea can go undiagnosed for many years by Shyla Jovitha Abraham — Interview with Dr.  Diego Z. Carvalho . How did you connect sleep apnoea to tau accumulation and Alzheimer's disease? We asked the bed partners of the participants of the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging—a large population-based cohort of community-dwelling older adults from Olmstead County in Minnesota—whether they had observed stop breathing events (apnoeas) during sleep. We found that those participants who were seen having these episodes had higher levels of tau protein in the entorhinal cortex.

Chamber Business News, Mayo Clinic telemedicine options mean better access for rural patients and health care providers by Graham Bosch — Mayo Clinic, the Minnesota-based nonprofit academic health care network with locations in Phoenix and Scottsdale, is expanding its digital health care presence to meet the needs of contemporary consumers and make it easier for rural communities to access necessary care. The Mayo Clinic Center for Connected Care is developing digital health initiatives, known as telemedicine, to better connect the organization, its providers and its patients.

Medshadow, Kava for Anxiety- Separating Fact from Fiction by Susan Ladika — In western society unsubstantiated reports of benefits have led to some people taking kava in capsules or drops to lower anxiety. A few small clinical trials showed kava could be helpful for individuals struggling with anxiety, says Dr. Brent Bauer, director of the complementary and integrative medicine program at the Mayo Clinic. That led to supplements in capsules or drops becoming popular in the US. But it fell out of favor when a number of reports linked it to liver damage. Now some of those reports of liver toxicity have been questioned, and kava is making a comeback.

Healio, Frailty, cognitive impairment in AF increase death odds — Malini Madhavan, MBBS, and colleagues investigated the interaction between cognitive impairment and frailty and oral anticoagulation in determining AF outcomes. “A complex interplay between AF, cognitive impairment and frailty may increase morbidity and mortality in the elderly,” Madhavan, a cardiac electrophysiologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and colleagues wrote. “Cognitive impairment and frailty may in turn affect management of AF. For instance, frailty and cognitive impairment may adversely affect the effectiveness of oral anticoagulation due to poor compliance and inability to adhere to monitoring requirements or deter a physician from prescribing an oral anticoagulant.”

Medical Bag, Mayo Clinic Offers Policy for Reporting and Responding to Patient Bias — According to a report published in the AMA Journal of Ethics, the number of patients expressing bias toward healthcare workers based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or religion is on the rise. To address and respond to such discrimination, the Mayo Clinic has instituted a Patient and Visitor Conduct Policy that balances the dual needs of providing optimal patient care while maintaining a supportive, respectful workplace for staff. The Mayo Clinic policy recommends 5 steps for employees to respond to patient or visitor misconduct…

The Verge, Amazon’s Alexa will deliver NHS medical advice in the UK by James Vincent — The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) has announced what it claims is a world first: a partnership with Amazon’s Alexa to offer health advice from the NHS website. Britons who ask Alexa basic health questions like “Alexa, how do I treat a migraine?” and “Alexa, what are the symptoms of flu?” will be given answers vetted by NHS health professionals and currently available on its website. At the moment, Alexa sources answers to such questions from a variety of places, including the Mayo Clinic and WebMD.

Express UK, Type 2 diabetes: Study reveals surprising link to the condition - are you at risk? by Adam Chapman —  ….It is important to remember that correlation is not causation, however. Others risk factors play a more prominent role, as Dr Adrian Vella, an endocrinologist who has researched Type 2 diabetes at the Mayo Clinic, explained: "I think calorie consumption and weight are probably the biggest by a country mile.”Commenting on the finding, Vella said: "I think the general message always should be that association studies do not actually imply causation.

Global News, What women need to know about getting their tubes tied by Arti Patel — According to the Mayo Clinic, there is a reversal procedure for tubal ligation, but only if the tube wasn’t fully removed. During the reversal procedure, blocked tubes are reconnected to the remainder of the tube. “This may allow eggs to again move through the tubes and sperm to travel up the fallopian tubes to join an egg,” the site noted. However, this doesn’t mean there is a guarantee that women can get pregnant after the reversal procedure. “Pregnancy rates following reversal of tubal ligation vary greatly depending on a woman’s age and other factors,” the Mayo Clinic added. Additional coverage: MSN Canada

Becker’s Hospital Review, 6 hospitals investing in retail, specialty or in-house pharmacy — 6. Mayo Clinic's $8M pharmacy will not service the public: 4 notes: Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic's planned $8 million pharmacy will primarily focus on mail-order prescriptions and will not be for public use. It is expected to open this summer.

Atlanta Journal Constitution, How nurses can keep headaches down to a dull roar by Rose Kennedy — Just like the rest of the population, nurses have good cause to avoid taking drugs for headaches. While most pregnant women can safely take acetaminophen for an occasional headache, according to the Mayo Clinic, other pain relievers are to be avoided. Some people with substance abuse disorder also may need to avoid taking medications.

Cancer Network, Should Screening Criteria for Lung Cancer Be Expanded? by Dave Levitan — The new study examined whether patients who quit smoking 15 to 30 years earlier (long-term quitters) and patients age 50 to 54 years at the time of lung cancer diagnosis have a higher risk of death than those fitting the USPSTF guidelines. The study drew from two cohorts: a hospital cohort at the Mayo Clinic, and a community cohort from Olmsted County, Minnesota. It included a total of 8,739 patients with lung cancer, followed for a median of 6.5 years. The median overall survival in the full cohort was 16.9 months…When prescription or OTC medicines are not a good choice, you may also want to consider biofeedback, according to Mayo.  Additional coverage: CBS 19 Texas  

Cancer Therapy Advisor, Translating ASCO Data Into Clinical Practice for Patients with Lymphoma — Stephen M. Ansell, M.D.: I think the first thing that’s always important to communicate to patients with newly diagnosed classical Hodgkin lymphoma is that our goal with therapy is to induce a complete remission that will, hopefully, be durable and will subsequently result in a long-term cure. I always caution trainees working with me not to say that it’s a good cancer, because I don’t think there’s such a thing. But on the other hand, it is a type of malignancy where our goal, for the majority of patients, is to get rid of the disease entirely, annd to hopefully have it stay that way for the long term.

Parkinson’s News Today, Here’s What I’ve Learned After Looking into Deep Brain Stimulation by Mary Beth Skylis — According to a 2011 study by the Mayo Clinic, DBS patients often see positive results, including sometimes regaining significant mobility. “Stimulation of the ventralis intermedius nucleus of the thalamus has clearly been shown to markedly improve tremor control in patients with essential tremor and tremor related to Parkinson disease,” the study said. “Symptoms of bradykinesia, tremor, gait disturbance, and rigidity can be significantly improved in patients with Parkinson disease.”

La Tercera, ¿Es posible disminuir el riesgo de osteoporosis? — Si con el tiempo usted presentara osteoporosis, habrá maneras de combatirla en ese momento. Los medicamentos actualmente existentes para tratar la osteoporosis aumentan la densidad ósea, ralentizan la descomposición ósea y reducen el riesgo de sufrir fracturas. No obstante, por ahora, su mejor defensa contra una futura aparición de osteoporosis es concentrarse en hacer todo lo posible por fortalecer los huesos. — Endocrinólogo de la Clínica Mayo en Rochester, Minnesota.

Panama America, ¡Cuidado con la embolia pulmonar! — Los principales factores de riesgo de esta enfermedad son la edad (pacientes mayores de 70 años), pacientes que hayan tenido alguna cirugía y también la falta de movilidad, explica el neumólogo Héctor Cajigas, de Mayo Clinic, quien estuvo en Panamá participando del Congreso de la Asociación Latinoamericana de Tórax.

Prensa Libre, Qué es la disfagia y cómo afecta la salud de los niños por Ingrid Reyes — …Paul Boesch, médico pediatra de Clínica Mayo recientemente visitó Guatemala como parte del XIX Encuentro Pediátrico Internacional, que se realizó en el país durante la última semana de junio y explica que es importante aclarar que algunos de los factores asociados para que se presente la disfagia como anomalías anatómicas, un colapso en la laringe, en niños prematuros, así como por procesos que requieren los niños  para salvar su vida cuando necesitan intubación o nutrición a través de sondas.

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Editors: Emily BlahnikKarl Oestreich

Tags: air quality, alzheimer's disease, Amazon Alexa, anxiety, ASCO, babysitting, belly fat, Chad Corey, Charles Allie, Cheryl Hadaway, Cognitive Impairment, dementia, dialysis, disabilities, DNA tests, Dr. Adrian Vella, Dr. Brent Bauer, Dr. Dawn Davis, Dr. Diego Z. Carvalho, Dr. Malini, Dr. Matthew Ferber, Dr. Richard Crockett, Dr. Stephen Ansell, Dr. Xiaoxi Yao, Edward Pompeian, epilepsy, Gift of Life House, health MoTs, Kava, liver transplant, Lung Cancer, lymphoma, Madhavan, marathon, Matthew Horace, Meghan Brown, memory, memory loss, Michael Joyner, Miromatrix, Nursing, organ transplant, sleep apnea, sleep loss, Sophie Neu, Sports Medicine, sports physical, stress, stroke, Sudden Cardiac Death, Tedy Bruschi, Telemedicine, toenail fungus, traumatic brain injury, tubal ligation, type 2 diabetes, Uncategorized

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