September 27, 2019

Mayo Clinic in the News Weekly Highlights for September 27, 2019

By Emily Blahnik

Reuters, Patients, doctors may not share priorities for chronic diseases by Carolyn Crist — Patients and doctors often have different views about which chronic health conditions are their top priorities, suggests a study in France.  After separate surveys of patients and their physicians, researchers found that priorities matched up for some conditions, such as diabetes and hypothyroidism, but diverged on others, like anxiety and sleeping disorders...Examples of such tools that are available online include the Mayo Clinic's ICAN Discussion Aid (bit.ly/2miZT7t) and Patient Revolution's Plan Your Conversation Cards (bit.ly/2lZottY). “Clinicians have expertise in the guidelines, evidence and healthcare knowledge, and patients have expertise in their lived experience. We need both,” said Kasey Boehmer of the Mayo Clinic’s Knowledge and Evaluation Research Unit in Rochester, Minnesota, who also wasn’t involved in the study.

NPR, All-In-One Pill May Help To Prevent Heart Disease, Researchers Say by Patti Neighmond — …An event like a heart attack or stroke. But can one pill work as well as four different medications carefully calibrated to each individual patient? Cardiologist Rekha Mankad with the Mayo Clinic says not necessarily. REKHA MANKAD: That is certainly the criticism about the polypill because one size doesn't fit all. But again, something may be better than nothing.

Wall Street Journal, Her Alzheimer’s Research Includes Her Husband by Sumathi Reddy — Having amyloid plaques doesn’t guarantee that you will later develop clinical Alzheimer’s disease, though it’s considered a good predictor. The theory, says Ronald Petersen, director of the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center in Rochester, Minn., is that at a certain point of amyloid accumulation, the tau accelerates, resulting in the onset of Alzheimer’s disease symptoms. Researchers are closely watching the A4 trial, given the failures of previous anti-amyloid drugs. “I’d like to see some clinical signal that would motivate me to be more enthusiastic about moving earlier with some of these” drugs, Dr. Petersen says. “But it hasn’t happened yet. I think the A4 trial is positioned to really answer some of these questions.…If the A4 trial is negative, that will be a serious problem for the whole amyloid treatment approach.”

Forbes, 2019's Most Relevant Brands: From Spotify To Pixar To Mayo Clinic And Chick-fil-A by Scott Davis — Apple and Spotify rule. The Google, Sony and Disney franchises of brands rock. Welcome to the party USAA, Mayo Clinic, Tesla and Peloton. Goodbye U.S. automotive manufacturers. What happened Nike? Facebook and Starbucks are still not feeling the relevancy love, however, legacy brands such as Hersey’s, Dove and Band-Aid are. Aflac was one of the biggest gainers, climbing over 150 spots, while Dunkin’ was one of our biggest decliners, plummeting 85 spots. And, then there is USA Today, which won the annual “totally irrelevant” award for 2019, showing up dead last.

Bloomberg, Best Buy CEO Eyes Health Care as Retailer’s ‘Next Big Thing’ by Matthew Boyle — Best Buy Co. is well-known for bringing computers and other gadgets back to life. Now, it wants to take care of its shoppers’ health as well. The retailer’s strategy to beef up its fledgling health-care business will be a key focus of its investor meeting Wednesday in New York. The plan includes selling everything from fancy fitness machines to health-monitoring services for seniors. It could help Best Buy grab some of the $3.5 trillion market for health spending in the U.S. -- while offsetting sluggishness in its main business of selling laptops, TVs and phones… The retailer has even hired a chief medical officer to spearhead it efforts, according to an internal memo obtained by Bloomberg. Daniel Grossman, a physician and veteran of medical-product maker Medtronic Plc who also practices at the Mayo Clinic, will join the company Oct. 1 and report to Asheesh Saksena, the president of Best Buy Health.

Prevention, I Lost My Son to a Rare Cancer. I Don't Want Others to Go Through the Same Pain. by BrandiLee Schafran — …Our urologist put us in touch with a urologist at Duke University Medical Center who told us to talk to Carola Arndt at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She has been an oncologist for decades and is a leading expert on RMS. So if anyone was going to know how to help Finn, it was her. It was there at Mayo, after meeting two pediatric urologists who led Finn’s case that we found new hope. The amazing sarcoma team at Mayo did scans and even built a 3-D model of Finn’s tumor to show us what they planned to do during surgery that March. It was intense and ended up being two surgeries in the course of four days. Doctors had to take Finn’s rectum, front pubic bone, a bunch of tissue, a nerve, and part of a muscle to get clean margins.

STAT, The hidden danger of letting AI help you find a mental health therapist by Scott Breitinger — Shared demographic features can be key factors in finding a therapist. Hearing about a few of my friends’ personal experiences, demographic matching was salient. One was willing to go only to “a male person of color”; another told me he would only feel comfortable seeking therapy with “a woman or a gay man.” Minority mental health care providers are demographically underrepresented in the profession, which can result in the therapeutic environment feeling like a foreign, unwelcoming space to many prospective patients.— Scott Breitinger, M.D., is an instructor in psychiatry at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Additional coverage: Becker’s Hospital Review

Harvard Business Review, Arizona: The New Frontier in Technology and Health Care — While clinicians and researchers in Arizona continue to achieve medical breakthroughs in personalized medicine, information technology professionals at many of these same institutions are advancing telemedicine—the delivery of health care through inexpensive portable devices that allow patients to conduct their own lab tests and download results. The Mayo Clinic first rolled out its stroke telemedicine program in Arizona in 2007. Neurologists trained in blood vessel conditions, along with neurosurgeons and neuroradiologists, work as a team with emergency medicine doctors and staff at remote sites to treat stroke patients. The stroke telemedicine program is now on Mayo campuses in Florida and Minnesota and treats over 1,500 patients annually at 28 remote hospital sites.

USA Today, 'Money Honey' Maria Bartiromo on Trump, AI and the future of work by Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy — …Last year, Mayo Clinic and IBM Watson Health unveiled results from early use of the Watson for clinical trial matching for breast cancer.  "AI is truly changing our lives," Bartiromo said. "People think that things that are happening are little incremental gains like Siri or your Echo at home or GPS, but it's only scratching the surface." Additional coverage: FOX Business

Post-Bulletin, DMC Discovery Walk promises to meld public, private development by Randy Petersen — Sister Marilyn Geiger was enjoying the activity on the 400 block of Second Avenue Southwest. “When I moved back here in 2006, it was dead. There was nothing,” she said Thursday during an event highlighting the potential for Destination Medical Center’s Discovery Walk. Standing a few steps from the new One Discovery Square building, she and Sister Barbara Goergen said they wanted to take part in Thursday’s celebration of what was happening in the city. Additional coverage: KAAL, KTTC

Post-Bulletin, Photos: Mayo Clinic Transform 2019 conference by Joe Ahlquist — Mayo Clinic Transform 2019 Conference.

Post-Bulletin, Chinese biotech firm to launch first U.S. facility in Rochester by Jeff Kiger — A Chinese pharma and biotech giant plans to open its first U.S. facility in Rochester as part of partnership with Mayo Clinic. WuXi Diagnostics, a one-year-old joint venture between Shanghai-based New WuXi Life Science Investment Limited and Mayo Clinic, confirmed today that it plans to open a "research and diagnostic testing development facility" in downtown Rochester ... "to accelerate esoteric diagnostic product development, and bring more personalized and accurate clinical diagnosis services for global patients." Additional coverage: Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, Yahoo! Finance

Post-Bulletin, Heard on the Street: Shanghai firm hopes to grow Rochester facility to 12 employees by Jeff Kiger — The Chinese pharma and biotech giant opening its first U.S. facility in the Med City says its team could eventually grow to 12 in Rochester. WuXi Diagnostics, a one-year-old joint venture between Shanghai-based WuXi AppTec Group and Mayo Clinic, recently confirmed plans to  launch a "research and diagnostic testing development facility" in the new One Discovery Square complex on the corner of Fourth Street and Second Avenue Southwest.

Post-Bulletin, Heard on the Street: Exact Sciences to open office in Rochester by Jeff Kiger — Exact Sciences, the wildly successful cancer testing firm based on Mayo Clinic technology, is returning to Rochester. Exacts Sciences, the maker of the colorectal cancer test called Cologuard, is based in Madison, Wis. It has 2,300 employees, including 1,800 in the Madison area. The test is based on research by Mayo Clinic’s Dr. David A. Ahlquist and his laboratory.

Post-Bulletin, Climate rally in Rochester mirrored around the world  by Matthew Stolle — Holding aloft signs that read, "We Need Climate Action" and "Stop Supporting Fossil Fuels," the demonstrators included Rochester students, parents and their children, Mayo Clinic employees, Franciscan sisters and gray-haired grandmothers. One elderly lady's sign said, "I'm marching for my grandchildren."…Andrew Yang, a Mayo Clinic Medical School student from Southern California, marched through the streets and then spoke on the steps of city hall. He said he was striking for his future patients. "The link between climate change and health is so intimate," Yang said. "The World Health Organization has called climate change the greatest threat to global health in the 21st century. So this is a pressing issue that needs critical action." Additional coverage: MPR News

Med City News, AI in healthcare means grafting ‘Star Trek’ onto ‘The Flintstones’ by Alaric Dearment — The challenge that such messy data pose to implementing AI in healthcare was among the topics of a panel discussion at the MedCity INVEST Digital Health Conference, which took place Tuesday in Minneapolis. Lemhi Ventures managing director Jodi Hubler moderated the panel, which included UnitedHealth Group – Optum Technology senior director of AI and cognitive technology Matthew Versaggi; Carrot Health CFO Steve Sigmond; and Mayo Clinic director for translational informatics Mark Foley.

KROC-Radio, Cokie Roberts served on Mayo Board of Trustees by Andy Brownell — The Mayo Clinic has issued a statement concerning the passing of pioneering female journalist and Mayo Board of Trustees member Cokie Roberts. Roberts, who passed away Tuesday at age 75 after battling cancer, joined the Mayo Board of Trustees in 2016.  Mayo CEO and President Dr. Gianrico Farrugia had this response after her family announced that she had died.

KTTC, The influence of early nurse anesthetists at Mayo Clinic — We’re taking a trip back in history as we learn more about the early employees of The Mayo Clinic — especially the women in the surgical room. Sunday afternoon at the Olmsted County Historical Society, dozens gathered to remember the early influences of nurse anesthetists. The first trained nurse at The Mayo Clinic was Edith Graham. Dr. Charles Mayo called her “the mother of anesthesia,” as she was the head of the surgical tables at Saint Mary’s Hospital in 1889. Graham married Mayo a few years later. Eventually, Graham was succeeded by her friend, Alice MaGaw. She was on her own for almost ten years before more nurses joined The Mayo Clinic staff.

KAAL, The Cost of Cancer — According to the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation, cancer is the number one cause of death by disease among children. However, only 4% of the billions of dollars that are annually spent on cancer research and treatments are directed towards treating childhood cancer. The Bos family lives in Rochester and their lives changed in July 2018 when their 4-year-old, Christian, was diagnosed with Leukemia. Christian's parents, Martijn and Katy Bos work at Mayo Clinic, but it still couldn't prepare them for this diagnosis. Additional coverage: Part 2

KAAL, No Place Like Home - Gala of the Decades in Rochester — The Rochester International Event Center was transformed, Friday, to the land of OZ for the fifth annual Gala of the Decades. For 35 years, the Gift of Life Transplant House has provided a home away from home for people undergoing transplants and treatment at Mayo Clinic. While the gala raised money for those who stay at the House, it was also a tribute to the Founder of the House, Ed Pompeian. Pompeian passed away in July 2019.

KIMT, New study says dogs could be good for your heart health by Brooke McKivergan — A new study done by the Mayo Clinic finds that owning a dog may be good for your heart health. Mayo Clinic cardiologist Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, M.D., the study’s senior author, said the following: "Dog-ownership increases the well-being of an individual. It helps improve people's physical activity, mood, social life and diet." The study found who own a dog are more likely to report sufficient physical activity, a better diet, and good glucose levels.

KGUN Tucson, Mayo Clinic releases new guide to fibromyalgia — Fibromyalgia can be hard to live with, is difficult to diagnose, and is often misunderstood by both people who live with it and their doctors. This new book from Mayo Clinic Press aims to change that. Drawing on decades of Mayo Clinic research and clinical expertise, the book is a compelling, how-to resource that can help people with fibromyalgia return to a more enjoyable and meaningful life. Inside this empowering book, Dr. Bruce and co-author Dr. Andy Abril provide the latest ground-breaking information to help anyone with fibromyalgia not only live well but thrive. Page by page, they guide readers toward an actionable daily plan that can be started immediately and show results. Readers will find solace in knowing that they are not alone with the challenges they face.

KEYC Mankato, VINE Faith in Action offers fall prevention program by Jake Rinehart — VINE Faith in Action has partnered with Mayo Clinic Health System to offer a fall prevention program. Stepping On, the program being offered, is described as an evidence-based fall prevention program aimed at reducing falls and building confidence. Participants will learn how to identify and remove or avoid fall hazards in the home and outside and how vision, hearing, medication and footwear affect the risk of falling. Additionally, participants will learn simple strength and balance exercises and how to properly stand back up if a fall does occur.

Mankato Free Press, Cradle of memories: New Ulm mother's loss inspires fundraising effort by Brian Arola —Dena Iverson deals with grief by keeping busy. Staying active could never repair the hole left in her heart by her daughter Cassie’s stillbirth in April, but she said finding a project to help families experiencing similar losses has helped. The New Ulm mother fashions and sells homemade tumbler glasses and directs the proceeds toward a special cradle for parents to forge lasting memories with their stillborn babies in the little time they have together…Iverson has raised about $2,000 of the $5,500 needed for a Caring Cradle, which resembles a bassinet but maintains the necessary temperature to preserve babies. Once purchased, she plans to donate the cradle to Mayo Clinic Health System’s birthing unit.

Owatonna People’s Press, Owatonna Foundation receives donation from Mayo Clinic Health System by Jeffrey Jackson — The Owatonna Foundation recently received a $5,000 donation from Mayo Clinic Health System of Owatonna. “We’re excited to present this donation to the Owatonna Foundation. Their support of local community projects helps to foster the well being of Owatonna and create a vibrant place for all of us to live, work, and enjoy,” said Brian Bunkers, M.D., CEO of Mayo Clinic Health System in Owatonna.

Albert Lea Tribune, Research published on artificial intelligence by Sarah Stultz — Two physicians working at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea are bringing attention to the impact artificial intelligence can have in the medical field in a new research review published last month. Doctors Mohammed Yousufuddin and Kogulavadanan Arumaithurai are two of the 10 authors listed on the Journal of Neurology paper, which explores the effects of artificial intelligence on neurological disorders, including prevention, diagnosis and monitoring of disorders; analyzing data and developing new protocols.

Austin Daily Herald, Flu season on the doorstep; Mayo to offer flu vaccine appointments by Eric Johnson — It’s almost flu season and medical officials are urging people to take steps to help stem the spread by getting flu shots. The once-a-year vaccine is often the first step and Dr. Sarah Scherger, head of Pediatrics at Mayo Clinic Health Systems-Austin recommends all people get one. “The recommendation is for everybody to get it,” Scherger said. “First of all, the more that get the shot the less flu that goes around. Two, anybody can die of the flu. The highest risk is for children under age 2, the elderly 65 or older and those that have lung or heart issues.”

WEAU Eau Claire, Local doctors provide preventative tips following an increase in youth sports injuries by Hayley Spitler — Mayo Clinic Health System (MCHS) in La Crosse saw a spike in youth sports related injuries this summer. That spike is a national trend. According to Mayo, high school athletes account for over two million injuries each year. Doctors say some of those injuries are caused by teens trying to specialize too soon. "The biggest thing is that when kids take it almost too seriously sometimes and they try and specialize in one sport, that can put a lot of stress on one part of the body," said Dr. Scott Kuzma, an orthopedic surgeon at MCHS.

La Crosse Tribune, Mayo Clinic offering "ADHD: Super Parent Skills and Beyond” program by Emily Pyrek — Next month, local parents can experience the highlights of the six-session training in a condensed 90-minute program, “ADHD: Super Parent Skills and Beyond.” Janice Schrier of the Mayo Clinic Health System La Crosse behavioral health department will lead the program, being held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 7, in the Mayo Clinic Marycrest Auditorium, 700 West Ave. S. The event is free and open to the public.

Good Housekeeping, The Truth About Biotin's Potential Health Benefits and Side Effects by Stephanie Dolgoff — Biotin, also known as Vitamin B7, is a water-soluble nutrient found in foods. You can get your biggest hit of biotin in beef liver (not exactly a family favorite). But it can also be found in lesser amounts in egg yolks, sunflower seeds, nuts, and veggies like avocado, says Jason Ewoldt, RDN, LD, wellness dietician at the Mayo Clinic’s Healthy Living Program.  “Biotin is critical for the metabolism of fatty acids and carbs, but that’s not what people are using it for. They’re using it to strengthen brittle nails and for thinning hair,” he says.

Allure magazine, 7 Types of Common Headaches and How to Tell Them Apart by Elizabeth King — Migraine is one of the more well-known causes of severe, recurring headaches, yet migraine is a chronically under-diagnosed disease. Amaal Starling, a headache specialist and assistant professor of neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona explains that migraine is a genetic neurologic disease that sadly carries a great deal of stigma, which can make it difficult for migraine patients to be diagnosed early and accurately…“Aura is basically an episode of reversible neurologic symptoms,” Juliana VanderPluym, a neurologist also of the Mayo Clinic in Arizona, tells Allure. Most commonly, symptoms of aura include “changes in vision,” VanderPluym says, and “there might be a spot of shimmery colors, or black and white visual patterns, almost like a lightning bolt, in part of their vision.” As the minutes go on during a migraine headache, the visual patterns can spread and potentially partially block vision. Migraines with aura can also include numbness or tingling sensations in one part of the body, and sometimes a person will have trouble talking during an aura-inducing migraine headache.

Chicago Tribune, Mayo Clinic Q&A: Mild hypothyroidism may not need treatment — Dear Mayo Clinic: I recently was diagnosed with mild hypothyroidism that isn’t causing symptoms. My doctor says I don’t need treatment now, but she wants me to come back for regular checkups. Does hypothyroidism usually get worse over time? If it does, how is it treated? A: For mild cases of hypothyroidism, not all patients need treatment. Occasionally, the condition may resolve without treatment. Follow-up appointments are important to monitor hypothyroidism over time, however.

Yahoo! Lifestyle, Hot Flashes Are a Common Sign of Menopause—and They May Also Increase Heart Attack Risk by Karen Pallarito — “For both patients—women—and the people who are caring for them, this is a wake-up call,” Stephanie Faubion, MD, NAMS medical director and director of Mayo Clinic’s Center for Women’s Health, tells Health. Researchers had already suspected there might be some connection between hot flashes and heart health. But the link was based on studies of older women who were asked to recall their prior hot flash experiences, as well as research involving markers of heart disease, like coronary calcifications or blood flow disturbances—and not actual heart attacks or strokes.

Chasing the Cure, What’s “normal” for menopause and why do women experience it differently? by E. Napoletano — “Women are taken aback by menopause because it’s really not spoken about and there’s no guidebook,” says Dr. Stephanie Faubion, Medical Director of the North American Menopause Society and the Penny and Bill George Director at the Mayo Clinic Center for Women’s Health. “We don’t get ‘the talk’ when we go through menopause and there’s no one talk that applies to all women.” Menopause comes in two parts: perimenopause and menopause. As for which phase you’re in: “It comes down to whether you’re still menstruating or not,” says Faubion.

Cure, Transforming Blood Transfusions in Cancer Treatment by Arlene Weintraub — Even patients who don’t need stem cell transplants can develop anemia during chemotherapy treatment. Oncologists can’t prescribe drugs for anemia, such as Epogen (epoetin alfa), to patients with blood cancers because of the nature of those diseases. “Epogen can stimulate the bone marrow to produce more red blood cells, but in patients with leukemia and lymphoma, the bone marrow is not functioning,” says Dr. Qun Lu, a pathologist at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix.

Baltimore Sun, Anesthesia, surgery linked to subtle decline in memory and thinking in older adults, Mayo study finds — In adults over 70, exposure to general anesthesia and surgery is associated with a subtle decline in memory and thinking skills, according to new Mayo Clinic research. The study analyzed nearly 2,000 participants in the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging and found that exposure to anesthesia after age 70 was linked to long-term changes in brain function. The results appear in the British Journal of Anaesthesia. Although the decline in brain function was small, it could be meaningful for individuals with already low cognitive function or pre-existing mild cognitive impairment who are considering surgery with general anesthesia, the researchers note. In older adults with borderline cognitive reserve that is not yet clinically obvious, exposure to anesthesia and surgery may unmask underlying problems with memory and thinking.

Daily Mail, 1 in 3 breast cancer cases could be prevented if women ate better, exercised more and drank less, report suggests by Mary Kekatos — As many as one in three breast cancer cases could be prevented with simple lifestyle changes, a new report suggests.  Researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, say the easiest form of prevention for women is eating healthily, exercising more and drinking less alcohol.    They found that losing weight could slash women's risk by more than half and cutting out alcohol could prevent nearly 10 percent of breast cancer cases.

New York Daily News, Vaccines are important for those with suppressed immune systems — DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I am 72 and take a drug for rheumatoid arthritis that suppresses my immune system. I'm scheduled to receive a vaccine later this year. Is it safe for me to receive this vaccine? ANSWER: Appropriate and timely vaccines are important for anyone with a suppressed immune system. That's because a suppressed immune system increases your vulnerability to infections, including those that vaccines can prevent. However, vaccine selection for a person with immune suppression is a nuanced topic. — Priya Sampathkumar, M.D., Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

Yahoo! Lifestyle, More Celebrities Are Using Energy Healing—But Does It Work? by Jancee Dunn — Many Western doctors now believe that stimulation from the needles boosts endorphins, a.k.a. your body’s natural painkillers. In studies, acupuncture has been linked to relief of fibromyalgia pain, low-back pain, migraines, and osteoarthritis. It’s also been found to improve fertility rates and lower hypertension. And one 2013 study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that electroacupuncture—in which a mild electric current is transmitted through needles—was as effective as Prozac in reducing symptoms of depression. Acupuncture is a holistic approach, says Debbie Lamadrid, an acupuncturist at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix. “The goal in Chinese medicine is to address the entire person, not just their symptoms.”

Live Science, It's Safe to Follow the Vaccine Schedule for Babies. Here's Why. by Chia-Yi Hou — Parents worried about vaccines tend to ask similar questions, said Dr. Robert Jacobson, a physician in pediatric and adolescent medicine with the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. They want to know if it's more painful to get three or four shots at once, if the baby's immune system can tolerate multiple vaccines, and what might happen if the vaccines are delayed.  "Other issues are distrust in the health system [and] the government," said Heidi Larson, an anthropologist with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the director of the Vaccine Confidence Project, which studies people's views on immunization.

Everyday Health, Birth Control Pills Linked to Increased Risk for Type 2 Diabetes, New Research Suggests by Becky Upham — These findings support earlier research on the protective value of longer exposure to one’s own sex hormones, says Stephanie S. Faubion, MD, the medical director of the North American Menopause Society and the director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Women’s Health in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Faubion was not involved in this research. “These results may help clinicians identify women with greater risk for diabetes in whom more aggressive lifestyle modification may be needed,” says Dr. Faubion.

Health Club Management, Mayo Clinic study unlocks new anti-ageing science by Megan Whitby — The trial, published by The Lancet in the EBioMedicine Journal on September 18th, was conducted at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. During the study, nine subjects, aged between 50-80 years and receiving diabetes therapy, were administered with senolytic drugs for three days. Scientists concluded that ‘interventions (in this instance, the administration of senolytic drugs) targeting fundamental ageing processes such as cellular senescence could delay, prevent, or alleviate multiple age-related diseases’ in humans…The research was conducted by a team led by James Kirkland, MD, PhD, with Nathan LeBrasseur, PhD, MS, and Tamara Tchkonia, PhD, who all collaborate with the Mayo Clinic. Additional coverage: Spa Business

Managed Healthcare Executive, Mayo Clinic, Google to Form Healthcare Partnership — Mayo Clinic and Google announced a 10-year strategic partnership designed to redefine how healthcare is delivered and to accelerate the pace of healthcare innovation through digital technologies. Mayo Clinic selected Google Cloud to be the cornerstone of its digital transformation. Mayo will use advanced cloud computing, data analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI) to redefine healthcare delivery, bringing together global providers and consumers to make healthcare better, the Rochester, Minnesota-based medical center reports. Additional coverage: Coos Bay World, Fort Dodge Messenger

WNPV-Radio, New Mayo Clinic Guide on Fibromyalgia — Dr. Barbara Bruce, a Mayo Clinic psychologist, was a guest with Darryl Berger on WNPV’s AM Edition Wednesday to discuss Fibromyalgia and a new guide that may help people who suffer from the illness.

Becker’s Hospital Review, Mayo Clinic joins $20M funding for startup fighting heart disease with AI by Andrea Park — Eko, a San Francisco-based startup developing artificial intelligence for heart disease screening, telehealth and remote patient monitoring, closed a Series B funding round that included participation from Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic. The $20 million funding, which also included contributions from ARTIS Ventures and 3M Ventures, among others, will go toward further research, development and commercialization of Eko’s cardiac screening and monitoring solutions. In its efforts to deepen its focus on clinical research, the company will increase its investment in collaborations with institutions such as Mayo Clinic, Chicago-based Northwestern Medicine and the University of California San Francisco. Additional coverage: TechCrunch

Becker’s Hospital Review, Big tech fights to win hospitals for cloud-based data storage by Mackenzie Garrity — Amazon, Google and Microsoft are among the big tech companies vying for deals as hospitals and health systems transition to cloud-based data storage, according to the Wall Street Journal. More hospitals are transitioning to the cloud as their data storage methods become outdated. Replacing data centers and software can be more expensive than teaming up with a tech company, as hospitals cannot buy equipment as cheaply as tech giants, according to Gregg Pessin, a healthcare technology analyst at Gartner. Earlier this month, Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic tapped Google to store the health system's medical, genetic and financial data. Mayo Clinic confirmed that it will still control access to patient records. "Google can't do this alone. We can't do this alone," Cris Ross, CIO at Mayo Clinic, told WSJ.

MedPage Today, Inadequate Tx to Blame for Deadlier Breast Cancer in Men? by Leah Lawrence — Asked for her perspective, Kathryn Ruddy, MD, MPH, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, who was not involved with the study, said: "The results of this study are important in that they demonstrate that male sex was an adverse prognostic factor in patients diagnosed with breast cancer in the modern era -- between 2004 and 2014 -- and that gender-related treatment disparities accounted for part of the increased mortality rate in men." "I believe that these disparities may largely reflect differences in therapeutic strategies and medication adherence that in part result from the inadequacy of randomized controlled trial data to demonstrate benefit in men," Ruddy told MedPage Today.

MedPage Today, Rare Mesothelioma Type Linked to In-Dwelling Shunts by Ed Susman — In the small study, five of the seven patients had no association with common risk factors for mesothelioma – radiation or asbestos contact, reported Tala Mujahed, BS, a medical student at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, at her poster presentation during the annual meeting of the College of American Pathologists. "Asbestos exposure is considered the main risk factor for development of mesothelioma, but only 50% to 70% of patients report that asbestos exposure and other factors can play a role in some causes such as radiation, chronic inflammation, or chronic irritation of serous membranes," Mujahed told MedPage Today.

Healio, Stem Cell Therapy: Preparing for its Closeup in IBD — Healio Gastroenterology and Liver Disease spoke with several surgeons and gastroenterologists about the potential validity and effectiveness cell-based therapies may have in treating gastrointestinal disorders, most notably inflammatory bowel disease. “There is great potential for cell-based therapies in inflammatory bowel disease. It is truly an exciting evolution, but we’re still in its infancy,” Amy Lightner, MD, an associate professor of surgery in the Department of Colon and Rectal Surgery at Cleveland Clinic, told Healio Gastroenterology and Liver Disease. Lightner, who is also the primary investigator for the Cleveland Clinic’s surgical IBD translational laboratory, noted some of the challenges of applying cell based therapy to various disease states and phenotypes of IBD.

Healio, Arthroscopic synovectomy yielded good outcomes for diffuse pigmented villonodular synovitis — Published results showed arthroscopic synovectomy may be safe, with good clinical outcomes and no clinical recurrences for treatment of diffuse pigmented villonodular synovitis. Between 2009 and 2012, researchers performed complete synovectomy in 21patients with diffuse pigmented villonodular synovitis through posteromedial, posterolateral, anteromedial and anterolateral portals. Researchers used Lysholm and IKDC scores to evaluate patients before treatment and at a minimum 5-year follow-up… — Michael J. Stuart, MD , Division of Sports Medicine, Mayo Clinic.

Medscape, What Do You Think About Hospital Data Partnerships With Big Tech? — The Mayo Clinic and Google recently announced they've struck a 10-year partnership for the health system to store patient data in Google's cloud computing system and use artificial intelligence to develop new healthcare tools. "We are going to be putting essentially all of our data in the Google Cloud for many years," Mayo Clinic Chief Information Officer Christopher Ross told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune . "If this is done well, we believe we'll have the opportunity to bring some transformative kinds of answers to patients." The Mayo Clinic will retain control of how patients' data are accessed and used, according to the health system's news release.

Medscape, Worse Survival If Severe Lymphopenia Follows Chemoradiation by Pam Harrison — Asked by Medscape Medical News to comment on the findings, Daniel Ma, MD, Mayo Clinic School of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota, felt that Zhang and colleagues should be commended on an excellent study, which has demonstrated that unintentional radiation dose to normal structures not generally associated with toxicity can still have a long-term impact on disease outcome. "In this case, radiation from esophageal cancer treatment to structures such as the spine and whole body predicted for the likelihood of severe suppression of the immune system (lymphopenia)," he said in an email.

Medscape, Radiation May Boost Immunotherapy in Metastatic Lung Cancer by Roxanne Nelson — Weighing in on the data, Terence T. Sio, MD, MS, radiation oncologist and assistant professor of radiation oncology at the Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, Arizona, noted that this is very detailed prospective data and that there are several key findings. "The first is that adding radiotherapy to a group of patients that are progressing on immunotherapy clearly has benefits," he said. "And this study provides a nice baseline for a phase 3 randomized trial." "The second is that we know now that tumors with infiltrating lymphocytes seem to have a better response in the context of radiotherapy and immunotherapy," Sio continued. "We now see the correlate and this is hypothesis generating and we can take it forward."

Medscape, Durable Pain Control After Single Radiotherapy to Bone Metastases by Pam Harrison — Asked by Medscape Medical News to comment on the findings, Kenneth Merrell, MD, Mayo Clinic School of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota, said that it was interesting to see that the use of SBRT in this study led to better pain responses at multiple time points — even within 2 weeks of treatment — and it also appeared to offer more durable control of the irradiated lesion. However, despite these investigators using a higher radiation dose in the SBRT group than had been used in earlier studies, "the dose spectrum in this study was at the lower end than what is typical for SBRT," noted Merrell, who was not involved with the study. This raises some questions, he said, about what the best dose might really be if SBRT is used for pain relief in patients with metastatic disease.

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