ABC News, How hospitals can handle an influx of patients with COVID-19 by Delaram J. Taghipour and Vinayak Kumar — Dr. Pritish Tosh, the medical director for Emergency Management at the Mayo Clinic, said “it is common for most major hospitals to have plans in place in case of any crises that arise or may occur.” With COVID-19 that crisis may be around the corner…The public frequently wonders whether or not there will be ventilator shortages if an influx of COVID-19 cases come into the hospital. "What's under recognized is that the machine itself is just one aspect of having a ventilated patient. You have several other very notable issues that limit ventilation, such as staffing if there is a shortage of respiratory therapists and supply issues with things like ventilator tubing, for example," said Tosh. After all, a ventilator cannot run itself.
CNN, Is it allergies, the flu or the coronavirus? How to tell the difference by A.J. Willingham — While the coronavirus is certainly something to take seriously, the chances of any individual person getting it are still low. But if you're wondering whether that stuffy nose could end up being a worst case scenario, CNN talked to Dr. Greg Poland, a professor of medicine and Infectious diseases at the Mayo Clinic and director of the Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group, about the differences between typical allergy, cold and flu symptoms, and ones associated with the coronavirus. Additional coverage: KVIA El Paso
Reuters, As Pressure for Coronavirus Vaccine Mounts, Scientists Debate Risks of Accelerated Testing —Dr Gregory Poland, a virologist and vaccine researcher with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, expressed doubts about that approach. “This is important, but it has to be done in a way that reassures scientists and the public that these (vaccines) are not only efficacious, but safe,” he told Reuters. Additional coverage: New York Times
USA Today, How do I plan a wedding during the coronavirus outbreak? by Joshua Bote — Between guests traveling, dozens, if not hundreds, of people in an enclosed space and honeymoon travel plans, the coronavirus is likely to affect couples planning their wedding. "We're trying to look forward in time and guess what the situation would be," said Gregory Poland, director of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group. "That's a really tough thing to do." Officials say it might not be time just yet to cancel your wedding, but it depends on multiple factors. Additional coverage: USA Today
USA Today, 'Insist' on nursing homes practice this during coronavirus outbreak — Dr. Gregory Poland of the Mayo Clinic and immunogenetic expert suggests nursing homes need better training and practices.
New York Times, Pregnant and Worried About Coronavirus? Experts Weigh In by Christina Caron — The new coronavirus has a viral envelope, meaning that it has a protective lipid coating over it that makes it more vulnerable to the environment than nonenveloped viruses. The enveloped viruses “are the easy ones to kill,” said Dr. Gregory A. Poland, M.D., a vaccine expert at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds will get rid of the germs.
New York Times, As Coronavirus Spreads, Olympics Face Ticking Clock and a Tough Call by Matthew Futterman, TariqPanja and Andrew Keh — A spokesman for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee said that it had been holding conversations with its athletes, sponsors and other stakeholders about a number of alternative plans for the Games. Those conversations are being directed by the organization’s new chief medical officer, Dr. Jonathan T. Finnoff, who joined the U.S.O.P.C. in January, just as the coronavirus outbreak was beginning. Finnoff, who had been the medical director for the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center in Minnesota, has worked with the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, and he attended the last two Winter Olympic Games. Additional coverage: International Business Times
New York Times, An Olympic Doctor Discusses the Effect of the Coronavirus on Sports by Matthew Futterman — The chief medical officers for all of the national Olympic committees plan to meet in Monaco later this month. They will have plenty to discuss. Dr. Finnoff has more than two decades of experience in treating sports injuries, and served as medical director for the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center in Minneapolis, where he has been a team physician for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx since 2014.
Bloomberg, The Search for New Drugs for Coronavirus Faces Long Odds by Michelle Fay Cortez — “I know from talking to my colleagues in Asia, when they get these severe cases they are throwing everything at them,” said Greg Poland, director of the Vaccine Research Group at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. “They are willing to tolerate an awful lot of possible side effects because without it the possibility that their patients will die is so high that it’s worth it.”
BuzzFeed, This Is What You Need To Know About Coronavirus If Your Kid Has Asthma by Salvador Hernandez — Dr. Greg Poland, professor of infectious diseases and director of the Mayo Clinic Vaccine Research Group, likened the information on the novel coronavirus to a pixelated photo downloading in a browser. "We're in that 50% pixelation phase right now," he told BuzzFeed News. "We don't have enough of the pixels to get all the answers." What is known so far, Poland pointed out, is that children seem to be at a lower risk of developing serious symptoms from the virus.
FOX News, Is coronavirus outbreak deadly as SARS, MERS? Mayo Clinic virologist Dr. Matthew Binnicker explains by Lindsay Carlton — As case numbers and fears surrounding the coronavirus outbreak rise by the day, discerning just how dangerous the virus is, both at home and abroad, can be difficult. In an interview with Fox News, Mayo Clinic virologist Dr. Matthew Binnicker explained how the novel coronavirus compares with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). Binnicker also discussed what a potential pandemic would look like in the U.S., while clarifying current testing procedures.
Wall Street Journal, The Stress—and Stress Relief—of the Gym During Coronavirus by Jen Murphy — Gregory Poland, director of the Vaccine Research Group at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., says the gym isn’t necessarily riskier than any other communal area, but people should remain vigilant. His tactic at the gym has been to use hand sanitizer—at least 60% alcohol-based—liberally every time he touches a piece of equipment. In general, things like gym towels, he says, are less risky, since fewer people touch them.
Wall Street Journal, How Vulnerable Are Children to the New Coronavirus? by Sumathi Reddy — “You would think [children] do worse as they do with seasonal influenza but that hasn’t been reported yet,” says Gregory Poland, director of the Mayo Clinic’s Vaccine Research Group in Rochester, Minn…Dr. Poland said some experts speculate that children may not have the same density of the receptors to the virus that adults have.
Wall Street Journal, Here’s Why Health Experts Want to Stop Daylight-Saving Time by Sumathi Reddy — Muhammad Adeel Rishi, a pulmonologist and sleep physician at the Mayo Clinic Health System in Wisconsin, is the lead author of a daylight-saving time position statement that the American Academy of Sleep Medicine intends to publish this year. About half-a-dozen studies have found a 5% to 15% increased risk of having a heart attack during the days after shifting to daylight-saving time. “It’s a preventable cause of cardiac injury,” Dr. Rishi said. One study found the opposite effect during the fall, in the days after the transition back to standard time. “So maybe the risk stays high throughout the time when we are on daylight-saving time,” he said.
AARP, 7 Tips for Surviving Daylight Saving Time by Alison Gwinn — Studies have shown that during the week after the annual spring forward, we Americans have more fatal car accidents, heart attacks and atrial fibrillations; may have an uptick in strokes; are more likely to get harsher legal sentences; and even cyber-loaf more in the office. "Daylight saving time can affect your mood, your overall alertness, your memory and your ability to overall comprehend appropriately,” says Rachel Ziegler, a sleep-medicine physician at the Mayo Clinic Health System. “It's the most difficult to adjust to for those who are already sleep-deprived or those who already have poor sleep habits."
Post-Bulletin, Mayo, city, county leaders prepare for pandemic possibility by Matthew Stolle —The press conference included Dr. Steven Adamson, an Olmsted Medical Center physician and chairman of the OMC infection control committee; and Dr. Pritish Tosh, a Mayo Clinic infectious disease physician. Officials said they have shifted and escalated their approach, with officials from the city of Rochester, Federal Medical Center, Mayo Clinic, Olmsted County Medical Center, Rochester International Airport and Rochester Public Schools having agreed to form a joint information center to coordinate communication and messaging...“As we saw the outbreak spreading outside of China, that really indicated that the potential of pandemic becomes higher,” Tosh said. Additional coverage: KAAL, Post-Bulletin
Post-Bulletin, Rochester is patently an inventive city by Jeff Kiger — Depending on how it is calculated, Rochester is usually in the top tier of lists of inventive cities, next to such brainy communities as the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California metro; Burlington, Vermont; and Poughkeepsie, New York. Med City inventors have been issued more than 12,200 patents in the past 44 years. IBM accounted for 9,424 of those patents. About 1,000 were assigned to Mayo Clinic.
KAAL, Mayo Clinic offering drive-through option to test for COVID-19 — A tent has been set up outside Mayo Family Clinic Northwest, offering pre-screened patients a drive-through option to collect COVID-19 specimens for testing. According to Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, patients are required to have a phone screening first to determine if testing is appropriate. If approved, patients will then be directed to the drive-through location at 4111 US-52 North in Rochester. Additional coverage: Grand Forks Herald, Post-Bulletin, Daily Republic, Med City Beat
KAAL, Let's talk about your colon by Brett Bachtle — Colon health can be an uncomfortable subject. However, during Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, Mayo Clinic officials said it’s important to embrace the awkwardness. "It's just so important for people to feel comfortable talking about the colon health,” said Mayo Clinic Gastroenterologist, Dr. Lisa Boardman. "Everyone is at risk for colon cancer, but the people who are at the most risk are people who have a family history of colorectal cancer, particularly in first degree relatives. That means mom, dad, siblings or children."
KIMT, Doctor: Faulty device implanted in hundreds of patients without consent by Jessica Bringe — A Mayo Clinic trained physician is shining a light on a faulty prototype device that was sewn into patient's hearts without their consent. It may be hard to imagine but that's the reality for more than 700 patients who received surgery to fix leaky heart valves at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Illinois. Dr. Nalini Rajamannan says she was an eyewitness back in 2006 when she was originally part of a clinical trial to test the McCarthy Annuloplasty Ring. Rajamannan said, "I am fighting for all the patients who received an experimental heart device, a research prototype that needed human testing before it was able to be launched on the U.S. market."
Med City Beat, An ambulance built for the air: when it comes to life-saving care, the sky is no limit — …With little time to spare, getting Tabetha would be no simple task. It would require expediency, precision and teamwork. She would need to be cared for every step of the way. Fortunately for Tabetha, Mayo Clinic air ambulance crews at Rochester International Airport were up for the job. With a team on-site 24/7, a plane can be in the air within as little as 30 to 40 minutes of a call coming into Mayo’s Emergency Communications. In the case of Tabetha, the readiness of the flight team — made up of pilots, nurses and paramedics — meant the Mayo model of care would be transported directly to her.
Med City Beat, Rochester Public Schools awarded $1 million for new career readiness program — Rochester Public Schools will be the first school district in the state to launch a collaborative educational model that allows students to earn a two-year postsecondary degree or industry credential before the time they leave high school…Computer Information Systems and Licensed Practical Nursing will be the two pathways initially offered in Rochester. IBM and Mayo Clinic have already signed on as community partners; the district says they are still looking for more partners to join them.
Star Tribune, Cameras keep families close to newborns by Brian Arola — Dianna Heinze hasn't gone far from her baby, Livia, since the newborn arrived. But Livia's birth six weeks early means she'll remain in the hospital after her mother returns home soon. Newly installed technology means Heinze and her family can keep an eye on her daughter even if she can't be by her side around the clock. Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato added AngelEye camera systems to its special care nursery unit in late February, The Free Press reported. Families gain access to streaming video of their babies through an app available on their phones, tablets or web browsers. Additional coverage: US News & World Report, Mankato Free Press, Austin Daily Herald, Winona Daily News, Washington Times
Star Tribune, Pneumonia often missed, but should not be neglected by Lisa Gutierrez — Anyone can get pneumonia, a lung infection. Half of all U.S. adults with a healthy immune system who are hospitalized for severe pneumonia are between 18 and 57, the Thoracic Society said. “While young healthy adults have less risk of pneumonia than the age extremes, it is always a threat,” it said. People might not know they have pneumonia because the symptoms, the Mayo Clinic said, mimic symptoms of the flu or a cold, “but they last longer.” Symptoms include chest pain when you breathe, a cough that hacks up phlegm, a fever and shortness of breath.
Star Tribune, Stranded on a cruise ship, Minn. passengers await a two-week quarantine — and better food by Rochelle Olson — Forty-two Minnesotans are among 3,500 passengers being kept in their rooms on the Grand Princess cruise ship now docked off Oakland, Calif., owing to the COVID-19 outbreak that has infected 19 crew members and two passengers…Passengers Kari and Paul Kolstoe of Grand Forks, N.D., have been interviewed by news outlets from across the globe because of her urgent need to get home for another cancer treatment. “We’re getting closer,” Kari Kolstoe said upon learning she was talking to a reporter from Minneapolis, not far from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester overseeing her care.
Star Tribune, Virus will test Minnesota's strong public health system — COVID-19 has officially arrived in Minnesota, with Gov. Tim Walz announcing Friday that a Ramsey County resident who had been on a cruise ship contracted the disease…Fortunately, its Minnesota greeting party consists of the public health equivalent of a well-armed, battle-tested U.S. Navy SEAL team. Yes, the aggressive disease trackers at the state Department of Health are that good. Not only that, they’re backed up by some serious firepower — the infectious-disease experts at the University of Minnesota, Mayo Clinic and other medical centers in the state’s world-class health care system.
KARE 11, Minnesota goes blue in March to create awareness for Colorectal Cancer — Some of the buildings to go blue include Target Field and the IDS Center in Minneapolis; Herman the German Monument in New Ulm; Mayo Clinic Plummer Building in Rochester and Lincoln Plaza in St. Cloud. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has declared March as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.
Maple Grove magazine, 'Don't Be Afraid': Husband and Wife Go Through Kidney Transplant Surgery Together — After her second kidney biopsy in 2012, Annie was diagnosed with Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), a disease that affects kidney function due to damage of the filtering units that cleans blood flowing through the kidney. Despite the diagnosis, Annie continued to go through countless drug therapies and failed treatments. Fast forward four years, another nephrologist at the Mayo Clinic referred her to the genetics department at Rochester clinic to see if there was something more to her condition. It was revealed that she had three different genetic mutations in which no course of treatment could cure the problem, so she ceased taking medications.
South Florida Reporter, Coronavirus: When Should You Wear A Face Mask? (Video) — “The current recommendations regarding masks are that if you yourself are sick with fever and cough, you can wear a surgical mask to prevent transmission to other people. If you are healthy, there is not thought to be any additional benefit to wearing a mask yourself because the mask is not airtight and does not necessarily prevent breathing in of these viral particles, which are very tiny,” says Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, a Mayo Clinic infectious diseases specialist.
Arizona Republic, Kids and coronavirus: Symptoms parents should look for by Lily Altavena — Generally, experts say, parents should look for the same coronavirus symptoms that present in adults…Erin Graf, co-director of Microbiology at Mayo Clinic Arizona, has advised individuals to first see their regular doctor to determine whether a test is merited.
Arizona Republic, How private hospitals and labs in Arizona will help test more people for the coronavirus by Amanda Morris — Arizona has one confirmed case of the new coronavirus so far, with two presumptive positive cases that haven't been confirmed by the CDC as of Friday morning. While nobody knows yet how many people will need to be tested in the weeks to come, Erin Graf, co-director of Microbiology at Mayo Clinic Arizona, said it is critical for hospitals, private organizations and others to provide additional tests in addition to what the state can do.
Arizona ABC 15, Clinic aims to help parents and kids deal with concussions by Nohelani Graf — The doctors at Mayo like to refer to it as the "Return to Play Clinic" to help set positive goals for injured athletes. Specialists there help patients regain their balance, motor function, thinking skills, and they work to reshape how we prioritize brain health. "We all trust every time we drop her kid off on the sideline or anywhere that surely there's somebody here that knows CPR but concussions kind of get missed," said Dr. Jennifer Wethe, one of the clinic's neurophysiologists.
KJZZ Arizona, Dr. Joseph Sirven: Why Probiotics Might Not Be Safe by Lauren Gilger — Lots of us take probiotics. They’re meant to help support digestive health by improving the flora in your gut. But the way they’re regulated raises questions about just how useful — and even safe — they are.That’s where KJZZ’s Medical Commentator Dr. Joseph Sirven comes in. He’s a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic and, he says, this is one of the most common questions he gets from patients. Here’s what he tells them.
Arizona Daily Star, Mayo Clinic: What you need to know about vascular dementia — Vascular dementia is a general term describing problems with reasoning, planning, judgment, memory and other thought processes caused by brain damage from impaired blood flow to your brain. You can develop vascular dementia after a stroke blocks an artery in your brain, but strokes don’t always cause vascular dementia. Whether a stroke affects your thinking and reasoning depends on your stroke’s severity and location.
Mankato Free Press, As novel coronavirus hits Minnesota, flu cases climbed in February by Brian Arola —Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato had 50 patients test positive for influenza A and five test positive for influenza B from Feb. 21-29. The hospital has had 88 influenza hospitalizations during the season, 322 total influenza A cases and 215 influenza B cases.
Mankato Free Press, Mayo in Mankato adds robots to cleaning crew by Brian Arola — Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato brought in the two robo-helpers in February to clean patient rooms. If you’re imaging two Roombas meandering along a hospital floor, think bigger. The robots are closer to R2-D2’s size and use a light rather than suction to clean. After housekeeping crews do their thing, they clear the room so Hal or Dee can emit bright UV lights to kill lingering bacteria and germs. Additional coverage: KEYC Mankato
Mankato Free Press, Local groups wait, prepare as coronavirus spreads by Tim Krohn — Eric Jones, co-director of the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center, said the city is monitoring the rapidly changing situation. "Everyone's on high alert about it." So far COVID-19 hasn't led to many cancellations of upcoming meetings, events or conventions.
KEYC Mankato, Health professionals discuss important of cancer patient’s mental well-being during treatment by Lauren Andrego — Sharon Dexheimer, licensed clinical social worker at the Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato, joined KEYC News Now at 6:30 on Monday, March 9, to talk about the importance of a cancer patient’s mental well-being during treatment. While the physical effects of cancer and cancer treatments are well known, cancer patients also face social and psychological concerns, including coping with feelings related to their diagnosis, adjusting to a new lifestyle and relationships, understanding the financial impact of treatment and fear of cancer recurrence.
Barron News-Shield, Health professionals watch, offer advice on coronavirus, flu by Bob Zientara — Larry Lutwick, M.D., infectious disease specialist at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, offered some further information on the disease. “The situation is clearly fluid, as one can easily see from the news media,” he said in a Monday, March 3, email. “The CDC has issued travel advisories (for) China, South Korea, Iran, Italy and Japan. The number of cases (has) rapidly increased in northern Italy, South Korea and Iran, with spillover in travelers from those areas to other countries, including the USA and those in Europe. The number of cases in these countries is likely to increase with the significant potential for local spread.” Lutwick said travel within the U.S. “seems generally unaffected as yet, but the situation could change quickly.”
Albert Lea Tribune, Mayo Clinic in Austin reveals phase two of its expansion — Mayo Clinic Health System in Austin is moving on to the final phase of the remodeling of the family birth center and medical surgery departments after unveiling the completion of phase two Monday. The $11.2 million phase two expansion included the completion of nurses stations in both the birth center and the medical surgery departments giving better access to both the Mayo nurses as well as families and patients. Additional coverage: Austin Daily Herald
Albert Lea Tribune, Students will have job shadow opportunities — Students who shadow are more likely to complete their education in their field of choice, according to the release. Through the experience, some students may find a mentor to help them now or later in their career. Businesses that support seniors this semester and give them time for a shadow experience include: Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea (mini job fair).
WKBT La Crosse, New George Mason study indicates indoor college athletes may be Vitamin D deficient by Ken Kosirowski — Research from both George Mason University and Mayo Clinic Health System says college athletes who play indoor sports may be deficient in Vitamin D, a key nutrient in maintaining bone health and one that people get primarily from sun exposure. Andrew Jagim Ph.D. at Mayo Clinic paired with George Mason University back in 2018 and initially tested Vitamin D levels of the university’s men and women’s Division-I basketball programs. Based on the initial levels, trainers gave athletes various daily units of vitamin D, and the athletes were then monitored through the season. At the end of the season when the athletes’ blood was tested again, the study found 65 percent of the athletes were Vitamin D deficient. Additional coverage: George Mason University
WKBT La Crosse, Second coronavirus case confirmed in Wisconsin; La Crosse health officials bracing for more cases by Jordan Fremstad — Local and state health leaders along with officials from Gundersen Health System and Mayo Clinic Health System met Monday to discuss the virus. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) and the Pierce County Public Health Department confirmed a second case of COVID-19 on Monday. Despite the small number of confirmed cases, the potential for a bigger outbreak is there.
La Crosse Tribune, No confirmed cases of coronavirus in La Crosse; health officials says residents should still prepare by Olivia Herken — Officials from La Crosse County, the State Department of Health Services, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Viterbo University, Western Technical College, and Mayo and Gundersen health systems, all said they have the necessary tools to help those who show signs, but they also ask for the community to act as partners in the fight against the virus.
La Crosse Tribune, Gundersen, Mayo launch COVID-19 web resource pages by Emily Pyrek — As the COVID-19 virus continues to infiltrate the United States, Gundersen Health System and Mayo Clinic Health System have set up web resources for community members with questions and concerns about the virus. Updates on COVID-19, including links to local and national media articles, tips for decreasing spread of illness and travel precautions can be found at gundersenhealth.org/coronavirus and https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/tag/covid-19/.
WXOW La Crosse, The flu is still out there by Kevin Millard — La Crosse's Mayo Clinic Health System said February had 219 cases of influenza reported during the month. They said it is double the number of cases reported in December and January combined. Along with getting a flu shot, doctors at Mayo recommend taking similar steps to those recommended for preventing the spread of the Coronavirus.
WQOW Eau Claire, College, high school students present original research to Mayo Clinic Health System — Over 100 college and high school students from four different states came to Eau Claire Saturday to bring their own research to the Mayo Clinic Health System. It was all part of the IMPACT Symposium, run by the Mayo Clinic in partnership with UW-Eau Claire. The event takes place every year, with Mayo Clinic asking students to come up with supported original theories on a broad topic, this year being alcoholism and its effects on the brain.
WEAU Eau Claire, Experts discuss advancing mental health care in area communities by Jesse Horne — Health care professionals came together Thursday to advancing mental health care in local communities. The symposium was hosted by Mayo Clinic Health System. Experts were on-hand to talk on topics, such as of cannabis and opiate use disorders, to non-suicidal self-injury and suicide counseling.
WIProud, Local health systems see increase in patients wearing masks despite being healthy by Hayley Spitier — Locally, Mayo Clinic Health System and Gundersen Health System have seen more patients wearing masks recently. However, they say masks aren’t effective for those who are healthy. “What masks truly do is they help you prevent spreading illness to other people,” said Khrystyne Lindgren, an M.D. at Mayo. “So, if you are already healthy, wearing the mask is not going to help prevent any sort of illness that you get. It’s essentially just wearing a mask for looks.” Although, health officials say there are cases where wearing a mask is encouraged.
Yahoo! Finance, Mayo Clinic's Gregory A. Poland, M.D., is featured expert of "Coronavirus: Exposing Myths from Facts" webinar for charter school leaders — Gregory A. Poland, M.D., the director of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group, will impart unrivaled expertise as the featured guest of "Coronavirus: Exposing Myths From Facts," a webinar on Friday, March 13 at 10 a.m. PDT. This first installment of a free three-part webinar series for charter school leaders and their community supporters is hosted by Charter School Capital, the largest national services provider exclusively focused on charter schools and the students they serve.
Modern Healthcare, Coronavirus not yet impacting national hospital operations by Steven Ross Johnson — Spread of the coronavirus outbreak is overwhelming the healthcare systems of heavily affected countries like China and South Korea. The continued rise in infected patients in those countries has reportedly overflowed hospital beds and long delays in care for other health conditions...Mayo Clinic, which every year sees patients from more than 130 countries, reported no disruptions.
Modern Healthcare, Security, disaster concerns don’t evaporate in the cloud by Jessica Kim Cohen — Cris Ross, chief information officer at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., said the system’s desire to “find more flexible, powerful environments” for its data and computing led it to begin migrating more data to the cloud. That included a 10-year contract with Google Cloud, which involves both data storage and innovation projects. “What we discovered in the last couple of years is that the major cloud vendors were beginning to develop specific tools tuned to healthcare” to help manage data, Ross said.
Newsweek, The Top 10 Hospitals In the World — 1. Mayo Clinic. The largest—and original—Mayo Clinic has been in Rochester, Minnesota, since 1889. Every year, approximately 1.3 million people from 138 countries come to the Mayo Clinic's 19 hospitals in five states for their specialized team approach. With over 4,800 staff physicians and scientists and over 4,000 full-time research personnel, it is committed to finding answers to the toughest medical cases.
Outside, What We Can Learn from Studying Older Marathoners by Alex Hutchinson — The most interesting detail is the sustainable fraction of VO2 max. Tommy’s average marathon pace required him to be working at 91 percent of his VO2 max, while Eoin was at 85 percent. Back in 1991, when Mayo Clinic physiologist Michael Joyner was trying to calculate the theoretical limits of marathon performance, he estimated that marathon pace is typically between 75 and 85 percent of VO2 max, though he noted anecdotal reports of elite runners who were able to sustain 90 percent for a marathon.
Eating Well magazine, 7 Things to Know Before You Buy CBD by Holly Pevzner —There may be some benefit for those with sleep problems, anxiety or pain, but the evidence to support this is largely anecdotal," says Brent A. Bauer, M.D., director of research for the Integrative Medicine and Health Program at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Currently, there's a lack of high-quality studies in humans about CBD's efficacy. That's because prior to the 2018 Farm Bill, which made CBD derived from hemp federally legal, hemp was highly restricted. "This made it very difficult for medical centers to obtain products to test in clinical trials," says Bauer. "Basically, obtaining CBD required a lot of red tape, which discouraged research."
Consumer Reports, How to Pay Less for Insulin by Lisa L. Gill — Companies say these new versions give people with diabetes better options. But by developing them, they were also able to create expensive, branded products. And because many people with diabetes need the drugs to survive, companies could charge almost whatever price they wanted—and increase those prices repeatedly, says Vincent Rajkumar, M.D., from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., who has studied and written on this topic. “We have a vulnerable population of millions willing to pay anything to have access to lifesaving drugs,” he says.
Boston Herald, Owning a pet can renew seniors’ leash on life — A recent study from the Mayo Clinic, which looked at 1,800 people between the ages of 25 and 64 who had healthy hearts, found that almost half owned a dog. Having a dog was likely to spur heart-healthy behaviors, like exercising with the pet, eating well and having ideal blood sugar levels. Pets also provide emotional support and companionship that can help seniors — including those who may be divorced or widowed — feel more secure and happy.
Chicago Tribune, As Chicago springs forward, keep in mind: Daylight Saving Time can affect your health — When daylight saving time kicks in, you spring forward and gain an hour of daylight. But you also lose an hour of sleep. Dr. Brynn Dredla, a Mayo Clinic sleep neurologist, explains why that seemingly small change can significantly affect your body. “We have more difficulty springing forward than we do falling back,” says Dredla.
Becker’s Hospital Review, Mayo Clinic, Kaiser Permanente Ventures invest in cybersecurity startup by Andrea Park — Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic and the venture arm of Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente have contributed funding to Ordr, a developer of security software for internet of things and other unmanaged devices. The new investments come shortly after Ordr closed a $27.5 million Series B funding round in December. Though the amount of additional funding from Mayo Clinic and Kaiser Permanente Ventures was not disclosed, Ordr noted in a March 5 news release that it has now raised about $50 million to date.
Patient Engagement HIT, How Rurality, Social Determinants of Health Affect Care Access by Sara Heath — Having an address in a rural area could mean a patient needs more than just better access to care. According to new research out of the Mayo Clinic, it could also mean that patient experiences the social determinants of health at a higher rate, all of which could impact cancer screening and preventive care rates. The study, published in JAMA Network Open, specifically found that those living in the most deprived areas of rural states were also less likely to follow through on recommended breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screenings.
Health 24, Thousands die from flu every year in SA – how does the common flu virus compare to the new coronavirus? — On the question of why the virus is attacking men more than women, research has shown that, in China, many more men smoke than women. In fact, more than half of Chinese men smoke, compared with only around 3% of women. Smoking activates a receptor used by the coronavirus to infect human cells, ACE-2, Dr Greg Poland, a vaccine researcher and infectious disease specialist with the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minnesota said, although this is speculative at this stage.
Israel Hayom, Can this Israeli device end the coronavirus crisis? by Ran Reznick — The device, invented by the Kfar Saba-based Hospitech Respiration, is designed to prevent serious infections that develop in many patients on ventilators, thereby increasing their chances of recovering from the illness…The device is also in use at the Mayo Clinic's Jacksonville, Florida campus, a major international center for liver and lung transplants, where it has been used on over 50 patients.
Gulf Times, When should you wear a face mask? — “The current recommendations regarding masks are that if you yourself are sick with fever and cough, you can wear a surgical mask to prevent transmission to other people. If you are healthy, there is not thought to be any additional benefit to wearing a mask yourself because the mask is not airtight and does not necessarily prevent breathing in of these viral particles, which are very tiny,” says Dr Nipunie Rajapakse, a Mayo Clinic infectious diseases specialist.
MD Magazine, Sensors Provide Insights on High-Risk Positions During Surgery by Samara Rosenfeld — Andrew Meltzer, MD, MBA, and colleagues from Mayo Clinic used wearable sensor inertial measurement units to monitor the ergonomics of surgeons at work. Meltzer and the team aimed to identify injury risk factors and were able to determine which surgeries and positions put the specialists at the highest risk. Meltzer, from the vascular surgery division at Mayo Clinic, and the team placed 4 inertial measurement units on more than 50 surgeons across 12 different specialties. The sensors, which measured body-posture angles via data from an accelerometer, magnetometer, and gyroscope, were placed on the surgeon’s head, torso, and upper arms to measure deviations from neutral body position. Additional coverage: MedPage Today
Medscape, New Gene Variants Linked to Tau Deposits in Alzheimer's by Megan Brooks — Investigator Vijay Ramanan, MD, PhD, behavioral neurology fellow, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, noted that this is the first genome-wide study of tau positron-emission tomography (PET) and that it identifies variations in DNA profiles associated with tau load in the brain. "These early results represent an important step to better understanding why some individuals have a greater susceptibility to tau accumulation while others are more resistant," Ramanan told Medscape Medical News.
Medscape, 'Practice-Changing' Study on WBRT for Patients With Brain Mets by Fran Lowry — The multicenter phase 3 NRG CC001 trial compared WBRT with hippocampal avoidance (HA-WBRT) plus memantine (the investigational group) or WBRT plus memantine. "Memantine is an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist that blocks pathologic excessive stimulation of NMDA receptors and has been shown to be beneficial in dementia and neuroprotective in preclinical models of brain irradiation. It is now a standard of care for patients receiving WBRT," explained lead author Paul D. Brown, MD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.
Medscape, Going Off Beta Blockers an Option in Selected Low-Risk LQTS, Group Proposes by Steve Stiles — The nontherapy also excludes implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and denervation surgery for LQTS but maintains standard precautions, such as avoidance of QT-interval-prolonging medications. "We are certainly overtreating this entity overall. Way too many ICDs are being put into too many long-QT patients whose risk is nominally low," Michael J. Ackerman, MD, PhD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, told theheart.org | Medscape Cardiology.
Healio, Q&A: What GIs need to know about COVID-19 —Healio Gastroenterology and Liver Disease talked with our Chief Medical Editor, Edward V. Loftus, MD, from Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, about COVID-19 and what the GI community needs to do to address the growing panic.
Healio, Varenicline curbs alcohol craving but fails to improve drinking-related outcomes — Varenicline appeared to reduce alcohol craving among individuals with alcohol use disorders, but it did not improve drinking-related outcomes, according to results of a systematic review and meta-analysis published in Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. “Alcohol and tobacco use and dependence commonly co-occur and may have common underlying genetic mechanisms,” Kriti D. Gandhi, MD, of the department of psychiatry and psychology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and colleagues wrote.
Healio, HHS rules give patients ‘unprecedented’ access to health data — Cris Ross, MBA, MS, chief information officer at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, explained how the access to data envisioned by HHS differs from what is currently allowed through the online portals that many health systems and insurance companies provide patients. “A portal provides a way for an organization to share everything they know or as much as they choose to share with the patient,” he said in an interview. “Now, with the final rules, health systems are required to provide an interface so that a patient can come to their health care systems with essentially any app, receive their information and combine their information from many providers into one place.”
Healio, Study recommends 4 to 6 weeks between bilateral hip arthroscopies for FAIs, labral tears — For high-level athletes with bilateral femoroacetabular impingement and labral tears, staged bilateral hip arthroscopy performed 4 to six weeks apart is a safe and effective treatment option, according to a study by researchers in the department of orthopedics at Mayo Clinic Arizona.
HealthDay, Los métodos estándar eliminan al coronavirus de las habitaciones de los hospitales, reduciendo las tasas de transmission — La buena noticia es que todas esas superficies al final quedaron libres de virus tras la limpieza de rutina con un desinfectante clorado de uso común, lo que sugiere que el coronavirus no es más resistente que la gripe o los norovirus, comentó el Dr. Greg Poland, director del Grupo de Investigación en Vacunas de la Clínica Mayo en Rochester, Minnesota. "Lo que este estudio sugiere es lo que sabemos a partir de otros estudios y por sentido común", aseguró Poland. "Cuando esas superficies se limpian, son seguras. Cuando no se limpian, no son seguras".
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Editors: Emily Blahnik, Karl Oestreich
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