Florida - September 2014 Archives

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Sept. 29, 2014 — Analysis of more than 8,000 women who participated in the world’s largest study of two treatments for HER2-positive breast cancer reinforces other findings from the clinical trial showing that trastuzumab (Herceptin) should remain the standard of care for this cancer, says a Mayo Clinic researcher. http://youtu.be/BcFszcq4CJo

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Researchers at Jacksonville’s campus of Mayo Clinic have discovered a defect in a key cell-signaling pathway they say contributes to both overproduction of toxic protein in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients as well as loss of communication between neurons — both significant contributors to this type of dementia. Their study, in the online issue of Neuron, offers the potential that targeting this specific defect with drugs “may rejuvenate or rescue this pathway,” says the study’s lead investigator, Guojun Bu, Ph.D., a neuroscientist at Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Fla. “This defect is likely not the sole contributor to development of Alzheimer’s disease, but our findings suggest it is very important, and could be therapeutically targeted to possibly prevent Alzheimer’s or treat early disease,” he says.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Sept. 12, 2014 — The liver transplant team at Mayo Clinic in Florida has found, based on 12 years of experience, that more than half of patients receiving a new liver can be “fast-tracked” to return to a surgical ward room following their transplant, bypassing a one- or two-day stay in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). http://youtu.be/gGZ-tS6Ih4g In the September issue of the American Journal of Transplantation, the physicians and researchers have turned their knowledge of who can be safely fast-tracked into a scoring system that other transplant centers can also use — thus sparing patients potentially overly aggressive treatment and saving substantial health care dollars. MEDIA CONTACT: Paul Scotti, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 904-953-0199. Email: scotti.paul@mayo.edu

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Physicians envision a future in which genomic data from patients is heavily used to manage care — but experts have questioned the accuracy and reliability of these analyses. Now, a study by 150 researchers in 12 countries finds real strength and agreement across RNA genomic sequencing techniques and laboratories — as well as ways to improve what little variability exists to set a new high standard. The results of the study were published in Nature Biotechnology in three separate research articles. These results should provide assurance to patients, clinicians and the research community that genomic sequencing is accurate, says E. Aubrey Thompson, Ph.D., a professor of cancer biology at Mayo Clinic in Florida, one of three institutions that led the study. Dr. Thompson is a study co-author and member of the project leadership.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Sept. 2, 2014 – Mayo Clinic and the University of North Florida are honoring National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October by hosting the tenth annual “Upbeat Pink: A Musical Tribute to Breast Cancer Survivorship” concert on Friday, Oct. 10 at 7:30 p.m. in Lazzara Performance Hall, UNF Fine Arts Building on the university’s campus in Jacksonville. The Upbeat Pink concert is free and open to the public. The theme for this year’s program, “Dancing with the Survivors,” showcases a variety of dance music performed by the UNF Wind Symphony, conducted by Gordon Brock, D.M.A., and features special guest artist and multi-instrumentalist,  Bill Prince, D.M.A. Guest speakers will include Laura Vallow, M.D., radiation oncologist at Mayo Clinic and Dianne Wagner, a local breast cancer survivor.