Health & Wellness - August 2012 Archives

ROCHESTER, Minn. — August 8, 2012.  Chronic exposure to even small amounts of staph bacteria could be a risk factor for the chronic inflammatory disease lupus, Mayo Clinic research shows. Staph, short for Staphylococcus aureus, is a germ commonly found on the skin or in the nose, sometimes causing infections. In the Mayo study, mice were exposed to low doses of a protein found in staph and developed a lupus-like disease, with kidney disease and autoantibodies like those found in the blood of lupus patients. VIDEO ALERT: A video interview with Dr. Chowdhary is available for journalists to download on the Mayo Clinic News Network. The findings are published online this month in The Journal of Immunology. The next step is to study lupus patients to see if the staph protein in question plays a similar role in humans, says co-author Vaidehi Chowdhary, M.D., a Mayo Clinic rheumatologist. "We think this protein could be an important clue to what may cause or exacerbate lupus in certain genetically predisposed patients," Dr. Chowdhary says. "Our hope is to confirm these findings in lupus patients and hopefully prevent flares." Another key question is whether treating at-risk people to eradicate staph can prevent lupus from forming in the first place. Lupus occurs when the immune system attacks tissues and joints. It may affect virtually any part of the body and can be tough to diagnose because it often mimics other ailments. There is no cure, only treatment to control symptoms. Lupus is more commonly diagnosed in women, African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians and people 15 to 40. The cause is often unknown; it appears people genetically predisposed to lupus may develop it when something in the environment triggers it, such as infections, certain drugs or even sunlight. Physicians do not really know what causes lupus, so the discovery of the staph protein's possible role is exciting, Dr. Chowdhary says.

          Chronic exposure to even small amounts of staph bacteria ...

MEDIA ADVISORY: Kidney stones affect approximately 3.8 million people in the U.S. each year, the number of cases is on the rise and they are especially more common ...

ROCHESTER, Minnesota — 7 de agosto de 2012.  Muchas personas probablemente han escuchado sobre el uso de medicamentos para otros propósitos diferentes a los mencionados ...

ROCHESTER, Minnesota — 7 de agosto de 2012.  Los científicos de Mayo Clinic completaron el primer análisis secuencial pangenómico del mundo de los linfomas de ...

ROCHESTER, Minnesota — 7 de agosto de 2012.  La participación en los deportes competitivos de quienes padecen el síndrome del intervalo QT largo, una anomalía ...

Jacksonville, Fla. — August 7, 2012.  Summer can mean more than just an increase in temperatures, humidity and outdoor physical activity. It can also mean an increased risk of kidney stones, which affect approximately 3.8 million people in the United States and are on the rise. Multimedia Alert: Video and audio clips of Dr. Haley are available for journalists to download on the Mayo Clinic News Network. According to William Haley, M.D., a nephrologist at Mayo Clinic's Kidney Stone Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., heat, humidity and lack of proper hydration all lead to a higher prevalence of kidney stones. "In the summer or during hotter months, there is an increased incidence of kidney stones occurring in stone formers. The main reason for this is due to the amount of water we take in and use," Dr. Haley explains. "Our bodies are made up of mostly water and we use it regularly. But in the heat, we may not be drinking as much as we should, or taking in the right types of fluids, so we become dehydrated, which can lead to the production of more stones." Kidney stones are small, hard deposits of mineral and acid salts that form when the urine becomes concentrated. The minerals crystallize and stick together, thus forming a stone, which can range in size from a grain of sand to a golf ball.

ROCHESTER, Minnesota — 7 de agosto de 2012.  Los beneficios físicos de los deportes olímpicos son bastante obvios: fuerza, resistencia y agilidad, para mencionar sólo ...

  The physical benefits of the Olympic sports are pretty obvious: strength, endurance and agility, to name a few. But did you know they also can ...

ROCHESTER, Minnesota — 6 de agosto de 2012.  En Estados Unidos, más o menos 18 millones de personas padecen la enfermedad celíaca, pero solamente alrededor ...

Off-label drug use is common, according to a recent article publish in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, but many patients may not know they’re taking them. The practice involves physicians ...

JACKSONVILLE, Flórida — Um novo método potencialmente poderoso de tratamento de dois tipos metastáticos de câncer — o câncer de mama triplo negativo e carcinomas ...