Minnesota - July 2014 Archives

ROCHESTER, Minn. ― Here are highlights from the July issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter. You may cite this publication as often as you wish. Reprinting is allowed for a fee. Mayo Clinic Health Letter attribution is required. Include the following subscription information as your editorial policies permit: Visit www.HealthLetter.MayoClinic.com or call toll-free for subscription information, 1-800-333-9037, extension 9771. Full newsletter text: Mayo Clinic Health Letter July 2014 (for journalists only). Elbow pain: Quicker recovery with a health care provider When elbow pain stops golf, tennis, gardening or household chores, it’s wise to see a doctor to determine the cause and a treatment plan. The July issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter covers common causes of elbow pain, self-care tips and why seeing a doctor sooner ― rather than later ― is a good idea. In the absence of a bone fracture, most elbow injuries aren’t serious. But nagging pain can interfere with sports and day-to-day activities. Most elbow pain is related to overuse that results in irritation and tissue degeneration near areas where tendons connect to bones of the elbow joint.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQHQjii5TMU ROCHESTER, Minn. — Implementation of an algorithm aimed to diagnose pediatric patients with suspected appendicitis reduces the utilization of computed tomography (CT) scans, without affecting diagnostic accuracy, Mayo Clinic Children's Center researchers have found. The study was recently published in the journal Surgery. Acute appendicitis is the most common cause of acute abdominal pain in children. Appendicitis occurs when the appendix becomes inflamed and filled with pus. CT scans are often used to diagnose acute appendicitis because they are accurate, widely available and have the ability to provide clinicians with advanced information in appendicitis cases suspected of complications. MEDIA CONTACT: Kelley Luckstein, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu However, CT scans are expensive and expose patients to ionizing radiation. “This algorithm was developed by a multidisciplinary group of pediatric emergency room physicians, pediatric surgeons and radiologists to eliminate unnecessary exposure to radiation,” explains Michael B. Ishitani, M.D., lead author of the study.

Study also shows that caffeine may help mood and memory in perimenopausal women ROCHESTER, Minn. — A new Mayo Clinic study, published online today by the journal Menopause, found an association between caffeine intake and more bothersome hot flashes and night sweats in postmenopausal women. The study also showed an association between caffeine intake and fewer problems with mood, memory and concentration in perimenopausal women, possibly because caffeine is known to enhance arousal, mood and attention. The findings of this largest study to date on caffeine and menopausal symptoms are published on the Menopause website and will also be printed in a future issue of the journal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZnaRDkzIes MEDIA CONTACT: Ginger Plumbo, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, Email: newsbureau@mayo.edu

WHAT: Mayo Clinic, Fight Colorectal Cancer and Ed Randall’s Fans for the Cure will encourage baseball fans to “pitch in” to prevent prostate and colorectal cancer as the Minnesota Twins begin a three-game series against the Cleveland Indians at Target Field in Minneapolis on July 21. Pitch for Prevention is intended to raise awareness about prostate cancer and colorectal cancer prevention through an educational event for prostate cancer and colorectal cancer survivors with Mayo Clinic physicians, educational booths on Target Plaza and a champion’s march of cancer survivors onto Target Field. The Pitch for Prevention educational event will be streamed live at pitchforprevention.com. The campaign will include a special appearance by country music star Craig Campbell, who lost his father to colorectal cancer at age 11. Losing his father at a young age inspired Campbell to become involved in the fight against colorectal cancer. He was recently named national spokesperson for Fight Colorectal Cancer. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, prostate cancer is the second-leading killer of men in the U.S., and colorectal cancer is the third-leading killer of both men and women in the U.S. WHERE: Target Field, Minneapolis. WHEN: Monday, July 21, 2014. Educational event begins at 4 p.m. Game begins at 7:10 p.m. WHO: Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist Paul Limburg, M.D., founder of Pitch for Prevention, Craig Campbell, country singer and national spokesman for Fight Colorectal Cancer. Eric Powell, colorectal cancer survivor, will throw out the first pitch of the game. Dr. Limburg and Campbell will be available for interviews on July 21. MEDIA CONTACTS: Chloe Piepho or Joe Dangor, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu

Bulges in body’s major blood vessel can cause potentially lethal ruptures, blood clots An abdominal aortic aneurysm is a potentially life-threatening condition: If the body’s major blood vessel ruptures, it can prove deadly. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently updated its recommendations on screening. Mayo Clinic vascular surgeon Peter Gloviczki, M.D., explains who should be watched for abdominal aortic aneurysms, how they are diagnosed and how surgery, which now includes a less invasive endovascular option, is improving survival rates: What abdominal aortic aneurysms are: a bulge in the aorta, which is the body’s largest artery and is located in the abdomen above the belly button. The greatest risk is that the aneurysm will rupture. “With every heartbeat there is increased pressure on the area of the aorta that has a weak wall and it bulges out, and ultimately when it reaches a certain size, it is going to rupture,” says Dr. Gloviczki, the Joe M. and Ruth Roberts Professor of Surgery at Mayo Clinic and past president of the Society for Vascular Surgery. “And rupture is a lethal complication.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7W0gS6M_TQ A Third Protein Provides Clue Since the time of Dr. Alois Alzheimer himself, two proteins (beta-amyloid (Aβ) and tau) have become tantamount to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). But a Mayo Clinic study challenges the perception that these are the only important proteins accounting for the clinical features of the devastating disease. In a large clinico-imaging pathological study, Mayo Clinic researchers demonstrated that a third protein (TDP-43) plays a major role in AD pathology. In fact, people whose brain was TDP positive were 10 times more likely to be cognitively impaired at death compared to those who didn’t have the protein, showing that TDP-43 has the potential to overpower what has been termed resilient brain aging. The study was published in the journal Acta Neuropathologica. MEDIA CONTACT: Duska Anastasijevic, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, Email: newsbureau@mayo.edu

ROCHESTER, Minn. – Mayo Clinic has achieved the highest honor in U.S. News and World Report’s ranking of top hospitals. Mayo Clinic earned more number one rankings than any other provider, ranking  number one or number two in 11 of the 12 specialties based on reputation, services and volumes, safety and clinical outcomes. “We have a deep commitment to delivering high-value health care that best meets patients' needs. We owe our success to truly dedicated staff that provide a seamless patient experience and the care that each individual needs,” says John Noseworthy, M.D., Mayo Clinic president and CEO. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtsylW3sKBY Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Noseworthy are available in the downloads.  

ROCHESTER, Minn. – Mayo Clinic will expand primary care services in south Rochester. Mayo Clinic will lease clinical space currently under construction at 4544 Canal Place Southeast within the Shoppes on Maine development. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2014. Patients will be seen at the new site in early 2015. “The south Rochester location is an investment in our patients’ health and well-being, and will provide greater access to Mayo Clinic care within the community,” says David Agerter, M.D., medical director, Mayo Clinic Employee and Community Health. “It's also in response to feedback from our employees and patients who have requested Mayo Clinic primary care services in this part of the city. This is part of a broader effort to make more Mayo Clinic services, both face-to-face and non-visit care, accessible and convenient to the community.”

ROCHESTER, Minn. — The benefits of medical imaging far outweigh the risks when children receive The Right Exam, ordered The Right Way, with The Right Radiation Dose. However, overuse and misuse of imaging change the benefit-risk ratio and Mayo Clinic is leading a collaborative effort to ensure a national protocol is put into action. The commentary, published online in the Journal of Patient Safety, calls for the American College of Radiology, the Joint Commission, the Intersociety Accreditation Commission, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to require three safety practices for accreditation of all American hospitals and advanced diagnostic imaging facilities. “No hospital or medical imaging facility in the country should be granted the privilege of imaging children unless it first meets fundamental safe practice performance measures,” says Stephen Swensen, M.D., lead author and radiologist, Mayo Clinic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW4abZkdQzo Sound bites with Dr. Swensen are available in downloads.

Online video lectures for medical professionals from Mayo Clinic ROCHESTER, Minn. – Mayo Clinic is now making its video education medical grand rounds lectures and clinical presentations on recent innovations in patient care, education and research accessible to other medical professionals in the new online medical professional video center. These lectures contain new practice procedures, treatment options and research covering a wide variety of specialties.For example, a video lecture on Choline C-11 treatment for recurrent prostate cancer describes the benefits to patients as well as the production, imaging and processing facilities necessary to provide the treatment. Another, fecal microbiota transplant, provides step-by-step details of how the procedure is completed so providers and patients can see the process from beginning to end.

Watch now LIVE 10 am ET Energy & Commerce Committee Hearing.   Principal Investigator and Director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCaTS), Sundeep Khosla, M.D.,is testifying before the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health as part of the Committee’s 21st Century Cures Initiative Wed., July 9, 2014. Dr. Khosla will focus his testimony on the need and opportunity to modernize clinical trials. “I applaud the Committee’s 21st Century Cures Initiative and, in particular, the Health Subcommittee’s focus on the clinical trial process,” says Dr. Khosla. “It is imperative that we streamline and modernize clinical trials’ processes to accelerate the speed of discovery to delivery of more effective, innovative and personalized treatments for patients.” In addition, Dr. Khosla commends the Committee’s attention to the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program. He continues, “The work of the CTSA program and its 62 sites is very important and offers great opportunity to speed translation and implementation of high priority clinical trials.” Broadcast live streaming video on Ustream MEDIA CONTACT: To interview Dr. Khosla about modernizing the clinical trial system, please contact Colette Gallagher, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5im7vNnaCM ROCHESTER, Minn. — Seventy-five years ago, on July 4th 1939, baseball legend Lou Gehrig delivered the famous speech bidding farewell to the ballpark and his fans. Two weeks before Gehrig had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Accompanied by his wife, Eleanor, Lou left Mayo Clinic with the devastating diagnosis on June 20th 1939, a day after his 36th birthday. He died in June two years later, not quite 38 years old, of the rare neurological disease that would come to bear his name. MULTIMEDIA ALERT: Journalists, the video package and addition b-roll are available in the downloads. To read the video script click here. ALS is a type of progressive motor neuron disease that typically strikes at middle to later life and causes nerve cells in spinal cord, brain stem and brain to gradually break down and die. These nerve cells are responsible for muscle function so eventually, ALS can affect