Minnesota

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is on the rise in the United States, according to the March issue of Mayo Clinic Health ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. — People with symptoms suggesting rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, or RBD, have twice the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Parkinson's disease within four years of diagnosis with the sleep problem, compared with people without the disorder, a Mayo Clinic study has found. The researchers published their findings recently in the Annals of Neurology. VIDEO ALERT: For video of Dr. Boeve talking about the study and for b-roll of study participants with RBD, visit the Mayo Clinic News Blog. One of the hallmarks of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is a state of paralysis. In contrast, people with rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, appear to act out their dreams when they are in REM sleep. Researchers used the Mayo Sleep Questionnaire to diagnose probable RBD in people who were otherwise neurologically normal. Approximately 34 percent of people diagnosed with probable RBD developed MCI or Parkinson's disease within four years of entering the study, a rate 2.2 times greater than those with normal rapid eye movement sleep. "Understanding that certain patients are at greater risk for MCI or Parkinson's disease will allow for early intervention, which is vital in the case of such disorders that destroy brain cells. Although we are still searching for effective treatments, our best chance of success is to identify and treat these disorders early, before cell death," says co-author Brad Boeve, M.D., a Mayo Clinic neurologist. Previous studies of Mayo Clinic patients have shown that an estimated 45 percent of people who suffer from RBD will develop a neurodegenerative syndrome such as mild cognitive impairment or Parkinson's disease within five years of diagnosis.

ST. CLOUD, Minn. — Mayo Clinic today announced that CentraCare's Coborn Cancer Center will be the first member of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Care Network. The Coborn Cancer Center is the first cancer-specific member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network. The agreement formalizes a long-standing relationship between the two organizations. Coborn Cancer Center physicians will benefit from enhanced access to Mayo physicians and clinical resources, which in turn will benefit local patients and their families. Mayo Clinic Cancer Care Network membership is based on a rigorous set of patient care and quality data. Network members have access to several unique Mayo services and tools, such as: AskMayoExpert, a state-of-the-art resource that provides access to Mayo Clinic's evidence-based disease management protocols, clinical care guidelines, treatment recommendations and reference materials for a variety of medical conditions eConsults, which give member physicians the ability to connect with a Mayo expert to get input on specific questions as they care for their patients Administrative consulting that supports clinical practice models and the unique needs of Coborn Cancer Center patients "We are proud to formalize our ongoing relationship with our colleagues at CentraCare's Coborn Cancer Center," says David Hayes, M.D., medical director of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, which was launched last year. "This relationship brings together two like-minded organizations that share a goal of improving the delivery of health care through high-quality, collaborative medical care." "CentraCare Health System is proud to work with Mayo Clinic to ensure an even stronger cancer program for the patients we serve," says Terence Pladson, M.D., president and CEO, CentraCare Health System. "We look forward to developing strong relationships with CentraCare physicians who care for cancer patients," says Jan Buckner, M.D., chairman of Mayo Clinic's Division of Medical Oncology. "This relationship will build upon our long-standing collaborations in conducting clinical trials as well as frequent informal patient consultations." "As a physician who trained at Mayo, I am excited that the Mayo Clinic Cancer Care Network will give me and my Coborn Cancer Center colleagues access to resources that can mean additional peace of mind for our patients," says Donald Jurgens, M.D., medical oncologist, Coborn Cancer Center.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — With spring break shorts and swimsuit season coming up, many people will soon show off their legs for the first time in months, and for some, that also means deciding what to do about unsightly varicose veins. The bulging purple or blue lines may be simply a cosmetic issue, or they could be a sign of a serious medical problem, says Mayo Clinic vascular surgeon Peter Gloviczki, M.D. VIDEO ALERT: Additional audio and video resources, including excerpts from an interview with Dr. Gloviczki, are available on the Mayo Clinic News Blog. "Twenty to 25 percent of Americans have varicose veins and about 6 percent have more advanced venous disease including skin changes or, occasionally, ulcerations," says Dr. Gloviczki, who helped develop Society for Vascular Surgery and American Venous Forum national guidelines for the treatment of varicose veins. "Evaluation of varicose veins with ultrasound is an easy and accurate way to assess the need for treatment. New, minimally invasive therapy is available today that is effective and is performed as outpatient treatment." Varicose veins typically appear in the legs, ankles and feet, because standing and walking put more pressure on veins in the lower body. Enlarged veins can ache, itch and burn. The loss of vein elasticity through aging may cause varicose veins, and pregnant women often develop them. People who are obese, sit or stand for long periods or have a family history of varicose veins also are likelier to get them. Varicose veins can lead to more serious problems such as swollen legs, skin changes, bleeding from varicose veins, blood clots (phlebitis) and ulcers. Exercising, losing weight and elevating the legs can ease pain and prevent varicose veins from worsening. Special hosiery called compression stockings that squeeze the legs, improving blood flow, is often suggested before medical procedures are pursued.

WHAT: Mayo Clinic and St. Cloud-based CentraCare Coborn Cancer Center will announce a formal agreement between the two organizations. WHO: David Hayes, ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic Center for Humanities in Medicine invites the public to attend a free concert by accordion player, composer and arranger Dan ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic and partners from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine and College of Pharmacy, the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and NeuroVista Corporation have been awarded a $7.5 million grant (U01) from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The research involves studying new ways to predict and control epileptic seizures in dogs and people. VIDEO ALERT: Journalists: video of a canine seizure is available at the Mayo Clinic News Blog. Epilepsy affects approximately 1 percent of the human population, with an estimated 50 million people worldwide currently suffering from the disorder. The hallmark of epilepsy is the seizure — a sudden and often violent event that strikes patients without warning. The goal of the research is to use information gleaned from real-time electroencephalograms (EEG) to consistently detect impending seizures, and develop methods of preventing these seizures through use of fast-acting drug therapies. The grant awards $1.5 million a year for up to five years. The principal investigators of the studies are Greg Worrell, M.D., Ph.D., Mayo Clinic; Ned Patterson, D.V.M., Ph.D., University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine; Jim Cloyd, Pharm.D., University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy; Charles Vite, D.V.M., Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine; Brian Litt, M.D., Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania; and Kent Leyde, chief technology officer of NeuroVista Corporation of Seattle, Washington. NeuroVista, a Seattle based company developing novel technologies for the management and treatment of epilepsy, has developed an implantable device system that continuously collects and analyzes EEG data to detect impending seizures. The system uses an external patient-carried device with a very simple interface—three colored lights—to indicate the risk of an impending seizure to the patient. The system is currently undergoing study in clinical trials in human patients being conducted in Australia. The NIH-funded research will involve applying the NeuroVista technology to dogs with naturally occurring epilepsy, and extending the technology by using it to guide the administration of fast-acting drugs to prevent seizures. It is hoped that this work will translate to a similar solution for human patients.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic today announced that Mayo Medical Laboratories has signed an agreement with A&G Pharmaceutical, Inc. and will receive a non-exclusive license to certain patent rights and proprietary antibody reagents for the detection and measurement of progranulin in blood. This agreement will let Mayo Clinic offer the first commercial blood test to predict progranulin mutation status in patients suspected to have frontotemporal dementia (FTD). The blood test will be available in late 2012 for all Mayo Clinic patients and will be offered through Mayo Medical Laboratories to hospitals and clinics worldwide. FTD accounts for at least 5 to 10 percent of dementia cases. It is common among patients with early-onset dementia. FTD affects the brain's frontal lobe, which regulates behavior, movement, mood and language. Most FTD patients are diagnosed when they show changes in personality, loss of memory and ability to use language. In 2006, researchers at Mayo Clinic published research in Nature that found the mutation of the progranulin gene (PGRN) causes a reduction of the protein progranulin in the brain. Along with other changes, this leads to neuronal death and atrophy of the frontal lobes of the brain, ultimately leading to dementia. Genetic testing is available to find the mutation, but it is costly. In 2009, Mayo Clinic researcher Rosa Rademakers, Ph.D., and colleagues discovered that FTD patients with PGRN mutations showed a reduction in blood progranulin levels compared to controls and FTD patients without PGRN mutations. Based on these findings and using A&G's proprietary antibody reagents, Mayo researchers developed an easy-to-use, cost-effective blood test for measuring the level of progranulin. "The progranulin blood test provides an inexpensive tool to identify progranulin mutation carriers in patients with early-onset dementia or asymptomatic relatives of FTD patients," says Alicia Algeciras-Schimnich, Ph.D., assistant professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic. Dr. Ginette Serrero, CEO of A&G Pharmaceutical, states, "A&G has pioneered and patented research investigating expression of progranulin in breast cancer and lung cancer. Research has shown that breast cancer patients have an elevated level of progranulin when compared to healthy individuals. We are delighted that our clinical studies with breast cancer patients and development of progranulin antibodies and assays also will help FTD patients."

MINNEAPOLIS — Researchers from the University of Minnesota (U of M) in Minneapolis and Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., have been awarded $1.35 million by ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic Center for Humanities in Medicine invites the public to attend a free concert by jazz ensemble RDW Trio. WHAT: ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. — The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded a $2.5 million grant to Mayo Clinic's Cardiorenal Research Laboratory to conduct a highly innovative research project, "Cardiovascular Peptides and Myocardial Infarction." The research will seek to further understand the potential of a novel, engineered guanylyl cyclase (GC) activator, cenderitide, to reduce the level of cardiac and renal injury following a myocardial infarction, or heart attack. Researchers will try to determine whether the therapy could help prevent deterioration of cardiac and renal function following a heart attack, and potentially reduce further heart failure in the future in treated patients. Mayo researchers invented cenderitide to activate two different subtypes of GC receptors, which uniquely differentiates cenderitide from other GC stimulating peptides. Cenderitide, a designer peptide derived from the venom of the green mamba snake, may aid in the preservation of cardiac and renal function following serious cardiovascular events, such as heart attack and acute decompensated heart failure. At the annual meeting of the American Heart Association in November 2011, Fernando Martin, M.D., a research fellow in the Cardiorenal Research Laboratory at Mayo Clinic, presented key research data demonstrating the ability of cenderitide to prevent the death of heart cells. The NHLBI grant will support basic research in the laboratory and a small proof-of-concept clinical study. Mayo plans to enroll 60 patients into the study at Mayo Clinic sites in Rochester, Minn., and Jacksonville, Fla. The endpoints of the study include safety, 30-day cardiac function, circulating hormones levels and other cardiorenal biomarkers. To learn more about the clinical study, physicians can call 507-284-4838.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — The Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center today announced the sports physicals schedule for high school athletes wishing to participate in athletic programs. The physicals will be performed from 8-11 a.m. on Saturday, March 3 at the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center, Charlton Building, Desk LC. The cost of the exam is $20 per student. No appointments are necessary. Staff includes physicians and residents from Mayo's Departments of Orthopedic Surgery, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Internal Medicine and Family Medicine. In addition, athletic trainers and physical therapists provide assistance during the exams. Participating schools are: Century, Lourdes, John Marshall, and Mayo High Schools; Schaeffer Academy, John Adams, Kellogg, Willow Creek, and Friedell Middle Schools; Byron, Cannon Falls, Chatfield, Dover-Eyota, Fillmore Central, Goodhue, Grand Meadow, Hayfield, Kasson-Mantorville, Kenyon-Wanamingo, Kingsland, Lanesboro, LeRoy-Ostrander, Lewiston-Altura, Pine Island, Plainview-Elgin-Millville, Randolph, St. Charles, Southland, Stewartville, Triton, and Zumbrota-Mazeppa.