Minnesota - September 2015 Archives

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Menopause is associated with many bothersome symptoms, including hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disturbances, difficulty with mood, memory or concentration, and changes in sexual function. Mayo Clinic physicians recently released findings from research that demonstrated a connection between the severity of menopausal symptoms and a woman’s recent experience of abuse. The abuse could be verbal or emotional, physical or sexual. Mayo Clinic experts presented findings from the study, “The Association Between Abuse and Menopausal Symptom Bother: Results From the Data Registry on Experiences of Aging, Menopause and Sexuality,” at the annual conference for the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) in Las Vegas. “Approximately 25 percent of women say they have experienced abuse over the course of their lifetime, and we know that this can have long-lasting and far-reaching effects on physical and emotional health,” says Stephanie Faubion, M.D., director of the Mayo Clinic Office of Women’s Health and co-author of the study. “This study examines whether, and to what degree, self-reported abuse in the last year is associated with the severity of menopausal symptoms.” Based on survey responses from more than 3,700 women, Mayo Clinic researchers found that: • In the last year, 6.8 percent reported one or more forms of abuse. Of those, 96.8 percent reported experiencing verbal or emotional abuse; 13 percent, physical abuse; and 3.9 percent, sexual abuse. • Women who reported recent abuse also reported having more bothersome menopausal symptoms, including difficulty with sleep, issues with mood, memory or concentration, bowel/bladder problems, and difficulty with sexual function. • There was not a direct correlation between the severity of hot flashes or night sweats, and reports of abuse in the last year. MEDIA CONTACT: Ginger Plumbo, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, Email: newsbureau@mayo.edu. Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Faubion are available in the downloads. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qex4j46tfJE

Delos®, Mayo Clinic collaborate on first ever, human-centered research center dedicated to creating healthier indoor spaces Rochester, Minn. (September 30, 2015)— Exposure to indoor environments is at an all-time high. In fact, Americans spend more than 90 percent of their time indoors, whether at home, work, school, retail stores, fitness centers, health care facilities and more. But what many people don’t realize is that buildings, and everything in them, can affect human health and well-being. Today marked the opening of the Well Living Lab, a new research facility dedicated to studying these environments and creating healthier indoor spaces in which to live, work and play. “There is a growing awareness and body of scientific evidence that indoor, built environments can affect human health and well-being, with the perception often being that indoor environments have a negative impact on health,” said Brent Bauer. M.D., medical director of the Well Living Lab and professor of medicine for Mayo Clinic Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program. “But new knowledge shows that by building healthier indoor environments, we can actually preserve and enhance human health and quality of life.” Media contacts: Callie Stanton, Delos  cstanton@nikecomm.com 646-654-3438 Duska Anastasijevic, Mayo Clinic newsbureau@mayo.edu 507-284-5005

ROCHESTER, Minn. — While autoimmune cerebellar ataxia (a loss of muscle control coordination) can lead to severe disability with some patients becoming wheelchair-bound, there are factors that may help predict better immunotherapy response, according to the Mayo Clinic study published by JAMA Neurology. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsriW0BD638 Autoimmune cerebellar ataxia in adults, which usually comes on rapidly and progresses quickly, can be divided into disorders that are paraneoplastic (triggered by cancer in the body) or nonparaneoplastic (autoimmune disorders of the central nervous system unrelated to cancer). The disabling neurological effects, which can include speech, eye movement and balance, can cause unsteady walk and difficulties when swallowing. Little has been published regarding treatment responses and neurologic outcomes among patients with autoimmune cerebellar ataxia. However, at least 17 autoantibodies have been reported as causally linked to autoimmune cerebellar ataxia. “Historically, we found cerebellar ataxia to be a hopeless disease,” says Andrew McKeon, M.B., B.Ch., M.D., a neurologist on Mayo Clinic’s Rochester campus and lead author of the study. “Although usually severe, treatment responses can be gratifying, particularly in patients with nonparaneoplastic disorders.” Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. McKeon are available in the downloads. MEDIA CONTACT: Duska Anastasijevic, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu

Collaborative network will join federal government and other partners in supporting large-scale health care transformation among clinician practices ROCHESTER, Minn. — The Mayo Practice Transformation Network is one of 39 health care collaborative networks selected to participate in the Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative, announced today by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell. Mayo Clinic will receive up to $9.7 million to provide technical assistance support to help equip clinicians in the Mayo Practice Transformation Network with tools, information and network support needed to improve quality of care, increase patients’ access to information and spend health care dollars more wisely. This initiative is a collaboration between the Mayo Clinic Office of Population Health Management (OPHM) and the Mayo Clinic Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery (CSHCD). It is led by principal investigator Nilay Shah, Ph.D., health services researcher in the CSHCD, and co-principal investigator Kari Bunkers, M.D., primary care physician in the Mayo Clinic Health System and medical director of the OPHM. MEDIA CONTACTS:  Elizabeth Zimmermann Young, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu

Choosing the right antidepressant can be a daunting task. With so many choices and such unpredictability in their individual effects, patients with depression often spend months or years casting about for the right medication, while clinicians are often uneasy or unwilling to offer options other than their preferred prescriptions. A new study from Mayo Clinic shows that a simple series of conversation cards can dramatically improve both the patient’s and their physician’s satisfaction with the discussion on and comfort with the choice of antidepressant. The findings appear in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. “We worked closely with patients, their families, and clinicians to fully understand what really matters to them when confronted with this situation. We wanted to transform the too-often unavailable evidence into accurate, easily accessible information to be used within the context of each person’s needs and preferences, ultimately creating what we hope to be meaningful conversations,” says Annie LeBlanc, Ph.D., first author and Mayo Clinic health science researcher. Media Contact: Bob Nellis, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu

https://youtu.be/w_JzkmGGf0g ROCHESTER, Minn. — The risk for hospitalization doubles for kids with asthma who are exposed to secondhand smoke, according to a study led by Mayo Clinic Children’s Research Center. “The results of this review serve as a reminder to parents of just how dangerous it is to expose their children to secondhand smoke,” says Avni Joshi, M.D., senior author and pediatric allergist and immunologist at Mayo Clinic Children’s Center. “We knew that kids should not be exposed to tobacco, but how bad their asthma is likely to be with tobacco exposure was not clear. This study helped us quantify that risk, and so it informs as well as empowers us with the risk assessment. A child is twice as likely to end up in the hospital with an asthma flare if family members continue to smoke.” Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Joshi are available in the downloads. MEDIA CONTACT: Kelley Luckstein, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7s7_li29n0&feature=youtu.be Rochester, Minn. — How is individualized medicine working? Let us count the ways. That’s just what Mayo Clinic Vice President Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., did this morning in his opening keynote at the 4th annual Individualizing Medicine Conference. The core of his talk highlighted five areas in which the knowledge and know-how from the human genome will be most impactful in patient care, not just at Mayo Clinic, but anywhere in the nation and globally. “What’s in it for you?” he asked the crowd of health providers at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, Minn. “Individualized or precision medicine offers help for your medical practice today. You can take advantage of these advances to help your patients, to better diagnose, treat or prevent illness right now.” Here is his short list of “value adds” to the practice of medicine. There are many more, but these are the most pervasive and applicable at the moment. Journalists: B-roll of the conference and sound bites with Dr. Farrugia and Dr. Stewart are available in the downloads. Media Contact: Bob Nellis, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu

ROCHESTER, Minn. – Mayo Clinic researchers have identified a protein marker whose frequency may predict patient response to PD-1 blockade immunotherapy for melanoma. An abstract of their findings was presented today at the American Association for Cancer Research International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference in New York City. “The discovery of biomarkers of sensitivity are vital not only for informing clinical decisions, but also to help identify which patients with melanoma, and possibly other malignancies, who are most likely to benefit from PD-1 blockade," says Roxana Dronca, M.D., a hematologist at Mayo Clinic and lead author of the abstract. “This will allow us to expose fewer patients to inadequate treatments, and their associated toxicities and costs.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ava8Q6n_Y8o Journalists:  Sound bites with Dr. Dronca are available in the downloads.

ROCHESTER, Minn. – Mayo Clinic recognized 16 new named professorships with a dinner and program on Sept. 14. Awarded through nomination and peer endorsement, and in honor of Mayo benefactors, this appointment is Mayo Clinic’s highest academic distinction. The named professors are: Jennifer Westendorf, Ph.D., a researcher in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, has received the Margaret Amini Professorship in Orthopedic Regenerative Medicine Research. She also serves as vice chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and as a professor at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in biology and biochemistry/molecular biology and orthopedics. Dr. Westendorf’s bio can be found here. Margaret Redfield, M.D., a cardiologist in the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases in Mayo Clinic’s Department of Internal Medicine, has been recognized as the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Professor in Cardiology and Critical Care. She is also the director of Mayo’s Circulatory Failure Program and co-director of the Cardiorenal Research Laboratory.  Dr. Redfield’s bio can be found here. MEDIA CONTACT: Karl Oestreich, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu.

Olmsted County area public and private schools offering school-located influenza vaccination clinics ROCHESTER, Minn. — “Everyone needs to get the flu vaccine every year, and, this year, the school-based immunization program of Olmsted County is bigger than ever, making it easier for more families to get their school children vaccinated on time,” says Robert Jacobson, M.D., pediatrician and medical director of the Employee and Community Health Immunization Program at Mayo Clinic. “This year, for the first time, we will bring the flu vaccine program to every middle school in the county and four of the seven high schools. That’s great news for parents.” Kids easily spread influenza, and they carry the virus home to their families. Kids miss school, and parents miss work. That’s why Mayo Clinic, Olmsted Medical Center, Olmsted County Public Health and Olmsted County area private and public schools are teaming up to vaccinate children at their schools. The clinics will operate at 47 schools across Olmsted County Sept. 14-Oct. 9. Visit http://www.semnic.org/schoolfluclinics.aspx to register your child for the school-located influenza vaccination program. You also can visit your school’s website for more information. Media contacts: Kari Etrheim, Communications, Olmsted County Public Health Services, 507-328-7424 Kelley Luckstein, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu

ROCHESTER, Minn. — The science of health care delivery applies innovative science and data to evaluate the quality, safety and value of health care globally, and improve real-world experiences for patients. Health care experts from across the nation will gather in Rochester, Minnesota, Sept. 16-18, to discuss these tools and share best practices and new insights at Delivery Science Summit 2015: Building the Evidence Base in Health Care Delivery. Hosted by the Mayo Clinic Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery, the conference will include three curriculum tracks that will explore new ways to enhance patient experience, improve population health and manage total care costs. MEDIA CONTACTS:  Elizabeth Zimmermann Young, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO72kLauH8I Journalists: Sound bites with gastroenterologist Michelle Lewis, M.D., are available in the downloads. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. and ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic’s Florida and Rochester, Minnesota campuses have been named National Pancreas Foundation Centers by the non-profit patient-centered National Pancreas Foundation. The foundation describes these centers as “premier healthcare facilities that focus on multidisciplinary treatment of pancreatitis, treating the whole patient with a focus on the best possible outcomes and an improved quality of life.” Because treatment of pancreatitis and other pancreatic disorders is often inconsistent, the foundation says, it created the designation to distinguish institutions that focus on patient-centered care either for treating the disease or to get an expert second opinion. The foundation designated 30 institutions in the United States as centers. MEDIA CONTACT: Kevin Punsky, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 904-953-0746, punsky.kevin@mayo.edu