News Releases - August 2014 Archives

ROCHESTER, Minn. — The Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees recognized four new named professorships, the highest academic distinction for faculty members at Mayo Clinic, during its quarterly meeting today.   Michael Brodsky, M.D., a physician with joint appointments in the Department of Neurology and Department of Ophthalmology, is recognized as the Knights Templar Eye Foundation, Inc. Professor in Ophthalmology Research. The Knights Templar Eye Foundation, incorporated in 1956, is a charity sponsored by the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar. The organization’s mission is to improve vision through research and education and by supporting access to care. As a researcher, Dr. Brodsky focuses on evolutionary mechanisms of infantile strabismus (a condition in which the eyes are not properly aligned with one another); congenital optic disc anomalies; ocular motor physiology; nystagmus (a condition of involuntary eye movement acquired in infancy or later in life, that may result in reduced or limited vision); and other ocular motility disturbances. He has authored or co-authored several textbooks, including the definitive Pediatric Neuro-Ophthalmology. He has also established a video-oculography laboratory at Mayo Clinic to study the role of binocular luminance disparity in infantile strabismus. Douglas Husmann, M.D., Department of Urology, is recognized as the Anson L. Clark Professor in Urology. This professorship was established in 1974 by The Clark Foundation of Dallas, Texas, in memory of Anson L. Clark, M.D. Dr. Clark was a member of the Mayo Clinic staff in the section of special urology and an instructor in urology from 1931 to 1934. As a urologist, Dr. Husmann’s clinical and research focus includes pediatric and reconstructive urology, and he has extensive experience in urologic reconstructive surgical procedures in both congenital abnormalities and traumatic injuries. He excels at translating basic science findings to the clinical arena. His work has resulted in numerous advances in the fields of androgen receptor physiology, the management of reproductive congenital abnormalities, traumatic genitourinary injuries and reconstructive urology.

PHOENIX — Researchers from Mayo Clinic in Arizona and Banner Sun Health Research Institute have determined that many people with an early diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease are not correctly diagnosed according to a study just published in the journal Neurology. Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement. It develops gradually, sometimes starting with a barely noticeable tremor in just one hand. But while tremor may be the best-known sign of Parkinson's, the disorder also commonly causes stiffness and slowing of movement. Additionally there are many non-movement problems including constipation, loss of the sense of smell, sleep problems, lightheadedness, urinary difficulties, depression and anxiety. Although Parkinson's disease can't be cured, medications may markedly improve symptoms. Currently, there is no accurate diagnostic test for the disease; diagnosis is made based on medical history, a review of signs and symptoms, a neurological and physical examination and by ruling out other conditions. Confirmation of the disease can only be made by performing an autopsy.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — A recent study conducted by Mayo Clinic researchers recommends laparoscopic cholecystectomies (surgical removal of the gallbladder) for pediatric patients suffering from gallstones and other gallbladder diseases. This study was published in Surgical Laparoscopy Endoscopy & Percutaneous Techniques. Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Ishitani are available in the downloads. A cholecystectomy is a surgical procedure performed to remove the gallbladder, a pear-shaped organ located below the liver on the upper right side of the abdomen. The gallbladder is responsible for collecting and storing bile, which is a fluid secreted by the liver. During a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, four incisions are made in the abdomen. Then, a small video camera and other special tools are used to remove the gallbladder. “Cholelithiasis and other gallbladder diseases requiring cholecystectomies are less common in children compared to adults,” says Michael B. Ishitani, M.D., lead author of the study. “Recently, however, rising rates of obesity in the pediatric population have led to an increase of gallstones found in children. Therefore, it was important for us to review the current clinical practices to ensure that pediatric patients are being treated properly.” Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Ishitani are available in the downloads.

PHOENIX, Arizona – The National Institutes of Health (NIH) renewed funding for the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute (BAI) and Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, longitudinal study of the earliest changes associated with the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease at older ages.  The award, an estimated $8.3 million over the next five years, continues NIH’s long-term support of the investigation. The study, which began two decades ago, has been examining the subtle brain imaging, memory and thinking changes that occur in healthy late-middle-aged and older adults who have inherited from their parents either one, two or no copies of the apolipoprotein E (APOE4) gene, the major genetic risk factor for developing late-onset Alzheimer’s.  Each additional copy of the gene significantly increases a person’s chance of developing the disease. “We are extremely grateful to the NIH and our wonderful research volunteers for their support,” said Dr. Eric M. Reiman, BAI Executive Director and one of the study’s principal investigators. “From the beginning, this study has been driven by our interest in finding treatments to prevent or end Alzheimer’s as quickly as possible, and to provide the information and tools needed to do just that.”

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Wellness coaching has become an increasingly prevalent strategy to help individuals improve their health and well-being. Recently, wellness coaching was found to improve quality of life, mood and perceived stress, according to a Mayo Clinic study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Matthew Clark, Ph.D., L.P., lead author of the study and resiliency expert at the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program, answers some common questions about wellness coaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KN_p2X4KA40&feature=youtu.be&hd=1 Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Clark are available in the downloads. What is a wellness coach? Wellness coaches are trained and certified by professional organizations to help individuals identify their personal values and desires for change. The coaches provide practical recommendations to help individuals transform their goals into action, in order to sustain the changes over time and improve their quality of life. “Mayo Clinic wellness coaches assist patients, through a strength-based approach, in identifying goals and potential barriers to success, and then create strategies to help them improve on a week-by-week basis,” explains Dr. Clark. “A strength-based approach recognizes that patients bring experience, knowledge and skills which will help them make positive lifestyle changes.” What are popular areas of improvement? “Wellness coaching focuses on the specific problems someone wants to address, such as weight loss, stress management or goals focusing on work-life balance. We offer wellness coaching to help people have a better life, and improve their overall quality of life, whether it’s socially, emotionally, spiritually, physically or mentally,” says Dr. Clark. How are these improvements maintained over time? Wellness coaching teaches individuals appropriate goal-setting techniques, strategies for enhancing social and emotional support and other skills to sustain progress over a substantial period of time.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — If a research survey of African American professional women is any indication, attitudes may be changing towards participation in medical research. Mayo Clinic and The Links, Incorporated researchers teamed up to survey members of the international women’s organization, and found that a majority of African American women surveyed are willing to or have taken part in medical research. The results appear in the Journal of Women’s Health. “Our findings are highly encouraging,” says Sharonne Hayes, M.D., Mayo Clinic cardiologist, co-author of the study, and director of Mayo’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion. “The more African Americans, both women and men, who participate in medical research, the better informed their physicians will be in treating a wide range of conditions. Instead of extrapolating findings from other populations, we’ll have more confidence in diagnostic and treatment recommendations. The authors point to the long-standing distrust of scientists and research studies by many in the African American community, a reaction to unethical experiments in the last century. They say that, for decades, many African Americans did not take part in clinical studies, limiting the data on how diseases among Blacks could be better diagnosed and treated. The study team examined 381 self-administered surveys taken during a 2012 conference of The Links, Incorporated, an organization comprised of college-educated women, the majority involved in a profession. The median age was 59. Just more than half said they felt medical research in America was ethical.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville has been recognized as one of the first facilities in the nation to receive the Blue Distinction Centers+SM designation in the area of transplant care. Awarded through Florida Blue as part of a national program from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies, the designation recognizes hospitals shown to deliver high-quality specialty care based on objective, transparent measures for patient safety and health outcomes that were developed with input from the medical community. Mayo Clinic in Florida is also recognized as a Blue Distinction Center for its quality care and services in the areas of cardiac care, hip and knee replacements and spine surgery.

Rochester, Minn. — Enzyme supplements available without a prescription are becoming increasingly popular, but should everyone add them to their shopping list? Brent Bauer, M.D., director of the Mayo Clinic Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program, is co-author of a new paper in the medical journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings on the pros and cons of over-the-counter enzymes. Here, Dr. Bauer answers some common questions about these dietary supplements: What’s the issue? Dr. Bauer: “They’ve become so popular. Like so many dietary supplements, patients are looking for something to help their health, so they’re reading about over-the-counter enzymes as one of those many dietary supplements, and all of a sudden we’re seeing sales go through the roof. A huge challenge with dietary supplements is that most haven’t been tested as most drugs are. We have a lot of information, but we don’t have definitive information. So our patients hear a lot of positive things, but they do not always hear the negatives or the side effects. So we’re trying to be very evidence-based. We don’t want to say no, there’s no reason to ever take an over-the-counter enzyme. By the same token, we don’t want to just rush out and buy it because we heard somebody say something positive on TV.” What are some of the reasons people take enzyme supplements? Dr. Bauer: “We have a lot of natural enzymes in our bodies. They help us digest food. There are clearly medical reasons to use enzymes. If a patient’s pancreas isn’t working, for example, that patient may need to take a medically prescribed enzyme supplement. That’s a little different story from a healthy person who wants to use over-the-counter bromelain, or papain — the enzymes that come from the pineapple and the papaya — or trypsin, or chymotrypsin.