JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Pick's disease, a neurodegenerative disease of unknown genetic origin, is a rare type of frontotemporal dementia that affects people under the age of 65. The condition causes changes in personality, behavior and sometimes language impairment. In patients with the disease, tau proteins build up and form abnormal clumps called Pick bodies, which restrict nutrients to the brain and cause neurodegeneration. The only way to diagnose the disease is by looking at brain tissue under a microscope after a person dies.

In a new study, Mayo Clinic researchers have identified gene expression changes in the brains of people with Pick's disease. Since Pick's disease is a rare neurodegenerative disorder that cannot be diagnosed during life, their findings offer valuable insights that may help guide the development of biomarkers and therapeutic strategies.

Researchers at Mayo Clinic in Florida, University College London in England and collaborators worldwide have established the Pick's Disease International Consortium to study a specific MAPT gene variation known as MAPT H2 that makes the tau protein and acts as a driver of disease. They investigated a connection between the gene and disease risk, age at onset, and duration of Pick's disease. Their findings are reported in The Lancet Neurology.

Mayo Clinic researchers identified the first MAPT gene mutations for a behavioral form of dementia in 1998, and other genetic changes associated with related dementias in 2001, which paved the way to understanding the mechanisms of tau-related disease. This new study confirms a tau genetic factor linked specifically to Pick's disease and opens up new avenues of therapeutic design.

"Our research could have profound implications for the development of therapies for Pick's disease and other related neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and progressive supranuclear palsy," says Owen Ross, Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic neuroscientist and senior author of the paper. The consortium hosts a database of clinical, pathological and demographic information about patients with the disease who donated their brain tissue for science.

To conduct the study, researchers investigated brain samples of 338 patients confirmed to have Pick's disease to compare with blood samples from 1,312 neurologically healthy individuals. Patients confirmed to have the disease came from 35 brain banks and hospitals in North America, Europe and Australia between 2020 and 2023. The Mayo Clinic Brain Bank was among the sites in the study that provided the largest collection of samples.

Analyzing DNA from the blood samples and brain tissue, the research team recorded baseline information on study participants, including age at disease onset, age at death for those with Pick's disease, and sex and age at blood collection for the control group. Disease duration was calculated by the difference between age at Pick's disease onset and age at death. In addition, the researchers looked at clinical characteristics such as clinical diagnosis, impairment in behavior and language.

"We found that the MAPT H2 genetic variant is associated with an increased risk of Pick's disease in people of European descent," says Dr. Ross. "We were only able to determine that because of the global consortium, which greatly increased the sample size of pathology cases to study with Pick's disease."

The team's next steps are to expand the consortium to the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Latin America, further resolve the genetic architecture of the disease, and assess this specific genetic variant as a biomarker or test for clinical diagnosis of Pick's disease. There is currently no clinical test or diagnosis available for Pick's disease. For the first time, the creation of the consortium may allow for the development of a clinical test.

Funding for this research at Mayo Clinic was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the State of Florida Ed and Ethel Moore Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program, and Mayo Clinic Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. For a full list of authors, collaborating institutions and disclosures, see the paper.

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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

Media contact: 

• Tia Ford, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu 

The post Advancing the study of Pick’s disease, rare form of early-onset dementia appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

GENOLIER, Switzerland and ROCHESTER, Minn. — Swiss Medical Network and Mayo Clinic are proud to announce that seven clinics and centres of Swiss Medical Network have joined the Mayo Clinic Care Network, becoming the first healthcare provider in Western Europe to enter the collaboration. The agreement includes Clinique de Genolier in Genolier, Privatklinik Bethanien in Zurich, Clinica Sant’Anna in Lugano and Swiss Visio centres in Genolier, Montchoisi, Zurich and Bellinzona.

The Mayo Clinic Care Network is a select group of more than 45 medical institutions worldwide that collaborate with Mayo Clinic to advance excellence in patient care. As part of Mayo Clinic Care Network, Swiss Medical Network will leverage Mayo Clinic's globally recognized expertise, advanced medical knowledge and best practices to further elevate healthcare in Switzerland. The collaboration aims to support the development of preventive care programs — including executive health and check-ups — enhance knowledge sharing in ophthalmology research, and advance nursing education.

For patients, the collaboration means advanced diagnoses and care services, specific executive health and check-up programmes, and access to international experts from the Mayo Clinic Care Network without traveling abroad. Complex cancer cases can be presented to Mayo Clinic's multidisciplinary specialists.

"We are pleased to welcome Swiss Medical Network to the Mayo Clinic Care Network," said Eric J. Moore, M.D., head and neck surgical oncologist and medical director, Mayo Clinic International. "Our collaboration is built on shared values and a commitment to patient-centered care. We look forward to collaborating and innovating to deliver even better outcomes for patients across Switzerland."

Physicians from Clinique de Genolier, Privatklinik Bethanien, Clinica Sant’Anna, and the above-mentioned Swiss Visio entities, will have direct access to a suite of advanced clinical resources through the Mayo Clinic Care Network, including:

• AskMayoExpert – A point-of-care tool providing clinical information on hundreds of medical conditions, including treatment recommendations and best practices.
• eBoards – Live video conferences where Swiss Medical Network's medical teams can consult directly with Mayo Clinic's multidisciplinary specialists on complex cases.
• Healthcare consulting – Exclusive access to Mayo Clinic's expertise in clinical, operational and business strategies to support Swiss Medical Network's continued growth and excellence.

In addition, medical professionals from the newly affiliated entities will benefit from Mayo Clinic's extensive scientific library, patient education materials and continuous medical education programs, ensuring the highest standards of care for all patients.

Dino Cauzza, CEO of Swiss Medical Network, emphasized the significance of this relationship:

"As a member of Mayo Clinic Care Network, this collaboration is a defining milestone for Swiss Medical Network and, most importantly, for our patients. By integrating Mayo Clinic's expertise into our network, we will accelerate the development of our executive health and check-up programs as a key element of preventive health in our vision of integrated care. This is a defining moment in our journey toward medical excellence."

Swiss Medical Network will remain independent while joining a global ecosystem of medical innovation and shared knowledge. Established in 2011, the Mayo Clinic Care Network now includes over 45 leading healthcare organizations across the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, India, and Mexico.

For more information, please visit www.swissmedical.net and www.mayoclinic.org.

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About Swiss Medical Network
Swiss Medical Network is one of Switzerland's two leading private hospital and clinic groups. With 21 clinics and hospitals, over 70 outpatient centers, 5,000 employees and more than 2,300 doctors practicing in 15 cantons, the group covers the entire medical spectrum, operates listed and contracted hospitals, and cares for more than 1.2 million patients a year.  

A pioneer in integrated care with the VIVA project, the Réseau de l'Arc has become the leading integrated care organization in Switzerland, now accessible to a large proportion of the population of the Jura Arc. At the beginning of 2025, the launch of VIVA in Ticino and Rete Sant'Anna extended this model, reinforcing the Group's commitment to integrated care accessible to all in Switzerland.

Swiss Medical Network is a 77%-owned subsidiary of AEVIS VICTORIA SA, listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange.

Visit Swiss Medical Network for additional information.

About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

Media contacts:

• Magali Dauwalder, Swiss Medical Network, +41 79 486 34 14, media@swissmedical.net
• Elizabeth Baxter, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Swiss Medical Network joins the Mayo Clinic Care Network appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Mayo Clinic Healthcare cardiologist shares tips to safely get your blood pumping again

LONDON — Around the world, people are starting to engage in outdoor activities after a winter spent largely indoors and perhaps with less physical activity than during more temperate seasons. In other climates, people may be starting an indoor, less-active time. Gosia Wamil, M.D., Ph.D., a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic Healthcare in London, offers five tips to protect your heart when you spring into action after a sedentary period.  

It may be tempting to immediately move garden equipment and furniture out of storage, start a landscaping project, go on a long hike or engage in other physically demanding activities that were on hold due to poor weather.

"Spring is a great time to reconnect with nature and enjoy movement, but it’s vital to respect your body’s limits," Dr. Wamil says. "Even light daily activity can have meaningful benefits for heart health. Consistency matters more than intensity."

Busy lifestyles and, for many people, long days spent working at a desk, compound seasonal challenges that may mean less activity. Together, the lack of movement may decondition your body, requiring a bit of time before you return to more optimal shape. Stress can further compound demands on the heart.

Dr. Wamil's first tip: Ease into physical activity gradually.

"After a long season of reduced activity, it's important not to jump straight into strenuous tasks," she explains. "Start with light activities like walking or gentle stretching and gradually build up intensity. This helps reduce the risk of injury or sudden cardiac stress."

2. Warm up before and cool down after physical activity.

"Whether you’re gardening or going for a hike, taking five to 10 minutes to warm up prepares your muscles and heart for the activity ahead," Dr. Wamil says. "A proper cooldown helps your body return to baseline and prevents dizziness or blood pressure drops."

3. Listen to your body — and don’t ignore warning signs.

"If you feel chest discomfort, unusual shortness of breath, dizziness, or palpitations, stop immediately and seek medical attention," Dr. Wamil advises. "These symptoms could signal a heart problem, especially in people who haven’t been active for a while."

4. Stay hydrated and dress appropriately for the weather.

"Dehydration and overheating can put extra strain on the heart, especially in older adults," Dr. Wamil says. "Wear layers you can remove as you warm up, and drink water regularly even if you don’t feel thirsty."

5. If you have known heart disease or risk factors, talk to your doctor before starting a new physical-demanding activity.

"People with high blood pressure, diabetes, or a history of heart conditions should check in with their healthcare provider before beginning more vigorous outdoor tasks," explains Dr. Wamil, whose tools to diagnose a variety of heart diseases include cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cardiac MRI). "A tailored plan can keep you safe and active."

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About Mayo Clinic Healthcare
Mayo Clinic Healthcare, located in London, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mayo Clinic, a not-for-profit academic medical center. Mayo Clinic is top ranked by U.S. News & World Report in more specialties than any other hospital for a reason: quality of care. Mayo Clinic Healthcare is the U.K.'s front door to that unparalleled experience. Visit Mayo Clinic Healthcare for more information.

Media contact:

• Sharon Theimer, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Springing into action after a sedentary season? Here’s how to protect your heart appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Simultaneous bariatric surgery and liver transplant for patients who are severely obese is safe and improves long-term health outcomes, according to a recent Mayo Clinic study. This combined approach offers a needed solution for these patients who are often denied a lifesaving liver transplant due to their weight.

The 10-year study, published in the Journal of Hepatology, compared patients who received only a liver transplant with those who underwent both a liver transplant and bariatric surgery.

The combined approach resulted in sustained weight loss, reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and lower risk of fatty liver disease recurrence. Importantly, the combined procedure posed no additional risks compared to liver transplant alone.

"We've been amazed by the transformation our patients experience," says Julie Heimbach, M.D., director of Mayo Clinic Transplant Center in Minnesota and the study's senior author. "This dual approach prevents long-term obesity complications like diabetes, heart disease and cancer, while also preventing fatty liver disease recurrence."

How obesity and liver disease are connected

The percentage of liver transplant candidates in the U.S. with obesity continues to climb, with more than 41% of candidates having a body mass index above 30 in 2022. Obesity puts people at risk of developing metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, or MASLD, formerly known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. It's a condition where excess fat accumulates in the liver, which can lead to inflammation, scarring and advanced liver disease. Patients with a body mass index of 40 are more likely to be denied a transplant due to their weight.

"Since MASLD is a leading cause of liver failure, it only makes sense to protect the precious, lifegiving new liver from the same damage that led to the patient needing a transplant in the first place. Safely combining the two procedures protects the transplanted liver and can provide profound health benefits to these patients," says Todd Kellogg, M.D., Mayo Clinic bariatric surgeon and the study's co-author.

What about using new prescription medications for weight loss?

New weight loss medications, such as GLP-1s, are being used to help some pre-transplant and post-transplant patients manage their weight. Still, Mayo Clinic experts say bariatric surgery remains an important option for patients with severe obesity due to its safety, proven effectiveness and lasting results. Another recent Mayo study related to kidney transplant patients supports this.

"The patients that we're talking about really have a significant amount of extra weight. The issue with the GLP-1 medications is they are effective in terms of weight loss as well as other benefits which are being identified, but they may not get these patients with severe obesity to their lasting goal of a healthier weight," Dr. Heimbach says.

Bringing together experts from different medical specialties is essential when treating these patients, says Ty Diwan, M.D., Mayo Clinic transplant surgeon and the study's co-author.

"This study shows that caring for these complex patients extends beyond the transplant itself," Dr. Diwan says. "Multidisciplinary care is required to maximize patient outcomes, and that is what we see in this data. By bringing together experts in very different fields, we've improved patient care and overall health outcomes."

Additional resources:

• Mayo Clinic Minute: Dual procedure combines liver transplant, bariatric surgery

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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

Media contact:

• Heather Carlson Kehren, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Study finds long-term health benefits from bariatric surgery and liver transplant appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Every year, some mothers die after giving birth due to heart problems, and many of these deaths could be prevented. The ability to screen for heart weakness before pregnancy could play a crucial role in identifying women who may need additional care to improve pregnancy outcomes. Mayo Clinic researchers, led by Anja Kinaszczuk, D.O., and Demilade Adedinsewo, M.D., tested artificial intelligence (AI) tools, using recordings from an electrocardiogram (ECG) and a digital stethoscope, to find unknown heart problems in women of childbearing age seen in primary care.   

Study findings published in the Annals of Family Medicine show high diagnostic performance of these technologies to detect left ventricular ejection fraction below 50%, indicating heart muscle weakness. These tools were tested on two groups of women aged 18 to 49.  

• Group 1: 100 women already scheduled for an echocardiogram (the best test to evaluate heart muscle function). They also had a standard clinical ECG and digital stethoscope recording of the heart’s electrical activity and heart sounds.  

• Group 2: 100 women seen for routine primary care visits to see how often the AI tools would find heart problems.   

The AI-ECG demonstrated an area under the curve (AUC) of .94 while the AI digital stethoscope, Eko DUO, achieved an even higher AUC of 0.98, indicating strong diagnostic accuracy. In the second cohort, the prevalence of positive AI screening results was 1% for the AI-ECG and 3.2% for the AI-stethoscope. 

"Statistically, nearly half of pregnancies in this country are unplanned, and approximately 1% to 2% of women may have heart problems they don't know about. Our research findings suggest that these AI tools could be used to screen women before pregnancy, allowing for improved pregnancy planning and risk stratification, early treatment, and better health outcomes which addresses a critical gap in current maternal care," says Dr. Adedinsewo, a cardiologist and senior author of the study.  

This research builds upon earlier published studies, including a pilot prospective study evaluating AI digital tools to detect pregnancy-related cardiomyopathy among obstetric patients in the U.S. and a pragmatic randomized clinical trial of women in Nigeria who were pregnant or had recently given birth. Collectively, this research highlights the potential of AI to modernize cardiovascular screening, enabling earlier identification and management of heart muscle weakness in women of reproductive age. Further research is underway to explore the potential of using these technologies to screen for heart weakness in broader populations.  

Mayo Clinic has licensed the underlying technology to EKO Health for its digital stethoscope with embedded ECG electrodes and to Anumana for the 12-lead ECG. Mayo Clinic and some study authors have a financial interest in this technology. Mayo Clinic will use any revenue it receives to support its not-for-profit mission in patient care, education and research. 

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About Mayo Clinic 
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.  

Media contact: 

• Terri Malloy, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu 

The post AI-ECG tools can help clinicians identify heart issues early in women planning to have children  appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

April is Donate Life Month 

ROCHESTER, Minnesota — The traditional way to treat people with advanced kidney disease has been to use dialysis to remove waste from the blood while patients wait several years for kidneys from deceased organ donors. At Mayo Clinic, transplant surgeon Dr. Mikel Prieto and colleagues advocate for a different approach called preemptive transplantation: Kidneys from living donors are allowing many people with advanced kidney disease to receive transplants before their kidneys deteriorate so much that they need dialysis. 

Chronic kidney disease afflicts roughly 1 in 10 people worldwide and causes millions of deaths each year, according to the International Society of Nephrology. Kidneys filter waste and excess fluids from the blood that the body then expels in urine. Kidneys also help control blood pressure. In chronic kidney disease, kidneys gradually lose their effectiveness. Dangerous levels of fluid, electrolytes and waste can build up. Dialysis has traditionally been the next step.  

Dialysis removes waste and extra fluids from the blood, restores electrolyte levels (helping muscles, the heart and the brain work well) and aids blood pressure control. Depending on the type, dialysis can take place at home or at a dialysis center. If the patient is a candidate for a kidney transplant, dialysis can be a bridge to transplant. Dialysis takes hours multiple times per week and often requires significant lifestyle changes and dietary restrictions. Dialysis may occur for years if a patient is waiting for a kidney from a deceased donor.  

Dialysis extends life but unfortunately it often doesn't yield great quality of life, explains Dr. Prieto, who performs pediatric and adult kidney transplants and is surgical director of the pediatric kidney transplant program at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.   

"People on dialysis may feel kind of lousy for the most part. Although some manage to stay working and engaged in their other activities, a small percentage of patients on dialysis have a full, normal life," Dr. Prieto says. "Second, your body deteriorates because even though dialysis keeps you alive, it does not do a fantastic job at cleaning out all the waste. So, if someone is on dialysis for seven years and you look at their arteries, they may be a 40-year-old, but their arteries and blood vessels look like a 70- or 80-year-old. You want to minimize the amount of dialysis if you can."  

That is where living kidney donors come in. A living kidney donor is someone who donates a healthy kidney on behalf of a family member, friend or even a stranger. If the living donor's kidney isn't a direct match for an intended recipient, it can become part of a paired donor chain. The incompatible donor's kidney goes to someone who is a match, and the donor's intended recipient receives a kidney from a different and compatible donor. Donor chains can include several donor-recipient pairs. 

"Typically, unless you are really hard to match, we'll find a matching kidney for you within weeks or two to three months," Dr. Prieto says. "When you come for a transplant evaluation, we will ask whether you have or could have a living donor. If you don't, we will explain how to find one."  

There are other potential advantages to donor chains: The living donor and the kidney recipient, frequently spouses or close relatives, can be each other's caregivers after surgery. Participation in separate donor-transplant chains can ensure that their surgeries do not occur at the same time.    

Mayo Clinic campuses in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota have extensive experience with living donor kidney transplants and living donor chains. At Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, roughly half of the patients who receive kidney transplants get them from living donors before their kidneys decline so much that they need dialysis, Dr. Prieto says. 

"Most people know for years in advance that they are going to need dialysis at some point, or a transplant," he explains. "It's much better to plan for a transplant now because waiting times for a deceased donor can be years. During that waiting time, your kidney function keeps deteriorating."  

Patients typically become candidates for a kidney transplant when their kidney function drops below 20%. Dialysis usually starts when function reaches around 10%. If you start thinking about transplantation at this time, it is often too late, and you will be on dialysis awhile, Dr. Prieto says.  

"So that's the sweet spot: transplant between 20% and 10% of kidney function. That's what we call preemptive transplantation," Dr. Prieto says. "That's what we try to do here at Mayo. If we time things right, we can do the transplant and avoid dialysis altogether." 

Dr. Prieto and Mayo Clinic are early adopters of living kidney donation, paired donation and donor chains. In the U.S., the National Kidney Registry facilitates living kidney donation and donor chains. Mayo Clinic is a member institution and Dr. Prieto serves on the registry's medical advisory board. 

Many of the patients Dr. Prieto treats have autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, an inherited condition in which clusters of cysts grow and substantially enlarge kidneys, potentially causing kidney failure. Symptoms often appear in middle age. In the conventional approach, such patients would have their kidneys removed, go on dialysis, and then months or years later have a kidney transplant.  

Dr. Prieto has perfected a technique that spares people with polycystic kidney disease multiple visits to the operating room. He removes the enlarged kidneys laparoscopically, a minimally invasive approach that prevents a large incision. Then, in the same operation, using a kidney usually from a living donor, he gives the patient a new kidney.   

"In many cases of polycystic kidney disease, the kidneys are so big that it's very uncomfortable," Dr. Prieto says. "People cannot tie their shoes. They cannot bend over. They eat and feel full very quickly. Even breathing sometimes can be difficult. Also, their kidneys can bleed chronically, so patients are hospitalized with severe pain, bleeding or infection." 

He and his colleagues are now embarking on another new frontier: They seek to give patients kidneys that are such a perfect match that their bodies are much less likely to reject them, diminishing the need to take a high dose of immune system-suppressing drugs.  

"We want to give patients kidneys they will never reject," Dr. Prieto says. 

JOURNALISTS: Global, regional and national statistics on chronic kidney disease are available here (free log-in required). 

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About Mayo Clinic 
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news. 

Media contact:  

• Sharon Theimer, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu 

The post Mayo Clinic surgeon: Living kidney donation, medical advances help patients avoid dialysis  appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic Platform_Accelerate celebrated the program’s most recent cohort of health tech startups, including 15 innovative businesses from around the world. During the showcase event, held April 23 in Eagan, Minn., each company presented progress and outcomes from the 30-week accelerator program, providing a glimpse into the future of medicine.

"We are incredibly proud to celebrate these 15 companies. Their dedication and accomplishments have raised the bar, and we look forward to continuing to support their efforts as they make strides in advancing patient care worldwide,” says Jamie Sundsbak, senior manager of Mayo Clinic Platform_Accelerate.

Using Mayo Clinic Platform’s global, de-identified data network, Mayo Clinic Platform_Accelerate helps startups validate and prepare their artificial intelligence (AI)-driven solutions for clinical and administrative deployment, in line with healthcare industry standards. The program provides participants access to Mayo Clinic experts in regulatory, clinical, technology, and business domains.

Learn more about each company in the Showcase:

• Bloom Standard’s RAPIDscan is a one-minute, easy-to-use ultrasound device that helps detect and monitor heart and lung conditions, providing quick assessments and supporting healthcare staff at all levels with AI-driven guidance for diagnosis and patient referrals.

• Ethos is an AI-powered platform that detects and monitors alcohol use, helping healthcare providers identify and treat individuals at risk for Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease.

• Hope AI uses clinical evidence, advanced statistics, and AI technology to address challenges in clinical trials, such as long durations, large sample sizes, slow patient recruitment, and high costs, by optimizing trial design and accelerating development timelines.

• Lasa Health uses AI and machine learning (ML) to help diagnose and manage pelvic pain disorders.

• OPTT is a digital mental health platform that helps clinicians deliver data-driven, measurement-based care by providing clinically validated content and AI-powered insights to improve patient evaluations and treatment decisions.

• PEP’s AI persona, Addie, helps hospitals identify post-acute care candidates and streamline the recovery process, ensuring smooth handoffs between acute and post-acute providers for better patient outcomes.

• PONS uses AI to enhance ultrasound imaging, providing deeper insights into disease progression with improved scan resolution, tissue contrast, and noise reduction, all without the need for costly new hardware.

• Respiree™ uses AI and ML to track and manage disease progression across the care continuum, providing clinically validated insights based on data in electronic health records.

• Smart Opinion, Inc. uses AI to enhance ultrasound accuracy for early breast cancer detection, particularly in women with dense breast tissue, offering real-time support to improve diagnostic accuracy and reduce false positives and negatives.

• Splink, Inc. specializes in AI-driven early diagnosis and behavior change solutions for brain disorders like dementia, depression, and schizophrenia, addressing both prevention and post-onset stages, with a focus on dementia in aging populations.

• Ubie- Home uses its AI-powered symptom checker to guide 12 million patients to appropriate care, supporting 1,800 hospitals and clinics worldwide to improve clinical outcomes for consumers, healthcare providers, and pharmaceutical companies.

• Voythos is developing a machine-learning platform that predicts life-threatening complications in patients with complex aortic disease, helping surgeons intervene precisely to reduce morbidity and mortality with advanced data integration and predictive modeling.

• Whyze Health uses AI to integrate clinical and patient data from both hospital and home settings, enabling continuous monitoring of treatment efficacy and safety while providing insights to improve patient care and outcomes.

• Ystory uses an AI-driven app to provide personalized, evidence-based support for women over 35, providing guidance on menopause awareness, diagnosis, and treatment.

• Yuimedi is a health-tech company transforming medical data management with YuiQuery, an AI-powered solution that simplifies SQL query generation, helping healthcare teams efficiently analyze data and make faster data-driven decisions.

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About Mayo Clinic Platform
Founded on Mayo Clinic's dedication to patient-centered care, Mayo Clinic Platform enables new knowledge, new solutions, and new technologies through collaborations with health technology innovators to create a healthier world. To learn more, visit Mayo Clinic Platform at www.mayoclinicplatform.org.

About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to supporting innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

Media contact:

• Kaitlin Haar, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Mayo Clinic Platform_Accelerate Showcase celebrates promise of health tech innovation for improving patient care appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — North Kansas City Hospital and Mayo Clinic Platform announced that the hospital in North Kansas City, Missouri has joined the Mayo Clinic Care Network.

Mayo Clinic Care Network members receive special access to Mayo Clinic's knowledge and expertise, including transformational capabilities and access to digital solutions from Mayo Clinic Platform. Members are carefully vetted, independent healthcare organizations.

"This is a momentous day for our patients, hospital, and the community," says Stephen Reintjes Sr., M.D., president and CEO of North Kansas City Hospital. "Joining Mayo Clinic Care Network enhances our ability to deliver top-quality care and clinical expertise directly to our patients. Our shared values make this collaboration especially meaningful, and we are proud to be part of this exceptional network."

Providers from North Kansas City Hospital can combine their understanding of their patients’ medical needs with Mayo Clinic expertise, so patients get the care they need, close to home.

"We are pleased to welcome North Kansas City Hospital into the Mayo Clinic Care Network," says Mark V. Larson, M.D., medical director, Mayo Clinic Platform. "Our shared mission is to provide exceptional care to patients, and this collaboration will enhance the quality of healthcare in the region."

Through North Kansas City Hospital’s membership in the Mayo Clinic Care Network, its providers have access to Mayo Clinic Platform-enabled clinical solutions and services, including the following:

• AskMayoExpert: A point-of-care tool offering concise clinical information on hundreds of medical conditions including medical protocols, treatment recommendations and medical references. The database can be used wherever healthcare is provided.
• eConsults: Connections to Mayo Clinic specialists for second opinions on specific patient cases.
• eBoards: Live, scheduled video conferences that enable medical teams at North Kansas City Hospital to review and discuss complex cases with a Mayo Clinic multidisciplinary panel and other doctors in the Mayo Clinic Care Network.
• Healthcare consulting: Access to Mayo Clinic's extensive experience, knowledge and subspecialty expertise to achieve clinical, operational and business goals.

Staff from North Kansas City Hospital can use Mayo Clinic educational materials designed for patients and access opportunities for professional development and continuous medical education.

North Kansas City Hospital and other Mayo Clinic Care Network members remain independent and join an ecosystem of more than 60 healthcare organizations around the world.

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About North Kansas City Hospital
For more than 67 years, North Kansas City Hospital has been the Northland’s preferred healthcare provider. Our mission is to provide hope and healing to every life we touch.

NKCH is an acute care facility with 451 licensed beds and more than 600 physicians on the medical staff representing 49 medical specialties. From our award-winning cardiovascular and orthopedic programs to our cancer, emergency, neuroscience, spine, women’s and other services, our team of 4,700 employees provide a lifetime of care.

Our mission, vision and values reflect a strong commitment to the health and well-being of our employees, the Northland community and beyond. Explore NKCH’s full range of services at nkch.org.

About Mayo Clinic Platform
Founded on Mayo Clinic's dedication to patient-centered care, Mayo Clinic Platform enables new knowledge, new solutions, and new technologies through collaborations with health technology innovators to create a healthier world. To learn more, visit Mayo Clinic Platform at www.mayoclinicplatform.org.

About Mayo Clinic 
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and to providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news. 

Media contact:

• Kaitlin Haar, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post North Kansas City Hospital in Missouri joins Mayo Clinic Care Network appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — A study published in Brain Communications highlights a new approach to treating drug-resistant epilepsy. Researchers at Mayo Clinic have developed an innovative deep brain stimulation (DBS) platform that was used to not only reduce seizures, but also improve memory and sleep — two common challenges for patients with epilepsy.

Epilepsy, a seizure disorder that affects about 50 million people worldwide, often disrupts memory, emotions and sleep. Many cases are drug-resistant, leaving people with limited treatment options. Researchers at Mayo Clinic found that low-frequency DBS not only reduced seizures, but it also improved memory and sleep.

"Using an implanted investigational device, the team continuously monitored brain activity with AI-driven seizure and sleep tracking," says Gregory Worrell, M.D., Ph.D., Mayo Clinic neurologist and co-lead author of the study. "A cloud-based platform simultaneously assessed participants' behavior, memory and mood at home. This real-time data enables precise tuning of stimulation settings, maximizing benefits while minimizing side effects."

"By using an implanted device that continuously monitors brain activity, we can detect seizures more accurately than patient-reported diaries in order to optimize deep brain stimulation in real-time and improve treatment," says Vaclav Kremen, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic researcher and co-lead author of the study.

The researchers monitored five patients with temporal lobe epilepsy throughout their DBS treatment. The system allowed patients to track their brain activity and symptoms remotely, providing doctors with detailed, real-world data to fine-tune treatments. This technology could lead to more effective treatments for drug-resistant epilepsy and could be expanded to treat other neurological and psychiatric disorders.

"Our study demonstrates the potential of emerging neurotechnology to treat human disease," says Jamie Van Gompel, M.D., Mayo Clinic neurosurgeon and co-author of the study.

"Combining neuroscience, engineering and artificial intelligence, our work is paving the way for more personalized and effective treatments for epilepsy and other brain disorders," says Dr. Worrell.

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health — National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and the CLARA project, which has received funding from the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation program.  The implanted devices were donated by Medtronic as part of the National Institutes of Health Brain Initiative Public-Private Partnership.

Review the study for a complete list of authors, disclosures and funding. 

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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

Media contact: 

• Tia Ford, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu 

The post New study in Brain Communications finds personalized deep brain stimulation shows promise for drug-resistant epilepsy appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ROCHESTER, Minnesota — It is a large part of the body that lies deep inside, out of sight and perhaps out of mind: your abdominal core. A new and rapidly developing area of medicine focuses on abdominal core health, including how people can incorporate it into a healthy lifestyle and how to address complex medical problems that arise when it is compromised. Dr. Charlotte Horne, a metabolic and abdominal wall reconstructive surgeon at Mayo Clinic, explains what abdominal core health is, how to protect it and risk factors for problems that may require surgery.

"The abdominal core is the outside muscular container of your abdominal wall," Dr. Horne says. "This starts at the diaphragm and goes all the way down to the pelvic support muscles. Most of the core is muscle and connective tissue. It's a muscular container that holds your internal organs in. Every time you breathe, bend, bear down to have a bowel movement, you're using these muscles."

The abdominal core includes abdominal muscles that people may think of as the "six-pack," and oblique muscles and tissue that wrap all the way around the upper part of the abdomen and connect to the midline of the body, Dr. Horne adds. Many nerves lie between the layers of muscle and tissue, including those that extend to the groin, thighs, back and hips.

Those muscles function as a unit and that unit needs to operate well for you and your body to perform daily activities, Dr. Horne says. One way to strengthen the structural integrity of your abdominal core is to engage it during your normal activities, she explains: You do not have to do thousands of sit-ups or become a bodybuilder.

"One of the things we're realizing is that we need to educate people how to appropriately engage those muscles when they do everything from going from lying to sitting and sitting to standing, lifting objects and other basic movements in their daily lives," she says. "When people do yoga or Pilates, they think about pulling their belly button into their spine. That helps stabilize the deeper muscles of the abdominal wall."

Improving abdominal core health involves conscious engagement of the abdominal muscles, "bringing everything in and holding it in," Dr. Horne says. 

Risk factors for abdominal core problems are wide-ranging. They include cancer treatment; inflammatory bowel disease; chronic or severe coughing; and complications from pregnancy (diastasis recti) and surgery. The most common problems are hernias, when part of an organ or tissue bulges through a weak spot in muscle.

"Coughing can cause large hernias. When you're coughing, you're bearing down and there is a sudden, acute change in intra-abdominal pressure, almost like punching from the outside in or from the inside out," Dr. Horne explains. "When you're doing that all of the time, it causes significant stress to your abdominal wall."

Avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol consumption can help protect abdominal core health. Smoking increases the risk of chronic coughing, while heavy alcohol consumption to the point of cirrhosis can cause hormonal changes that in turn weaken the abdominal wall, Dr. Horne says. 

As knowledge about abdominal core health grows, approaches to protecting it and healing it are advancing, Dr. Horne says. For example:

• Pregnancy causes muscles to expand to accommodate a baby, and sometimes those muscles do not go back to normal. Exercise regimens during and after pregnancy can help to stabilize them.
• Healthcare experts are realizing that restrictions on movement after surgery may not help and sometimes may be harmful. Rather than telling people not to lift anything, it may be more appropriate to explain how to safely reengage those muscles and tendons, Dr. Horne suggests.
• People with inflammatory bowel disease are likelier to have surgery and therefore are likelier to develop hernias. Surgeons now know that in those patients, mesh should be placed in different anatomic planes to prevent the mesh from touching the bowel and potentially causing problems later, Dr. Horne says.
• Pelvic floor physical therapy can help women experiencing urinary or fecal incontinence after pregnancy or menopause, she says.
• There is growing recognition that mesh used to repair hernias isn't one-size-fits-all. Dr. Horne's research focuses on hernia repair in women, including mesh and mesh techniques.

In her practice, Dr. Horne specializes in complex hernia surgeries.

"Most of the patients that I care for have more of their abdominal contents outside of their abdominal cavity than inside," she explains.

Even with hernias as large as 10 to 15 centimeters, surgeries can be performed with a robot to minimize the incision, or can be done with a mix of robotic surgery and minimal open surgery, Dr. Horne says. She uses 3D-printed models to help plan surgeries. Sometimes Botox is used to lengthen the abdominal wall muscles, she adds.

"The best part is that patients go from a dysfunctional abdominal wall to one that is functional within about a week in the hospital," Dr. Horne says. "Seeing them at their checkup a year later is the best thing because they go from saying `I couldn't do anything' to `I've gone on all these trips, I've done all these things that I've wanted to do for years but haven't been able to.' They are so happy that they can put that whole thing behind them, which is great."

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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

Media contact:

• Sharon Theimer, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Your abdominal core: Expert shares tips for protecting a part of the body you may not think about   appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.