News Releases - July 2015 Archives

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Hysterectomy may be a marker of early cardiovascular risk and disease, especially in women under 35, according to Mayo Clinic experts. In a study recently published in Menopause: The Journal of the North American Menopause Society, researchers found that women who underwent hysterectomy were much more likely to have pre-existing cardiovascular risk factors – especially obesity – than women of the same age in the control group who did not undergo hysterectomy. In particular, women under age 35 had the most cardiovascular risk factors and disease, including stroke. “Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among women, and women see primarily gynecologists between 18 years and 64 years – a time when early screening for cardiovascular disease would be important,” says lead author and Mayo Clinic OB-GYN Shannon Laughlin-Tommaso, M.D., “We wanted to do this study to find a gynecologic screening method for cardiovascular disease.” MEDIA CONTACT: Kelley Luckstein and Katie Pak, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu

SINGAPORE — Mayo Clinic and Raffles Medical Group announced today that Singapore-based Raffles has joined the Mayo Clinic Care Network, a growing network of organizations committed to better serving patients and their families through collaboration. Raffles Medical Group, the largest private group practice in Singapore, is the first health care organization in Asia to join the network. The formal agreement gives Raffles Medical Group access to the latest Mayo Clinic knowledge and promotes physician collaboration that complements local expertise. Through shared resources, more patients can get answers to complex medical questions while staying close to home. “Our patients have always looked to Raffles to provide them with quality care,” says Dr. Donald Poon, general manager, RafflesHospital. “We share a commitment to enhance care and add value for patients, which has become increasingly important in a changing health care landscape. By working with Mayo Clinic, we will be in an even stronger position to deliver high-quality, best-practice care. This is especially true for both our Centres of Excellence – Raffles Heart Centre and Raffles Cancer Centre.” “We are pleased to welcome Raffles Medical Group to the network,” says David Hayes, M.D., medical director, Mayo Clinic Care Network. “As we have worked together toward today’s announcement, we have been impressed by the cultural alignment of our two institutions. Raffles continues to raise the bar on the ways in which an integrated, team-based approach can be used to meet the needs of its patients, and we’re very proud of our shared purpose — to bring the highest quality patient care to the region." Journalists: B-roll video of the Mayo Clinic Rochester campus is available in the downloads. MEDIA CONTACTS: Rhoda Madson, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu Joanna Lee, Raffles Medical Group, +65 6311-1312, lee_joanna@rafflesmedical.com

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic is announcing results of a study on the effectiveness of left-ventricular assist devices (LVAD) in treating patients with a form of cardiomyopathy called restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM). The Mayo Clinic study, which is the largest study of its kind to date, demonstrates that LVAD devices are a viable and accessible option for treating patients with RCM, who would otherwise see their health deteriorate or who may not survive. The study suggests criteria that clinicians can use for successful implementation of these devices in RCM. Approximately 500,000 people are currently living with cardiomyopathy, which is a condition that affects the muscles in the heart. RCM is a rare form of cardiomyopathy that limits the heart muscle from relaxing between beats when the blood returns from the body back to the heart. This causes the heart to pump weakly and restricts the flow of blood to the heart’s chambers. An LVAD is a mechanical pump that helps pump blood from the heart to the rest of the body. MEDIA CONTACT: Ginger Plumbo, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, Email: newsbureau@mayo.edu

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxY6zGHfHvE&feature=youtu.be ROCHESTER, MINN. – A group of 118 of the nation's leading cancer experts have drafted a prescription for reducing the high cost of cancer drugs and voiced support for a patient-based grassroots movement demanding action on the issue. Their recommendations and support are outlined in a commentary, co-authored by the group, in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings. "High cancer drug prices are affecting the care of patients with cancer and our health care system," says lead author Ayalew Tefferi, M.D., a hematologist at Mayo Clinic. "The average gross household income in the U.S. is about $52,000 per year. For an insured patient with cancer who needs a drug that costs $120,000 per year, the out-of-pocket expenses could be as much as $25,000 to $30,000 – more than half their average household income." The group cites a 2015 study by D.H. Howard and colleagues et al, published in the Journal of Economic Perspectives, which found that cancer drug prices have risen by an average of $8,500 per year over the past 15 years. "When you consider that cancer will affect 1 in 3 individuals over their lifetime, and [with] recent trends in insurance coverage [that] put a heavy financial burden on patients with out-of-pocket expenses, you quickly see that the situation is not sustainable," Dr. Tefferi, says. "It's time for patients and their physicians to call for change." Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Tefferi are available in the downloads. MEDIA CONTACT: Joe Dangor, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — In their bid to find the best combination of therapies to treat anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC), researchers on Mayo Clinic’s Florida campus demonstrated that all histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors are not created equal. In testing multiple HDAC inhibitors in combination with the chemotherapy drug paclitaxel, known to give some benefit for this aggressive cancer, they found that class II HDAC inhibitors signal through a newly discovered pathway to promote synergy with chemotherapy treatment. Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Copland are available in the downloads. MEDIA CONTACT: Kevin Punsky, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 904-953-0746, punsky.kevin@mayo.edu

Rochester, Minn. – Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation, Mayo Clinic Ventures and AVIA today announced the Mayo Clinic THINK BIG Challenge, a national competition offering awards totaling $100,000 for entrepreneurs with innovative ideas to transform the future of health and health care. Entrepreneurs can apply for one of two $50,000 THINK BIG challenge awards in these categories: Got Health? This challenge will focus on healthy people staying healthy and explore areas such as eating healthy, enhancing well-being, monitoring risk factors and engaging in daily exercise. I Am Not My Disease This challenge will tackle the presumption that people are defined by their disease and explore areas such as access to health data, health literacy and behavior modification. In addition, Mayo Clinic experts will guide winners for a year as they develop their concepts for market. Apply for the Mayo Clinic THINK BIG Challenge by Saturday, Aug. 15, at transformconference.mayo.edu/think-big. The THINK BIG competition will culminate on Thursday, Oct. 1, in Rochester, Minnesota, at the Transform 2015 conference, a gathering of industry leaders exploring the future of health and health care. Finalists will compete on stage in a live presentation. A panel of judges will select the winners with input from the Transform audience using smartphone technology. Media Contacts: Duska Anastasijevic, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu; Cathryn Kennedy, Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation, 612-309-3951, newsbureau@mayo.edu

ROCHESTER, Minn. – Mayo Clinic today has been named one of the best hospitals nationwide by U.S. News and World Report. Mayo Clinic earned more No. 1 rankings in individual specialties than any other provider based on reputation, services and volumes, safety and clinical outcomes. “This ranking underscores our long-standing commitment to provide the highest-quality care that best meets our patients’ needs,” says John Noseworthy, M.D., president and CEO, Mayo Clinic. “Mayo Clinic is fortunate to be ranked No. 1 in more specialties than any other hospital in the nation. We owe our success to staff members who dedicate themselves daily to this shared mission.” Mayo Clinic was second overall on U.S. News & World Report’s 2015-2016 Best Hospitals list and earned a No. 1 ranking in eight specialties: Diabetes and endocrinology Gastroenterology and gastrointestinal (GI) surgery Geriatrics Gynecology Nephrology Neurology and neurosurgery Pulmonology Urology Mayo Clinic has more No. 1 rankings than any other provider – a testament to the breadth and depth of excellence that yields the best, whole-person care for each patient every day. Mayo ranked No. 2 in three additional specialties – cardiology and heart surgery; ear, nose and throat; and orthopedics – and No. 3 in cancer. Mayo Clinic is ranked No. 1 in Minnesota, and No. 1 in Arizona and the Phoenix metro area. It was No. 4 in Florida and No. 1 in the Jacksonville metro area. Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire is recognized among the best hospitals in northwestern Wisconsin. MEDIA CONTACT: Mayo Clinic: Rhoda Madson 507-284-5005 newsbureau@mayo.edu

12 specialty areas in Arizona ranked nationally on the “Best Hospitals” list PHOENIX - Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix is ranked No. 1 in Arizona and the Phoenix metro area in the annual U.S. News & World Report America’s Best Hospital List released today. Hospitals included in the U.S. News Report such as the Mayo Clinic, are part of an elite group recognized for “breadth of excellence,” according to the magazine. Mayo Clinic in Arizona ranked nationally in 12 specialties including Cancer; Cardiology and Heart Surgery; Diabetes and Endocrinology; Ear, Nose and Throat; Gastroenterology and Gastroenterologic Surgery; Geriatrics; Gynecology; Nephrology; Neurology and Neurosurgery; Orthopedics; Pulmonology and Urology. “Recognitions like this are a testament to our skilled and compassionate staff who place patients' needs first every day,” says Wyatt Decker, M.D., vice president and chief executive officer for Mayo Clinic in Arizona. “Mayo Clinic has a long tradition and deep organizational commitment to delivering high-value health care that best meets patients’ needs. We take great pride in developing the most innovative treatments and care delivery models in an effort to best serve our patients. Examples include the proton beam and new cancer center facility now under construction on our Phoenix campus, as well as our telemedicine programs which are bringing much needed specialty expertise to rural parts of our state.” MEDIA CONTACT: Jim McVeigh, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 480-301-4522, Email: mcveigh.jim@mayo.edu

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — U.S. News & World Report again has named Mayo Clinic’s Florida campus to its annual list of “America’s Best Hospitals” published online today. Mayo Clinic is ranked No. 1 in the Jacksonville metro area, No. 4 in Florida and among the top 50 hospitals nationally in cancer, gastroenterology (GI) and GI surgery, geriatrics, and neurology and neurosurgery. The Florida campus also was recognized as high performing in diabetes and endocrinology, ear, nose and throat, gynecology, nephrology, orthopedics, pulmonology and urology. “This honor reflects the deep commitment of our staff to provide the highest quality of care to our patients every day,” says Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., CEO of Mayo Clinic’s Florida campus. “Our employees are critical to the success of Mayo Clinic. I’m extremely grateful for their dedication and commitment to making the patient experience the very best it can be.” Journalists: Sound bites from Dr. Farrugia are available in the downloads. MEDIA CONTACT: Kevin Punsky, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 904-953-0746, punsky.kevin@mayo.edu

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Researchers on Mayo Clinic’s Florida campus have identified key differences between patients with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease) and those with the most common genetic form of ALS, a mutation in the C9orf72 gene. Their findings, reported online today in Nature Neuroscience, demonstrate that ALS patients show abnormalities in levels and processing of ribonucleic acids (RNA), biological molecules that determine what gene information is used to guide protein synthesis. More than 30,000 Americans live with ALS, a condition that destroys motor neuron cells that control essential muscle activity, such as speaking, walking, breathing and swallowing. While increasing efforts are geared toward therapeutic development, an effective drug for ALS has yet to be identified, in large part because of our incomplete understanding of the disease. “Our results using advanced, modern laboratory techniques called next-generation sequencing, allowed us to acquire a library of new knowledge about patients with ALS,” says the study’s senior author, Leonard Petrucelli, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Neuroscience on Mayo Clinic’s Florida campus. Dr. Petrucelli and Hu Li, Ph.D., assistant professor of pharmacology on Mayo Clinic’s campus in Rochester, Minn., led a team of investigators who carefully analyzed the RNA from human brain tissues. They found that ALS brains had numerous RNA defects, compared to nondisease brains. They also predicted molecular events that may be altered due to the changes found in RNAs involved in pathways regulating those events and that may contribute to ALS.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Approximately 30,000–40,000 people die from liver disease each year, according to the American Liver Foundation. For people who experience acute liver failure, ...

PHOENIX – New diagnostic criteria were introduced this week for neuromyelitis optica, now called neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, which is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system that is sometimes mistaken for multiple sclerosis. An international consensus panel, chaired by Mayo Clinic neurologists Dean Wingerchuk, M.D., and Brian Weinshenker, M.D., reviewed the medical literature and recent scientific discoveries relating to NMOSD to develop new diagnostic criteria. The Guthy-Jackson Charitable Foundation sponsored this panel. NMOSD can affect the optic nerves, brain stem, spinal cord and brain. It can cause a spectrum of symptoms, including visual loss, paralysis and episodes of persistent hiccups, nausea and vomiting. Detection of aquaporin-4 immunoglobulin G antibodies (AQP4-IgG), using a blood test that was developed by Mayo Clinic investigators, is highly specific for NMOSD and facilitates the diagnosis. Some patients have the key features of NMOSD, but do not have detectable antibodies. The new criteria address both possibilities. MEDIA CONTACT: Jim McVeigh, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, Email:newsbureau@mayo.edu