News Releases - March 2015 Archives

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G55tlheAfAg PHOENIX — The shortage of kidneys needed for organ transplantation in the U.S. can be alleviated in part by using select kidneys with Acute Kidney Injury (AKI), resulting in safe and positive outcomes, according to research conducted at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. Results of the single-site study, led by Raymond Heilman, M.D., Chair of the Division of Nephrology, suggest that acutely injured kidneys from deceased donors can be considered for transplantation — reconsidering previous thinking that such kidneys should be discarded. Kidneys can result in acute injury when the organ ceases to function, generally caused by heavy blood loss, severe infection, extreme dehydration and some medications.  At the same time, according to Dr. Heilman, “The kidney has a remarkable ability to regenerate parts of the organ that weren’t working.” MEDIA CONTACT: Lynn Closway, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 480-301-4337, closway.lynn@mayo.edu

ROCHESTER, Minn. ― Here are highlights from the March issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter. You may cite this publication as often as you wish. Reprinting is allowed for a fee. Mayo Clinic Health Letter attribution is required. Include the following subscription information as your editorial policies permit: Visit http://healthletter.mayoclinic.com/ or call toll-free for subscription information, 1-800-333-9037, extension 9771. Full newsletter text: Mayo Clinic Health Letter March 2015 (for journalists only). Alternate medications to manage chronic pain Pain medications might not work well for chronic pain ― pain that doesn’t go away with time. The March issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter covers other types of medications and strategies to consider as part of long-term pain management. Deciding on potential drug therapy for chronic pain usually involves analysis of the cause or causes of pain and knowing which type of drugs may be beneficial. Pain medications typically work well for pain resulting from headache, an injury or surgery. These same medications can lose their effectiveness over time, and some may even make pain worse or cause unacceptable side effects. Other options include: MEDIA CONTACT: Brian Kilen, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fMY6vJ5kig The Mayo Clinic Center for Tuberculosis,  a regional training and consultation center at Mayo Clinic's campus in Rochester, Minn, is today launching a new medical journal, the Journal of Clinical Tuberculosis and Other Mycobacterial Diseases. The online journal is published by Elsevier. “We believe that the Journal of Clinical Tuberculosis and Other Mycobacterial Diseases fills an unmet need by providing a platform for the dissemination of the results of clinically relevant research,” say the editors in their inaugural editorial for the publication. They also cite the continue spread of tuberculosis as a global health problem, making it the second greatest cause of death from infectious diseases after HIV. “We are very excited that we are launching this journal on World TB Day and hope that it will effectively advance new knowledge that will ultimately help end this terrible disease,” says Editor-in-Chief Zelalem Temesgen, M.D [Za-La-Lum Tah-mezg-in]. Two other Mayo Clinic physician-researchers, Stacey Rizza, M.D. and John Wilson, M.D., will serve as associate editors. All three are members of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Mayo Clinic and members of the tuberculosis center. An editorial board composed of leading experts in the field from around the globe has already been established to help advance the journal's mission. MEDIA CONTACT: Bob Nellis, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, Email: newsbureau@mayo.edu

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Researchers at Mayo Clinic have shown that it is possible to detect endometrial cancer using tumor DNA picked up by ordinary tampons. The new approach specifically examines DNA samples from vaginal secretions for the presence of chemical “off” switches — known as methylation — that can disable genes that normally keep cancer in check. The finding is a critical step toward a convenient and effective screening test for endometrial cancer, which is the most common gynecologic malignancy in the United States. The results are published in the journal Gynecologic Oncology. “Unfortunately, there is no equivalent to a Pap smear or a mammogram for endometrial cancer,” says Jamie Bakkum-Gamez, M.D., a gynecologic oncologist at Mayo Clinic and lead author of the study. “We know that the earlier a woman is diagnosed, the better the likelihood is that she is going to have a positive outcome from cancer treatment. Our goal is to use our findings to develop a tool for the early detection of endometrial cancer that women could use in the comfort of their own homes.” MEDIA CONTACT: Joe Dangor, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu Journalists: Several sound bites with Dr. Bakkum-Gamez are available in the download link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiRs12umn2w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXO2biVeBtg EMBARGO: Monday, March 23, at (11 am ET), JAMA Internal Medicine A Mayo Clinic study has identified a familial association in spontaneous coronary artery dissection, a type of heart attack that most commonly affects younger women, suggesting a genetic predisposition to the condition, researchers say. The results are published in the March 23 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine. Researchers used the Mayo Clinic SCAD Registry of 412 enrollees to identify five familial cases of SCAD, comprised of three pairs of first-degree relatives (mother-daughter, identical twin sisters, sisters) and two pairs of second-degree relatives (aunt and niece, and first cousins). Researchers believe this is the first study to identify SCAD as an inherited disorder. MEDIA CONTACT: Traci Klein, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, email: newsbureau@mayo.edu Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Hayes and SCAD animation are available in the downloads. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8cnxywenMQ

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — By examining more than 3,600 postmortem brains, researchers at Mayo Clinic’s campuses in Jacksonville, Florida, and Rochester, Minnesota, have found that the progression of dysfunctional tau protein drives the cognitive decline and memory loss seen in Alzheimer’s disease. Amyloid, the other toxic protein that characterizes Alzheimer’s, builds up as dementia progresses, but is not the primary culprit, they say. The findings, published in Brain, offer new and valuable information in the long and ongoing debate about the relative contribution of amyloid and tau to the development and progression of cognitive dysfunction in Alzheimer’s, says the study’s lead author, Melissa Murray, Ph.D., a neuroscientist at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. MEDIA CONTACT: Kevin Punsky, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 904-953-0746, punsky.kevin@mayo.edu Journalists: Video is available in the downloads. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=452BcXATI4c  

ROCHESTER, Minn – Researchers at Mayo Clinic developed a new scoring system to help determine which elderly people may be at a higher risk of developing the memory and thinking problems that can lead to dementia.  The study is published in the March 18, 2015, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. “Our goal is to identify people who are at the highest risk for dementia as early as possible” said study author Ronald Petersen, M.D., Ph.D., Chester and Debbie Cadieux Director of the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Cora Kanow Professor of Alzheimer’s Disease Research and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. MEDIA CONTACT: Duska Anastasijevic, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Petersen are available in the downloads. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaDwMzxrfRw&feature=youtu.be

Rochester, Minn. - Mayo Clinic research finds direct evidence of gadolinium deposition in neuronal tissues following intravenous administration of gadolinium-based contrast agents used in MRI exams. The findings were recently published online in the journal Radiology. In this study, Mayo Clinic identified patients who donated their body to medical research and had undergone multiple gadolinium contrast-enhanced MRI exams during their lifetime. Brain tissue samples from these patients were then compared to donors who had never received a gadolinium contrast agent. The patients exposed to the gadolinium contrast had measurable quantities of gadolinium deposited in their brain tissue, whereas those never exposed to gadolinium had none. Researchers were able to directly measure gadolinium concentrations and visualize patterns of deposition in brain tissues. "Given that these agents are administered millions of times every year, this is an important discovery,"  says study author, Laurence Eckel, M.D., radiologist, Mayo Clinic. MEDIA CONTACT: Rebecca Eisenman, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, email: newsbureau@mayo.edu

ROCHESTER, Minn. – Increasingly high prices for cancer drugs are affecting patient care in the U.S. and the American health care system overall, say the authors of a special article published online in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings. “Americans with cancer pay 50 percent to 100 percent more for the same patented drug than patients in other countries,” says S. Vincent Rajkumar, M.D., of Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, who is one of the authors. “As oncologists we have a moral obligation to advocate for affordable cancer drugs for our patients.” Dr. Rajkumar and his colleague, Hagop Kantarjian, M.D., of MD Anderson Cancer Center, say the average price of cancer drugs for about a year of therapy increased from $5,000 to $10,000 before 2000 to more than $100,000 by 2012. Over nearly the same period the average household income in the U.S. decreased by about 8 percent. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0Ah9Ef1ZM4

SAN DIEGO — Healthy young adults who don’t consume caffeine regularly experienced greater rise in resting blood pressure after consumption of a commercially available energy drink — compared to a placebo drink — thus raising the concern that energy drinks may increase the risk of cardiac events, Mayo Clinic researchers found. Results of the study will be presented Saturday, March 14, at the American College of Cardiology’s 64th Annual Scientific Session in San Diego. In this study, researchers alternately gave a can of a commercially available energy drink or a placebo drink to 25 healthy young adults, age 19 to 40, and assessed changes in heart rate and blood pressure. Blood pressure and heart rate were recorded before and 30 minutes after energy drink/placebo drink consumption, and were also compared between caffeine-naïve participants (those consuming less than 160 mg of caffeine per day,  the amount frequently found in a cup of coffee) and regular caffeine users (those consuming more than 160 mg of caffeine per day).

SAN DIEGO — People exposed to prolonged periods of shortened sleep have significant increases in blood pressure during nighttime hours, Mayo Clinic researchers report in a small study of eight participants. Results of the study will be presented Sunday, March 15, at the American College of Cardiology’s 64th Annual Scientific Session in San Diego. In this study, eight healthy, normal weight participants, ages 19 to 36, participated in a 16-day inpatient protocol, consisting of a four-day acclimation period followed by nine days of either sleep restriction (four hours of sleep per night) or normal sleep (nine hours of sleep per night), and three days of recovery. Twenty-four blood pressure monitoring at regular intervals was measured at each study phase. During the nighttime, in the sleep restriction phase compared to the normal sleep phase, systolic (top number) and diastolic (bottom number) blood pressure  averaged 115/64 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) versus 105/57 mm Hg, respectively, researchers found. Furthermore, the expected fall in blood pressure during the night was suppressed when subjects had inadequate sleep. They also found that nighttime heart rate was higher with sleep restriction than in normal sleep.

WHAT: Mayo Clinic will testify to the Minnesota House Health and Human Services Reform Committee regarding the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact and Minnesota Telemedicine Act. Each year, Mayo Clinic physicians see people from all 50 states. Advances in technology are helping patients who may be faced with long-distance travel and logistical hurdles connect with Mayo Clinic’s specialized health care providers easier and faster. However, the patchwork of state-by-state medical licensing rules presents a costly and time-consuming barrier to telehealth care delivery. WHO: Steve Ommen, M.D., medical director of Center for Connected Care, Mayo Clinic WHERE: 10 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, St. Paul, MN 55155 WHEN: Friday, Mar. 13th at 10 a.m. CT NOTE: House television webcast and mobile streaming schedule MEDIA CONTACT: Rebecca Eisenman, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284 5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu.