News Releases - March 2015 Archives

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic announced today the release of a new book, “Caring for the Heart: Mayo Clinic and the Rise of Specialization.” This historical book weaves together three important themes: major developments in the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease in the 20th Century, how Mayo Clinic evolved from a family practice in Minnesota into one of the world's leading medical centers, and how the invention of new technologies and procedures promoted specialization among physicians and surgeons. “Caring for the Heart” (Oxford, Hardcover Original, 704 Pages, $39.95, ISBN: 9780199982356) is written for general readers as well as health care professionals, historians and policy analysts. Unlike traditional institutional or disease-focused histories, this book places individuals and events in national and international contexts that emphasize the interplay of medical, scientific, technological, social, political, and economic forces that have resulted in contemporary heart care. Patient stories and media perspectives are included throughout to help general readers understand the medical and technological developments that are described. The book is written so that readers may pick and choose the chapters of most interest to them. Another feature of the book is that readers may follow the stories without looking at the notes. Those who are interested in delving deeper into the main topics will find references that offer greater detail and additional perspectives. The descriptions and interpretations that fill the book benefit from the fact that the author has been a practicing cardiologist and medical historian for almost four decades. MEDIA CONTACT: Traci Klein, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, email: newsbureau@mayo.edu

ROCHESTER, MINN — Study results of one-year data for more than 12,000 patients who had transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in the United States show an overall one-year death rate of 23.7 percent and a stroke rate of 4.1 percent, according to a study published in the March 10 issue of JAMA. “Transcatheter aortic valve replacement has become transformational for patients who need a new valve and are at high-risk for surgery or inoperable. But we have been lacking long-term data for this group of patients who are considering this procedure,” says study lead author David R. Holmes, Jr., M.D., a Mayo Clinic interventional cardiologist. “Before this study, we only had 30-day information. This is a milestone and will help us better guide patients and learn as physicians.” For the study, researchers used the Transcatheter Valve Therapies Registry, developed by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the American College of Cardiology, combining 12,182 TAVR patient procedures performed from November 2011 through June 2013 and linking to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrative claims for one-year data using direct Medicare patient identifiers (name and social security numbers). Other important results from the study are:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2GPtZhos5Y&feature=youtu.be A new class of drugs identified and validated by Mayo Clinic researchers along with collaborators at Scripps Research Institute and others, clearly reduces health problems in mice by limiting the effect of senescent cells — cells that contribute to frailty and diseases associated with age. The researchers say this is a first step toward developing similar treatments for aging patients. Their findings appear today in the journal Aging Cell.  “If translatable to humans — which makes sense as we were using human cells in many of the tests – this type of therapy could keep the effects of aging at bay and significantly extend the healthspan of patients,” says James Kirkland, M.D., Ph.D., head of the Mayo Clinic Kogod Center on Aging and senior author of the study.  The drugs — called senolytics — selectively kill senescent cells without harming nearby cells and tissue, to reduce heart and vascular problems, muscle weakness, osteoporosis, and neurological problems. Senescent cells are cells that appear with aging and at sites of many age-related diseases. They produce factors that can damage the cells and tissues around them and at a distance, amplifying their effects. In many examples, the drugs caused significant and visible reduction of multiple conditions after just one dose – and remained therapeutic for up to seven months. The researchers say that this long lasting effect is consistent with a change in cellular or tissue composition. MEDIA CONTACT: Bob Nellis, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, Email: newsbureau@mayo.edu

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Inhaled Nitric Oxide (iNO) is a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration that is commonly used in term and near-term neonates who have severe respiratory failure caused by pulmonary hypertension. Over the last decade there have been multiple large studies trying to determine a clinical use for iNO in preterm neonates, but despite evidence of short-term benefit, this drug has not been shown to improve long-term outcomes in preemies. Still, the drug is commonly being used in this population, Mayo Clinic Children’s Center and co-authors say in a study published today in the journal Pediatrics. A 2011 statement released by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) indicated that available evidence did not support the routine use of iNO in preterm neonates and discouraged the use of this expensive therapy in preterm neonates. In 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a report with similar statements. MEDIA CONTACT: Kelley Luckstein, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, email: newsbureau@mayo.edu

Mayo Clinic fellows and residents publishing weekly practical case studies on the Mayo Medical Laboratories blog for medical professionals around the world. ROCHESTER, Minn. — A dark purplish blob (a.k.a., a karyosome) floats randomly next to perfectly pink circles. Electric yellow spots stand out in a sea of stained dark blue cells, viewed at 40 times the original magnification. For a pathologist, this unique “artwork” provides vital information that will unlock needed medical diagnoses for sick patients. These scientific images — combined with brief patient descriptions — comprise Mayo Clinic PathWays — an online learning tool for pathologists and for those who enjoy learning about medicine. Mayo Medical Laboratories and Mayo Clinic’s Laboratory Medicine and Pathology Graduate Medical Education Office have developed this case-study tool that will offer weekly “challenges” posted to the Mayo Medical Laboratories website. MEDIA CONTACT: Gina Chiri-Osmond, Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic reports a strong 2014 performance, including providing direct care for more than 1.3 million people, contributions of $410 million to its pension plan as a commitment to employees, and plans for a $1.5 billion investment to fund information technology infrastructure. “Whether viewed through the lens of quality, patient outcomes, research advances, operational performance or sharing our knowledge with the world — by all measures, we had an extraordinary year,” says John Noseworthy, M.D., president and CEO, Mayo Clinic. “That success allowed us to reinvest in our people, our infrastructure and our mission so we can better serve our patients.” “As a nonprofit organization, it’s important for us to not only reinvest in our technology infrastructure, but also invest in our employees,” says Jeff Bolton, vice president, administration, Mayo Clinic. To that end, Mayo Clinic made an additional contribution of $190 million to its pension fund, bringing the total 2014 contribution to $410 million. This additional investment was necessary to ensure Mayo Clinic will meet its commitment to current and future retirees. “Our financial performance gives us the flexibility to invest in new initiatives that will help our patients,” says Kedrick Adkins Jr., Mayo chief financial officer. These funds are committed to mission-advancing projects. The funding includes five areas of focus, Adkins says: Information technology infrastructure: $1.5 billion over multiple years to fund a new electronic health record and revenue cycle management system, network refresh and data transaction security upgrades. Employee pension plan: $410 million contribution in 2014. This includes an originally planned $220 million contribution and an additional $190 million contribution as a commitment to fully fund the pension plan for employees. Practice innovation: approximately $200 million in 2014 which includes funding of Mayo’s three hybrid centers — individualized medicine, regenerative medicine and the science of health care delivery — as well as Mayo Clinic practice priorities and information knowledge management activities. Education: $275 million in 2014 funding for educational activities. Research: $648 million in 2014 funding for research activities — $276 million from Mayo and $372 million from external resources.

Disparities in the level of awareness and knowledge of breast density exist among U.S. women, according to the results of a Mayo Clinic study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Breast density is the term used to describe the variation in dense tissue on a mammogram image. Fatty breast tissue appears more radiologically translucent than dense (fibroglandular) breast tissue. Regions of a breast that comprise fatty tissue will appear darker on a mammogram, while regions that comprise dense tissue appear whiter. Increased breast density has been shown to mask cancers on the mammogram as well as to be associated with future risk of breast cancer. Recent legislation in several states mandates that women be given information about breast density in order to guide decisions about breast cancer screening. Researchers conducted a national cross-sectional survey of 2,311 women ages 40 to 74 in English and Spanish. The survey response rate was 65 percent. Overall, more than half of women who responded (58 percent) had heard of breast density, 49 percent were aware that breast density affects breast cancer detection and 53 percent knew that breast density is associated with cancer risk. MEDIA CONTACT: Joe Dangor, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu.