News Releases - September 2013 Archives

ROCHESTER, Minn. —The Mayo Clinic Center for Humanities in Medicine invites the public to a free lecture entitled "The Amygdala and the Stethoscope: How Emotions ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Sept. 19, 2013 — Mayo Clinic researchers have shown that a specific protein pair may be a successful prognostic biomarker for identifying smoking-related lung cancers. The protein — ASCL1 — is associated with increased expression of the RET oncogene, a particular cancer-causing gene called RET. The findings appear in the online issue of the journal Oncogene. Journalists: For multimedia resources and membership, visit the Mayo Clinic News Network. "This is exciting because we've found what we believe to be a 'drugable target' here," says George Vasmatzis, Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic molecular medicine researcher and senior author on the study. "It's a clear biomarker for aggressive adenocarcinomas. These are the fast-growing cancer cells found in smokers' lungs."

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Lillian Shirley traveled from central Florida to Jacksonville for treatment of a kidney problem because of Mayo Clinic's efficiency. While waiting for ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Sept. 18, 2013 — A genetic mutation, known as GBA, that leads to early onset of Parkinson's disease and severe cognitive impairment (in about 4 to 7 percent of all patients with the disease) also alters how specific lipids, ceramides and glucosylceramides are metabolized. Mayo Clinic researchers have found that Parkinson's patients who do not carry the genetic mutation also have higher levels of these lipids in the blood. Further, those who had Parkinson's and high blood levels were also more likely to have cognitive impairment and dementia. The research was recently published online in the journal PLOS ONE. MULTIMEDIA ALERT: For audio and video of Dr. Mielke talking about the study, visit Mayo Clinic News Network. The discovery could be an important warning for those with Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's disease. There is no biomarker to tell who is going to develop the disease — and who is going to develop cognitive impairment after developing Parkinson's, says Michelle Mielke, Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic researcher and first author of the study.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Sept. 18, 2013 —Mayo Clinic is one of six new federally-funded Comprehensive Metabolomics (met-ah-bol-OH-mics) Centers to support medical research on metabolomics — the study, at the cellular level, of how molecules are metabolized in the body. The award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is for $8.8 million over five years. "It is certainly an honor to be selected as one of the six national centers which will serve as resources for universities and other research institutions. This offers a tremendous opportunity for Mayo Clinic to be a national leader in this emerging research area," says K. Sreekumaran Nair, M.D., Ph.D., Mayo Clinic endocrinologist and principal investigator on the grant, as well as head of Mayo's Comprehensive Metabolomics Core facility.

ROCHESTER, Minn. —The public is invited to enjoy four Rosemary and Meredith Willson Harmony for Mayo Program concerts in October. Performances will be on Mondays from ...

Findings provide insights for new, targeted cancer therapies in clinical trials SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Researchers have discovered why multiple myeloma, a difficult to cure ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Sept. 17, 2013  — Products that help motivate and track non-exercise activity may be eligible for NEAT product certification and to use the NEAT trademark from Mayo Clinic Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, known as NEAT™, focuses on the daily calories a person burns while doing normal, non-exercise activity. Examples of these activities are walking to meetings, pacing while on the phone, cleaning the house, cooking, folding laundry, climbing stairs or standing while talking to a friend. Not included are the calories burned during intense periods of exercise, such as long-distance biking, running, jogging or aerobics.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Sept. 17, 2013 —For more than 30 years, cochlear implants have been making a profound impact in the lives of deaf or severely hard of hearing children and adults by restoring their ability to hear. The program at Mayo Clinic was one of the earliest in the country to offer cochlear implants to patients when they were first approved. This month, Mayo Clinic surgeons performed surgery on their 1,000th cochlear implant patient. The patient, a 44-year-old man from northern Minnesota, lost his hearing more than three months ago due to a medical condition; this week, he was able to hear sounds again. MULTIMEDIA ALERT: Video and audio are available for download on the Mayo Clinic News Network. "I think it might be impossible to overstate the profound impact that these devices have on people," says Colin Driscoll, M.D., an otolaryngologist at Mayo Clinic. "The first day you turn it on everyone is emotional. It's a scary time sometimes, but it's also an exciting time."

APPLETON, Wis. — Sept. 17, 2013 — ThedaCare today announced it is the newest member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, giving ThedaCare specialist physicians direct access to Mayo Clinic experts and clinical resources, including eConsults and AskMayoExpert. These tools, among others, will enhance the support available to manage complex patient care. ThedaCare is the first member located in the state of Wisconsin. MULTIMEDIA ALERT: Click here to retrieve video and photography from the Mayo Clinic News Network. Bill Fletcher, M.D., ThedaCare cardiologist and physician champion for the collaboration, sees many benefits to membership in the network.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Sept. 16, 2013 — From Promise to Practice is the title and the main message of the second annual Individualizing Medicine Conference at Mayo Clinic, Sept. 30-Oct. 2. Physicians from more than 40 states and several countries will be arriving in Minnesota to hear and learn about the latest developments and research in genomic research and how to move these discoveries into the medical practice. "Our goal is to inform practicing physicians, but other care providers, students, media and the public as well," says Richard Weinshilboum, M.D., chair of this year's conference held by Mayo Clinic's Center for Individualized Medicine. "Individualizing prevention, diagnosis and treatment is the core of medical genomics and the future of medicine. Even if you missed the last 13 years since the mapping of the human genome, we'll help you catch up in three days."

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – A simple treatment that involves transplanting healthy feces into a patient suffering from a debilitating and sometimes deadly infection of the colon ...