Media coverage of Mayo Clinic research and expertise covered home cancer screening tests, youth vaping, several advancements in women's health, COVID-19 and many other topics. Read on for excerpts and links to the articles.

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Putting Faith Into Heart Health 

Minnesota Women's Press, 2/25/2021

Dr. LaPrincess Brewer, a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, grew up in Charlotte, NC, attending a Black church. She recalls, “I saw so many congregation members, who were like family to me, passing away from preventable chronic diseases, heart attacks and stroke. I carried these heartbreaks and memories with me throughout my training in medical school. Pursuing a career in cardiology would allow me to reach members of the population that are disproportionately affected.”

NOTE: Read article for more about Dr. Brewer and her research.

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How two pioneering sisters paved the way for women in medicine | Frank Buckley Interviews 

KTLA, 2/24/2021

NOTE: This podcast is an interview by Frank Buckley with Janice P. Nimura,  a writer and recipient of a Public Scholar Award from the National Endowment for the Humanities; and Nicole Sandhu, M.D., Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic general internal medicine doctor, educator and researcher.

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Inflammation, rheumatologic disorders and heart health 

KEYC, 2/26/2021

According to the Mayo Clinic, Rheumatic diseases are often grouped under the term “arthritis” — which is used to describe over 100 diseases and conditions. These cases of inflammation can have lasting effects on one’s heart health. Dr. Niti Aggarwal, a local Cardiologist at Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato, is weighing in on what you should know.

NOTE: Read article or watch news clip for more from Dr. Aggarwal.

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Depressed adolescents more physiologically reactive to acute social media use vs. controls

Healio News, 2/22/2021

Adolescents with depression were more physiologically reactive to acute social media use vs. controls, according to results of a prospective, cross-sectional study published in Journal of Psychiatric Research.

“In this study, we sought to assess the impact of acute [social media use] on clinical symptoms and physiological markers of stress in a sample of healthy and depressed adolescents,” Reem M.A. Shafi, MBBS, of the department of psychiatry and psychology at Mayo Clinic, and colleagues wrote. …

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New Uterine Fibroid Treatment Shows Promise

Everyday Health, 2/22/2021

Shown to reduce the symptoms and size of fibroid growths, the new oral combination therapy is undergoing FDA review.

…“Having alternative options that are not as invasive as hysterectomy is important, and it is exciting to hear the results of every study on medical therapy. One of the main concerns of women with symptomatic uterine fibroids is the ability to work and carry on normal activities without interference from heavy menstrual bleeding or other symptoms. Surgical procedures require a longer recovery time, so having medical therapy that is highly effective for the symptoms allows women to treat fibroids in a way that works with their schedules,” says Shannon Laughlin-Tommaso, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist at the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Laughlin-Tomaso was not involved with the new study.  

… There are other nonsurgical options such as lupron, a GnRH agonist. Elizabeth A. Stewart, MD, a coauthor of the study and a professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the division of reproductive endocrinology at Mayo Clinic and Mayo Medical School points out key differences between the combo therapy and lupron:  …

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Visual Interpretation of Tau PET Predicts Cognitive Decline

Medscape, 2/22/2021

A relatively simple and accessible Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved method of visually classifying flortaucipir PET accurately predicts cognitive deterioration, new research shows.

The results from two independent studies consistently showed that patients with a flortaucipir advanced tau pattern had greater mean deterioration across several clinical endpoints within 18 months.

… Commenting on the analysis for Medscape Medical News, David Knopman, MD, professor of neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, said its dataset was "very unique" in that it included such a large number of subjects with symptomatic cognitive impairment.

The results provide "important further validation" of the relevance of tau PET for cognition, and "suggest that a visual read, as opposed to a quantitative analysis, could work in clinical settings," said Knopman, who was not associated with the current research.

"Overall, the results provide a great demonstration of role of tauopathy in the AD spectrum." …

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How poor communication exacerbates health inequities – and what to do about it

Brookings, 2/22/2021

In the United States, we know that long-standing systemic health and social inequities increase the likelihood of poor outcomes or death for members of racial and ethnic minority groups. For example, Black babies are more likely to die before their first birthday, and Black women are more likely to die from childbirth-related causes than their white counterparts. The COVID-19 pandemic has also underscored the fact that economic and social circumstances, social determinants of health (SDOH), and maldistribution of resources contribute significantly to health inequity.

… Learning from such efforts and recognizing its troubled history with the non-white community in Baltimore, Johns Hopkins hospital has organized teams to go into communities and build trust with residents and their leaders, working with senior centers, churches, mosques, and other neighborhood settings. Since 2013 the Mayo Clinic has developed a similar partnership with Black churches in Minnesota, focused on cardiovascular disease and other chronic conditions. North Carolina and the Washington, D.C. area are among the places where community clinics are working closely with Black churches to build greater acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination. Trust-building approaches like these are urgently needed to increase the vaccination rate in non-white communities.

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Our eyes may provide early warning signs of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s

Washington Post, 2/27/2021

Forget the soul — it turns out the eyes may be the best window to the brain. Changes to the retina may foreshadow Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and researchers say a picture of your eye could assess your future risk of neurodegenerative disease. … Early detection “is sort of the holy grail,” said Ron Petersen, director of Mayo Clinic’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging. 

NOTE: Read the full article for more on the topic and from Dr. Petersen.

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Would ApoE Make a Better Therapeutic Target Than Aβ?

ALZFORUM, 2/26/2021

Although several anti-amyloid therapies in Alzheimer’s clinical trials melt away plaques, the process stresses blood vessels, causing tiny tears and fluid leakage into the brain. These morphological changes, dubbed amyloid-related imaging abnormalities, aka ARIA, can be detected by MRI. Could a therapy that goes after a different component of plaques clear them without causing ARIA?

… “[It] provides a clear rationale to pursue anti-ApoE based immunotherapy.” Guojun Bu at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, agreed. Bu is optimistic about the potential of ApoE-directed therapies. “These data will spur new interest in targeting ApoE, and diversify our portfolio for treating AD,” Bu said. …

NOTE: Read article for more from Dr. Bu and about the research.

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Bekaii-Saab Shares Suggested Sequencing Algorithm for Advanced HCC

OncLive, 2/26/2021

Tanios S. Bekaii-Saab, MD, FACP, shares his approach for treating patients with HCC across several lines of therapy and factors to consider when making sequencing decisions.

… In an interview with OncLive^® during the Institutional Perspectives in Cancer webinar on Gastrointestinal Malignancies, Bekaii-Saab, a medical oncologist; medical director, Cancer Clinical Research Office; and vice chair and section chief, Medical Oncology, Department of Intern, al Medicine at Mayo Clinic, shared his approach for treating patients with HCC across several lines of therapy and factors to consider when making sequencing decisions.

NOTE: Read the article on treating liver cancer for the full interview with Dr. Bekaii-Saab.

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Mayo Clinic on COVID-19 – treatments, vaccines and more.

• Injuries weren't the only concerns athletes dealt with this year, WXOW, 2/28/2021
• Until Kids Can Get Vaccinated, Families With Vulnerable Children Stuck In Limbo, WCCO, 2/26/2021
• Hospitalizations fall for 40 consecutive days; masks may be needed in 2022, Fauci says — 6 COVID-19 updates, Becker's Hospital review, 2/22/2021
• FDA vaccine advisers recommend authorization of Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine, KDRV, 2/26/2021
• Mayo Clinic Talks COVID-19 Vaccine and Kids, Spectrum News 1, 2/25/2021
• Scientists get serious about mixing and matching COVID-19 vaccines , Los Angeles Times, 2/27/2021
• Pfizer will test a booster shot and develop an adapted vaccine to address variant concerns., The New York Times, 2/25/202
• 'What's Wrong With Me?' Young COVID Survivors Battle Long-Haul Symptoms, HealthDay, 2/23/2021
• Can you get COVID-19 twice? First Coast News, 2/24/2021
• Pediatric COVID-19 vaccine may be available by the end of 2021 , First Coast News, 2/24/2021
• Mayo Clinic doctor says obesity can impact the COVID-19 vaccine, KIMT, 2/22/2021
• Miraculous COVID recovery highlights call for plasma donations, KARE 11, 2/25/2021
• Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine works well in big 'real world' test, NBC News, 2/24/2021
• Miraculous COVID recovery highlights call for plasma donations, KARE 11, 2/25/2021
• Minnesota's COVID cases are down, but for how long? Star Tribune, 2/27/2021
• Doctors explain the gradual road to “herd immunity”,  WXOW, 2/28/2021
• Mayo expert: COVID vaccine may be available to youth 12 and over by early fall, La Crosse Tribune, 2/25/2021

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Tags: addiction research, Alzheimer's disease, Aminah Jatoi, anaphylaxis, arthritis, basic science, bladder cancer, BRCA1, BRCA2, cancer screening, clinical research, cognitive impairment, colorectal cancer, community engagement, COVID-19, Daniel Ahn, David Knopman, depression, dermatology, education, emergency department, Findings, Guojun Bu, gynecology, health disparities, health sciences research, heart attack, hematology, hepatology, inflammation, Innovations, J. Taylor Hays, Jeffrey Salisbury, LaPrincess Brewer, liver cancer, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Mayo Clinic Health System, Mayo Clinic Study of Aging, microscopy, multiple chronic conditions, News, News of the Week, Nicole Sandhu, Nicotine Dependence Center, Niti Aggarwal, Parkinson's disease, pediatric research, People, proton beam therapy, psychiatry, psychology, Reem Shafi, research education, rheumatology, Robert Mutter, Ronald Petersen, Shannon Laughlin-Tommaso, social media, Stephanie Faubion, Stephen Boorjian, stroke, Tanios Bekaii-Saab, University of Minnesota, uterine fibroids, vaccines, vaping, women's health