AI caught a hidden problem in one patient’s heart. Can it work for others?

STAT 4/26/2021

… Specifically, the algorithm, created by physicians at Mayo Clinic, found Maercklein had an 81.49% probability of experiencing A-fib, a quivering or irregular heartbeat that can lead to heart failure and stroke. Just days later, after Maercklein agreed to participate in a research study, a wearable Holter monitor recorded an episode of A-fib while he was walking on a treadmill.

Mayo Clinic study underscores potential value of RABI-767

Healio News, 4/24/2021

Lamassu Pharma announced the development of its lead therapeutic compound, RABI-767, may fulfill the unmet clinical need for the treatment of patients with pancreatitis, according to a press release.

RABI-767 is a novel small molecule lipase inhibitor that is injected directly into the pancreas; in preclinical studies, it decreased the breakdown or release of unsaturated fats and saturated fats during acute pancreatitis attacks. The value of this therapeutic was underscored by recent Mayo Clinic research that found the rapid breakdown of unsaturated fat can worsen the course of severe acute pancreatitis leading to increased toxicity, organ failure and death.

How to gain control over burnout, the new American epidemic

SmartBrief, 4/21/2021

… Burnout was rearing its ugly head long before we were hit by the COVID shitstorm. The pandemic was merely an accelerant. A 2018 study in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings found that the rate of "overall burnout” among the general U.S. workforce was 28%.

‘Smart’ Approach Wins for Post-PCI Antiplatelet Prescribing 

TCTMD, 4/19/2021

… Charanjit Rihal, MD (Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN), who co-authored another meta-analysis of genetics-guided antiplatelet therapy published last month, told TCTMD there is now enough evidence to support changing the guidelines. All of the data “confirms that a smart approach to antiplatelet therapy may be the best thing for the community to gravitate toward,” he said. “It’s not the be all and end all, but it is an important determinant of outcomes. . . . I believe that all the evidence is converging, [and] that we as clinicians should begin to pay attention.”

Fact Check-Egg white should not be used to treat burns due to infection risk

Reuters Fact Check, 4/21/2021

… Dr. Matthew Sztajnkrycer, Emergency Medicine Physician at the non-profit academic medical center — the Mayo Clinic agreed, telling Reuters via email, “A major role of skin is to protect the body from infection […] Burns are very prone to infection and salmonella infection may be catastrophic.” Sztajnkrycer went on to explain how a recent medical study in Iran did find that patients whose burns were treated with an egg white-based ointment healed slightly faster, however he says this is “very different than simply placing raw egg white on a fresh burn” as this was a “very controlled study” where many patients were “excluded due to risk factors” and it was “performed by specially trained surgeons at a regional burn center.”

NOTE: Learn more about Matthew Sztajnkrycer, M.D., Ph.D., who also is the director, Emergency Medical Services Fellowship (Minnesota), Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science.

Novel Treatment Approach in Transthyretin Amyloidosis 

Medscape, 4/22/2021

Monthly intravenous (IV) infusions of PRX004 were generally safe and well tolerated at all dose levels tested, with 233 separate infusions given in total and each patient receiving between 3 and 17 infusions throughout the study. …

Commenting on the study for Medscape Medical News, Morie Gertz, MD, professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, who was not involved in the current work, said this was a completely new approach to treatment. "PRX0004 represents a monoclonal antibody that binds to the amyloid fibrils and stimulates phagocytosis dissolving existing amyloid deposits," he explained. "This phase 1 trial was primarily designed for toxicity; however, patients showed improvement in neurological impairment and the echocardiogram also improved in 7 patients," he noted.

5 Things You Need to Consider Before Taking Any Supplement 

SELF, 4/23/2021

If your morning routine involves tossing down a handful of dietary supplements in vague hopes of boosting your energy or warding off illness this week or disease down the line, you might want to dial back and rethink your approach—especially if you’re of the mindset that you don’t need to discuss your supplements regimen with your doctor.

Here’s why: Although dietary supplements can play a role in remedying a vitamin deficiency or nutritional imbalance, they’re generally unnecessary for people who have a well-rounded diet, and supplements might even pose health risks, Donald Hensrud, M.D., MPH, director of the Mayo Clinic Center Healthy Living Program, tells SELF. …

NOTE: Read the article for more from Dr. Hensrud.