Mayo Clinic

Ovary Removal Before Menopause Increases Risk of Parkinson's Disease and Parkinsonism

August 29, 2007 -- ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic researchers have shown that women who had one or both ovaries removed before menopause faced an increased long-term risk of Parkinson's disease and of several related conditions known as parkinsonism, compared to women who retained their ovaries. To protect against these conditions, estrogen replacement therapy may be warranted for women who had their ovaries removed before menopause. Ovaries are responsible for estrogen production.    » read more »

August 15, 2007 -- Mayo Clinic researchers have identified the first immune molecule that appears to play a role in prostate cancer development and in predicting cancer recurrence and progression after surgery. The report on the B7-H3 molecule by Mayo Clinic Cancer Center appears today in Cancer Research.    » read more »

June 19, 2007 -- A new Mayo Clinic study found that liver transplantation can be performed safely in patients who are considered medically obese. Mayo researchers will report their findings on June 22 at the International Liver Transplantation Society's Annual International Congress in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.    » read more »

Findings detect 90-fold increased risk of developing disease; predict age of onset

June 14, 2007 -- ROCHESTER, Minn. -- A new Mayo Clinic study provides strong evidence that the joint effects of common DNA variations in several genes that encode proteins within a well-defined biological pathway largely explain why some persons get Parkinson's disease while others don't, and even predict with great accuracy at what age people might develop their first symptoms.

The findings are published in the June 15 issue of PLoS Genetics.    » read more »

It's a coping strategy with many benefits

June 05, 2007 -- ROCHESTER, Minn. -- A cancer diagnosis doesn't dictate the end of exercise and activity. The June issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource covers how exercise can help people with cancer, during and after treatment.

Numerous studies have shown that regular physical activity and exercise help control cancer side effects, help maintain muscle tone and stamina, reduce stress, improve overall health and possibly improve survival.    » read more »

June 05, 2007 -- ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Chest pains, abdominal pain and unexplained bleeding are good reasons to seek immediate medical care. Other reasons to seek immediate medical care are less well known. The June issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter covers 10 symptoms not to ignore:    » read more »

June 02, 2007 -- CHICAGO -- A unique examination of one treatment center's use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in new breast cancer patients has found MRI to be superior to mammography in finding additional tumors in a breast in which cancer has already been diagnosed, and in detecting new tumors in a patient's supposedly healthy breast.    » read more »

"Sudden death" disorder a challenge to diagnosis, but improper diagnosis has serious implications

May 31, 2007 -- ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) can be lethal if not diagnosed -- yet recent increased awareness of the disorder may lead to diagnosing patients when they don't have the syndrome and then prescribing treatments that restrict patients' lifestyles, a new Mayo Clinic study shows.    » read more »

May 09, 2007 -- ROCHESTER, Minn. -- A class of drugs called bisphosphonates has become the new mainstay treatment for postmenopausal women diagnosed with osteoporosis in the post-hormone-replacement era. Taking just one pill a week, or even one a month, may prevent, slow or stop the breakdown and progress of this bone-thinning condition, according to the May issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource.    » read more »

May 10, 2007 -- ROCHESTER, Minn. -- A Mayo Clinic research team led by neurologist David Knopman, M.D. will join a nationwide consortium of leading Alzheimer's disease researchers in a large-scale clinical trial evaluating the effectiveness of omega-3 fatty acids in slowing the progression of Alzheimer's disease.    » read more »

New online feature helps reduce your exposure to allergy-causing substances

May 08, 2007 -- ROCHESTER, Minn. -- An estimated 50 million people in the United States, approximately 20 percent of the population, suffer from allergies -- a figure that has doubled in the last decade.

Seasonal allergies or hay fever are the most prevalent, affecting approximately 35 million Americans. MayoClinic.com offers help for people with all types of allergies, including hay fever and seasonal allergies.    » read more »

May 03, 2007 -- BOSTON -- A new application for deep brain stimulation (DBS), a 10-year-old advanced surgical treatment, could be to reduce cluster headache occurrences, according to Mayo Clinic neurologists. They cite the case of a 51-year-old man who suffered about 100 disabling cluster headaches every month for two years -- an average of 3.5 a day, despite high doses of medications intended to control them. Now, he has 0 to 30 attacks a month as the result of this new application of deep brain stimulation.    » read more »

Diabetes may increase risk of Alzheimer's

May 02, 2007 -- ROCHESTER, Minn. -- An article on MayoClinic.com sheds light on the possible connection between diabetes and Alzheimer's disease and offers advice on how to reduce the risk of getting both conditions.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, a general term for a group of conditions that gradually destroy brain cells and lead to progressive decline in mental function. More than 5 million people in the United States have Alzheimer's disease.    » read more »

Less Common for Individuals with More Education

May 02, 2007 -- BOSTON -- In one of the largest studies of mental functioning in people 70 to 89 years old, Mayo Clinic researchers examined 1,953 people and found that the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment is higher in men, and that it is linked to age and to duration of formal education. Older elderly people had more mild cognitive impairment, and more-educated people had less mild cognitive impairment.    » read more »

Possible therapy target for Friedreich's ataxia

April 24, 2007 -- ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Friedreich's ataxia is one of those diseases few have heard of unless you know someone with the condition. For that individual -- usually a child or teenager -- it is devastating. Symptoms are mild at first: muscle weakness in the arms and legs, vision impairment and slurred speech, but eventually the symptoms progress and most patients become wheelchair-bound and succumb to heart failure later in life.    » read more »