The clinic has received a $2.5 million grant to study the possibility of using snake venom to reduce the damage from heart attacks.

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic say heart attacks in Olmsted County dropped by one-third after Minnesota adopted a law banning smoking in all workplaces, including bars and restaurants. The leader of Mayo's study tells Reuters other risk factors -- cholesterol, blood pressure, obesity -- stayed the same, leaving the reduction in second hand smoke as the apparent explanation for the decline.

A new report shows a dramatic decrease in heart attacks and cardiac deaths after a ban on smoking in workplaces in Olmsted County. "We're going to recommend that secondhand smoke be considered a sixth risk factor for coronary disease," said a doctor involved in the study.

The six-member team landed at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Saturday night. The researchers were monitoring a group of climbers to study how high altitude impacts the heart, lungs and sleep.

The Supreme Court sided unanimously with Mayo in a patent dispute with California-based Prometheus Laboratories. The clinic had used a blood test developed by Prometheus until 2004, when it developed its own in-house test. Prometheus sued for patent infringement, but Mayo argued that using test to measure a natural bodily process is not patent eligible.

Researchers are calling for more screening for the disease after a new study shows scarring from the infection can develop into liver cancer. MPR reports the study could have particular impact on the Somali community, where hepatitis C is more prevalent than suspected.

Doctors at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids are trying out a new technology aimed at clearing blockages that restrict blood flow to the heart, the Star Tribune reports. The Ilumien PCI Optimization System relies in part on infrared scanning.