Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: The management of active thyroid eye disease (TED) remains controversial. High dose intravenous methylprednisolone (IVMP) is the current recommended first-line treatment based on EUGOGO guidance. Such therapy has the potential for serious adverse effects. We present the outcomes of an alternative approach in the management of moderate-to-severely active TED, using steroid-sparing agents (SSAs) in conjunction with IVMP. Methotrexate is used as the first-line SSA a...

Introduction: Anti-thyroidal drug (ATD) therapy is a treatment of choice for Graves’ disease because of its effectiveness and low rate of adverse effect. Response to ATD or remission rate varies among individuals, although there were few useful clues for prediction of treatment response. We applied neural network model to predict response to methimazole, based on clinical symptoms at initial clinical symptoms.Methods & Design: We reviewed 20 new...

Background: IL-37, member of the IL-1 family, is a natural suppressor of immune and inflammatory responses. Increased serum IL-37 levels were observed in several autoimmune diseases, including Graves’ disease. No data on TH are available from the literature.Materials and methods: We enrolled 45 euthyroid HT patients (5 M e 40 F, mean age 38.5±12.6) and 50 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. None was on LT-4 therapy. Smokers, subjects with ki...

Introduction: Recently, Th17 cells and their cytokines were identified to play an important role in the pathogenesis of thyroid autoimmunity. IL-23, produced by antigen presenting cells, is required for survival and differentiation of Th17 cells, and is known to guide T cells toward the Th17 phenotype. Its serum levels are increased in several autoimmune diseases, including Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT), however, the expression level of IL-23 within thyroid tissue assessed...

Laser ablation of thyroid nodules has been used for the last two decads (Pacella et al, 2000). Surprisingly, complications are less frequent in patients treated without anesthesia, probably because eventual pain is an useful alarm symptom, leading the operator to repositioning the fiber during the procedure (Pacella et al., 2015).Material and methods: A total of 32 patients were included, without using local anesthesia. Nodules were solid, 5–72 ml v...

Introduction: Ectopic benign thyroid tissue outside the normal migration path of the thyroid is an extremely rare condition that, to our knowledge, has never been described in the orbit.Clinical case: 75-year-old woman with nodular thyroid was referred to Vilnius University Hospital Santariskiu Klinikos for fine needle aspiration biopsy. Her complaints were palpitations, difficulty swallowing, diplopia, exophthalmos with medial and –superio...

Background: Circadian rhythmicity is generated by a set of genes including Period3. Changes in the expression of Period3 and other clock genes have been linked with regulation of the immune system. Period3 polymorphisms have been associated with circadian disruption and so immune system dysregulation and altered secretion of several cytokines, which can lead to inflammatory and autoimmune disorders.Aim: To investigate the influence of a polymorphism in P...

Introduction: First described in 2009, IgG4-related thyroid disease includes several subcategories: Riedel’s thyroiditis, fibrous variant of Hashimoto thyroiditis (FVHT), IgG4-related Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) and Graves’ disease with elevated IgG4. It is rare, with most cases described in Japan and characterized by increased IgG4 plasma cells at immunostaining.Case Report: A 59-year-old Caucasian women, without known Asian ancestry, was obser...

Background: Hypothyroidism and low T3 syndrome frequently occur in HF patients.Aim of the study: To evaluate in a large sample of CHF patients the association between thyroid hormone deficiencies and poor outcome.Methods and results: From 2006 to 2015, we screened 712 consecutive CHF outpatients (551 males, 64±14 years, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 33±10%, NYHA class 2.3±0.6, NTproBNP 2153±4696 pg/m...

Background: Hypothyroidism (HT) has been demonstrated to be associated to heart failure (HF) progression.Aim of the study: To evaluate the impact of HT on the progression of HF during a long-term follow-up.Methods: From 2006 to 2015, we evaluated 675 consecutive CHF outpatients (523 males, 64±13 years) in stable clinical conditions (>1 month) and in conventional therapy. They underwent a clinical evaluation, 12-lead ECG, e...

Background: It has been previously demonstrated that thyroid hormone deficiency is associated with a worse outcome in patients affected by chronic heart failure (CHF). However, few data are available about the effects of thyroid replacement therapy on the prognosis of patients.Aim of the study: The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship among thyroid replacement therapy, correction of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) serum levels and outcome ...