Clinical endocrinology
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Clinical endocrinology · Apr 2013
Clinical TrialRegulatory T cells and other lymphocyte subpopulations in patients with melanoma developing interferon-induced thyroiditis during high-dose interferon-α2b treatment.
One of the side effects of interferon-alpha therapy is interferon-induced thyroiditis (IIT). The role of lymphocyte subpopulations in IIT melanoma patients remains to be defined. ⋯ Our results point to the immunomodulatory effects of IFN-α on different lymphocyte subpopulations and a possible role of Tregs in melanoma patients who developed IIT.
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Clinical endocrinology · Sep 2012
ReviewExploring the spectrum of 3-M syndrome, a primordial short stature disorder of disrupted ubiquitination.
3-M syndrome is an autosomal recessive primordial growth disorder characterized by small birth size and post-natal growth restriction associated with a spectrum of minor anomalies (including a triangular-shaped face, flat cheeks, full lips, short chest and prominent fleshy heels). Unlike many other primordial short stature syndromes, intelligence is normal and there is no other major system involvement, indicating that 3-M is predominantly a growth-related condition. From an endocrine perspective, serum GH levels are usually normal and IGF-I normal or low, while growth response to rhGH therapy is variable but typically poor. ⋯ OBSL1 is a putative cytoskeletal adaptor that interacts with and stabilizes CUL7. CCDC8 is the newest member of the pathway and interacts with OBSL1 and, like CUL7, associates with p53, acting as a co-factor in p53-medicated apoptosis. 3-M patients without a mutation have also been identified, indicating the involvement of additional genes in the pathway. Potentially damaging sequence variants in CUL7 and OBSL1 have been identified in idiopathic short stature (ISS), including those born small with failure of catch-up growth, signifying that the 3-M pathway could play a wider role in disordered growth.
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Clinical endocrinology · Jul 2012
Spontaneous remission in thyroid cancer patients after biochemical incomplete response to initial therapy.
To validate the American Thyroid Association (ATA) initial risk of recurrence scheme and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) response to therapy re-stratification approach in a large cohort of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) treated outside of the United States. ⋯ These data validate the ATA risk classification as an excellent initial predictor of recurrent/persistent disease and confirm the clinical utility of the MSKCC dynamic risk assessment system in a cohort of patients evaluated and treated outside the United States.
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Clinical endocrinology · Jul 2012
Controlled Clinical TrialGlucocorticoid replacement therapy and fibrinolysis in patients with hypopituitarism.
Hypopituitarism is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality, and it has been suggested that unphysiological glucocorticoid replacement regimens might contribute to this risk. Traditional glucocorticoid replacement regimens have often led to excessive serum cortisol levels. The hypercortisolaemia of Cushing's syndrome is associated with an increased risk of thromboembolism. ⋯ An increased dose of hydrocortisone for 2 weeks creates excessive glucocorticoid exposure, but does not significantly affect fibrinolytic-coagulation parameters.