Experimental Animal Studies Support the Role of Dietary Advanced Glycation End Products in Health and Disease

The increased incidence of obesity, diabetes mellitus, aging, and associated comorbidities indicates the interplay between genetic and environmental influences. Several dietary components have been identified to play a role in the pathogenesis of the so-called “modern diseases”, and their complications including advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which are generated during the food preparation and processing. Diet-derived advanced glycation end products (dAGEs) can be absorbed in the gastrointestinal system and contribute to the total body AGEs’ homeostasis, partially excreted in the urine, while a significant amount accumulates to various tissues. Various in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies support that dAGEs play an important role in health and disease, in a similar way to those endogenously formed. Animal studies using wild type, as well as experimental, animal models have shown that dAGEs contribute significantly to the pathogenesis of various diseases and their complications, and are involved in the changes related to the aging process. In addition, they support that dAGEs’ restriction reduces insulin resistance, oxidative stress, and inflammation; restores immune alterations; and prevents or delays the progression of aging, obesity, diabetes mellitus, and their complications. These data can be extrapolated in humans and strongly support that dAGEs’ restriction should be considered as an alternative therapeutic intervention

Primary thyroid teratoma in adults: A case report and systematic review of the literature

Extragonadal germ cell tumors are uncommon in adults and only 2-5% of teratomas develop in extragonadal sites. Primary thyroid teratomas represent <0.1% of all primary thyroid gland neoplasms. In the present report, a case of primary thyroid teratoma in a 6.5-year-old female is described. Furthermore, the current literature regarding patients who were diagnosed with primary thyroid teratoma and underwent surgical resection was systematically reviewed. A total of 15 studies of 27 patients (age range, 17-65 years). Growing mass or neck swelling were the primary symptoms in 14 patients (51.8%). Only one (5.5%) patient was preoperatively diagnosed with malignant thyroid teratoma. All patients underwent thyroidectomy, but 6 cases had more advanced surgery, including lymph node dissection. A total of 12 patients received a combination of adjuvant chemoradiation postoperatively, 10 (45.4%) patients reported recurrence of disease and 8 (29.6%) were postoperatively diagnosed with distant metastases. A total of 9 (39.1%) patients died due to progression of the disease. In conclusion, primary thyroid teratomas are rare and difficult to diagnose preoperatively. In particular, malignant cases are very aggressive tumors with a considerably poor prognosis, even after surgical resection combined with adjuvant chemoradiation

Effects of hormone replacement therapy on endothelial function, arterial stiffness and myocardial deformation in women with Turner syndrome

Objectives: Turner syndrome (TS) is associated with increased cardiovascular risk. We investigated whether hormone replacement therapy (HRT) affects endothelial function, arterial stiffness and myocardial deformation in women with TS. Methods: Twenty-five women with TS were studied in the estrogen phase of the HRT and two months after discontinuation of HRT. The following measurements were made: flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial artery, pulse wave velocity (PWV-Complior) and central systolic blood pressure (cSBP), carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), aortic (Ao) elastic indexes - namely Ao strain, distensibility, stiffness index and pressure strain modulus (E-p) - and left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain (GLS) using speckle-tracking echocardiography. Ten healthy female of similar age and BMI served as a control group. Results: Compared to controls, women with TS on HRT had higher PWV (9.1 +/- 2.4 vs. 7.5 +/- 0.5 m/s), cSBP (130 +/- 15 vs. 121 +/- 6 mmHg), cIMT (0.66 +/- 0.06 vs. 0.55 +/- 0.05 mm), aortic stiffness index, E-p and LA strain, and lower FMD (7.2 +/- 4 vs. 10.5 +/- 2.3%), Ao strain, Ao distensibility and GLS (-18.8 +/- 2.7 vs. -21.9 +/- 1.5%) (P < 0.05 for all comparisons). Two months after discontinuation of HRT, all women increased FMD (11.7 +/- 6 vs. 7.2 +/- 4%) and reduced PWV (7.8 +/- 1.7 vs. 9.1 +/- 2.4 m/s) and cSBP (123 +/- 14 vs. 130 +/- 15 mmHg). There were no statistically significant changes in BMI, cIMT and GLS (P > 0.05 for all comparisons). The percentage decrease of cSBP was associated with the percentage decrease of PWV (r = 0.54) and reversely related with the percentage increase of FMD (r = -0.57; P < 0.05 for all comparisons). Conclusions: HRT in women with TS may deteriorate endothelial function contributing to increased arterial stiffness and central arterial blood pressure