Encephalopathy associated with autoimmune thyroid disease in patients with Graves' disease: clinical manifestations, follow-up, and outcomes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The encephalopathy associated with autoimmune thyroid disease (EAATD) is characterized by neurological/psychiatric symptoms, high levels of anti-thyroid antibodies, increased cerebrospinal fluid protein concentration, non-specific electroencephalogram abnormalities, and responsiveness to the corticosteroid treatment in patients with an autoimmune thyroid disease. Almost all EAATD patients are affected by Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), although fourteen EAATD patients with Graves' disease (GD) have been also reported.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We have recorded and analyzed the clinical, biological, radiological, and electrophysiological findings and the data on the therapeutic management of all GD patients with EAATD reported so far as well as the clinical outcomes in those followed-up in the long term.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Twelve of the fourteen patients with EAATD and GD were women. The majority of GD patients with EAATD presented with mild hyperthyroidism at EAATD onset or shortly before it. Active anti-thyroid autoimmunity was detected in all cases. Most of the patients dramatically responded to corticosteroids. The long term clinical outcome was benign but EAATD can relapse, especially at the time of corticosteroid dose tapering or withdrawal. GD and HT patients with EAATD present with a similar clinical, biological, radiological, and electrophysiological picture and require an unaffected EAATD management.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>GD and HT equally represent the possible background condition for the development of EAATD, which should be considered in the differential diagnosis of all patients with encephalopathy of unknown origin and an autoimmune thyroid disease, regardless of the nature of the underlying autoimmune thyroid disease.</p

Исследование свойств покрытия TiAl на циркониевом сплаве

Coatings based on titanium aluminide alloy deposited on the Zr1% Nb obtained by vacuum arc plasma-assisted method. The coating thickness was 3 microns. Investigated the structure of the surface by scanning electron microscopy. The results of the study of mechanical properties of zirconia samples before and after coating. It has been established that the TiAl has good coating adhesion strength, and increases durability

Untersuchung zur Senkung der Sulfationenkonzentration in Abwaessern durch Zugabe von Kalkhydrat und Calciumaluminaten

SIGLETIB: RO 1718 (1984,2) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekDEGerman

Production of the biotechnologically relevant AFP from Aspergillus giganteus in the yeast Pichia pastoris

The mould Aspergillus giganteus produces a basic, low molecular weight protein (AFP) showing in vitro and in vivo antifungal properties against important plant pathogens. AFP is secreted as an inactive precursor containing an amino-terminal extension of six amino acids (If-AFP) which is later removed to produce the active protein. The molecular basis to explain this behavior and the features that determine the fungal specificity of this protein are not completely solved. In this work, the mature AFP (AFP*) and a version of AFP with an extended amino-terminal (proAFP) have been cloned and produced in the yeast Pichia pastoris. The two proteins have been purified to homogeneity and characterized from structural and functional points of view. AFP* produced is practically indistinguishable from the natural fungal protein in terms of its spectroscopic and antifungal properties while proAFP is mostly inactive under identical assay conditions. The availability of an active AFP protein produced in P. pastoris will allow getting further insights into the mode of action and targeting specificity of AFP by using site-directed mutagenesis approaches