Pituitary hyperplasia secondary to acquired hypothyroidism: case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objective and Importance</p> <p>despite recent progress in imaging, it is still difficult to distinguish between pituitary adenoma and hyperplasia, even using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) with gadolinium injection. We describe an example of reactive pituitary hyperplasia from primary hypothyroidism that mimicked a pituitary macroadenoma in a child.</p> <p>Clinical Presentation</p> <p>a 10 year old boy presented with headache and statural growth arrest. MRI revealed an intrasellar and suprasellar pituitary mass. Endocrine evaluation revealed primary hypothyroidism.</p> <p>Intervention</p> <p>the patient was started on levothyroxine with resolution of the mass effect.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>primary hypothyroidism should be considered in the differential diagnosis of solid mass lesions of the pituitary gland. Examination of thyroid function in patients with sellar and suprasellar masses revealed by MRI may avoid unnecessary operations which can cause irreversible complications.</p

Artificial intelligence of imaging and clinical neurological data for predictive, preventive and personalized (P3) medicine for Parkinson Disease: the NeuroArtP3 protocol for a multi-center research study

Background The burden of Parkinson Disease (PD) represents a key public health issue and it is essential to develop innovative and cost-effective approaches to promote sustainable diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. In this perspective the adoption of a P3 (predictive, preventive and personalized) medicine approach seems to be pivotal. The NeuroArtP3 (NET-2018-12366666) is a four-year multi-site project co-funded by the Italian Ministry of Health, bringing together clinical and computational centers operating in the field of neurology, including PD. Objective The core objectives of the project are: i) to harmonize the collection of data across the participating centers, ii) to structure standardized disease-specific datasets and iii) to advance knowledge on disease’s trajectories through machine learning analysis. Methods The 4-years study combines two consecutive research components: i) a multi-center retrospective observational phase; ii) a multi-center prospective observational phase. The retrospective phase aims at collecting data of the patients admitted at the participating clinical centers. Whereas the prospective phase aims at collecting the same variables of the retrospective study in newly diagnosed patients who will be enrolled at the same centers. Results The participating clinical centers are the Provincial Health Services (APSS) of Trento (Italy) as the center responsible for the PD study and the IRCCS San Martino Hospital of Genoa (Italy) as the promoter center of the NeuroartP3 project. The computational centers responsible for data analysis are the Bruno Kessler Foundation of Trento (Italy) with TrentinoSalute4.0 –Competence Center for Digital Health of the Province of Trento (Italy) and the LISCOMPlab University of Genoa (Italy). Conclusions The work behind this observational study protocol shows how it is possible and viable to systematize data collection procedures in order to feed research and to advance the implementation of a P3 approach into the clinical practice through the use of AI models

Unusual diagnostic findings in temporal lobe epilepsy: A combined MRI and 18F-dopa case study

Temporal lobe epilepsy is the most common focal epilepsy in adults and often causes pharmacoresistant seizures. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and PET studies have widely demonstrated a number of morphological and molecular abnormalities in epilepsy. However, considering the dopaminergic system, only a bilateral 18F-DOPA uptake reduction within the basal ganglia has been described. We report the unusual finding of increased 18F- DOPA uptake in a patient with focal recurrent seizures and "deja vu" experiences in the setting of cortical swelling detected at MRI exam. The final diagnosis was in in keeping with hippocampal sclerosis, confirmed during follow-up MR exams. In this case 18F-DOPA uptake may represent increased dopamine transport induced by seizures. Nuclear medicine physicians and radiologists should be aware of clinical and electroencephalo- graphic findings when interpreting brain areas of tracer uptake, which are not always related to malignancy

Taste Beats Reputation in New Food Products Choice: The Case of Ready-to-Eat Pomegranate among Young Consumers in Veneto Region (Italy)

none4no: This study investigates the preferences for ready-to-eat pomegranate arils in Italy through a discrete choice experiment (DCE) on 264 young consumers in Italy. The aim is to estimate consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for the reputational attributes of the product (e.g., the product origin and sales channel) and to discriminate the elicited preferences between tasting and non-tasting situations. To this purpose, a random parameter logit model was employed to assess the heterogeneity in consumer preferences. The results suggest that non-tasters attach a relevant value to the reputational attributes (e.g., +75% WTP for Italian origin). Moreover, considering the sensory features of the products, we found that consumers in this group discriminate against the proposed samples only through their visual characteristics: they prefer the sample with the largest size and red colored arils. In addition, we found that the tasting experience reduced the value attached to the reputational attributes (e.g., −50% WTP for local origin) for consumers, compared to non-tasting situation, thus shifting their preference to the samples that they appreciated the most (high liking). Specifically, we found that consumers in the tasting group preferred the product sample with the highest level of sweetness and the lowest level of sourness and astringency, showing a higher preference for sweetness. The findings contribute to the literature on consumers’ behavior on new food products (NFPs), showing that reputational attributes lose value after the tasting experience. In contrast, the sensory features of the NFPs can help tasters to reduce the information asymmetry, which traditionally represents a hurdle in purchases for new consumers. However, this depends on the individuals’ subjective preferences, as demonstrated by the significant effect of liking levels in discriminating consumers’ choices. To conclude, although these results cannot be extended to the general population, they may give some interesting insights about future trends of NFP demand.noneAlice Stiletto, Erika Rozzanigo, Elisa Giampietri, Samuele TrestiniStiletto, Alice; Rozzanigo, Erika; Giampietri, Elisa; Trestini, Samuel

Sensory preferences for pomegranate arils in Italy: A comparison between different varieties and cultivation sites

Despite the growing worldwide interest on pomegranate due to its health benefits, little is known about the varieties produced and consumed in Italy. In this context, the aim of our study was to evaluate the factors affecting preferences of Italian consumers towards pomegranate arils of different varieties and cultivation sites. Three samples of pomegranate arils were analysed. Two retrieved from the local (Veneto) agricultural market: one of Turkish origin and one of Sicilian (Italy) origin. The third was retrieved from local producers in Veneto. Selected varieties were \u2018Wonderful\u2019 for Italian samples and \u2018Hicaz\u2019 for Turkish. Samples have been characterized by panel tests and physicochemical analyses. Consumers' preferences were assessed by submitting a questionnaire to 203 college students. Results showed that samples were significantly different in sensory and physicochemical characteristics among varieties and the cultivation sites. Significant differences also emerged on consumers preferences. Wonderful from Sicily was the most preferred sample: highest overall liking (6.65) due to a higher appreciation of sweetness (6.47), juiciness (6.18) and size of the arils (6.57); Wonderful from Veneto was the least appreciated (5.48). Despite this, Wonderful from Veneto showed the highest content of polyphenols. Sensory evaluation of pomegranates arils of different varieties and cultivation sites can effectively predict consumers' preferences in the Italian market. The traits contributing the most to the overall liking are the juiciness of arils, their red colour, firmness and size, while bitterness, seed intrusiveness and astringency are the products' traits that affect preferences the least