Thyroid ultrasonography reporting: consensus of Italian Thyroid Association (AIT), Italian Society of Endocrinology (SIE), Italian Society of Ultrasonography in Medicine and Biology (SIUMB) and Ultrasound Chapter of Italian Society of Medical Radiology (SIRM)

Thyroid ultrasonography (US) is the gold standard for thyroid imaging and its widespread use is due to an optimal spatial resolution for superficial anatomic structures, a low cost and the lack of health risks. Thyroid US is a pivotal tool for the diagnosis and follow-up of autoimmune thyroid diseases, for assessing nodule size and echostructure and defining the risk of malignancy in thyroid nodules. The main limitation of US is the poor reproducibility, due to the variable experience of the operators and the different performance and settings of the equipments. Aim of this consensus statement is to standardize the report of thyroid US through the definition of common minimum requirements and a correct terminology. US patterns of autoimmune thyroid diseases are defined. US signs of malignancy in thyroid nodules are classified and scored in each nodule. We also propose a simplified nodule risk stratification, based on the predictive value of each US sign, classified and scored according to the strength of association with malignancy, but also to the estimated reproducibility among different operators

Herbs, thyme essential oil and condensed tannin extracts as dietary supplements for broilers, and their effects on performance, digestibility, volatile fatty acids and organoleptic properties

International audienceABSTRACT 1. Herbs, thyme essential oil (EO) and condensed tannin (CT) extracts were compared for their effects as dietary supplements, on broiler growth performance, nutrient digestibility and volatile fatty acid (VFA) profiles in the gut. Cooked meat from the birds fed diets with 4 herbs and an EO extract was compared by a taste panel against those fed the control treatment, for organoleptic properties in the meat. 2. Female broiler chicks were fed wheat-soybean meal diets from 0-42 days of age. These chicks were fed either the basal ration (control), or the basal ration with one of rosemary, garlic or yarrow herbs, mimosa, cranberry or grapeseed CT's, or thyme EO supplements (8 treatments in total). Body mass (BM) and feed consumption (AFC) were measured (7, 21 and 42 days of age). 3. The garlic supplement tended (P>0.05) to improve growth rate over the first 7 days, while mimosa CT and thyme EO supplements reduced weight gains. The mimosa supplement in diets lowered (P<0.05) AFC up to study day 21. Meanwhile, the addition of a cranberry supplement reduced the digestibility of DM, OM and N, compared to the controls. Dietary thyme EO, yarrow, rosemary and garlic supplements modified caecal isovaleric and isobutyric acid proportions (Other VFA; P<0.05). Dietary herb supplements affected the intensity of meat flavour (P<0.001), and the potential of observing both garlic (P<0.001) and abnormal (P<0.001) flavours. There were large differences between the consumption of red and white meat samples, while meat temperature affected several flavour attributes. 4. Dietary garlic and grapeseed CT supplements maintained broiler performance and digestibility similarly to those birds fed the control diet, and these supplements appear suitable for dietary inclusion. Careful choices are necessary when selecting dietary plant extract supplements for broilers, but beneficial effects can be observed

BMJ Open Ophthalmol

Objective: Explore relationships between systemic exposure to intravitreal aflibercept injection (IAI) and systemic pharmacodynamic effects via post hoc analyses of clinical trials of IAI for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) or diabetic macular oedema (DME). Methods and analysis: Adults from VGFT-OD-0702.PK (n=6), VGFT-OD-0512 (n= 5), VIEW 2 (n=1204) and VIVID-DME (n=404) studies were included. Validated ELISAs were used to measure concentrations of free and bound aflibercept (reported as adjusted bound) in plasma at predefined time points in each study. Non-compartmental analysis of concentration-time data was obtained with dense sampling in VGFT-OD-0702.PK and VGFT-OD-0512. Sparse sampling was used in VIEW 2 and VIVID-DME. Blood pressure or intrarenal function changes were also investigated. Results: Following intravitreal administration, free aflibercept plasma concentrations quickly decreased once maximum concentrations were achieved at 1-3 days postdose; pharmacologically inactive adjusted bound aflibercept concentrations increased over a longer period and reached plateau 7 days postdose. Ratios of free and adjusted bound aflibercept decreased over time. There were no meaningful changes in systolic/diastolic blood pressure over the duration of each study at all systemic aflibercept exposure levels. For all treatment arms in VIEW 2, there was no clinically relevant change in mean intrarenal function from baseline at week 52. Overall, incidence of systemic adverse events in VIEW 2 and VIVID-DME was low and consistent with the known safety profile of IAI. Conclusion: IAI administration was not associated with systemic effects in patients with nAMD or DME as measured by blood pressure or intrarenal function, two known pharmacologically relevant effects of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor

Identifying the favored mutation in a positive selective sweep.

Most approaches that capture signatures of selective sweeps in population genomics data do not identify the specific mutation favored by selection. We present iSAFE (for "integrated selection of allele favored by evolution"), a method that enables researchers to accurately pinpoint the favored mutation in a large region (∼5 Mbp) by using a statistic derived solely from population genetics signals. iSAFE does not require knowledge of demography, the phenotype under selection, or functional annotations of mutations

Lung recurrence of papillary thyroid cancer diagnosed with antithyroglobulin antibodies after 10 years from initial treatment.

Introduction: Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is the most common endocrine malignancy. More than 98% of patients achieve an excellent response with no evidence of clinical, biochemical, or structural disease after initial treatment. In these patients structural recurrence is rare, more frequently diagnosed in the first 5 years from initial treatment and almost invariably localized in neck lymph nodes. Patient: We report the case of a woman affected by PTC who presented with rapidly rising anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb) level after 10 years from clinical, morphological and biochemical remission. Diagnosis and Treatment: In 2003, a 56 year old patient was treated with total thyroidectomy and radioiodine remnant ablation (RRA) for a PTC (2 cm) with minimal extrathyroidal extension (T3N1aM0 according to the 6th AJCC TNM staging system) associated with diffuse lymphocytic thyroiditis. In 2004 the patient was free of disease defined as undetectable Tg after recombinant human TSH administration in the absence of TgAb and structural disease. Since February 2012 the appearance and progressive increase of TgAb titer was observed and in 2014 a18FDG-PET scan documented three hypermetabolic lesions suggestive of lung micrometastases. The lung lesions were cytologically confirmed as PTC metastases. Both the primary tissue and the lung metastasis were positive for BRAF V600E mutation. The patient was treated with 131-radioiodine that showed radioiodine avid lung lesions that lose the ability to take up iodine at the following treatment. The patient is still alive and the lung lesions are growing slowly. Conclusions: Structural recurrence in patients that demonstrated an excellent response after initial treatment for PTC is extremely rare, and distant metastases exceptional but possible. This case is peculiar because recurrence was early identified after 10 years from initial treatment for the presence of detectable TgAb in a patient that had an histological diagnosis of lymphocytic thyroiditis but with an atypical clinical presentation (normal thyroid at neck ultrasound and undetectable TgAb and anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies). For this reason TgAb should be tested with Tg in patients with a history of lymphocytic thyroiditis, either histological or humoral, also when TgAb is in the normal range and not suggestive of autoimmune thyroiditis

Efeito do parcelamento e época de fornecimento de nitrogênio na produção de materia seca na cultura do milho (Zea mays L.).

Pretendeu-se com este trabalho avaliar o efeito da época e do parcelamento do nitrogênio sobre a produção de materia seca total (raiz, colmo e folhas) na cultura do milho

Rumen phosphorus metabolism in sheep

8 páginas, 3 tablas.The objective of the present study was to examine the effect of the level of phosphorus (P) intake on ruminal P kinetics in sheep. Twelve Santa Ines male sheep (average body weight 36 kg) were fed a basal diet consisting of roughage (coast cross hay), concentrate mixture (cassava meal, soya bean meal and urea) and a mineral premix. The treatments consisted of the basal diet supplemented with 0, 1.5, 3 or 4.5 g/kg dry matter (DM) of mono-ammonium phosphate to provide increasing P levels representing treatments T0, T1, T2 and T3, respectively. The P content of experimental diets was 1-5; 2.0; 2.5 and 3.0 g P/kg DM, and considered highly deficient, deficient, adequate and in excess, respectively, compared with standard recommended allowances. Animals were injected with (32)P and thereafter samples of blood were collected over 7 days, while samples of rumen fluid and saliva were collected 4 and 6 days after injection. Phosphorus intake affected P concentration in ruminal fluid, whereas P concentration in saliva was not affected. The values for P turnover time in the rumen were 1.42, 1.23, 1.18 and 1.04 days, whereas values of endogenous P entry into the rumen were 1.05, 1.37, 1.53 and 1.91 g/day for T0, T 1, T2 and T3, respectively, both affected by P intake. The specific activity (SA) of P in saliva, rumen and plasma were also all affected by P intake. The relationship between saliva and rumen SA emphasizes that most endogenous P in the rumen came from saliva. The possibility of an extra P source besides saliva contributing to endogenous P in the rumen is discussed. It is concluded from the results that, regardless of P intake, the flow of endogenous P into the rumen contributes to ensure a minimum Supply of this essential element, which may be important in matching the requirements of the rumen microbes.Fundaçao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP Proc. 2004/14532-5) for financial support. Funding was provided, in part, by the Canada Research Chairs Program.Peer reviewe

Correlation between hormonal homeostasis and morphogenic responses in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings growing in a Cd/Cu/Zn multi-pollution context

To date, almost no information is available in roots and shoots of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana about the hierarchic relationship between metal accumulation, phytohormone levels, and glutathione/phytochelatin content, and how this relation affects root development. For this purpose, specific concentrations of cadmium, copper and zinc, alone or in triple combination, were supplied for 12 days to in vitro growing seedlings. The accumulation of these metals was measured in roots and shoots, and a significant competition in metal uptake was observed. Microscopic analyses revealed that root morphology was affected by metal exposure, and that the levels of trans-zeatin riboside, dihydrozeatin riboside, indole-3-acetic acid, and the auxin/cytokinin ratio varied accordingly. By contrast, under metal treatments, minor modifications in gibberellic acid and abscisic acid levels occurred. RT-PCR analysis of some genes involved in auxin and cytokinin synthesis (e.g., AtNIT in roots and AtIPT in shoots) showed on average a metal up-regulated transcription. The production of thiol-peptides was induced by all the metals, alone or in combination, and the expression of the genes involved in thiol-peptide synthesis (AtGSH1, AtGSH2, AtPCS1 and AtPCS2) was not stimulated by the metals, suggesting a full post-transcriptional control. Results show that the Cd/Cu/Zn-induced changes in root morphology are caused by a hormonal unbalance, mainly governed by the auxin/cytokinin ratio

Presence in the pre-surgical fine-needle aspiration of potential thyroid biomarkers previously identified in the post-surgical one.

Fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNA) is usually applied to distinguish benign from malignant thyroid nodules. However, cytological analysis cannot always allow a proper diagnosis. We believe that the improvement of the diagnostic capability of pre-surgical FNA could avoid unnecessary thyroidectomy. In a previous study, we performed a proteome analysis to examine FNA collected after thyroidectomy. With the present study, we examined the applicability of these results on pre-surgical FNA. We collected pre-surgical FNA from 411 consecutive patients, and to obtain a correct comparison with our previous results, we processed only benign (n=114), papillary classical variant (cPTC) (n=34) and papillary tall cell variant (TcPTC) (n=14) FNA. We evaluated levels of five proteins previously found up-regulated in thyroid cancer with respect to benign nodules. ELISA and western blot (WB) analysis were used to assay levels of L-lactate dehydrogenase B chain (LDHB), Ferritin heavy chain, Ferritin light chain, Annexin A1 (ANXA1), and Moesin in FNA. ELISA assays and WB analysis confirmed the increase of LDHB, Moesin, and ANXA1 in pre-surgical FNA of thyroid papillary cancer. Sensitivity and specificity of ANXA1 were respectively 87 and 94\% for cPTC, 85 and 100\% for TcPTC. In conclusion, a proteomic analysis of FNA from patients with thyroid nodules may help to distinguish benign versus malignant thyroid nodules. Moreover, ANXA1 appears to be an ideal candidate given the high sensitivity and specificity obtained from ROC curve analysis

The antidepressant fluoxetine acts on energy balance and leptin sensitivity via BDNF

Leptin and Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) pathways are critical players in body weight homeostasis. Noninvasive treatments like environmental stimulation are able to increase response to leptin and induce BDNF expression in the brain. Emerging evidences point to the antidepressant selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor Fluoxetine (FLX) as a drug with effects similar to environmental stimulation. FLX is known to impact on body weight, with mechanisms yet to be elucidated. We herein asked whether FLX affects energy balance, the leptin system and BDNF function. Adult lean male mice chronically treated with FLX showed reduced weight gain, higher energy expenditure, increased sensitivity to acute leptin, increased hypothalamic BDNF expression, associated to changes in white adipose tissue expression typical of "brownization". In the Ntrk2tm1Ddg/J model, carrying a mutation in the BDNF receptor Tyrosine kinase B (TrkB), these effects are partially or totally reversed. Wild type obese mice treated with FLX showed reduced weight gain, increased energy output, and differently from untreated obese mice, a preserved acute response to leptin in terms of activation of the intracellular leptin transducer STAT3. In conclusion, FLX impacts on energy balance and induces leptin sensitivity and an intact TrkB function is required for these effects to take place