Prevalence of post-partum thyroiditis in Liguria (Italy): an observational study.

Background: Post-partum thyroiditis (PPT) is an autoimmune disorder occurring within the first year following delivery. A variable prevalence has been reported in different surveys. We prospectively evaluated PPT prevalence and outcome in a cohort of pregnant women living in a well-defined geographic area.

The effect of methimazole on the immune system is unlikely to operate directly on T lymphocytes.

It has been shown that the antithyroid drug methimazole (MMI) may affect B cells and possibly accessory cell function. In the present study we investigated in detail the effects of MMI on T cell in vitro proliferation. The following variables were evaluated: T cell proliferation following stimulation with phytohemagglutinin (PHA), and anti-CD3 or anti-CD2 monoclonal antibodies; interleukin-2 (IL-2) and gamma-interferon (gamma-IFN) production by PHA-stimulated T cells in bulk culture and by T cell clones; PHA-induced IL-2 receptor expression; LPS-induced interleukin-1 production by accessory cells.

Phenotypic and functional analysis at the clonal level of infiltrating T lymphocytes in papillary carcinoma of the thyroid: prevalence of cytolytic T cells with natural killer-like or lymphokine-activated killer activity.

We investigated the phenotype and function of thyroid tumor-, metastatic lymph node-, and peripheral blood-derived T lymphocytes of four patients with papillary thyroid cancer. Both phenotypic analysis of freshly isolated cells and clonal analysis, using a high efficiency cloning technique, were performed. For comparison, intrathyroid and peripheral blood T lymphocytes derived from patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases (Graves' disease and Hashimoto's thyroiditis) have been studied.

Theophylline and the immune response: in vitro and in vivo effects.

We analyzed the in vitro and in vivo effects of theophylline on various immunological parameters including proliferation of peripheral mononuclear cells (PMNC) in response to phytohemagglutinin (PHA), anti-T3 and anti-T11 monoclonal antibodies (MAb), PHA-induced interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production by PMNC, interleukin-1 (IL-1) production by accessory cells, PHA-induced IL-2 production by T-cell clones, and PHA- and anti-T3 MAb-induced DNA synthesis by T cell clones. Results showed that theophylline inhibited PHA- and anti-T3-induced proliferation of both PMNC and T-cell clones, whereas the PMNC proliferation induced by MAb anti-T11 was not affected. The inhibition appeared to be dose-dependent and strictly related to the presence of the drug in the culture.

Graves' disease: phenotypic and functional analysis at the clonal level of the T-cell repertoire in peripheral blood and in thyroid.

We have investigated at the clonal level the repertoire of intrathyroid and peripheral T lymphocytes in three patients with Graves' disease using a high efficiency cloning technique. Clonal efficiencies ranged from 10 to 31% for intrathyroid, and from 19 to 100% for peripheral T cells. In Graves' disease the phenotypic analysis showed similar percentages of CD3+ CD4+ CD8- and CD3+ CD4- CD8+ clones in thyroid infiltrates and peripheral blood.