Selenium Supplementation, Body Mass Composition, and Leptin Levels in Patients with Obesity on a Balanced Mildly Hypocaloric Diet: A Pilot Study.

Background: Adequate levels of selenium (Se) have protective effects against several chronic diseases, such as obesity. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of Se supplementation in a selected group of patients with obesity.

Methods: This randomized prospective study included 37 overweight/obese individuals aged 18-65 years, who adopted a slightly hypocaloric diet for 3 months.

Epidemiology of Simultaneous Medullary and Papillary Thyroid Carcinomas (MTC/PTC): An Italian Multicenter Study.

: The concomitant presence of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) and medullary TC (MTC) is rare. In this multicentric study, we documented the epidemiological characteristics, disease conditions and clinical outcome of patients with simultaneous MTC/PTC. We collected data of patients with concomitant MTC/PTC at 14 Italian referral centers.

Unique Case of a Large Indolent Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma: Time to Reconsider the Medullary Thyroid Adenoma Entity?

Background: Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a rare neuroendocrine cancer originating from parafollicular, calcitonin (Ctn)-producing C-cells. Prognosis correlates with primary tumor stage and Ctn levels.

Patient: We describe a case of MTC involving a mass 7 cm in its largest dimension, associated with high Ctn concentrations (> 5,000 pg/mL), but normal carcinoembryonic antigen levels, and with no lymph nodes or distant metastases, in complete remission after thyroid surgery.

Novel Prognostic Factors Associated with Cell Cycle Control in Sporadic Medullary Thyroid Cancer Patients.

Background: Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) is a rare neuroendocrine-derived malignancy. It is represented by sporadic and familiar forms, and both can have oncogene mutations. Numerous markers can be used to define MTC; however, none is generally approved for predicting the outcome of sporadic MTC.

Cure and survival of sporadic medullary thyroid carcinoma following systematic preoperative calcitonin screening.

Background: The improvement in outcome of sporadic medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) during the last decades remains controversial, even if a trend toward a better prognosis has been recently proposed. This study was aimed to determine the time trend cure and survival rates in sporadic MTC according to the use of systematic preoperative calcitonin screening.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of 178 sporadic MTC patients operated between 1980 and 2017 was performed.

Amiodarone-Induced Thyrotoxicosis: Differential Diagnosis Using 99mTc-SestaMIBI and Target-to-Background Ratio (TBR).

Purpose Of The Report: Distinguishing between amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis (AIT) caused by excessive hormone synthesis (AIT-1) or by a destructive process (AIT-2) has important therapeutic implications, but is still difficult and debated. Tc-sestaMIBI thyroid scintigraphy (99m-STS) has been proposed as a tool for classifying the two forms.

Material And Methods: 30 AIT patients (11 females and 19 males) who underwent 99m-STS were retrospectively assessed for the present study.

Efficacy of educational intervention to improve awareness of the importance of iodine, use of iodized salt, and dietary iodine intake in northeastern Italian schoolchildren.

Objective: An educational program was conducted among school-aged children to improve their knowledge about iodine prophylaxis, their iodine status, and their dietary habits.

Methods: At the baseline (T0) and after 6 mo (T1), participants (970 at T0 and 949 at T1) answered questionnaires testing their knowledge about iodine prophylaxis and their eating habits. Urine samples were collected from a randomly selected subgroup of participants (313 at T0 and 312 at T1).

EF24 (a Curcumin Analog) and ZSTK474 Emphasize the Effect of Cabozantinib in Medullary Thyroid Cancer.

XL184 is a small-molecule kinase inhibitor recently included in first-line systemic therapy for patients with advanced, progressive medullary thyroid cancer (MTC). EF24 is a curcumin analog with a high bioavailability, and ZSTK474 is an inhibitor of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling pathway. We investigated the effect of these compounds, alone and in combination, in two rearranged during transfection (RET)-mutated TT and MZ-CRC-1 MTC cell lines and in six mostly RET wild-type human MTC primary cultures.

The Hobnail Variant of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: Clinical/Molecular Characteristics of a Large Monocentric Series and Comparison with Conventional Histotypes.

Background: The hobnail variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (HPTC) has an aggressive behavior. The aims of this prospective study were to define the clinical/molecular characteristics of HPTC, and to compare them to those of conventional papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC).

Methods: From 2010 to 2016, 25 cases of HPTC, characterized clinically and molecularly (BRAF, RAS, TERT promoter, and TP53 mutations), were compared to a series of 165 consecutive cases of PTC.

Long-Term Outcome After Surgery for Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma: A Single-Center Experience.

Background: Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a rare C cells-derived tumor, with a hardly predictable long-term prognosis. This study was aimed to evaluate the predictive factors of cure and survival after surgery for MTC in a monocentric series.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of the long-term outcomes was assessed in 255 MTC patients operated between 1980 and 2015 at Padua University hospital.

Frequency and Significance of Promoter, and Mutations in Cytologically Indeterminate Thyroid Nodules: A Monocentric Case Series at a Tertiary-Level Endocrinology Unit.

Purpose: The management of thyroid nodules of indeterminate cytology is controversial. Our study aimed to establish the frequency and significance of promoter, and gene mutations in thyroid nodes of indeterminate cytology and to assess their potential usefulness in clinical practice.

Methods: -,-, promoter and gene mutations were examined in a series of 199 consecutive nodes of indeterminate cytology referred for surgical excision.

MiR-375 and YAP1 expression profiling in medullary thyroid carcinoma and their correlation with clinical-pathological features and outcome.

Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) is a tumor marked by an indolent growth for which few prognostic factors and therapeutic strategies are actually available. Different studies have recently appraised well-differentiated thyroid cancers are characterized by a dysregulation in different microRNA sets; however, only few of them investigated the role of miRNA expression in MTCs. In this study, we have assessed the miR-375 expression in a series of 130 MTCs (104 are sporadic and 26 familial) with a median follow-up of 39 months (range 1-138) and then we have correlated our results with the clinical-pathological features and the patients' outcome.

Prognostic Impact of miR-224 and RAS Mutations in Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma.

Little is known about the function of microRNA-224 (miR-224) in medullary thyroid cancer (MTC). This study investigated the role of miR-224 expression in MTC and correlated it with mutation status in sporadic MTCs. A consecutive series of 134 MTCs were considered.

Calcitonin measurement and immunoassay interference: a case report and literature review.

Calcitonin (CT) is currently the most sensitive serological marker of C-cell disease [medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) and C-cell hyperplasia]. Starting with a report on a case that occurred at our institution, this review focuses on trying to explain the reasons behind the poor specificity and sensitivity of the various CT immunoassays. A 15-year-old patient was referred to our institution in May 2014 for moderately elevated CT levels.

Overexpression of L-Type Amino Acid Transporter 1 (LAT1) and 2 (LAT2): Novel Markers of Neuroendocrine Tumors.

Background: 6-18F-fluoro-L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (18F-FDOPA) PET is a useful tool in the clinical management of pheochromocytoma (PHEO) and medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). 18F-FDOPA is a large neutral amino acid biochemically resembling endogenous L-DOPA and taken up by the L-type amino acid transporters (LAT1 and LAT2). This study was conducted to examine the expression of the LAT system in PHEO and MTC.

Synergistic antitumour activity of RAF265 and ZSTK474 on human TT medullary thyroid cancer cells.

Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) is an aggressive malignancy responsible for up to 14% of all thyroid cancer-related deaths. It is characterized by point mutations in the rearranged during transfection (RET) proto-oncogene. The activated RET kinase is known to signal via extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), leading to enhanced proliferation and resistance to apoptosis.

Iodine status from childhood to adulthood in females living in North-East Italy: Iodine deficiency is still an issue.

Purpose: This survey aimed to assess iodine status in a female population at different ages, also investigating their eating habits.

Methods: We measured urinary iodine concentrations (UIC) in: 634 females at puberty and 361 fertile women in 246 of whom were considered also their children (134 daughters and 120 sons). All subjects completed a food frequency questionnaire.

The PDCD4/miR-21 pathway in medullary thyroid carcinoma.

Programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4) is a tumor suppressor gene involved in tumorogenesis. MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) specifically targets PDCD4, and recent studies suggest that PDCD4 is also regulated by Akt (antiapoptotic regulator within phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase). Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a rare neuroendocrine cancer, and disease stage at diagnosis represents the main prognostic indicator.

High-throughput mutation profiling improves diagnostic stratification of sporadic medullary thyroid carcinomas.

Sporadic medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) harbors RET gene somatic mutations in up to 50 % of cases, and RAS family gene mutations occur in about 10 %. A timely and comprehensive characterization of molecular alterations is needed to improve MTC diagnostic stratification and design-tailored therapeutic approaches. Twenty surgically resected sporadic MTCs, previously analyzed for RET mutations by Sanger sequencing using DNA from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples, were investigated for intragenic mutations in 50 cancer-associated genes applying a multigene Ion AmpliSeq next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology.

The combination of RAF265, SB590885, ZSTK474 on thyroid cancer cell lines deeply impact on proliferation and MAPK and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways.

Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is the most frequent thyroid cancer entity, accounting for 88 % of cases. It may metastasize and loose iodine uptake capability, preventing any radioiodine or surgical treatment. The main gene altered in PTC is BRAF, which is found altered in over 50 % of cases.

Refining calcium test for the diagnosis of medullary thyroid cancer: cutoffs, procedures, and safety.

Context: Calcitonin (CT) measurement is crucial to the early diagnosis and the follow-up of medullary thyroid cancer (MTC). If the evaluation of stimulated CT levels is required, a provocative test can be performed, being the high-dose Ca test recently reintroduced in clinical practice.

Objective: Our objective was to identify gender-specific thresholds for MTC diagnosis in a large series of patients who underwent the Ca test.

MicroRNA profiles in familial and sporadic medullary thyroid carcinoma: preliminary relationships with RET status and outcome.

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the pathogenesis of human cancers, including medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that different miRNA profiles are related to RET status and prognosis in patients with hereditary MTC (hMTC) and sporadic MTC (sMTC).

Methods: We analyzed the expression of nine miRNAs (miR-21, miR-127, miR-154, miR-224, miR-323, miR-370, miR-9*, miR-183, and miR-375) by quantitative real-time-polymerase chain reaction in 34 cases of sMTC, 6 cases of hMTC, and 2 cases of C-cell hyperplasia (CCH).

Combined RET and Ki-67 assessment in sporadic medullary thyroid carcinoma: a useful tool for patient risk stratification.

Objective: Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) derives from the parafollicular C cells, being sporadic in 75% of cases and familial in 25%, due to RET proto-oncogene germinal mutations. In sporadic forms, stage at diagnosis is the most important negative prognostic factor. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic impact of molecular and immunohistochemical markers in sporadic MTC.