Impact of long-term cinacalcet, ibandronate or teriparatide therapy on bone mineral density of hemodialysis patients: a pilot study.

Background: Insufficient evidenced-based information is available for the treatment of osteoporosis in hemodialysis (HD) patients.

Methods: In 102 HD patients, bone mineral density (BMD) was measured twice 16 ± 3 months apart. In the second BMD measurement 66 of them had a femoral neck (FN) T-score <-2.

Initial dosing of paricalcitol based on PTH levels in hemodialysis patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism.

Background: Adjustment of the initial dose of paricalcitol in hemodialysis patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) on the basis of severity of SHPT generally is preferred in current practice. Whether the proposed dose, based on the formula baseline intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH [picograms per milliliter]) divided by 80, is the most appropriate has not been assessed adequately.

Methods: A double-blind randomized trial comparing iPTH/80 dose with the immediately lower iPTH/120 dose was undertaken.

Do serum and red blood cell folate levels indicate iron response in hemodialysis patients?

The relationship among iron status, ferritin, and folate levels, and the possible contribution of folate measurement in the prediction of iron response in hemodialysis patients, have not been assessed. In addition to serum ferritin and transferrin saturation (TSAT), serum and red blood cell (RBC) folate levels were evaluated as indices for intravenous iron therapy responsiveness in 60 hemodialysis patients. Patients were classified as iron responders or nonresponders depending on whether they exhibited a rise in hemoglobin above 1 g/dl after administration of 1 g of iron sucrose.

Pituitary metastasis of follicular thyroid carcinoma.

Objective: The case of a 60-year-old male patient with follicular thyroid cancer who developed a pituitary mass proved to be a metastasis from thyroid cancer.

Methods: Assessment with whole-body scan, ultrasound, computed tomography and thyroglobulin measurements.

Results: Despite surgery and repeated doses of radioiodine, the patient developed diplopia and ptosis of the right eyelid, along with increasing thyroglobulin levels.

Primary tuberculosis of the thyroid gland: report of three cases.

We report on three cases with rapidly increasing thyroid masses who were referred with the provisional diagnosis of thyroid carcinoma. In the two cases, the diagnosis of tuberculosis was established after thyroidectomy, but in the third case diagnosis was made pre-operatively with acid fast bacilli (AFB) staining and culture from fine needle aspiration (FNA) material. Although rare, tuberculosis of the thyroid gland should be included in the differential diagnosis of thyroid masses.