Progressively decreasing plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels preceding diagnosis of smoldering myeloma.

We report a case of disappearing high-density lipoprotein (HDL) syndrome caused by oxidative modification of HDL and by autoantibodies against modified HDL, with subsequent diagnosis of myeloma. An elderly Caucasian man had normal lipid levels with HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) levels in the upper 70 mg/dL range from 1999 to 2003. In 2003, his HDL-C levels began to progressively fall, and by 2011, they were undetectable (<5 mg/dL) when measured with a Beckman Synchron LX auto analyzer.

A case of severe acquired hypertriglyceridemia in a 7-year-old girl.

We report a case of severe type I hyperlipoproteinemia caused by autoimmunity against lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in the context of presymptomatic Sjögren's syndrome. A 7-year-old mixed race (Caucasian/African American) girl was admitted to the intensive care unit at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital with acute pancreatitis and shock. She was previously healthy aside from asthma and history of Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

Sex-Specific Parental Effects on Offspring Lipid Levels.

Background: Plasma lipid levels are highly heritable traits, but known genetic loci can only explain a small portion of their heritability.

Methods And Results: In this study, we analyzed the role of parental levels of total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides (TGs) in explaining the values of the corresponding traits in adult offspring. We also evaluated the contribution of nongenetic factors that influence lipid traits (age, body mass index, smoking, medications, and menopause) alone and in combination with variability at the genetic loci known to associate with TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, and TG levels.

Oral retinoids and plasma lipids.

Retinoids and rexinoids are prescribed for conditions ranging from acne vulgaris to hyperkeratosis to cutaneous T cell lymphoma. Dyslipidemia is a frequent consequence of the use of these drugs, with more than one-third of patients manifesting aberrations in triglyceride (TG) levels. The efficacy of retinoic acid derivatives is linked to their influence on lipid metabolism in the skin, which can impair systemic lipid trafficking and metabolism in some patients.

Validation of the diabetes numeracy test with adolescents with type 1 diabetes.

There is currently a lack of valid instruments to measure adolescent diabetes numeracy. The Diabetes Numeracy Test (DNT) was adapted for type 1 diabetes and was administered to 2 samples of adolescents. Sample 1 was administered the 39-item version of the DNT (DNT-39) with measures of self-management, responsibility, reading, and glycemic control (A1C).

Delayed diagnosis of hypothyroidism following excision of a thyroglossal duct cyst.

Thyroglossal duct cysts can contain ectopic thyroid tissue, and in some cases this tissue may be the only functional thyroid gland. We present the case of a 6-year-old girl with delayed diagnosis of iatrogenic hypothyroidism that developed after excision of a thyroglossal duct cyst.