Incidental Ga-DOTATATE uptake in thyroid nodules: Is guideline-directed management still appropriate?

Background: Fluorodeoxyglucose uptake on positron emission tomography imaging has been shown to be an independent risk factor for malignancy in thyroid nodules. More recently, a new positron emission tomography radiotracer-Gallium-68 DOTATATE-has gained popularity as a sensitive method to detect neuroendocrine tumors. With greater availability of this imaging, incidental Gallium-68 DOTATATE uptake in the thyroid gland has increased.

Disparities in access to high-volume parathyroid surgeons in the United States: A call to action.

Background: Parathyroidectomy by a high-volume surgeon is associated with a reduced risk of perioperative complications and of failure to cure primary and secondary hyperparathyroidism. There are limited data on disparities in access to high-volume parathyroid surgeons in the United States.

Methods: We used publicly available 2019 Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment data to identify all surgeons who performed >10 parathyroidectomies for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries, anticipating that fee-for-service beneficiaries likely represent only a subset of their high-volume practices.

A Novel Risk Score to Predict Hungry Bone Syndrome After Parathyroidectomy for Renal Hyperparathyroidism.

Objective: Hungry bone syndrome (HBS) is a known complication of parathyroidectomy. Patients with renal hyperparathyroidism are particularly vulnerable to HBS because of their prolonged exposure to electrolyte abnormalities and elevated parathyroid hormone (PTH). However, in-depth characterization of predictive factors for HBS in these patients is lacking.

Physicians' views of patient-planetary health co-benefit prescribing: a mixed methods systematic review.

Health professionals are increasingly called to become partners in planetary health. Using patient-planetary health (P-PH) co-benefit prescribing framing, we did a mixed methods systematic review to identify barriers and facilitators to adopting P-PH co-benefit prescribing by physicians and mapped these onto the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, and Behaviour (COM-B) model and Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). We searched electronic databases from inception until October, 2022, and did a content analysis of the included articles (n=12).

Indigenous maternal health and health services within Canada: a scoping review.

Background: Globally, there are disparities in access to maternal health care services and equity in maternal health outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations. While the literature is growing, it has not been systematically synthesized. This review addresses this gap by synthesizing the existing literature on the organizational structure of maternity care, accessibility and delivery of services, and clinical disparities impacting Indigenous maternal health within Canada.

Implementation of a formal sleep center-based screening protocol for primary aldosteronism in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

Background: There is a bidirectional association between primary aldosteronism and obstructive sleep apnea, with evidence suggesting that the treatment of primary aldosteronism can reduce obstructive sleep apnea severity. Current guidelines recommend screening for primary aldosteronism in patients with comorbid hypertension and obstructive sleep apnea, identifying potential candidates for treatment. However, emerging data suggest current screening practices are unsatisfactory.

DNA Methylation Profiling in Rare Sellar Tumors.

The histologic diagnosis of sellar masses can be challenging, particularly in rare neoplasms and tumors without definitive biomarkers. Moreover, there is significant inter-observer variability in the histopathological diagnosis of many tumors of the CNS, and some rare tumors risk being misclassified. DNA methylation has recently emerged as a useful diagnostic tool.

Preoperative differentiation of hypophysitis and pituitary adenomas using a novel clinicoradiologic scoring system.

Purpose: Hypophysitis can clinically and radiologically mimic other nonfunctioning masses of the sella turcica, complicating preoperative diagnosis. While sellar masses may be treated surgically, hypophysitis is often treated medically, so differentiating between them facilitates optimal management. The objective of our study was to develop a scoring system for the preoperative diagnosis of hypophysitis.

Determinants of Surgical Remission in Prolactinomas: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: Prolactin-secreting tumors respond well to medical management, with a few patients requiring surgery. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to study the determinants of surgical remission in these tumors.

Methods: We searched PubMed to identify eligible studies reporting postoperative remission in patients treated with transsphenoidal surgery for prolactinoma.

Tumor volume improves preoperative differentiation of prolactinomas and nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas.

Purpose: Both prolactinomas and nonfunctioning adenomas (NFAs) can present with hyperprolactinemia. Distinguishing them is critical because prolactinomas are effectively managed with dopamine agonists, whereas compressive NFAs are treated surgically. Current guidelines rely only on serum prolactin (PRL) levels, which are neither sensitive nor specific enough.

Does glucose influence multidien cycles of interictal and/or ictal activities?

Purpose: There are multidien patterns of seizure occurrence. Predicting seizure risk may be easier with biomarker correlates to multidien patterns. We hypothesize multiday hyper or hypoglycemia contributes to seizure risk.

Are there mortality risks for patients with epilepsy who use cannabis treatments as monotherapy?

Mortality associated with cannabis used for treatment of epilepsy is not well documented. We discuss two fatalities in the setting of epilepsy and self-determined therapy with cannabis (SDTC). One patient had probable sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, the second death was due to seizure-associated drowning.