The evolution of PRRT for the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors; What comes next?

Lu-177 has been developed for the treatment of patients with peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT). A second generation pure no-carrier-added Lu-177 has a high specific activity and has waste disposal advantages over the first generation carrier-added Lu-177. PRRT has recently been developed for the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs).

Use of reflexology in managing secondary lymphoedema for patients affected by treatments for breast cancer: A feasibility study.

Purpose: The aim of this feasibility study was to examine the use of reflexology lymphatic drainage (RLD) in the treatment of breast-cancer related lymphoedema (BCRL) with a view to further research.

Methods: An uncontrolled trial was conducted with 26 women who had developed lymphoedema in one arm following treatment for breast cancer. Changes in upper-limb volumes and in participant concerns and wellbeing were measured.

Prevalence of visits to massage therapists by the general population: a systematic review.

Objective: To systematically review 12-month prevalence of visits to massage therapists by representative samples of the general population across countries.

Methods: Surveys reporting estimates of overall CAM use were included. Studies were identified via database searches.

Prevalence of visits to five types of complementary and alternative medicine practitioners by the general population: a systematic review.

Objective: To systematically review surveys of 12-month prevalence of visits to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioners for five therapies: acupuncture, homeopathy, osteopathy, chiropractic, and medical herbalism.

Methods: Studies were identified via database searches to 2011. Study quality was assessed using a six-item tool.

Growth hormone (GH) replacement therapy in GH deficient adults: predictors of one-year metabolic and clinical response.

Objective: This study investigated whether baseline status could predict the responsiveness to one-year growth hormone (GH) replacement therapy in adult GH deficient (GHD) patients.

Design: A total of 380 European patients with adult onset GHD due to non-functioning pituitary adenoma that had been enrolled in Pfizer International Metabolic Database (KIMS), and that had completed one year of GH replacement therapy within KIMS, were studied.

Results: The mean initial dose of GH was 0.

Improvement in insulin sensitivity without concomitant changes in body composition and cardiovascular risk markers following fixed administration of a very low growth hormone (GH) dose in adults with severe GH deficiency.

Objective: Untreated GH-deficient adults are predisposed to insulin resistance and excess cardiovascular mortality. We showed previously that short-term treatment with a very low GH dose (LGH) enhanced insulin sensitivity in young healthy adults. The present study was therefore designed to explore the hypothesis that LGH, in contrast to the standard GH dose titrated to normalize serum IGF-I levels (SGH), may have differing effects on insulin sensitivity, body composition, and cardiovascular risk markers [lipid profile, C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and adiponectin] in adults with severe GH deficiency.

Glucose homeostasis and safety in patients with acromegaly converted from long-acting octreotide to pegvisomant.

Context: In clinical practice, patients with acromegaly may be switched from therapy with long-acting somatostatin analogs to pegvisomant. The effect of changing therapies on glucose homeostasis and safety has not been reported.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to monitor changes in IGF-I levels, glycemic control, and safety, particularly liver function and tumor size.

G protein mutations in pituitary tumors: a study on Turkish patients.

Activating mutations of the G proteins, Gsalpha (gsp) and Gi2alpha (gip) have been reported in subsets of pituitary tumors. The objective of the study was to assess the frequency of gsp and gip mutations in pituitary tumors from Turkish patients and to investigate the possibility of mutations of protein kinase A catalytic subunit (PKAC) that activates the downstream effectors of adenylyl cyclase. PCR-amplified genomic DNA was analyzed for the presence of mutations in codons 201 and 227 of Gsalpha, codon 179 and 205 of Gi2alpha and codon 196 of PKAC, by single strand conformation polymorphism analysis, allele-specific oligonucleotide hybridization and DNA sequencing.

Corticotroph carcinoma presenting as a silent corticotroph adenoma.

Malignant pituitary tumours are rare and their pathogenesis is not fully understood. We have performed genetic analyses on tissues arising from a pituitary carcinoma that initially presented as a silent corticotroph adenoma but which failed to respond to repeated, aggressive surgical and medical therapy. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of known or putative tumour suppressor genes (TSG) was assessed by microsatellite analysis of microdissected tumour and matched patient blood DNA.

Expression of phosphorylated p27(Kip1) protein and Jun activation domain-binding protein 1 in human pituitary tumors.

The cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27(Kip1) (p27) plays a pivotal role in controlling cell proliferation during development and tumorigenesis. p27 has been implicated in pituitary tumorigenesis in studies of knockout mice and in analyses of human pituitary tumor samples. In this study, we further explored the role of p27 in human pituitary tumors by measuring levels of phosphorylated p27 (P-p27), and also Jun activation domain-binding protein 1 (Jab1), which is thought to facilitate the phosphorylation and degradation of p27, in normal pituitary tissue (n = 21), pituitary adenomas (n = 75), and pituitary carcinomas (n = 10).

The management of thyroid cancer in adults: a review of new guidelines.

The management of thyroid cancer has been facilitated by the recent publication of the Guidelines for the management of thyroid cancer in adults under the auspices of the British Thyroid Association and the Royal College of Physicians. This is a consensus document that has been developed by a number of key investigators in the field. The central tenet of the guidelines is that thyroid cancer is a disease which requires specialist care from a multidisciplinary team, including an endocrinologist, nuclear medicine physician, thyroid surgeon and endocrine pathologist.