Neuroendocrine-Related Circulating Transcripts in Small-Cell Lung Cancers: Detection Methods and Future Perspectives.

No well-established prognostic or predictive molecular markers of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) are currently available; therefore, all patients receive standard treatment. Adequate quantities and quality of tissue samples are frequently unavailable to perform a molecular analysis of SCLC, which appears more heterogeneous and dynamic than expected. The implementation of techniques to study circulating tumor cells could offer a suitable alternative to expand the knowledge of the molecular basis of a tumor.

Factors associated with vertebral fracture risk in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism.

Objective: To examine factors, in addition to bone mineral density (BMD), such as the common calcium-sensing receptor (CASR) gene polymorphisms, associated with vertebral fracture (VFx) risk in primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT).

Design And Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of 266 Caucasian PHPT seen as outpatients. Serum calcium (sCa) phosphate metabolism parameters were measured.

Integrated imaging approach to osteoporosis: state-of-the-art review and update.

Osteoporosis is the most common of all metabolic bone disorders. It is characterized by low bone mass and microarchitectural deterioration of bone tissue, with a consequent increase in bone fragility and susceptibility to fractures. Because of the increasing aging of the world population, the number of persons affected by osteoporosis is also increasing.

Case report: Multimodality imaging of van Neck-Odelberg disease.

Synchondrosis ischiopubic syndrome (SIS), also known as van Neck-Odelberg disease, is a syndrome characterized by an atypical ossification pattern of the ischiopubic synchondrosis. Its radiological features may mimic stress fracture, neoplasm, osteomyelitis, or posttraumatic osteolysis, causing problems in diagnosis, sometimes leading to unnecessary workup. We report two cases in which the correlation between the clinical and multimodality imaging data enabled the correct diagnosis of SIS.

Clinical application of transthoracic ultrasonography in inpatients with pneumonia.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical applicability of transthoracic ultrasound (TUS) in the diagnosis and follow-up of community acquired pneumonia (CAP).

Methods: We designed a pilot study in 15 patients and subsequently investigated 342 patients (206 men and 136 women) consecutively admitted to our Department from September 2005 to November 2009 because of radiographically diagnosed CAP. All patients underwent standard chest radiography, and consequently TUS.

Imaging of metabolic bone diseases.

Osteoporosis is a serious public health problem. The incidence of osteoporotic fractures increases with age. As life expectancy increases, social costs associated with osteoporotic fractures will multiply exponentially.

Spinal volumetric trabecular bone mass in acromegalic patients: a longitudinal study.

Objective: Data on trabecular bone mass in acromegaly are controversial. All the studies are cross-sectional and bone mineral density (BMD) has been evaluated largely by dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), which is influenced by bone enlargement. In this study we assessed in acromegalic patients the effects overtime of GH excess on trabecular bone mass measured by single-energy quantitative computed tomography (QCT) which is not influenced by bone size.

Eugonadal male patients with adrenal incidentalomas and subclinical hypercortisolism have increased rate of vertebral fractures.

Objective: Subclinical hypercortisolism (SH) is suggested to exert a deleterious effect on bone. This effect and the role of gonadal status in male subjects are not fully elucidated. We evaluated bone mineral density (BMD) and prevalence of vertebral fractures in eugonadal male subjects with adrenal incidentalomas (AI) and without SH.

Subclinical hypercortisolism among outpatients referred for osteoporosis.

Background: Hypercortisolism is known to cause osteoporosis.

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of subclinical hypercortisolism in participants referred for evaluation of osteoporosis.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Primary hyperparathyroidism and the presence of kidney stones are associated with different haplotypes of the calcium-sensing receptor.

Introduction: Three single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the calcium-sensing receptor gene (CASR) encoding the missense substitutions A986S, R990G, and Q1011E have been associated with normal variation in extracellular calcium homeostasis, both individually and in haplotype combination. The aim of this study was to examine haplotype associations in primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT).

Patients And Methods: Patients with sporadic PHPT (n = 237) were recruited from endocrine clinics and healthy controls (n = 433) from a blood donor clinic, and levels of serum calcium, albumin, and PTH were measured.

Vitamin D status in inpatients admitted to an internal medicine department.

Background/aims: A role of hypovitaminosis D has been advocated in several medical conditions. We investigated vitamin D status in medical inpatients, compared to a blood donors' group from the same area.

Methods: Fifty-nine consecutive medical patients were recruited at hospital admission, concomitantly to 207 blood donors of both genders.