Serum selenium levels in patients with remission and relapse of graves' disease.

Objective: Selenium (Se) in the form of selenocysteine is an essential component of the family of the detoxifying enzymes glutathione peroxidase (Gpx) and of the iodothyronine selenodeiodinases that catalyze the extrathyroidal production of tri-iodothyronine (T(3)). Thus, Se deficiency may seriously influence the generation of free radicals, the conversion of thyroxine (T(4)) to T(3) and a thyroidal autoimmune process. The aim of this study was to investigate whether serum Se levels may influence the outcome of Graves' disease (GD).

Identification of occult metastases of medullary thyroid carcinoma by pentagastrin-stimulated intravenous calcitonin sampling followed by targeted surgery.

Background: High calcitonin (CT) serum levels suggest metastatic spread in medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) after thyroidectomy. In limited disease stages, however, morphological investigations including ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and 18F-FDG positron emission tomography ([18F]FDG-PET) may often fail to identify exact tumour sites.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to establish an improved strategy to identify small cervical tumours by combining pentagastrin stimulation with bilateral cervical intravenous CT sampling followed by high-resolution ultrasound.

Effect of proinflammatory cytokines on gene expression of the diabetes-associated autoantigen IA-2 in INS-1 cells.

Cytokines released from activated antigen-presenting cells and T-lymphocytes are crucially involved in the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes. Previous studies have shown that proinflammatory cytokines play an important role in the induction of autoimmunity and beta-cell damage. Inhibition of insulin expression has been described, but their effects on other major target autoantigens, such as the tyrosine phosphatase-like protein IA-2, is not known.