Computerized Cytological Features for Papillary Thyroid Cancer Diagnosis-Preliminary Report.

Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is the final diagnosis of thyroid nodules before surgery. It is important to further improve the indeterminate FNAC diagnosis results using computerized cytological features. This retrospective cross-sectional study included 240 cases, of whom 110 had histologic diagnosis of papillary thyroid cancers (PTC), 100 had nodular/adenomatous goiters/hyperplasia (benign goiters), 10 had follicular/Hurthle cell carcinomas, and 20 had follicular adenomas.

Correlations of clinical parameters with quality of life in patients with acromegaly: Taiwan Acromegaly Registry.

Background/purpose: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the associations between clinical parameters and quality of life (QOL) of patients with acromegaly in Taiwan and to identify the impacts of hormone control, regimens, or co-morbidities on acromegalic patients' daily life.

Methods: From 2013 to 2015, subjects with acromegaly were recruited through five medical centers. Clinical data were recorded.

A registry of acromegaly patients and one year following up in Taiwan.

Background/purpose: The objectives of this study were to describe epidemiological data, treatment outcomes, and quality of life (QOL) of patients with acromegaly in Taiwan.

Methods: From 2013 to 2015, subjects with acromegaly were recruited through five medical centers. After enrollment, each patient was kept on observation for 1 year.

Prognostic factors on outcomes of follicular thyroid cancer.

Purposes: We investigated the influences of prognostic factors on long-term survival of patients with follicular thyroid cancer (FTC) based on all-cause mortality and two exclusive causes of death, FTC and non-FTC.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we collected data of 204 patients with FTC diagnosed between 1985 and 2007 at National Taiwan University Hospital. For all-cause mortality, Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios for prognostic factors.

Thyrotropin receptor antibodies and a genetic hint in antithyroid drug-induced adverse drug reactions.

Background: Antithyroid drugs (ATDs) are known to cause various adverse drug reactions (ADRs) that can lead to treatment complexity and unpredictable risks. With the aim of ensuring safer drug use, we assessed whether thyrotropin receptor antibody (TRAb) titers are associated with ATD-induced cutaneous reactions and/or hepatotoxicity, and examined potential genetic predisposition factors.

Methods: We compared TRAb titers of 37 Graves' disease (GD) patients who had experienced carbimazole/methimazole-induced cutaneous reactions and/or hepatotoxicity with those of 40 normal individuals, or 78 GD patients without the aforementioned ATD-induced ADRs.

The surgery and repeat aspiration outcomes of the atypia of undetermined significance/follicular lesion of undetermined significance category in The Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology.

Background/objective: The atypia of undetermined significance/follicular lesion of undetermined significance (AUS/FLUS) category is one of six diagnostic categories of The Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology (TBSRTC). In this study, we report the diagnostic distribution of thyroid fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology and analyze the outcome of AUS/FLUS cases.

Methods: A total of 29,937 thyroid FNA results, reported between April 2012 and December 2016, were retrieved from the database of a medical center.

Dual effects for lovastatin in anaplastic thyroid cancer: the pivotal effect of transketolase (TKT) on lovastatin and tumor proliferation.

This study tested the hypothesis that the effects of lovastatin on anaplastic thyroid cancer cell growth are mediated by upregulation of transketolase (TKT) expression. The effects of lovastatin on TKT protein levels in ARO cells were determined using western blot and proteomic analyses. After treatment with lovastatin and oxythiamine, the in vitro and in vivo growth of ARO cells was determined using 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5- diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays and tumor xenografts in nude mice.

Extramedullary hematopoiesis involving the thyroid: A rare cytologic finding in otherwise healthy patients and review of literature.

Background/purpose: The thyroid gland is an uncommon site for the presence of extramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH). We report the cases of four Taiwanese women with hematopoietic elements on the smears of thyroid fine needle aspiration (FNA) samples and compare the findings with those of previously reported cases.

Methods: We retrieved the data of cases in which thyroid FNA performed between January 2000 and December 2016.

Serial follow-up of presurgical treatment using pasireotide long-acting release with or without octreotide long-acting release for naïve active acromegaly.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the serial changes of GH and IGF-1 in seven patients with naïve, active acromegaly following presurgical treatment of the somatostatin analog pasireotide long-acting release (LAR) and octreotide LAR. The patients were treated with pasireotide LAR with or without octreotide LAR for two years and underwent transsphenoidal adenomectomy. After treatment with the somatostatin analogs, the surgical cure rate was similar to that in patients who underwent transsphenoidal surgery alone.

Follicular thyroid carcinoma with NRAS Q61K and GNAS R201H mutations that had a good (131)I treatment response.

Unlabelled: We report a case of follicular thyroid carcinoma with concomitant NRAS p.Q61K and GNAS p.R201H mutations, which manifested as a 13.

Hashimoto's encephalopathy: report of three cases.

Both severe thyrotoxicosis and hypothyroidism may affect brain function and cause a change in consciousness, as seen with a thyroid storm or myxedema coma. However, encephalopathy may also develop in patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases independent of actual thyroid function level, and this is known as Hashimoto's encephalopathy. Although most patients are found to have Hashimoto's thyroiditis, less frequently they have Graves' disease.

The impact of locoregional recurrences and distant metastases on the survival of patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Objective: Some patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) would suffer from locoregional recurrences or distant metastases. This study was aimed to elucidate the impacts of locoregional recurrences and distant metastases on these patients' survival.

Design: Retrospective hospital-based cohort study.

Risk factors of depression after prolonged low-dose rate environmental radiation exposure.

Purpose: More than 10,000 Taiwanese people were exposed to excessive protracted low-dose rate radiation from contaminated reinforcement bars, which were installed in buildings before 1992. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of depression amongst the exposed and identify related determinants now that more than two decades have passed since this population was informed of their exposure to radiation.

Materials And Methods: We used the Beck depression inventory (BDI)-1A questionnaire to survey 2143 eligible people during their annual physical examinations between March 2009 and December 2009.

Enigmatic ectopic fat: prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty pancreas disease and its associated factors in a Chinese population.

Background: Fatty infiltration of the pancreas is an enigmatic manifestation of ectopic fat deposition in obesity. Studies have shown that pancreatic lipid accumulation interferes with insulin secretion in humans. However, the prevalence of fatty pancreas and its associated factors in the general population remain unclear.

Predicting HLA genotypes using unphased and flanking single-nucleotide polymorphisms in Han Chinese population.

Background: Genetic variation associated with human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes has immunological functions and is associated with autoimmune diseases. To date, large-scale studies involving classical HLA genes have been limited by time-consuming and expensive HLA-typing technologies. To reduce these costs, single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been used to predict HLA-allele types.

Late effects on the health-related quality of life in a cohort population decades after environmental radiation exposure.

Purpose: To evaluate the late effects on the quality of life (QOL) of individual years after protracting low-dose radiation exposure.

Materials And Methods: We assessed 1,818 subjects using the World Health Organization Questionnaire on Quality of Life--Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF) in several Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) domains. After adjusting for demographic characteristics and comorbidities, we examined the HRQoL differences at various levels of exposure and ages at disclosure.

Associations between subclinical thyroid disease and metabolic syndrome.

Thyrotropin levels are outside normal reference range in subclinical thyroid disease. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) involves clustered cardiovascular risk factors, including abnormal lipids, insulin resistance, and hypertension. This study aimed to investigate associations between subclinical thyroid disease, thyrotropin levels, and metabolic syndrome in healthy subjects and identify associated biochemical markers.

Diabetes and thyroid cancer risk: literature review.

Diabetic patients have a higher risk of various types of cancer. However, whether diabetes may increase the risk of thyroid cancer has not been extensively studied. This paper reviews and summarizes the current literature studying the relationship between diabetes mellitus and thyroid cancer, and the possible mechanisms linking such an association.