Cumulative radiation exposure and associated cancer risk estimates for scoliosis patients: Impact of repetitive full spine radiography.

Objective: To quantitatively evaluate the cumulative effective dose and associated cancer risk for scoliotic patients undergoing repetitive full spine radiography during their diagnosis and follow up periods.

Methods: Organ absorbed doses of full spine exposed scoliotic patients at different age were computer simulated with the use of PCXMC software. Gender specific effective dose was then calculated with the ICRP-103 approach.

Short communication: Ovine leukocyte telomere length is associated with variation in the cortisol response to systemic bacterial endotoxin challenge.

Stress has been associated with biological aging and numerous age-related diseases. This may be due, in part, to accelerated shortening of telomeres, which are critical genomic structures that cap and protect chromosomal ends. Dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis may indirectly contribute to telomere shortening if an animal reacts too strongly or weakly to a stressor, leading to accelerated biological aging.

Profile of mood states and quality of life of Chinese postmastectomy women in Hong Kong: Integrating variable- and person-centered approaches.

Understanding the mood state and its relationship with quality of life (QOL) of mastectomy recipients can serve as baseline within which a sound rehabilitation program can be developed. This study therefore was conducted to facilitate a better understanding of participants' postmastectomy mood states, identify their potential predictors, identify clusters of mood profiles, and clarify between-cluster differences in terms of QOL. Hong Kong mastectomy patients completed the Profile of Mood States and Ferrans and Powers Quality of Life Index.

Effect of Head Tilt and Ocular Compensatory Mechanisms on Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Measurements by Cirrus Spectral Domain and Spectralis Optical Coherence Tomography in Normal Subjects.

Purpose: To determine the effect of head tilt and ocular compensatory mechanisms on retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness measurements using the Cirrus and Spectralis spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) in healthy eyes. Our secondary objective was to assess the visual influence on ocular compensatory mechanisms during head tilt.

Materials And Methods: This is a prospective, observational study.

Differential Clinicopathological Risk and Prognosis of Major Papillary Thyroid Cancer Variants.

Context: Individualized management, incorporating papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) variant-specific risk, is conceivably a useful treatment strategy for PTC, which awaits comprehensive data demonstrating differential risks of PTC variants to support.

Objective: This study sought to establish the differential clinicopathological risk of major PTC variants: conventional PTC (CPTC), follicular-variant PTC (FVPTC), and tall-cell PTC (TCPTC).

Methods: This was a retrospective study of clinicopathological outcomes of 6282 PTC patients (4799 females and 1483 males) from 26 centers and The Cancer Genome Atlas in 14 countries with a median age of 44 years (interquartile range, 33-56 y) and median follow-up time of 37 months (interquartile range, 15-82 mo).

Does impotence improve after parathyroidectomy in men with primary hyperparathyroidism?

Background: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common diagnosis associated with age, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHP) is also seen with these comorbidities, but its association with ED has yet to be studied. We evaluated the rate and resolution of impotence after curative surgery for PHP.

Alopecia areata.

Alopecia areata (AA) is a common, non-scarring alopecia that usually presents as well-circumscribed patches of sudden hair loss and affects 0.1-0.2% of the population.

Impact of the Multi-Gene ThyroSeq Next-Generation Sequencing Assay on Cancer Diagnosis in Thyroid Nodules with Atypia of Undetermined Significance/Follicular Lesion of Undetermined Significance Cytology.

Background: Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology is a common approach to evaluate thyroid nodules. It offers definitive diagnosis of a benign or malignant nodule in the majority of cases. However, 10-25% of nodules yield one of three indeterminate cytologic diagnoses, leading to suboptimal management of these patients.

Observation of risk factors, clinical manifestations and genetic characterization of recent Newcastle Disease Virus outbreak in West Malaysia.

Background: Newcastle disease virus remains a constant threat in commercial poultry farms despite intensive vaccination programs. Outbreaks attributed to ND can escalate and spread across farms and states contributing to major economic loss in poultry farms.

Results: Phylogenetic analysis in our study showed that eleven of the samples belonged to genotype VIId.

Significance of what is not sampled: Characteristics of thyroid nonmicrocarcinomas (>1.0 cm) that were not targeted.

Background: Although most unsuspected thyroid carcinomas qualify as microcarcinomas (≤1 cm), larger, nontargeted carcinomas may be found also. This study evaluated the significance of these nonmicrocarcinomas (>1 cm) in the setting of a large-volume thyroid practice.

Methods: Thyroid resection specimens from May 2007 to December 2012 were reviewed.

The clinical importance of parathyroid atypia: is long-term surveillance necessary?

Background: The uncommon diagnosis of atypical parathyroid adenoma (APA) creates a clinical conundrum for surveillance. We evaluated a large series of APA to determine long-term outcomes.

Methods: Prospectively collected data were retrieved for patients with a diagnosis of histologic APA defined by presence of ≥2 criteria: clinical/intraoperative adherence, fibrotic bands, trabecular growth, or mitotic rate of >1/10 per high-power field without indisputable signs of malignancy.

Adrenal Imaging Features Predict Malignancy Better than Tumor Size.

Introduction: In adrenal tumors, size ≥ 4 cm has been an indication for adrenalectomy due to concern for malignancy. We compared mass size to imaging features (ImF) for accuracy in diagnosing adrenal malignancy.

Methods: Data were retrieved for 112 consecutive patients who had adrenalectomy from January 2011 to August 2014.

Investigation of Host-Gut Microbiota Modulation of Therapeutic Outcome.

A broader understanding of factors underlying interindividual variation in pharmacotherapy is important for our pursuit of "personalized medicine." Based on knowledge gleaned from the investigation of human genetics, drug-metabolizing enzymes, and transporters, clinicians and pharmacists are able to tailor pharmacotherapies according to the genotype of patients. However, human host factors only form part of the equation that accounts for heterogeneity in therapeutic outcome.

Agreement of angle closure assessments between gonioscopy, anterior segment optical coherence tomography and spectral domain optical coherence tomography.

Aim: To determine angle closure agreements between gonioscopy and anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT), as well as gonioscopy and spectral domain OCT (SD-OCT). A secondary objective was to quantify inter-observer agreements of AS-OCT and SD-OCT assessments.

Methods: Seventeen consecutive subjects (33 eyes) were recruited from the study hospital's Glaucoma clinic.

High Reliability Organizations--Medication Safety.

High reliability organizations (HROs), such as the aviation industry, successfully engage in high-risk endeavors and have low incidence of adverse events. HROs have a preoccupation with failure and errors. They analyze each event to effect system wide change in an attempt to mitigate the occurrence of similar errors.

Fibromyalgia symptoms and medication requirements respond to parathyroidectomy.

Background: Fibromyalgia (FM), an ill-defined symptom complex, is characterized by musculoskeletal pain, headache, depression, fatigue, and cognitive decline, symptoms also seen commonly in primary hyperparathyroidism (PHP). Prevalence of concurrent PHP and FM and response to parathyroidectomy (PTX) of those with both conditions are unknown.

Methods: We reviewed prospective data of 4,000 patients with sporadic PHP who had PTX from 1995 to 2013 examining perioperative symptoms and medication usage for those with diagnosed FM.

Surgeon volume and adequacy of thyroidectomy for differentiated thyroid cancer.

Introduction: We aimed to determine influence of surgeon volume on (1) frequency of appropriate initial surgery for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) and (2) completeness of resection.

Methods: We reviewed all initial thyroidectomies (Tx; lobectomy and total) performed in a health system during 2011; surgeons were grouped by number of Tx cases per year. For patients with histologic DTC ≥ 1 cm, surgeon volume was correlated with initial extent of the operation, and markers of complete resection including uptake on I(123) prescan, thyrotropin-stimulated thyroglobulin levels, and I(131) dose administered.

Association between BRAF V600E mutation and recurrence of papillary thyroid cancer.

Purpose: To investigate the prognostic value of BRAF V600E mutation for the recurrence of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC).

Patients And Methods: This was a retrospective multicenter study of the relationship between BRAF V600E mutation and recurrence of PTC in 2,099 patients (1,615 women and 484 men), with a median age of 45 years (interquartile range [IQR], 34 to 58 years) and a median follow-up time of 36 months (IQR, 14 to 75 months).

Results: The overall BRAF V600E mutation prevalence was 48.

Highly accurate diagnosis of cancer in thyroid nodules with follicular neoplasm/suspicious for a follicular neoplasm cytology by ThyroSeq v2 next-generation sequencing assay.

Background: Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology is a common approach to evaluating thyroid nodules, although 20% to 30% of FNAs have indeterminate cytology, which hampers the appropriate management of these patients. Follicular (or oncocytic) neoplasm/suspicious for a follicular (or oncocytic) neoplasm (FN/SFN) is a common indeterminate diagnosis with a cancer risk of approximately 15% to 30%. In this study, the authors tested whether the most complete next-generation sequencing (NGS) panel of genetic markers could significantly improve cancer diagnosis in these nodules.

Inflammation and hyperglycemia mediate Deaf1 splicing in the pancreatic lymph nodes via distinct pathways during type 1 diabetes.

Peripheral tolerance is partially controlled by the expression of peripheral tissue antigens (PTAs) in lymph node stromal cells (LNSCs). We previously identified a transcriptional regulator, deformed epidermal autoregulatory factor 1 (Deaf1), that can regulate PTA expression in LNSCs of the pancreatic lymph nodes (PLNs). During the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes (T1D), Deaf1 is spliced to form the dominant-negative isoform Deaf1-Var1.