Thyroglossal duct remnant carcinoma: beyond the Sistrunk procedure.

Thyroglossal duct remnants (TGDRs) account for more than 70% of anterior neck masses in children and 7% in adults; however, cancer is identified in only 1-2% of the cases. The diagnosis of a TGDR is based on clinical manifestation of a painless, anterior neck swelling, which elevates with swallowing. Cytological evaluation with fine needle aspiration and biopsy (FNAB) may facilitate the pre-operative diagnosis of malignancy, as the majority of TGDR cancers are of papillary histotype.

Specific glycogen synthase kinase-3 inhibition reduces neuroendocrine markers and suppresses neuroblastoma cell growth.

Objective: Neuroblastoma is a common neuroendocrine (NE) tumor that presents in early childhood, with a high incidence of malignancy and recurrence. The glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) pathway is a potential therapeutic target, as this pathway has been shown to be crucial in the management of other NE tumors. However, it is not known which isoform is necessary for growth inhibition.

Hypothyroidism after a cancer diagnosis: etiology, diagnosis, complications, and management.

Hypothyroidism is a common disease that is easily treated in the majority of cases, when readily diagnosed; however, presentation of an aggregate of its symptoms is often clinically overlooked or attributed to another disease and can potentially be lethal. Already prevalent in older women, its occurrence in younger patients is rising as a result of radiation therapy, radioactive iodine therapy, and newer antineoplastic agents used to manage various malignancies. The presence of nonspecific constitutional symptoms and neuropsychiatric complaints in cancer patients can be attributed to a myriad of other diagnoses and therapies.

An intact parathyroid hormone-based protocol for the prevention and treatment of symptomatic hypocalcemia after thyroidectomy.

Background: Symptomatic (SX) hypocalcemia after thyroidectomy is a barrier to same day surgery and the cause of emergency room visits. A standard protocol of calcium and vitamin D supplementation, dependent on intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) levels, can address this issue. How effective is it? When does it fail?

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of the prospective Thyroid database from January 2006 to December 2010.

Safety and feasibility of laparoscopic resection for large (≥ 6 CM) pheochromocytomas without suspected malignancy.

Objective: To determine whether laparoscopic adrenalectomy in patients without radiologic evidence of cancer compromises the perioperative and long-term outcomes in patients with large (≥ 6 cm) pheochromocytomas.

Methods: We analyzed a prospective adrenal database of consecutive patients who underwent adrenalectomy at our institution between September 2000 and September 2010. Patients with diagnosed pheochromocytoma who underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy were included.

Persistent hypertension after adrenalectomy for an aldosterone-producing adenoma: weight as a critical prognostic factor for aldosterone's lasting effect on the cardiac and vascular systems.

Background: Primary aldosteronism caused by an aldosterone producing adrenal tumor/aldosteronoma (APA), is a potentially curable form of hypertension, via unilateral adrenalectomy. Resolution of hypertension (HTN) is not as prevalent after tumor resection, as are the normalization of aldosterone secretion, hypokalemia, and other metabolic abnormalities. Here, we review the immediate and long-term medical outcomes of laparoscopic adrenalectomy in patients with an APA, and attempt to identify any distinctive sex differences in the management of resistant HTN.

Signaling pathways as specific pharmacologic targets for neuroendocrine tumor therapy: RET, PI3K, MEK, growth factors, and Notch.

Neuroendocrine tumors are rare tumors with a common progenitor - the neural crest cell. Included in this category are pulmonary and gastrointestinal tract carcinoid tumors and medullary thyroid cancer. The majority of these tumors are sporadic in nature, however they can be hereditary.

Pathogenesis, management, and consequences of primary graft dysfunction.

Primary graft dysfunction continues to be a major contributing factor to morbidity and mortality after lung transplantation. This condition is presumed to be the result of ischemia-reperfusion injury, which is associated with the release of endogenous substances that can activate the innate immune system. Primary graft dysfunction has been shown to be an independent risk factor for the development of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome indicating that it can shape alloimmune responses.

Heat shock protein (HSP72) and p38 MAPK involvement in sublethal hemorrhage (SLH)-induced tolerance.

Background: Our in vivo model of tolerance, sublethal hemorrhage (SLH), alters cytokine production, nuclear factor-kappaB mobilization, mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase activity, and makes rats tolerant to shock. Heat shock protein (HSP) protects animals from stress. This study investigated if SLH induces in vivo HSP72 expression and whether in vitro HSP72 induction by sodium arsenite (NaArs) alters intracellular signal transduction and cytokine production similar to SLH.

Sublethal hemorrhage induces tolerance in animals exposed to cecal ligation and puncture by altering p38, p44/42, and SAPK/JNK MAP kinase activation.

Background: We have shown that SLH induces tolerance to endotoxin in vivo and in vitro, and is associated with alterations in MAP kinase (p38, p44/42, and SAPK/JNK) activation and TNF production. This study investigates the effect of sublethal hemorrhage (SLH) on cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) polymicrobial sepsis and examined the effect of the bioflavinoid, curcumin, a MAP kinase inhibitor, on this relationship.

Materials And Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats underwent SLH (hemorrhage and MAP = 30 mm Hg for 15 min, with shed blood returned) or sham operation.

Liver injury during acute pancreatitis: the role of pancreatitis-associated ascitic fluid (PAAF), p38-MAPK, and caspase-3 in inducing hepatocyte apoptosis.

We have demonstrated that pancreatitis-associated ascitic fluid contributes to hepatocyte injury during acute pancreatitis; a phenomenon independent of ascites' enzymatic content and Kupffer cell-derived cytokines. Our aim is to characterize the mechanisms of pancreatitis-associated ascitic fluid induced hepatocyte death. NIH mice were injected intraperitoneally with pathogen-free pancreatitis-associated ascitic fluid.

Effects of tolerizing sublethal hemorrhage on p44/42 and SAPK/JNK Map-kinase activation.

Exposure to sublethal hemorrhage (SLH) makes rats tolerant to subsequent hemorrhagic or septic shock. We have shown that this tolerance leads to alterations in cytokine production, macrophage NF-kappaB activation and p38 MAP-kinase activity. The purpose of this study was to explore whether changes in p44/42 and SAPK/JNK MAP kinase activity also occur after the induction of tolerance by SLH.