Treatment pattern and frequency of serum TSH measurement in users of different levothyroxine formulations: a population-based study during the years 2009-2015.

Background: Several conditions can modify the intestinal absorption of levothyroxine tablets, with potential consequences on their therapeutic effect. Pre-dosed ampoules and oral drops have been recently made available to overcome this limitation.

Aims: To describe the pattern of use of different formulations of levothyroxine in a general population of Southern Italy and to perform an exploratory analysis investigating the effect of switching from levothyroxine tablets to oral liquid formulations.

Combined clinical and ultrasound follow-up assists in malignancy detection in Galectin-3 negative Thy-3 thyroid nodules.

The use of galectin-3 ThyroTest in the preoperative evaluation of cytologically indeterminate (Thy-3) thyroid nodules has been largely validated by retrospective and prospective multicentre studies. Here we report the results of galectin-3 ThyroTest routinely applied in the management of Thy-3 nodules in combination with clinical and ultrasonography (US) examination, in which galectin-3 positive nodules were directly referred to surgery whereas galectin-3 negative lesions were considered for clinical and US long-term follow-up. A cohort of 331 patients, bearing 340 thyroid Thy-3 nodules, was enrolled and subjected to galectin-3 expression analysis.

Analysis of BCLI, N363S and ER22/23EK Polymorphisms of the Glucocorticoid Receptor Gene in Adrenal Incidentalomas.

Context: Patients with adrenal incidentalomas (AI) may experience detrimental consequences due to a minimal cortisol excess sustained by adrenal adenoma. SNPs of the glucocorticoid receptor gene (NR3C1) modulate individual sensitivity to glucocorticoids and may interfere with the clinical presentation.

Objective: To compare the frequency of N363S, ER22/23EK and BclI SNPs in patients with AI with the general population and to evaluate whether these SNPs are linked to consequences of cortisol excess.

Lipid disorders in patients with renal failure: Role in cardiovascular events and progression of chronic kidney disease.

The spectrum of lipid disorders in chronic kidney disease (CKD) is usually characterized by high triglycerides and reduced high dense lipoprotein (HDL), associated with normal or slightly reduced low dense lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol. This dyslipidemia is associated with an increased risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Keys for the cardiovascular risk reduction in these patients are lowering the number and modifying the composition of the cholesterol-carrying atherogenic lipoprotein particles.

Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms/haplotypes and serum 25(OH)D levels in Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

Vitamin D deficiency and/or reduced function, as per certain polymorphisms of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene, have been related to several autoimmune disorders. The present study was aimed to investigate the association of Hashimoto's thyroiditis with vitamin D status and functional polymorphisms (SNPs) of the VDR gene. In this case-control study, 200 euthyroid subjects were enrolled: 100 newly diagnosed HT patients (87 F, 13 M; mean age ± SD 42 ± 15 year) and 100 healthy individuals, matched for age, sex, BMI, and month of blood sampling.