Serum human chorionic gonadotropin levels and thyroid hormone levels in gestational transient thyrotoxicosis: Is the serum hCG level useful for differentiating between active Graves' disease and GTT?

Gestational transient thyrotoxicosis (GTT) is defined as transient thyrotoxicosis caused by the stimulating effect of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) during pregnancy. We attempted to identify the serum hCG level that causes GTT, and we compared the serum hCG levels and thyroid hormone levels of GTT patients according to whether they had a background of thyroid disease. We also evaluated serum hCG as a parameter for differentiating between active Graves' disease (GD) and GTT.

Changes in pediatric thyroid sonograms in or nearby the Kanto region before and after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Following the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station which occurred on March 11, 2011 due to the Eastern Japan Great Earthquake (the Accident), there have been concerns over elevation of the risk of thyroid cancer among children due to internal exposure to radioactive iodine. In Fukushima Prefecture, screening of children with thyroid ultrasonography has been carried out, yielding numerous findings, suggesting a possible influence from the Accident. We report thyroid ultrasonographic findings, used by similar device at Fukushima Prefecture's study, at Ito-hospital.

Frequency of Adverse Events of Antithyroid Drugs Administered during Pregnancy.

The frequency and types of adverse events after initial antithyroid drug (ATD) therapy during pregnancy have never been reported, nor has whether the frequency of adverse events is the same as among nonpregnant subjects ever been investigated. We investigated retrospectively the frequency of adverse events after initial ATD administration to previously untreated Graves' disease (GD) patients during pregnancy. We reviewed the charts of cases of 91 untreated pregnant women who came to our hospital for the first time and were newly diagnosed with GD during the period between January 1, 1999, and December 31, 2011.

Follicular thyroid carcinoma with distant metastasis: outcome and prognostic factor.

Follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) usually has a good prognosis unless there is distant metastasis (DM). In this retrospective study we evaluated the outcome of FTC patients with DM and attempted to identify prognostic factors. The subjects of this study were the 106 of FTC patients who underwent thyroidectomy at our hospital between 1989 and 2010 who had been diagnosed with DM at presentation or had developed DM after the initial surgery.

Determination of pediatric reference levels of FT3, FT4 and TSH measured with ECLusys kits.

Reference ranges for serum thyroid hormones free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) in children were set using the assay kits currently used in clinical settings. A total of 342 children (111 males and 231 females) who were negative for antithyroid antibodies (TgAb, TPOAb) and were found to have no abnormalities on ultrasonographic examination of the thyroid gland were divided into 6 age groups: 4-6 years (45 children), 7-8 years (40), 9-10 years (53), 11-12 years (65), 13-14 years (83), and 15 years (56) for the study. FT3, FT4 and TSH levels were determined by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) (ECLusys FT3, FT4 and TSH).

Pharmacological conversion of atrial fibrillation in the patients of Graves' disease.

Background: Hyperthyroidism is one of the common causes of atrial fibrillation (AF), and AF is associated with increased morbidity and mortality due to thromboembolism. The sinus rhythm maintenance rate of hyperthyroidism-induced AF patients after conversion to sinus rhythm is excellent. The present study was undertaken to assess the efficacy and safety of bepridil, a multichannel blocker, in patients with hyperthyroidism-induced persistent AF.

Diagnostic accuracy of fine needle aspiration biopsy cytology and ultrasonography in patients with thyroid nodules diagnosed as benign or indeterminate before thyroidectomy.

Fine-needle aspiration biopsy cytology (FNABC) and ultrasonography (US) play an important role in differentiating benign thyroid nodules from malignant nodules. We retrospectively investigated the prevalence of follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) in patients with thyroid nodules whose FNABC and US readings were not malignant before thyroidectomy. Between 2007 and 2008, 3333 patients underwent thyroidectomy at our institution, and the 737 of them who had thyroid nodule that had been diagnosed as hyperplastic nodule or follicular tumor by FNABC and US preoperatively were the subjects in this study.

Antithyroid drug-induced hematopoietic damage: a retrospective cohort study of agranulocytosis and pancytopenia involving 50,385 patients with Graves' disease.

Context: Although antithyroid drug (ATD)-induced hematopoietic damage is a significant concern, it has not been comprehensively investigated.

Objective: Our objective was to describe the clinical features of ATD-induced hematopoietic damage.

Design And Setting: This was a retrospective cohort study in Tokyo, Japan.

Treatment of autonomously functioning thyroid nodules at a single institution: radioiodine therapy, surgery, and ethanol injection therapy.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to clarify the efficacy of radioiodine (RI) therapy in Japanese patients with autonomously functioning thyroid nodules (AFTNs).

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis to assess the management of AFTN patients. Thyroid lobectomy was performed to treat toxic adenoma (TA) patients, and total thyroidectomy to treat toxic multinodular goiter (TMNG) patients.

Severe thyroid-associated orbitopathy in Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Report of 2 cases.

Thyroid-associated orbitopathy (TAO) is characterized by immune-mediated inflammation of the extraocular muscles surrounding orbital connective tissue and adipose tissue. Severe orbitopathy related to autoimmune thyroid disease often occurs in patients with Grave's disease, but it is rare in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis. The pathogenesis of TAO is unclear.

Thyroglobulin (Tg) induces thyroid cell growth in a concentration-specific manner by a mechanism other than thyrotropin/cAMP stimulation.

Thyroglobulin (Tg), a major product of the thyroid gland, serves as a macromolecular precursor of thyroid hormone biosynthesis. In addition, Tg stored in the thyroid follicles is a potent regulator of thyroid-specific gene expression. In conjunction with thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and iodide, Tg regulates thyroid follicle function, which is the minimal functional unit of the thyroid gland.

Pediatric differentiated thyroid carcinoma in stage I: risk factor analysis for disease free survival.

Background: To examine the outcomes and risk factors in pediatric differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) patients who were defined as TNM stage I because some patients develop disease recurrence but treatment strategy for such stage I pediatric patients is still controversial.

Methods: We reviewed 57 consecutive TNM stage I patients (15 years or less) with DTC (46 papillary and 11 follicular) who underwent initial treatment at Ito Hospital between 1962 and 2004 (7 males and 50 females; mean age: 13.1 years; mean follow-up: 17.

Long-term changes in parathyroid function after subtotal thyroidectomy for graves' disease.

Background: Transient hypocalcemia is one of the postoperative complications of thyroidectomy for Graves' disease, and perioperative parathyroid hormone (PTH) assays are used to predict postoperative hypocalcemia. We evaluated long-term changes in parathyroid function after surgery for Graves' disease.

Methods: Serum PTH values were measured in Graves' patients with postoperative hypocalcemia, and those patients were followed postoperatively.

Up-regulation of transcriptional factor E2F1 in papillary and anaplastic thyroid cancers.

Expression of genes in the Rb-E2F signaling pathway is controlled by E2F transcriptional factors originally defined as molecules that bind to the promoter of E2 adenovirus. The E2F gene family consists of six members and is designated E2F1-6. The Rb-E2F signaling pathway is among the main regulators of the cell cycle, hence its importance in differentiation and oncogenesis.

PEI therapy for thyroid lesions.

PEI therapy has been applied clinically as a new treatment strategy for cystic lesions and autonomous functioning nodules of the thyroid. Some additional indications currently under consideration include cold benign tumors and inoperable advanced cancer of the thyroid, and postoperative recurrence of Graves' disease. At our institution, we have treated 2323 patients with thyroid disease by PEI therapy from 1999 to 2001.

Thyroid ultrasonography B-mode and color-Doppler.

Recently, ultrasonography of the thyroid gland has proved to be a useful clinical diagnostic method. The newly developed high-resolution ultrasonography with color-Doppler flow mapping function can reveal fine details of the thyroid gland and the hemodynamic features of thyroid neoplasmas. Ultrasonography can deliver a diagnostic accuracy of over 90% in thyroid carcinoma, especially papillary carcinoma.

Hürthle cell tumor of the thyroid: analysis of 188 cases.

We reviewed 188 cases of Hürthle cell tumor of the thyroid (HCT) between 1982 and 1996. There were 160 women and 28 men with a mean age of 51.8 years.

Postoperative changes in thyrotropin-binding inhibitory immunoglobulin level in patients with Graves' disease: is subtotal thyroidectomy a suitable therapeutic option for patients of childbearing age with Graves' disease?

Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)-binding inhibitory immunoglobulin (TBII) is thought to be one of the essential causes of Graves' disease, and most cases of neonatal hyperthyroidism can be explained by transplacental passage of TBII. Because surgery is often indicated for patients of childbearing age, it is important to elucidate how surgery reduces TBII levels. Between 1988 and 1991 a total of 946 female patients with Graves' disease underwent subtotal thyroidectomy.