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Biomedical subjects

C Daumerie

Publications and source records attributed to C Daumerie.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Propylthiouracyl-induced severe liver toxicity: an indication for alanine aminotransferase monitoring?

Propylthiouracyl (PTU)-related liver toxicity is likely to occur in about 1% of treated patients. In case of acute or subacute hepatitis, liver failure may occur in about one third. We report two further cases of PTU-induced subacute hepatitis, in whom the delay between occurrence of liver damage after the initiation of treatment, the underestimation of its severity and the delayed withdrawal of the drug were all likely responsible for liver failure. The high incidence of liver toxicity related to PTU, its potential severity and delayed occurrence after initiation of treatment are in favor of monthly alanine aminotransferase monitoring, at least during the first six months of therapy.

Adult↗

Hypothyroidism and major depression: a common executive dysfunction?

Little is known about the possible link between the cognitive disorders associated with hypothyroidism and those encountered in depression. This study examines attentional and executive functions as well as the intensity of anxiety and depressive symptoms in hypothyroidism and major depression and the possible link between these symptoms and cognitive disturbances. This study confirms the existence of psychomotor slowing associated with attentional and executive disturbance in major depression as well as in hypothyroidism. However, while depressed subjects manifested a conscious bias with material of negative emotional valence, no such bias was found in the hypothyroid subjects. While the hypothyroid state is accompanied by anxiety/depressive symptoms, it seems that the latter are too discrete for an attentional bias to be observed with material with a negative emotional valence.

Adult↗

Intense 18-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake by the thymus on PET scan does not necessarily herald recurrence of thyroid carcinoma.

This is the first report of intense fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) uptake secondary to thymic hyperplasia during follow-up for thyroid carcinoma. A 36-yr-old woman underwent thyroidectomy for a papillary carcinoma measuring 4 cm in diameter. After two doses of radioiodine, thyroglobulin (Tg) remained detectable following recombinant human TSH (rhTSH) stimulation. A whole body scan (WBS) was negative. On computed tomography (CT) scan, a slightly lobulated thymus was visualized. PET scan showed intense thymic uptake. Following resection, anatomo-pathological analysis showed homogenous hyperplastic thymic gland without neoplastic cells. Two months later, under levothyroxin (L-T4) substitution, Tg was no longer detectable and PET scanning did not show any 18-FDG uptake. This observation suggests that thymic FDG uptake does not necessarily herald recurrence of thyroid carcinoma and must be interpreted with caution in such a setting. Other conditions associated with abnormal uptake by hyperplastic thymus must also be envisaged.

Adult↗

Anxiety and depression, attention, and executive functions in hypothyroidism.

BACKGROUND: Divergences in cognitive disturbances in hypothyroidism reported in the literature are a result of a methodological bias. METHODS: By using a precise methodology, we examined attention and executive functions in hypothyroidism, verified the presence of anxiety and depressive symptoms in hypothyroidism, and examined the possible link between these symptoms and the cognitive disturbances (searching for attentional bias for words with a negative emotional valence). We administered a battery of cognitive tests to 23 participants who had undergone thyroidectomy for thyroid carcinoma: for the first time in an euthyroid state, then 3 weeks later (still in the euthyroid state) to assess the test/retest effect, and finally 4 weeks later in an hypothyroid state. We compared their performance with that of a group of 26 control participants who were also administered the same cognitive tests, also 3 times. RESULTS: In hypothyroidism, the thyroid participants were more anxious and depressed than the controls and presented attentional and executive disturbances that reflected general slowing and difficulties in using their capacities of inhibition. However, they did not exhibit an attentional bias for words with a negative emotional valence. CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to what was expected, symptoms of anxiety and not symptoms of depression interfered with the cognitive performance of participants in hypothyroidism.

Adult↗

Correlation between the loss of thyroglobulin iodination and the expression of thyroid-specific proteins involved in iodine metabolism in thyroid carcinomas.

Progress in biotechnology has provided useful tools for tracing proteins involved in thyroid hormone synthesis in vivo. Mono- or polyclonal antibodies are now available to detect on histological sections the Na(+)/I(-) symporter (NIS) at the basolateral pole of the cell, the putative iodide channel (pendrin) at the apical plasma membrane, thyroperoxidase (TPO), and members of the NADPH-oxidase family, thyroid oxidase 1 and 2 (ThOXs), part of the H(2)O(2)-generating system. The aim of this study was to correlate thyroglobulin (Tg) iodination with the presence of these proteins. Tg, T(4)-containing Tg, NIS, pendrin, TPO, ThOXs, and TSH receptor (TSHr) were detected by immunohistochemistry on tissue sections of normal thyroids and various benign and malignant thyroid disorders. Tg was present in all cases. T(4)-containing Tg was found in the adenomas, except in Hurthle cell adenomas. It was never detected in carcinomas. NIS was reduced in all types of carcinomas, whereas it was detected in noncancerous tissues. Pendrin was not expressed in carcinomas, except in follicular carcinomas, where weak staining persisted. TPO expression was present in insular, follicular carcinomas and in follicular variants of papillary carcinomas, but in a reduced percentage of cells. It was below the level of detection in papillary carcinomas. The H(2)O(2)-generating system, ThOXs, was found in all carcinomas and was even increased in papillary carcinomas. Its staining was apical in normal thyroids, whereas it was cytoplasmic in carcinomas. The TSHr was expressed in all cases, but the intensity of the staining was decreased in insular carcinomas. In conclusion, our work shows that all types of carcinomas lose the capacity to synthesize T(4)-rich, iodinated Tg. In follicular carcinomas, this might be due to a defect in iodide transport at the basolateral pole of the cell. In papillary carcinomas, this defect seems to be coupled to an altered apical transport of iodide and probably TPO activity. The TSHr persists in virtually all cases.

Biomarkers↗

Metastatic liposarcoma of the thyroid gland.

Metastatic liposarcoma of the thyroid gland is exceptionally rare. A case of pleomorphic liposarcoma, which manifested as a soft tissue lump in the neck, is described in a 30-year-old woman. Fine needle aspiration cytology permitted prompt diagnosis. The ultrasound and CT appearance of this type of thyroid metastasis is described which has not been previously reported in the literature.

Biopsy, Needle↗

Structural changes in the angiofollicular units between active and hypofunctioning follicles align with differences in the epithelial expression of newly discovered proteins involved in iodine transport and organification.

In animals, as well as in humans, the thyroid gland is made of active follicles, with cuboidal cells and hypofunctioning follicles, with flattened cells. In this study, the functional status of human follicles was dissected out, based on immunohistochemical detection of TSH receptor, Na(+)/I(-) symporter, pendrin, thyroperoxidase (TPO), thyroid oxidases (ThOXs), and T(4)-containing iodinated Tg (Tg-I). To ascertain that angiofollicular units exist in the human, we studied the microvascular bed of each follicle, in correlation with detection of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), of nitric oxide synthase III, and of endothelin in normal and goitrous thyroids. In hypofunctioning follicles, pendrin, TPO, and ThOXs were not detected, and there was no Tg-I in the colloid. At the opposite, in active follicles, pendrin, TPO, and ThOXs were detected in thyrocytes, and Tg-I was present in the colloid. In normal and goitrous thyroids, the capillary networks surrounding active follicles were larger than those surrounding hypofunctioning follicles. Immunoreactivity for nitric oxide synthase III and endothelin was solely detected in active follicles. Only a few follicles in normal thyroids were immunostained for VEGF, regardless of their functional status. In multinodular goiters, VEGF was detected in contact with the extracellular matrix at the basal pole of the cells. In conclusion, the present study endorses the likelihood of angiofollicular units in the human thyroids. Vascular changes are related to the functional status of thyrocytes.

Biological Transport↗

Evidence for thyrotropin receptor immunoreactivity in pretibial connective tissue from patients with thyroid-associated dermopathy.

Pretibial myxedema (PTM), mainly characterized by the accumulation of glycosaminoglycans in the dermis and subcutaneous tissue, is an extrathyroidal manifestation of autoimmune Graves' disease (GD), almost always associated with Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO). The thyrotropin receptor (TSH-R) has been proposed as the common target antigen in GD, GO and PTM, with evidence for receptor transcripts and/or protein in these locations. The aim of this study has been to investigate whether receptor protein is present in the pretibial tissues. Skin biopsies were obtained from two patients with PTM and two normal subjects without thyroid disease. A portion of each sample was fixed to produce semi-thin sections for Toluidine Blue or Periodic Acid Schiff (PAS) staining. The remainder was snap frozen to generate cryostat sections for immunohistochemical analysis using three monoclonal antibodies against TSH-R. In the skin from the two patients suffering from PTM, the dermis was infiltrated by inflammatory cells (lymphocytes, B cells, macrophages, mast cells) and adipocytes. The collagen fibers were dissociated by edema and by the accumulation of a PAS-positive material. Immunodetection of TSH-R produced positive staining on cells localized in the dermis, beneath the epidermis or close to the hypodermis. These cells were elongated and resembled fibroblasts. No immunoreactivity was observed in the dermis from control patients without thyroid disease. In conclusion, we have evidence for TSH-R immunoreactivity in the pretibium of patients with GD, GO and PTM. Further studies are needed to unambiguously identify the positive cells and determine whether the reactivity is due to the receptor itself or to a cross-reacting protein.

Aged↗

Minimally invasive video-assisted approach for partial and total thyroidectomy: initial experience.

BACKGROUND: We report our initial experience with partial and total thyroidectomy using a video-assisted approach. The feasibility, safety, and potential benefits of this technique are examined. METHODS: Between January and May 2000, 28 patients were select to undergo a thyroid lobectomy (n = 17) or total thyroidectomy (n = 11) by a video-assisted cervical approach. Patient selection was based on clinical examination and preoperative ultrasonography. The surgical procedures were conducted under general anesthesia through a minimal substernal skin incision. Frozen sections were examined peroperatively in all cases. RESULTS: The initial diagnosis was solitary nodule in 19 patients and multinodular goiter in 8 patients. One patient was treated for hyperthyroidism. The mean cranio-caudal axis and transverse diameter of the resected specimen were 4.9 +/- 0.9 and 2.7 +/- 0.5 cm, respectively, and the mean total lobar weight was 11.9 +/- 5.5 g. Conversion to conventional surgery was required in three patients (10.7%), due to local bleeding in all cases. The mean operative times were 150 +/- 8.2 and 102.5 +/- 17 min for total and partial thyroidectomy, respectively. The laryngeal nerve was identified in 94.8% of cases. The mean length of skin incision was 25.4 +/- 2 mm. There was one case of postoperative hypocalcemia and one case of postoperative hoarseness. One patient had a transient vocal cord palsy. The postoperative hospital stay was 1 day for 66.7% of patients. The pain intensity evaluation, performed on postoperative day 1 using the visual analogue scale (VAS) method, was 1.9 +/- 1.4. CONCLUSION: Video-assisted thyroidectomy is feasible, safe, and effective in selected cases. Benefits for the patients in terms of postoperative pain, hospital stay, and cosmesis still need to be assessed in a prospective trial comparing standard open and video-assisted approaches.

Adult↗

Cerebral blood flow and glucose metabolism in hypothyroidism: a positron emission tomography study.

Hypothyroidism is often associated with defective memory, psychomotor slowing, and depression. However, the relationship between thyroid status and cognitive or psychiatric disturbances remains unclear. Using psychometric scales, 10 patients who had undergone total thyroidectomy for thyroid carcinoma were evaluated for depression, anxiety, and psychomotor slowing; they were examined both when euthyroid and hypothyroid after thyroid hormone withdrawal. Positron emission tomography was used, with oxygen-15-labeled water and fluorine-18F-labeled 2-deoxy-2fluoro-D-glucose as the tracers, to correlate the regional cerebral blood flow and cerebral glucose metabolism with the mental state in patients. Two different image analysis techniques (regions of interest and statistical parametric maps) were applied. In hypothyroidism, there was a generalized decrease in regional cerebral blood flow (23.4%, P < 0.001) and in cerebral glucose metabolism (12.1%, P < 0.001) and there were no specific local defects. Patients were also significantly more depressed (P < 0.001), anxious (P < 0.001) and psychomotor slowed (P < 0.005) in hypo than in euthyroid status. These results indicate that the brain activity was globally reduced in severe hypothyroidism of short duration without the regional modifications usually observed in primary depression.

Adult↗

Acute interstitial nephritis and fatal Stevens-Johnson syndrome after propylthiouracil therapy.

We report a case of acute interstitial nephritis and fatal Stevens-Johnson syndrome in a 90-year-old woman with amiodarone-induced hyperthyroidism, who had been treated for 5 weeks with propylthiouracil (PTU). On admission, the patient exhibited acute renal failure and generalized macular purpuric eruption. Acute interstitial nephritis and Stevens-Johnson syndrome were diagnosed and PTU withdrawn. Although renal function recovered after PTU withdrawal and corticosteroid therapy, the patient's condition worsened, and she died after developing multiple organ failure. Acute interstitial nephritis seems to be rarely associated with PTU therapy. Moreover, a literature review suggested that this could represent the first published report of a Stevens-Johnson syndrome developing during PTU therapy.

Acute Disease↗

Orbital metastasis as primary manifestation of thyroid carcinoma.

A 59-year-old woman with unknown primary tumor developed progressive painless left upper eyelid swelling and exophthalmos. Computed tomography (CT) showed a well-circumscribed left orbital mass producing bone lysis. Immunohistologic staining of the incisional biopsy specimen was positive for thyroglobulin, suggesting an orbital metastasis from thyroid carcinoma. At this time, thyroglobulin was high (1400 ng/dL). Total thyroidectomy with lymph node dissection disclosed a follicular carcinoma with microscopic foci of papillary variant follicular carcinoma. Two months after radioiodine treatment, the CT showed a regression of the orbital tumor mass with concomitant decrease in thyroglobulin (428 ng/dL). Although orbital metastases of thyroid carcinoma are uncommon, thyroid carcinoma has to be considered as a potential primary tumor in a patient with an orbital metastasis.

Carcinoma, Papillary, Follicular↗

[Prevalence of thyroid cancer in hot nodules].

The prevalence of thyroid cancer is not nodules is low, as it is estimated to be between 0 and 4% in adults. In order to more accurately estimate this prevalence and to recommend optimal treatment, 93 hot nodules operated between 1976 and 1995 were reviewed. 52 of these subjects (56%) were euthyroid, 11 (12%) suffered from clinical hyperthyroidism and 30 (32%) a presented subclinical hyperthyroidism. All patients were operated for a hot nodule, 1.5 to 6 cm in diameter. Two groups of patients were considered on the basis on the histological examination. Group I consisted of 47 patients (39 F, 8 M, mean age: 44 years +/- 15) with multinodular goitre; 16 (34%) of them underwent total thyroidectomy. Group II was composed of 46 patients (38 F, 8 M, mean age: 44 years +/- 15) with a solitary hot nodule; 39 (85%) patients underwent unilateral lobectomy. Microscopic carcinoma (diameter less tha 1 cm) ws discovered in 2(4%) patients of group 1 and 5 (11%) patients of group 11, corresponding to a total prevalence of 7/93 (7.5%). The microscopic carcinoma was located in the nodule or in the capsule in four cases, and away from the nodule but in the ipsilateral lobe in three cases. In every case, this was an incidental finding and no clinical features distinguished patients with or without microscopic carcinoma. This study suggests that the probability of discovering a microscopic carcinoma associated with a hot nodule is considerable. However, microscopic carcinoma is an incidental discovery in a number of subjects undergoing thyroidectomy and is present in 10 to 20% of autopsied thyroids. As surgical treatment is devoid of risks, it appears indicated, particularly when the nodule exceeds 3 cm in diameter.

Adolescent↗

Radioiodine treatment of thyroid carcinoma in patients on maintenance hemodialysis.

To deliver optimal radioiodine activity in hemodialyzed patients with thyroid carcinoma, the behavior of radioiodine was followed during six treatments. During hemodialysis, blood activity decreases with a half-life of 3.4 +/- 0.5, (1SD) h. The whole body dose was calculated from the total activity determined during 10 days after 131I administration. A reasonable strategy may consist in delivering 25% of the currently prescribed activity (925 MBq-25 mCi) and to perform the first dialysis session after 24 h to reduce total body irradiation.

Adult↗

High CTG repeat number in nodular thyroid tissue from a myotonic dystrophy patient.

CTG triplet expansion was studied in lymphocytes and thyroid tissue in a patient with myotonic dystrophy (DM) and associated thyroid nodular disease. An approximately 7 fold larger amplification was found in abnormal thyroid tissue compared to lymphocytes, suggesting that anomalies in the putative DM kinase gene might contribute to thyroid dysfunction.

Adult↗

Interest of gallium hepatic scintigraphy in hepatic abscess: a case study.

The interest of 67Ga-citrate scintigraphy in the diagnosis of hepatic abscess is illustrated by a study of a 56-year-old man, who was admitted to the hospital for upper abdominal pain. Ultrasound (US) and X-ray CT scan examinations suggested the presence of a liquid mass, the origin of which was unclear. Liver scintigraphy with 67Ga-citrate disclosed a lacunar zone surrounded by a rim of increased uptake, an image strongly suggestive of abscess or necrotic tumor. A US-guided needle aspiration of the hepatic mass yielded a purulent liquid, from which Streptococcus milleri were grown. This observation suggests that, despite the development of other diagnostic procedures, hepatic gallium scintigraphy still remains sometimes useful for the investigation of poorly characterized hepatic masses.

Citrates↗

Jaundice and intracardiac tumour.

We report the case of a type B lymphoma originating from the mediastinum, characterized principally by massive metastatic invasion of the right cardiac cavities in the form of a projecting mass well visualized at echography responsible of the presenting features of the illness. This lymphoma was, moreover, associated with an auto-immune haemolytic anaemia due to cold agglutinins.

Aged↗

[Multiple cerebral infarcts in a young man].

The case of a young, male patient hospitalized for investigation of a cerebral vascular accident is reported. The investigations led to the diagnosis of disseminated lupus erythematosus associated with the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (lupus circulating anticoagulant and anticardiolipin antibody). The authors discuss certain notions relating to antiphospholipid antibodies and the thromboembolic, particularly neurological, manifestations thereof.

Adult↗