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Biomedical subjects

R Minelli

Publications and source records attributed to R Minelli.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Subclinical hypothyroidism, overt thyrotoxicosis and subclinical hypothyroidism: the subsequent phases of thyroid function in a patient chronically treated with amiodarone.

In a patient chronically treated with amiodarone, subclinical iodine-induced hypothyroidism occurred as a result of excess iodine released from the amiodarone molecule. The patient was maintained on amiodarone and developed thyrotoxicosis as a result of a destructive process into the thyroid follicles. Amiodarone was withdrawn and methylprednisolone and methimazole treatment was started with resolution of the thyrotoxic phase. Months later, off therapy, the patient developed subclinical hypothyroidism. This is the first description of hypo- and hyperthyroidism in the same patient caused by amiodarone therapy. This unusual observation suggests that patients treated with amiodarone are at risk to develop hyperthyroidism even if they show laboratory findings consistent with hypothyroidism.

Amiodarone↗
PubMed1992

Iodine-induced subclinical hypothyroidism in euthyroid subjects with a previous episode of amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis.

Amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis (AIT) occurs most frequently in patients with underlying thyroid disease and is generally believed to be due to the iodine contamination of amiodarone and iodine released by the metabolism of the drug. We and others have suggested that the thyrotoxicosis may also be secondary to amiodarone-induced thyroiditis. To further determine the etiology of AIT, we administered large doses of iodides [10 drops saturated solution of potassium iodide (SSKI) daily] to 10 euthyroid patients long after an episode of AIT believed to be due at least in part to amiodarone-induced thyroiditis. Six of these 10 patients had an abnormal iodide-perchlorate discharge test before SSKI administration, indicating a subtle defect in the thyroidal organification of iodide. During SSKI administration, 6 patients developed marked iodine-induced basal and/or TRH-stimulated serum TSH elevations, 2 had suppressed basal and TRH-stimulated TSH values, and 2 had normal TSH responses compared to SSKI-treated euthyroid subjects with no history of amiodarone ingestion or thyroid disease. Serum T4 and T3 concentrations remained normal and unchanged during SSKI administration in both the AIT patients and control subjects. These results strongly suggest that excess iodine may not be the cause of the hyperthyroidism associated with amiodarone therapy, especially in those patients with probable amiodarone-induced thyroiditis. Furthermore, like patients with a previous history of subacute thyroiditis and postpartum thyroiditis, the present results suggest that some patients with a previous history of AIT may be at risk to develop hypothyroidism when given excess iodine.

Amiodarone↗
PubMed1992

Prevalence of anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies in serum in the elderly: comparison with other tests for anti-thyroid antibodies.

Autoimmune thyroid disease, especially chronic thyroiditis, is prevalent in elderly women and is probably the major cause of hypothyroidism in this population. The reported prevalence of chronic thyroiditis is variable, depending on the area of residence and the method(s) used to detect the presence of anti-thyroid antibodies. The recent finding that thyroid peroxidase (TPO) is the antigen for the thyroid anti-microsomal antibody (AbM) has resulted in the development of sensitive radioimmunoassays (RIA) to detect the presence of AbTPO. We have determined the prevalence of AbTPO (by RIA) in sera from 342 elderly subjects, 248 women and 94 men (mean age 80 years) residing in Reggio Emilia, Italy, and compared the results with other methods for detecting anti-thyroid antibodies, including anti-thyroglobulin (AbTg) and AbM measured by passive hemagglutination (PH) of tanned erythrocytes, and AbM measured by RIA. The prevalence of positive AbTPO was 2.3% in the men and 10.2% in the women, only slightly higher than the prevalence of AbM. However, in the antibody-positive sera, the mean value for AbTPO was approximately 20-fold greater than the upper limit of the normal range, whereas the mean value for AbM was only threefold greater. The prevalence of positive titers for AbM and AbTg measured by PH was far lower, 1.2% and 3.2%, respectively, and those sera weakly positive for AbM and AbTg by PH were strongly positive for AbTPO by RIA. AbTPO RIA may be more useful than AbM and AbTg hemagglutination and AbM RIA for detecting the presence of autoimmune thyroid disease.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Postpartum thyroid dysfunction in an Italian population residing in an area of mild iodine deficiency.

We have evaluated the occurrence of postpartum thyroid dysfunction (PPTD) in a group of 372 women residing in area of mild iodine deficiency. Thyroid function and autoimmune status were evaluated by means serum T4, T3, TSH measurement and detecting the presence of positive antithyroglobulin antibodies (AbTg), antimicrosomal antibodies (AbM) and thyroid-peroxidase antibodies (AbTPO) titers in women at parturition, at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months postpartum. New onset transient hypothyroidism occurred in 6.4% of women whereas transient thyrotoxicosis in only 1.8% of women. Transient hypothyroidism was not preceded by thyrotoxicosis as indicated by thyroid function tests and serum Tg concentrations. At parturition, the positivity of AbM and AbTPO titers and the presence of goiter appeared to be a risk factors for the development of PPTD.

Antibodies↗
PubMed1991

Thyroid function evaluation by different commercially available free thyroid hormone measurement kits in term pregnant women and their newborns.

Evaluation of thyroid status by measurement of free thyroid hormone concentrations seems particularly helpful in conditions with altered serum binding proteins. In pregnancy, a condition of increased thyroxine binding globulin, serum free thyroxine (FT4) and free triiodothyronine (FT3) concentrations have been reported to be normal, increased or decreased. In the present study we have measured serum total and free thyroid hormone concentrations in pregnant women, their newborns and nonpregnant women. Serum FT4 and FT3 concentrations have been measured with 10 different commercially available kits and the results obtained have been compared. Serum total thyroid hormone concentrations in pregnant women were significantly higher than in their newborns and in nonpregnant women. Maternal serum FT4 concentrations measured with the different kits were always significantly lower than values in nonpregnant women. Furthermore, with one kit, the mean maternal serum FT4 concentration was below the normal range and with many kits, a large number of maternal serum samples had serum FT4 concentrations below the normal range. With all kits, except two, neonatal serum FT4 concentrations were higher than values in their respective mothers and, in general, lower than values in nonpregnant women. Serum FT3 concentrations in nonpregnant women were in the normal range, except with one kit, in which the mean serum FT3 concentration was below the normal range. Serum FT3 concentrations in newborns resulted markedly lower than in parturient and in non pregnant women. With almost all kits, serum FT3 values were below the normal range in many maternal samples. With one kit, maternal serum FT3 concentrations resulted higher than in nonpregnant women, whereas with the other kits serum FT3 concentrations were lower.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Impaired intrathyroidal iodine organification and iodine-induced hypothyroidism in euthyroid women with a previous episode of postpartum thyroiditis.

Postpartum thyroiditis (PPT) is common and occurs in 1.7 to 16.7% of pregnant women, depending upon the study population. Most of these women develop transient hypothyroidism and thyroid function usually returns to normal. We have studied 11 euthyroid women with a previous history of PPT to determine the incidence of subtle defects in thyroid function measured by iodide-perchlorate (I-ClO4) discharge tests and TRH tests and to determine whether these women would develop iodide-induced hypothyroidism. Seven (64%) had positive I-ClO4 discharge tests and 5 (46%) had an abnormally high TSH response to TRH. Thyroid antimicrosomal and antithyroid peroxidase were positive in 8 women (73%) with a previous episode of PPT. The administration of pharmacological amounts of iodide (10 drops of saturated solution of potassium iodide daily) for 90 days to these 11 women resulted in elevated basal and TRH stimulated serum TSH concentrations in 8 (72.7%) compared to TSH values during iodide administration to women who had never been pregnant. Antimicrosomal and antithyroid peroxidase concentrations did not change during iodide administration. These findings strongly suggest that euthyroid women with a previous episode of PPT have permanent subtle defects in thyroid hormone synthesis and are inordinately prone to develop iodide-induced hypothyroidism, similar to findings previously reported in euthyroid subjects with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, with a previous episode of painful subacute thyroiditis, or previously treated with radioactive iodine or surgery for Graves' disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

[Activity of natural fatty acids on erythrocyte osmotic resistance].

The aim of the present study was to assess the influence on the functional characteristics of the erythrocyte membrane of adding in vitro different natural fatty acids to blood taken from normal subjects. Blood samples were collected without stasis from healthy volunteers, anticoagulated with heparin or EDTA and incubated at 37 degrees C for 60 min with the different fatty acids at concentrations ranging between 1 x 10(-4) and 3 x 10(-2) molar. Two ml of blood were used for each test. The treated blood was added to graded solutions of NaCl (0.90-0.20 g/dl) at a ratio of 100 microliters/5 ml of solution. The suspensions were kept at room temperature and centrifuged for 10 min at 2000 g, in order to accelerate the sedimentation of the erythrocytes which had not been broken down and so as to obtain a clear supernatant for spectrophotometry of the dissolved haemoglobin. Readings were compared with those obtained from blood samples which had been completely haemolyzed by suspension in distilled water. Results obtained with the blood samples prepared with the fatty acids were compared with control samples from the same donor, also incubated at 37 degrees C for 60 min. Preincubation of the erythrocyte with butyric or caproic or oleic acid at concentrations ranging between 5 and 20 millimolar, provoked a clear deterioration of the osmotic resistances of the erythrocytes, in proportion to the concentration of the fatty acid used. The osmotic insult was systematically more effective in those samples anticoagulated with EDTA than those treated with heparin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Anticoagulants↗
PubMed1990

Chronic treatment with a long-acting somatostatin analogue in a patient with intestinal carcinoid tumor: occurrence of cholelithiasis.

The long-acting somatostatin analogue SMS 201-995 has been used efficaciously in the therapy of metastatic carcinoid tumor, vasoactive intestinal peptide producing islet cell carcinoma, acromegaly, and TSH secreting pituitary tumors. We report the development of a gallstone in a patient treated for 23 months with a long acting somatostatin analogue for a metastatic carcinoid tumor. Symptomatic improvement and a reduction in the urinary excretion of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid occurred. There was no evidence of a gallstone on ultrasound and CT scan of the abdomen prior to somatostatin therapy. A progressively enlarging, asymptomatic gallstone developed during therapy.

Carcinoid Tumor↗
PubMed1990

Iodine-induced hypothyroidism in euthyroid subjects with a previous episode of subacute thyroiditis.

The effects of the administration of pharmacological quantities of iodide on thyroid function in 18 euthyroid patients with a previous history of painful subacute thyroiditis (SAT) were evaluated, and the results compared to those of iodide administration to 12 euthyroid patients with a previous history of thyroid surgery (TX) for benign nodular thyroid disease. After baseline thyroid function tests, saturated solution of potassium iodide (SSKI; 10 drops; 300 mg iodide) was administered daily for 120 days, and serum T4, T3, and TSH concentrations were assessed 15, 30, 60, 90, 120 days and 2-4 months after SSKI was discontinued. Iodide perchlorate discharge tests were carried out before SSKI administration, and TRH tests were performed on the last day of iodide administration. Two SAT subjects developed clinical evidence of hypothyroidism with markedly elevated serum TSH concentrations, and SSKI was discontinued on days 60 and 90, respectively. Thirteen of 18 SAT patients had at least 1 abnormal thyroid function test (iodide perchlorate discharge test, elevated serum TSH concentration, and abnormal TSH response to TRH) compared to 2 of 12 TX patients. These findings strongly suggest that euthyroid subjects with a previous history of SAT are prone to develop iodide-induced hypothyroidism, suggesting that subtle abnormalities in the thyroid organification of iodide and subsequent thyroid hormone synthesis persist years after the episode of SAT.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1990

Thyrotropin releasing hormone does not stimulate prolactin release in the preterm human fetus.

Previous studies have suggested that fetal PRL secretion does not respond to stimuli such as TRH, metoclopramide, and cimetidine. It was postulated that the lack of response to TRH could be due to the possibility that, in the term fetus, lactotropes secrete PRL maximally and would be unresponsive to further stimulation. In order to study this hypothesis, 200 micrograms TRH or saline were administered to preterm pregnant women in labor. Maternal blood was obtained before TRH and saline administration. Maternal and cord blood were obtained at parturition. PRL, TSH, T4 and T3 concentrations were measured in all sera. TRH administration induced a significant increase in maternal serum PRL, TSH and T3 concentrations. In the cord blood of newborns whose mothers received TRH, serum TSH, T4 and T3 concentrations were significantly higher than in cord blood of newborns whose mothers received saline. Cord blood serum PRL concentrations were unchanged after TRH administration. This latter finding suggests that fetal lactotropes do not respond to TRH in the preterm fetus. Desensitization of fetal PRL secreting cells to TRH stimulation and/or the inhibitory effect of elevated fetal circulating corticosteroids on TRH-induced PRL secretion may explain the absent PRL response to TRH during fetal life.

Female↗
PubMed1988

Metergoline, naloxone, and sodium valproate did not modify arginine vasopressin response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia in man.

The present study was carried out in order to determine whether insulin-induced hypoglycemia exerts its stimulatory effect on plasma concentrations of arginine vasopressin (AVP) by interacting with a serotonergic, a GABA-ergic or an opioid pathway. For this purpose, the effect of the serotonergic antagonist metergoline (10 mg/day for 4 days po), the GABA-ergic agonist sodium valproate (600 mg in three divided doses po) and the opioid-receptor blocker naloxone (10 mg in a iv bolus) on the AVP response during an insulin (0.15 IU/kg bw) tolerance test (ITT) was evaluated in three groups of 6 normal men each. In all men, control ITTs were performed without drug treatments. Basal and ITT-stimulated AVP secretion was not modified by drug administration, suggesting that serotonergic, GABAergic and naloxone-sensitive opioid receptors are not involved in the regulation of AVP secretion in response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1988

Dopaminergic control of TSH secretion in endogenous depression.

To evaluate whether the inhibitory control exerted by endogenous dopamine on thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) secretion is altered in patients with major depressive disorder, 11 depressed patients and 9 normal controls were tested with the dopaminergic receptor antagonist domperidone (10 or 20 mg i.v.). The administration of domperidone induced a significant increase in circulating TSH levels in the normal controls, but not in the depressed patients. These data excluded the possibility that the dopaminergic inhibition of TSH secretion is enhanced in depression. To establish whether domperidone failure was due to a reduced dopaminergic tone, domperidone was administered before stimulation of TSH secretion with thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) (200 micrograms i.v.). The TSH response to TRH was significantly lower in the depressed than in the control subjects, regardless of domperidone priming. However, in both groups domperidone enhanced the TRH-induced TSH release by 50%. These data suggest that the dopaminergic control of TSH secretion is not altered in patients with endogenous depression and that a reduced capacity of the pituitary to secrete TSH might be responsible for the reduced TSH responsiveness to TRH and domperidone.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

The effect of diltiazem, a calcium channel-blocking drug, on cardiac rate and rhythm in hyperthyroid patients.

Tachycardia and tachyarrhythmias are frequent in patients with thyrotoxicosis, especially in the elderly. Since myocardial calcium uptake is increased in thyrotoxic rats, the efficacy of the calcium channel-blocking drug diltiazem in decreasing heart rate and the incidence of arrhythmias was evaluated in 11 hyperthyroid patients. All patients were studied with a 24-hour Holter monitor prior to the beginning of sole diltiazem therapy (120 mg given every eight hours), on the tenth day of therapy, and five days after therapy was discontinued. Heart rate significantly decreased by 17% during diltiazem treatment (96.5 +/- 3.7 systoles/min vs 79.9 +/- 3.2 systoles/min [mean +/- SE]) and returned to baseline values five days after the therapy was discontinued (100.7 +/- 3.4 systoles/min). Similarly, the number of premature ventricular extrasystoles per hour was significantly decreased (18 +/- 7 vs 2 +/- 1). In three patients, asymptomatic bouts of supraventricular tachycardia, paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, or ventricular tachycardia disappeared during diltiazem therapy. These findings suggest that calcium-blocking drugs may be extremely useful as adjunctive therapy for thyrotoxicosis in the presence of angina, congestive failure, and tachyarrhythmias.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Graves' disease and thyroxine-binding globulin deficiency.

Thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG) deficiency has been frequently described in single patients and in many families. Most people with abnormal TBG concentrations are euthyroid. Cases of Graves' disease and TBG deficit have rarely been reported. We describe the case of a person with Graves' disease and TBG deficiency. Because of this condition, the patient had a misdiagnosis during part of his clinical history, and therefore underwent unnecessary therapy.

Diagnostic Errors↗