Aim To determine the prognostic value of cell cycle regulators cyclin D1 and p27 for papillary thyroid carcinomas.Methods Analysis included 180 patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma who underwent surgery at Split University Hospital Center between 1999 and 2001. Clinical data were obtained from clinical charts and histopathology reports. Immunohistochemistry was performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue by antibody p27 and cyclin D1. Quantification was based on the intensity and distribution of nuclear staining.Results Univariate analysis showed that sex (P = 0.019) and capsular invasion (P = 0.010) were significant predictors of lymph node metastases, whereas age (P = 0.96), histopathological variant (P = 0.075), size (P = 0.556) and multifocality (P = 0.131) were not. Univariate analysis also showed that overexpression of cyclin D1 (P < 0.001) and underexpression of p27 (P < 0.001) predicted lymph node metastases in papillary thyroid carcinomas. There was a significant correlation between cyclin D1 (P = 0.024) and p27 (P = 0.029) expression in two prognostic groups of low and high risk. Low risk group was cyclin D1 negative and p27 positive, whereas high risk group was cyclin D1 positive and p27 negative. Multivariate analysis confirmed that sex (P = 0.041), capsular invasion (P = 0.027), and p27 (P < 0.001) were strong independent predictors of lymph node metastases in the high-risk group.Conclusions Immunohistochemical analysis of p27 expression may be a valuable tool for identifying risk of lymph node metastases and more aggressive behavior of papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyze the incidence of intrarenal reflux (IRR) among vesicoureteral refluxes (VURs), diagnosed by contrast-enhanced voiding urosonography (ceVUS), to define VURs which are positive to IRR and their locations in the kidney.Materials and Methods: Seventy patients with VURs, including 103 uretero-renal units (URUs) with VURs of grades II–V (37 URUs were excluded because of renal anomalies or absence of VUR) were examined with ceVUS due to recurrent febrile UTI or first febrile UTI accompanied by abnormalities on renal ultrasonography. Patients were examined on GE Logiq S8 ultrasound machine, using second generation of ultrasound contrast agent.Results: Out of 103 VURs, 51 (49.51%) had IRR regardless the grade of VUR, showing increase in IRR incidence with VUR severity (p &lt; 0.0001). The median age at the time of IRR diagnosis was 5 months (IQR, 3–14.3), whereas in patients without IRR, it was 15.5 months (IQR, 5–41.5), (p = 0.0069). IRR was most common in superior pole (80%), followed by inferior pole (62.7%), and middle segments (37%), and to all segments (27%) (p &lt; 0.0001).Conclusion: In the present study, patients with IRR-associated VUR showed earlier clinical presentation. The distribution of IRRs corresponded to the natural distribution of composed papillae types II and III, while the incidence of IRR increased with severity of VUR. Further clinical studies may point to the importance of considering IRR in the future classification of VUR.

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Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is the most common form of autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD) characterized by progressive destruction of thyroid tissue that may lead to hypothyroidism. High thyroid autoantibodies against thyroid peroxidase (TPOAb) levels are present in 90% of patients with HT and serve as a clinical marker for the detection of early AITD/HT. The main aim of our study was to test whether recently identified genetic variants associated with TPOAb are also involved in HT development. A total of 504 unrelated individuals, including 200 patients with HT and 304 controls, were involved in this study. Diagnosis of HT cases was based on clinical examination, measurement of thyroid hormones (TSH and fT4) and antibodies (TgAb, TPOAb) and ultrasound examination. We selected and genotyped 14 known TPOAb-associated genetic variants. Case-control logistic regression model was used to test the association of selected genetic variants with HT. Additionally, we tested association of the same genetic variants with thyroid related quantitative traits (TPOAb levels, TgAb levels and thyroid gland volume) using linear regression. Three genetic variants showed nominal association with HT; rs10774625 in ATXN2 gene (p = 0.0149, OR = 0.73, CI = 0.56-0.94), rs7171171 near RASGRP1 gene (p = 0.0356, OR = 1.4, CI = 1.02-1.92) and rs11675434 in TPO gene (p = 0.041, OR = 1.31, CI = 1.01-1.69). Two of these SNPs (rs1077462, rs11675434) also showed association with TPOAb levels (p = 0.043, β = -0.39; p = 0.042, β = 0.40, respectively) and one (rs7171171) was associated with thyroid gland volume (p = 0.0226, β = -0.21). Our findings suggest that variants inside or near TPO, ATXN2 and RASGRP1 genes are associated with HT. Identified loci are novel to HT and represent good basis for further exploration of HT susceptibility.

The aims of this study were to evaluate: (1) associations of vitamin D with the presence/severity of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) and (2) correlations of vitamin D with thyroid-related phenotypes. Total 25(OH)D (vitamin D in the text) was measured from stored serum samples of 461 HT patients and 176 controls from a Croatian Biobank of HT patients (CROHT). (1) Vitamin D levels, and proportions of vitamin D deficiency, were compared between HT cases and controls. HT patients were additionally divided into two groups (MILD and OVERT) to take into account HT severity. (2) Correlations between vitamin D and 10 clinical phenotypes in all HT patients and two subgroups of HT patients were tested using the Spearman correlation test. Our analyses were adjusted for age, gender, BMI, smoking status and seasonality of blood sampling. (1) No significant differences in vitamin D levels, or proportions of vitamin D deficiency, were detected between HT patients of all disease stages and controls. However, a nominally significant difference in vitamin D levels between MILD and OVERT subgroups (OR = 1.038, p = 0.023) was observed. Proportions of individuals with vitamin D deficiency during winter–spring were high: all HT cases (64.69%), MILD (60.64%), OVERT (68.7%), controls (60.79%). (2) A nominally significant negative correlation between vitamin D and TSH in all HT patients (r = −0.113, p = 0.029) and a positive correlation between vitamin D and systolic blood pressure in OVERT HT patients (r = 0.205, p = 0.025) were identified. Our study indicates that there is no association between vitamin D and HT; however, there may be a subtle decrease in vitamin D levels associated with overt hypothyroidism.