Although the increasing prevalence of thyroid nodular disease (TND) has been partially attributed to the more frequent usage of improved diagnostics, environmental factors, such as exposures to thyroid-disrupting chemicals may contribute to TND and altered thyroid function. We investigated the association between exposures to bisphenol A (BPA), its chlorinated derivatives (ClxBPA), and bisphenol F (BPF) with TND and thyroid measures in adult women. A case-control study in Cyprus and Romania (n = 212) was conducted, where cases were those with thyroid nodules (diameter >3mm), and controls without nodules. Serum TSH and free thyroxine and urinary levels of BPA, BPF and ClxBPA were measured using immunoassays and tandem mass spectrometry, respectively. The association between exposures to BPA compounds and TND, adjusting for age, BMI, thyroid hormones and urinary iodine was assessed using logistic regression. Linear regression was used to explore associations between urinary BPA, BPF and ClxBPA and serum thyroid hormones. With the exception of a chlorinated BPA compound (30%), the rest of bisphenols were quantified in 100% of urine samples. A positive and significant (p<0.05) association was observed between urinary BPA and serum TSH that remained after adjusting for urinary creatinine, age, BMI, study site and disease status; there was no significant association between BPF or ClxBPA with TSH. None of the BPA compounds were associated with higher odds of TND. Our study found associations of urinary BPA with TSH but not with BPF or ClxBPA. A larger study would be justified.

IntroductionQuality of life (QoL) has received increasing interest in the last years, especially in patients with cancer. This article aims to analyze a selection of medical research papers regarding the quality of life in patients with thyroid carcinoma. We overviewed the main QoL aspects derived from several studies and highlighted those less researched issues, which could represent a solid base for future clinical studies.MethodWe used an integrative selection method of medical literature, choosing mostly “free access” studies, as it was considered that they could be easily viewed, searched and researched including by patients.ResultsAfter an integrative literature review, we selected 16 relevant studies. Patients with thyroid cancer have several factors influencing their QoL, with both physical and psychological impact. The decisive factors are the quality of the surgical act, radioiodine therapy, follow-up using rh-TSH vs. hormonal withdrawal, access to behavioral help and the relationship with their physician.ConclusionWe must understand the emotional impact of the cancer diagnosis on the patient and we must collaborate in order to help the patient restore the psychosomatic balance and to recover the quality of life

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Background The aim was to assess the effects of periodontal disease in promoting liver fibrosis in a rat model of ligature‐induced periodontitis. Methods Twenty‐four Wistar rats were divided into four groups: control (CTRL), experimental periodontitis group at day 7 (PER7), at day 14 (PER14), at day 21 (PER21). Experimental periodontitis was induced by the placement of a silk ligature around mandibular incisors. The following parameters were assessed: gingival index, tooth mobility; liver status, and portal vein caliber by ultrasound examination; bone retraction, bone mineral density (BMD), bone volume/tissue volume (BV/TV) by micro‐CT analysis; aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT) and alanine aminotransferase (ALAT); oxidative stress (malondialdehyde [MDA], reduced glutathione/oxidative glutathione ratio [GSH/GSSG]), and matrix metalloproteinase‐8 (MMP‐8) levels; and histopathological evaluation of periodontal and liver tissues. Results Periodontal parameters showed the development of periodontitis in experimental groups. Micro‐CT results indicates an increase of bone retraction and BMD values and a decrease of BV/TV value in PER groups. Liver fibrosis could not be diagnosed with ultrasound examination in any of the groups. Elevated levels of ASAT and ALAT in PER groups compared with CTRL group were found. MDA have indicated elevated levels and a decrease of GSH/GSSG ratio in PER group compared with the CTRL group. Levels of MMP‐8 have indicated high values in PER21 compared with the other groups. Histological analysis of the periodontal and liver tissues sustains the link between periodontal and hepatic injury. Conclusion This study demonstrates a positive correlation between periodontal lesions and liver disease. Periodontitis may be an independent risk factor for liver fibrosis.

The involvement of micro-ribonucleic acid (microRNAs) in metabolic pathways such as regulation, signal transduction, cell maintenance, and differentiation make them possible biomarkers and therapeutic targets. The purpose of this review is to summarize the information published in the last two and a half years about the involvement of microRNAs in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Another goal is to understand the perspective offered by the new findings. Main microRNA features such as origin, regulation, targeted genes, and metabolic pathways will be presented in this paper. We interrogated the PubMed database using several keywords: “microRNA” + “thyroid” + “papillary” + “carcinoma”. After applying search filters and inclusion criteria, a selection of 137 articles published between January 2018–June 2020 was made. Data regarding microRNA, metabolic pathways, gene/protein, and study utility were selected and included in the table and later discussed regarding the matter at hand. We found that most microRNAs regularly expressed in the normal thyroid gland are downregulated in PTC, indicating an important tumor-suppressor action by those microRNAs. Moreover, we showed that one gene can be targeted by several microRNAs and have nominally described these interactions. We have revealed which microRNAs can target several genes at once.

Aim. Fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) become an important tool in oncology by combining the metabolic information from 18F-FDG PET with the morphological information of CT. The main objective of this study was to assess the diagnostic value of PET/CT in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC).Material and Methods. We analyzed 173 PET/CT scans of patients with DTC presenting elevated thyroglobulin (Tg) levels, negative Tg-antibodies levels, negative Iodine-131 whole-body scanning (I-131 WBS) and without any signs of clinical or other imaging technique for tumor recurrence/metastases.Results. PET/CT scans were positive in 38% of cases (65/173). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values and the accuracy of PET/CT imaging were 88.09%, 98.6%, 93.1% respectively 96.53%. After the PET/CT scan 29 patients underwent surgery, 24 of them continued radio-iodine therapy, 5 patients initiated tyrosine kinase inhibitors treatment and external radiotherapy.Conclusion. 18F-FDG PET/CT is a valuable imaging technique which has the capability of identifying those cases of thyroid recurrence/metastases with elevated Tg levels and negative I-131 WBS. The treatment strategy was changed in 89.2% cases of positive PET/CT scans which shows us that 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging should be integrated into the follow-up programs for DTC patients.

Incidence of thyroid cancer (TC) has increased over the last decade, in most parts of the world, possibly because of increased ionizing radiations. We therefore analyzed records of patients with TC who were treated at our hospital (Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuta, Institute of Oncology Cluj-Napoca, Romania) since the nuclear accident at Chernobyl in 1986. We performed a comparative analysis of the database for 10, 20 and 25 years after the Chernobyl accident. Changes in histological profiles and tumor sizes imply that, in addition to nuclear fallout, highly sensitive thyroid diagnostic procedures are responsible for this increase in reported incidence, which appears to be driven by improved discovery of small (<1 cm) preclinical tumors. This invites a real public health question.