Better understanding of the physiological role of the vitamin-D system, in particular its potential effects on inflammatory and autoimmune conditions as well as on insulin secretion and possibly also on insulin resistance, increased the interest in its potential role in prevention and control of the diabetic condition, both type-1 and -2 diabetes. Both these conditions are associated with inflammation and type-1 diabetes also with an autoimmune pathology. Indeed, animal and human studies support the notion that adequate vitamin-D supplementation may decrease the incidence of type-1 and possibly also of type-2 diabetes mellitus and may improve the metabolic control in the diabetes state. However, the exact mechanisms by which vitamin-D and calcium supplementation exert their beneficial effects are not clear and need further investigation.

The objective of this investigation is to explore a possible role of thyroid dysfunction in venous thromboembolism (VTE). The number of patients discharged from short-stay nonfederal hospitals in the United States, from 1979 to 2005, with a diagnostic code for hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism, pulmonary embolism (PE), and deep venous thrombosis (DVT) was obtained from the National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS). Among 19,519,000 hospitalized patients discharged with a diagnosis of hypothyroidism from 1979 to 2005, 119,000 (0.61%) had PE. Among patients with no thyroid dysfunction, PE was diagnosed in 3,372,000 of 908,805,000 patients (0.37%; relative risk = 1.64, 95% CI 1.63-1.65). Deep venous thrombosis was diagnosed in 1.36% of hypothyroid patients and in 0.84% of patients with no thyroid dysfunction (relative risk = 1.62, 95% CI 1.61-1.62). The relative risk of PE in patients with hypothyroidism was highest in patients<40 years of age (relative risk = 3.99) and the relative risk of DVT was also highest in patients <40 years (relative risk = 2.25). Hyperthyroidism was not associated with an increased risk of VTE (relative risk = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.96-1.01). In conclusion, an increased risk of PE, DVT, and VTE was shown in patients with hypothyroidism but not hyperthyroidism. Antithrombotic prophylaxis in patients with severe hypothyroidism, however, should be viewed with caution because of a possible hyperfibrinolytic state in such patients.

The purpose of this systematic review is to test the hypothesis that carefully selected low-risk patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) can safely be treated entirely as outpatients or after early hospital discharge. Included articles were required to describe inclusion or exclusion criteria and outcome of patients treated for PE. Early hospital discharge was defined as an average hospital stay < or = 3 days. Six investigations included patients with PE who were treated entirely as outpatients; two investigations included patients with PE who were treated after early discharge. All investigations included only low-risk patients or patients with small or medium sized PE. Outcome after 3-46 months in patients treated entirely as outpatients showed recurrent PE in 0% to 6.2% of patients, major bleeding in 0% to 2.8% with one death from an intracerebral bleed. Definite death from PE did not occur, but there was one possible death from PE. Outcome in three months in patients treated after early discharge showed no instances of recurrent PE. Major bleeding occurred in 0% to 3.7% of patients. There were no deaths from PE, but there was one death from bleeding. In conclusion, outpatient therapy of acute PE is probably safe in low-risk, carefully selected compliant patients who have access to outpatient care if necessary. Such outpatient treatment would be cost-effective.

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