Most hypoparathyroidism patients receiving standard treatment show stable calcium and vitamin D levels. However, hypoparathyroidism patients still report reduced quality of life and experience physical, mental, and emotional symptoms. Therefore, it is assumed that the lack of parathyroid hormone directly influences the patients' quality of life. This review indicates that patients with hypoparathyroidism have a reduced quality of life in comparison to norm-based populations or matched controls. Further studies are required to quantify the effect of hypoparathyroidism on patients' quality of life using disease-specific questionnaires and controlling for the co-morbidities and etiologies of the patients.

No abstract

This study describes genetic differences in resistance/susceptibility to pseudorabies virus (PrV) between European Large White and Chinese Meishan pigs, with a mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTL) obtained from a genome-wide scan in F 2 animals. Eighty-nine F 2 pigs were challenged intranasally at 12 weeks with 10 5 p.f.u. of the wild-type PrV strain NIA-3. For QTL analysis, 85 microsatellite markers, evenly spaced on the 18 porcine autosomes and on the pseudoautosomal region of the X chromosome, were genotyped. All pigs developed clinical signs, i.e. fever, from 3 to 7 days p.i. The pure-bred Large White pigs, the F 1 and three-quarters of the F 2 animals, but none of the Meishan pigs, developed neurological symptoms and died or were euthanized. QTLs for appearance/non-appearance of neurological symptoms were found on chromosomes 9, 5, 6 and 13. They explained 10n6-17n9 % of F 2 phenotypic variance. QTL effects for rectal temperature after PrV challenge were found on chromosomes 2, 4, 8, 10, 11 and 16. Effects on chromosomes 9, 10 and 11 were significant on a genome-wide level. The results present chromosomal regions that are associated with presence/absence of neurological symptoms as well as temperature course after intranasal challenge with NIA-3. The QTLs are in proximity to important candidate genes that are assumed to play crucial roles in host defence against PrV.

No abstract

Purpose Surgical complications such as hypoparathyroidism (HPT) or vocal cord palsy are seldom assessed when the quality of life (QOL) in thyroid cancer patients is investigated. The aim of this study was to measure the QOL difference in thyroid cancer survivors with and without HPT. Methods Participants for this analysis were enrolled in 13 countries from a study which pilot-tested a thyroid cancer specific QOL instrument. They were included if they had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer at least nine months previously. QOL was measured using the EORTC QLQ-C30 and some items on HPT symptoms (e.g. tingling in fingers or toes). HPT status and other clinical data were extracted from the patients’ medical charts. Comparisons of QOL domains between patients with and without HPT were performed using Mann-Whitney U test. The occurrence of HPT-related symptoms was compared using Chi-Square-Tests. Multiple ordinal regression analysis was performed to evaluate factors which might have an impact on QOL. Results Eighty-nine patients participated in this study, 17 of whom were considered to have HPT. Patients in the HPT group reported significantly reduced QOL in nine of the 15 scales of the EORTC QLQ-C30 compared to patients without HPT. Regression analysis showed that HPT was independently negatively associated with various scales of the QLQ-C30. Both groups showed a high prevalence of typical HPT symptoms. Conclusion Thyroid cancer patients with HPT report significantly impaired QOL compared to thyroid cancer survivors without HPT. The assessment of HPT should be considered when measuring QOL in thyroid cancer patients.