The beneficial role of statins in primary and secondary prevention of coronary heart disease has resulted in their frequent use in clinical practice. However, safety concerns, especially regarding hepatotoxicity, have driven multiple trials, which have demonstrated the low incidence of statin-related hepatic adverse effects. The most commonly reported hepatic adverse effect is the phenomenon known as transaminitis, in which liver enzyme levels are elevated in the absence of proven hepatotoxicity. This class effect is usually asymptomatic, reversible, and dose-related. However, the increasing incidence of chronic liver diseases, including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and hepatitis C, has created a new challenge when initiating statin treatment in patients with high cardiovascular risk. These diseases result in abnormally high liver biochemistry values, discouraging statin use by clinicians, fostering treatment discontinuation, and leaving a large number of at-risk patients untreated. A PubMed/MEDLINE search of the literature regarding statin safety (January 1, 1994-December 31, 2008) was performed, using the following search terms: statin safety, statin-related hepatotoxicity, and chronic liver disease and statin use, as well as the specific names of different statins and different liver diseases. Relevant clinical trials, review articles, panel discussions, and guideline recommendations were selected. This review supports the use of statin treatment in patients with high cardiovascular risk whose elevated aminotransferase levels have no clinical relevance or are attributable to known stable chronic liver conditions. For each patient, the decision should be based on an individual assessment of risks and benefits.

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A 64-year-old man presented with a massive right-sided hydrothorax associated with cirrhosis of the liver. There was no clinical evidence of ascites nor other underlying disease. The usual complementary tests failed to demonstrate any causative abnormality. Chest and abdominal scintigraphy after intraperitoneal injection of 99mTc-human serum albumin disclosed early filling of the pleural space by the radiopharmaceutical and suggested a diaphragmatic defect as the cause for this rare association.

Adiponectin was strongly associated with HDL-C in T1D, suggesting that hyperadiponectinemia is linked to the elevated HDL-C in this population. However, this relationship is independent of the association between LPL and HDL-C. Thus, elevated adiponectin and LPL activity are independently related to increased HDL-C in T1D.

Retinol-binding protein 2-deficient (Rbp2-/-) mice are more prone to obesity, glucose intolerance, and hepatic steatosis than matched controls. Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) blood levels are dysregulated in these mice. The present studies provide new insights into these observations. Single cell transcriptomic and immunohistochemical studies establish that RBP2 is highly expressed in enteroendocrine cells (EECs) that produce incretins, either GIP or glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). EECs also express an enzyme needed for all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) synthesis, ALDH1A1, and retinoic acid receptor-α (RARα), which mediates ATRA-dependent transcription. Total and GIP-positive EECs are significantly lower in Rbp2-/- mice. The plasma transport protein for retinol, retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) is also expressed in EECs and is co-secreted with GIP upon stimulation. Collectively, our data support direct roles for RBP2 and ATRA in cellular processes that give rise to GIP-producing EECs and roles for RBP2 and RBP4 within EECs that facilitate hormone storage and secretion.

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Contamination of external sites with secretions or excretory products can mimic metastases and yield false positives in radioiodine whole-body scintigraphy for thyroid cancer. We present a case of a 26-year-old woman with differentiated papillary thyroid carcinoma who received radioiodine 131 (I-131) for treatment of persistent upper mediastinal metastasis. Her post-treatment whole-body scintigraphy revealed an unexpected focus of increased uptake near the scalp in addition to the mediastinal lesion. Although the scalp is the most common site of cutaneous thyroid cancer metastasis, differentiated thyroid cancers rarely manifest with cutaneous thyroid cancer metastasis and thus it is prudent to consider etiologies of false positive I-131 uptake in such cases. Contamination of our patient’s hair from salivary secretions was confirmed on history and with coiffure repositioning during whole-body scintigraphy.