After uncomplicated thyroidectomy, decreased upper esophageal pressure may explain both pharyngeal (dysphagia) and laryngeal (vocal impairment) exposure to acid. In the future, proton pump inhibitor therapy protocols should be evaluated.

Purpose Graves' disease can induce alterations of the psychosocial well-being that negatively influence the overall well-being of patients. Among the current treatments, surgery has limited indications, and its impact on the health-related quality of life has not been well clarified. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of surgery on the quality of life. Methods Fifty-seven patients who underwent total thyroidectomy for Graves' disease in our surgical unit between April 2002 and December 2009 were administered a questionnaire concerning four issues: organic alterations and clinical manifestations, neurovegetative system disturbances, impairment of daily activities, psychosocial problems. Patients were retrospectively questioned after thyroidectomy about the presence of these symptoms in both the pre and postoperative periods. Results There was a significant improvement after surgery in all four areas. Organic manifestations and psychosocial problems had higher average improvements, as did some aspects of the neurovegetative system and difficulties in undertaking daily activities. There were no reports of a worsening of symptoms. Conclusions Surgery resolved the hyperthyroidism in 100 % of cases, and was associated with a quality of life improvement of about 70 % in the patients. Surgery can therefore provide an immediate and effective resolution of Graves' disease, with benefits in health-related quality of life.

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Vertebrates live in complex species networks in which interspecific interactions are common. In some contexts, the aggressive behaviours shown in these interspecific interactions are very similar to those shown in intraspecific interactions. It is still an open question whether intra‐ and interspecific aggression share common causality. We studied a year‐round territorial species the jewel damselfish, (Plectroglyphidodon lacrymatus), which cultivate algae they feed on. Territory holders aggressively defend these algae that are an attractive resource for many other species. In this study, we recorded territorial aggression in free‐living individuals and recorded aggressive responses to a standardized territorial intrusion test in captive individuals. Field observations indicated that territorial aggression was selectively targeted towards food competitors. Independent of the size of the species, aggression was more frequent towards common species around their territories. This relationship was confirmed experimentally by confronting the jewel damselfish with novel objects to which the subjects were exposed either frequently or rarely. We suggest that jewel damselfish have to learn which species are competitors and therefore should be chased. In a standardized intrusion test with captive individuals, no significant differences were found in territorial responses towards intra‐ or interspecific intruders. Neither territorial aggression nor the intrusion showed any relationship with plasma androgen levels. Together, these data suggest that experience might be more important in non‐seasonal territorial aggression than circulating hormonal factors.