1,721,340 research outputs found
Will biological agents supplant systemic glucocorticoids as the first-line treatment for thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy?
No full textIn this article, the two authors present their opposing points of view concerning the likelihood that glucocorticoids will be replaced by newly developed biological agents in the treatment of active, moderate-to-severe thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO). TAO is a vexing, disfiguring and potentially blinding autoimmune manifestation of thyroid autoimmunity. One author expresses the opinion that steroids are nonspecific, frequently fail to improve the disease and can cause sometimes serious side effects. He suggests that glucocorticoids should be replaced as soon as possible by more specific and safer drugs, once they become available. The most promising of these are biological agents. The other author argues that glucocorticoids are proven effective and are unlikely to be replaced by biologicals. He reasons that while they may not uniformly result in optimal benefit, they have been proven effective in many reports. He remains open minded about alternative therapies such as biologicals but remains skeptical that they will replace steroids as the first-line therapy for active, moderate-to-severe TAO without head-to-head comparative clinical trials demonstrating superiority. Despite these very different points of view, both authors are optimistic about the availability of improved medical therapies for TAO, either as single agents or in combination. Further, both agree that better treatment options are needed to improve the care of our patients with active moderate-to-severe TAO
Serum thyroid hormone-binding proteins
No full textThyroid hormones circulate in the blood mostly and reversibly bound to a set of thyroid hormone binding proteins, the most important being thyroxine-binding globulin, transthyretin and albumin. These proteins may undergo genetic and inherited variations, either decrease or excess. These variations affect measurement of serum total thyroid hormones, but do not influence the levels of free (unbound to proteins) thyroid hormones, which represent the minute, but metabolically active fraction at the tissue level
EEG in infants with periventricular leukomalacia:prognostic features at preterm and term age
No full textCystic periventricular leukomalacia represents the most severe white-matter lesion in preterm infants and its occurrence accounts for most cases of neurologic impairment in these subjects; Electroencephalographic (EEG) findings and their prognostic value in relation to motor and cognitive outcome were investigated in a group of preterm infants affected by different degrees of cystic periventricular leukomalacia. EEG recordings were carried out in the early postnatal period (first 2 weeks of life) on 24 infants and at term age on 29. In the early postnatal period, background EEG abnormalities ("dysmaturity") were significantly more apparent in affected infants than in a control group, and, among infants with cystic periventricular leukomalacia, this parameter related to the occurrence of cerebral palsy; moreover, at the same age, the incidence of abnormal EEG transients seemed to show a correlation:with cognitive outcome. At term age, these latter abnormalities: were significantly more apparent in neonates with cystic periventricular leukomalacia than in control subjects, but they did not show any prognostic value. Ln conclusion, these data indicate that, during the early postnatal period, the EEG is a useful diagnostic and prognostic tool for preterm infants with white-matter lesions, whereas at term age, the role of EEG tracings appears secondary
THERAPEUTIC CONTROVERSIES. RADIOIODINE MAY BE BAD FOR GRAVES’ OPHTHALMOPATHY , BUT......
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The callenge of orbital decompression in a patient with multiple autoimmune diseases and Graves' orbitopathy: a case report and rewiew of literature
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