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Anti-hypertensive medications may affect plasma renin activity and/or plasma aldosterone concentration, misleading the interpretation of the aldosterone-to-renin ratio when screening for primary aldosteronism. The Task Force of Taiwan PA recommends that, when necessary, using α-adrenergic receptor blocking agents, centrally acting α-adrenergic agonists, and/or non-dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers should be considered to control blood pressure before screening for PA. We recommend temporarily holding ß-adrenergic receptor blocking agents, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, and all diuretics before screening for PA. Further large-scale randomized controlled studies are required to confirm the recommendations.
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Hiperaldosteronismo , Hipertensão , Humanos , Anti-Hipertensivos/uso terapêutico , Aldosterona , Bloqueadores dos Canais de Cálcio/uso terapêutico , Renina , Hipertensão/diagnóstico , Hipertensão/tratamento farmacológico , Antagonistas Adrenérgicos beta/uso terapêutico , Hiperaldosteronismo/diagnóstico , Hiperaldosteronismo/tratamento farmacológico , Antagonistas de Receptores de Angiotensina/uso terapêuticoRESUMO
The prevalence of patients with primary aldosteronism (PA) is about 5%-15% in hypertensive patients, and it is common cause of secondary hypertension in clinical practice. Two major causes of PA are noted, namely bilateral adrenal hyperplasia and aldosterone-producing adenoma, and the general diagnosis is based on three steps: (1) screening, (2) confirmatory testing, and (3) subtype differentiation (Figure 1). The recommendation for screening patients is at an increased risk of PA, here we focus on which patients should be screened for PA, not only according to well-established guidelines but for potential patients with PA. We recommend screening for 1) patients with resistant or persistent hypertension, 2) hypertensive patients with hypokalemia (spontaneous or drug-induced), 3) young hypertensive patients (age <40 years), and 4) all hypertensive patients with a history of PA in first-degree relatives. Moreover, we suggest screening for 1) hypertensive patients themselves or first-degree relatives with early target organ damage, such as stroke and other diseases, 2) all hypertensive patients with a concurrent adrenal incidentaloma, 3) hypertensive patients with obstructive sleep apnea, 4) hypertensive patients with atrial fibrillation unexplained by structural heart defects and/or other conditions resulting in the arrhythmia, 5) hypertensive patients with anxiety and other psychosomatic symptoms, and 6) hypertensive patients without other comorbidities to maintain cost-effectiveness.
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Neoplasias das Glândulas Suprarrenais , Hiperaldosteronismo , Hipertensão , Humanos , Adulto , Hiperaldosteronismo/complicações , Hiperaldosteronismo/diagnóstico , Hipertensão/complicações , Programas de Rastreamento , PrevalênciaRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: The cardiovascular outcomes of insulin detemir in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) after acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or acute ischemic stroke (AIS) are unclear. The aim of our real-life cohort study was to evaluate the cardiovascular outcomes of insulin detemir (IDet) versus insulin glargine (IGlar) in T2DM patients after ACS or AIS. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted between June 1, 2005, and December 31, 2013, utilizing the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. A total of 3,129 ACS or AIS patients were eligible for the analysis. Clinical outcomes were evaluated by comparing 1,043 subjects receiving IDet with 2,086 propensity score-matched subjects who received IGlar. The primary composite outcome included cardiovascular (CV) death, nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI) and nonfatal stroke. RESULTS: The primary composite outcome occurred in 322 patients (30.9%) in the IDet group and 604 patients (29.0%) in the IGlar group (hazard ratio [HR], 1.12; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.95 to 1.32) with a mean follow-up of 2.4 years. No significant differences were observed for CV death (HR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.86 to 1.38), nonfatal MI (HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.66 to 1.19), and nonfatal stroke (HR, 1.15; 95% CI, 0.97 to 1.35). There were similar risks of all-cause mortality, hospitalization for heart failure and revascularization between the IDet group and the IGlar group (P = .647, .115, and .390 respectively). CONCLUSION: Compared with IGlar, in T2DM patients after ACS or AIS, IDet was not associated with increased risks of CV death, nonfatal MI, or nonfatal stroke. ABBREVIATIONS: ACS = acute coronary syndrome; AIS = acute ischemic stroke; ASCVD = atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease; CI = confidence interval; CV = cardiovascular; DKA = diabetic ketoacidosis; HHF = hospitalization for heart failure; HHS = hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state; HR = hazard ratio; IDet = insulin detemir; IGlar = insulin glargine; MI = myocardial infarction; NHIRD = National Health Insurance Research Database; PCI = percutaneous coronary intervention; PSM = propensity score matching; T2DM = type 2 diabetes mellitus.
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Isquemia Encefálica , Doenças Cardiovasculares , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2 , Intervenção Coronária Percutânea , Acidente Vascular Cerebral , Doenças Cardiovasculares/epidemiologia , Estudos de Coortes , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2/complicações , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2/tratamento farmacológico , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2/epidemiologia , Humanos , Insulina Detemir/efeitos adversos , Insulina Glargina/efeitos adversos , Estudos Retrospectivos , Acidente Vascular Cerebral/epidemiologia , Acidente Vascular Cerebral/etiologia , Taiwan/epidemiologia , Resultado do TratamentoRESUMO
The efficacy of thyroxine suppressive therapy in reducing nodular growth and its effect to bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women is still debated. This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of thyroxine and its influence on BMD. Postmenopausal women with nodular or multinodular goiter during 2013-2015 at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital were enrolled and retrospectively traced back to the first date of visit or treatment. Ninety-four eligible patients were enrolled, of whom 45 were thyroxine-treated (LT-4 group) and 49 were treatment-naïve (control group). Data, including volume of nodules, were analyzed retrospectively. BMD was measured in each LT-4 group patient since the year of enrollment. Nodular volumes were reduced in both LT-4 (from 4.89 ± 4.46 to 4.10 ± 4.57 mL, p = 0.033) and control group (3.48 ± 4.36 to 3.09 ± 2.88 mL, p = 0.239) at initial 2-year follow-up. Nodular volume in LT-4 group increased insignificantly (from 4.89 ± 4.46 to 4.91 ± 5.40 mL, p = 0.711) at the end of 7-year follow-up. The best cut-off predictive nodular volume that may have responded to thyroxine is 2.6 mL (AUC, 0.740; sensitivity, 0.750; specificity, 0.733) during first 2 year. Lumbar spine, total hip and femoral neck BMD were not significantly changed during 2 year's thyroxine suppression therapy. In conclusion, thyroxine suppressive therapy in postmenopausal women had significant reduction in nodule volume at initial 2 years of treatment, especially in volume larger than 2.6 mL. Prolonged thyroxine treatment did not benefit nodular size reduction and may affect BMD minimally in postmenopausal women.
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Densidade Óssea/efeitos dos fármacos , Bócio Nodular/tratamento farmacológico , Tiroxina/uso terapêutico , Absorciometria de Fóton , Idoso , Feminino , Colo do Fêmur/diagnóstico por imagem , Colo do Fêmur/efeitos dos fármacos , Humanos , Vértebras Lombares/diagnóstico por imagem , Vértebras Lombares/efeitos dos fármacos , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Pós-Menopausa , Estudos Retrospectivos , Tiroxina/farmacologia , Resultado do TratamentoRESUMO
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to retrospectively analyze the features of patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) presenting with neck lymph node (LN) metastasis. METHODS: The study enrolled 909 patients with PTC who had undergone total thyroidectomy. After a median follow-up of 14.6 years, 73 (8.0%) patients died of thyroid cancer. A total of 536 patients had the tumor confined to the thyroid (intra-thyroid), 111 had lymph node (LN) metastasis, 225 showed soft tissue invasion, and 37 had distant metastasis. RESULTS: Compared with the intra-thyroid group, the group with LN metastases showed larger tumor size, higher postoperative thyroglobulin levels, advanced TNM stage, higher recurrence rates (5.2% vs. 31.5%), and higher disease-specific mortality (1.3% vs. 12.6%). Of the 111 patients with PTC and LN metastases, 35 (31.5%) were diagnosed with recurrence during a mean follow-up period of 16.9 ± 0.6 years. Among the 35 patients with recurrent PTC, 14 (40.0%) died of thyroid cancer. The mortality group was characterized by older, mostly male patients who presented with larger initial tumor size compared with survivors. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with PTC, the rates of recurrence and cancer mortality were higher in the group with LN metastasis than that in the intra-thyroid tumor group.
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Carcinoma/radioterapia , Carcinoma/cirurgia , Radioisótopos do Iodo/uso terapêutico , Linfonodos/patologia , Recidiva Local de Neoplasia/radioterapia , Neoplasias de Tecidos Moles/radioterapia , Tireoglobulina/sangue , Neoplasias da Glândula Tireoide/radioterapia , Neoplasias da Glândula Tireoide/cirurgia , Tireoidectomia , Adulto , Idoso , Carcinoma/sangue , Carcinoma/mortalidade , Carcinoma/patologia , Carcinoma Papilar , Intervalo Livre de Doença , Feminino , Seguimentos , Humanos , Estimativa de Kaplan-Meier , Linfonodos/cirurgia , Metástase Linfática , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Esvaziamento Cervical , Invasividade Neoplásica , Recidiva Local de Neoplasia/diagnóstico , Estadiamento de Neoplasias , Período Pós-Operatório , Estudos Retrospectivos , Fatores de Risco , Neoplasias de Tecidos Moles/diagnóstico , Neoplasias de Tecidos Moles/secundário , Câncer Papilífero da Tireoide , Neoplasias da Glândula Tireoide/sangue , Neoplasias da Glândula Tireoide/mortalidade , Neoplasias da Glândula Tireoide/patologia , Resultado do TratamentoRESUMO
Thyroid radiofrequency ablation and microwave ablation are widely adopted minimally invasive treatments for diverse thyroid conditions worldwide. Fundamental skills such as the trans-isthmic approach and the moving shot technique are crucial for performing thyroid ablation, and advanced techniques, including hydrodissection and vascular ablation, improve safety and efficacy and reduce complications. Given the learning curve associated with ultrasound-guided therapeutic procedures, operators need training and experience. While training models exist, limited attention has been given to ultrasound maneuvers in ablation needle manipulation. This article introduces two essential maneuvers, the zigzag moving technique and the alienate maneuver, while also reviewing the latest ultrasound techniques in thyroid ablation, contributing valuable insights into this evolving field.
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Ablação por Radiofrequência , Nódulo da Glândula Tireoide , Humanos , Resultado do Tratamento , Nódulo da Glândula Tireoide/cirurgia , Ablação por Radiofrequência/métodos , UltrassonografiaRESUMO
Increasing prevalence of type 2 DM (T2DM) and diabetic kidney disease (DKD) has posed a great impact in Taiwan. However, guidelines focusing on multidisciplinary patient care and patient education remain scarce. By literature review and expert discussion, we propose a consensus on care and education for patients with DKD, including general principles, specifics for different stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD), and special populations. (i.e. young ages, patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease or heart failure, patients after acute kidney injury, and kidney transplant recipients). Generally, we suggest performing multidisciplinary patient care and education in alignment with the government-led Diabetes Shared Care Network to improve the patients' outcomes for all patients with DKD. Also, close monitoring of renal function with early intervention, control of comorbidities in early stages of CKD, and nutrition adjustment in advanced CKD should be emphasized.
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Consenso , Nefropatias Diabéticas , Educação de Pacientes como Assunto , Humanos , Taiwan/epidemiologia , Nefropatias Diabéticas/terapia , Nefropatias Diabéticas/epidemiologia , Nefropatias Diabéticas/diagnóstico , Equipe de Assistência ao Paciente/normas , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2/terapia , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2/epidemiologia , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2/diagnóstico , Fatores de Risco , Comorbidade , Resultado do Tratamento , Conhecimentos, Atitudes e Prática em Saúde , Prestação Integrada de Cuidados de Saúde/normasRESUMO
BACKGROUND: We conducted a comparative study to examine the differences in the use of complementary therapies (CT) among patients who attended diabetic clinics for follow-up treatment between 2007 and 2023 in Taiwan. METHODS: This study employed a cross-sectional survey design to recruit individuals with diabetes from two regions (northern and southern) of Taiwan. A total of 183 and 307 participants were included in the surveys of 2007 and 2023, respectively. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 28.0 to compare the survey results between the two time periods. RESULTS: Among the various CTs, nutritional supplements remained the most prevalent, with a significant increase in usage from 68.3% in 2007 to 89.9% in 2023. Conversely, other therapies, such as Chinese herbal medicines, manipulative-based therapies, supernatural healings, and bioelectromagnetic-based therapies, demonstrated a significant decrease in usage between the two time periods. Furthermore, the disclosure rate of CT use to healthcare professionals remained persistently low, with only 24.6% in 2007 and a slight increase to 30.3% in 2023. CONCLUSION: The significant rise in the use of nutritional supplements in conjunction with conventional medicine, without adequate monitoring and guidance from healthcare professionals, poses a substantial risk of unregulated blood sugar control, compromised diabetes management, and potential harm to health outcomes.
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Terapias Complementares , Diabetes Mellitus , Humanos , Taiwan , Estudos Transversais , Diabetes Mellitus/terapia , Pessoal de SaúdeRESUMO
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a minimally invasive management strategy that has been widely applied for benign and recurrent malignant thyroid lesions as an alternative to surgery in Taiwan. Members of academic societies for specialists in interventional radiology, endocrinology, and endocrine surgery collaborated to develop the first consensus regarding thyroid RFA in Taiwan. The modified Delphi method was used to reach a consensus. Based on a comprehensive review of recent and valuable literature and expert opinions, the recommendations included indications, pre-procedural evaluations, procedural techniques, post-procedural monitoring, efficacy, and safety, providing a comprehensive review of the application of RFA. The consensus effectively consolidates advice regarding thyroid RFA in clinical practice for local experts.
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Background: To evaluate the outcomes in differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patients who achieved excellent response to initial treatment and developed distant metastasis during follow-up. Methods: Thyroid cancer patients registered in Chang Gung Memorial Hospital thyroid cancer database between January 1979 and December 2019 were assessed. Results: Among 1053 DTC patients with excellent response to initial therapy, 14 (1.3%) patients developed metastatic disease during follow-up, including 6 males and 8 females with median age of 50.2 years [interquartile range (IQR), 39.9-53.7]. Nine (64.3%) patients had papillary cancer, four (28.6%) had follicular cancer, and one (7.1%) had Hürthle cell cancer. Most patients (92.9%) had stage I disease at diagnosis. The sites of metastasis were lung (71.4%), bone (7.1%), mediastinum (7.1%) and multiple sites (14.3%). With a median follow-up of 18.3 years (IQR, 14.8-23.8), 2 patients had disease-specific mortality. The 5- and 10-year disease-specific survival after the diagnosis of distant metastasis was 92% and 74%, respectively. Multiple sites of metastasis was associated with increased risk of mortality (P = 0.022). Conclusions: A small proportion of DTC patients with an excellence response to initial therapy developed distant metastasis during follow-up. Multiple organ distant metastases conferred a worse disease-specific survival.
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Adenocarcinoma Folicular , Carcinoma Papilar , Neoplasias da Glândula Tireoide , Adenocarcinoma Folicular/patologia , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Prognóstico , Neoplasias da Glândula Tireoide/patologia , TireoidectomiaRESUMO
Background: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for benign thyroid nodules is one kind of scarless treatment for symptomatic or cosmetic benign thyroid nodules. However, how to train RFA-naive physicians to become qualified operators for thyroid RFA is an important issue. Our study aimed to introduce a successful training model of thyroid RFA. Materials and Methods: We used a food-assisted and -simulated training model of thyroid RFA. Chicken hearts were simulated into thyroid nodules, three-layer pork meats were simulated into peri-thyroid structure, and gel bottles were simulated into trachea, respectively. Successful training ablations were defined as chicken hearts that were fully cooked. After repeating training ablations of chicken hearts at least 100 times with the nearly 100% success rates for three young trainees, they served as the first assistant for the real procedures of thyroid RFA and then were qualified to perform thyroid RFA on real patients under the supervision of one experienced interventional radiologist. Results: 23 real patients who received RFA and follow-up at least 6 months after treatment were included in Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital from January 1, 2020 to October 1, 2021. Three young endocrinologists performed thyroid RFA independently. The outcomes were volume reduction rate (VRR), major complications and minor complications. The median VRR at 12 months was 82.00%, two major complications were transient hoarseness, and three minor complications were wound pain. All complications were completely recovered within three days. Conclusions: For young and RFA-native physicians without any basic skills of echo-guided intervention, this food-assisted and -simulated training model of thyroid RFA was useful for medical training and education.
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Ablação por Cateter , Ablação por Radiofrequência , Nódulo da Glândula Tireoide , Humanos , Ablação por Radiofrequência/métodos , Nódulo da Glândula Tireoide/cirurgia , Resultado do TratamentoRESUMO
Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) from follicular epithelial cells is the most common form of thyroid cancer. Beyond the common papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), there are a number of rare but difficult-to-diagnose pathological classifications, such as follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC). We employed deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to facilitate the clinical diagnosis of differentiated thyroid cancers. An image dataset with thyroid ultrasound images of 421 DTCs and 391 benign patients was collected. Three CNNs (InceptionV3, ResNet101, and VGG19) were retrained and tested after undergoing transfer learning to classify malignant and benign thyroid tumors. The enrolled cases were classified as PTC, FTC, follicular variant of PTC (FVPTC), Hürthle cell carcinoma (HCC), or benign. The accuracy of the CNNs was as follows: InceptionV3 (76.5%), ResNet101 (77.6%), and VGG19 (76.1%). The sensitivity was as follows: InceptionV3 (83.7%), ResNet101 (72.5%), and VGG19 (66.2%). The specificity was as follows: InceptionV3 (83.7%), ResNet101 (81.4%), and VGG19 (76.9%). The area under the curve was as follows: Incep-tionV3 (0.82), ResNet101 (0.83), and VGG19 (0.83). A comparison between performance of physicians and CNNs was assessed and showed significantly better outcomes in the latter. Our results demonstrate that retrained deep CNNs can enhance diagnostic accuracy in most DTCs, including follicular cancers.
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Background: Either sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors or pioglitazone (Pio) has doubtful issues of bladder cancer, especially for the combination therapy with these two drugs. Our study aimed to investigate the risk of bladder cancer under combination therapy of SGLT-2 inhibitors and Pio. Materials and Methods: We included 97,024 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the Chang Gung Research Database in Taiwan from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2019. The primary outcome was newly diagnosed bladder cancer after combination therapy with SGLT-2 inhibitors and Pio. Group 1 received both study drugs, group 2 received SGLT-2 inhibitors, group 3 received Pio, and group 4 received non-study drugs (the reference group). The secondary outcome in each group was all-cause mortality. Results: In group 1, no newly diagnosed bladder cancer was detected after a mean 2.8-year follow-up and all-cause mortality decreased significantly (adjusted hazard ratio (AHR), 0.70; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.54-0.92) in comparison to the reference group (group 4). In group 2 and group 3, no trend of increased bladder cancer was observed (group 2: AHR 0.49, 95% CI 0.05-4.94; group 3: AHR 0.48, 95% CI 0.15-1.58) and it still reduced all-cause mortality (group 2: AHR 0.83, 95% CI 0.70-0.99; group 3: AHR 0.90, 95% CI 0.83-0.99). Conclusions: In T2DM patients without previous or active bladder cancer, the combination therapy of SGLT-2 inhibitors and Pio was not associated with newly diagnosed bladder cancer and had lower all-cause mortality.
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PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to analyze the results of histopathological studies in neck masses observed in young patients. The neck masses were detected using ultrasonography and fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). METHODS: In this retrospective study, we analyzed 234 young patients who were surgically treated for neck masses at Chang Gung Medical Center in Linkou. The mean age of the 234 young patients was 16.3 +/- 4.0 years (range 1-20 years). Neck ultrasonography studies were conducted using a real-time ultrasonographic machine and a 10 MHz transducer. FNAC was performed for the suspected neck nodules. RESULTS: Of the 234 cases, 187 (79.9%) were surgically confirmed to be benign lesions, including four cases that were diagnosed as atypical adenoma. Malignant thyroid masses were identified in 47 patients. Surgery confirmed 22 cases to be lesions that were non-thyroid in origin, including those developing from a cyst, soft tissue, and with a lymphatic origin. Diagnostic accuracies of the FNAC and frozen section examination were found to be 91.1 and 97.7%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In the study population, 20.1% of the neck masses were malignant. Except in cases of follicular thyroid neoplasm, neck ultrasonography with FNAC could effectively identify the thyroid or non-thyroid origin of these masses with high-diagnostic accuracy.
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Neoplasias de Cabeça e Pescoço/patologia , Adenoma/patologia , Adolescente , Biópsia por Agulha Fina , Carcinoma/patologia , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Cistos/patologia , Feminino , Hemangioma Capilar/patologia , Humanos , Lactente , Linfoma/patologia , Masculino , Pescoço/diagnóstico por imagem , Neurofibroma/patologia , Valor Preditivo dos Testes , Estudos Retrospectivos , Sensibilidade e Especificidade , Tireoidite/patologia , Ultrassonografia , Adulto JovemRESUMO
PURPOSE: To correlate sonographic (US) characteristics and results of fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of thyroid nodules in autoimmune thyroiditis (AT) with surgical pathological findings. METHOD: Forty AT patients with 40 nodular lesions were analyzed retrospectively. Five sonographic characteristics were recorded for each nodule: diameter, echogenicity, microcalcification, halo sign, and margin. Preoperative sonograms and FNAB results were compared with postoperative histopathological findings. RESULT: Twenty-four of the 40 nodules were malignant, including 20 papillary carcinomas, 3 follicular carcinomas, and 1 medullary carcinoma. Of the 16 benign nodules, 8 were nodular hyperplasia, 6 lymphocytic thyroiditis, and 1 each follicular adenoma and Hürthle cell adenoma. The only US parameter that was significant in malignant vs. benign nodules was the presence of poorly defined margins. Based on preoperative cytology, 22 of the 23 malignant nodules were correctly diagnosed, and 10 of the 14 benign nodules were correctly identified. The positive predictive value was 78.6%, and the negative predictive value was 93.7%. CONCLUSION: No single US parameter can predict thyroid malignancy in patients with AT. A combination of US and FNAB provides the most sensitive and specific approach available preoperatively.
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Biópsia por Agulha Fina , Neoplasias/diagnóstico por imagem , Neoplasias/cirurgia , Neoplasias da Glândula Tireoide/diagnóstico por imagem , Neoplasias da Glândula Tireoide/cirurgia , Tireoidite Autoimune/diagnóstico por imagem , Tireoidite Autoimune/cirurgia , Adulto , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , UltrassonografiaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Primary aldosteronism (PA) is a common cause of secondary hypertension. Among the many leading causes of PA, the two most frequent are, bilateral adrenal hyperplasia (BAH) and aldosterone-producing adenomas (APA). Since a solitary APA may be cured surgically, but BAH needs lifelong pharmacologic therapy, confirmation is mandatory before surgery. We herein sought to determine the diagnostic value of iodine-131 6-beta-iodomethyl-19-norcholesterol (NP-59) adrenal scintigraphy to distinguish BAH from APA. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients clinically suspected of PA from March 2000 to October 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 145 patients, including 74 postunilateral adrenalectomy and seven postradiofrequency ablation for adrenal mass, were reviewed. All patients received NP-59 adrenal scintigraphy prior to surgery. The accuracy of the NP-59 adrenal scintigraphy was confirmed by the pathologic findings and postoperative outcomes. RESULTS: Among 81 patients receiving interventional procedures for adrenal mass, adenoma was eventually diagnosed in 72 patients according to their pathologic results, with 60 unilaterally and seven bilaterally localized lesions by NP-59 scintigraphy; nevertheless, there were five negative findings initially. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value of NP-59 scintigraphy for APA detection were therefore 83.3, 44.4, and 92.3%, respectively. Moreover, single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography scan increased the sensitivity and specificity, but not the positive predictive value (85.0, 60.0, and 89.5%) of NP-59 scintigraphy in this study. CONCLUSION: NP-59 adrenal scintigraphy is a useful imaging test to detect APA. Lateralization by this modality prior to surgical intervention may reduce the need for such invasive procedures as adrenal venous sampling.
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19-Iodocolesterol/análogos & derivados , Centros Médicos Acadêmicos , Glândulas Suprarrenais/diagnóstico por imagem , Hiperaldosteronismo/diagnóstico por imagem , Adulto , Idoso , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Cintilografia , Estudos Retrospectivos , TaiwanRESUMO
BACKGROUND: In Asian countries, many patients with type 2 diabetes fail to achieve controlled glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels while taking several classes of oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs). Traditional Chinese medicine could be an alternative therapeutic option for poorly controlled type 2 diabetes. YH1 is a concentrated Chinese herbal extract formula that combines Rhizoma Coptidis and Shen-Ling-Bai-Zhu-San. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study evaluated YH1 as an add-on medication for poorly controlled type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Forty-six patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned 1:1 to the YH1 or placebo group. Before the trial, all subjects had received three or more classes of OHAs with HbA1c > 7.0% (53 mmol/mol) and a body mass index ≥ 23 kg/m2. During the 12-week trial, participants continued to take OHAs without any dose or medication changes. The primary endpoint was the percentage change in HbA1c level. Per-protocol analysis was applied to the final evaluation. RESULTS: At week 12, there was an 11.1% reduction in HbA1c from baseline and a 68.9% increase in homeostatic model assessment (HOMA) of ß cell function in the YH1 group, which also exhibited significant reductions in two-hour postprandial glucose (-26.2%), triglycerides (-29.5%), total cholesterol (-21.6%), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (-17.4%), body weight (-0.5%), and waist circumference (-1.1%). The changes in fasting plasma glucose, HOMA insulin resistance and symptom scores were not significantly different between the YH1 and placebo groups. No serious adverse events occurred during this clinical trial. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study indicates that YH1 together with OHAs can improve hypoglycemic action and ß-cell function in overweight/obese patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes. YH1 is a safe add-on medication for OHAs and has beneficial effects on weight control and lipid metabolism. A larger study population with longer treatment and follow-up periods is required for further verification.
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Araceae/química , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2 , Medicamentos de Ervas Chinesas/administração & dosagem , Obesidade , Extratos Vegetais/administração & dosagem , Plantas Medicinais/química , Adulto , Idoso , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2/sangue , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2/tratamento farmacológico , Método Duplo-Cego , Feminino , Hemoglobinas Glicadas/metabolismo , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Obesidade/sangue , Obesidade/tratamento farmacológico , Projetos Piloto , Extratos Vegetais/químicaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) is defined as elevation in serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels despite normal serum levels of free thyroxine. It remains controversial whether people with SCH have higher total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels compared to normal-thyroid subjects. The aim of this study was to assess the metabolic risk factors for SCH. METHODS: Subjects were recruited from the health examination center of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2011. This was a cross-sectional review of medical records. The subjects were ethnic Taiwanese residents without known thyroid disease at baseline. RESULTS: A total of 22,324 subjects received annual health examination at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital from 2010 to 2011. Among them, 15,943 subjects were included as the normal thyroid group (NG), and 203 subjects (101 men and 102 women) met the criteria for SCH. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in the NG was 26.2% in men and 18.7% in women, whereas that in the SCH group was 39.6% in men and 29.4% in women. Women in the SCH group showed significantly higher cholesterol, triglyceride, non-high density lipoprotein (HDL) and cholesterol/HDL levels than those in the NG (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Because SCH is more prevalent in women and the risk increases with age, greater attention to the risk of MetS development is warranted. As for men, regardless of thyroid function, the risk of MetS development with age still warrants attention. Thus, our data suggest that national guidelines for screening for thyroid disease using serum TSH levels in the elderly are mandatory.
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Hipotireoidismo/complicações , Síndrome Metabólica/etiologia , Adulto , Idoso , Estudos Transversais , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Exame Físico , Fatores de RiscoRESUMO
This study investigates the impact of uric acid (UA) on the risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome. In addition, this study explores the relationship between UA and insulin resistance and serum leptin levels in metabolic syndrome. A total of 470 subjects (252 women and 218 men) were recruited from the Department of Health Management at Chang Gung Medical Center (Linkou, Taiwan). Metabolic syndrome was defined using a modified Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) definition. The formula for the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) is as follows: fasting serum insulin (microU/mL) x fasting plasma glucose (mmol/L)/22.5. Diabetes mellitus was diagnosed in 45 subjects (9.6%); 82 subjects (17.4%) had hypertension. Hyperuricemia was diagnosed in 144 subjects (30.6%). Of these subjects, 115 (63 females and 52 males) (24.5%) were diagnosed as having metabolic syndrome. Patients with hyperuricemia had increased body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, and triglyceride (Tg) level. The subjects also had lower high-density lipoprotein and greater hypertension. Hormone assays showed an elevation of leptin, immunoreactive insulin (IRI), and HOMA-IR in the hyperuricemia group. Uric acid appeared to be better correlated with Tg, blood pressure (both systolic and diastolic), obesity, immunoreactive insulin, and HOMA-IR. Uric acid did not correlate with leptin or blood glucose levels. Metabolic syndrome and Tg/high-density lipoprotein ratio showed a statistically significant difference in HOMA-IR using 3.8 as a cutoff value. Otherwise, there was no difference in leptin value. In conclusion, serum UA is significantly related to risk factors of metabolic syndrome except for blood glucose. Waist-to-hip ratio and HOMA-IR were statistically different in subjects with and without metabolic syndrome.
Assuntos
Leptina/sangue , Síndrome Metabólica/sangue , Ácido Úrico/sangue , Adulto , Idoso , Índice de Massa Corporal , Feminino , Humanos , Resistência à Insulina , Lipoproteínas HDL/sangue , Masculino , Síndrome Metabólica/etiologia , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Fatores de Risco , Relação Cintura-QuadrilRESUMO
There were insufficient data regarding radiation exposure to the household environment from patients with thyroid cancer who received radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy in Asia; we therefore performed the present study at the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Keelung, Taiwan.Patients with papillary or follicular thyroid cancer who received 3.7âGBq (100âmCi) RAI were enrolled in this prospective hospital-based study. The enrolled patients were asked to place a thermoluminescent dosimeter in the living room, bedroom, and bathroom of their houses for 4 weeks to measure radiation exposure to the household environment.A total of 43 patients (18 men and 25 women; mean age 51â±â13 years) who received 3.7âGBq (100âmCi) RAI completed the study. The mean value of total radiation exposure over 4 weeks from the patients to the bedroom, bathroom, and living room (eliminating the background radiation factor) was 0.446â±â0.304 (0.088-1.382)âmSv. We divided the patients into 2 groups: those with more than and less than the mean value of total radiation exposure to the bedroom, bathroom, and living room. Factors associated with the higher amount of radiation exposure from the patients to the household environment were patient body weight (Pâ=â.025, univariate analysis; Pâ=â.037, multivariate analysis, odds ratio [95% confidence interval] 1.067 [1.004-1.134]) and distant metastases based on I post-therapy scanning (Pâ=â.041, univariate analysis; Pâ=â.058, multivariate analysis, odds ratio [95% confidence interval] 6.453 [0.938-44.369]); age, sex, body mass index, renal function, serum stimulated thyroglobulin level, and recombinant human thyroid-stimulating hormone use were not associated with the amount of radiation exposure from the patients to the household environment.Higher body weight and distant metastases may be the best predictors for higher radiation exposure to the household environment from patients with thyroid cancer after RAI therapy.