LASER THERMAL ABLATION OF BENIGN THYROID NODULES AS AN EFFECTIVE, SAFE AND MINIMALLY INVASIVE METHOD FOR TREATING NODULAR GOITER (REVIEW).

To search for effective and safe methods aimed at reducing the frequency of surgical treatment for nodular thyroid pathology. 1999-2019 literature review conducted using NLM databases. There is more and more evidence in the literature on the efficacy and safety of minimally invasive treatments for thyroid nodular disease. Based on the literature data, it was revealed that the most effective technique for minimally invasive treatment is laser thermal ablation of thyroid nodules under visual control. This technique can be considered an alternative to surgical intervention in the treatment of benign thyroid nodules and, in most cases, leads to a decrease or complete disappearance of the nodule, clinical manifestations, or cosmetic defects. Unlike surgical treatment, it is practically devoid of the likelihood of formidable complications and, as a rule, passes without any threatening consequences for the patient. While the use of laser thermal ablation is expanding, the international medical community has begun to incorporate this technique into treatment guidelines and is making efforts to disseminate it in general clinical practice. Since the method of laser thermal ablation can be considered an effective alternative to surgical intervention for the treatment of benign thyroid nodules, it is necessary to widely introduce it into the general clinical practice in Russia and algorithms for providing medical care to patients with nodular goiter. The introduction of imaging-guided laser thermal ablation into clinical practice and its inclusion in the algorithms for the provision of medical care to patients with thyroid nodular pathology will significantly improve the quality and availability of medical care for patients with thyroid nodular pathology.

Reliability and validity of a new global dyskinesia rating scale in the MPTP-lesioned non-human primate.

Behavioral rating scales for dyskinesia in the non-human primate are frequently used to assess the efficacy of new treatments and to provide a clinical correlative with neurochemical and neuropathological changes. Although a large variety of different scales have been used in non-human primate studies, there is no single standardized scale, and none have been evaluated for reliability and validity. We are reporting a new global non-human primate dyskinesia rating scale (GPDRS) for the squirrel monkey, developed in the context of an independent study of dyskinesia. In this report we demonstrate the reliability and validity of this scale. The GPDRS is a single-item scale with well-defined points and brevity allowing for rapid and easy application for assessing the overall degree of dyskinesia. In this study, seven MPTP-lesioned and four non-lesioned (control) non-human primates were videotaped following treatment with either levodopa or water. To test inter- and intra-rater reliability, three examiners rated the videotape independently at two different time points and these assessments were compared. The validity of the scale was tested in two phases. First, examiners rated the videotape using the GPDRS and the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS), a scale commonly used to rate dyskinesia in the non-human primate, and the ratings from each scale were compared. Second, validity was tested in the context of an independent dyskinesia study, in which the scale was used to distinguish between two treatment groups. The GPDRS was shown to have high inter- and intra-rater reliability and to be valid for the assessment of dyskinesia in the squirrel monkey. In this report we also demonstrate the inter- and intra-rater reliability of the AIMS.