Thyroid function inside and outside of pregnancy: what do we know and what don't we know?

A workshop entitled, "The Impact of Maternal Thyroid Diseases on the Developing Fetus: Implications for Diagnosis, Treatment, and Screening," was held in Atlanta, Georgia, January 12-13, 2004. This paper reports on the session that examined the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in reproductive-age women and the factors associated with abnormal function. For this session the following papers were presented: "Thyroidal Economy in the Pregnant State: An Overview," "The Prevalence of Thyroid Dysfunction in Reproductive-Age Women- United States," and "Risk Factors for Thyroid Disease: Autoimmunity and Other Conditions." These presentations were formally discussed by invited respondents and by others in attendance. Salient points from this session about which there was agreement include the following: physiologic changes associated with pregnancy require an increased availability of thyroid hormones by 40% to 100% in order to meet the needs of mother and fetus during pregnancy. In the first trimester of gestation the fetus is wholly dependent on thyroxine from the mother for normal neurologic development. For the maternal thyroid gland to meet the demands of pregnancy it must be present, disease-free, and capable of responding with adequate stores of iodine. Thyroid autoimmunity is common and may contribute to miscarriages, as well as to hypothyroidism. With sufficient iodine nutrition, autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) is the most common cause of hypothyroidism. As of 1994, iodine nutrition in the United States appeared to be adequate, but its continued monitoring is essential.     

Statins in children: What do we know and what do we need to do?

Children have been tested and treated for hypercholesterolemia for more than 30 years. Although most treatment regimens have been limited to dietary intervention, statin use is increasing. Statins have been used in children since 1987, but published sources have only reported on small numbers of children with severe hypercholesterolemia. The available data indicates that statins can be useful and well tolerated. New data will be available in the next few years that will lead to the wider use of these drugs. Although statin drugs have proven to be safe in the adult population, physicians will be obliged to follow pediatric patients closely when these agents are widely used in the first few years. The use of highly effective safe drugs such as statins will allow for the assessment of the best time to initiate therapy in younger populations and what benefits may be found over the long term.     

Fibromyalgia and nutrition, what do we know?

Many people suffer from fibromyalgia (FM) without an effective treatment. They do not have a good quality of life and cannot maintain normal daily activity. Among the different hypotheses for its ethiopathophysiology, oxidative stress is one of the possibilities. Non-scientific information addressed to patients regarding the benefits of nutrition is widely available, and they are used to trying non-evidenced strategies. The aim of this paper is to find out what we know right now from scientific studies regarding fibromyalgia disease and nutritional status, diets and food supplements. A systematic search has been performed on Medline with a wide range of terms about these nutritional issues. The search has been made during 2009, for articles published between 1998 and 2008. Target population: people suffering from FM. Vegetarian diets could have some beneficial effects probably due to the increase in antioxidant intake. There is a high prevalence of obesity and overweight in patients, and weight control seems to be an effective tool to improve the symptoms. Some nutritional deficiencies have been described, it is not clear whether they are directly related to this disease or not. About the usefulness of some food supplements we found very little data, and it seems that more studies are needed to prove which ones could be of help. Dietary advice is necessary to these patients to improve their diets and maintain normal weight. It would be interesting to investigate more in the field of nutrition and FM to reveal any possible relationships.     

Reflecting on the immunopathology of arthritis associated with inflammatory bowel disease: what do we know and what should we know?

Clinical Rheumatology - Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), is clinically closely associated with arthritis. Three major arthritis...     

Infections in acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis: what are they and how do we know?

Acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis can be due to many factors. The most commonly recognized factor is infection, with bacterial infection being identified in about fifty percent of patients with chronic bronchitis. The causative agent can be detected by several different methods. The most common is sputum examination; however, more invasive techniques have been studied. These include transtracheal aspirates and bronchoscopic samples. The most widely studied bronchoscopic sample has been the protected brush specimen (PBS). Despite the wide array of sampling techniques, the pathogens which have been identified have been relatively consistent. The three most common pathogens have been H. influenzae, S. Pneumoniae, and B. catarrhalis. Other pathogens, including gram negative enteric organisms, are seen in patients with more advanced disease. The information obtained by the diagnostic studies has allowed clinicians to develop treatment strategies for AECB. These diagnostic studies will be needed to help upgrade treatment guidelines as new bacteria and bacterial resistance patterns change.     

Mechanisms of induction of atrial fibrillation: what do we really know?

Background: Insights into the mechanisms of induction or paroxysmal atrial fibrillation hold the potential to develop preventive or even curative therapies for the arrhythmia. Aim of study: To review basic principles of induction of reentrant activation with respect to their applicability to clinical observations. Methods: Literature search regarding relevant clinical and experimental studies. Analysis of the epicardial activation pattern during induction of atrial flutter in dogs with sterile pericarditis using a custom-designed electrode array (128 bipolar electrodes, interelectrode distance 3-8 mm) and a computerized multiplexer-mapping system. Results: Limited clinical data reveal a marked intra- and interindividual variability in the onset mechanisms of atrial fibrillation. Episodes of atrial fibrillation initiated by rapid focal discharges from the pulmonary veins or by increased sympathetic or parasympathetic tone appear to represent rare entities. Induction of reentrant activation generally depends on the occurrence of functional conduction block and regional conduction delay. Conduction block in the atria seems to be primarily based on local dispersion of refractoriness. Refractory periods are modified by various factors, potentially resulting in temporary, nonhomogenous changes. Conclusions: Regional conduction and refractory properties are of major relevance for the initiation or reentry. With a plethora of modifying factors thereof, marked intra- and interindividual variability in the onset mechanisms of atrial fibrillation is more than conceivable.     

N-acetylcysteine in acute cardiology: 10 years later: what do we know and what would we like to know?!

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is known in a variety of branches of medicine. This paper addresses in detail the action of NAC as it is emerging from research and clinical trials over the past decade in cardiology, giving rise to new concepts. The result is a process resembling creation of a mosaic from individual pieces. Also, the role of NAC in acute cardiology, during acute reperfusion in particular, is defined.