Hyperthyrotrophinaemia during thyroxine replacement therapy

During the follow-up of 224 cases of treated hypothyroidism, 14 clinically euthyroid patients were found to have elevated serum thyrotrophin and normal total thyroxine concentrations. Closer observation of these patients during the following 27 months resulted in the serum thyrotrophin levels returning to normal spontaneously in 8 patients (Group 1) whilst remaining elevated in 6 (Group 2), despite no significant differences in thyroid hormone levels between the two groups. Serum thyrotrophin in Group 2 patients remained high until an additional 50 micrograms/day thyroxine was prescribed although only 2 patients noted any benefit. Non-compliance or inadequate dosage of thyroxine are the probable causes of this sub-clinical hypothyroidism. Thyroid hormone estimations fail to differentiate the two conditions and we recommend a period of closer observation before making any thyroxine dosage adjustments in order to detect non-compliance.     

Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease: Medical or surgical treatment? Report of an interactive workshop

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is the most common disease of the upper gastrointestinal tract. With the introduction of proton pump inhibitors medical treatment of GERD has been significantly improved. However, the development of laparoscopic antireflux surgery resulted in an increasing interest of surgeons in this disease. An interactive meeting was organized in order to develop an agreement between gastoenterologists and surgeons regarding therapeutic decisions and this is the main topic of this paper.     

Beta-defensin genomic copy number is not a modifier locus for cystic fibrosis

Human beta-defensin 2 (DEFB4, also known as DEFB2 or hBD-2) is a salt-sensitive antimicrobial protein that is expressed in lung epithelia. Previous work has shown that it is encoded in a cluster of beta-defensin genes at 8p23.1, which varies in copy number between 2 and 12 in different individuals. We determined the copy number of this locus in 355 patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), and tested for correlation between beta-defensin cluster genomic copy number and lung disease associated with CF. No significant association was found.