Neuroendocrinol Lett
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Neuroendocrinol Lett · Feb 2008
Case ReportsGraves' hyperthyroidism following primary hypothyroidism due to Hashimoto's thyroiditis in a case of thyroid hemiagenesis: case report.
Thyroid hemiagenesis (TH) is a rare inborn anomaly, resulting from failure of one thyroid lobe development. It is usually detected incidentally during investigation of concomitant thyroid disorders. The reported patient first presented hypothyroidism at the age of 49, when Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) and left thyroid lobe agenesis was diagnosed. ⋯ The patient, whose observation period has now reached 5 years, under LT4 replacement therapy, remains both clinically and biochemically euthyroid. The described case displays a very rare coincidence of hypothyroidism due to HT converted into Graves' hyperthyroidism, accompanying TH. Each of these three entities, may influence the thyroid function in a different way, hence, systematic follow-up and individual therapeutic management is required.
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Neuroendocrinol Lett · Dec 2007
The immune effects of TRYCATs (tryptophan catabolites along the IDO pathway): relevance for depression - and other conditions characterized by tryptophan depletion induced by inflammation.
Immune activation is accompanied by induction of indoleamine (2,3)-dioxygenase (IDO), an enzyme which degrades tryptophan, a phenomenon which plays a role in the pathophysiology of major depression and post-natal depression and anxiety states. TRYCATs - tryptophan catabolites along the IDO pathway - such as kynurenine, kynurenic acid, xanthurenic acid, and quinolinic acid, have multiple effects, e.g. apoptotic, anti- versus pro-oxidant, neurotoxic versus neuroprotective, and anxiolytic versus anxiogenic effects. The aim of the present study was to study the immune effects of the above TRYCATS. ⋯ Kynurenic acid significantly reduced the stimulated production of TNFalpha. It is concluded that kynurenine, kynurenic acid, and xanthurenic acid have anti-inflammatory effects trough a reduction of IFNgamma, whereas quinolinic acid has pro-inflammatory effects in particular via significant decreases in IL-10. Following inflammation-induced IDO activation, some TRYCATs, i.e. kynurenine, kynurenic acid, and xanthurenic acid, exert a negative feedback control over IFNgamma production thus downregulating the initial inflammation, whereas an excess of quinolinic acid further aggravates the initial inflammation.
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Neuroendocrinol Lett · Nov 2007
Comparative StudyPneumococcal meningitis in community is frequent after craniocerebral trauma and in alcohol abusers.
Aim of this short communication was to assess risk factors and outcome of community acquired pneumococcal meningitis and compare it to all cases of community acquired meningitis. Univariate analysis was used for comparison of 68 pneumococcal to 201 CBM within a Slovak nationwide database of CBM. ⋯ Concerning outcome, mortality was similar (8,8% and 12,4%, NS), proportion of those with neurologic sequellae after CBM due to Str. pneumoniae was insignificantly higher (20.6% vs. 15.4%, NS) in comparison to all CBM. All but 2 strains Str. pneumoniae were susceptible to penicillin and macrolides (3.3% resistance).
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Neuroendocrinol Lett · Aug 2007
Not in the mind but in the cell: increased production of cyclo-oxygenase-2 and inducible NO synthase in chronic fatigue syndrome.
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a medically unexplained disorder, characterized by profound fatigue, infectious, rheumatological and neuropsychiatric symptoms. There is, however, some evidence that CFS is accompanied by signs of increased oxidative stress and inflammation in the peripheral blood. This paper examines the role of the inducible enzymes cyclo-oxygenase (COX-2) and inducible NO synthase (iNOS) in the pathophysiology of CFS. ⋯ There were significant and positive intercorrelations between COX-2, iNOS and NFkappabeta and between COX-2 and iNOS, on the one hand, and the severity of illness, on the other. The production of COX-2 and iNOS by PBMCs was significantly related to aches and pain, muscular tension, fatigue, concentration difficulties, failing memory, sadness and a subjective experience of infection. The results suggest that a) an intracellular inflammatory response in the white blood cells plays an important role in the pathophysiology of CFS; b) the inflammatory response in CFS is driven by the transcription factor NFkappabeta; c) symptoms, such as fatigue, pain, cognitive defects and the subjective feeling of infection, indicates the presence of a genuine inflammatory response in CFS patients; and d) CFS patients may be treated with substances that inhibit the production of COX-2 and iNOS.