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Thyroid-associated orbitopathy (TAO) is one of the most common autoimmune inflammatory disorders of the orbit. The presence of anti-thyroid antibodies is believed to play a role in the pathogenesis and clinical status of the TAO patients. Herein, we review the usefulness of TPOAb as a biomarker for TAO.A systematic search in MEDLINE library was conducted. Results: Twenty studies were included. TPO is expressed in orbital tissues, and the polymorphism rs11675434 SNP has proven to be associated with clinically evident TAO. Studies in pediatric patients have shown a positive correlation between high TPOAb levels and TAO. In contrast, results in adults are inconsistent. Some studies imply a protective role of TPOAb, yet the majority did not find any association. Some authors have suggested an implication of TPOAb in the pathophysiology of TAO in TRAb-negative patients.The role of TPOAb in TAO remains unclear and controversial.

Primary aldosteronism (PA) is the most frequent type of endocrine hypertension. In our previous studies, we introduced two modified diagnostic tests for PA, the post-dexamethasone saline infusion test (DSIT) and the overnight dexamethasone, captopril, and valsartan test (DCVT). In this study, we aimed to validate both tests in respect to the biochemical and clinical response of a cohort of hypertensive patients in pre- and post-surgical setting. We retrospectively studied 41 hypertensive patients (16 males), with a median (IQR, range) age of 50 (16, 35–74) years and positive histology for adrenal adenoma. Preoperatively, all patients had a single adenoma on CT and a diagnosis of PA with either DSIT or DCVT. The defined daily dose (DDD) of hypertensive drugs was assessed pre- and postoperatively. DSIT or DCVT and basal ARR were reassessed postoperatively. Two of the 41 patients failed to suppress aldosterone post-surgery, leading to a post-adrenalectomy biochemical cure rate of 95%, while blood pressure was improved in 36 patients, leading to a clinical cure rate of 88% as assessed by the DDD methodology. The present study was a proof-of-concept process to validate two modified diagnostic tests for PA in clinical practice. These tests, used to diagnose a group of patients with PA, successfully assessed their biochemical cure post-adrenalectomy at rates similar to those reported in the literature.

Increased prevalence of hyperparathyroidism (HP) has been observed in primary aldosteronism (PA) patients. However, HP prevalence in milder forms of PA has not to date been evaluated. The objectives of this study were to assess the prevalence of primary and secondary HP in overt and milder misdiagnosed cases of PA and to investigate the effect of treatment on parathormone (PTH) secretion. Seventy PA patients with normal renal function were included prospectively. Specifically, patients with biochemically overt PA (increased basal aldosterone/renin ratio (ARR) and a positive diagnostic suppression test (DCVT)) and patients with mild PA (normal basal ARR and a positive DCVT) were analyzed. Mean blood pressure and mineral metabolism were evaluated at diagnosis and after treatment. Primary and secondary HP were found in 4.3% (3/70) and 51.4% (36/70) of patients, respectively, and biochemically overt and mild PA in 47.1% (33/70) and 52.9% (37/70) of patients, respectively. Sixty-three PA patients were followed up after treatment without receiving calcium or vitamin D. There was a decrease of mean blood pressure (p

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a rare and life-threatening complication in patients with diabetes. Sodium–glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) have rarely been associated with ketoacidosis. The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate DKA episodes occurring after SGLT2i treatment and to compare them to DKA episodes due to other causes. The medical records of the years 2018–2020 related to clinical and biochemical characteristics and to treatment of six patients with DKA due to SGLT2i were reviewed. They were compared to those of 12 patients with DKA due to other causes. On admission, the most common symptom was abdominal pain. Glucose levels (median, min–max) were lower in patients with SGLT2i-induced DKA compared to those with DKA due to other causes (229 (150–481) vs. 458.5 (332–695) mg/dl, p = 0.007), whereas no statistical difference was observed in HbA1c and in the severity of DKA (pH, HCO3, CO2, and anion gap). The duration of insulin infusion (41 (33–124) vs. 21.50 (11–32) h, p