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Abstract Most primary hypothyroidism in adults is caused by chronic thyroiditis. Autoantibodies such as anti-thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb) and anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) are involved in the pathogenesis of chronic thyroiditis. On the other hand, the clinical features of antibody-negative hypothyroidism are not clear. In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of thyroid-related autoantibodies in patients with primary hypothyroidism and to evaluate the differences in thyroid structure between antibody-positive and antibody-negative hypothyroidism. Among 804 patients who attended Kawasaki Medical School Hospital for thyroid hormone abnormalities or thyroid gland enlargement between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2021, 237 patients with primary hypothyroidism who underwent thyroid antibody measurement and thyroid ultrasound examination were included. Participants were divided into groups according to antibody positivity/negativity, and differences in antibody positivity and thyroid structure were evaluated. In this study, 34.6% of patients had antibody-negative hypothyroidism. The positive rate of each antibody was 62.0% for TgAb and 49.4% for TPOAb. The participants with antibody-positive hypothyroidism had significantly larger thyroid gland on thyroid ultrasound examination (p

Abstract Cushing's syndrome and subclinical Cushing's syndrome (SCS) are conditions of increased cortisol secretion from the adrenal glands. Cushing's syndrome includes adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-dependent Cushing's syndrome (Cushing's disease) and ACTH-independent Cushing's syndrome (AICS). The purpose of this study was to investigate the diagnostic potential of the cortisol / adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) ratio (CAR) for diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome or SCS in adult subjects. This was a single-center, retrospective, observational study. This study enrolled 44 subjects with SCS, 14 AICS, 10 CD, and 248 non-Cushing's syndrome subjects who had undergone a 1 mg dexamethasone suppression test (1 mg DST). Definition of SCS was as follows: no physical signs characteristic of Cushing syndrome and cortisol was ≥ 83 nmol/L in 1 mg DST. The diagnostic potential of CAR for diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome was evaluated by comparing the correlation between CAR and after-load cortisol level in 1 mg DST. As the results, there was a strong positive correlation between CAR and after-load cortisol level in subjects with AICS (r = 0.800, p

Abstract Decreased pancreatic volume, increased pancreatic fat mass, and serrated pancreatic margins are characteristic morphological changes of the pancreas in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus. This retrospective study aimed to clarify the clinical significance of pancreatic morphological changes in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus who underwent abdominal magnetic resonance imaging. The mean age and HbA1c value were 59.1 ± 16.3 years old and 8.9 ± 2.3%, respectively. Pancreatic body mass corrected for body surface area (BSA) in subjects with diabetes mellitus was lower compared to those in normal glucose tolerance (49.4 ± 15.3 cm3 vs. 60.9 ± 7.8 cm3), although it did not reach a statistic significance. There was a negative correlation between BSA-corrected pancreatic volume and age, duration of diabetes, glycoalbumin, mean and max IMT, and there was a positive correlation between BSA-corrected pancreatic volume and HOMA2-β. Serration of the pancreatic limbus was more often observed in subjects with diabetes mellitus compared to those in normal glucose tolerance (74.1% vs. 14.3%). Subjects with serrated changes were older and had higher HbA1c, and visceral fat area was significantly larger in subjects with serrated changes. BSA-corrected pancreatic volume in subjects with serrated changes was significantly smaller, and mean IMT was significantly thicker in subjects with serrulation. Furthermore, advanced diabetic retinopathy and diabetic nephropathy were more often observed in subjects with serrated changes. Taken together, decreased BSA-corrected pancreatic volume and serrated changes were associated with the progression of vascular complications in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

It is known that Baba’s diabetic neuropathy classification (BDC) is useful in quantitative evaluation of Diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN). In this study, we aimed to investigate the possible association between BDC and various diabetic microvascular and macrovascular complications in patients whose neuropathy was evaluated with BDC. As the results, BDC was significantly correlated with the severity of diabetic retinopathy and nephropathy. BDC was also significantly correlated with history of myocardial infarction or cerebral infarction, carotid IMT, and ABI. These data suggest that BDC may be useful in predicting the presence of various diabetic microvascular and macrovascular complications. The data also support the idea that we should perform further investigation of other diabetes-related complications in patients with severe DPN.

Non-thyroidal illness (NTI) is a condition in which the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid system and thyroid hormone metabolism are abnormal due to non-thyroidal diseases. Although NTI has been reported to occur in hyperglycemic emergencies in children, there have been few studies in adult cases. In this study, we examined adult patients with hyperglycemia regarding the frequency of NTI and its triggers. Adult diabetic patients who were hospitalized for diabetic ketosis (DK), diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), or hyperglycemic hyperosmolarity syndrome (HHS) were included in the study. Compared with the DK group, the DKA and HHS groups had higher admission blood glucose, Anion Gap, serum osmolality, creatinine, and urea nitrogen, and lower pH and eGFR. The frequency of NTI in the DKA, HHS, and DK groups was 80%, 70%, and 50%, respectively, and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and free thyroxine 3 (FT3) were significantly improved after treatment for hyperglycemia. Multiple regression analysis showed a significant correlation between the decrease in FT3 level and 3-hydroxybutyrate and albumin. Acute metabolic failure associated with hyperglycemia tends to be associated with a high rate of NTI and low FT3 levels at the start of treatment. The data in this study clearly shows that transient NTI is frequently observed in subjects with acute metabolic disorders such as DKA, HHS and DK. In addition, we should bear in mind that thyroid hormone replacement therapy is not necessary in subjects with NTI due to DKA, HHS and DK, especially when overt symptoms of hypothyroidism are not observed.

There are many tests for evaluating endogenous insulin secretory capacity. However, there are only a limited number of studies that have examined in detail in clinical practice which method most accurately reflects the ability to secrete endogenous insulin especially in hyperglycemic state. The purpose of this study was to find the endogenous insulin secretory capacity and a possible predictor of insulin withdrawal in subjects with type 2 diabetes requiring hospitalization due to hyperglycemia. In the endogenous insulin secretory test during hospitalization, CPR, CPR index, and ΔCPR after glucagon loading were all significantly higher in the insulin withdrawal group. On the other hand, there were no difference in fasting CPR index, HOMA-β, SUIT, and 24-hour urinary CPR excretion between the two groups. In the glucagon test of the insulin withdrawal group, the cutoff value of ΔCPR was 1.0 ng/mL, the withdrawal rate of ΔCPR of 1.0 ng/mL or more was 69.2%, and the withdrawal rate of less than 1.0 ng/mL was 25.0%. In conclusion, it is likely that glucagon test is the most powerful tool for predicting the possibility of insulin withdrawal as well as for evaluating endogenous insulin secretory capacity in subjects with type 2 diabetes requiring hospitalization due to hyperglycemia.