Maria Marta Sarquis Soares

Prevalência de deficiência e insuficiência de vitamina D e sua correlação com PTH, marcadores de remodelação óssea e densidade mineral óssea, em pacientes ambulatoriais

Consequences of VD deficiency include rickets and osteomalacia. However, marginal concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)VD) are associated with secondary hyperparathyroidism and osteoporosis. In this context, levels of 25(OH)VD capable to elevate parathyroid hormone (PTH) could be considered as insufficient. The VD insufficiency, although widely prevalent, is still under-recognized and under-treated. The authors have studied 180 patients followed in a endocrinology clinic in Belo Horizonte, who had 25(OH)VD measured, correlating it with PTH, biochemical bone turnover markers and bone mineral density. To determine the sufficiency of VD, 25(OH)VD was correlated with PTH and the cutoff found was of 32ng/ml. CTX-1 and PTH were significantly negative correlated to 25(OH)VD and the prevalence of VD insufficiency was 42%. One concludes that the VD insufficiency is widely prevalent among patients who frequently come to our offices, alerting us for the importance to assess VD status more often and to practice politics for prevention of VD insufficiency.

The burden of osteoporosis in Brazil

Osteoporotic fractures impose severe physical, psychosocial, and financial burden both to the patient and the society. Studies on the prevalence of osteoporosis and fragility fractures in Brazil show a wide variation, due to differences in sample size, the population studied, and methodologies. Few studies have been conducted in Brazil about the cost-effectiveness analyses of different intervention options aimed at the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis. Investigation and treatment strategies based on cost-effectiveness and scientific evidence are essential in the preparation of public health policies with the ultimate goal of reducing the incidence of fractures and, consequently, the direct and indirect costs associated with them. This article reviews the Brazilian burden of osteoporosis in terms of the prevalence and fractures attributable to the disease, the costs related to the investigation and management, as well as the impact of osteoporosis on the population as a whole and on affected individuals.

Alterações da haste hipofisária e suas implicações clínicas

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the pituitary stalk has revealed certain abnormalities with significant clinical relevance. In order to correctly appreciate them, one must be aware of the embryology and anatomy of the pituitary-hypothalamic axis and the criteria that define a normal MRI. Pituitary stalk thickening is frequently related to Diabetes Insipidus and this finding requires further evaluation, especially in children and adolescents. A truncated, thin or absent stalk can be associated with growth hormone deficiency and contribute to the prediction of the severity and the pattern of the hypopituitarism. At last, mutations of different transcription factors controlling pituitary development may be associated with characteristic pituitary-hypothalamic MRI abnormalities, underscoring its utility in the assessment of congenital hypopituitarism.

Análise de fatores que se associam a alterações no teste de tolerância oral à glicose, independentemente dos valores da glicemia de jejum

OBJECTIVE: To identify factors associated with changes in oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), regardless of fasting glucose (FG). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 377 patients (53.8 ± 15.2 years, 77.7% women and BMI = 31.4 ± 5.9 kg/m2) with no history of diabetes mellitus(DM), underwent OGTT and compared according to the results: normal (NGT), impaired (IGT) and DM. RESULTS: 202 patients (53.6%) had altered glucose tolerance: 69 with DM (18.3%) and 133 with IGT (35.3%). In multivariate analysis, factors regardless of FG that were associated (P < 0.05) with changes in the OGTT were age (DM = 58.7 ± 12.9; IGT = 56.7 ± 14.3; NGT = 49.6 ± 15.6 years), hypertension (DM = 69.6%; IGT = 63.9%; NGT = 43.4%), FG (DM = 111.9 ± 9.2; IGT = 103.5 ± 10.3; NGT = 96.6 ± 11.1 mg/dL), HbA1C (DM = 6.1 ± 0.7%; IGT = 6.1 ± 0.5%; NGT = 5.8 ± 0.4%), triglycerides (DM = 179.3 ± 169.9; IGT = 154.2 ± 84.1; NGT = 129.1 ± 71.9 mg/dL), HDL-c (DM =44.7 ± 9.2; IGT = 47.5 ± 12.3; NGT = 50.6 ± 13.4 mg/dL) and uric acid in women (DM = 5.3 ± 1.5; IGT = 5.3 ± 1.3; NGT = 4.7 ± 1.3 mg/dL). CONCLUSION: Age, hypertension, elevated triglycerides, HbA1C, uric acid (in women) and low HDL-C are associated with changes in the OGTT patients with overweight / obesity, irrespective of FG.

Splicing variants impact in thyroid normal physiology and pathological conditions

RNA splicing is an essential, precisely regulated process that occurs after gene transcription and before mRNA translation, in which introns may be removed and exons, retained. Variability in splicing patterns is a major source of protein diversity from the genome and function to generate a tremendously diverse proteome from a relatively small number of genes. Changes in splice site choice can determine different effects on the encoded protein. Small changes in peptide sequence can alter ligand binding, enzymatic activity, allosteric regulation, or protein localization. Errors in splicing regulation have been implicated in a number of different disease states. This study reviewed the mechanisms of splicing and their repercussion in endocrinology, emphasizing its importance in some thyroid physiological and pathological conditions.

Cisto hepático benigno simulando metástase de carcinoma diferenciado de tireoide

INTRODUCTION: The follow-up of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) for detecting persistent or recurrent disease is based on iodine whole body scan (WBS), the evaluation of the tumor marker thyroglobulin (Tg), the anti-thyroglobulin antibody (anti-Tg) and neck ultrasonography (US). Well known false-positive causes of WBS include inflammatory processes, some non-thyroid tumors, kidney or even sebaceous cysts . METHODS: We reported a case of false-positive WBS, after therapeutic dose of (131I) NaI. RESULTS: We enphasize the importance of recognizing benign liver cysts mimicking DTC metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: False-positive and negative results may occur with WBS and must be recognized to avoid mismanagement.

Neck circumference in adolescents and cardiometabolic risk: A sistematic review

OBJECTIVE To critically analyze articles on the relation between neck circumference (NC) in adolescents and: body mass index, fat distribution, metabolic syndrome and its individual components, and cardiovascular risk. METHOD Systematic review undertaken by two independent researchers using the Pubmed/Medline, Lilacs/Medline, Scielo and Cochrane databases in English, Spanish and Portuguese in the period comprising the past 5 years. RESULTS Eighteen (18) articles were selected. The articles show an association between NC in adolescents and body fat (BMI), central fat distribution (WC), metabolic syndrome and several of its individual components, and cardiovascular risk. Some values are proposed for NC cutoff points as a diagnostic tool for nutritional status, high blood pressure and pre-hypertension, cardiovascular risk, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. We identified a percentile curve constructed for Brazilian adolescents. CONCLUSION There is a shortage of studies with representative samples, variety at the NC measurement sites, and the age of the participants, which makes it difficult to establish definitive landmarks.

Association between pre-sarcopenia, sarcopenia, and bone mineral density in patients with chronic hepatitis C: Sarcopenia and bone mineral density in hepatitis C

Preserved skeletal muscle is essential for the maintenance of healthy bone. Loss of bone mineral density (BMD) and muscle strength, considered a predictor of BMD, have been demonstrated in patients with cirrhosis, but they are poorly studied in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) without cirrhosis. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence of low BMD and its association with body composition, muscle strength, and nutritional status in CHC.

Assessment of adiposity in psoriatic patients by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry compared to conventional methods.

BACKGROUND Obesity is considered a chronic low-grade inflammatory disease that shares mediators of inflammation with psoriasis, such as TNF-α and IL-6. The relationship between these two conditions involves factors such as predisposition and response to therapy, in addition to an association with cardiovascular disease. OBJECTIVES The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of adiposity as determined by body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) evaluation in patients with psoriasis. METHODS BMI, WC and body composition by DXA were measured in 42 psoriatic patients without joint complaints and in 41 control patients using standard procedures. In the comparison between cases and controls, we used Pearson’s Χ2 test or Fisher’s exact test, and the nonparametric Mann-Whitney test. The difference between the diverse classification methods for obesity was evaluated using McNemar’s test. To test the level of agreement between those variables, we used the weighted kappa coefficient. RESULTS There was no difference in the prevalence of obesity among cases and controls. Both BMI and WC had low agreement with measures of body fat evaluated by DXA. With the use of DXA scanning, prevalence of overweight and obesity in patients with psoriasis was 83.3%, which constitutes a strong evidence of the need for intervention on this metabolic parameter. CONCLUSION Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry was more capable of identifying obesity compared with BMI and WC both in psoriatic and control patients.