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Radioiodine is commonly used to treat differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Nonetheless, the high activities administered during therapy are potentially carcinogenic for other organs, such as the salivary glands and digestive tract. The risk of second primary malignancies after radioiodine therapy for thyroid carcinoma is discussed by the author of this Viewpoint.
Identification of easily modifiable risk factors is urgently required for primary prevention of diabetes mellitus. Optimal vitamin D homeostasis seems important for a number of non-skeletal outcomes, including insulin secretion and action. As a consequence, vitamin D insufficiency has emerged as a potential factor in diabetes risk.
Major advances have been made in defining the genes and mechanisms responsible for monogenic β-cell diabetes. This article describes how a molecular genetic classification into four main categories offers a more useful guide to clinical management and treatment than using terms such as neonatal diabetes or maturity-onset diabetes of the young.
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects up to 10% of women and features a range of hormonal and metabolic abnormalities, many of which are associated with increased cardiovascular risk. The authors of this article urge clinicians to be aware of this risk when dealing with even young women who have PCOS.
As outlined here, measurement of serum thyroglobulin poses a number of technical challenges. These include between-assay biases, sensitivity limitations, and problems caused by thyroglobulin autoantibodies and heterophilic antibodies in patients' serum. As treatment and follow-up strategies for differentiated thyroid cancer evolve, it is important that clinicians are aware of these potential pitfalls.
Contrary to the assumption that gonadotrope pituitary adenomas are non-functioning, these tumors can be functional and lead to the development of the ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. This article describes a patient with a 15-year history of galactorrhea and multicystic ovaries caused by a gonadotrope-secreting pituitary adenoma.
