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Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most differentiated malignant thyroid neoplasm. Local metastases of PTC commonly occur in the regional lymph nodes, while distant metastases are mainly to the lung and bone. The case of a patient with PTC who presented with swelling of the parotid gland and neck, mimicking a primary parotid neoplasm, is presented herein. This case is unique due to the unexpected initial presentation of PTC with no signs of disease in the thyroid gland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this research letter was to describe the use of N-carbamoyl-L-glutamate as first-line treatment of hyperammonemia in a 4-month-old female patient with propionic acidemia (PA). METHODS: A 4-month-old female patient weighing 3.9 kg presented with decompensation with PA and initial hyperammonemia of 451 microg/dL. The patient was receiving a protein-restricted diet supplemented with L-carnitine at a dosage of 100 mg/kg/d during 2 consecutive months. Treatment with N-carbamoyl-L-glutamate was administered during 4 days on an outpatient basis at a dosage of 100 mg/kg/d, representing a dosage of 200 mg BID. The patient's hyperammonemia was monitored for 1 week. RESULTS: The patient's ammonia concentration started to decrease on the first day of the initiation of the treatment with N-carbamoyl-L-glutamate, from 451 to 68 microg/dL (normal range, 10-80 microg/dL) at day 6 of follow-up. The patient did not require intravenous fluids, invasive procedures, or hospitalization. CONCLUSION: N-carbamoyl-L-glutamate, combined with a protein-restricted diet and L-carnitine supplementation, was apparently effective as first-line treatment of hyperammonemia in this infant with PA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a group of complex neurodevelopmental disorders where many studies have been conducted and many factors have been implicated in the etiology. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between ASD development and exposure to mono-(2-ethylhexyl)-phthalate (MEHP), di-(2-ethylhexyl)-phthalate (DEHP), and bisphenol A (BPA), one of the endocrine disruptors, among phthalates. Methods The study included 48 children with autism (27 boys, 21 girls) and 24 healthy subjects (14 boys, 10 girls) as controls. Serum MEHP, DEHP, and BPA, levels were measured by using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results Children with autism had significantly increased serum MEHP, DEHP, and BPA concentrations, (0.47±0.14 μg/ml, 2.70±0.90 μg/ml, 1.25±0.30 ng/ml) than healthy control subjects (0.29±0.05 μg/ml, 1.93±0.62 μg/ml, 0.95±0.22 ng/ml) respectively. When serum MEHP, DEHP and BPA levels were compared between groups, endocrine disruptors were found to be significantly higher in autistic group (p=0.000). Conclusion The finding of significantly higher serum MEHP, DEHP and BPA levels in autistic group compared to controls suggests that endocrine disruptors may have role in the pathogenesis of ASDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The removal of bilateral olfactory bulbs (OBs) can result in serious behavioral, neurochemical, neuroendocrine, and neuroimmune alterations in depressed patients. However, there is little information on how olfactory bulbectomy (OBX) leads to depression. Habenular nuclei and their connections are important in the regulation of psychomotor and psychosocial behaviors through afferent impulses of the olfactory system. Therefore, we investigated whether OB lesions lead to habenular degeneration. We used a sample of 50 rats (25 female and 25 male) for this study. Of these rats, five male and five female rats were taken as the control group. The remaining 40 rats (20 male and 20 female rats) constituted the study group, and frontal burr holes were performed at the OB level on these rats. OB cauterization was applied to 10 male and 10 female rats (n =10, 10; study group 1), mechanical OBX was applied to five male and five female rats (n =5, 5; study group 2), and no procedure was performed on the remaining 10 rats (n =5, 5). The psychomotor movements; pregnancy rates; and sexual, feeding, maternal, social, and grooming behaviors for both study groups were observed daily for 3 months. Their OBs, olfactory cortices, and habenular complexes were examined using stereological methods. All of the animals in the study groups, especially in the cauterization group, demonstrated anorexia, nutritional disorders, weight loss, psychomotor retardation, sexual aversion, decreased grooming behavior, and reduced social interaction similar to depression symptoms. As compared to the control group, the pregnancy rates, number of offspring per mother rat, and birth weights in the study groups were lower, whereas the number of stillbirths was higher. Gross anatomical examinations revealed that the OBs of all of the animals in the study groups were atrophied. Histopathological examinations detected prominent neuronal loss due to apoptosis in the habenular structures in the study groups. We detected a relationship between a decreased healthy neuronal density of the habenula and depressive symptomatology in rats with OBX. We suggest that olfaction disorders might cause neuropsychiatric disorders by affecting neuronal degeneration in habenular nuclei. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]