Emmanuel Varverakis, Evaggelos Neonakis
The purpose of this study was to investigate the value of “high-resolution ultrasonography” in the differential diagnosis of benign from malignant thyroid nodules. The study included ultrasonography examination of 77 patients with thyroid nodules, who underwent thyroidectomy. The histological findings were subsequently compared …
Effie Poulakou-Rebelakou, Spyros G. Marketos
Many Greek and Latin medical terms are in use on account of the fact that modern day Western conventional medicine originates in Greek and Roman anti-quity. The writings of Hippocrates and Galen, as well as of Celsus and Plinius…
Gerasimos P. Sykiotis, Athanasios G. Papavassiliou
Nuclear receptors are ligand-regulated transcription factors that evolved from an ancestral orphan receptor into a highly diverse family present throughout the entire animal kingdom. They encompass receptors for steroid and non-steroid hormones, vitamins and metabolic intermediates. These receptors signal through endocrine, paracrine, autocrine and intracrine networks …
Luigi Bartalena, Maria Laura Tanda, Alessandra Medea, Claudio Marcocci, Aldo Pinchera
Severe Graves’ ophthalmopathy constitutes a complex therapeutic challenge and treatment outcome often is not satisfactory. Established methods of treatment include high-dose glucocorticoids, orbital radiotherapy and orbital decompression. Recently, the use of intravenous glucocorticoids has been shown to provide more favorable results than oral glucocorticoids…
Nikolaos Pontikides, Gerassimos E. Krassas
Both smoking and thyroid dysfunction are frequent in the general population. Many studies have shown that cigarette smoking interferes with thyroid function and with the evolution of thyroid pathology (e.g. goiter formation and thyroid cancer development). Some studies have also suggested a significant correlation of Graves’ hyperthyroidism and Graves’ ophthalmopathy…
Ioanna Tzavara, Marinella Tzanela, Barbara Vlassopoulou, George Kouyioumoutzakis, Calliopi Alevizaki, Nicke C. Thalassinos
Radioactive iodine is a widely used treatment for hyperthyroidism caused by solitary autonomously functioning thyroid nodule (toxic adenoma). The aim of this retrospective analysis is to report the long term effects of this therapy on the thyroid function of patients with toxic adenoma treated in our department. Between 1968 and 1996…
George Koukoulis, Antonis Polymeris, Ioanna Tzavara, Dimitrios Pappas, Nicke Thalassinos
Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (ANP) is a hormone produced by cardiac atrial myocytes. Thyroid hormones may affect its release. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of hyper and hypothyroidism on the secretion of ANP and its relationship with the changes of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. Plasma ANP concentration as well as plasma renin activity (PRA) and aldosterone …
Kyriaki Karavanaki, Andriani Divoli, Mehul Dattani, George Briassoulis, Virginia Theodorou, Vasiliki Hatzara, Spyros Avlonitis
A 6-year old girl was examined having two years previously presented a transient Cushing’s syndrome, followed by recurrent hyponatremia, attributed to inappropriate ADH secretion (SIADH). The brain MRI showed no abnormalities on repeated examinations, except for a suggestion of empty sella syndrome. During the past two years she also presented recurrent episodes of a prolonged febrile illness of unknown origin…
Theano D. Kontopoulou, Spyros G. Marketos
Many medical terms have a long history. They are first introduced as a concept and later acquire their proper name. In this article we trace the origin of the term homeostasis, which in modern medicine means the complex balance and the constancy of all aspects of body function and the coordinated regulation of its component fluids and cells…
Achille Gravanis, Antonis Makrigiannakis, Ekaterini Chatzaki, Emmanuel Zoumakis, Christos Tsatsanis, Andrew N. Margioris
Human endometrium exhibits characteristics of a neuroendocrine-like stress organ in addition to its classical role as the main target of ovarian steroid hormones. Indeed, the epithelial cells of human endometrium express the stress-associated neuropeptide genes corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), proopiomelanocortin, proenkephalin and prodynorphin…