{"title":"The myth of iodine: A systematic review and meta-analysis on the relationship between iodine and thyroid nodule.","authors":"Willy Gräfe, Sandy Scheibe, Josy Schwarz, Lukas Liebig, Karen Voigt, Jeannine Schübel","doi":"10.1007/s40618-025-02606-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40618-025-02606-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Iodine is an essential trace element for thyroid hormone synthesis, and its role in thyroid health has been widely studied. While iodine deficiency is recognized as a risk factor for goiter, its association with thyroid nodules remains controversial. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the relationship between iodine intake and the development of thyroid nodules.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A systematic literature search was conducted in Medline (via PubMed), the Cochrane Library, and guideline registries (AWMF, GIN) for studies published between 2012 and 2023. Inclusion criteria focused on studies examining the association between iodine intake and thyroid nodule. Systematic review has been conducted whereas study quality was assessed using the checklists of Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP). A meta-analysis was performed for studies reporting odds ratios based on WHO-defined iodine categories.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 31 studies were included. Most studies (n = 23) were cross-sectional, limiting causal conclusions. The most used method for assessing iodine intake was urinary iodine concentration (UIC), though measurement approaches varied. N = 10 studies compared median UIC between groups with and without thyroid nodules, with n = 8 reporting significant differences. However, the iodine levels in both groups often remained within the WHO-defined adequate iodine range. N = 8 studies examined odds ratios for iodine intake and thyroid nodule risk, with n = 5 identifying iodine deficiency (< 100 μg/L) as a significant risk factor. However, results for more than adequate (> 200 μg/L) and excessive iodine intake (> 300 μg/L) were inconsistent. N = 3 studies suggested a U-shaped relationship between iodine and thyroid nodule prevalence, but meta-analysis findings did not confirm this hypothesis. The pooled odds ratio for iodine deficiency was 1.24 (95% CI [1.16-1.33], I<sup>2</sup> = 0.00), while more than adequate and excessive iodine intake showed no significant association.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This systematic review and meta-analysis indicate that iodine deficiency increases moderately the risk of developing thyroid nodules, while more than adequate and excessive iodine intake does not show a consistent effect. However, the heterogeneity of study results and the predominance of cross-sectional designs limit definitive conclusions. Further prospective studies are needed to clarify the causal relationship between iodine intake and thyroid nodules.</p>","PeriodicalId":48802,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Endocrinological Investigation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144163166","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"From pathology to symbol: the cultural reconstruction of Thyroid Eye Disease in ancient Chinese figures-case studies of Shu King Wang Jian and General Zhang Fei.","authors":"Chunhui Yang, Ruili Wei","doi":"10.1007/s40618-025-02599-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40618-025-02599-0","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48802,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Endocrinological Investigation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144163162","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Thomas Hardy and the tallest - blind -man.","authors":"Wouter W de Herder","doi":"10.1007/s40618-025-02612-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40618-025-02612-6","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48802,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Endocrinological Investigation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144163169","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Weili Yang, Xinyu Xu, Rongrong Xie, Jiaqi Lin, Zhijia Hou, Zhong Xin, Xi Cao, Tingting Shi
{"title":"Tryptophan metabolites exert potential therapeutic activity in graves' orbitopathy by ameliorating orbital fibroblasts inflammation and proliferation.","authors":"Weili Yang, Xinyu Xu, Rongrong Xie, Jiaqi Lin, Zhijia Hou, Zhong Xin, Xi Cao, Tingting Shi","doi":"10.1007/s40618-025-02593-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40618-025-02593-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Graves' orbitopathy (GO) is a sight-threatening organ-specific autoimmune disease with complicated pathogenesis. Gut microbiota-derived tryptophan (Trp) metabolites play important roles in immune-related diseases, but their role in GO remains unknown.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Trp metabolism-associated gut flora was analyzed by 16 S sequencing in GO patients and controls. Serum metabolomics profiling was performed to assess Trp metabolic pathway. Trp metabolites levels were measured by ELISA in 401 serum samples from a case-control study, and their effects on inflammation and proliferation in orbital fibroblasts were evaluated in vitro.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Trp metabolism-associated gut flora, including phylum Firmicutes and genus Anaerostipes, were significantly down-regulated in GO patients. Serum metabolomics revealed significant enrichment of Trp metabolic pathway in both GO and Graves' disease (GD) groups. Serum levels of indolepropionic acid (IPA), indole-3-lactate (ILA), and indoleacetic acid (IAA) were significantly decreased in both GD and GO patients compared to controls, with IAA levels further reduced in GO compared to GD patients. Notably, active GO patients had significantly lower IAA levels compared to inactive ones. Moreover, the levels of IAA were negatively correlated with clinical activity score and serum thyrotropin receptor antibody (TRAb) in GO patients. In vitro, IPA, ILA, and IAA mitigated TNFα-induced inflammation and proliferation in orbital fibroblasts by suppressing the Akt signaling pathway.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Trp metabolites IAA maybe a novel biomarker for GO progression. And IPA, ILA and IAA may play a protective role in GO by regulating inflammation and proliferation in orbital fibroblasts, suggesting their potential as therapeutic targets for GO treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":48802,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Endocrinological Investigation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144152492","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Moein Ebrahimi, Paul M Thompson, Zeinab Kafashan, Antonio Ceriello, Miriam Kolko, Jakob Grauslund
{"title":"Association between cerebral lesions and the severity of diabetic cardiovascular disease, retinopathy, and nephropathy-new lessons to learn from neuroimaging.","authors":"Moein Ebrahimi, Paul M Thompson, Zeinab Kafashan, Antonio Ceriello, Miriam Kolko, Jakob Grauslund","doi":"10.1007/s40618-025-02600-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40618-025-02600-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Diabetes is associated with cerebrovascular lesions detectable through neuroimaging. Neuroimaging is traditionally valued for its insights into the structure of the central nervous system. However, the brain is connected with other organs. The vascular system, hormones, and peripheral nerve system connect the brain to other sections of the body bidirectionaly. This interaction between the brain and other parts encourages us to look at the total body, not just its different parts separately. Growing evidence has shown the link between brain injuries and cardiac, retinal, and kidney disorders, suggesting that neuroimaging has the potential to provide valuable information about peripheral organs This is particularly crucial for a systemic disease like diabetes, which affects the entire body. In this review, we aim to first discuss the data that neuroimaging can reveal about the severity of diabetic retinopathy, nephropathy, and cardiovascular disease in diabetic patients. This interdisciplinary approach could guide the design of new randomized controlled trials, screening programs, and an integrated clinical practice. This study explores the mechanisms underlying the association between the brain and other organs in the context of diabetes. Then we will consider their implications for future research and clinical practice.</p>","PeriodicalId":48802,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Endocrinological Investigation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144152489","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Enrico Papini, Michele Basile, Roberto Novizio, Agostino Paoletta, Agnese Persichetti, Irene Samperi, Alessandro Scoppola, Anna Crescenzi, Annamaria D'Amore, Maurilio Deandrea, Andrea Frasoldati, Roberto Garberoglio, Rinaldo Guglielmi, Giovanni Mauri, Celestino Pio Lombardi, Soraya Puglisi, Teresa Rago, Vincenzo Triggiani, Dominique Van Doorne, Domenico Salvatore, Rosella Saulle, Roberto Attanasio
{"title":"Cost analysis and resource allocation in the management of benign thyroid nodules: a comparison of surgery and thermal ablation techniques.","authors":"Enrico Papini, Michele Basile, Roberto Novizio, Agostino Paoletta, Agnese Persichetti, Irene Samperi, Alessandro Scoppola, Anna Crescenzi, Annamaria D'Amore, Maurilio Deandrea, Andrea Frasoldati, Roberto Garberoglio, Rinaldo Guglielmi, Giovanni Mauri, Celestino Pio Lombardi, Soraya Puglisi, Teresa Rago, Vincenzo Triggiani, Dominique Van Doorne, Domenico Salvatore, Rosella Saulle, Roberto Attanasio","doi":"10.1007/s40618-025-02597-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40618-025-02597-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Benign thyroid nodules are common in adults, with incidental detection rates reaching 50-60% in women. While most nodules are asymptomatic and require no treatment, some grow and cause compressive symptoms.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study evaluates the economic impact of various treatment modalities for benign thyroid nodules within the Italian healthcare system, comparing total thyroidectomy, hemithyroidectomy, and minimally invasive thermal ablation. The analysis considers both direct healthcare costs and indirect social costs, such as productivity losses, from the perspective of the Italian National Health Service.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A literature review and clinician survey were conducted to collect cost data across treatment phases: pre-hospitalization, procedure, and post-operative care. An Activity-Based Costing approach was used to estimate full treatment costs, including medical expenses, staff involvement, material usage, and indirect costs related to work absences.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The findings indicate that total thyroidectomy has the highest overall cost (€ 5,185.36), followed by hemithyroidectomy (€ 4,211.92), and thermal ablation (€ 1,560.06). The analysis also highlighted significant cost savings associated with thermal ablation when compared to surgical options, especially in terms of reduced hospital stay and lower indirect costs. Nevertheless, surgical procedures remain the mainstay treatment due to long-term efficacy and well-established clinical guidelines.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Thermal ablation represents a cost-effective alternative to surgery for managing benign thyroid nodules. Treatment selection should be individualized, considering clinical factors, patient preferences, and long-term outcomes. These results underscore the importance of updating management guidelines to incorporate economic considerations, promoting optimized care and efficient resource allocation in the healthcare context.</p>","PeriodicalId":48802,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Endocrinological Investigation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144121173","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Philippe Oriot, Gaëtan Prévost, Jean-Christophe Philips, Noemie Klipper Dit Kurz, Michel P Hermans
{"title":"Glycemia risk index (GRI): a metric designed to facilitate the interpretation of continuous glucose monitoring data: a narrative review.","authors":"Philippe Oriot, Gaëtan Prévost, Jean-Christophe Philips, Noemie Klipper Dit Kurz, Michel P Hermans","doi":"10.1007/s40618-025-02609-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40618-025-02609-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Glycemia Risk Index (GRI) is a novel composite metric that integrates both hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia episodes to provide a comprehensive view of glycemic control in individuals with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Unlike traditional metrics such as HbA<sub>1</sub>c or time-in-range (TIR), the GRI highlights extreme glycemic excursions and aligns more closely with clinical perceptions of glycemic risk. It correlates well with other CGM-derived indicators and has demonstrated relevance in various settings, including the management of individuals using hybrid closed-loop systems. In individuals with HbA<sub>1</sub>c ≤ 7%, the GRI can reveal hidden risks not captured by HbA<sub>1</sub>c alone, highlighting its added value in routine clinical assessment. Despite these strengths, the GRI has limitations. It was developed using CGM data from healthy adults on intensive insulin therapy, limiting generalization to other populations. Unlike HbA<sub>1</sub>c or TIR, it is not yet validated against hard clinical outcomes. As CGM technology evolves, the GRI holds promise as a valuable tool, provided its current limitations are addressed through further research and clinical integration.</p>","PeriodicalId":48802,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Endocrinological Investigation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144086643","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Role of thyroid function in non-basal ganglia intracerebral hemorrhage prognosis.","authors":"Yiting Xu, Zirui Xu, Yang Chen, Junjie Yang, Kezheng Li, Yinuo Chen, Jiali Xie, Chunyang Pang, Lingfei Gao, Mengwan Song, Huan Yu, Binbin Deng, Huanjie Huang","doi":"10.1007/s40618-025-02603-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40618-025-02603-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Thyroid function disorders serve as unfavorable prognosis predictors for numerous diseases. However, their role in predicting intracerebral hemorrhage outcome is unclear. This study investigated the prognostic potential of thyroid function parameters for intracerebral hemorrhage.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Admissions for intracerebral hemorrhage caused by hypertension were retrospectively enrolled to determine thyroid function levels. Patients were subjected to three month- and three year-follow up to assess short- and long-term prognosis, respectively.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Elevated levels of thyroxine and decreased levels of free triiodothyronine (fT3) are associated with unfavorable short-term prognosis in non-basal ganglia intracerebral hemorrhage patients. The levels of thyroid stimulating hormone and free tetraiodothyronine did not exhibit any significant change. This alteration in thyroid function was not observed in basal-ganglia intracerebral hemorrhage patients. Furthermore, the inclusion of thyroxine and fT3 enhanced the prognostic power of the traditional model (NIHSS only) in predicting short-term outcomes. Among patients 55 years or older, subgroup analyses results are consistent with previous findings. Additionally, our clinical model is also applicable towards predicting the long-term prognosis of non-basal ganglia intracerebral hemorrhage.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Thyroid function concentrations, especially the levels of thyroxine and fT3, could serve as key prognostic predictors for non-basal ganglia cerebral hemorrhage, especially among the middle-aged and elderly groups.</p>","PeriodicalId":48802,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Endocrinological Investigation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144080476","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Valentino Marino Picciola, Giovanni Paolo Ivaldi, Paolo Zamboni
{"title":"The Fieschi conservatory of Genoa: art, medicine, and the representation of endemic goiter in 18 th-Century sculpture.","authors":"Valentino Marino Picciola, Giovanni Paolo Ivaldi, Paolo Zamboni","doi":"10.1007/s40618-025-02604-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40618-025-02604-6","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48802,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Endocrinological Investigation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144021743","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Lomibuvir sensitizes radioiodine-resistant thyroid cancer cell lines to radioiodine treatment by targeting hTERT RNA-dependent polymerase activity.","authors":"Xian Cheng, Shichen Xu, Jing Wu, Wenjing Gao, Jiandong Bao, Huixin Yu, Li Zhang","doi":"10.1007/s40618-025-02598-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40618-025-02598-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Radioactive iodine (RAI) is selectively used in the treatment of residual or recurrent differentiated thyroid cancer for over fifty years. However, radioiodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer (RAIR-DTC) is difficult to treat with radioactive iodine because of the decreased sodium iodide symporter (NIS) activity. Patients with RAIR-DTC derive limited benefit from RAI therapy, necessitating the exploration of new treatment options. In the current study, we aimed to explore the mechanism underlying thyroid cancer dedifferentiation and to provide new targets for RAIR therapy. We established a RAIR thyroid cancer cell line which was verified by the colony formation ability under radioiodine-131 treatment at doses up to 100 µCi. As expected, higher expressions of cancer stem cell genes, SOX2, CD133, and OCT4 A were found in RAIR cells compared to non-RAIR cells. Correspondingly, the expression of iodine-handling genes such as NIS, TPO, and Pendrin were downregulated. Interestingly, we discovered that the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) activity of TERT was also upregulated in RAIR cells, evidenced by the upregulation of phosphorylated telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), BRG1 and CDK1. Moreover, miR-146b-5p, transcribed by TERT gene, was likewise upregulated. RdRP inhibitor lomibuvir treatment downregulated miR-146b-5p level in RAIR cells, resulting in the upregulation of NIS gene expression. Lomibuvir not only restored the expressions of TPO and NIS but also downregulated the elevated ALDH1A1 and CD133 in RAIR cells. Consequently, the uptake of radioiodine-131 was significantly enhanced in these RAIR cells. Taken together, our research identifies novel therapeutic targets and provides new insights into the management of RAIR-DTC.</p>","PeriodicalId":48802,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Endocrinological Investigation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144039860","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}