Response of bisphosphonate therapy in recurrent tumoral calcinosis

Tumoral calcinosis is a rare condition characterized by solitary or multiple, periarticular masses. Surgical excision of the tumoral calcinosis lesion is a well-documented treatment, but recurrences are not uncommon. A case of 42 year old male patient of tumoral calcinosis presented to us with history of repeated surgical excision twice in past 8 years for recurrent swellings. He was started on IV zoledronic acid and the patient has shown improvement after two years with no recurrence in follow up.

Assessment of gonadal functions in women with subclinical hypothyroidism in Western Uttar Pradesh, India

Background: In females, hypothyroidism can cause menstrual disturbances mainly oligomenorrhea. Thyroid dysfunction has also been linked to reduced fertility and pregnancy complications. Several studies have been done to evaluate gonadal dysfunctions in overt hypothyroidism but very few studies are there regarding subclinical hypothyroidism. Present study evaluates the gonadal functions of women with subclinical hypothyroidism.Methods: Total 20 females of age 18 to 35 years with newly diagnosed subclinical hypothyroidism were taken as cases and 20 age and body mass index (BMI) matched healthy females were taken as controls. Both in cases and controls, basal FSH, LH, estradiol were measured on 3rd or 4th day of menstrual cycle at 8 AM on fasting. Thereafter Leuprolide 20 mcg/kg was given subcutaneously on the same day. One hour after injection, LH and estradiol were measured. Basal and stimulated values were compared between both groups.Results: Basal LH was significantly higher in controls (6.63�38 m IU/ml) when compared to cases (6.06�10 m IU) with a p value 0.01 (<0.05). No significant differences were found between stimulated LH and estradiol in both the groups.Conclusions: In mild thyroidal failure the response of pituitary gonadotrophs to leuprolide is normal in contrast to overt hypothyroidism where the response is sluggish. This is the first study to be done in subclinical hypothyroid subjects to asses both basal and stimulated gonadotropin levels. Further studies are required in large samples to confirm these findings.

Response of leuprolide on gonadal functions of women with overt hypothyroidism: a tertiary care centre study from Uttar Pradesh, India

Background: Hypothyroidism can cause menstrual disturbances mainly oligoanovualtory cycles and sometimes menorrhagia. It has also been seen to cause subfertility and pregnancy related complications. Various studies have been done to evaluate gonadal dysfunctions in overt hypothyroidism but very few studies are there which have done using a gonadotrophin response in that subset of patients. Present study evaluates the response of leuprolide on gonadal functions of women with overt hypothyroidism in a tertiary care centre at Meerut.Methods: In this study 50 females of age 20 to 40 years with newly diagnosed overt hypothyroidism were taken as cases and age and Body Mass Index (BMI) matched healthy females were taken as controls. Both in cases and controls, basal FSH, LH, estradiol was measured on 2nd day to 5th day of menstrual cycle. Thereafter Leuprolide 20 mcg/kg was given subcutaneously on the same day. Post leuprolide test, stimulated LH, FSH and estradiol were measured. Basal and stimulated values were compared between both groups.Results: Basal LH was significantly higher in controls (8.2±3.2 mIU/L) when compared to cases (6.45±2.75 mIU/L) with a p value 0.03(<0.05). Basal estradiol and FSH levels were found to be nearly similar and non-significant in cases and controls. No significant differences were found between stimulated mean LH and estradiol in both the groups. Leuprolide response after stimulation test was found to be sluggish in patients with overt hypothyroidism compared to normal euthyroid controls. This study is the rare one done on human subject in tertiary care centre of India, however large sample and multicentric trials are necessary before establishing the biochemical results.Conclusions: Pituitary and gonadal (ovarian) response to leuprolide was found to have impaired (decreased) in overt hypothyroidism cases. This is the first study to be done in overt hypothyroid subjects to asses both basal and stimulated gonadotropin levels.

Turner syndrome with pseudohypoparathyroidism: A case report / Journal of the ASEAN Federation of Endocrine Societies

@#<p style="text-align: justify;">The association of Pseudohypoparathyroidism (PHP) with Turner syndrome is very rare and only a single case has been reported so far. Both manifest with short stature and lack of secondary sexual characteristics along with other stigmata similar to each other, creating a diagnostic dilemma.<br />We describe a case of a 15-year-old Asian Indian female who presented with short stature and delayed puberty with overlapping phenotype of PHP and Turner syndrome. The diagnosis of Turner syndrome was made easily on the basis of typical history, clinical features and karyotype but the diagnosis of PHP was suspected only after radiological and biochemical investigations. The association of Turner syndrome with PHP can be easily missed due to similar phenotypes and subtle manifestations.</p>

Autonomic reactivity to cold pressor test in prehypertensive and hypertensive medical students.

Autonomic reactivity to stress has been hypothesized to be a marker for subsequent neurogenic hypertension. Medical training is highly stressful particularly for those who are beginning their medical education. The present study was undertaken to study the autonomic reactivity to cold pressor test in prehypertensive and hypertensive undergraduate medical students. One hundred and seventeen undergraduate medical students between 17-21 years of age got examined for blood pressure and stress level. Twelve Hypertensives and eight prehypertensives selected from the above subjects and twenty normotensives underwent cold pressure test (CPT) to assess autonomic reactivity to laboratory induced stress. 10.25% of the subjects were found to be hypertensive and 6.83% pre hypertensive. On the stress scale 53% had mild stress, 7% showed moderate stress while none had stress as a major problem. There was no correlation between BP and stress score. On CPT, BP increased significantly in all the three groups (hypertensive, prehypertensive and normotensive) but came back to basal levels within 5 minutes indicating normal autonomic response. Rise of BP was higher in hypertensive group as compared to normotensive group. The rise of diastolic and mean BP during CPT was significantly higher in subjects having family history of hypertension. Forty percent of normotensive subjects had more than 20 mm Hg rise in systolic BP on CPT. Adolescents must be routinely screened to detect asymptomatic hypertension. The CPT may identify individuals with an occult physiological abnormality that predisposes them to hypertension in their later life.

Pulmonary functions in plastic factory workers: A preliminary study.

Exposure to long term air pollution in the work environment may result in decreased lung functions and various other health problems. A significant occupational hazard to lung functions is experienced by plastic factory workers. The present study is planned to assess the pulmonary functions of workers in the plastic factory where recycling of pastic material was done. These workers were constantly exposed to fumes of various chemicals throughout the day. Thirty one workers of plastic factory were assessed for their pulmonary functions. Parameters were compared with 31 age and sex matched controls not exposed to the same environment. The pulmonary function tests were done using Sibelmed Datospir 120 B portable spirometer. A significant decrease in most of the flow rates (MEF 25%, MEF 50%, MEF 75% and FEF 25-75%) and most of the lung volumes and capacities (FVC, FEV1, VC, TV, ERV, MVV) were observed in the workers. Smoking and duration of exposure were not affecting the lung functions as the non smokers also showed a similar decrement in pulmonary functions. Similarly the workers working for less than 5 years also had decrement in pulmonary functions indicating that their lungs are being affected even if they have worked for one year. Exposure to the organic dust in the work environment should be controlled by adequate engineering measures, complemented by effective personal respiratory protection.