Liquid levothyroxine formulations in patients taking drugs interfering with L-T4 absorption.

Purpose: To describe the current knowledge on thyroid hormonal profile in patients on liquid L-T4 therapy and drugs known to interfere with L-T4 absorption. Methods: A PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Scopus research was performed. Case reports, case series, original studies and reviews written in English and published online up to 31 August 2022 were selected and reviewed. The final reference list was defined based on the relevance of each paper to the scope of this review. Results: The available data showed that novel levothyroxine formulations circumvent gastric pH impairment due to multiple interfering drugs such as proton pump inhibitors, calcium or iron supplements, sevelamer, aluminum/magnesium hydroxide and sodium alginate. Conclusion: New formulations can be taken simultaneously with drugs interfering with L-T4 absorption, in particular liquid formulations. Softgel capsules need more studies to support these data.

Endocrine system after 2 years of COVID-19 vaccines: A narrative review of the literature.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe the current knowledge on the potential endocrine adverse effects post-COVID-19 vaccines. Methods: A PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Scopus research was performed. Case reports, case series, original studies, and reviews written in English and published online up to 31 July 2022 were selected and reviewed. The final reference list was defined based on the relevance of each paper to the scope of this review. Results: The available data showed that endocrine side effects are generally rare and with favorable outcome, being thyroid disorders the most common. Conversely, data on type 1 diabetes mellitus are rare; adrenal and pituitary events are even anecdotal. Finally, the available clinical studies suggest no impact on female reproductive system and on male and couple fertility. Conclusion: Overall, these data show that, after 2 years of COVID-19 vaccines, the endocrine system is not heavily threatened.

Behavioral and Autonomic Responses in Treating Children with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder: Clinical and Phenomenological Insights from Two Case Reports.

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the process applied in subjects with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to elaborate and communicate their experiences of daily life activities, as well as to assess the autonomic nervous system response that subtend such a process. This procedure was evaluated for the first time in two eight-year-old girls with high-functioning ASDs. The subjects performed six months of training, based on the cognitive-motivational-individualized (c.m.i.®) approach, which mainly consisted in building domestic procedures and re-elaborating acquired experiences through drawing or the use of icons made by the children. Together with behavioral observations, the response of the autonomic nervous system during such re-elaboration was recorded. A change in communicative and interactive competences was observed, moving from a condition of spontaneity to one in which the girls were engaged in relating their experiences to a parent. Autonomic response highlighted how, in communicating their own experiences, they achieved a state of cognitive activation, which enabled a greater communicative and emotional connection with the interlocutor. This is a proof-of-concept study on the application of the c.m.i.®, which needs to be extensively validated in the clinical setting.