355 Growth performance, organ weights, thyroid hormone levels, and hindgut pH of nursery pigs fed diets containing cold-pressed canola cake without or with resistant starch

An experiment was conducted to determine effects of reducing cecal and colonic pH through dietary inclusion of high-amylose cornstarch (HA-starch) on growth performance, organ weights, and blood parameters of nursery pigs fed cold-pressed canola cake (CPCC). A total of 240 pigs (initial BW = 7.1 kg) were housed in 40 pens (6 pigs/pen) and fed 4 diets (10 pens/diet) in a randomized complete block design for 28 d. Four diets were a basal diet with CPCC at 0 or 40%, and with HA-starch at 0 or 40% in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. Diets were fed in 2 phases of 14 d each. At the termination of the experiment, one pig per pen was euthanized for determining organ weights, blood parameters, and hindgut pH of pigs. Dietary CPCC reduced (P < 0.05) overall average daily gain (ADG) by 15%; increased (P < 0.05) liver and thyroid gland weights relative to BW by 27 and 64%, respectively; and reduced (P < 0.05) serum tetraiodothyronine (T4) level from 30.3 to 17.8 ng/mL. Dietary HA-starch reduced (P < 0.05) overall ADG, thyroid gland weight relative to BW, cecal and colonic pH; but increased (P < 0.05) colon weight and tended to increase (P = 0.062) serum T4 level. Dietary CPCC and HA-starch interacted (P = 0.024) on the thyroid gland weight relative to BW such that dietary CPCC increased (P < 0.05) thyroid gland weight of pigs fed HA-starch-free diet (120 vs. 197 mg/kg of BW), but not of pigs fed HA-starch-containing diet (104 vs. 130 mg/kg of BW). In conclusion, dietary CPCC reduced growth performance, increased metabolic activities of liver and interfered with thyroid gland functions of nursery pigs. However, the negative effects of dietary CPCC on thyroid gland functions of pigs were alleviated by dietary HA-starch.

EXPLORATION OF GOITROGENIC/ANTITHYROIDAL POTENTIALITY OF BAMBOO-SHOOTS IN RELATION TO THIOUREA

Objective: Natural goitrogens present in plant foods or antithyroidal drugs both alter the morphology and normal functional status of the thyroid gland interfering the synthesis and secretion of thyroid hormones. In this study, the goitrogenic potential of bamboo shoots (BS) containing natural goitrogens has been compared against a potent synthetic antithyroidal drug thiourea.Methods: BS was fed to 6 rats by 1/3rdreplacement of 180grams (g) of their food i.e.60g of BS containing 35g of goitrogens of cyanogenic origin such that each rat ideally consumed 6 mg/100g of body weight per day and thiourea at a near equal dose of 6 mg/100g of body weight per day was force fed to another 6 rats for a period of 45 d. Changes in food consumption pattern, serum toxicity marker SGOT and SGPT, morphological changes like thyroid gland weight and histology and functional aspects like TPO activity, Na+-K+ATPase activity, urinary iodine excretion and serum T3,T4 and TSH levels induced by this natural and synthetic agent respectively were investigated. Results analyzed by ANOVA followed by post hoc tests.Results: Food consumption pattern was similar in all groups while serum toxicity markers SGOT, SGPT showed a non-significant increase in experimental groups. Increase in body and thyroid gland weight as compared to control was seen on treatment with both antithyroidal agents, a greater percentage of increase was seen in thiourea treated group. TPO activity, Na+-K+ATPase activity, serum T3 and T4levels were decreased significantly in both treated groups as compared to normal, with maximum inhibition in the thiourea treated group. Histological plates of BS treated thyroid revealed hypertrophy and thyroid follicular cell disruption with microcytic infiltration. Thiourea treated gland histological plate revealed complete abolition of normal histoarchitecture with marked changes in colloidal area and hyperplasia with folding and papillae on the epithelium.Conclusion: In overall, the data indicate that though the goitrogenic potentiality of BS cannot be considered having similar efficacy to that of thiourea but as a food entity by itself, it has potent antithyroidal activity even in presence of adequate iodine intake.

Incidental Parathyroidectomy during Total Thyroidectomy: Risk Factors and Consequences

Objective. To evaluate the incidence of accidental parathyroidectomy in our series of total thyroidectomies, to investigate its clinical and biochemical consequences, and to identify potential risk factors.Methods. Patients who underwent total thyroidectomy between January 2006 and December 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. Pathology reports were reviewed to identify those cases who had an incidental parathyroidectomy and these were compared to patients with no parathyroidectomy, in terms of clinical (age, sex, and symptoms of hypocalcemia), pathological (thyroid specimen weight, Hashimoto thyroiditis, and malignancy), and biochemical (serum calcium and phosphate levels) factors.Results. 281 patients underwent total thyroidectomy during the study period. Incidental parathyroidectomy was noticed in 24.9% of cases, with 44.3% of parathyroid glands found in an intrathyroidal location. Evidence of postoperative biochemical hypocalcemia was noticed in 28.6% of patients with parathyroidectomy, compared with 13.3% in the no-parathyroidectomy group (p=0.003). Symptomatic hypocalcemia was observed in 5.7% and 3.8%, respectively (p=0.49). Age, sex, thyroid specimen weight, Hashimoto thyroiditis, and malignancy did not differ significantly between the two groups.Conclusions. Our study found an association of incidental parathyroidectomy with transient postoperative biochemical hypocalcemia, but not with clinically symptomatic disease. Age, sex, thyroid gland weight, Hashimoto thyroiditis, and malignancy were not identified as risk factors.

Prognosis of thyroid function after hemithyroidectomy

Identify criteria and create a risk scoring system to predict hypothyroidism after hemithyroidectomy. We have retrospectively studied 216 cases of patients with goiter who had undergone hemithyroidectomy from January 2002 to December 2007 at Vilnius University Hospital Santariškių Klinikos. Patients were divided into two groups according to their thyroid function after hemithyroidectomy: 168 (77.8%) patients’ thyroid function was normal (group A), 48 (22.2%) patients had symptoms of hypothyroidism (group B). The relationship between groups and parameters such as patients’ sex, age, patient’s weight, preoperative serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level, weight of the remnant gland, ratio of the remaining thyroid gland weight to patient’s weight was statistically analysed. The patients’ mean age was 41.6 ± 14.1 years in group A and 52.9 ± 13.9 years in group B (p=0.0002). The mean preoperative TSH level was 0.79 ± 0.5 mU/L in group A, compared with 1.42 ± 1.00 mU/L in group B (p= 0.005). The mean ratio of the remaining thyroid gland weight to patient’s weight was 0.102 ± 0.053 g/kg in group A and 0.063 ± 0.027 g/kg in group B (p=0.04). The groups did not establish a significant difference between patients’ sex, patient’s weight or weight of the remaining gland. Patient’s age, preoperative serum TSH level, ratio of the remaining thyroid gland weight to patient’s weight is the main factors of hypothyroidism after hemithyroidectomy. A risk scoring system was created to predict hypothyroidism after hemithyroidectomy before the operation.

EFFECTS OF TRIMETHOPRIM AND SULPHONAMIDE PREPARATIONS ON THE PITUITARY–THYROID AXIS OF RODENTS

The effects on pituitary–thyroid function of the commonly prescribed anti-bacterial preparations co-trimoxazole and co-trifamole, and their component drugs, have been studied in the rat and compared to the changes caused by propylthiouracil. Co-trimoxazole and co-trifamole, in doses 20-fold in excess of a pharmacological dose administered for 10 days, produced marked changes in hormone levels consistent with blocking of thyroidal activity. Significant increases in thyroid gland weight, with histological evidence of hyperplastic goitre formation, were also demonstrated. Propylthiouracil produced less marked changes of thyroid hormone levels but higher levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone. Pharmacological doses of co-trimoxazole and co-trifamole and sulphamoxole, the sulphonamide component of co-trifamole, caused significant changes in thyroid hormone levels consistent with anti-thyroidal activity. In contrast, there was no evidence that trimethoprim, which is common to both preparations, or sulphamethoxazole, the sulphonamide component of co-trimoxazole, had an anti-thyroidal action, indeed, serum thyroxine levels were significantly increased at pharmacological dosage. We have concluded that the new commonly prescribed combination preparations retain the goitrogenic properties of the earlier sulphonamides.