Our results justified the use of TMA and TGA for the early diagnosis of autoimmune thyroiditis in combination with CUA. The higher frequency of these antibodies in our patients, along with results from previously published data, suggest that this entity may reflect an autoimmune basis in some CUA patients. Thyroid function tests are not enough to rule out thyroid disease, and thyroid antibody tests should be carried out in all patients with CUA.

The purpose of this study was to estimate striatal dopamine (D2) receptor availability in non-drug treated children with attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) before and after methylphenidate therapy, and to examine correlations between severity of symptoms and response rates to stimulant medication with levels of striatal D2 receptor binding. Nine children (six males, three females; mean age 9.8 years, SD 2.3 years) with ADHD participated. All underwent iodobenzamide (123I IBZM) brain SPECT within 2 hours following intravenous injection of 123I IBZM before and 3 months after methylphenidate therapy. A semiquantitative approach was used to generate indices of specific D2 receptor binding in the basal ganglia. Specific binding ratios at baseline were higher than the previously reported specific binding values obtained in studies using young healthy adults. D2 availability reduced significantly (paired t-test,p<0.05) as a function of methylphenidate therapy in patients with ADHD in all four regions of the striatum. When the relation between therapy response and D2 availability was investigated, we observed that the higher the baseline D2 levels were, the higher the response rate was (detected as the percentage reduction of hyperactivity scores and Conners Teacher Rating Scale scores), while no such trend was observed between the initial D2 binding levels and the response in attention-deficit scores. Results indicate that in non-drug treated children with ADHD, higher D2 receptor availability is observed at baseline which is down-regulated back to reported near-normal values after methylphenidate therapy. The effect of methylphenidate on D2 receptor levels in patients with ADHD is similar to that observed in healthy adults; a down-regulation phenomenon within 0 to 30%. In addition, initially higher values of D2 availability seem to indicate better response to methylphenidate therapy in ADHD.

The results of this study show that the prevalence of SMI is high in patients with BD. Based on our findings, screening with myocardial perfusion scintigraphy may be recommended for patients with duration of BD greater than 10 years.

Interdigitating dendritic cell tumor (IDCT) is an extremely rare malignancy. It occurs primarily in lymph nodes, but extranodal involvement has also been reported. A 38-year-old woman with IDCT with breast and cervical lymph-node involvement is reported in this paper. To our knowledge, this is the first case of IDCT originating from the breast. In the breast and lymph node, the tumor displayed diffuse sheets, fascicles and storiform growth pattern. It was composed of oval to spindle cells with pale to eosinophilic cytoplasm, ill-defined cell outlines, oval nuclei with vesicular chromatin and prominent eosinophilic nucleoli. Mitotic activity was three per ten high-power fields. The neoplastic cells were intermingled with small mature lymphocytes and plasma cells. Immunohistochemical studies showed that the tumor cells were strongly and diffusely positive for vimentin, CD68, S-100 protein, CD45/leukocyte common antigen and fascin and focally positive for lysozyme, alpha-1 antitrypsin and CD4. Ki-67 labeling index was 10%. The patient was treated with combined therapeutic approaches, including surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. IDCT has the potential for an aggressive clinical course. However, 32 months after the initial diagnosis, the patient is still alive and being followed with a stable tumor burden.

Serum eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP) and soluble low affinity receptor for IgE (Fc ( RII/sCD23) concentrations were measured in relation to symptommedication scores, pulmonary function, and total IgE levels in 27 chronic allergic asthmatic children (17 boys, 10 girls), mean age 10.8 years, before and at the end of a three month inhaled corticosteroid (budesonide) treatment period. Serum ECP and sCD23 concentrations were also measured in age matched non-asthmatic controls with allergic rhinitis. All asthma patients had significantly higher serum ECP and sCD23 than the controls, whereas the mean serum