TI-RADS is a helpful but not optimal reporting tool in characterizing thyroid lesions. Tumor size has a considerable impact on interobserver concordance and diagnostic performance.

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have shown impressive effects in reducing major vascular events in several randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The purpose of this study was to perform a meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of SGLT2 inhibitors on the risk of stroke and its subtypes. All data from prospective RCTs up to 20 October 2020 involving SGLT2 inhibitors that reported stroke events as the primary endpoint or safety in subjects with type 2 diabetes were subjected to meta-analysis. Five eligible RCTs (EMPA-REG, CANVAS, DECLARE-TIMI 58, CREDENCE and VERTIS CV) involving 46,969 participants were included. Pooled analysis of the RCTs showed no significant effect of SGLT2 inhibitors on total stroke [risk ratio (RR) = 0.95; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.79–1.13, P = 0.585]. Subgroup analysis indicated that SGLT2 inhibitors had no significant effect against fatal stroke, non-fatal stroke, ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack. When only hemorrhagic stroke was included, SGLT2 inhibitors were associated with a significant 50% reduction compared with placebo (RR = 0.49, 95% CI 0.30–0.82, P = 0.007). This meta-analysis shows that SGLT2 inhibitors have a neutral effect on the risk of stroke and its subtypes but a potential protective effect against hemorrhagic stroke.

Polymerase chain reaction-based techniques were used to study the molecular defects of 480 unrelated beta-thalassemia heterozygotes in Taiwan. Analysis of artificially created restriction sites and gap-polymerase chain reaction were performed to detect four common mutations, i.e. IVS-II-654 (C-->T), codons 41/42 (-TCTT), codon 17 (A-->T), -28 (A-->G), and a deletional form of delta beta-thalassemia in the Chinese population. In cases with negative or ambiguous results with the aforementioned methods, direct DNA cycle sequencing using either S35-dATP or a fluorescent dye terminator, was carried out to determine the defects. A total of 14 different mutations have been found in this series. The IVS-II-654 mutation was the most common (39.6%), followed by the codons 41/42 mutation (37.9%). The four common genotypes accounted for 92.3% of defects. Two new mutations were detected: codon 31 (-C) and codons 40/41 (+T). Both defects resulted in a frameshift and a premature terminator, the former at codon 60, the latter at codon 43. Although we have studied our cases extensively, the molecular defects in seven alleles are still unknown.