On the anniversary of Galina A. Melnichenko, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Galina Afanasyevna Melnichenko is a well-known Russian endocrinologist-researcher, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, author and head of fundamental and applied research. G.A. Melnichenko is one of the leaders in creating a methodology for organizing the endocrinological service of the Russian Federation. G.A. Melnichenko made a great contribution to the formation of modern ideas about the role of autoimmune and iodine deficiency states in the development of thyroid pathology. Leading Russian specialist in diseases of the hypothalamic-pituitary system, orphan endocrinopathies, adrenal pathology, multiple endocrine neoplasia syndromes.

Anniversary of Edith Hinkley Quimby

At the beginning of the 20th century, the whole world was searching for radioactive substances application, in particular radium. Radium can be used to treat oncology, but no one knew the verge of overdosing and underdosing. The founder of radiobiology can be considered Lewis Gray, who introduced unit for absorbed dose of radiation [1]. It was Edith Quimby who started looking for that therapeutically effective absorbed dose. It’s to calculate the minimum effective dose of activity for each patient. She has written 75 articles, published books that have become used concepts in biophysics, and handbooks of modern editions of radiologists. She became the first woman and the first physicist to become president of the American Radium Society, an organization dedicated to the study and treatment of cancer. At one time, Arthur Compton spoke about the need to introduce and apply physics in medicine, and Quimby, in her acceptance speech, outlined the need for an organization of medical physicists, and in 1958, owing to her, the American Society of Medical Physicists was created. Edith Quimby was and remains an iconic figure in the history of the development of medical physics.

Macro-TSH in patients with primary hypothyroidism due to autoimmune thyroiditis

Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is one of the key indicators in the diagnosis of the thyroid gland functional disorders. Minor changes in TSH concentration make it possible to suspect thyroid dysfunction even before clinical manifestations, which increases the value of correct and timely measurement of it. In the clinical practice, an endocrinologist often encounter the well-known phenomenon of macroprolactinemia; a much less common phenomenon is macrotyrotropinemia (macro-TSH). The presence of macro-TSH complexes can be suspected when the serum detects atypically high TSH values with reference values of FT4 without any signs of hypothyroidism. Since the phenomenon is based on an autoimmune mechanism, macro-TSH can often be detected in patients with autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT). This article presents clinical cases of patients with a combination of the macro-TSH phenomenon and primary hypothyroidism due to AIT.

By an anniversary of the birth of Johann Peter Müller — 220 years

July 14, 2021 marks the 220th anniversary of an outstanding scientist and physician — Johann Peter Müller. It is thanks to his works that we know what the «endocrine gland» is, understand the taxonomy of the animal world and the essence of ontogenesis. Professor, researcher, wonderful teacher, director of the anatomical and physiological museum of the University of Berlin — he succeeded in any role in life. Mueller’s discoveries were recognized during his lifetime, textbooks were published under his leadership, and scientific articles were published. The value of the professor’s work is high to this day, which once again proves the colossal contribution of Johann Müller in the formation of world science.

Thyrotoxicosis treatment with lithium corbanate. Cases reported

Treatment of thyrotoxicosis caused by Graves’ disease or multinodular toxic goiter, is not difficult, in most cases, since the prescription of thionamides allows to normalize the level of thyroid hormones quickly and safety. But in a number of cases this therapy might be associated with serious side effects (agranulocytosis, toxic hepatitis, cholestasis), severe allergic reactions and also individual intolerance on thionamides. In such cases lithium carbonate is used, especially in severe thyrotoxic syndrome. It is known, that lithium can accumulate in the thyroid gland at a concentration 3–4 times higher than in the plasma. Perhaps, lithium uses Na+/I- ions. It can inhibit the synthesis and secretion thyroid hormones of thyroid gland. The article presents the cases reported the use of lithium carbonate in thyrotoxicosis treatment before thyroidectomy. Administering low doses of carbonate lithium (900 mg/ per day) renders significant decrease or normalization of thyroid hormones concentration within 7–14 days, thus it let perform thyroidectomy on the patients. No side effects have been identified with such a short course of lithium carbonate treatment.

On the 180th anniversary of Emil Theodor Kocher, a Swiss thyroid surgeon

August 25, 2021 marks the 180th anniversary of the birth of the renowned physician Emil Theodor Kocher. He was a man whose talent has manifested itself in various fields of medicine. Nowadays it is impossible to imagine a doctor who does not know the name of Kocher, because he is the author of many surgical methods and techniques that are still valid, despite advances in modern medicine. Furthermore, some of the instruments designed by Kocher are still used in surgery. In addition to the biography of Kocher, this article considers information about his work in the field of thyroidology, for which he received the Nobel Prize in 1909. Kocher has performed more than 5,000 thyroidectomies during his career. Thanks to the technique he developed, the mortality rate of that surgery decreased at least fortyfold. In those days there were not researches on functions of the thyroid gland, but Kocher noticed that total thyroidectomy leads to serious consequences. Therefore he refused to do such surgeries without invariable indications.

Clinical guidelines «Thyroiditis in children»

The thyroiditis in children are urgent problem of pediatric endocrinology due to the widespread occurrence and characterized by clinical and pathogenetic heterogeneity. The developed clinical guidelines are the main working tool of the practitioner. They briefly and structurally present the main information about the epidemiology and modern classification of thyroiditis, methods of their diagnosis and treatment based on the principles of evidence-based medicine.

Jacques-Louis Reverdin - pioneer of transplantology, a surgeon who opened the veil of functional importance of the thyroid gland

Jacques-Louis Reverdin is a famous Swiss surgeon, scientist, and entomologist of the nineteenth century. He made a considerable contribution to the development of transplantology — he was one of the first to publish work on allotransplantation, performing the so — called “skin grafting”, urology — he defended his thesis on urethrotomy, endocrinology- he performed surgical operations for the treatment of goiter, observed and described the symptoms of iatrogenic hypothyroidism, introduced the concept of postoperative myxedema. For thirty-four years, he led an active surgical practice, thanks to which he described a large number of operations (the most famous are operations on the thyroid gland), introduced a surgical suture and needle, which are still used today. During the Franco-Prussian war, he commanded a Swiss ambulance. He was a proponent of Lister’s method of asepsis and antiseptics, and introduced it in hospitals in Geneva. He was engaged in teaching and research, and was nominated for the Nobel prize three times. He received the Amuss prize of the Academy of Medicine, the prize of the Paris Academy of medicine for his work on urethrotomy, founded the Revue Medicale de la Suisse Romande, and was a co-founder and later President of the Association of physicians of Geneva. Honorary member of the entomological societies of Switzerland, France, England and Brazil.