a Institute of Electrical Engineering, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 841 04 Bratislava, Slovakia b Department of Physics, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816-2385, USA c Graduate Institute of Electro-Optical Engineering, Chang Gung University, Tao-Yuan 333, Taiwan d Institute of Electro-Optical Engineering, Green Technology Research Center, Chang Gung University, T...

PURPOSE This study aimed to determine the role of miR-21 in orbital fibroblasts obtained from donors with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) and to elucidate the regulation of fibrosis by miR-21 in the pathological process of TAO. METHODS The expression of miR-21 was investigated in orbital tissues from 26 donors with TAO and 10 donors without TAO. Human orbital fibroblasts were cultivat...

BACKGROUND The establishment of a suitable and stable animal model is critical for research on thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO). In clinical practice, we found that patients treated with I-131 often exhibit TAO; therefore, we aimed to establish a novel thyroid function fluctuated animal model of TAO by simulating the clinical treatment process. METHODS We treated SD rats with I-131 to ...

AIMS/BACKGROUND Thyroid associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) of euthyroid patients is difficult to diagnose because clinical findings overlap with other conditions, and no confirmatory diagnostic tests are available. Recently, it was reported that TSH binding inhibitor immunoglobulin (TBII) and thyroid stimulating antibody (TSAb) are sensitive markers of TAO. The sensitivity of these antibodies in t...

This study first investigates the biocompatibility of self-organized TaO x nanotube arrays with different nanotube diameters fabricated by electrochemical anodization. All as-anodized TaO x nanotubes were identified to be an amorphous phase. The transition in surface wettability with TaO x nanotube diameters can be explained based on Wenzel's model in terms of geometric roughness. In vitro bioc...

PURPOSE In patients with thyroid-associated orbitopathy (TAO), the dry eye syndrome occurs frequently, and symptoms and signs of both disorders overlap making early and accurate differential diagnosis difficult. A differentiation via specific markers is warranted. METHODS Tear fluid samples of 120 subjects with TAO, TAO + dry eye, dry eye, and controls were collected. The samples were measure...

Thousand and one amino acid (TAO) kinases are Ste20p-related MAP kinase kinase kinases (MAP3Ks) that activate p38 MAPK. Here we show that the TAO kinases mediate the activation of p38 in response to various genotoxic stimuli. TAO kinases are activated acutely by ionizing radiation, ultraviolet radiation, and hydroxyurea. Full-length and truncated fragments of dominant negative TAOs inhibit the ...

IMPORTANCE Thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) is a common and debilitating manifestation of Graves disease (GD). Presently little is known about factors that may increase the risk of developing TAO among patients with GD. OBJECTIVE To identify risk factors associated with the development of TAO among individuals with newly diagnosed GD. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In this longitu...

RATIONALE Thyroid-associated orbitopathy (TAO) is most often seen in patients with autoimmune thyroid disease. Data about TAO occurred in patients with thyroid carcinoma are rare. We give a report of 5 patients to present the clinical characteristics, treatment, and prognosis of this type of case. PATIENT CONCERNS Five thyroid carcinoma patients presented with orbitopathy. Among them, two pat...