Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are prevalent environmental pollutants posing significant risks to human health. However, their impact on thyroid function and the latent mechanism remain largely uncharted. This study utilized data of 1201 participants aged ≥20 years from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2012. Weighted generalized linear model (for single-analyte analysis) and quantile g-computation (QgComp) and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) (for mixture analysis) were employed to capture the individual and mixed effects of 16 VOCs metabolites (derived from 13 VOCs) on 10 thyroid function indicators. Network toxicology was employed to probe the underlying mechanism. In single-analyte effect analysis, we found several VOCs metabolites (e.g., N-Acetyl-S-(N-methylcarbamoyl)-L-cysteine [AMCC] and N-Acetyl-S-(2-cyanoethyl)-L-cysteine [CYMA]) were positively associated with thyroglobulin (hTg), negatively associated with free thyroxine (FT4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), thyrotrophic thyroxine resistance index (TT4RI), TSH index, and thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPO-Ab), while nae associated with total triiodothyronine (TT3), free triiodothyronine (FT3), total thyroxine (TT4), or thyroglobulin antibodies (anti-hTg). Both mixture models (BKMR and QgComp) discovered that the mixture of 16 VOCs metabolites was positively related to TT3 (β=0.0161; 95% CI: 0.0056∼0.0265) and FT3 (0.0077; 0.0020∼0.0134) while negatively related to FT4 (-0.0158; -0.0248∼-0.0067), TSH (-0.0395; -0.0726∼-0.0065), TT4RI (-0.0552; -0.0883∼-0.0221), TSH index (-0.0336; -0.0556∼-0.0117), and TPO-Ab (-0.1001; -0.2066∼-0.0056). Hypothesis-generating network toxicology showed a significant enrichment in interleukin-17 (IL-17) signaling pathway linking VOCs exposure and thyroid dysfunction. Conclusively, exposure of general adults to single VOC and particularly multiple VOCs mixture was associated with thyroid function alteration, and the possible (hypothesis-generating) mechanism may involve IL-17 signaling pathway.

Background The National Poisons Information Centre, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi (NPIC) receives calls related to management of drug overdoses and poisoning. We aimed to identify the nature of drug-related calls (DRC) received by the centre in the period before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. Methods Data on total and DRCs received by the NPIC over a 5-year period (2017 to 2021) were retrieved. Comparisons were made between calls received during equivalent pre-Covid-19 and Covid-19 periods. Results An increasing trend was observed for both total and DRCs during Covid-19 compared to the pre-Covid-19 period. DRCs were 24% of total calls, and 99% of these were made by treating physicians, and the majority were related to unintentional/accidental intake. The DRCs were more for males (57%) as compared to females (41%), and maximum calls were received from the northern and southern regions of India. Calls related to drugs like antidepressants, anti-psychotics, and polypharmaceuticals were higher while for drugs like analgesics, benzodiazepine, thyroxine, and 'others' were fewer during the pre-Covid-19 period compared to the Covid-19 period. DRCs for children and adolescents were more compared to other age groups. During the Covid-19 period, there was a decrease in DRCs for infants, while such calls increased for children, adolescents and young adults. Conclusion Both total and DRCs increased during the study period, with a marked increase in calls related to children and adolescents and in the southern region of India during Covid-19 compared to the pre-Covid-19 period.

Peptides are attractive molecular recognition elements because of their compact size, ease of modification, and structural tunability. The design of high-affinity peptides for small molecules lags far behind that of antibodies and aptamers due to the lack of general and effective discovery and optimization strategies. Computational design offers a promising avenue to overcome this bottleneck. Herein, we report a computational design pipeline, termed resampling-iteration-evolution (RIE), for the rapid discovery of high-affinity molecular recognition peptides (MRPs) from large structural and sequence databases. RIE mimics a top-down evolutionary pocket-narrowing process by resampling native three-dimensional binding architectures, preserving pocket cooperativity, and introducing rational mutations to generate affinity-enhanced variants. Using this strategy, we designed MRPs for folic acid (FA), triiodothyronine (T3), and cholic acid (CHD), highlighting its applicability to structurally diverse and clinically important small molecules. Despite being derived from 130-270-residue protein receptors, the resulting 18-mer MRPs exhibited micromolar-level apparent Kd values of 8.0-12.7 μM in DMSO-based systems. By exploiting the small size and facile functionalization of MRPs, highly sensitive sensors for the rapid detection of small molecules were developed through flexible fluorophore modification. These results establish RIE as a rapid and effective in silico platform for the development of peptide binders for small-molecule targets.

Psychological symptoms and poor sleep quality (PSQ) frequently co-occur and impose a substantial public health burden. This study aimed to investigate the association between psychological symptoms and PSQ, examine whether thyroid hormones modify this association, and characterize the mixed psychological -sleep -thyroid symptom network among adults undergoing routine health examinations.

This study aims to analyze the impact of "Rational Laboratory Test Ordering" training given to family medicine residents on their test request habits, number of tests, and costs. A total of 27,085 applications made to the Family Medicine Polyclinic of Düzce University Faculty of Medicine between June 1, 2022, and June 1, 2024, were retrospectively examined. Based on the educational intervention provided to resident doctors on June 1, 2023, the periods before and after were compared in terms of the total number of tests, tests per application/per patient, and costs based on Health Implementation Communiqué prices. After the training, although there was no significant difference in the monthly number of admissions (P = .660), the average monthly total number of tests decreased from 8382 to 5808 (P < .001). The number of tests per visit decreased significantly from 7.74 to 5.03, and the cost per patient decreased significantly from 167.37 Turkish Liras (TRY) (4.74 United States Dollars [USD]/ 4.56 Euros [EUR]) to 136.94 TRY (3.88 USD/ 3.73 EUR) (P < .001). During the 1-year period, a savings of 17.3% (255,009.13 TRY; 7228.15 USD/ 6942.80 EUR) was achieved in the total laboratory costs. Especially, a significant decrease was observed in the requests for sodium, aspartate aminotransferase, and serum free thyroxine, while the requests for alanine aminotransferase and thyroid-stimulating hormone remained stable. The educational intervention significantly reduced unnecessary test requests and costs without narrowing clinical capacity. Changes in specific tests (such as the preference for alanine aminotransferase over aspartate aminotransferase, thyroid-stimulating hormone over serum free thyroxine) suggest that physicians' test ordering patterns may reflect greater adherence to evidence-based medicine guidelines. The rational laboratory approach serves both economic sustainability and the protection of patients from excessive medicalization within the framework of the principles of quaternary prevention.

This study examined associations between maternal exposure to essential and non-essential metals and thyroid hormone status during pregnancy. Red blood cell concentrations of essential metals (i.e., copper, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, zinc) and non-essential metals (i.e., arsenic, antimony, cadmium, lead, mercury) were measured in 436 pregnant individuals enrolled in the Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON) study. Maternal plasma concentrations of free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4), and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) were quantified and the FT3:FT4 ratio and thyrotropin T4 resistance index (TT4RI) were calculated. In single metal models, FT3 was negatively associated with lead and mercury, but positively associated with manganese, magnesium, and selenium. FT4 and TSH were negatively associated with magnesium and zinc. The FT3:FT4 ratio was negatively associated with lead, but positively associated with manganese, magnesium, and selenium, while TT4RI was negatively associated with magnesium and selenium. Bayesian kernel machine regression mixture models identified magnesium and selenium as the most influential metals for FT3, FT4, TSH, FT3:FT4 ratio and TT4RI, whereas mercury was the most important contributor to FT4 and the FT3:FT4 ratio. These findings suggest that essential and non-essential metals may influence thyroid function through distinct biological mechanisms, with essential metals potentially playing regulatory roles and non-essential metals exerting disruptive toxic effects.

Background Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and thyroid dysfunction are common endocrine disorders. Thyroid hormones play an important role in glucose metabolism, insulin secretion, and insulin sensitivity. Disturbances in thyroid function may worsen glycemic control and increase the risk of diabetic complications. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in patients with T2DM and evaluate its impact on glycemic control. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted at Nawaz Sharif Medical College/Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Teaching Hospital, Gujrat, Pakistan, from January to June 2025. A total of 260 patients with T2DM were enrolled through consecutive sampling. After exclusion of incomplete records, 252 patients were included in the final analysis. Demographic and clinical data were collected through interviews and medical records. Fasting blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (FT3), and free thyroxine (FT4) were measured. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26 (Released 2019; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York). Results Among 252 participants, 68 (27.0%) had thyroid dysfunction while 184 (73.0%) were euthyroid. Subclinical hypothyroidism was the most common abnormality, affecting 15.1% of patients. Patients with thyroid dysfunction had significantly higher fasting blood glucose levels (189.7 ± 49.6 vs. 161.4 ± 42.8 mg/dL, p<0.001) and HbA1c levels (9.1 ± 1.7 vs. 7.8 ± 1.4%, p<0.001) compared to euthyroid patients. Poor glycemic control (HbA1c ≥7%) was more common in patients with thyroid dysfunction (83.8% vs. 58.7%, p<0.001). Multivariable logistic regression showed that thyroid dysfunction was independently associated with poor glycemic control (adjusted OR=2.74, 95% CI: 1.41-5.33, p=0.003). Conclusion Thyroid dysfunction is common among patients with T2DM and is associated with poor glycemic control. Routine thyroid screening may help identify high-risk patients and improve diabetes management.