ABSTRACT Objective: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a chronic liver disease and a growing global epidemic. In NAFLD, liver fat surpasses 5% of hepatocytes without the secondary causes of lipid accumulation or excessive alcohol consumption. Given the link between NAFLD and insulin resistance, the possible association between the rs2854744 (−202 G>T) promoter polymorphism of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP3) gene and NAFLD was investigated in this study. Materials and methods: In this genetic case-control association study, the IGFBP3 rs2854744 genotypes of 315 unrelated individuals, including 156 patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD and 159 controls, were determined using polymerase chain reaction/restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses. Results: The “GT+TT” genotype of the IGFBP3 rs2854744 polymorphism, compared with the “GG” genotype, was associated with a 2.7-fold increased risk of NAFLD after adjustment for confounding factors (P = 0.009; odds ratio [OR] = 2.71; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.19-3.18). Additionally, the IGFBP3 rs2854744 “T” allele, in comparison with the “G” allele, was significantly overrepresented in NAFLD patients than the controls (P = 0.008; OR = 1.85; 95%CI = 1.23-2.94). Conclusion: Our findings first indicated that the IGFBP3 rs2854744 “GT+TT” genotype is a marker of increased NAFLD susceptibility; however, it needs to be supported by further investigations in other populations.

Abstract Introduction Management of the thyroid gland during laryngectomy has been controversial. The primary tumor may invade the thyroid gland by direct invasion or lymphovascular spread. Hypothyroidism and hypoparathyroidism are potential risks when lobectomy or total thyroidectomy are performed simultaneously. Objective To report the frequency of thyroid gland involvement by primary laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma in patients undergoing laryngectomy and to identify possible risk factors for thyroid gland involvement so that judicious excision of thyroid gland can be attained. Methods We performed a retrospective review of 9 years. Data was collected from medical records of patients dated from December 2009 to October 2018. All patients with laryngeal cancer who underwent laryngectomy with lobectomy or total thyroidectomy were included in the present study. Results We reviewed 151 laryngectomy records. A total of 130 surgeries included the thyroid gland with the excised specimen and were available for analysis. There were 124 males and 6 females. The mean age was 59.4 years old. The glottis was the most common subsite involved, in 70 patients, followed by 38 transglottic, 16 supraglottic and 03 subglottic tumors. On histology, 12 out of 130 excised thyroid glands were involved by squamous cell carcinoma. Only subglottic involvement (p = 0.01) was significantly associated with thyroid gland invasion (TGI). Type of laryngectomy, subsite of the primary tumor, thyroid cartilage involvement, neck nodal metastases, and perineural and lymphatic invasion by the primary tumor were not associated with TGI. Conclusion Only subglottic involvement is associated with TGI; therefore, preoperative and intraoperative assessment is necessary prior to considering excision of the thyroid gland.

ABSTRACT Background Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a chronic liver disease and one of the main global health issues in which liver fat surpasses 5% of hepatocytes without the secondary causes of lipid accumulation or excessive alcohol consumption. Owing to the link between NAFLD and insulin resistance (IR) and obesity and the role of resistin in theses metabolic disorders, we explored the possible association between resistin gene (RETN) variant and NAFLD. Methods A total of 308 unrelated subjects, including 152 patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD and 156 controls were enrolled and genotyped for the RETN gene rs3745367 variant using PCR-RFLP method. Results NAFLD patients had higher liver enzymes, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) than the controls (P<0.001). However, we observed no significant difference in genotype and allele frequencies between the cases with NAFLD and the controls for the RETN rs3745367 polymorphism either before or after adjustment for confounding factors including age, BMI, sex, smoking status, SBP, and DBP. Conclusion To our knowledge, this study is the first one that investigated the association between RETN gene rs3745367 variant and biopsy-proven NAFLD. Our findings do not support a role for this gene polymorphism in NAFLD risk in Iranian population; nonetheless, they need to be further investigated in other populations.

RESUMO Contexto: A doença hepática gordurosa não alcoólica (DHGNA) é uma doença hepática crônica e um dos principais problemas de saúde global em que a gordura hepática ultrapassa 5% dos hepatócitos sem as causas secundárias de acúmulo lipídico ou consumo excessivo de álcool. Devido à ligação entre a DHGNA e resistência à insulina (IR) e obesidade e o papel da resistina em distúrbios metabólicos, exploramos a possível associação entre a variante do gene resistina (RETN) e a DHGNA. Metodos Foram selecionados 308 indivíduos não relacionados, incluindo 152 pacientes com DHGNA comprovada por biópsia e 156 controles para a variante do gene RETN rs3745367 usando o método PCR-RFLP. Resultados Pacientes com DHGNA apresentaram enzimas hepáticas mais elevadas, assim como pressão arterial sistólica e pressão arterial diastólica maiores do que os controles (P<0,001). No entanto, não se observou diferença significativa nas frequências genótipo e alelo entre os casos com DHGNA e os controles para o polimorfismo RETN rs3745367 antes ou depois do ajuste para fatores de confusão, incluindo idade, índice de massa corporal, sexo, estado de tabagismo, pressão arterial sistólica e pressão arterial diastólica. Conclusão Para nosso conhecimento, este estudo foi o primeiro que investigou a associação entre a variante do gene RETN rs3745367 e a DHGNA comprovada em biópsia. Nossas descobertas não suportam um papel para este polimorfismo genético no risco DHGNA na população iraniana; no entanto, eles precisam ser mais investigados em outras populações.

RESUMO O projeto BiRCh (The Corpus of Bilingual Russian Child Speech, Corpus de fala de crianças bilíngues em russo) envolve a construção de um corpus longitudinal composto de gravações de fala em russo produzida por crianças e suas famílias na Rússia, Ucrânia, Alemanha, EUA e Canadá. Estamos construindo um corpus de larga escala com base no conjunto dessas gravações, o ‘Parsed and Audio-aligned Corpus of Bilingual Russian Child and Child-directed Speech (BiRCh)’, com os dois componentes básicos: (1) as transcrições de um milhão de palavras alinhadas com os arquivos de áudio, em que pode ser realizada a busca textual, e (2) as transcrições de 500 mil palavras anotadas morfologicamente e analisadas sintaticamente, também alinhadas com os arquivos de áudio. Estamos utilizando o corpus para investigar os diversos fenômenos no input linguístico e na trajetória do desenvolvimento de falantes de herança, tais como o uso de caso, gênero, construções passivas e impessoais, marcadores de polidez, disfluências e marcadores discursivos. Este artigo enfoca os desafios e soluções no processo da construção do BiRCh e as implicações para a pesquisa com base nos dados detalhadamente anotados fornecidos pelo corpus.

ABSTRACT The BiRCh Project (The Corpus of Bilingual Russian Child Speech) involves collecting a longitudinal audio corpus of Russian spoken by children and their families in Russia, Ukraine, Germany, the U.S., and Canada. We are building a large-scale corpus based on a subset of this data, the “Parsed and Audio-aligned Corpus of Bilingual Russian Child and Child-directed Speech (BiRCh)” with two basic components: (1) 1-million-word transcripts which are time-aligned with the audio speech signal and fully textsearchable, and (2) a 500K-word morphologically annotated and parsed portion of the transcripts, also audio-aligned. We are using this corpus to investigate various phenomena in the linguistic input and the developmental trajectory of heritage bilinguals, e.g., case, gender, passives, impersonals, politeness markers, disfluencies, and discourse markers. This article focuses on the challenges and solutions of the BiRCh development and the implications for research on the richly annotated data provided by the corpus.

Resumen En este trabajo se sintetizaron los compuestos organometálicos Bis (2,4,6,8 terametil-indacenil) férrico (1), Bis (2,4,6,8 terametil s-indacenil) ferroso, cobaltoso (2) y Bis (2,6 dietil-4,8-dimetil-s-indacenil) di cobalto (3) mediante la estrategia de eliminación de sales, utilizando sales de Fe(II) y Co(II).Los compuestos se caracterizan por métodos espectroscópicos y electroquímicos. Las mediciones magnéticas se llevaron a cabo mediante el sistema de medición de propiedades físicas (PPMS). Los datos espectroscópicos Mossbauer revelan que, en todos los compuestos, sorprendentemente, el hierro se encuentra en el estado de oxidación +3. También se realizaron cálculos DFT para comprender el cambio en el estado de oxidación de los metales. El estudio DFT confirmó la naturaleza de transferencia de electrones del ligando al metal. El estudio voltamperométrico cíclico de estos compuestos muestra una gran separación (ΔE>800mV) entre los dos picos de oxidación que confirman la fuerte interacción entre los centros metálicos. Las mediciones magnéticas de estos compuestos organometálicos revelan que presentan un comportamiento ferrimagnético a temperaturas inferiores a 40 K.

Abstract Organometallic compounds, Bis (2,4,6,8 teramethyl-indacenyl) di Iron (1), Bis (2,4,6,8 teramethyl s-indacenyl) mono iron, mono cobalt (2), and Bis (2,6 diethyl-4,8-dimethyl-s-indacenyl) di cobalt (3) were synthesised by means of salt elimination strategy, using Fe(II) and Co(II) salts. The compounds were characterised through spectroscopic and electrochemical methods. Magnetic measurements were carried out by Physical Property Measurement System (PPMS). Mossbauer spectroscopic data reveals that in all compounds, surprisingly, Iron is in +3 oxidation state. DFT calculations have been carried out to understand the change in the oxidation state of a metal. DFT study confirms the electron transfer nature of ligand to metal. Cyclic voltametric study on these compounds shows a large separation (ΔE>800mV) between two oxidation peaks confirming the strong interaction between the metal centres. Magnetic measurements on these organometallic compounds reveals that they exhibit a ferrimagnetic behaviour at temperatures below 40 K.

Resumo Compostos organometálicos, Bis (2,4,6,8 terametil-indacenil) di ferro (1), Bis (2,4,6,8 terametil s-indacenil) mono ferro, mono cobalto (2) e Bis (2,6 dietil-4,8-dimetil-s-indacenil) di cobalto (3) foram sintetizados por estratégia de eliminação de sal, utilizando sais de Fe(II) e Co(II). Os compostossão caracterizados por métodos espectroscópicos e eletroquímicos. As medições magnéticas foram realizadas pelo Sistema de Medição de Propriedades Físicas (PPMS). Os dados espectroscópicos Mossbauerrevelam que em todos os compostos, surpreendentemente, o ferro está em +3 estado de oxidação.Os cálculos do DFT foram realizados para entender a mudança no estado de oxidação de um metal. O estudo DFT confirma a natureza da transferência de elétrons do ligante para o metal. O estudovoltamétrico cíclico dessescompostosmostrauma grande separação (ΔE>800mV) entre dois picos de oxidação confirmando a forteinteração entre os centros metálicos. As medições magnéticas nestescompostos organometálicos revelam que eles apresentam um comportamento ferrimagnético a uma temperatura abaixo de 40 K.

Abstract The objective of the current investigation was to evaluate the okra before cooking (fresh) and after cooking to determine the best cooking method by using compositional analysis, colour, texture, sensory evaluation and pesticide residues reduction. The cooking methods used were steam blanching, simmering, baking and sautéing. Cooking treatments resulted in a momentous increase (p < 0.05) in crude fibre and fat content during sautéing and total carbohydrate in baking in comparison to control. The CIE lab coordinates (L* and b*) significantly decreased while a* increased in all cooking treatments except in baking. The texture analysis revealed a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in shear force N (Newton) due to contact of the heating medium in moist cooking i.e. steam blanching and simmering. Sautéing and steam blanching scored better and showed acceptance of the consumers except simmering that exhibited lower acceptability (p < 0.01). Moreover, among the analyzed pesticide residues, minimum reduction occurred in cypermethrin (8.57-37.14-%), while the chlorpyrifos was completely removed in case of baking and sautéing. Among all cooking treatments, only sautéing resulted in maximum pesticide residues reduction. The study revealed that the sautéing cooking treatment was best to preserve the vegetable nutrients compounds, maximum pesticide residues reduction and maybe among preferred cooking treatments.

The study was designed to compare low and high levels of protein, namely 90 and 147 g/kg of dietary dry matter, and to evaluate the effect of concentrate proportions on the in situ digestion kinetics of neutral detergent fibre in buffaloes and cows fed a low protein diet at maintenance intake level. In the first experiment, heifers and lactating females were offered a high protein diet. In the second, the performances of buffaloes and cows were compared when fed diets with low and high proportions of concentrate at low dietary protein level. At higher protein supply, the heifers showed a 6% unit increase in neutral detergent fibre degradability (NDFD) compared with lactating animals. Similarly, at a higher level of concentrate proportion, an 8% unit increase was observed in NDFD. In both experiments the comparison of buffaloes and cows was non-significant for NDFD. Those data that were pooled against the stage of development of both experiments for protein levels depicted a 13% unit increase in NDFD at high protein level compared with low level. At maintenance intake level, a high dietary crude protein or concentrate supply improved the in situ NDFD of tropical forages in buffaloes and cows, owing to the enhanced intake of NDF from concentrate and better synchronization of protein and energy availability in the rumen.

RESUMO CONTEXTO E OBJETIVO: Considerando a associação entre câncer colorretal (CCR), a resistência à insulina, à obesidade e o papel proeminente da grelina nessas doenças metabólicas, foi explorado se os níveis plasmáticos de grelina estavam associados ao CCR. Além disso, nos pacientes com CCR foram pesquisadas as possíveis correlações entre a grelina, insulina, resistência insulínica e índice de massa corporal (IMC) como indicadores de obesidade. MÉTODOS: Foram incluídos neste estudo 170 indivíduos, sendo 82 com CRC e 88 controles. Os níveis plasmáticos de grelina, insulina e glicose foram medidos em todos os sujeitos utilizando métodos ELISA e glicose oxidase. Além disso, a resistência à insulina foi avaliada pelo cálculo do índice HOMA-IR. RESULTADOS: Os pacientes com CRC apresentaram redução dos níveis de grelina (P<0,001) e maior índice HOMA-IR (P<0.001) do que os controles. Curiosamente, quando os pacientes com CRC foram estratificados com base no local do tumor, níveis mais baixos de grelina e maior índice de HOMA-IR foram observados nos indivíduos com câncer de cólon ou retal versus controles também. Além disso, houve uma correlação negativa entre idade e IMC independente entre os níveis de grelina e HOMA-IR (r=-0,365, P<0,05) e uma correlação negativa independente da idade entre os níveis de grelina e IMC (r=-0,335, P<0,05) no subgrupo retal. CONCLUSÃO: Nossos achados apoiam o papel da grelina em relação à resistência à insulina e à obesidade na suscetibilidade do CRC; no entanto, ela precisa ser corroborada por estudos posteriores.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Considering the association between colorectal cancer (CRC) and both insulin resistance and obesity, and the prominent role of ghrelin in these metabolic disorders, we explored whether plasma levels of ghrelin were associated with CRC. Moreover, in the patients with CRC the possible correlations between ghrelin and insulin, insulin resistance, and body mass index (BMI) as an indicator of obesity were examined. METHODS: A total of 170 subjects, including 82 cases with CRC and 88 controls were enrolled in this study. Plasma levels of ghrelin, insulin, and glucose were measured in all the subjects using ELISA and glucose oxidase methods. Furthermore, insulin resistance was assessed by calculating HOMA-IR index. RESULTS: The cases with CRC had decreased ghrelin levels (P<0.001) and a higher HOMA-IR index (P<0.001) than controls. Interestingly, when CRC patients were stratified based on tumor site, lower ghrelin levels and a higher HOMA-IR index were observed in the patients with either colon or rectal cancer vs. controls too. Additionally, there were an age and BMI-independent negative correlation between ghrelin levels and HOMA-IR (r=-0.365, P<0.05), and an age-independent negative correlation between ghrelin levels and BMI (r=-0.335, P<0.05) in the rectal subgroup. CONCLUSION: Our findings support a role for ghrelin in connection with insulin resistance and obesity in CRC susceptibility; however, it needs to be corroborated by further studies.

Abstract Hard textural attributes of chickpea necessitate the employment of specialized pretreatment prior to roasting. As compared to frying, the Intensification of Vaporization by Decompression to the Vacuum (IVDV) as a vacuum expansion (VE) technique was utilized to improve and preserve the nutritional, textural, and structural properties of chickpeas. It was clearly demonstrated that frying (FR) caused decrease in degrees of lightness in chickpeas as compared to VE samples. Raw and VE samples showed a combination of green and red colors. VE caused C=O stretching in chickpeas and imparted desirable color. The surface fissures were more evident in FR grains as compared to VE grains. The grain structure was modified from largely ovoid to round or spherical forms. Enhanced cross-linking was observed in VE samples due to stable rheological properties. IVDV improved nutritional, color and structural attributes of chickpeas were preserved after texturization.

Abstract Calcium fortification is usually achieved by employing wheat flour as the most frequently used vehicle. In this study, potential of calcium extraction from chicken eggshell and its utilization as a bread fortificant in straight grade flour (SGF) is investigated. In addition, the fortified and unfortified (control) flour samples were evaluated for nutrient composition and rheological properties. Results showed that addition of fortificant at different concentrations significantly (p<0.05) enhanced calcium content of fortified flour and it was considerably increased from 115.80 mg/kg (To) to 1135.1 mg/kg (T3). Nutrient composition data of fortified flour have shown a significant (p<0.05) reduction in moisture content of flour from 12.7% (To) to 11.76% (T3) and protein content from 9.89% (To) to 9.79% (T3). However, a significant increase in ash content was observed by increasing fortificant level from 0.54% (To) to 1.04% (T3). Rheological properties indicated a significant increase in water absorption from 63.60 to 67.527%, dough development time (DDT) from 7.38 to 11.37 min and dough stability from 13.79 to 17.37 min. Textural characteristics of fortified bread revealed a significant reduction for hardness values from 11.40 N (control) to 6.50 N (T3) in response to fortificant addition. Quality assessment of bread indicated that bread quality was significantly affected with corresponding rises in fortificant addition levels.

Abstract Introduction The routine practice of neck dissection in the surgical management of oral carcinoma has evolved into a more functionally conservative approach. Over time, the rationale for removal of the submandibular gland has been questioned. Routine extirpation of the submandibular gland can aggravate the xerostomia experienced by many patients, significantly affecting their quality of life. Objective The objective of the present study was to determine the incidence of submandibular gland metastases in oral cavity carcinoma and to identify possible factors that may affect their involvement. Methods A total of 149 cases of oral carcinoma presenting at a private tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, over the course of 1 year were reviewed retrospectively. Results Histopathological data showed that the submandibular gland was involved in 7 (4.7%) cases. Involvement of level I lymph nodes was found in all of the cases. Direct extension of primary tumor was noted in two cases when the primary tumor was in the floor of the mouth. Conclusion The results suggest that preservation of the submandibular gland during neck dissection for oral carcinoma can be practiced safely when there is no evidence of direct extension of the primary tumor toward the submandibular gland or when there is no clinical or radiological evidence of neck disease in level I. Presence of pathological lymph nodes in level I requires caution when contemplating preservation of the submandibular gland.

Heat stress is a major challenge for dairy cows in summer. Sprinklers at feed bunks are commonly used to cool cows. These sprinklers use groundwater, which is becoming limited. There is a need to explore a more efficient use of this precious resource. Eighteen lactating Holstein cows were randomly subjected to three sprinkler flow rates in a crossover design. These rates were 0.5, 1.25, and 2.0 L/min. The average temperature humidity index of the shed was 86.7 during the study. The cows in the 1.25 and 2.0 L/min groups had 0.6 °C and 0.9 °C lower rectal temperatures, respectively, than the 0.5 L/min group. Similarly, the 1.25 and 2.0 L/min groups had lower respiration rates than the 0.5 L/min group. The daily milk yield was approximately 5 kg/d higher in the 1.25 and 2.0 L/min groups, which were not detectably different from each other, than the 0.5 L/min group. The cows in the 0.5 L/min group spent less time feeding than those in the 1.25 and 2.0 L/min groups. These results suggested that sprinkler flow rates greater than 0.5 L/min produced desirable responses by the cows. The flow rate 1.25 L/min appeared to be more efficient as it used 37.5% less groundwater compared with 2.0 L/min.

Abstract To explore the protective effect of sesame seed oil (SSO) extracted from Til-06 sesame variety in Sprague-Dawley male rats against the management of hypercholesterolemia, the current two-phase study was conducted. In the first phase, oil was taken out from the sesame seeds (Til-06) and physicochemical analysis was carried out to find out the content of oil following by the evaluation of the quality attributes of extracted oil. In the second phase, efficacy was carried out to check the hyperlipidemic activity of sesame seed oil. Randomly distributed twenty (20) rats into 5 different groups with four (04) rats in each group and for 60 days fed as follow; the first group was fed on a basal diet, while the other groups were fed with 2, 4, 6 and 8% SSO plus basal diet. Blood samples were collected at the beginning and end of the study for biochemical study i.e. lipid profile which includes high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C), total cholesterol (TC), and very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) and antioxidant status. Findings of the present study indicate that the oral administration of SSO significantly (P < 0.05) improved the antioxidant status with lower TC, LDL-C, TG, VLDL-C, and higher HDL-C values of hypercholesterolemic rats.

RESUMO CONTEXTO: A doença hepática gordurosa não alcoólica (NAFLD) é uma preocupação global crescente da saúde definida pelo excesso de teor de gordura hepática na ausência de consumo excessivo de álcool. OBJETIVO: Dado o papel crucial da resistência à insulina no NAFLD, criou-se a hipótese de que os polimorfismos genéticos da insulina (INS) e do receptor de insulina (INSR) podem estar associados ao risco de NAFLD. MÉTODOS: Um total de 312 indivíduos, incluindo 153 casos com NAFLD comprovado por biópsia e 159 controles foram inscritos neste estudo de caso-controle. Quatro polimorfismos em genes INS (rs3842752, rs689) e INSR (rs1052371, rs1799817) foram genotipados utilizando o método PCR-RFLP. RESULTADOS: Os casos com NAFLD foram mais idosos e apresentaram maior IMC, pressão arterial sistólica, pressão arterial diastólica, bem como níveis séricos mais elevados de aspartato aminotransferase, de alanina aminotransferase e de gama glutamil transpeptidase do que os controles (P<0,001). O genótipo “TT” de INSR rs1799817 em comparação com o genótipo “CC” ocorreu com mais frequência nos controles do que os casos com NAFLD e a diferença permaneceu significativa após ajuste para fatores de confusão (P=0,018; OR=0,10, IC95%=0,02-0,76). No entanto, não foi encontrada diferença significativa para INS rs3842752, INS rs689 e INSR rs1052371 polimorfismos genéticos entre os casos com NAFLD e os controles antes ou depois do ajuste para os fatores de confusão. CONCLUSÃO: Esses achados corroboram a hipótese de que os polimorfismos genéticos relacionados à resistência à insulina desempenham um papel na suscetibilidade do NAFLD. Especificamente, o genótipo INSR rs1799817 “TT” teve um efeito protetor para o NAFLD. No entanto, nossos resultados necessitam ser validados em outros estudos.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an increasing global health concern defined by excessive hepatic fat content in the absence of excessive alcohol consumption. OBJECTIVE: Given the pivotal role of insulin resistance in NAFLD, we hypothesized that insulin (INS) and insulin receptor (INSR) gene polymorphisms may be associated with NAFLD risk. METHODS: A total of 312 subjects, including 153 cases with biopsy-proven NAFLD and 159 controls were enrolled in this case-control study. Four polymorphisms in INS (rs3842752, rs689) and INSR (rs1052371, rs1799817) genes were genotyped using PCR-RFLP method. RESULTS: The cases with NAFLD were older and had higher BMI, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, as well as higher serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and gamma glutamyl transferase than the controls (P<0.001). The “TT” genotype of INSR rs1799817 compared with “CC” genotype occurred more frequently in the controls than the cases with NAFLD and the difference remained significant after adjustment for confounding factors (P=0.018; OR=0.10, 95%CI=0.02-0.76). However, no significant difference was found for INS rs3842752, INS rs689, and INSR rs1052371 gene polymorphisms between the cases with NAFLD and the controls either before or after adjustment for the confounders. CONCLUSION: These findings corroborate the hypothesis that genetic polymorphisms related to insulin resistance play a role in NAFLD susceptibility. Specifically, the INSR rs1799817 “TT” genotype had a protective effect for NAFLD. However, our results remain to be validated in other studies.

Abstract Introduction Atypia of undetermined significance (AUS) or follicular lesion of undetermined significance (FLUS) is one of the six diagnostic categories of the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology. The prevalence of malignancy among Bethesda category III cytology is variable, ranging from 5% to 37% in the literature. Objective To determine the rate of malignancy in thyroid nodules reported as Bethesda category III. Methods A total of 495 patients underwent surgical intervention for thyroid nodules from January 2015 to December 2017. The present study included 81 cases reported as Bethesda category III, and their medical records were reviewed. Results Out of 495 fine-needle aspiration cytology samples, 81 (16.4%) samples were labeled as AUS/FLUS. Among these 81 patients, the mean age was 43.0 years (±13.9), with only 11 (14%) patients older than 55 years of age.Most of our patients were female (n=69; 85.2%), and the rest were male. The rate of malignancy based on the final histology was of 33.3% (n=27). The majority were 17 cases (21%) of papillary carcinoma, followed by follicular carcinoma (n=6) (7.4%). Conclusion The risk of malignancy can be higher than it is commonly believed, and guidelines should be based on the data from the institutions themselves for a better assessment of the outcomes.