The Risk of Developing Lymphoma among Autoimmune Thyroid Disorder Patients: A Cross-Section Study

Mesenchymal stem cells alleviate autoimmune thyroiditis by modulating macrophage phenotypes and through influencing the STING pathway

BACKGROUND

Hashimoto's thyroiditis is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease with a high prevalence and currently lacks effective treatment options. Previous preclinical and clinical trials have established mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as a promising therapeutic approach; however, there is limited research on MSC treatment for Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear.

METHODS

MSCs isolated from 4 to 6-week-old Lewis rats were employed for thyroiditis treatment. The efficacy of MSCs was assessed through histological and serological parameters. Molecular mechanisms of MSC therapy for Hashimoto's thyroiditis were explored by examining macrophage presence within thyroid tissue and relevant pathways.

RESULTS

In this study, we observed elevated oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress within the thyroid tissue of Hashimoto's thyroiditis patients, and MSC therapy effectively mitigated this process. Furthermore, we found that the therapeutic potential of MSCs in the EAT model depended on the STING pathway. MSCs reduced endoplasmic reticulum stress and inflammasome levels within the thyroid tissue by modulating the STING pathway. Additionally, MSCs inhibited the expression of IRE1α in thyroid tissue macrophages, thereby reducing the polarization of M1-type macrophages CONCLUSIONS: The STING pathway appears to be a crucial mechanism by which MSCs modulate macrophage polarization in thyroid tissue, offering a potential treatment for thyroiditis.

Mendelian randomization analysis reveals causal effects of inflammatory bowel disease and autoimmune hyperthyroidism on diffuse large B-cell lymphoma risk

The clinical phenomenon whereby diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) occurs in patients with a history of autoimmune disease (AD) has been noted, but it remains controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the causal associations between nine ADs and DLBCL via a Mendelian randomization (MR) study. Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) obtained from published genome-wide association studies (GWAS) was chosen as instrumental variable (IV). A total of nine ADs of European ancestry including asthma (56,167 cases and 352,255 controls), psoriasis (4,510 cases and 212,242 controls), autoimmune hyperthyroidism (962 cases and 172,976 controls), inflammatory bowel disease (31,665 cases and 33,977 controls), type 1 diabetes (6,683 cases and 12,173 controls), multiple sclerosis (14,498 cases and 24,091 controls), sarcoidosis (2,046 cases and 215,712 controls), ankylosing spondylitis (9,069 cases and 1,550 controls), and celiac disease (12,041 cases and 12,228 controls), were set as the exposure and DLBCL (209 cases and 218,583 controls) of European ancestry as the outcome. Inverse-variance weighted (IVW) was used as the primary analysis method, and the weighted median and MR-Egger method were used as supplementary methods. The sensitivity analyses employed in this study include the MR-Egger intercept, MR-PRESSO global test, Cochran's Q test, leave-one-out analysis, and funnel plot. IVW showed that inflammatory bowel disease (OR = 1.241, 95% CI 1.009-1.526, P = 0.040) and autoimmune hyperthyroidism (OR = 1.464, 95% CI 1.103-1.942, P = 0.008) increased the risk of DLBCL without significant heterogeneity or horizontal pleiotropy, and the results remained stable according to the leave-one-out analysis. The IVW results revealed no associations between the other seven ADs and DLBCL: asthma (OR = 0.782, 95% CI 0.395-1.546, P = 0.159), psoriasis (OR = 0.842, 95% CI 0.669-1.060, P = 0.143), type 1 diabetes (OR = 1.071, 95% CI 0.860-1.334, P = 0.537), multiple sclerosis (OR = 1.331, 95% CI 0.941-1.883, P = 0.105), sarcoidosis (OR = 1.324, 95% CI 0.861-2.038, P = 0.200), ankylosing spondylitis (OR = 1.884, 95% CI 0.776-4.573, P = 0.161), and celiac disease (OR = 1.003, 95% CI 0.854-1.178, P = 0.969). Although no significant heterogeneity or horizontal pleiotropy was detected in these seven ADs and DLBCL, these results did not pass the leave-one-out analysis; therefore, the results need to be interpreted with caution. Inflammatory bowel disease and autoimmune hyperthyroidism may increase the onset of DLBCL. The risk of DLBCL should be considered in specific types of ADs.

Challenges in Diagnosing Pleural Thickening: Primary Pleural Follicular Lymphoma

This is the case of a 66-year-old male with a medical history of HIV infection on combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) who presented to the hospital with gradually worsening chronic right-sided chest and abdominal pain over the past three months. Computed tomography (CT) with contrast showed new mass-like pleural thickening in the right lower lobe posteriorly with an associated small loculated right pleural effusion. A core needle pleural biopsy was performed, and the results were consistent with primary pleural malignant lymphoma. Histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations revealed CD10-positive, low-grade B-cell lymphoma. This case is considered a rare occurrence of primary malignant lymphoma developing in the pleura.

The potential value of ultrasound in predicting local refractory/relapse events in primary thyroid lymphoma patients

BACKGROUND

Primary thyroid lymphoma (PTL) is a rare malignant disorder, and ultrasound plays an important role in PTL diagnosis and follow-up surveillance. Prediction of refractory/relapse events in PTL patients is an essential issue, yet no ultrasonic PTL features have been discovered to be related to refractory/local relapse events.

METHODS

From January 2008 to September 2022, newly diagnosed PTL patients in our center who underwent standard first-line treatment and received an ultrasound examination before treatment were enrolled. Data regarding patients' clinical and sonographic features, as well as their therapeutic responses were collected. Subjects with an ideal prognosis were compared to those with refractory/relapse events.

RESULTS

In total, 37 PTL patients were analyzed, including 26 with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, 2 with follicular lymphoma and 9 with mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma. During the median follow-up of 25 months, 30 patients obtained a complete response, 4 were refractory patients, and 3 experienced local relapse. No significant difference was detected in the baseline clinical characteristics between patients with an ideal prognosis and those with refractory/local relapse events. In terms of sonographic features, however, an event-free survival (EFS) curve comparison revealed that patients with bilobar enlargement (defined as an anterior-posterior diameter > 2.5 cm on both sides of thyroid lobes) had a poorer EFS than those without (P < 0.0001), and patients with diffuse type had a poorer EFS than those with mixed/nodular types (P = 0.043). No significant difference was observed in EFS between patients with or without signs of suspicious cervical lymph node metastasis, rich blood signal distribution or symptoms of trachea compression.

CONCLUSIONS

PTL patients with an anterior-posterior diameter > 2.5 cm for both thyroid lobes or PTL patients of the diffuse ultrasound type could be prone to refractory/local relapse events.

Yiqi Jiedu Xiaoying Decoction Improves Experimental Autoimmune Thyroiditis in Rats by Regulating Th17/Treg Cell Balance

BACKGROUND

Experimental autoimmune thyroiditis (EAT) is a widely used animal model to study the pathogenesis and treatment of autoimmune thyroid diseases. Yiqi Jiedu Xiaoying Decoction (YJXD) is a traditional Chinese medicine formula with potential immunomodulatory effects. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic effects of YJXD on EAT in rats and explored its underlying mechanisms.

METHODS

Female Wistar rats were induced to develop EAT by immunization with thyroglobulin (Tg) and taken sodium iodide water (0.05%) and then treated with YJXD or sodium selenite. HE staining was used to observe the pathological changes of thyroid tissue in EAT rats. Th17 and Treg cell frequencies were analyzed by flow cytometry, and the expression levels of Th17- and Treg-related cytokines and thyroid autoantibody were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The expression of Th17- and Treg-related transcriptional factors was detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Immunohistochemistry (IHC).

RESULTS

Our results demonstrated that treatment with YJXD significantly attenuated the severity of EAT, as evidenced by reduced thyroid gland inflammatory infiltration and decreased serum thyroglobulin autoantibody levels. Importantly, YJXD treatment effectively modulated the Th17/Treg cell balance by suppressing Th17 cell differentiation and promoting Treg cell expansion. Moreover, YJXD was also found to regulate the expression levels of Th17- and Treg-related cytokines and transcriptional factors, further supporting its immunomodulatory effects in EAT.

CONCLUSION

YJXD exerted therapeutic effects on EAT by regulating the Th17/Treg cell balance, modulating the production of Th17- and Treg-related cytokines and the expression of transcriptional factors.