Myxedema Coma
<p>Brassica rapa chinensis, otherwise known as bok choy or Chinese white cabbage, contains glucosinolates, a group of compounds that occur widely in the genus. Some of the breakdown products of glucosinolates, such as thiocyanates, nitriles, and oxazolidines, have been implicated for their inhibitory effects on the thyroid. Studies in the 1920s were the first to note the development of hypertrophic goiters in rabbits that were mainly fed a diet of cabbage. Interest in the possible goitrogenic properties of foodstuffs led to the discovery of 1,5-vinyl-2-thiooxazolidone in brassica seeds and in yellow turnips. The compound was termed a goitrin because it inhibited the uptake of iodine by the thyroid gland.  <b>When eaten raw, brassica vegetables release the enzyme myrosinase, which accelerates the hydrolysis of glucosinolates; the cooking process largely deactivates the myrosinase in these vegetables.</b></p>