Gerard N. Burrow

Maternal and Fetal Thyroid Function

Conception is followed by a series of hormonal and metabolic changes that involve most maternal endocrine systems. With regard to thyroid metabolism, these include an increase in serum thyroxine-binding globulin and thyroid hormone concentrations, increased renal clearance of iodine, and increased production and turnover of thyroxine (T)1. Fetal and maternal thyroid physiology differ, but the systems interact by means of the placenta and amniotic fluid, which modulate the transfer of iodine and small but important amounts of thyroid hormone from mother to fetus1,2. In this article we shall review recent data and new insights regarding the changes .xa0.xa0.

Microadenomas of the Pituitary and Abnormal Sellar Tomograms in an Unselected Autopsy Series

PROLACTIN-SECRETING microadenomas of the pituitary gland have been diagnosed on the basis of elevated serum prolactin concentrations and abnormal tomograms of the sella turcica.1 , 2 This diagnosis...

The Management of Thyrotoxicosis in Pregnancy

THYROID disease is much more common in women than in men, and hyperthyroidism occurring during pregnancy is not rare; its prevalence is about 0.2 per cent. Thyrotoxicosis results in a significant increase in the prevalence of low birth weight and a trend toward increased neonatal mortality.1 Graves disease is the major cause of thyrotoxicosis in women of childbearing age, although other causes are possible, including trophoblastic tumors and hydatidiform mole.2 Patients with the thyrotoxicosis of Graves disease tend to have remission during pregnancy and exacerbation during the postpartum period.3 An explanation for fluctuations in the intensity of Graves disease during .xa0.xa0.

Detection of thyroglobulin, thyroid peroxidase, and RET/PTC1 mRNA transcripts in the peripheral blood of patients with thyroid disease.

PURPOSEnDetection of mRNA transcripts for thyroglobulin (TG), thyroid peroxidase (TPO) and RET/PTC1 in the peripheral blood of patients with thyroid disease.nnnPATIENTS AND METHODSnTG, TPO, and RET/PTC1 mRNA were analyzed in 52 peripheral-blood samples from 44 patients diagnosed with thyroid carcinoma (24 patients), adenoma (five patients), and nodular hyperplasia (15 patients) by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).nnnRESULTSnTG and TPO were identified in 13 patients (54.2%) with thyroid carcinoma, which includes five of eight patients with no clinical evidence of disease at the time of blood collection. Four of 5 patients had cervical lymph node metastases and/or extrathyroid extension at the time of the initial surgery. RET/PTC1 mRNA was detected in the peripheral blood of only one patient with papillary thyroid carcinoma. This sample was also positive for TG and TPO. TG and TPO were detected in two patients (10%) with benign thyroid nodules. All positive samples from patients with benign thyroid lesions were collected before surgery, whereas all samples collected after surgery were negative. RET/PTC1 mRNA was not detected in any of the patients with benign thyroid nodules. RT-PCR positivity for TG and TPO mRNA was higher in patients with carcinoma than in patients with benign lesions (P = .002).nnnCONCLUSIONnTG, TPO, and RET/PTC1 mRNA are detectable in the peripheral blood of patients with thyroid disease, which correlates with a diagnosis of carcinoma.

Regression of pituitary tumors, a possible effect of bromergocryptine☆

With the advent of the prolactin radioimmunoassay and more sensitive methods of roentgenologic examination, prolactin-secreting pituitary tumors are now being diagnosed with much greater frequency. Definitive treatment has been considered to involve transphenoidal hypophysectomy. The symptoms of hyperprolactinemia including amenorrhea, galactorrhea and infertility can usually be controlled without difficulty by bromergocryptine therapy, but little is known regarding continued tumor growth. Bromergocryptine and other ergot alkaloids have been shown to decrease the production of prolactin and to inhibit the rate of pituitary tumor growth in animal studies. In man, evidence for a similar effect is not as clear. The present study demonstrates tumor regression associated with bromergocryptine therapy in two patients.

Hyperthyroidism during pregnancy.

DIAGNOSIS and treatment of hyperthyroidism are especially difficult when the patient is pregnant. The euthyroid pregnant woman may display classic clinical features of hyperthyroidism, and the diagnosis may be further complicated by tests that indicate altered thyroid function. When hyperthyroidism is diagnosed, any therapeutic maneuver must take the fetus into account. Studies of hyperthyroidism during pregnancy have focused on several questions. Is thyroid function increased in the normal pregnant woman? Does thyroid hormone cross the placenta in important amounts? Should the pregnant woman with hyperthyroidism be treated medically or surgically? Is intellectual development normal in the offspring of women treated .xa0.xa0.

Comprehensive handbook of iodine

Comprehensive handbook of iodine : , Comprehensive handbook of iodine : , کتابخانه دیجیتال جندی شاپور اهواز

TSH regulation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity in the thyroid

Summary TSH-regulated activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase has been demonstrated in calf thyroid slices. Despite the apparently high basal levels of cAMP in the thyroid, small changes in cAMP concentration in response to the phosphodiesterase inhibitor 1-methyl-3-isobutyl xanthine caused a significant activation of the kinase intracellularly. When TSH was added to the incubation medium there was a time-dependent and dose-dependent activation of the kinase which was closely correlated with the concentration of cAMP in the tissue. Homogenization of the tissue in NaCl to prevent re-association of the kinase subunits demonstrated that 16 mU/ml of TSH was sufficient for almost complete activation of kinase intracellularly.

The submicrosomal distribution of radioactive proteins released by puromycin from the bound ribosomes of rat liver microsomes labelled in vitro

Abstract 1. The puromycin-mediated release of labelled-nascent proteins from bound ribosomes was examined in rat liver microsomes labelled in vitro with [ 14 C]leucine. Subfractions were prepared from labelled control and puromycin-treated microsomes either by treatment with 0.25 % sodium deoxycholate or by sonication. 2. When the microsomes were fractionated by sodium deoxycholate, the distribution of the acid-insoluble radioactivity among the microsomal subfractions indicated that the puromycin-mediated release could be directed either toward the microsomal membrane or toward the intravesicular space. An unequivocal interpretation is not possible because of subfraction contamination and protein binding phenomena. 3. However, the distribution of radioactivity following gel filtration of deoxycholate-solubilized labelled microsomal membranes, or dispersion of the labelled microsomes by sonication, suggest that the direction of the puromycin-mediated release is toward the microsomal membrane rather than toward the intravesicular lumen.

Aspiration Needle Biopsy of the Thyroid

Excerpt Interest in a nonoperative diagnostic approach to thyroid nodules recently has been rekindled by the report of excessive thyroid neoplasms, both benign and malignant, found in a large numbe...