H. Hvid Hansen

Pentagastrin, calcium and whisky stimulated serum calcitonin in medullary carcinoma of the thyroid.

The efficiency of pentagastrin, calcium and whisky in raising serum immunoreactive calcitonin (S-iCT) concentrations was analysed in 6 patients with medullary carcinoma of the thyroid and in 8 healthy controls. All 6 patients responded to pentagastrin with a significant increase in S-iCT, 5 responded to calcium and only 3 to whisky. In the 8 controls no or only a modest increase in S-iCT occurred following pentagastrin, calcium and whisky with no difference between the three. It is concluded that pentagastrin is the most useful stimulative agent for ICT secretion in patients with C-cell neoplasms. In selected cases the additional use of calcium could be advantageous.

Radioimmunoassay of calcitonin in unextracted human serum: A sensitive method

A sensitive sequential direct radioimmunoassay of calcitonin (CT) is described. Human synthetic monomer CT was used for 125I-labelling and for preparation of standard sera. The antibody (rabbit) was directed against mid-portion and C-terminal parts of the human CT molecule. No significant cross reactivity with salmon or porcine CT was found. Separation of free from antibody-bound 125I-labelled CT was performed using a double antibody-polyethyleneglycol mixture. Dilution curves of sera from normal controls and patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma (MCT) were parallel to the standard curve. Recoveries of 25-400 ng/l CT were in the range of 88-138%. The intraassay coefficients of variation (CV) were 6% and 3% at serum concentrations of 90 and 230 ng/l respectively. The interassay CV were 13% and 10% at mean serum CT concentrations of 50 and 210 ng/l respectively. The lower limit of detection was 20 ng/l. Thirty-one healthy controls had serum CT levels in the range of 35-135 ng/l. Elevated basal serum CT concentrations were found in all of 11 patients with MCT and the serum concentrations increased markedly after pentagastrin stimulation. Subsequent thyroidectomy in eight of the 11 patients with MCT reduced basal serum CT levels, in six to within the reference range for normals.

Bone mineral content in osteogenesis imperfecta tarda and in otosclerosis.

In 22 patients with osteogenesis imperfecta and in 63 patients with otosclerosis the bone mineral content in peripheral bones was determined by photon absorptiometry. The bone mineral content proved significantly reduced in patients with osteogenesis imperfecta as compared with normals and with patients with otosclerosis. In the latter patients the bone mineral content was normal. These findings support the assumption that stapedial fixation in otosclerosis and in osteogenesis imperfecta is of different aetiology.

Serum calcitonin and bone mineral content in patients with osteogenesis imperfecta.

Serum calcitonin and bone mineral content in the forearm, measured by photon absorptiometry, were investigated in 21 patients with osteogenesis imperfecta tarda. The bone mineral content was significantly reduced as compared with normal controls, whereas the bone mineral content corrected for bone width was normal in adult patients but subnormal in children and young adults. Serum calcitonin did not differ significantly from that in normal individuals and no relation was found between serum calcitonin and bone mineral content.

Food-Stimulated Serum Calcitonin Concentrations in Patients with Ulcer Negative Dyspepsia, Duodenal Ulcer and in Controls

In 12 normals serum calcitonin (CT) concentration decreased significantly when eating wtih a return to basal value and a significant postprandial fall. No difference was observed in the food-stimulated CT secretion between duodenal ulcer patients and normals. In 25 patients with ulcer negative dyspepsia a significant increase in serum CT concentration occurred during food intake followed by a return to basal level and a secondary significant rise. The pattern in patients with ulcer negative dyspepsia differed significantly from patients with duodenal ulcer and normals.

Calcium Metabolism Evaluated by 47Ca Kinetics Methodologic Aspects with Optimization of a Whole-Body Counter

Optimization of a four-crystal stretcher geometry whole-body (WB) counter was performed. The measured geometric characteristic did not differ significantly from the theoretically calculated characteristic (p greater than 0.05). The linearity of the WB counter was high in the range 3.7 kBq to 3.7 MBq. Longtime variability of local background was CV = 3.7 per cent. In vivo sensitivity was calculated to 18 cpm/kBq and the detection limit to about 5 kBq. The reproducibility was estimated to 0.7 per cent. The WB counter was used in 47Ca turnover and calcium balance studies of 15 normal individuals. The data were analysed according to a modification of the expanding calcium pool model using an improved Bauer-Carlsson-Lindquist formulation. Variability and method errors of main parameters for calcium metabolism were evaluated.

Separation of Labelled Iodide, Iodoprotein, Iodotyrosines, and Iodothyronines in Serum from Patients Treated with Iodine-131, Using an Improved Chromatographic Method

A method is described for complete separation of iodoprotein, 3-iodotyrosine (MIT), 3,5-diiodotyrosine (DIT), 3,5,3-triiodo-L-thyronine (T3), and L-throxine (T4) on a single column run on Sephadex G-25 superfine in alkaline solution. Sera from patients treated with 131I- have been analysed by this method after removal of I- by resin dialysis.

Relation Between Severity of Thyrotoxlcosis and Response to 131I Therapy

The relation between the severity of hyperthyroidism and response to 131I therapy was tested in a group of 45 patients 6 to 12 months after therapy. At following treatment 7 patients were hypothyroid, 13 euthyroid and 25 hyperthyroid. The absolute iodine uptake and gland size was significantly higher in the hyperthyroid group compared with the other groups. The radiation dose was similar in the groups, but the ratio between dose and uptake was significantly lower in the hyperthyroid group.