Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Vasopressin, secreted in equimolar amounts with copeptin, is implicated as a stimulus for ACTH secretion during dynamic tests, such as Glucagon Stimulation Test (GST) or Insulin Tolerance Test (ITT). Some individuals with intact ACTH-cortisol axis, demonstrate, however, a lack of further cortisol stimulation during GST. We have assessed whether failure of further ACTH-cortisol increase during GST may be associated with an inadequate vasopressin/copeptin release.</p...

Background: Precise mechanism(s) responsible for stimulation of growth hormone (GH) and cortisol during Glucagon Stimulation Test (GST) are not clear, but seem to be related to glucagon-induced fluctuations in glucose and/or insulin with an initial increase followed by a subsequent fall in glucose and insulin concentrations. We have endeavoured to assess whether elimination of fall in glucose concentrations during GST would obliterate any significant increase in GH and cortiso...

Fc Receptor-like (FCRL) genes play a role in the immune system by encoding proteins that function as receptors on the surface of immune cells. Peripheral blood B cells, which are positive for FCRL3 and FCRL4, are rarely found in healthy individuals. In previous studies overexpression of FCRL4 was observed in patients with Graves’ disease (GD) but without association with thyroid peroxidase (TPOAb) or thyroglobulin (TgAb) antibodies. Nonetheless, the clinical significance ...

The reference ranges of thyroid function tests during pregnancy are still being debated, even in ethnically homogenous populations. The defining of the normal range is of importance, as it influences therapeutic decisions, particularly the use (or over-use) of levothyroxine in this vulnerable population. The study was aimed at the longitudinal assessment of thyroid function tests results in marginally iodine sufficient Polish population of pregnant women. The study was perform...

IntroductionDiagnostics of thyroid dysfunctions is frequently based on the measurements of TSH serum concentration only. Currently, due to a tendency to minimize stressful situations for a child (such as venipuncture to take a blood sample), some tests (i.e. TSH assessment) are performed at the Primary Healthcare Centre while other diagnostic tests (e.g. during an infection) are run. If TSH serum concentration is outside the reference range, it leads to ...