Endocrine Abstracts

ObjectiveThyroid replacement therapy needs careful titration, and recently there has been discussion regarding the bioavailability of different thyroxine preparations [1]We have taken the opportunity of comparing thyroid function in 18 females who were enrolled in a trial studying the effects of thyroxine therapy on subclinical hypothyroidism [SCH].MethodsThese patients (at entry to tri...

The hypothalamo-pituitary–thyroid (HPT) axis serves to maintain appropriate systemic levels of thyroid hormone (TH) through a negative feedback pathway via the hypothalamic arcuate and paraventricular nuclei. However, the effects of TH in other hypothalamic regions are poorly understood. Triiodothyronine (T3) administration to the hypothalamic ventromedial nucleus (VMN) induces a potent hyperphagic response, although it is unclear whether this is part of a nove...

The presence of thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) is a marker of autoimmune thyroid disease and, when present in early pregnancy, is predictive of postpartum thyroiditis. In the course of undertaking the Controlled Antenatal Thyroid Screening Study we have taken the opportunity to measure TPOAb in a large number of samples from 11–16 weeks gestation by 3 different assays.The assays were (1) an in-house ELISA; (2) Bayer ADVIA Centaur anti-TPO ass...

A 13-year-old girl with a history of developmental dyspraxia, enamel hypoplasia and a raised creatinine kinase (CK) presented to her GP with fatigue on any physical exertion including walking. On questioning she has always complained of muscle pain and tiring easily since she was a young child. On blood testing it was identified that she was profoundly hypocalcaemic with a calcium adjusted for albumin of 1.52 mmol/l, phosphate of 3.20 mmol/l, parathyroid hormone (PTH) of 1.5 p...

Thyroid physiology in early pregnancy is characterised by an increase of thyroxine binding globulin. This has been taken into account when using total T4 (TT4) if a ‘T3 uptake test (TUp)’ is used to derive the FTI. The American Thyroid Association Guidelines (1990) recommend ceasing the use of uptake tests, although in the USA they are still widely used. The aim of this study is to compare the TT4 and TUp to the FT4 in early gestation. TT4, TUp, FT4 and TSH were meas...

This study aims to recruit 22,000 women in early gestation to screen for thyroid failure. The trial is randomised such that half the women are being tested in early gestation (group1) while the remainder (group 2) are tested after delivery. As T4 is important for the developing foetal brain, the IQ of the children from group 1, whose mothers will have been treated with T4, is expected to be higher than that from group 2.Women are entered on the basis of ...

Aim: To analyse outcome of transsphenoidal surgery for acromegaly in Wales using stringent remission criteria.Method: We retrospectively analysed 90 patients who underwent transsphenoidal surgery (performed by 3 surgeons) as initial therapy for acromegaly in our centre between January 1980 and December 2001. A combination of modern, evidence-based remission criteria including mean day curve GH < 5 mU/l and /or a nadir GH < 2 mU/l after an oral glucose tolerance test ...

Glucocorticoid actions in the brain are mediated by glucocorticoid receptors (GR) and mineralocorticoid receptors (MR). MR and GR bind endogenously circulating glucocorticoids, share a hormone response element in DNA, and are co-expressed in neurons of the hippocampus and hypothalamus. This arrangement suggests MR and GR functionally cooperate in the regulation of gene expression though hitherto poorly described mechanisms. This possibility was previously exampled by the demon...

Glucocorticoids act via the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). Upon ligand binding, GR translocates to the nucleus and binds directly to glucocorticoid responsive elements (GREs) to regulate transcriptional output. Glucocorticoid secretion increases in response to stress to affect transcriptional output within specific areas of the brain including the hippocampus (HC). Therefore, here we assess changes in genome-wide GR chromatin binding profiles in the rat HC in response to a gluc...