Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Fine needle aspiration (FNA) is used, in conjunction with clinical assessment and imaging, to assess thyroid nodules for suspected malignancy. Cytological assessment of FNA samples involves both a text report and classification into a diagnostic category Thy1–Thy 5. The cytological category Thy 2 describes a FNA sample assessed to be non-neoplastic. Current BTA guidelines recommend two FNA samples, 3–6 months apart, are obtained to exclude neoplasia.</p...

Towards the end of pregnancy, when maternal steroidogenesis is stimulated, the fetal adrenal gland undergoes significant developmental changes. To test responsiveness to external stimuli at this stage, we fed pregnant rats with diets containing 0.03% (low), 0.3% (normal) or 3% (high) sodium to manipulate aldosterone synthesis. Dietary sodium variations had no deleterious effects on numbers or weights of foetuses at embryo day 20. Maternal adrenal weights were unaffected by die...