Endocrine Abstracts

Proteins associated with pregnancy urine and urinary-derived hCG preparations have been associated with stimulation of Candida albicans, induction of apoptosis in Kaposi's sarcoma, and inhibition of HIV replication. The active components have been previously reported to be 18 kDa, 15-30 kDa and 2-4 kDa proteins, and suggested in one study to be a ribonuclease (1).The urinary hCG preparation CG-10 (supplied by Sigma Chemical Company Ltd) is known to be pa...

To elucidate biochemical evidence for follicular and oocyte maturation, inhibin-A, inhibin-B and activin-A concentrations were measured in 200 follicular fluid samples from follicles ranging from 10.2mm to 36mm in diameter. Inhibin-A concentrations varied from 7.93-436 ng/ml with a mean value was 40.1ng/ml; Inhibin B concentrations varied from 9.7-786 ng/ml with a mean value of 187.3ng/ml; Activin A concentrations varied from 1.73-267.9 ng/ml with a mean value of 40.3ng/ml. Ex...

Background: Being little known about the biochemistry behind the follicular content or granulosa cells surrounding a mature oocyte in Assisted Reproductive Technology, our study set up to investigate the changes in steroid and cytokines' productions by cultured granulosa cells (GC) taken from individual follicles from women undergoing Controlled Ovarian Hyperstimulation (COH).MATERIALS AND METHODS: Granulosa cells isolated from 75 individual follicles we...

Metabolism of the dimeric glycoprotein hormone human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) results in the urinary excretion of hCG beta core fragment originating from the beta subunit of hCG (hCGbeta). hCG beta core fragmant retains a certain antigenic shape as well as two metabolically processed N-linked oligosaccharides. Hyperglycosylation of hCGbeta has been used as an indication of aberrant pregnancy especially in malignant disease. We have previously characterised the carbohydrat...

Introduction: Thyroid imaging in the newborns referred with TSH elevation is helpful in establishing a lifelong diagnosis of congenital hypothyroidism (CH), in defining the cause and hence assisting with genetic counselling and in gauging thyroxine requirement.Study aims: To compare diagnostic success when using one, two, three or all four (Quattro mode) of the following modalities – pre-treatment venous thyroid function tests (TFTs), quantitative t...