Endocrine Abstracts

The production of iodine containing thyroid hormones necessary for brain development in the fetus depends not only on maternal dietary intake but also on placental iodine transport.Previously, studies focused on finding the optimum level of iodine nutrition for expectant mothers. However, little knowledge exists on the ability of the placenta to either accumulate or even store iodine. This study aims to investigate iodine uptake and tissue iodine content...

C-terminal derivatives of hormones commonly have secondary actions. This is a well-established phenomenon, seen in the case of oxytocin, parathyroid hormone and alpha-melanotropin. Such derivatives can either complement or antagonise the action of the parent hormone. Thyroid-releasing-hormone (TRH) undergoes cleavage and cyclisation to form the C-terminal derivative histidinyl-proline-diketopiperazine (His-Pro-DKP). Despite conventional function via the endocrine HPT axis, the...