Search Results

Abstract.

Anti-thyroid antibodies are frequently found in otherwise normal populations (4.5–25.8%); however, there is scanty information about thyroid function status in affected individuals. In this report, the serum concentrations of TSH, T₃, T₄, rT₃ and TBG and the titre of anti-thyroglobulin and anti-microsomal antibodies (haemagglutination technique) were studied in 520 healthy school children (260 boys and 260 girls) aged 6.0–17.9 years. Titres equal or greater than 1:16 of one or both antibodies were detected in 58 boys and in 77 girls (in 33 boys and in 24 girls with, and in 25 boys and 43 girls without, associated abnormalities in the serum concentrations of one or several hormones). The age distribution of thyroid antibodies followed a trimodal pattern with peaks at 7, 11 and 16–17 years in both sexes. The most striking finding was an abnormally elevated T₃ concentration in 22 boys and 5 girls with positive antibodies, with no symptoms of thyroid dysfunction and with no clear relationship with simultaneous abnormalities in TSH, T₄ or rT₃; however, in 5 boys the TBG serum levels were increased. Serum from these patients was incubated with [¹²⁵I]T₃ before free radioactivity was precipitated with dextran-coated charcoal and the aliquots were analyzed by paper electrophoresis. Serum samples with high T₃ levels bound significantly more radioactivity than normal or T₃-free serum (P < 0.001) and an abnormal peak of radioactivity was present in the gamma globulin fraction, in the former but not in the latter two types of sera. The presence of high serum T₃ levels in the absence of clinical symptoms of hyperthyroidism was probably due to sequestration of T₃ by the anti-thyroglobulin antibody, which may have cross-reactivity with T₃ and T₄, as has previously been demonstrated both in animals and humans.

ABSTRACT

This study was carried out in order to determine whether children with a transitory type of growth hormone deficiency showed an accelerated growth in height velocity on treatment with human growth hormone (HGH).

Following careful diagnostic routine procedures 13 extremely short children were diagnosed as having isolated growth hormone deficiency, and were successfully treated with HGH. A true isolated growth hormone deficiency was present in 5 of the children, whereas 8 showed a normal increase in serum growth hormone on repeated growth hormone stimulation tests after their development of puberty and termination of HGH treatment. Three boys with bone ages of 5.5, 8.0 and 9.5 years showed an undisputable effect following HGH administration. They showed an initial growth at the start of treatment, and a second growth spurt during development of puberty. Two of the boys reached final statures of 14 cm taller than the predicted heights. The other patients, including the children with true isolated growth hormone deficiency showed an initial spurt of growth at the start of the HGH treatment immediately followed by a pubertal growth spurt. The mean acceleration of height velocity for the children with true isolated growth hormone deficiency was from 3.4 cm during the year before treatment to 7.0 cm during the first year on treatment, as compared to 2.8 and 7.4 cm, respectively, for the children with transitory growth hormone deficiency. A girl with severe anorexia nervosa who had a transitory growth hormone deficiency, showed an accelerated high velocity from 1.1 cm to 7.6 cm during the first year following treatment with HGH.

The question whether HGH treatment should be made available to all short children with no known syndrome, and presenting a height less than −3.5 sds, a bone age/chronological age ratio of less than ⅔, and a height velocity less than −2 sds is discussed. The only way to know if a child will respond to HGH treatment is to give it for a trial period of at least six months. At least a physiological stimulus to growth hormone secretion should be decisive in the selection of growth retarded children for HGH treatment. Different mechanisms seem to be responsible for physiological growth hormone secretion to sleep or exercise, and the secretion obtained with pharmacological stimuli.

ABSTRACT

Nine patients (8 girls and 1 boy) suffering from precocious puberty received daily 100 mg/m² cyproterone acetate orally. This treatment inhibited the vaginal bleeding; breast-size and the axillary hair and pubic hair did not further increase. The height increment per year and the bone maturation slowed down. The urinary excretion of androgens was temporarily diminished. It is probable that the growth prognosis could be improved by the administration of cyproterone acetate.

ABSTRACT

Plasma gonadotrophins (LH and FSH) were radio-immunoassayed before and after injection of 0.1 mg/m² of synthetic luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) in infants 1 to 12 months old, prepubertal children aged more than 12 months, and pubertal subjects of both sexes. The pubertal changes of gonadotrophins include a highly significant increase of LH pituitary mobilizable reserve in both sexes, while the FSH reserve shows a significant decrease in females and no significant variation in males. From the first year of life up to childhood, the basal blood levels of FSH and LH decrease significantly in girls but do not vary in boys, while the FSH reserve decreases significantly in girls and increases significantly in boys, the LH reserve showing a non-significant decrease in both sexes. In the first year of life, girls show a very significantly higher FSH secretion and reserve than boys, while boys have a significantly higher LH reserve than girls. After the end of the first year up to the onset of puberty, the FSH reserve remains significantly higher in girls than in boys. The interpretation of these facts is discussed.

ABSTRACT

A heterologous radioimmunoassay for human prolactin (hPRL) was developed, using a rabbit anti-ovine PRL (oPRL) which cross-reacted with hPRL and hPRL (Lewis 203-1) as tracer and standard. The sensitivity (0.02 ng hPRL) and the values obtained were comparable to those in homologous assays. When the immunoreactivity of a variety of hPRL preparations was compared, Friesen-71 hPRL was the most immunoreactive preparation, Lewis 203-1 and 201-195-1 hPRL had 75.6%, Friesen-C hPRL 54.4 %, and the Medical Research Council Standard (# 71-222) 27.5% of the immunoreactivity of Friesen-71 hPRL. hPRL content in 6 hGH preparations ranged from 0.001 to 0.2 %. Antibodies to hPRL were detected in 2 anti-hGH sera. The mean concentration of plasma hPRL in adult females (8.5 ± 1.5 ng/ml ± se) was significantly higher than in males (5.2 ± 0.5; P = 0.025). Plasma values of hPRL in girls between 4 and 17 years of age (7.2 ± 0.5) were not significantly different than in boys of the same age (6.0 ± 0.5). No variation in basal levels was found during puberty in girls, or with age in boys. The concentration of plasma hPRL was increased in pregnant women, newborn infants and in patients with galactorrhoea. Anencephalic infants had hPRL levels comparable to healthy newborns. The mean concentrations of plasma hPRL in patients with idiopathic isolated hGH deficiency or with idiopathic multiple pituitary hormone deficiencies were significantly higher than in normal subjects. Low to normal basal levels were measured in patients with hypothalamic tumour. Eight of 22 acromegalic patients had elevated hPRL levels; 5 female acromegalics had a significant rise in plasma hPRL values following injection of synthetic thyrotrophin releasing factor (TRF), but no increase after luteinizing hormone releasing factor (LRF). In conclusion, the heterologous radioimmunoassay for hPRL, using an anti-oPRL serum, has the requisite specificity, sensitivity, precision and reproducibility for clinical use.

ABSTRACT

In an endocrine survey of healthy girls aged 8 to 20 years before and after the menarche the serum TSH was measured by radioimmunoassay along with some parameters of thyroid function which are described separately. The subjects were grouped according to the skeletal age (SA) until the menarche and after this in the post-menarcheal age (PMA) expressed in years.

The TSH value was highest in the youngest age group and from then on decreased. However, within 0.5 years after the menarche another significantly elevated TSH peak occurred. There was no significant difference between the means for TSH before (5.4 μU/ml) and after the menarche (5.7 μU/ml). Both values, however, as well as the means for almost all the individual age groups, were significantly higher than the mean for 13 boys aged 12 to 16 years (3.9 μU/ml) and that for normal adults (3.6 μU/ml). When the girls were grouped according to the stage of puberty, the TSH peak at the time of menarche disappeared. When they were grouped according to SA, a gradual declining trend was seen from age 8 to 16 years.

It is concluded that the maturation process in girls in some way involves a significant elevation of serum TSH and an increase in the total and free T₄ level which is not dependent on binding proteins.

ABSTRACT

Groups of starved female rats were treated with either testosterone propionate, 19-norandrostenolone phenylpropionate (Nandrolone, Durabolin) or bovine growth hormone (BGH). The effect of these hormones on the concentration of the plasma unesterified fatty acids (UFA) was then studied in blood withdrawn from the heart daily. As controls groups of rats were treated with either oil or saline, i. e. the vehicles for the above named hormones. It was found that both testosterone and Nandrolone caused a marked increase in plasma UFA concentrations, similar to the effects obtained by growth hormone.

Accepting UFA as an index of the metabolic activity of adipose tissue, it is concluded that testosterone and its less androgenic derivative Nandrolone possess fat mobilizing properties. In view of the fact that during puberty in boys the subcutaneous fat tissue decreases as compared with girls and that eunuchs have a tendency to obesity, it is suggested that androgens play an active physiological role in adipose tissue metabolism.

Very little is known yet about thyroid hormone transport capacity of the serum and thyroid hormone protein binding in children. Except for the studies by Haddad (1) and by Dreyer and Man (2), all observations so far published are concerned with hormone transport mechanisms in the adult. In order to establish reference values, thyroid function tests were performed in 35 eumetabolic children (20 boys and 15 girls) aged from 6 weeks to 11 years. In vitro erythrocyte uptake of T³ was measured according to the procedure of Hamolsky et al. (3). Protein binding of T⁴ was studied at progressive degrees of saturation by paper electrophoresis in tris-maleate buffer at pH 8.6 according to Ingbar et al. (4). Values were compared with those from a group of 21 euthyroid adults, tested in the same laboratory. PBI was found to be higher in children than in adults. This tendency has been noted

Groups of starved female rats were treated with either testosterone propionate, 19-nor-androstenolone-phenyl-propionate (Nandrolone, Durabolin) or bovine growth hormone (BGH), and the effect of these hormones on the concentration of the plasma unesterified fatty acids (UFA) was studied for several days. For control conditions groups of rats were treated with either oil or saline, the vehicles of the above named hormones. It was found that both testosterone and Nandrolone caused a marked increase in plasma UFA concentrations, similar to the effects obtained by growth hormone (1).

Accepting UFA as an index of the metabolic activity of adipose tissue (2), it is concluded that testosterone and its less androgenic derivative Nandrolone possess fat mobilizing properties. Considering that during puberty in boys the subcutaneous fat tissue decreases as compared to girls (3) and that eunuchs have a tendency towards obesity (4), it is suggested that androgens play an active physiologic role in adipose

Cytologic aspiration biopsy of the thyroid was used in 48 of 63 children being the material of juvenile atoxic goitre (aged 10–15 years) from the last 31/2 years in Gothenburg. Cytologic signs of lymphoid thyroiditis were found in 23 girls and 3 boys.

Clinical signs and symptoms in 35 children with auto-immune thyroiditis are reported. One third had no complaints apart from the goitre, 12 were more or less hypothyroid and the rest had chiefly mild and diffuse symptoms. Increased firmness of the goitre was found in 27 of 32 cases, the surface was nodular or bosselated in 15.

Thyroid function: PBI was low only in 3 cases with myxedema, was above the upper normal limit in several cases. The difference between the PBI- and the BEI-levels was disproportionately great in most cases examined. The thyroid uptake of I¹³¹ showed abnormal discharge of iodide in every fourth patient.

Thyroid antibodies: