Electronic Library of Scientific Literature
Electronic Library of Scientific Literature
Volume 33 / No. 1 / 1999
J. Lebl, A. Sediva, H. Frisch, S. Riedl, E. Balzar, H. Krasnicanova
Department of Paediatrics, 3rd Faculty of Medicine,
1st Department of Paediatrics and
Institute of Clinical Immunology, 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles
University, Prague, Czech Republic
Department of Paediatrics, University Hospital Vienna, Vienna,
Austria
Objective. To evaluate the effect of growth hormone
treatment on growth, levels of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I)
and lymphocyte subsets in immunosuppressed renal allograft recipients.
Methods. 18 children (aged 8.0-16.6 years) received growth
hormone 1 IU/Kg/week daily for two years. Height, IGF-I levels
and in 11/18 patients, lymphocyte subsets were evaluated serially.
Results. Standardized growth velocity increased from -1.0±1.5
to +1.2±2.2 and standardized IGF-I levels from +0.8±1.5
to +3.1±1.1 (1 year) and to +1.4±1.7 (2 years).
The total lymphocyte count and the number of T lymphocytes
(CD3+) decreased. The decrease was more marked in CD8+ (from 1.5±0.3
x109/L to 0.9±0.3 x109/L, 1 year
and to 0.8±0.1 x109/L, 2 years) compared to
CD4+ (from 1.5±0.3 x109/L to 1.0±0.2
x109/L, 1 year and to 1.3±0.2 x109/L,
2 years), resulting in an increment of the CD4+/CD8+ index.
Conclusions. The differential effect of growth hormone
treatment on CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes might be explained by different
expression of the IGF-I receptor in these distinct subsets.
Key words: Growth hormone - Renal transplantation -
IGFI - Lymphocyte subsets - Children
pp. 3-8
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M. Tajtakova, J. Capova, J. Bires, E. Sebokova, J. Petrovicova, P. Langer
1st Clinic of Internal Medicine and
1st Clinic of Gynecology and
Institute of Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, P.J. Safarik University,
049 66 Kosice, Slovakia;
Clinical Laboratory, University of Veterinary Medicine, Kosice;
Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Slovak Academy of Sciences,
Bratislava
Objective. To estimate thyroid volume (ThV) in primiparous
(PP) and multiparous (MP) mothers (MO) and their newborns (NB)
as related to their urinary iodine and thus contribute to the
question on the interrelation between iodine intake during the
pregnancy and thyroid function in pregnant women.
Methods. The ThV by ultrasound was estimated in a total
of 258 MO (108 PP and 150 MP)) and their newborns on the 4th-7th
day after delivery. There were 227 in term and 31 preterm (before
37th week) deliveries. In addition, ThV was estimated in double
amount of controls (216 vs. PP and 300 vs. MP) in the same age
range and nearly age matched which were either nulliparous or
did not have delivery within last 12 months.
Urinary iodine concentration was estimated in spot urine samples
obtained from 75 MO and their NB and milk iodine in 44 milk samples
obtained between the 4th and 7th day after delivery.
Results. On the first week after delivery, the ThV in all
258 MO was significantly higher than that in 516 of nearly age
matched females (mean±S.D.: 14.87±4.93 ml vs. 10.61±4.02
ml, resp., P<0.01). Although the ThV was lower in 108 PP than
in 150 MP women (mean±S.D.: 13.85±4.51 ml vs. 15.59±5.11
ml, resp., P<0.01), it was still significantly higher (P<0.01)
than that in a double amount of nearly age matched controls
for PP (9.96±3.15 ml) and MP (11.07±4.48 ml).
Mean ThV found in all 258 NB was 0.60±0.21 ml (median 0.5
ml, range 0.2-1.6 ml), the values in those born in term being
higher than in preterms (mean±S.D. 0.62±0.20 ml
vs. 0.45±0.12 ml; P<0.01). No correlation was found
between the ThV and body weight in NB. However, significant correlation
was found between the ThV in all 257 NO and their NB (r=0.292,
P<0.05).
The mean value of urinary iodine in mothers on the first week
after delivery was 9.0±7.2 µg/dl (median 6.1, range
3.0-47.2). The average urinary iodine in primiparous was slightly
higher than that in multiparous mothers (10.3 vs. 8.4 µg/dl;
not significant). In newborns, the mean urinary iodine in the
first week after birth was 11.6±7.6 µg/dl (median
6.5, range 0.745.0).
Conclusions. The finding of about 30 % higher ThV in 258
mothers after delivery than that in double amount of nearly age
matched women (P<0.01) who were either nulliparous or did not
have delivery at least within last 12 months shows that, in spite
of general satisfactory iodine intake in Slovak population, the
iodine intake during pregnancy was not satisfactory. This is supported
by the data on urinary iodine which was higher in primiparous
than in multiparous women.
Key words: Thyroid volume - Ultrasound - Mothers - Newborns
- Urinary iodine - Human milk iodine
pp. 9-15
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M. Karbownik, H. Modrzejewska, A. Gesing, J. Greger, A. Lewinski
Department of Thyroidology, Institute of Endocrinology and
Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Physiology and Biochemistry,
Medical University of Lodz, Poland
Objective. To examine thymidine kinase (TK - ATP: thymidine
5'-phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.21) activity in homogenates of
rat thyroid lobes incubated in vitro with epidermal growth
factor (EGF).
Methods. The thyroid lobes were collected from euthyroid,
hypothyroid and/or hyperthyroid animals. Hypothyroidism was developed
in the experimental rats by an administration of 0.1 % solution
of propylthiouracil (PTU) in drinking water for 2 weeks, while
hyperthyroidism was obtained by daily i.p. injections of L-thyroxine
(50 µg/kg, B.W.), also for 2 weeks. After collecting, the
thyroids were incubated for 4 hours in RPMI 1640 medium with an
addition of 20 mM of Hepes buffer, 15% FCS, penicillin (200 U/ml),
streptomycin (10 µg/ml) and with EGF (Sigma) (0.1 ng/ml,
10 ng/ml, 1000 ng/ml). The control lobes were incubated without
any addition of EGF to the medium. TK activity was expressed
as the amount of reaction products, measured by ascending chromatography.
Results. 1. in the absence of EGF, TK activity in the homogenates
of thyroid lobes from hypothyroid rats was lower, while it was
higher in the lobes from hyperthyroid animals, when compared to
these obtained from euthyroid controls; 2. EGF in the concentration
of 0.1 ng/ml or 1000 ng/ml decreased, while that in the concentration
of 10 ng/ml increased TK activity in lobes collected from euthyroid
or hyperthyroid rats; 3. in the tissue collected from hypothyroid
rats, the addition of EGF (0.1 ng/ml or 10 ng/ml) caused a slight
increase in TK activity versus hypothyroid controls - a tendency
towards diminishing TK activity could be observed as parallel
to increasing EGF concentration.
Conclusions. TK activity in the homogenates of rat thyroid
lobes depends on the functional thyroid status and on applied
EGF concentration in vitro.
Key words: Hypothyroidism - Hyperthyroidism - Rat thyroid
- Thymidine kinase - EGF
pp. 17-23
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T. Harder, A. Rake, W. Rohde, G. Doerner, A. Plagemann
Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Humboldt University Medical School (Charité), 10098 Berlin, Germany
Objective. Since the offspring of gestational diabetic
mothers (GD) is at increased risk to develop obesity and diabetogenic
disturbances later in life, while pathophysiological mechanisms
responsible are unclear, to investigate long-term consequences
of neonatal hyperinsulinism occurring characteristically in GD
offspring.
Methods. Newborn Wistar rats received daily subcutaneous
injections of a long-acting insulin from the 8th to 11th
day of life (IRI), while in controls (CO) NaCl was applicated.
Body weight was recorded throughout life. Glucose tolerance test
was performed on the 140th day of life (1.5 g/kg glucose injected
i.p. after an overnight fast and blood samples were taken up to
90 min from retroorbital plexus). On the 240th day of life, the
vulnerability to a single "subdiabetogenic" dose
of streptozotocin (STZ; 25 mg/kg body weight) was tested. Blood
samples for estimating glucose levels were taken before STZ, and
subsequently on days 2, 7, 14, 21, and 28 after STZ.
Results. IRI rats developed overweight during juvenile
life until adulthood (P<0.001), characterized by a clear
elevation of the Lee obesity index (P<0.005), and associated
with basal hyperglycaemia (P<0.05), hyperinsulinaemia (P<0.05),
as well as an increased insulin/glucose-ratio as a measure
of insulin resistance (P<0.005). Impaired glucose tolerance
occurred in early adulthood, and increased vulnerability to a "subdiabetogenic"
dose of streptozotocin (see above), leading to significant hyperglycaemia
(P<0.05), was evaluated in the 9th month of age. Accompanied
by a transient reduction of hyperinsulinaemia during a period
of 21 days, Lee obesity index and insulin/glucose-ratio decreased
significantly after STZ treatment in IRI rats (P<0.01).
Conclusions. Overweight and increased diabetes susceptibility
in adulthood due to temporary hyperinsulinism during a critical
period of postnatal life are suggested to be a consequence
of acquired dysregulation and overstimulation, respectively, of
the pancreatic insulin secretion in rats.
Key words: Perinatal hyperinsulinism - Overweight -
Insulin resistance - Streptozotocin - Diabetes susceptibility
pp. 25-31
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R.Tz. Denkova, B. Nikolov, A. Russinova
Institute of Experimental Morphology and Anthropology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
Objective. To extend our previous observations of granulosa
cell conditioned medium inhibition on basal and FSH-stimulated
progesterone secretion by granulosa cells from large porcine antral
follicles.
Methods. Granulosa cell conditioned media (SGCCM) were
obtained from cultures of granulosa cells which were harvested
from small porcine antral follicles. SGCCM were fractionated by
filtration through an Amicon XM-50 and an PM-10 membrane.
Results. Two fractions - XM-50 filtrate (<50 kDa) and
PM-10 retentate (10-50 kDa) - exhibited well expressed inhibitory
effect on the progesterone secretion from large follicle granulosa
cells in vitro. Such inhibitory effect was fully prevented
by heat treatment, partially inactivated by trypsin digestion
(P<0.05), but was resistant to several freeze-thaw cycles and
storage at -20 or -70 oC for up to one year.
Conclusions. It is suggested that SGCCM contains some regulatory
substance(s) capable of inhibiting progesterone secretion by cultured
granulosa cells and that the molecular weight of such substance
is presumably between 10-50 kDa.
Key words: Granulosa cells - Tissue culture - Progesterone
secretion - Inhibitory substance
pp. 33-37
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P. Langer
Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 833 06 Bratislava, Slovakia
Although the goitre seems to be well defined at least from
clinical point of view, it is virtually impossible to find the
precise definition of the opposite side of what should be the
normal thyroid as concerns its size, histological structure and
namely the level of growth stimulation by the external factors
(such as TSH) and intrinsic tissue growth factors. Theoretically,
the normal thyroid should be able to cover the requirements of
the organism for the hormone in a reasonably large range
without being stimulated to grow by any external or internal factors.
So far, the search for normal thyroid has been conducted by several
ways: 1. by post mortem thyroid weight, 2. by palpation, 3. by
ultrasound. As based on post mortem thyroid weight, until the
middle of this century a typical thyroid gland was considered
to be about 20-25 g with the accepted upper normal size of
30 g, while more recent studies in iodine replete population have
reported mean weights of about 10 g and an upper normal size
20 g. According to several classifications for thyroid palpation
the unpalpable thyroid should be allotted to the Grade 0 which
is defined as "normal gland", "no goiter at all",
"absence of goiter" etc.
The first recommendation of normal thyroid volume for children
and adolescents as estimated by ultrasound has been developed
by Gutekunst and Teichert (1994). However, this was later challenged
by the findings of considerable number of thyroid volumes which
were higher than the upper limit of that recommendation as found
in the countries with satisfactory values of urinary iodine (Delange
et al. 1997). Nevertheless, recently it appeared that about 10-15
percent of adolescent thyroids show increased thyroid growth rate
which significantly differs from the majority and which might
be related to different tuning of molecular growth mechanism presumably
of genetic origin (Tajtakova et al. 1998; Langer et al., in press).
From, this follows that a certain number of enlarged thyroids
apparently should not be included into a normal range.
Key words: Goiter - Normal thyroid - Thyroid and sex
- Ultrasound - Iodine
pp. 39-45
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