Intraoperative calcitonin stimulation testing in the surgical treatment of C-cell disease.

OBJECTIVE: The prognosis of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), derived from parafollicular C-cells, depends on the completeness of the initial surgical excision. The C-cells produce calcitonin, a peptide hormone used as a biochemical and immunohistochemical tumor marker. The aim of the study was to evaluate an individualized approach to patients with C-cell disease, i.e. MTC and C-cell hyperplasia (CCH), using the intraoperative calcitonin testing-assisted surgical strategy as a predictor of the final outcome. STUDY DESIGN: A unicentre cross-sectional study. METHODS: From June 2009 to May 2015, thirty one patients with MTC/CCH were surgically treated primarily (n=24) or reoperated for persistence of the disease (n=7). Depending on the result of intraoperative calcitonin stimulation testing (iCST), patients underwent total thyroidectomy with or without lymph node dissection. All patients were tested repeatedly in the postoperative period (range 1 to 48 months). RESULTS: The iCST was true negative in all CCH, and ten out of eleven N0 MTC primarily operated patients, and true positive in one N0 patient and six of the seven reoperated patients. The test was false negative in two patients preoperatively evaluated as N+, one primarily operated and one reoperated, respectively. CONCLUSION: The results encourage the use of an individualised approach on patients with MTC/CCH, e.g. to be less radical surgically in cases of negative iCST, and to be more radical in those patients with persistent increase of serum calcitonin. The absence of post-stimulation calcitonin elevation in iCST seems to be a good prognosis indicator in patients with an early-stage C-cell disease, but longer follow-up is needed.

Physical activity induces depression-like behavior in intact male rats.

Testosterone affects behavior. Whether regular physical training does influence these effects is unknown. The assumption that testosterone induces muscular hypertrophy if combined with physical training has not been confirmed experimentally. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether activity and/or testosterone treatment affects depression-like behavior and to observe the effects of activity and testosterone on muscle fiber diameter. Forty-three male rats were divided into 4 groups: two groups (TST act and TST lazy) were treated with testosterone (5mg/kg) and two groups were used as control (CTRL act and CTRL lazy). Two of the groups (CTRL act and TST act) underwent 2weeks of exercise. The forced swim test was used as a test of depression-like behavior. Sex steroids were measured and the diameter of skeletal muscle fibers was evaluated. Testosterone was significantly higher in both testosterone-treated groups (p<0.001). Physically active groups had higher immobility times in the forced swim test than inactive groups. Groups CTRL act and TST lazy showed significantly larger diameter of muscle fibers in comparison to the TST act group. Our results suggest that physical activity induces depression-like behavior in rats. Controversial antagonistic effects of testosterone and physical activity on muscle fiber diameter were found.

Neuro- and immunomodulatory steroids and other biochemical markers in drug-naive schizophrenia patients and the effect of treatment with atypical antipsychotics.

OBJECTIVE: Serum levels of neuro- and immunomodulatory adrenal steroids together with selected hormonal, lipid and other relevant biochemical parameters were investigated to examine the differences between first-episode schizophrenia patients and age-matched healthy subjects, and the effect of treatment with atypical antipsychotics. METHODS: The patient´s group consisted of 22 drug-naive patients (13 men and 9 women), diagnosed with schizophrenia according to ICD-10 criteria, before and after six-months treatment with atypical antipsychotics of olanzapine or non-olanzapine type. Biochemical markers included steroids cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone, its sulfate, 7-hydroxylated metabolites of dehydroepiandrosterone, prolactin, thyrotropin, free thyroxine, autoantibodies against thyroid peroxidase and thyroglobulin, glucose levels, four major lipid parameters, homocysteine and three other aminothiols. Steroids, prolactin and thyroid parameters were determined by radioimmunoassays, the other markers by standard biochemical methods. RESULTS: Significantly lower dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and of 7α-hydroxy- dehydroepiandrosterone levels than in controls were found in male patients. In the female group, the only difference in steroid spectra was significantly higher cortisolemia in the patients. The patients had also higher titres of autoantibodies against thyroid peroxidase. Compared to controls, the patients displayed worse lipid spectra, and higher homocysteinemia. Medication did not lead to significant changes in the parameters, with the exception of expected increase in prolactin levels in non-olanzapine treated subgroups. CONCLUSION: Lower levels of 7α-hydroxydehydroepiandrosterone, abundant especially in brain, determined for the first time in schizophrenia patients, are in agreement with recent opinion of their neuroprotective and immunoprotective role. High levels of autoantibodies against thyroid peroxidase in the patients support the autoimmunity hypothesis of schizophrenia.

Short-term effect of soy consumption on thyroid hormone levels and correlation with phytoestrogen level in healthy subjects.

OBJECTIVE: Since soy isoflavones may influence the thyroid hormone feedback system by interference with their biosynthesis, secretion and metabolism, we tested whether their controlled shortterm consumption affects thyroid function. METHODS: Eighty six volunteers--university students (32 males and 54 females) were eating unprocessed boiled natural soybeans (2 g/kg body weight/day) for 7 consecutive days. Thyrotropin, free thyroid hormones, antibodies to thyroid peroxidase and to thyroglobulin, and actual levels of unconjugated major soy phytoestrogens, daidzein and genistein, were measured in sera collected before, at the end and one week after finishing soy meal consumption. RESULTS: Both phytoestrogens increased significantly (p<0.0001) at the end of soy-diet and fell down after its termination nearly back to the initial values. No significant changes were found in female group, while in males a significant transitory increase of thyrotropin (p<0.0001) was recorded. When actual levels of phytoestrogens were related to thyroid parameters, the only significant correlations were found between basal levels of daidzein and thyrotropin, daidzein and antithyroglobulin at the end of soy consumption in males, and between daidzein and free thyroxine at the end of the soy ingestion in females. CONCLUSION: Though only modest and transitory effects on thyroid parameters occurred after controlled short-term soy consumption, some actual thyroid hormone parameters do correlate with actual isoflavone levels.

Increased one week soybean consumption affects spatial abilities but not sex hormone status in men.

BACKGROUND: Increased soybean intake is often recommended for the prevention of hormone-dependent cancer, cardiovascular diseases and age-related cognitive decline. Although isolated phytoestrogens have shown these positive effects, the evidence for such influence of increased consumption of soybeans is lacking. AIM: To prove the effects of short-term increased soybean intake on sex hormone levels and spatial cognitive parameters in men. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Seven young healthy men were asked to eat 900 g soybeans during 1 week. Sex hormone levels were determined in saliva and plasma, and mental rotation and spatial visualization were quantified by standard psychometric tests. All parameters were assessed before and after the study. RESULTS: Plasma estradiol, total and free testosterone, as well as salivary testosterone and estradiol remained unchained. Spatial cognitive performance was improved after increased soybean intake when considering spatial visualization (P=0.03). The results for mental rotation showed similar dynamics, but the changes were not significant. CONCLUSION: Short-term increased soybean intake does not affect sex hormone status, but improves spatial cognitive performance in young healthy men.

Short-term soybean intake and its effect on steroid sex hormones and cognitive abilities.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of short-term soybean consumption on cognitive spatial abilities and changes in sex endocrine net in both genders. DESIGN: Short-term prospective intervention study. SETTING: Academic medical center. PATIENT(S): Fifty-four healthy females and 32 healthy males (18 - 25 y of age). INTERVENTION(S): Volunteers were asked to eat 2 g/kg per day of soybeans during 1 week. Saliva and plasma samples were taken, and psychometric tests were performed on the 1st (before soybean intake), 7th (after soybean intake), and 14th days (after washout period) of the study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Salivary T and plasma E(2) were measured. Mental rotation (MR) and spatial visualization (SV) tests were performed on the days of sampling. RESULT(S): Soybean intake did not change salivary T and plasma E(2) levels in men. During the washout period, both parameters have shown a tendency to rise. The effect of soybean intake on hormonal parameters in men was, however, dependent on the basal T levels. In women, salivary T as well as plasma E(2) levels showed a tendency toward a decline after soybean intake (the decrease in E(2) was statistically significant) and to increase back toward basal levels during the washout period. Both males and females statistically significantly improved in MR and SV after soybean intake. During the washout period, both genders further improved their results in MR but not in SV. CONCLUSION(S): Short-term soybean consumption alters the concentrations of salivary T and plasma E(2) in both men and women. Spatial abilities appear to be improved by short-term soybean intake, but the exact mechanisms require further study.

Intelligence and salivary testosterone levels in prepubertal children.

BACKGROUND: Hormones are one of the regulatory systems influencing brain-cognition interactions and subsequent emotions and behavior in humans and animals. Sex hormones have been found to influence brain structures prenatally, so as to prepare targeted neuronal circuits for activation during and after puberty. Testosterone is believed to affect cognition and thinking in humans as well as between-sex differences in cognitive abilities. AIM: The aim of this paper was to investigate associations between testosterone and different levels of intelligence in young prepubertal children of both sexes. METHODS: Two hundred and eighty four prepubertal children of both sexes between 6 and 9 years of age provided saliva samples. Of these, 107 were intellectually gifted (IQ above 130), 100 children of average intelligence--randomly chosen from general population (IQ between 70 and 130), and 77 children mentally challenged (IQ less than 70). RESULTS: Our results have revealed the differences in salivary testosterone levels in boys grouped according to IQ, intellectually gifted and mentally challenged boys having lower salivary testosterone levels than their peers characterized by average intelligence proposing the common biological characteristic of minority IQ groups on both ends of the Gauss curve. In girls, no differences in salivary testosterone levels were found among IQ groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings are the first that present the relationship between testosterone and the broad range of general IQ in childhood. The boys of average intelligence had significantly higher testosterone levels than both mentally challenged and intellectually gifted boys, with the latter two groups showing no significant difference between each other. The functional implications of the brain-cognition interactions remain to be fully explored with regard to the internal milieu influencing neural substrate.

Endocrine and cognitive effects of short-time soybean consumption in women.

BACKGROUND: Soy phytoestrogens are known to influence the hormonal status acting as partial estrogen agonists. Soy-derived food supplements are advised for hormone replacement therapy, prevention of atherosclerosis, age-related cognitive decline and even hormone-dependent cancer, although results from clinical studies are controversial. Whether increased soybean intake can affect the endocrine status and cognitive abilities is largely unknown. AIM: To observe the effects of 1 week of increased soybean intake on sex hormone levels and spatial cognitive abilities in women. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 16 young healthy female volunteers were asked to eat 900 g of soybeans within 1 week. Salivary testosterone (T), free and total plasma T, salivary and plasma estradiol (E) were measured by radioimmunoassay before and after the study period. Mental rotation (MR) and spatial visualization (SV) psychological tests were done at the days of sampling. RESULTS: Soybean intake increased total plasma T levels (p < 0.02) while decreasing salivary T (p < 0.01) and not altering free plasma T levels. Salivary and plasma E levels were not changed. The results of MR and SV tests were improved after the study period. CONCLUSION: Short-time increased soybean intake alters the level of total plasma and salivary T and improves spatial cognition in women. Whether this effect is mediated by modulation of estrogen receptors, changes in sex hormone-binding globulin production or changes in activity of steroid-competent enzymes needs further study.

Salivary testosterone levels in preadolescent children.

BACKGROUND: Saliva reflects the plasma free fraction of testosterone which is biologically active, and available for uptake by tissues. Testosterone concentration in saliva, though differing slightly from the concentration of unbound testosterone in serum, is in good correlation with the latter, indicating that salivary testosterone provides a reliable method for determination of serum free testosterone. The study aimed to investigate salivary testosterone levels and their changes in preadolescent children and to study sexual dimorphism. METHODS: Testosterone levels were determined in 203 healthy preadolescent children (77 girls and 126 boys) from saliva samples by radioimmunoassay. Sampling was performed once a year with respect to circadian and seasonal fluctuations of testosterone. Data were statistically analyzed by Statgraphic software. RESULTS: Mean salivary testosterone concentrations (+/- SD) were 0.038 +/- 0.012 nmol/L and 0.046 +/- 0.026 nmol/L for girls and boys, with the medians 0.035 nmol/L and 0.041 nmol/L, respectively. Statistical analysis did not prove changes in salivary testosterone concentrations in the preadolescent period of life, with an exception of the insignificant fall at the age of 7 years, and an insignificant rise at the age of 9 years in girls. CONCLUSIONS: Generally it can be concluded that salivary testosterone levels in our prepubertal subjects remained stable. There was no significant increase of salivary testosterone levels from the age of 6 until the age of 9 in both sexes. Sexual dimorphism in salivary testosterone levels was proved with significantly higher (p = 0.009) salivary testosterone levels in boys than in girls.