Derek V. Henley, Kenneth S. Korach
A large number of natural and synthetic chemicals have been identified that are reported to disrupt the normal functioning of the endocrine system and produce untoward effects in hormone-responsive target tissues and organs in both humans and animals. These chemicals are broadly referred to as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and consist of numerous physically …
Leonard Wartofsky
Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy with more deaths annually than all other endocrine cancers combined. Medical centers in many parts of the world have noted an increasing frequency of cases of thyroid cancer. The general impression has been that if there is a rising frequency, it was likely due to some environmental cause …
Catherine Dacou-Voutetakis
The realization that the environment exerts a favorable or unfavorable effect on the human organism is not new. In the remote past, not only physicians but philosophers (e.g. Plato, Aristotle) as well wrote about the adverse effects of a maltreated environment, while Theophrastus (a student of Plato and Aristotle) is considered the father of ecology …
Gonzalo Díaz Soto, Irene Halperin, Mattia Squarcia, Francisco Lomeña, Manuel Puig Domingo
In recent years thyroid imaging has marked exponential progress, considerably changing the approach to diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, follow-up and evaluation of high prevalence thyroid diseases such as goitre, thyroid nodules and primary thyroid cancer. What is more, this notable technical advance has proven its ability to effectively confront such complex challenges …
Natalia Sirimi, Dimitrios G. Goulis
Obesity, the most common metabolic disorder, concerns, among others, women of reproductive age and, when it occurs before or during pregnancy, constitutes a major risk factor for both maternal and fetal complications. The complications of obesity in a prospective mother include subfertility, miscarriage, thrombo-embolism, hypertensive disorders …
Retha R. Newbold
Environmental chemicals with hormone-like activity can disrupt programming of endocrine signaling pathways during development and result in adverse effects, some of which may not be apparent until much later in life. Recent reports link exposure to environmental endocrine disrupting chemicals during development with adverse health consequences …
Ulla Feldt-Rasmussen, Åse Krogh Rasmussen
Coexistence of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) and thyroid autoimmune diseases could represent a mere coincidence due to the frequent occurrence of autoimmunity, but there may also be a pathological and causative link between the two conditions. The coincidence of DTC with Hashimoto’s disease has been variably reported …
Wolfgang Wuttke, Hubertus Jarry, Dana Seidlovα-Wuttke
Hormones are peptides/proteins, lipids or aminoacid derivatives which after their secretion act on receptors to cause reactions within the respective receptive cells. Each cell of the body is in one way or another regulated by hormones. Hence, hormones exert innumerable effects on the organism of animals and humans …
Andrea C. Gore
The central neuroendocrine systems are responsible for the control of homeostatic processes in the body, including reproduction, growth, metabolism and energy balance, as well as stress responsiveness. These processes are initiated by signals in the central nervous system, specifically the hypothalamus, and are conveyed first by neural and then by endocrine effectors …
Ze’ev Hochberg, Alan R Templeton
Evolutionary pressures due to variation in climate play an important role in shaping phenotypic variation among and within species and have been shown to influence variation in phenotypes such as body shape and size among humans. Here we review the evidence for migration and change of living latitude in the evolution of skin color genes and the vitamin D receptor (VDR) ..
Eleni Kousta, Asteroula Papathanasiou, Nicos Skordis
There have been considerable advances concerning understanding of the early and later stages of ovarian development; a number of genes have been implicated and their mutations have been associated with developmental abnormalities …
Paloma Alonso-Magdalena, Ana Belιn Ropero, Sergi Soriano, Ivan Quesada, Angel Nadal
The aim of this review was to analyze the potential effects of environmental chemicals on homeostatic control related to glycemia and energy balance. Many of the environmental chemicals can mimic or interfere with the action of hormones and are generally referred to as “endocrine disruptors” …
Thomas R. Zoeller
Thyroid hormones (THs) are required for normal brain and somatic development and for the proper regulation of physiology in both children and adults. Thyroid function is controlled by the dynamic interrelationships between the hypothalamus, the pituitary and the thyroid. These dynamic relationships maintain circulating levels of THs …
Elias E. Mazokopakis, Anastasios A. Tzortzinis, Elpida I. Dalieraki-Ott, Athanasios N. Tsartsalis, Periklis K. Syros, Christos M. Karefilakis, Maria G. Papadomanolaki, Ioannis K. Starakis
OBJECTIVE: The association between Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) and papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) remains controversial in medical bibliography. The main objective of our study was to determine the prevalence of PTC and HT coexistence in histopathologic material of thyroidectomized patients. DESIGN: In a retrospective study …
Nicholas J. Sarlis, Christian A. Koch
We read with interest the contribution by Dr. Kostopanagiotou and colleagues describing the differential impact of volatile and intravenous anaesthetics on select hormonal and immune parameters of the stress response in the swine. We would like to highlight earlier human data of ours (some of which unpublished to date) as well as from others that are pertinent to this interesting line of research and generally supportive of the authors’ conclusions …
Artemis Karkanaki, Dimitrios Vavilis, Alexandros Traianos, Ioannis Kalogiannidis, Dimitrios Panidis
Women present an estradiol-dependent cardiovascular risk profile. Based on various studies, it was considered that estrogen therapy (ET) in postmenopausal women could probably reduce the higher cardiovascular risk in this group. Assymetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is an endogenous methylated arginine which inhibits nitric oxide ..
David Crews
Early experiences can modify regulatory factors affecting gene expression in such a way that, although the DNA sequence itself is not changed, the individual’s physiology and behavior is substantially influenced. In some instances these epigenetic effects are exerted upon exposure, while in other instances they are transmitted across generations …
Stavros N. Karamanakos, Kostas B. Markou, Konstantinos Panagopoulos, Dionisios Karavias, Constantinos E. Vagianos, Chrisoula D. Scopa, Vassiliki Fotopoulou, Anna Liava, Konstantinos Vagenas
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the rate of complications and the risk factors in relation to the extent of surgery in patients undergoing thyroidectomy in a tertiary university center. DESIGN: Data were collected retrospectively from 2,043 consecutive patients who underwent thyroid surgery for various thyroid diseases at the University Hospital of Patras …
Vladimir Jovanovic, Sandra Pekic, Marko Stojanovic, Goran Tasic, Branko Djurovic, Ivan Soldatovic, Mirjana Doknic, Dragana Miljic, Marina Djurovic, Milica Medic-Stojanoska, Vera Popovic
OBJECTIVE: Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a recently identified risk factor for hypopituitarism, particularly growth hormone (GH) and corticotrophins deficiencies. The aim of our study was to identify possible predictor(s) for neuroendocrine dysfunction in SAH survivors. DESIGN: Pituitary function was evaluated in 93 patients …
Peter D. Papapetrou
OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship between circulating 25(OH)D, 1,25(OH)2D, and 24,25(OH)2D in pregnancy at term, and to test the hypothesis that serum 25(OH)D and 24,25(OH)2D are repressed by high serum 1,25(OH)2D levels …
Markus Eszlinger, Kurt Werner Schmid, Ralf Paschke
The evaluation of patients with nodular thyroid disease is focused on two main aspects, namely the exclusion of thyroid malignancy and the exclusion of hyperthyroidism in regions with borderline iodine supply. However, the identification and preoperative typing of both the substantially less frequently occurring thyroid carcinomas …
Afsaneh Talaei, Masoud Amini, Mansour Siavash, Maryam Zare
OBJECTIVE: Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and Dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S) are the most abundant steroid hormones in the body. Recently, DHEA-S has gained interest as an antidepressant substance, with positive effects on autoimmune disease such as lupus and ulcerative colitis, as well as obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes …
Valentine V. Fadeyev, Tatyana B. Morgunova, Galina A. Melnichenko, Ivan I. Dedov
Objective: The objective of this study was to compare various parameters in patients with hypothyroidism receiving either monotherapy with L-Thyroxine (L-T4) or combination therapy with L-T4 and L-Triiodothyronine (L-T3). Design: We conducted a randomized, controlled trial in 36 premenopausal women with hypothyroidism …
George Dimitriadis, Eleni Boutati, Athanasios E. Raptis, Erifili Hatziagelaki, Panayota Mitrou, Vaia Lambadiari, Nikolaos Tountas, Theofanis Economopoulos, Sotirios A. Raptis
OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to assess the accuracy of GlucoDay® – a portable detector of subcutaneous glucose – by comparing the results to those obtained by Biostator® an established and reliable method for continuous glucose measurement in whole blood. DESIGN: Subjects with type 1 diabetes (n:6), subjects with type 2 diabetes …
Panayota Kolypetri, Natasha A. Noel, Karen A. Carayanniotis, George Carayanniotis
OBJECTIVE: In NOD.H2h4 mice, high dietary iodine intake has been known to cause Iodine-accelerated Spontaneous Autoimmune Thyroiditis (ISAT) via an unknown mechanism. The aim of the study was to examine whether the NOD.h4 genetic background predisposes to enhanced iodine organification in thyroglobulin …