Analysis of physical and mental development of children with aplasia, hypoplasia and ectopy of the thyroid gland.

Objective: Evaluation of clinical and biochemical differences between various forms of thyroid dysgenesia in children.

Methods: The study involved 102 children at the age between 4.8 and 14.

Molecular methods for rapid detection of aneuploidy.

Rapid molecular biological methods for prenatal diagnosis of the most common aneuploidies, collectively known as rapid aneuploidy testing, are compared in this review. We discuss methodological problems and limitations of these various methods. All these techniques are believed to be accurate and carry a low risk of misdiagnosis, but they differ in terms of labour-intensity and amenability to automation and high throughput testing.

Expression of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) gene and of genes for IGF-binding proteins 1, 2, 3, 4 (IGFBP-1-IGFBP-4) in non-neoplastic human thyroid cells and in certain human thyroid cancers. Effect of exogenous IGF-I on this expression.

Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the expression of the IGF-I gene and of genes for IGFBP-1, -2, -3, and -4 in cells from nodular goiters (NG), and from different human thyroid carcinomas (papillary--PTC, anaplastic--ATC, and medullary--MTC), cultured in monolayers. The influence, exerted by exogenous IGF-I on the expression of these genes, was also investigated.

Methods: Thyroid tissue specimens were obtained from 65 patients during subtotal or total thyroidectomies.