Simple and rapid in vitro assay for detecting human thyroid peroxidase disruption.

A simple and rapid luminometric assay for the detection of chemical inhibitors of human thyroid peroxidase (hTPO) activity was developed and validated with 10 model compounds. hTPO was derived from the human thyroid follicular cell line Nthy-ori 3-1 and its activity was quantified by measuring the oxidation of luminol in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which results in the emission of light at 428 nm. In this assay,hTPO activity was shown to be inhibited by 5 known TPO inhibitors and not inhibited by 5 non-inhibitors.

In vitro pituitary and thyroid cell proliferation assays and their relevance as alternatives to animal testing.

This study investigates the in vitro effect of eleven thyroid-active compounds known to affect pituitary and/or thyroid weights in vivo, using the proliferation of GH3 rat pituitary cells in the so-called "T-screen," and of FRTL-5 rat thyroid cells in a newly developed test denoted "TSH-screen" to gain insight into the relative value of these in vitro proliferation tests for an integrated testing strategy (ITS) for thyroid activity. Pituitary cell proliferation in the T-screen was stimulated by three out of eleven tested compounds, namely thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH), triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). Of these three compounds, only T4 causes an increase in relative pituitary weight, and thus T4 was the only compound for which the effect in the in vitro assay correlated with a reported in vivo effect.

[Mycetomas in central Tunisia].

Introduction: Mycetomas are inflammatory pseudo-tumors containing fungal or actinomycosic-type grains. They are frequent in tropical and subtropical countries and unknown in Tunisia.

Patients And Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 12 cases of mycetoma registered in the Dermatological department of the university hospital in Sousse (central Tunisia) over a period of 27 years, from 1974 to 2001.

Possible relation of Tunisian pemphigus with traditional cosmetics: a multicenter case-control study.

Pemphigus is a severe, autoimmune, blistering disorder with a high incidence among young women in rural Tunisia. The authors investigated explanatory environmental factors. A multicenter case-control study was conducted prospectively from 1992 to 1996 in Tunisia.