Measurement of late-night salivary cortisol with an automated immunoassay system.

Background: Measurement of late-night salivary cortisol concentrations is increasingly used as a screening test in suspected Cushing's syndrome. Cortisol concentrations are typically extremely low in late-night samples and discordant assay-specific reference ranges have been reported. Therefore, the aim of our study was to assess the analytical performance of the first automated cortisol immunoassay specified for salivary measurements and to establish late-night sampling reference-range data for this test.

Gender-specific differences in sex hormones and cytokines in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery.

Purpose: Experimental and clinical evidence suggests that gender has a profound influence on outcome after inflammatory hits caused by such events as trauma. We conducted this prospective clinical study to evaluate the influence of gender on the release of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the circulation and after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) ex vivo stimulation. We also measured the course of sex hormones in the acute phase response after surgery and assessed their correlation with cytokine release.

Significance of a common single nucleotide polymorphism in exon 10 of the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) receptor gene for the ovarian response to FSH: a pharmacogenetic approach to controlled ovarian hyperstimulation.

The p.N680S sequence variation of the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) receptor gene was previously shown to influence the ovarian response to FSH in normo-ovulatory women undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation. In this prospective, randomized, controlled study, we tested whether the same daily dose of FSH results in lower levels of oestradiol in women homozygous for the p.

Growth reconstitution in juvenile idiopathic arthritis treated with etanercept.

Objective: Growth failure is a leading problem in uncontrolled juvenile idiopathic arthritis. It also affects 10% of patients who are not treated with corticosteroids. The influence of proinflammatory cytokines like interleukin-1 beta, interleukin-6 and tumour necrosis factor on the neuroendocrine axis as well as on the production of insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) has been postulated.

Arylhydrocarbon receptor expression in the human endometrium.

Objective: To determine the expression and localization of the arylhydrocarbon (dioxin) receptor in human endometrium throughout the normal menstrual cycle.

Design: Retrospective immunohistochemical and in situ hybridization study.

Setting: Academic research unit.