Reference Values for TSH and Free Thyroid Hormones in Healthy Pregnant Women in Poland: A Prospective, Multicenter Study.

Objectives: The diagnosis and treatment of thyroid diseases in pregnant women remains a challenge. Various medical associations recommend establishing the reference intervals for thyroid hormones by a local laboratory. Considering differences within geophysical, socioeconomic conditions, and iodine prophylaxis in various populations, it is advisable to assess reference intervals for thyroid hormones specific to a region of residence.

Association between vitamin D concentration and levels of sex hormones in an elderly Polish population with different genotypes of VDR polymorphisms (rs10735810, rs1544410, rs7975232, rs731236).

Background: Vitamin D co-regulates the synthesis of sex hormones in part by interaction with its nuclear receptor. The aim of this study was to determine whether there is an association of vitamin D concentration vs the level of sex hormones in elderly Polish individuals with different genotypes of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene.

Materials And Methods: Rs10735810, rs1544410, rs7975232, and rs731236 polymorphisms of VDR, the serum sex hormone level, free estrogen index (FEI) and free androgen index (FAI) as well as vitamin D, were evaluated in 766 persons (362 women and 404 men) selected from 5695 Polish population, aged 65-90years from the PolSenior survey.

Enzymatic activity of type 1 iodothyronine deiodinase in selected liver tumors.

Introduction: Type 1 iodothyronine deiodinase (D1) converts thyroxin (T4) into tri-iodothyronine (T3). Strong evidence indicates that thyroid hormone metabolism is disturbed in neoplasms such as thyroid and breast cancer. However, there is limited data concerning the function of the D1 enzyme in liver tumors.

Interrelation between genotypes of the vitamin D receptor gene and serum sex hormone concentrations in the Polish elderly population: the PolSenior study.

Aim: Vitamin D co-regulates the synthesis of sex hormones. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine whether the presence of certain genotypes of the vitamin D receptor gene (VDR) is associated with the serum levels of sex hormones in the elderly Polish population.

Materials And Methods: The rs10735810, rs1544410, rs7975232, and rs731236 polymorphisms of VDR, the serum levels of testosterone and estradiol, as well as free estrogen index (FEI) and free androgen index (FAI) were evaluated in 360 women and 400 men aged 65-90years selected from 5695 respondents of the PolSenior survey.

[Iodine supply and thyroid function in the group of healthy pregnant women living in Warsaw].

Unlabelled: Iodine deficiency and thyroid gland disorders are especially harmful for pregnant women and normal fetal development. After initiation in 1997 of obligatory iodine prophylaxis, Poland has been found since 2003 a country with sufficient delivery of this microelement. However, in the population of pregnant women, slight deficiency of this element still exists.

The reference values of sex hormones and SHBG serum levels in subjects over 65 years old - The PolSenior Study.

Introduction: Over the last decade, average life expectancy has continuously increased. There has been no data on normal sex hormone (SH) levels in a Polish elderly population. In this study, we assessed SH in the PolSenior cohort to determine normal reference ranges in relation to gender, age, and cardiovascular disease risk factors (CVDRFs).

Laparoscopic treatment of Cushing's syndrome in a woman in late pregnancy - a case presentation.

Hypercortisolaemia during pregnancy constitutes a serious threat to life of the mother and fetus and may be associated with adrenocortical carcinoma. The objective of this study is to present the usefulness of laparoscopic procedures in treating adrenal tumours in such cases. One 21-year-old woman, 24 weeks pregnant, with hypertension and Cushing's syndrome due to a left adrenal tumour, underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy followed by hydrocortisone replacement.

Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphism and cardiovascular risk variables in elderly Polish subjects.

The aim of this work was to evaluate whether the FokI and BsmI polymorphisms of the VDR gene are associated with anthropometric and biochemical features of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in a Caucasian population aged over 65, participants of the Polish PolSenior study. We performed the study on randomly selected subjects: 427 women and 454 men aged over 65. Measurements of anthropometric parameters were carried out and biochemical parameters were estimated using commercial kits.

Insulin-like factor 3 -- a new hormone related to polycystic ovary syndrome?

Introduction: The aim of this study was to find a correlation between insulin-like factor 3 (INSL3) and androgens: androstenedione (A), free testosterone (fT), and total testosterone (T), in two groups of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) women: those with a body mass index (BMI) lower than 25 kg/m(2) and those with a BMI higher than 25 kg/m(2). The association between INSL3 and other serum parameters: luteinising hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA-S), sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) and glucose and insulin were also investigated.

Material And Methods: The study group comprised 37 PCOS women aged 27 ± 4 years.

Thyroid dysfunction and thyroid autoimmunity in a large unselected population of elderly subjects in Poland - the 'PolSenior' multicentre crossover study.

Introduction: Data on the thyroid function of a randomly chosen elderly population was collected during a multicentre study performed in Poland (PolSenior) in 2007-2010.

Material And Methods: The population of 4,190 participants under study was divided into six age subgroups of > 65 to > 90 years of age and a younger group aged between 55 and 59 years. Assessment of thyroid function was based on hormonal measurements.

Measuring salivary androgens as a useful tool in the diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome.

Introduction: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the commonest endocrinopathies. Clinically it can present as oligo-/amenorrhoea, hyperandrogenism and/or fertility problems.

Material And Methods: The study involved 60 women admitted to the Department of Internal Medicine and Endocrinology at the Medical University of Warsaw.

Suppurative thyroiditis caused by Salmonella enteritidis.

Bacterial thyroiditis is a rare disease, and one of which the clinical symptoms and signs are frequently misleading. On the other hand, prompt diagnosis is crucial for successful treatment. We report the case of an 82 year-old man with diabetes mellitus type 2 and a history of steroid treatment who presented with severe odynophagia and dysphagia associated with fever, chills, sore throat and right ear pain.

[Management of thyroid diseases during pregnancy].

The management of thyroid disorders during pregnancy is one of the most frequently disputed problems in modern endocrinology. It is widely known that thyroid dysfunction may result in subfertility, and, if inadequately treated during pregnancy, may cause obstetrical complications and influence fetal development. The 2007 Endocrine Society Practice Guideline endorsed with the participation of the Latino America Thyroid Association, the American Thyroid Association, the Asia and Oceania Thyroid Association and the European Thyroid Association, greatly contributed towards uniformity of the management of thyroid disorders during pregnancy and postpartum.

Insulinoma in a patient with MEN 1 syndrome--9-year follow-up: case report.

Introduction: Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN 1) is a rare autosomal dominant inherited endocrine disease characterized by pancreatic, parathyroid, and anterior pituitary tumours. Hypercalcaemia due to parathyroid tumours is usually the first manifestation of MEN 1. Pancreatic islet tumours occur less frequently, among them gastrinomas and insulinomas are the most prevalent.

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency - management in adults.

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency is one of the most common autosomal recessive hereditary diseases. The impairment of cortisol synthesis leads to excessive stimulation of the adrenal glands by adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), adrenal hyperplasia, and excessive androgen synthesis. The syndrome is characterised by a considerable correlation between the genotype and the phenotype with the type of CYP21A2 gene mutation affecting the severity of 21-hydroxylase deficiency.

The enzymatic activity of type 1 iodothyronine deiodinase (D1) is low in liver hemangioma: a preliminary study.

Type 1 iodothyronine deiodinase (D1) is a crucial enzyme which converts the prohormone thyroxine (T4) into active tri-iodothyronine (T3). There has been strong evidence that the metabolism of thyroid hormones is disturbed in some neoplastic tissues such as thyroid, renal, and breast cancer. However, there are few available data about D1 enzyme activity in benign tumors such as hemangioma, which is the most common primary liver tumor.

[Congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency--management in adults].

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency is one of the most common autosomal recessive hereditary diseases. The impairment of cortisol synthesis leads to excessive stimulation of the adrenal glands by adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), adrenal hyperplasia, and excessive androgen synthesis. The syndrome is characterised by a considerable correlation between the genotype and the phenotype with the type of CYP21A2 gene mutation affecting the severity of 21-hydroxylase deficiency.

Association of polymorphism in genes encoding kappaB inhibitors (IkappaB) with susceptibility to and phenotype of Graves' disease: a case-control study.

Background: Genes related to the nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB), a key transcription factor involved in regulation of immune responses, are interesting candidates for association studies in autoimmune disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate an association of polymorphisms in two genes encoding NF-kappaB inhibitors: IKBL (encoding inhibitor of kappaB-like) and NFKBIA (encoding kappaB inhibitor alpha), withsusceptibility to and phenotype of Graves' disease (GD).

Methods: A population-based, case-control association study comprising 481 patients with GD and 455 healthy controls was performed.

First isolation of Clostridium difficile PCR-ribotype 027/toxinotype III in Poland.

Of 175 Clostridium difficile strains isolated from patient hospitalized in one academic hospital in Warsaw between 2005-2006, one isolate belonged to PCR-ribotype 027/toxinotype III. This isolate had tcdA, tcdB, binary toxin genes (cdtA and cdtB), a 18-bp deletion and a 1 bp deletion at 117 position in the tcdC gene. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests revealed high level resistance to erythromycin, moxifloxacin and gatifloxacin.

Thyroid-associated orbitopathy in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis: a case report.

Thyroid-associated orbitopathy is a set of ophthalmic symptoms resulting from an autoimmune process in which the swelling of extraocular tissues leads to exophthalmos either caused by hypersecretion and accumulation of glycosaminoglycans in the orbit fibroblasts or being the result of inflammatory processes in the oculomotor. These changes cause eyeball motility disturbances, keratopathy, and the pressure on the optical nerve. Thyroid-associated orbitopathy accompanies Graves' disease in most cases, whereas the Hashimoto's disease in only 5%.

Consensus statement of the Polish Society for Endocrinology: presurgical somatostatin analogs therapy in acromegaly.

Consensus statement of the Polish Society for Endocrinology, regarding presurgical somatostatin analogs in acromegaly has been presented. It is suggested to administer depot somatostatin analog (Octreotide LAR at the dose 20 mg and then 30 mg or equivalent doses of Lanreotide Autogel 90/120 mg every 4 weeks) in order to normalize or suppress to a maximal extent GH and IGF-1 concentrations. The period of therapy in case of microadenoma would be at least 3 months (targets: biochemical improvement, reduced risk of disease's complications, perioperative risk reduction, inhibition of tumor growth).

[Consensus of the Polish Society of Endocrinology. Presurgical somatostatin analogs therapy in acromegaly].

Consensus statement of the Polish Society of Endocrinology, regarding presurgical somatostatin analogs in acromegaly has been presented. It is suggested to administer depot somatostatin analog (Octreotide LAR at the dose 20 mg and then 30 mg or equivalent doses of Lanreotide Autogel 90/120 mg every 4 weeks) in order to normalize or suppress to a maximal extent GH and IGF-1 concentrations. The period of therapy in case of microadenoma would be at least 3 months (targets: biochemical improvement, reduced risk of disease's complications, perioperative risk reduction, inhibition of tumor growth).

[Progressive hearing loss as the leading sign of Wegener's granulomatosis].

57-year-old woman with a history of ischaemic heart disease, arterial hypertension and after myocardial infarction was admitted to the university hospital because of progressive hearing loss and fever of unknown origin. Shortly before hospitalization she developed cough, hemoptysis and conjunctivitis. On the basis of clinical presentation Wegener's granulomatosis was suspected.

Polymorphism of the oestrogen receptor beta gene (ESR2) is associated with susceptibility to Graves' disease.

Objective: To investigate whether a polymorphism in the ESR2 gene (rs4986938, previously associated with endometriosis, ovulatory dysfunction and premature onset of coronary heart disease) increases the risk of Graves' disease (GD).

Subjects And Design: A cohort of 375 GD patients (300 females and 75 males) and 1001 individuals representative of the background population of Poland (502 males and 499 females) were genotyped for rs4986938 using allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Results: We found an increased frequency of the ESR2 A allele among the patients vs.