Differentiated thyroid carcinomas associated with chronic thyroiditis: biological and clinical properties.

Aim: To determine biological and clinical features of papillary and follicular thyroid carcinomas associated or not associated with chronic thyroiditis.

Materials And Methods: The study was conducted by retrospective analysis of medical histories of 2,459 patients with thyroid cancer. Tumor size, its category according to the TNM system, multi-focal properties of tumor growth, carcinoma invasiveness, as well as disease stage, rates of relapses and metastasis, and also cumulative survival rates were analyzed.

The effect of long-term -80°C storage of thyroid biospecimens on RNA quality and ensuring fitness for purpose.

Aims: To establish whether RNA degrades in long-term storage at -80°C and whether RNA integrity numbers (RINs) determine 'fitness for purpose' in severely degraded RNA.

Methods: RNA was extracted from 549 thyroid biospecimens stored at -80°C for 0.1-10.

NITRIC OXIDE SYNTHASE ACTIVITY AND ITS CONCENTRATION IN THE TISSUES OF HUMAN THYROID CARCINOMAS.

The study of the activity of the constitutive form of nitric oxide synthase (cNOS) revealed that in the papillary thyroid carcinomas it corresponded to that detected in unchanged extratumoral tissue, while the enzyme activity in follicular carcinoma was half lesser. At the same time, the activity of inducible nitric oxide synthase (іNOS) was higher in the papillary and follicular carcinomas. Such changes in the enzyme activity were associated with an increase in its level in papillary carcinomas, and with minor changes in follicular carcinomas.

[Changes in active cysteine cathepsins in lysosomes from tissues thyroid papillary carcinomas with various biological characteristics].

To clarify possible role of cysteine cathepsin H, B and L in the proteolytic processes that contribute to the progression of tumor growth in the thyroid, we studied their activity in lysosomes isolated from the tissue of papillary carcinomas. It was shown that for these enzymes there is a dependence of the changes in their activity on a number of biological characteristics of the tumors. Thus, the sharp increase in the activity ofcathepsin H observed in lysosomes of tissue carcinomas category T2 and T3, with intra-and ekstrathyroid and lymphatic invasion of tumor cells.

Abnormalities of apoptosis of the thyroid gland cells from extratumoral microfollicular tissue.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of existence of thyroid extratumoral normo- and microfollicular tissue in patients with thyroid carcinoma and peculiarities of apoptosis in mentioned tissue.

Materials And Methods: Using samples of normo- and microfollicular thyroid tissue it was determined the content of fragmented DNA and intensity of stimulated internucleosomal DNA fragmentation; activities of caspase-3 and cysteine lysosomal cathepsins.

Results: It was found that normofollicular tissue is observed more often in patients with nodal euthyroid goiter but microfollicular tissue is more common for patients with carcinoma.

[B-, H- and L-cathepsin-like activity in blood plasma of patients with diseases of the thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal glands].

B-, H- and L-catepsine-like activity regarding Na-benzoyl-D,L-arginine-4-nitroanilide, L-leucine-4-nitroanilide and azocasein was studied in the blood plasma of patients with different diseases of thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal glands. It has been shown that the high H- catepsine-like activity confirming the activation of blood catepsin H secretion accompanied by the tissue growth under any pathology took place in the blood plasma of patients with all the above diseases. High B- catepsine-like activity in the blood plasma of patients with thyroid diseases was exceptionally fixed under the nodular forms of thyroid pathology, while the character of changes in L catepsine-like activity under these diseases was not so natural.

[Cathepsin-like activity in blood plasma of patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma].

The peculiarities of the thyroid changes depending on clinical characteristics of disease and histological structure of tumor were fixed by the studies of cathepsin-like activity in blood plasma of patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma. H-cathepsin-like activity had a tendence to more significant increase especially in patients with concomitant benign thyroid disease with increasing the tumor category. In a case of metastatic tumor without other concomitant thyroid pathology, the degree of an increase in enzymatic activity was significantly higher comparing to the blood of patients without tumor metastases.

[Mechanism of apoptosis in the thyroid cells in thyroid pathology].

The literature data and the results of own examinations concerning the changes in programmed cell death processes of goiter alterated thyroid tissue in patients with euthyroid or toxic goiter and also the extranodular tissue of the gland in the presence of pathological changes in it (the pronounced hyperplastic process, sclerotic and/or dystrophic changes, lymphoid infiltration, chronic or autoimmune thyroiditis) were analyzed. It has been shown that the significant changes in the processes ofmitochondria and postmitochondria regulation and apoptosis realization are occurred under thyroid pathology. The character and the degree of disorders in the apoptosis mitochondria mechanisms and the activity of destructive processes in the patient thyroid cells are dependent on many factors such as the type of pathology, the severity of its occurrence, the peculiarities of tissue follicular structure and the patient sex.

[Effect of antioxidants on internucleosomal DNA fragmentation in thyroid tissue of patients with various thyroid pathology].

The in vitro effects of a-tocopherol and melatonin on the intensity of DNA internucleosomal fragmentation in tissue and neoplastic tissue of patients with thyroid pathology was studied. alpha-Tocopherol at a concentration of 10(-7) M and melatonin at a concentration of 10(-3) M were shown to inhibit internucleosomal DNA fragmentation in unchanged thyroid tissue, while in pathologically changed tissue and neoplastic tissue the effect of antioxidants was either absent, or those effects of preparations were prevailing, which were aimed at an increase in the intensity of internucleosomal DNA fragmentation. Some peculiarities of changes in the content of certain oligonucleosome fractions depending on the preparation, its dose, and thyroid disorder have been identified.

[Glutamate decarboxylase activity and GABA binding in the brain synaptic membranes in rats with compensatory activation of hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal system in stress].

The reaction of the rat adrenal cortex and medulla to stress was absent under conditions of compensatory activations of function of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system. At the same time, glutamate decarboxylase activity was increased in the hypothalamus, decreased in the hyppocampus, and remained unchanged in medulla oblongata and cortex of cerebral hemispheres of hemiadrenalectomized rats after stress as compared to rats without stress. On the contrary, the intensity of specific GABA binding by synaptic membranes of medulla oblongata of hemiadrenalectomized rats was increased in response to stress effect it was decreased in the cortex of cerebral hemispheres, and remained unchanged in the hyppocampus.

[Gamma-aminobutyric acid in some non-neural tissues].

In this review modern data are presented on localization of GABA, functional characteristics and structure of the enzymes of GABA metabolism, transporters, and different types of GABA receptors in kidney, bladder, heart, blood vessels, spleen, skin and muscles.

[Glutamate decarboxylase activity and GABA binding by synaptic membranes of brain structure under stress in intact rats and rats with hormonal blockade of the hypothalamo-hypophyseal-adrenal cortex system].

Under the inhibition of hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal system function, as a result of prolonged hydrocortisone administration, the normal neurochemical reaction to stress, i.e. stimulating the formation of GABA (mediator that is basic among responsible ones for the realization of stress-limiting brain function) was absent.

[Specific binding of GABA in the adrenal glands and catecholamine blood and adrenal gland levels in rats under stress with inhibited functioning of the hypothalamus-hypophyseal-adrenocortical systems].

Forced swimming of intact rats was accompanied by an activation of the hormonal link in sympatho-adrenal system and by a decrease in the level of specific binding of 14C-GABA by adrenal plasma membranes; the former was prevented with the administration of GABAergic preparations (baclofen, GABA-taurine) before stress. Under inhibition of the function of hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical axis following multiple hydrocortisone administration and, in presence of developing metabolic disorders and adrenal secretion of catecholamines, the latter reacted to stress by a decrease in adrenalin, noradrenaline and dopamine secretion without changing the intensity of specific binding of GABA. Administration of GABAergic preparations before stress prevented the development of stress disorders of noradrenaline and dopamine secretion partially or completely, and sodium thiosulphate administration increased acutely specific binding of GABA with adrenal plasma membranes simultaneously preventing the accumulation of adrenal noradrenaline and the decrease in blood DOPA level.

[Changes in the level of gamma-aminobutyric acid in the blood of children with thyroid diseases].

Blood GABA level was studied in children with thyroid disorders. Increase of GABA level was revealed in thyroid hyperplasia (11 degrees) and euthyroid goiters; in blood of children with diffuse toxic goiter there changes are much more significant. In children with thyroid cancer dramatic increase of GABA content was observed; in the nearest time following thyroidectomy blood GABA level decreased to low values, several mouths later it became normal, in a year and more it became elevated again.

[The GABA-ergic system parameters of the adrenal cortex in animals with normal and stimulated steroidogenesis].

Activity of glutamate decarboxylase, a GABA synthesis enzyme, and intensity of its reception in the adrenal cortex and hypothalamus of guinea pigs and rats with normal and stimulated steroidogenesis was investigated. It has been shown that in the adrenal cortex there is a metabolic system which provides GABA synthesis from glutamate and mechanisms of GABA reception by plasmatic membranes. Mediator synthesis in the adrenal cortex is subjected to seasonal changes, GABA synthesis and reception selectively vary with administration of ACTH, prolactin and maintenance of animals on a diet with an excess of potassium ions.

[Change in the content of free amino acids in brain tissue and blood plasma of rabbits under the effect of hydrocortisone].

The influence of a single and long term intramuscular hydrocortisone injections on the content of free amino acids was studied in the rabbit brain tissue and blood plasma. It is shown that exogenous hydrocortisone changes the content of certain amino acids in the brain. The changes in the free amino acids spectrum in blood plasma are more significant than in the brain under the hydrocortisone effect.