Calcitonin reserve and the differentiated response to calcitonin in osteoporosis.

The authors followed up the effect of calcium and calcitonin administration on phosphorus-calcium balance and on calcium retention, in correlation with the level of endogenous calcitonin, in 20 patients of perimenopause age (40-50 years), with radiologically confirmed osteoporosis. Calcium retention after loading with calcium gluconate (180 mg in i.v.

Parathormone and calcitonin secretion in endemic goiter.

The investigations performed on 160 females of adult age with goiter and clinical signs of spasmophilia followed up the serum and urinary calcium and magnesium. The calcitonin and parathormone circulating levels were also determined. Although the levels of serum and urinary calcium and magnesium appear normal in adult subjects with simple goiter, decreased levels of the circulating parathormone were confirmed in most cases.

High levels of plasma von Willebrand factor in hyperthyroidism.

Both von Willebrand factor antigen and activity tested as ristocetin cofactor, were found to be increased in the 20 patients with hyperthyroidism, while changes detected on the 10 hypothyroid patients did not significantly differ from the mean values recorded in 19 healthy control subjects. It is considered that the high levels of endothelia-derived plasma von Willebrand factor in hyperthyroidism is the result of a long-standing stimulation of vascular endothelial cells by either a direct effect of thyroid hormones or by an excessive adrenergic activity. The present findings represent an important limitation in interpreting raised levels of plasma von Willebrand factor as a marker of endothelial injury or in terms of a thrombotic tendency.

Calcitonin secretion in rats with inflammation mediated osteopenia.

The authors followed up the occurrence of inflammation-mediated osteopenia (IMO) in young and adult rats weighing 50 g and 150 g, respectively. The calcemia, the amount of bone calcium and the calcitonin content of the thyroid gland were determined. Calcium loss from bones was similar in both groups, irrespective of age.

Late hypothyroidism following subacute thyroiditis.

The authors followed up the incidence of permanent hypothyroidism in 35 patients with subacute thyroiditis (SAT) in their past history. The investigations were made one to four years after the acute episode. Ten of these presented repeated recurrences despite the therapy with glucocorticoids.

Calcitonin secretion in thyroid insufficiency.

The level of circulating calcitonin was followed up in 30 patients with severe hypothyroidism, diagnosed clinically and by laboratory examinations. Four of the patients under study had goiter. The complex investigation of phosphorus-calcium metabolism, including radioimmunoassay of calcitonin was made under basal conditions and after calcium loading.

Cardiac arrhythmias and submaximal exercise test.

Cardiac arrhythmias, investigated in 1000 persons subjects to a submaximal exercise test, showed an incidence of 6%. The most frequent were the ventricular premature beats, related in more than half of the cases to an organic, probably ischemic, heart disease. Left bundle branch block and ventricular tachycardia were rare and indicated an organic heart disease.