Thyroid function in mothers who gave birth to neonates with transient congenital hypothyroidism

To determine the thyroid status of mothers of newborns with primary congenital hypothyroidism. Thyroid function tests were carried out on 80 mothers of hypothyroid newborns and 80 mothers of non-hypothyroid newborns as control. The mean difference of the tests revealed that mothers of congenitally hypothyroid infants had a lower triiodothyronine resin uptake [T3RU] concentrations compared with the control population. The higher value of free thyroxin index [FTI] in case group showed a tendency to significance. The proportional frequency distribution showed; T3RU and triiodothyronine [T3] had a significant difference, and FTI showed a tendency to significance. There were no significant differences between; thyroid-stimulating hormone [TSH], thyroxine [T4] and anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies [anti-TPO] in two groups. These results indicated that at least some cases of primary congenital hypothyroidism were attributable to the maternal thyroid disease. Therefore, we recommend that each pregnant woman should be assessed for thyroid function in region with a high prevalence of thyroid disease

Opium can differently alter blood glucose, sodium and potassium in male and female rats

To determine the effects of opium on serum glucose, potassium and sodium in male and female Wistar rat, opium solution [60 mg/kg] injected intraperitoneally and the same volume of distilled water was used as control [7 rats in each group]. Blood samples were collected at 0, 30, 60, 120, 240 and 360 minutes after injection from orbit cavity and the values of serum glucose, sodium [Na+] and potassium [K+] were measured. The data were then analyzed by the repeated measure ANOVA based on sex and case-control group. P < 0.05 considered as significant difference. Serum glucose increased significantly at 30, 60, 120 and 240 minutes after opium solution injection, in female rats compared to a control group. However, the male rats had this rise at 30, 60 and 120 minutes after opium solution injection compared to control group. While serum glucose in male rats was significantly higher than females at 30, 60 and 120 minutes, this value was higher in the female rats at 360 minutes. Therefore, serum glucose alterations following opium injection was significantly different in groups and in the sexes at different times. Sodium [Na+] rose at 60, 240 and 360 minutes significantly in all rats compared to control group. However, sodium alteration following opium injection was significantly different only between treated and control groups but sex-independent at all times. Potassium [K+] increased significantly at 60, 120, 240 and 360 minutes in male rats, compared to a control group. In female rats K+ significantly raised at 30, 120, 240 and 360 minutes. Therefore, the alteration of K+ in male and female rats was found time dependent and sex independent. According to our results, opium increased serum glucose in male and female rats differently, and it interferes with metabolic pathways differently on a gender dependent basis. Opium raised serum Na+ and K+, thus it interfere with water regulation and blood pressure via different mechanism

Extraction and purification of anti-proteinase 3 [PR3] antibodies from egg yolk

Recently it has been reported, that immunoglobulin Y [IgY] can be used instead of polyclonal antibodies extracted from mammals [IgG] for the purpose of diagnosis and therapy. These antibodies are found to have better properties in terms of specificity and ease of large-scale production. In addition, IgY binds neither to mammalian complement or Fc-receptors nor does it interfere with rheumatoid factors [RF], which has proven to be advantageous in many immunological tests. Proteinase 3 [PR3], a constituent of azurophil granules of neutrophils, is the target antigen for most anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies [c-ANCA] in Wegener granulomatosis [WG]. Capture ELISA was found to be the method of choice in case of c-ANCA determination for the diagnosis and management of WG. However, in this method, the reaction of RF with the Fc portion of IgG in capture ELISA leads to false positive in the assay of c-ANCA and is found to be the most important short-comings of available diagnostic immunochemical tests using mammalian antibodies. To avoid such unwanted interactions, laying hens were inoculated with PR3, and IgY was purified from egg yolk by acidic extraction with chloroform. The aqueous phase was treated with sodium sulphate and the precipitate collected, was dissolved in buffer and was purified using a T-gel chromatography method. The prepared IgY-anti-PR3 was used to set up a capture ELISA. Our results showed that the prepared IgY-anti-PR3 had good titer [lu g/ml in a coating system] and specificity. Hence, IgY based immunoassay would be a useful alternative to mammalian IgG antibody used in PR3 immunoassays

Transfection of 6-23 a rat thyroid carcinoma cell line, with the neuropeptide Y cDNA

Neuropeptide Y [NPY] is a 36 amino acid peptide found throughout the central and peripheral nervous system of rat and human. NPY has been proposed to play an important role in satiety. The aim of this study was to produce cell lines that secrete high levels of bioactive NPY. For this purpose, the complementary DNA [cDNA] that encodes NPY was isolated by PCR. The cDNA was then cloned into pCEP4, to form pCEP4NPY. 6-23 cells were transfected with pCEP4NPY by electroporation. Transfected cells were selected by the addition of hygromycin B to the culture medium. Resistant colonies were picked and transferred to 96-well plates. The medium was tested for IR-NPY using a specific NPY radioimmunoassay [RIA]. The IR-NPY secreted by the cells was characterized by sephadex G50 chromatography and reversed phase fast protein liquid chromatography [FPLC]. It was found to co-elute with the synthetic standard in both cases. RNA was extracted from the cells and subjected to Northern blot analysis using labeled NPY cDNA as a probe. The cells were found to express high levels of NPY at mRNA levels

Inhibition of proteinase 3 [PR3] by suramin and fetal calf serum [FCS]: effect of PR3 and suramin on Chinese hamster ovary cells [CHO-Cells]

Proteinase 3 [PR3] is a lysosomal protease that is stored in azurophilic granules neutrophilic granulocytes and monocytes. A number of inhibitors for this proteinase are reported. Comprehensive studies on the inhibitory effect of suramin and heat treated fetal calf serum [pound GFCS] on PR3 have not been reported. It has been reported that PR3 is able to destroy the cytoskeletal integral proteins, but we have not find any reports which showed the effect of this protease on Chinese hamster ovary cells [CHO-cells] in culture medium. Suramin has proven to be useful as an antitumor drug, but there was not any report on the effect of suramin on CHO-cells. The effects of various concentrations of pound GFCS [from 0.5% up to 10%] and suramin [from 0.8 pound gM up to 100 pound gM] on PR3 and different concentrations of suramin [from 0.8 pound gM up to 1000 pound gM] on CHO-cells were investigated. Data analysis were performed by, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, ANOVA test and Tukey HSD post tests. Results showed that pound GFCS and suramin have an inhibitory effect on PR3 and these effects increased with increasing the concentration significantly [p < 0.01]. PR3 with the concentration of 2.2 Unit/ml has no effect on CHO-cells. Although suramin with the concentration of less than 125 poundgM cell growth retarded for only a few hours, but with the concentration of 125 to 250 pound gM inhibit the cell growth for a week, and after that cells gain normal growth gradually. Suramin with concentration of more than 500 pound gM inhibited the cell growth completely. Although suramin reversibly inhibit the PR3 activity but in concentration of less than 250 pound gM it had no long-term effect on CHO-cells. Therefore it can be used in the investigation of proteases. There were unknown components in pound GFCS, which cause the inhibition of PR3 activity. This finding is very important in PR3 production in culture medium. However CHO-cells are resistant to PR3 and suramin in low concentration