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Volume 39 / No. 1 / 2005
Original articles
Minireview
Endocrine Regulations (since 1967 to 1990 Endocrinologia Experimentalis) is an international journal on experimental and clinical endocrinology edited quarterly in English by care of the Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Slovak Academy of Sciences (Bratislava, Slovakia) and published by the Slovak Academic Press (Bratislava, Slovakia).
This journal aims to publish original manuscripts or minireviews on experimental and clinical endocrinology and diabetes.
The submission of a manuscript to Endocrine Regulations implies that it has not been previously published or is not being submitted for publication elsewhere and that the manuscript has been approved by all authors who are ready to take public responsibility for the content.
All materials relating to human investigation will be published upon the understanding that design of the work has been approved by the local Ethical Committee or that it conforms to ethical guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki. The animal experiments should state the conformance to guidelines on animal care.
Manuscripts in triplicate with three sets of illustrations (of which one is an original) should be sent to:
Richard Kvetnansky, Ph.D., Dr.Sc., Chief Editor,
Institute of Experimental Endocrinology,
Vlárska 3, 833 06 Bratislava, Slovakia
All text must be printed on one side of the sheet only with appropriate margins and double spacing to give adequate space for editorial notes. The corresponding author should indicate his/her full mailing address including phone and fax numbers and the e-mail address.
Manuscripts on disc. The submissions of manuscripts prepared on 3.5 inch discs on IBM compatible computers is encouraged, the preferred word processors being Microsoft Word. However, also in this case the disc must be accompanied by three hard copies of the manuscript. The disk should be labelled by the name of the first author, type of word processor, its version and file name and must also accompany the final version of the manuscript.
Types of manuscripts. Standard original papers should contain following sections: * Title, * Abstract (divided into sections Objective, Methods, Results, Conclusions), * Key Words, * Introduction, * Materials and Methods (in clinical papers this section should read * Subjects and Methods), * Results, * Discussion, (* Acknowledgements), * References. There is no length limit for these papers.
Minireviews should give an overview of a defined field preferably of author,s own professional interest and experience. They should not exceed 25 typed pages including complete References and should usually contain * Abstract, * Key Words, * Individual sections and subsections, * References.
Title page should give * the title of the article (main key words should be preferably included into the title to give sufficient information to allow the reader to judge the relevance of a paper to his field), * full names of authors, * institute of origin, * short title (running head), * name and full address of corresponding author including phone and fax numbers and e-mail naddress as well.
Abstract should clearly indicate the purpose of the study (Objective), basic procedures (Methods), main findings (Results) and principal conclusions (Conclusions). New and original findings should be emphasized, clearly defined and defended. The abstract must be easily understood indepenently of the full text of the paper
Key Words. Up to 8 key words (in exceptional cases even more) should be carefully selected to give appropriate information to the users of international information networks.
Introduction should give a brief overview of background informations and clearly define the purpose of the study...
Materials and Methods (in clinical manuscripts Subjects and Methods) should give full informations sufficient to allow others to repeat the work. It is recommended to divide it into subsections. Established and routine methods (if not considerably modified) should be just cited by the appropriate references, the modifications being briefly but clearly described. Statistical methods should be clearly described.
Results should describe concisely and clearly the results in logical sequence. Any interpretations should be avoided and definitely shifted to the Discussion. Do not repeat Materials and Methods, and do not repeat the data presented in tables and figures.
Discussion. Do not simply repeat the data presented in Introduction and Results section. Define and emphasize the new and important aspects of the study and the conclusions that follow. Relate results to other relevant studies, interpret them and explain the differences, if any. Working hypotheses and theories may be briefly outlined.
Acknowledgements. This short section, if necessary, contains acknowledgements of personal and/or financial assistance.
References. Begin this section on a new page. References should be assembled in alphabetical order according to the first author. More than one paper from the same author(s) in the same year must be identified by the letters a, b, c etc. placed after the year of publication. All listed references must be cited in the text by the first author et al. and the year (in a case of two authors only cite both). Following possibilities are recommended: (1) Brown and White (1993) found that ...; (2) ... as observed by Black et al. (1992); (3) ... as previously reported by several authors (Black et al. 1992; Brown and White 1993; Green et al. 1995).
The names of authors in the text and in references should be typed in small letters and underlined (e.g. White and Brown). The volume should be typed in bold.
The style for the list of references is as follows:
A.Journal Articles:
Itoh M, Okugawa T, Shiratori N, Ohashi H: Treatment with triiodothyronine (T3) against multinodular goiter fails to prevent the onset of Graves disease. Endocrine Regul 29, 151-156, 1995B. Book Chapters:
Mornex R, Orgiazzi JJ: Hyperthyroidism. In: The Thyroid Gland (Ed. M de Visscher), pp. 279-362, Raven Press, New York 1980
C. Books:
Podoba J: Endemic goiter in Slovakia. VEDA, Bratislava, 1962
The statement “in press” may be used only for a paper accepted for publication in the indicated journal. Unpublished data or Personal communication may be used in the text, but must not be listed in References.
Tables should be constructed as simply as possible, typed on separate sheets and numbered consecutively with Arabic numeral. There should be a short and descriptive heading and appropriate footnotes. Not more than 4 vertical rows should be used in a table planned to occupy one column and not more than 8-10 rows for that designed for two columns of a page.
Figures should be prepared in proportional way with lettering of appropriate size in order to permit such reduction in size to occupy either one or two columns on the page. Drawings (graphs, charts, diagrams etc.) should be submitted either as original or camera ready glossy photographs. Computer generated graphs must be printed by high quality laser printers on high quality camera ready paper. High quality photographs should be submitted on glossy paper.
Units of Measurement. Results should be expressed in SI units.
Abbreviations. Non-standard abbreviations should be properly defined in the text the first time they are used.
There are no page charges. Reprints order forms are sent to the corresponding author together with galley proofs. Color illustrations may be published for extra charges.
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ROVENSKY J1, IMRICH R2, RADIKOVA Z2, SIMOROVA E1, GREGUSKA O1, VIGAS M2, MACHO L2
1 National Institute for Rheumatic Diseases, Piestany, Slovakia;
2 Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia, e-mail: ueenlaco@savba.sk
Summary:
Objectives. Hormones other than adrenal and gonadal steroids may play also a significant role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. The aim of this study was to investigate the levels of selected peptide hormones and histamine in synovial fluid of knee joints and in plasma of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and with osteoarthrosis.
Methods. The concentrations of insulin, C-peptide, prolactin, growth hormone, free triiodothyronine (FT3), thyrotropin (TSH), and histamine were determined in synovial fluid and plasma of 27 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and in 12 patients with osteoarthrosis (OA).
Results. The presence of peptide hormones in synovial fluid was demonstrated. The levels of TSH and growth hormone were lower in synovial fluid than in plasma in both groups, while those of prolactin were comparable in synovial fluid and in plasma. The levels of C-peptide (p<0.05), insulin and FT3 were higher in synovial fluid than in plasma of OA patients, but lower in synovial fluid of RA patients as compared to their levels in plasma. Significant positive correlations between the levels in plasma and synovial fluid were observed in prolactin (p<0.001, r=0.741) and TSH (p<0.05, r=0.88) only. After age adjustment, no significant differences in synovial fluid and in plasma levels of all hormones were found between OA and RA patients. The levels of histamine in plasma were similar in RA and OA patients, in synovial fluid of both groups histamine was found in almost undetectable amounts.
Conclusions. The selected peptide hormones, e.g. insulin, C-peptide, prolactin, growth hormone, FT3 and TSH, are present in synovial fluid of RA and OA patients, some of them in the concentrations comparable to these in plasma. The role of the locally present hormones in pathogenesis of RA has to be investigated in further studies and analyses.
Key words: Peptide hormones – Histamine – Synovial fluid – Rheumatoid arthritis – Osteoarthrosis
ENDOCRINE REGULATIONS, VOL. 39, 1-6, 2005
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A. SIEJKA, T. STEPIEN, H. LAWNICKA, R. KRUPINSKI, J. KOMOROWSKI, H. STEPIEN
Department of Endocrinology, Medical University of Lodz, 91-425 Lodz, Poland, e-mail: hstep@csk.am.lodz.pl
Summary:
Objective. Bidirectional communication between the neuroendocrine and immune systems is now a subject of an intensive investigation. Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) is synthesized by the hypothalamus, but is present also in the immune cells. Some recent data indicate also an immunomodulatory role of the neuropeptide. The aim of the study was to examine the influence of GHRH(1-44)NH2 on interleukin-6 and interleukin-8 secretion from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells cultured in vitro.
Methods. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were isolated by centrifugation using Böyum technique and cultured in a humidified atmosphere of 5 % CO2 and 95 % O2 at 37 0C for 24 hours in the presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) at the concentration of 2 µg/ml and GHRH(1-44)NH2 (the final neuropeptide concentrations to be tested were 10-12 to 10-6 M). ELISA methods were used to measure IL-6 and IL-8 concentrations in the supernatants of cultured cells
Results. GHRH(1-44)NH2 influenced IL-6 secretion from cultured cells, but significant inhibition of IL-6 release was observed at 10-6 M (p<0.001). The negative correlation between the GHRH concentration studied and the IL-6 level in the supernatants was found (r = -0.759; p<0.001). GHRH had no influence on the secretion of IL-8 from activated PBMC. Conclusions. Our results demonstrate that GHRH in vitro modulates IL-6 secretion from the human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, without any significant effect on IL-8 secretion.
Key Words: Growth hormone – releasing hormone – Interleukin-6 – Interleukin-8 – Neuroimmunomodulation
ENDOCRINE REGULATIONS, VOL. 39, 7-11, 2005
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P. LANGER1, A. KOCAN2, M. TAJTAKOVA3, J. PETRIK2, J,. CHOVANCOVA2, B. DROBNA2, S. JURSA2, M. PAVUK2, T. TRNOVEC2, E. ŠEBÖKOVÁ1, I. KLIMEŠ1
1 Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Slovak Academy of Sciences and
2 Institute of Preventive and Clinical Medicine, Slovak Medical University, Bratislava, Slovakia;
3 1st Clinic of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, P.J. Safárik University, Kosice; Slovakia
e-mail: pavel.langer@savba.sk
Summary:
Objective. To study possible effects of long-time exposure of chemical factory employees and population of surrounding polluted area to polychlorinated biphenyls and pesticides on the thyroid volume and function as compared to the population from the area of background pollution.
Methods. A total of 461 adults consisting of 239 men and 222 women was examined and divided into four groups according to their permanent domicile as related to the level of environmental pollution, e.g. SR (area of background pollution, n=207), SI (slightly polluted area, n=59), MI (polluted city of Michalovce, n=94) and CH (employees of chemical factory subjected to high PCB exposure, n=101), combined first three groups being also called LPA (less polluted areas, n=360). Thyroid volume (ThV) and echogenicity were measured by real time sonography. The level of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and pesticides (hexachlorbenzene – HCB, DDE (2,2’-2- bis(4-chlorobiphenyl)-1,1-dichloroethylene), p,p’-DDT (2,2’-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-1,1,1-trichloroethane) and ?-, ?- and ?-hexachlorcyclohexane – HCH) was estimated by congener specific analysis using HP 5890 gas chromatograph with a 63Ni electron capture detector. Serum levels of thyrotropin (TSH) and thyroid peroxidase antibodies (anti-TPO) were measured by specific sensitive immunoassays.
Results. The association of very high PCB level (e.g. 7300±871 ng/g lipid; mean±S.E.) with increased ThV (e.g. 16.3±0.73 ml) in CH has been found, the values being significantly higher than these of 360 subjects in LPA (e.g. 2045±147 ng/g, p<0.001 for PCB and 14.0±0.32 ml, p<0.001 for ThV). In 23 subjects from CH with PCB level >10000 ng/g the ThV was 18.7±2.32 ml, while that in 251 subjects from LPA with PCB level of <2000 ng/g was 13.8±0.35 ml (p<0.05). In addition, ThV as well as PCB levels were strikingly increasing with age. In parallel with PCB levels, also the levels of other organochlorines estimated (namely these of DDE) were increasing. Although the participation of these substances in the development of adverse effects cannot yet be defined, it cannot be excluded. The association of increased levels of episodic congener PCB 101 with increased ThV appeared to be more pronounced than that of stable congeners PCB 153 and 180. Finally, significant increase in the frequency of thyroid hypoechogenicity by ultrasound, ThV >20.0 ml and thyroperoxidase antibodies in CH area was observed as compared to LPA.
Conclusions. Several associations of high PCB and pesticides level with characteristics of thyroid disorders (e.g. increased thyroid volume, frequency of hypoechogenicity and frequency of positive thyroperoxidase antibodies level in blood) were observed in the area with heavy industrial pollution by PCB.
Key Words: Polychlorinated biphenyls – Pesticides – Industrial pollution – PCB congeners – Hexachlorobenzene – DDE - Thyroid volume - Thyroid disorders
ENDOCRINE REGULATIONS, VOL. 39, 12-20, 2005
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ALZBETA MLYNARCIKOVA, MARIA FICKOVA, SONA SCSUKOVA
1 Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 833 06, Bratislava, Slovakia e-mail: ueenamly@savba.sk
Summary: Steroidogenesis, expansion of oocyte-cumulus complex, and meiotic maturation of the oocyte represent intrafollicular processes taking important part in the background of successful fertilisation. The reproductive health of female could be affected by a number of endogenous as well as exogenous factors, such as exposure to agents from specific lifestyle habits, environmental pollutants with endocrine disrupting properties, or heavy metals. Published data indicate that exposure to chemicals may cause alterations in reproductive behavior and contribute to sub-fecundity, infertility, or ovarian failure. Female reproductive functions can be compromised by exposure to toxic chemicals at a variety of sites, including ovary or reproductive tract. Substantial harmful effects of cigarette smoke on fecundity and reproduction have become apparent but are not generally appreciated. The effects of cigarette smoke components (cadmium, nicotine, cotinine) absorbed into the organism on intrafollicular processes may thus in part explain the negative impact of smoking on female fertility. Moreover, it is now evident that a variety of man-made pollutants present in the environment are capable to disrupt normal endocrine function in many species. Examples of these „endocrine disrupters“ include plasticizers, such as phthalates and bisphenol A.
The effects of selected environmental chemicals on the processes of steroidogenesis, expansion of oocyte-cumulus complex, and meiotic maturation of the oocyte are summarized in the present paper and possible mechanisms of action of these agents are suggested. However, for complete understanding the mechanisms by which chemical agents from the environment can affect the intrafollicular processes, a lot of further investigation is needed.
Key words: Ovary – Steroidogenesis – Cumulus expansion – Ooocyte maturation – Endocrine
disruption – Smoking – Plasticizers
ENDOCRINE REGULATIONS, VOL. 39, 20-31, 2005
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