Background: Use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may increase the risk of adult-onset asthma in women. Various in vitro studies have reported that estradiol stimulates human mast cell lines causing release of allergic mediators which was not observed in estrogen receptor-alpha (ER-alpha) knockout mice. Thus, estrogen might be a key element in occurrence of asthma. In the present study, we p...

We developed a specific, simple, and rapid RIA for the direct quantification of estrone sulfate (E1S) and established its performance characteristics. The assay has a dynamic range of 0.05-90 micrograms/L with a detection limit of 0.009 microgram/L. Intraassay CVs were 9.2%, 4.5%, and 4.6% at 0.35, 9.0, and 60 micrograms/L, respectively. Interassay CVs were 8.8%, 5.1%, and 5.5% at 0.076, 0.5, a...

OBJECTIVE We aimed to determine the effects of thyroid hormone on A1C and glycated albumin (GA) in nondiabetic patients with overt hypothyroidism. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A1C levels were measured in 45 nondiabetic patients with overt hypothyroidism and 180 euthyroid control subjects. A1C, GA, fasting blood glucose (FBG), 1,5-anhydroglucitol, and erythrocyte indexes were determined in 30 n...

introduction: sandfish (holothuria scabra) is a marine species generally sold as a raw material that has been dried even though the meat contains steroid hormone with high economic value, which has the potential to become a source of safe natural steroid hormone. this study was aimed to look at the potency of sandfish as an anti-aging for menopausal women. sandfish could become a source of natu...

RATIONALE Ectopic thyrotropin (TSH)-secreting pituitary adenomas are exceedingly rare. To date, there are only 6 cases reported. Here, we describe an even rarer ectopic TSH-secreting pituitary adenoma (TSH-oma) concomitant with papillary thyroid carcinoma. PATIENT CONCERNS A 27-year-old female was admitted to the hospital in 2002 for neck enlargement and palpitation. Thyroid function test sho...

PURPOSE Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is related to testicular insufficiency, which causes low testosterone levels in serum. Generally, sex hormone levels and bone mineral density (BMD) are lower in patients with KS than normal. We investigated the effects of testosterone replacement on serum testosterone levels and BMD in KS patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS From December 2005 to March 2008, 18 KS...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study is to determine whether B12 replacement would ameliorate cognitive and psychiatric symptoms in elderly subjects with dementia and low serum B12 levels. METHODS A test group (n = 28) of nursing home residents with low serum B12 levels (<250 pg/mL) and a matched comparison group (n = 28) with normal serum B12 levels (>300 pg/mL) were evaluated by blinded raters ...

Introduction: Sandfish (Holothuria scabra) is a marine species generally sold as a raw material that has been dried even though the meat contains steroid hormone with high economic value, which has the potential to become a source of safe natural steroid hormone. This study was aimed to look at the potency of sandfish as an anti-aging for menopausal women. Sandfish could become a source of natu...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection appears to subvert the human iron regulatory mechanism and thus upregulates hepcidin, resulting in unexplained iron-deficiency anemia (IDA). We evaluated serum prohepcidin levels before and after eradication of H. pylori in IDA patients to assess whether it plays a role in IDA related to H. pylori infection. METHODS Subjects diagnosed ...