The effect of maternal thyroidectomy prior to conception on foetal brain development in sheep

1986 ◽  
Vol 112 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.J. Potter ◽  
G. H. McIntosh ◽  
M. T. Mano ◽  
P. A. Baghurst ◽  
J. Chavadej ◽  
...  

Abstract. Merino ewes were surgically thyroidectomized, and mated 6 weeks later when their plasma thyroxine (T4) levels were negligible. Their foetuses were delivered by hysterotomy at 52, 71, 84, 98, 125, 140 days gestation or at term (150 days). Despite the very low levels of T4 in maternal plasma, the concentrations of T4 in foetal plasma were not significantly different after 71 days gestation from those of foetuses of sham-operated (control) ewes. Foetal brain and body weights, however, were reduced from 71 days compared to those of foetuses of sham-operated ewes. The foetal brain weights but not the body weights were restored to normal from 125 days to term. In additon to the weights, cell number (DNA) and cell size (protein:DNA ratio) appeared to be normal in the neonatal brain at parturition and this was confirmed by histological examination of the brains. Thus lack of maternal thyroid hormones in early pregnancy may cause a reduction in brain and body growth in the foetus which, in the case of the brain, appears to be restored to normal after the onset of foetal thyroid function.

2011 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 132-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Somogyi ◽  
A. Gyorffy ◽  
T. J. Scalise ◽  
D. S. Kiss ◽  
G. Goszleth ◽  
...  

Controlling energy homeostasis involves modulating the desire to eat and regulating energy expenditure. The controlling machinery includes a complex interplay of hormones secreted at various peripheral endocrine endpoints, such as the gastrointestinal tract, the adipose tissue, thyroid gland and thyroid hormone-exporting organs, the ovary and the pancreas, and, last but not least, the brain itself. The peripheral hormones that are the focus of the present review (ghrelin, leptin, thyroid hormones, oestrogen and insulin) play integrated regulatory roles in and provide feedback information on the nutritional and energetic status of the body. As peripheral signals, these hormones modulate central pathways in the brain, including the hypothalamus, to influence food intake, energy expenditure and to maintain energy homeostasis. Since the growth of the literature on the role of various hormones in the regulation of energy homeostasis shows a remarkable and dynamic expansion, it is now becoming increasingly difficult to understand the individual and interactive roles of hormonal mechanisms in their true complexity. Therefore, our goal is to review, in the context of general physiology, the roles of the five best-known peripheral trophic hormones (ghrelin, leptin, thyroid hormones, oestrogen and insulin, respectively) and discuss their interactions in the hypothalamic regulation of food intake.


2007 ◽  
Vol 293 (4) ◽  
pp. E965-E969 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Neumeier ◽  
Johanna Weigert ◽  
Roland Buettner ◽  
Josef Wanninger ◽  
Andreas Schäffler ◽  
...  

Adiponectin circulates in the body in high concentrations, and 100-fold lower amounts were described in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of mice, whereas in humans, contradictory results have been published. To clarify whether adiponectin is present in human CSF and is derived from the circulation, it was determined in human CSF and plasma of 52 nonselected patients. Adiponectin was detected by immunoblot in CSF and was quantified in CSF and serum by ELISA. CSF adiponectin was positively correlated to systemic levels, and the CSF/serum adiponectin ratio was correlated to the CSF/serum albumin ratio. Furthermore, disturbed function of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) was associated with an elevated CSF/serum adiponectin ratio. Adiponectin mRNA was not found in the brain, indicating that adiponectin crosses the BBB and/or the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCB). Rat adiponectin with a COOH-terminal tag was injected into the tail vein of rats and was detected 3 h later in CSF. However, CSF adiponectin in humans and rats was ∼0.1% of the serum concentration and therefore was below the 0.5% expected in the CSF because of the residual leakage of an undisturbed BBB/BCB. Taken together, data from the present study show that adiponectin in human CSF is far below the level expected by the baseline BBB/BCB permeability, indicating that adiponectin enters the brain much less efficiently than albumin, thus supporting recent data that exclude adiponectin transport to the CSF. Additional studies are needed to reveal whether these low levels of adiponectin in CSF have a physiological function.


2014 ◽  
Vol 92 (4) ◽  
pp. 330-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aline Isabel da Silva ◽  
Ligia Cristina Monteiro Galindo ◽  
Luciana Nascimento ◽  
Cristiane Moura Freitas ◽  
Raul Manhaes-de-Castro ◽  
...  

The brain, more than any other organ in the body, is vulnerable to oxidative stress damage, owing to its requirement for high levels of oxygenation. This is needed to fulfill its metabolic needs in the face of relatively low levels of protective antioxidants. Recent studies have suggested that oxidative stress is directly involved in the etiology of both eating and anxiety behavior. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of fluoxetine-inhibited serotonin reuptake in nursing rat neonates on behavior and on oxidative stress in the hypothalamus and the hippocampus; brain areas responsible for behavior related to food and anxiety, respectively. The results show that increased serotonin levels during a critical period of development do not induce significant differences in food-related behavior (intake and satiety), but do result in a in a significant decrease in anxiety. Measurements of oxidative stress showed a significant reduction of lipid peroxidation in the hippocampus (57%). In the hypothalamus, antioxidant enzymes were unchanged, but in the hippocampus, the activity of catalase and glutathione-S-transferase was increased (80% and 85% respectively). This suggests that protecting neural cells from oxidative stress during brain development contributes to the anxiolytic effects of serotonin.


2017 ◽  
Vol 68 (7) ◽  
pp. 1595-1597
Author(s):  
Camelia Bogdanici ◽  
Tudor Bogdanici ◽  
Andreea Moraru ◽  
Danut Costin ◽  
Crenguta Feraru

Levodopa is a medication used in treatment for Parkinson�s disease, which is associated with low levels of a chemical called dopamine in the brain. Levodopa is turned into dopamine in the body and therefore increases levels of this chemical. Levodopa was used as a treatment of amblyopia alone or in combination with classical treatment of occlusion. Visual acuity is improved after treatment with oral Levodopa. When is used as an adjunct to the occlusion therapy, Levodopa can be associated with long-term improvement in the vision, and may have also better compliance for patching. Levodopa stimulates the brain plasticity in adult age and can be used in treatment for amblyopia. Patients have also an increase of the visual acuity after orthoptic treatment for amblyopia and when Levodopa is administered, the vision increases much more. Contrary to the classical conception, according to which amblyopia cannot be treated after 10-12 years of age and it is untreatable in adults, studies about treatment with Levodopa in amblyopic eyes, may allow the improvement of the visual acuity in adults, as well.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 178-182
Author(s):  
A. N. Rajalakshmi ◽  
Farghana Begam

Thyroid gland is an essential endocrine gland that is present in the human body.  This review highlights the production, regulation and disease conditions of the thyroid hormones.  The thyroid gland is controlled with the help of hypothalamus and the pituitary gland that is present in the brain.  The production of thyroid hormones involves five main steps such synthesis of thyroglobulin (TG), iodide uptake, iodination of thyroglobulin, storage and release.  The two important hormones produced by the thyroid gland are Thyroxine (T4) and Triiodothyronine(T3). These two hormones are iodine containing derivatives. Deficiency of iodine in the body results in the reduction of T3 and T4 production. Excess and deficiency of these two hormones result in the major diseases like Hyper and Hypothyroidism.  The synthetic forms of Thyroxine(T4) and Triiodothyronine(T3) used in the Pharmaceutical field are Levothyroxine and Liothyronine.  Women are most commonly prone to these thyroid diseases comparatively to men.  Undiagnosed disease conditions may become fatal. Levothyroxine therapy is commonly used for thyroidism which is a similar synthetic thyroid hormone.  Also natural thyroid hormones that are obtained from the dried thyroid glands of animals are available.  Thyroid function test and the measurement of T3, T4 plasma level becomes essential for the identification and regular maintenance of thyroid hormones in the body and human well-being.  


2018 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 121-124
Author(s):  
Mohammed Adam ◽  
Barth Izuchukwu Onyeanusi ◽  
Joseph Olusegun Hambolu ◽  
Suleiman Folorunsho Ambali ◽  
Chikera Samuel Ibe

Abstract The aim of this study was to obtain base-line morphometric data on the whole brain and brainstem in the adult male and female helmeted guinea fowl (Numida meleagris), and compare the result in the two sexes. Brain samples of seventy adult helmeted guinea fowls, comprising 35 males and 35 females, intended for slaughter, were extracted for the study. The body weights for both male and female helmeted guinea fowls were 1247 ± 5.51 g and 1230 ± 4.85 g, respectively. The mean brain weights were 3.39 ± 0.02 g and 3.47 ± 0.18 g for male and female, respectively, and the difference in the values was not significant (P > 0.05). The lengths of the brain and medulla oblongata, as well as the lengths of the midbrain and mesencephalic tectum, did not differ between the two sexes. Neither the mean weights nor lengths of the pons differed between the two sexes. In conclusion, the results of this study showed that there was no sex dimorphism observed in the morphometry of the midbrain, medulla oblongata and pons in the helmeted guinea fowl.


2018 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 121-124
Author(s):  
Mohammed Adam ◽  
Barth Izuchukwu Onyeanusi ◽  
Joseph Olusegun Hambolu ◽  
Suleiman Folorunsho Ambali ◽  
Chikera Samuel Ibe

Abstract The aim of this study was to obtain base-line morphometric data on the whole brain and brainstem in the adult male and female helmeted guinea fowl (Numida meleagris), and compare the result in the two sexes. Brain samples of seventy adult helmeted guinea fowls, comprising 35 males and 35 females, intended for slaughter, were extracted for the study. The body weights for both male and female helmeted guinea fowls were 1247 ± 5.51 g and 1230 ± 4.85 g, respectively. The mean brain weights were 3.39 ± 0.02 g and 3.47 ± 0.18 g for male and female, respectively, and the difference in the values was not significant (P > 0.05). The lengths of the brain and medulla oblongata, as well as the lengths of the midbrain and mesencephalic tectum, did not differ between the two sexes. Neither the mean weights nor lengths of the pons differed between the two sexes. In conclusion, the results of this study showed that there was no sex dimorphism observed in the morphometry of the midbrain, medulla oblongata and pons in the helmeted guinea fowl.


2014 ◽  
Vol 84 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 5-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eun Y. Jung ◽  
Sung C. Jun ◽  
Un J. Chang ◽  
Hyung J. Suh

Previously, we have found that the addition of L-ascorbic acid to chitosan enhanced the reduction in body weight gain in guinea pigs fed a high-fat diet. We hypothesized that the addition of L-ascorbic acid to chitosan would accelerate the reduction of body weight in humans, similar to the animal model. Overweight subjects administered chitosan with or without L-ascorbic acid for 8 weeks, were assigned to three groups: Control group (N = 26, placebo, vehicle only), Chito group (N = 27, 3 g/day chitosan), and Chito-vita group (N = 27, 3 g/day chitosan plus 2 g/day L-ascorbic acid). The body weights and body mass index (BMI) of the Chito and Chito-vita groups decreased significantly (p < 0.05) compared to the Control group. The BMI of the Chito-vita group decreased significantly compared to the Chito group (Chito: -1.0 kg/m2 vs. Chito-vita: -1.6 kg/m2, p < 0.05). The results showed that the chitosan enhanced reduction of body weight and BMI was accentuated by the addition of L-ascorbic acid. The fat mass, percentage body fat, body circumference, and skinfold thickness in the Chito and Chito-vita groups decreased more than the Control group; however, these parameters were not significantly different between the three groups. Chitosan combined with L-ascorbic acid may be useful for controlling body weight.


1962 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 254-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. H. Bassøe ◽  
R. Emberland ◽  
E. Glück ◽  
K. F. Støa

ABSTRACT The steroid excretion and the plasma corticosteroids were investigated in three patients with necrosis of the brain and of the pituitary gland. The patients were kept alive by artificial ventilation. In two of the patients the neutral 17-ketosteroids and the 17-hydrocorticosteroids fell to extremely low levels. At the same time, the number of eosinophil cells showed a tendency to increase. Corticotrophin administered intravenously twice to the third patient had a stimulating effect on the adrenal cortex. The theoretical and practical significance of these findings is discussed.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document