title: Activity of the thyroid parafollicular (C) cells in simple and hyperactive nodular goitre treated surgically - preliminary investigations.
abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate the significance of measuring calcitonin (CT) plasma concentrations in patients with simple and hyperthyroid goitre treated surgically. Eighty four patients who underwent operations during the years 2000-2002 were analysed. Plasma concentrations of CT were determined by commercially available radioimmunoassay on the day of hospitalisation. Elevated concentrations of CT were found in 8 patients: in 5 out of 26 (19.2%) and in 3 out of 33 (9.0%) patients with Graves' disease and with multinodular goitre, respectively. No major differences in concentrations of CT were observed in patients with simple goitre. Postoperative morphological analysis of pathologically changed hyperactive thyroids showed the presence of enlarged C cells distributed either in small groups or even singly with weakening immunohistochemical reaction for CT. These observations may point to the possibility of a relationship between the functional state of the thyroid gland and the activity of C cells.
authors.affiliation: 1st Department of General and Endocrinological Surgery, Medical University, Białystok, Poland. klchirog@amb.edu.pl
authors.forename: Jacek
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dadan
authors.forename: Robert Ł
authors.initials: RŁ
authors.lastname: Zbucki R
authors.forename: Bogusław
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sawicki
authors.forename: Maria M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Winnicka
authors.forename: Zbigniew
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Puchalski
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006044:Goiter, Nodular / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D002116:Calcitonin