The assay for thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin using cultured human thyroid cells and its clinical application

A new technique for the determination of the serum level of thyroid stimulating immunoglobulins (TSI) is described. TSI may be detected by measuring cyclic AMP increases in cultures of isolated thyroid epithelial cells in response to added normal or patient's serum. Our results showed that the serum level in the normal control group was mostly lower than 110%, however, in 9.1% of normal human sera, TSI showed a positive result. In abnormal position, activity of TSI was higher than 110% of the rate of the normal control group. The positive result was 86% and the serum TSI levels were 270 +/- 176.6% in patients with Graves' disease before receiving antithyroid drug. After treatment with antithyroid drugs from one to thirty months, the positive results dropped to 35% and the serum TSI level decreased to 117.0 +/- 113%, which was significantly lower than that in untreated patients. In conclusion, TSI can be detected in the majority of the sera in patients with Graves' disease using this technique. It is helpful to the diagnosis and treatment of the Graves' disease.

Levels of cofactors for lipoprotein lipase and lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase in plasma patients with severe thermal injury

Transient hypertriglyceridemia occurs in patients with severe thermal injury, and some patients have a low clearance of exogenous triglyceride (TG) from plasma. This suggests an impaired lipolysis. In the current study, we measured the levels of apolipoproteins required for clearance of endogenous and/or exogenous TG. Twenty-five thermal injury patients (18 men and 7 women) having an average of 52% +/- 6% (SE) total burn surface area were followed for a period of nine weeks. The levels of plasma lipids and apolipoproteins C-II, C-III, E, and A-I were measured after a 12-hour "fast," ie, prior to the parenteral administration of fat emulsion. The levels of plasma cholesterol and apolipoproteins C-II, C-III, and A-I were low. Plasma TG levels, however, were not abnormally elevated, while apo E levels were within normal range. The results indicate that thermally injured patients have reduced levels of apoproteins necessary for TG metabolism. This condition may predispose to intolerance of exogenous TG.