Homologous radioimmunoassay for human carboxyl-terminal parathyroid hormone and its clinical evaluation

MEN type 1 associated with mediastinal carcinoid producing parathyroid hormone, calcitonin and chorionic gonadotropin

A 34-year-old Japanese woman was admitted to our hospital with a mediastinal tumor. Laboratory data showed high levels of calcitonin (CT), human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) in the serum. Surgery was performed, but the tumor could not be completely resected. The patient died in the 10th postoperative month due to systemic metastasis and cachexia. At autopsy, diffuse parathyroid hyperplasia and multiple islet cell tumors of the pancreas were found. A pathological diagnosis of multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) type 1 associated with mediastinal atypical carcinoid tumor was made. Immunohistochemical study indicated the tumor cells of the mediastinum to be positively stained for hCG beta but not for PTH or CT. The tumor tissue contained significantly high levels of CT, PTH and whole hCG. This is the first case report on MEN type 1 associated with mediastinal carcinoid tumor producing PTH, CT and hCG beta.

Separation of protein hormones

The purpose of this review is to highlight modern techniques in HPLC and electrophoresis used for protein hormone separations. The advent of biotechnological methods for production of synthetic polypeptides and recombinant proteins will have a significant future impact on the types of therapeutics and metabolites that need to be monitored in the clinical laboratory. The protein hormone examples given in this work were selected because of the comprehensive body of separation science literature and not necessarily for their future importance in medicine. The intention was to present an array of general methods and techniques which may be useful to the clinical investigator for analysis of any protein hormone.