For Cushing's: Tosoh Bioscience Launches the ST AIA-PACK DHEA-S Assay

Tosoh introduces the ST AIA-PACK DHEA-S Assay for use on Tosoh Automated Immunoassay Analyzers

South San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) March 06, 2012

Tosoh Bioscience, Inc. introduces the ST AIA-PACK DHEA-S assay for use on Tosoh automated immunoassay analyzers including the AIA-360, AIA-600 II, AIA-1800, AIA-2000 and the new AIA-900.

Utilizing Tosoh's unit dose test cup reagent technology, ST AIA-PACK DHEA-S has an assay time of approximately 20 minutes. Single, unitized test cups require no pre-mixing, no pre-measuring and no on-board refrigeration. Dry reagent format ensures 90 day calibration stability for minimal waste and cost effective testing. Test cups are bar-coded for easy identification and inventory management.

ST AIA-PACK DHEA-S is designed for In Vitro Diagnostic Use Only for the quantitative measurement of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) in human serum, heparinized or EDTA plasma. DHEA-S is used for the diagnosis of various diseases of the adrenal cortex, and is especially useful for the differential diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome.

Concentrations of DHEA-S are often measured, along with other hormones such as FSH, LH, prolactin, estrogen, and testosterone, to help diagnose polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and to help rule out other causes of infertility, amenorrhea, and hirsutism. DHEA-S levels may be ordered to investigate and diagnose the cause of virilization in young girls and early (precocious) puberty in young boys.

ST AIA-PACK DHEA-S has been designed for a variety of clinical diagnostic applications including: Pediatric/Children's Hospitals, Endocrinologist, GP, Reproductive and Metabolic Clinics.

Tosoh Bioscience, Inc. (TBI) provides highly sophisticated diagnostic systems for immunoassay and HPLC testing to doctor's offices, hospitals and reference laboratories throughout the Americas. Based in South San Francisco, CA, TBI is a U.S. subsidiary of Tosoh Corporation which is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. TBI is part of Tosoh Corporation's Bioscience Division.

 

For the original version on PRWeb visit: www.prweb.com/releases/prwebTosoh/DHEAS/prweb9248342.htm

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2012/03/06/prweb9248342.DTL#ixzz1oTaQcBBo

High prevalence of subclinical hypercortisolism in patients with bilateral adrenal incidentalomas: a challenge to management

Authors: Vassiliadi, Dimitra A.; Ntali, Georgia; Vicha, Eirini; Tsagarakis, Stylianos

Source: Clinical Endocrinology, Volume 74, Number 4, April 2011 , pp. 438-444(7)

Abstract:

Summary Objective  The prevalence of subclinical hypercortisolism (SH) in unilateral incidentalomas (UI) has been extensively studied; however, patients with bilateral incidentalomas (BI) have not been thoroughly investigated. We therefore aimed to describe the characteristics of patients with BI compared to their unilateral counterparts. The surgical outcome in a small number of patients is reported.

Design  Observational retrospective study in a single secondary/tertiary centre. Patients  One hundred and seventy-two patients with adrenal incidentalomas (41 with BI).

Measurements  Morning cortisol (F), ACTH, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA-S), midnight F, 24-h urine collection for cortisol (UFC), low-dose dexamethasone suppression test (LDDST), fasting glucose, insulin, and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Primarily, SH was defined as F-post-LDDST>70 nmol/l and one more abnormality; several diverse cut-offs were also examined.

Results  No difference was noted in age, body mass index, or prevalence of diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance between patients with UI and those with BI. Patients with BI had higher F-post-LDDST (119·3 ± 112·8 vs 54·3 ± 71·5 nmol/l, P < 0·001) and lower DHEA-S (1·6 ± 1·5 vs 2·5 ± 2·3 μmol/l, P = 0·003) but similar UFC, ACTH and midnight F levels, compared to UI. SH was significantly more prevalent in BI (41·5%vs 12·2%, P  < 0·001). Fourteen patients were operated on; four underwent bilateral interventions. In 10 patients, unilateral adrenalectomy on the side of the largest lesion resulted in significant improvement in F-post-LDDST (P = 0·008) and a decrease in midnight F (P = 0·015) levels.

Conclusions  Subclinical hypercortisolism is significantly more prevalent in bilateral incidentaloma patients, posing great dilemmas for its optimum management.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2265.2010.03963.x

Publication date: 2011-04-01

From http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/bsc/cend/2011/00000074/00000004/art00005

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trials of DHEA Treatment Effects on Quality of Life in Women with Adrenal Insufficiency

Aziz A. Alkatib, Mihaela Cosma, Mohamed B. Elamin, Dana Erickson, Brian A. Swiglo, Patricia J. Erwin, and Victor M. Montori*

Department of Medicine (A.A.A.), Knowledge and Encounter Research Unit (A.A.A., M.C., M.B.E., D.E., B.A.S., P.J.E., V.M.M.), Mayo Clinic Libraries (P.J.E.), and Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism, and Nutrition (M.C., D.E., B.A.S., V.M.M.), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: montori.victor@mayo.edu.

 

Context: Women with primary or secondary adrenal insufficiency report a decreased health-related quality of life (HRQOL) despite traditional adrenal replacement therapy. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) has been studied as an agent to improve HRQOL in these patients.

 

Objective: We sought to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of DHEA effects on HRQOL in women with adrenal insufficiency.

Data Sources: We searched electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane CENTRAL, Web of Science, CINAHL, and PsycInfo) and reference lists of eligible studies through July 2008.

 

Study Selection: Eligible trials randomly assigned women with primary or secondary adrenal insufficiency to either DHEA or control and measured the effect of treatment on HRQOL.

 

Data Extraction: Reviewers working independently and in duplicate assessed the methodological quality of trials and collected data on patient characteristics, interventions, and outcomes.

 

Data Synthesis: We found 10 eligible trials that measured HRQOL and depression, anxiety, and sexual function. Random-effects meta-analysis showed a small improvement in HRQOL in women treated with DHEA compared with placebo [effect size of 0.21; 95% confidence interval, 0.08 to 0.33; inconsistency (I2) = 32%]. There was a small beneficial effect of DHEA on depression; effects on anxiety and sexual well-being were also small and not statistically significant.

 

Conclusions: DHEA may improve, in a small and perhaps trivial manner, HRQOL and depression in women with adrenal insufficiency. There was no significant effect of DHEA on anxiety and sexual well-being. The evidence appears insufficient to support the routine use of DHEA in women with adrenal insufficiency.

 

From http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/jc.2009-0672v1