Background: An in-depth understanding of the fundamental principles that regulate
thyroid hormone homeostasis is critical for the development of new diagnostic and
treatment ap-proaches for patients with thyroid disease. Summary: Important clinical
practices in use today for the treatment of patients with hypothy-roidism, hyperthyroidism,
or thyroid cancer, are the result of laboratory discoveries made by scientists investigating
the most basic aspects of thyroid structure and molecular biology. In this document,
a panel of experts commissioned by the American Thyroid Association makes a se-ries
of recommendations related to the study of thyroid hormone economy and action. These
recommendations are intended to promote standardization of study design, which should
in turn increase the comparability and reproducibility of experimental findings. Conclusions:
It is expected that adherence to these recommendations by investigators in the field
will facilitate progress towards a better understanding of the thyroid gland and thyroid
hormone dependent processes.
