Thyroid Systems Engineering

A Primer in Mathematical Modeling of the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Thyroid Axis

Simon Goede, Melvin Khee-Shing Leow

• Publisher: River Publishers
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN:
  9788793609594
• eBook ISBN:
  9781000792782
• Topic: Physical Sciences
• Subtopic: Medical Theory, Practice & Reference

In recent years, a considerable amount of effort has been devoted, both in industry and academia, towards the behavioral modeling, evaluation and prediction of the hypothalamus pituitary thyroid system.Thyroid Systems Engineering targets an optimal treatment of people suffering from thyroid hormone disorders. The content is motivated by in-depth observations of such patients whose rich data supported the theoretical framework arising from formal mathematical reasoning, guided by the nature of thyroid physiology. Leveraging on the insights emerging from the unique combination of an electrical engineer working with a clinical thyroidologist, and both being scientists skilled in mathematics, the authors introduce this new discipline and field of scientific investigation aptly designated as Thyroid Systems Engineering.Readers will discover that mathematics can indeed model the behavior of the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis. Focused on modeling, each of the eighteen chapters gives the reader a notion of the application of relevant mathematics to pertinent issues encountered in mainstream thyroidology. Many cellular processes resemble the flux of variables and states in a complex multi-parameter space through time analogous to current flow in electrical networks. It is then logical to apply the principles and physical laws of electrodynamics, electrical network theory, control systems theory and signal theory to many of the biological phenomena encountered in endocrinology. Such an approach is used liberally throughout the book and successfully yields elegant solutions to a number of models presented within.This book can serve as a reference to mathematical modeling in other aspects of endocrine physiology, and as the starting point for a fundamental course in medical modeling. It will appeal to postgraduates in electrical engineering, academic physicians and biomedical researchers. Further, readers equipped with advanced calculus, electrical network theory, control theory and signal theory should be able to follow the mathematical expositions that describe thyrotropic control. They represent a new discipline based on mathematical modeling in physiology applicable to medical diagnostics, measurement and treatment to cooperate in the clinical team and realize an optimized treatment for patients.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Epigraph
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• List of Abbreviations
• 1 General Introduction
• 2 Physiology of the HPT Axis
• 3 Modeling Principles
• 4 Medical Statistics and Mathematical Modeling Make Strange Bedfellows
• 5 Systems Theory Applied on the Modeling of the HPT Axis and First Principles of Feedback and Homeostasis
• 6 The Mathematical Relationship between [FT4] and [TSH]
• 7 The Thyroid Gland and the Relationship Between [TSH] and [FT4]
• 8 The Hypothalamus–Pituitary (HPT) Set Point Theory
• 9 The Human Hypothalamus– Pituitary–Thyroid Control System
• 10 Reference Ranges for TSH and FT4
• 11 Extrapolation to the Set Point from a Single Available Measurement
• 12 Measurement Methods, Error Sources, and Error Interpretation of FT4 and TSH Concentration Values
• 13 Model Identification, Validation, and Outlier Selection
• 14 Half-Life and Plasma Appearance Dynamics of T3 and T4
• 15 Pharmacokinetics of Liothyronine (L-T3) and Levothyroxine (L-T4)
• 16 Circadian Feedback Dynamics and Set Point Stability Analysis of the Hypothalamus Pituitary Thyroid System
• 17 HPT Simulation with Trans-linear Circuits
• 18 From Theory to Practice: Computer-aided Set Point Application
• Appendix
• Index
• About the Authors