Endocrine Abstracts

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of untreated growth hormone deficiency (GHD) over 2 yrs in elderly patients with hypothalamic-pituitary disease. Controls were also followed for 2 yrs.SUBJECTS: 27 patients (>65 yrs) with GHD (mean) peak stimulated GH 1.6 mIU/l(range 0.6-5)were initially studied. Two yrs later 21(13 males) agreed to attend for reassessment. 27 controls (>65 y) were studied at baseline and 17 (7 males) agreed to attend for reassessmen...

MIF can override the anti-inflammatory actions of glucocorticoids during immune response, and thus is an important pro-inflammatory factor. The presence of MIF in the cytoplasm of adenomatous cells of the anterior pituitary has been described, and high levels of MIF in other rapidly-proliferating tissues have been demonstrated. It is hypothesized that MIF release from these cells is influenced by the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis, and that ACTH and MIF are released simult...

In the adult, females release more ACTH and adrenal steroids than males in response to stress, and these differences have been attributed to the stimulatory and inhibitory effects on the HPA axis of oestrogens and androgens, respectively (see Rivier, Pharm. Biochem. Behav. 64(4):739-751, 1999). The effects of sex differences on pituitary-adrenal responses to stress during fetal life remain unknown. This study compared the plasma ACTH and cortisol responses to acute hypoxia in ...

Vasopressin release is stimulated following the administration of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA ) in man. MDMA and a major metabolite, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxymethamphetamine (HMMA), have also been shown to stimulate neurohypophysial hormone release in vitro. A study has now been performed comparing the response to four other metabolites with the parent compound. Hypothalami obtained from male Wistar rats were exposed to medium alone (B1) and the medium containing ...

The fetus may successfully respond to acute hypoxaemia, but little is known about what effects prevailing adverse intrauterine conditions might have on these responses. The fetal cardiovascular response to acute hypoxaemia involves increased plasma vasopressin, which aids the redistribution of blood flow away from the periphery towards the fetal brain (Perez et al. Am.J.Physiol. 256:1011-1018, 1989). We investigated the effects of prevailing, but independently-occurring, hypox...

Annexin 1 (ANXA1), a Ca2+ and phospholipid binding protein, is an important mediator of glucocorticoid (GC) action in the host defence and neuroendocrine systems (1). It is not however known whether the dysregulation of the inflammatory response sometimes observed in patients with disturbances in GC secretion is associated with alterations in PBL ANXA1 expression/activity. To address this question we have (a) examined ANXA1 expression (flow cytometry and western blot analysis)...

The evolution of aquatic vertebrates to dry land required adaptation of physiological systems concerned with water and mineral ion homeostasis. Two factors, calcitonin (CT) and parathyroid hormone (PTH), have ultimately become the principal hypo- and hyper-calcaemic factors respectively, in terrestrial vertebrates. Fish CT has been isolated and shown to be hypocalcaemic in mammals; its role in fish physiology is less well defined, although it may control calcium influx via the...

IntroductionIn higher vertebrates, the main population of forebrain GnRH1 neurons originate in the embryonic olfactory placode. Early migration of GnRH neurons in mice - from the nasal placode into the nasal mesenchyme - depends on NELF (nasal embryonic LHRH factor). Furthermore, migratory GnRH cells express the leptin receptor. The precise role(s) of leptin during neuroendocrine GnRH development are unknown but it may combine with Neuropeptide Y (NPY) t...

This analysis is based on 4457 patients (2365 males, 2092 females; mean age 44 years, range 18-83) with severe GH deficiency (GHD) enrolled in KIMS (pharmaco-epidemiological survey of GH replacement in adult GH-deficient patients, sponsored by Pharmacia Corporation). The mean duration of adult GH replacement was 2.8 years (range 0.1-11.0) giving 10,779 patient years of follow up. The baseline prevalence of diabetes mellitus prior to GH replacement was 3.7 % (compared with popu...

The prenatal environment has a major influence on development and function of endocrine systems throughout life. We have shown that a short period of maternal nutrient restriction (48h), at the time of maximal fetal brain growth in the guinea pig, permanently modifies HPA function throughout the life of the offspring. This effect is highly sex-specific; males exhibit decreased basal and activated pituitary-adrenal activity, while females exhibit elevated activity. In the prese...

Background & Aims: An increased prevalence of obesity among patients with prolactinoma (PR) and weight loss after treatment (specially in male patients) has been reported1,2. On the other hand, weight gain after treatment has been observed in another study3. In this study we looked at the evolution of body weight in 37 patients with PR, 22 macroprolactinomas (MAPR) and 15 microprolactinomas (MIPR).Methods: We conducted a retrospective s...

There are difficulties in establishing the diagnosis of gonadotropinomas using serum hormonal levels, even after intravenous TRH. We evaluated the relationship between humoral (serum and cerebrospinal fluid - CSF) levels of gonadotropins and the immunohistochemical evidence in tumor tissue.Serum and CSF levels of pituitary hormones were assayed using rapid fluoroimmunometry with Europium. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed with avidin-biotine. Grou...