Endocrine Abstracts

The LRP5 gene is believed to be primarily associated with bone metabolism via Wnt signalling. The latter pathway, however, seems to control various other systems outside the skeleton. We identified the C/T (c.4037:A1330V) polymorphism in the LRP5 gene using a restriction analysis of the PCR product in a cohort of 165 white untreated pre-and post-menopausal women. In a subset of 84 post-menopausal women we analysed the association between the LRP5 genotype and circulatin...

Annexin 1 (ANXA1) is a member of the annexin family of phospholipid- and calcium- binding proteins with a well-demonstrated role in the inhibitory actions of glucocorticoids on the release of ACTH, TSH, GH and PRL from the anterior pituitary. Consistent with these findings plasma PRL content is raised in male ANXA1 null mice vs wild-type controls (Cover et al Endocrine Abstracts 8, P69). Here we test the hypothesis that because ANXA1 mediates some of the inhibitory actions of ...

The diet of patients exposed to stress had been shown to be low in fibre, low in fruit and vegetables, low in vitamins C and E, and beta-carotene, high in sugar, and high in saturated fat. The implications of these findings are two-fold: the diet associated with stress is similar to those in patients with features of the Metabolic syndrome (Met-S – visceral obesity, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension).Aim: The aim of the present study was to ass...

The TSH B/I ratio is normally reduced overnight and is substantially reduced in patients with overt central hypothyroidism due to h-p axis tumours before and after treatment. It is unknown if similar changes in the TSH B/I ratio in the absence of overt central hypothyroidism contribute to the increased TSH levels seen in cancer survivors who undergo h-p axis irradiation. Thus, we selected 9 patients with the highest TSH levels out of a previously reported cohort of 37 euthyroi...

Alteration of sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity may be involved in the development of obesity. Among stimuli which may activate the SNS, stress is often quoted. Responses to stressors include stimulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) and of the SNS, which result in increased plasma cortisol and catecholamines concentrations. Although the stress response seems to be automatic (therefore not subject to regulation), studies in human have highlighted the ...

Objective: Neurotensin is an anorexigenic peptide produced mainly in the N-cells of the ileum; levels are decreased in obese subjects and increase after bariatric surgery. This study is the first to compare the baseline and postoperative levels of neurotensin in patients after gastric bypass, gastric banding, and non-operated controls, respectively, during long-term follow-up.Patients and Methods: Overnight fasting plasma neurotensin levels were measured...

Aim: To study physical, sexual and mental development and neurophychological disorders of children with congenital hypothyroidism.Methods and materials: 11.5±0.5 year old 60 children and teenagers with congenital hypothyroidism (CH) have been examined. Radioimmunologic (RIA) study of blood hormone level revealed confident decrease of somatotropic hormone (STH), thyroid (T3, T4), gonadotropic, sex hormones and increase of thyreotropic hormone (TTG). ...

Introduction: Hypopituitary patients receiving conventional hormone substitution, but without GH replacement, have an increased mortality from cardiovascular diseases. Inadequate hormone replacement is a possible cause of this increased mortality. GH deficiency in adult patients has been associated with several cardiovascular risk factors, including hyperlipidemia, increased abdominal adiposity, and impaired insulin sensitivity.Aim of the study: The aim ...

A few studies have suggested that radiation-induced growth hormone neurosecretory dysfunction (GHNSD) exists in children irradiated for leukemia (18–24 Gy). The presence or absence of GHNSD in adult cancer survivors has not been studied before. Thus, 24-hour spontaneous GH secretion was studied by 20 min sampling both in the fed state (n=16; 6 women) and the last 24 hours of 33-hour fast (n=10; 3 women) in adult cancer survivors, of normal GH status defined ...

The high dose short Synacthen (corticotropin) test (SST) is widely used to investigate suspected secondary adrenal insufficiency but concern remains about falsely reassuring results with potentially serious clinical consequences.In order to evaluate the long-term safety of the SST, we retrospectively evaluated the clinical outcome in 178 patients who achieved 30-minute cortisol values in the lowest 15th percentile of normal healthy responses. This subgro...

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common motor neurone disorder in human adults. Scanty data on endocrine abnormalities have been reported. Aim of the present study was to investigate the GH-IGF-I axis in ALS patients.22 ALS patients (12 men and 10 women), aged 46–77 years, performed GHRH+arginine test: blood samples for GH were collected at baseline, 30 and 60 minutes; IGF-I was determined at baseline. The control group consisted of 2...

Introduction: Macroprolactin (maPRL) is a high molecular weight variant of prolactin (PRL) which has reduced bioactivity. The purpose of the present study was to determine the clinic-analytical repercussion of the presence of maPRL in patients with hyperprolactinaemia.Patients and methods: A polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation test was used to detect the presence of maPRL in all consecutive samples with prolactin levels >50 ng/ml (1060 mUIL). A r...

Introduction: Thirst and ADH secretion are two principle mechanisms for controlling body fluid osmolarity. Even an excessive load of salt can effectively be handled by these systems. They can control plasma osmolarity in a vast range of water and sodium consumption. We studied the effect of salt solution consumption on serum sodium level and osmolarity and the action of these two systems.Method: Seven groups each consisting of 6 male rats weighing 200&#1...

Introduction: Some of the gastrointestinal disorder and diseases reduce appetite and inclination to eating food. In this situation for corresponding to this condition, certain medical management to be accomplished.One of the poultry diseases which reduces the rate of feeding most significantly is influenza. Food consumption decrease more than 80% in a very acute cases, because food consumption reduce significantly, poultry may loss their weight amount to 20–30 per cent in...

Introduction: Salt is an essential compound to provide Na, but over-consumption of salt could be lethal. As using high salt solution is a traditional way of committing suicide in china, In this research, the action of to salt sensation during consumption of salt solution is elevated.Method: 6 groups, each containing 10 male rat with 200 gr weight were selected. 5 concentration of salt in distilled water were prepared (1, 3, 5, 7, 9%). During this study, ...

Introduction: Salt in the principal supply of sodium. The needs body to salt changes according to life conditions. In normal conditions the average daily salt intake of Iranian adults is 5–15 gr.4–6 spoonfuls of salt in a day can be lethal, but for soldiers in equatorial regions 50 grams of salt in a day may be needed. Studying the different effects of salt needs separate research. In this study the effects of salt on night sleep was addressed....

Objective: Impaired cognitive function has been demonstrated in adults with GH deficiency (GHD) and acromegaly by using different neuropsychological tests. P300 ERP application is a well established neurophysiological approach in the assessment of cognitive function. However the comparison of the P300 ERPs between GHD and GH excess have not been done yet. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of GHD and acromegaly on cognitive function by using P300 ERPs.</...

Energy balance is controlled by the arcuate nucleus through integration of peripheral hormonal signals such as leptin, ghrelin, peptide YY (PYY) and glucagon like peptide 1 (GLP-1). The commonest reason for young women in the developed world to be underweight is restrictive anorexia nervosa (AN). Constitutionally thinness (CT) has been described in young women who satisfies the WHO definition for moderate to severe underweight (BMI 13–16.9 kg/m2). CT women have...

Thyroid hormone resistance (THR) and pituitary TSH-secreting adenomas (TSHoma) are both characterised by increased serum free thyroid hormone levels and normal TSH concentrations. Differentiation of the two syndromes is a clinical challenge, and relies on the suppression (TRH) or lack of suppression (TSHoma) of TSH-dependent parameters and on the presence of germinal mutations in the thyroid hormone receptor beta 1 gene in patients with THR. Thyroid blood flow, evaluated using...

Background: Consumption of a high-meat, low carbohydrate diet in late pregnancy is associated with fetal growth restriction, and raised blood pressure and glucose intolerance in the offspring. In a recent study in Motherwell, Scotland, where pregnant women had been advised to eat one pound (0.45 kg) of red meat per day during pregnancy and to avoid carbohydrate-rich foods, we found elevated fasting plasma cortisol levels in men and women whose mothers reported higher protein c...

Background and Aims: Studies have revealed increased vascular mortality, particularly cerebrovascular mortality in hypopituitary adults. Cranial radiotherapy has been implicated. This study was designed to assess the impact of cranial irradiation upon cerebrovascular function in patients with pituitary disease.Methods: Three groups were studied: - Group 1- (n=12), patients with pituitary disease who have had cranial radiotherapy, Group 2- (n</i...

Somatostatin analogues are the mainstay of medical therapy for acromegaly. The introduction of ready-to-use Somatuline Autogel (Autogel) raised the possibility of self/partner-injection. This study explored whether patients could administer monthly injections of Autogel, without compromising efficacy. After ethical approval, thirty patients treated with Autogel for acromegaly chose either the Control or Test group. Control group patients (n=15) received injections from ...

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is the most common cause of menstrual and reproductive disorders in women of reproductive age. It is the leading cause of female infertility, up to 15%. Women with PCOS and their hormonal status marked in immune-enzyme analysis under chronic stress conditions and without it were the subject of interest. The role of chronic stress in development of many diseases is well-known. In patients with PCOS dopamine content depends on pathogenic form o...

Objectives: The insulin tolerance test (ITT) is considered the gold standard to evaluate corticotropic function in patients with suspected pituitary disease, but is limited by several contraindications. As an alternative, we evaluated the diagnostic value of basal cortisol in serum and saliva.Methods: volunteers (V) and 61 patients with suspected pituitary disease (P) were enrolled into this study. Basal serum and saliva samples were collected simultaneo...

Insulin tolerance test (ITT) is considered the golden standard test to evaluate HPA axis in suspected hypopituitarism. Low dose (1 μg) ACTH1–24 short stimulation test (LDSST) and metyrapone are often used when ITT is contraindicated. The diagnostic reliability of LDSST is, however, controversial, as even this dose has been considered supramaximal, while very low ACTH doses have been suggested more reliable to assess the adrenal sensitivity. Thus, in...

Numerous clinical manifestations have been described in association with Cushing’s disease (CD). There was no eligible data on pulmonary function tests in CD patients. We aimed to assess pulmonary function test included spirometry in a series of patients with active Cushing’s disease (2 men, 9 women). Mean age, height, weight, body mass index were 36.7±12.6 (range 22–63 years), 156.9±8.4 cm, 74.1±10.7 kg, 29.6±3.8 kg/m2, respective...

We previously showed that adenosine stimulates IL-6 secretion from TtT/GF cells suggesting that adenosine is an important regulator of folliculostellate (FS) cell function. Gap-junction communication is also important for FS cell function so the aim of this study was to investigate the action of adenosine on connexin 43 (Cx 43) expression and intercellular communication.Adenosine production, as measured by reverse-phase fluorescent HPLC, was easily detec...

Complement C5a is associated with various pro-inflammatory effects such as chemotaxis, production of superoxides, histamine release, vasodilatation and smooth muscle contraction. In sepsis, excessive production of C5a can lead to multi-organ failure. C5a mediates its actions through the C5a receptor (C5aR) but may also bind to a second receptor called C5L2 that acts as a decoy for removing excess C5a. C5a is also rapidly cleaved to a less active form, C5adesR; C5L2, in contras...

Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is an acute viral disease caused by Hantavirus. One of the rare complications of this disease is hypopituitarism (only sporadically reported) due to hemorrhage, necrosis and atrophy of anterior pituitary lobe. The aim of the study was to investigate the anterior pituitary function in patients who recovered from HFRS.We evaluated 31 patients (29 male and 2 female), aged 38.7±2.2 years, with BMI 25.7±0...

Posttreatment assessment of the disease activity and definition of cure of acromegaly, by measuring GH secretion, remains problematic. Furthermore, with our efforts to achieve tight biochemical control of the disease it is foreseeable that a proportion of patients may be rendered GH deficient (GHD). The aim of our study was to evaluate residual GH secretion in cured patients with acromegaly. The study was approved by the Hospital Ethical Committee and after informed consent, b...

The recourse to the imagery by magnetic resonance brings to discover pathological images requiring an adapted exploration and therapeutic. The thickening of the pituitary stem can raise diagnostic difficulties. We report the case of 06 patients: 02 men and 04 women, average age is 31 years (04 years 1/2 at 48 years).The consultation is justified by an insipid diabetes in 05 cases, an amenorrhea - galactorrhea in a case. The hormonal assessment revealed a...

The giant prolactin macroadenomas are generally compress if their treatment is very difficult. The surgical treatment is disappointing and is generally resistant to Bromocriptine.Patients: 05 Patients (male) hospitalized for giant prolactin macroadenoma >to 04 cm (4–7 cm). 4/5 had less than 35 years (24–49 years) they had an intracranial tumoral syndrome, a deterioration of vision and visual field (oedema - optical atrophy – blindness)...

Hypothalamic-pituitary (HP) dysfunction is common in children treated with cranial radiotherapy (RT) for brain tumours but there is little known about the risk of HP dysfunction in adults treated with RT for primary non-pituitary brain tumours.We aimed to investigate the frequency of HP dysfunction in adults after RT for primary brain tumours which are distant from the HP region.We studied 56 adult patients who received external be...

Background: Growth hormone (GH) is known to have stimulatory effects on bone tissue through a complex interaction of GH, IGF-1 and IGFBPs. The gonadal status is also thought to influence bone metabolism. Bone mass in patients with acromegaly reflects the long-time effects of GH excess on bone. However, data on bone status in acromegaly have been conflicting.Objective: The object of the study was to examine the impact of chronic GH excess on bone mass and...

Aim: To quantify the effect of pegvisomant on glucose homeostasis, lipid profile and disease activity in acromegaly.Methods: 5 Patients with active acromegaly after surgery, radiotherapy and somatostatin analogs were included. Somatostatin analogs were withdrawn 6 weeks before starting pegvisomant and it was initially administered subcutaneously at doses of 10 mg daily. Doses were progressively increased every 3 to 4 weeks until IGF1 normalization. Gluco...

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a product of complex interactions between physiological and psychological processes. Nausea, gastric pain and fullness are common features of AN patients. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of therapy and psychological conditions on body weight restoration in patients with AN. In 21 AN patients (age 22.4±0.7 yrs) with gastric problems at low weight (BMI 15.9±2.3 kg/m2). oesophagogastroduodenoscopy with gastric biop...

Rationale: Octreotide is known to shrink acromegalic tumours in vivo. However, the mechanism for this is unclear. To investigate the mechanism of shrinkage we used dynamic contrast enhanced MR imaging (DCE-MRI) to visualise the vascular components within the somatotroph adenomas.Subjects & Methods: Six patients with confirmed acromegaly comprising 4 microadenomas (all male) and 2 macroadenomas (1 male, 1 female) were recruited. All patients we...

Quality of Life (QoL) is a very important issue in the management of a chronic disease like acromegaly. Recently the AcroQol questionnaire was developed to evaluate the QoL in different acromegalic populations. We decided to compare the scores of AcroQol and 2 other different questionnaires: one related to general well-being (SF-36) and the other to evaluate depression (BDI). We preformed a cross-sectional evaluation of a sample of 60 Portuguese acromegalics, 20 men and 40 wom...

QoL is an important outcome criterion in clinical research and is used to monitor treatment effects. Patients who have sustained SAH oftentimes have impaired QoL as do patients with untreated hypopituitarism. Considering the high degree of partial hypopituitarism in SAH survivors, we sought to elucidate the impact of neuroendocrine dysfunction on QoL and the prevalence of psychiatric sequelae in these patients.QoL, depression and symptoms of posttraumati...

Pituitary autoantibodies have been detected in patients with endocrine autoimmune diseases as well as in various pituitary diseases but their role in determining pituitary dysfunction is not clear. The aim of the present study was to evaluate anterior and posterior pituitary function in a group of patients with detectable pituitary autoantibodies.31 patients (29 women and 2 men) were enrolled in the study: 21 patients affected by Hashimoto’s thyroid...

Organ-specific autoantibodies have been detected in patients with autoimmune diseases. The relationship between pituitary autoantibodies and lymphocitic hypophysitis has not yet been established and it is not clear if they are a specific serological marker of the disease.The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of pituitary autoantibodies in patients affected by autoimmune and nodular thyroid disorders.803 patien...

The most effective means of treating macroprolactinomas, including those associated with significant visual loss at presentation, is with dopamine agonist (DA) therapy. Improvement in visual function often occurs within days of commencing DA therapy, and usually precedes significant reductions in prolactin (PRL) concentrations and may predate significant evidence of tumour volume reduction by months or years. The temporal association between PRL concentration reductions and tu...

Introduction: Patients successfully treated for hyperthyroidism show often the excessive weight gain and patients with hypothyroidism seldom regain their premorbid weight despite satisfactory control of their thyroid function.Aim of study: We compared the levels of hormones of ghrelin and leptin in patients with hyper and hypothyroidism, treated and untreated. We aimed to find if they play a role in a new energy balance in these patients.<p class="ab...

Introduction: Salt in the principal supply of sodium. In normal conditions the average daily salt intake of Iranian adults is 5–15 gr. 4–6 spoonfuls of salt in a day can be lethal, but for soldiers in equatorial regions 50 grams of salt in a day may be needed. In this study the effects of salt on night sleep was addressed.Method: 20 volunteer students were chosen for the study. They had no problem sleeping before the study. They recorded the ti...

Introduction: Thirst and ADH secretion are two principle mechanisms for controlling body fluid osmolarity. Even an excessive load of salt can effectively be handled by these systems. We studied the effect of salt solution consumption on serum sodium level and osmolarity and the action of these two systems.Method: Seven groups each consisting of 6 male rats weighing 200±20 gr. were chosen. Salt solutions (1,3,5, 7 and 9%) were also provided. The rats...

Introduction: Salt is an essential compound to provide Na, but over-consumption of salt could be lethal. As using high salt solution is a traditional way of committing suicide in china, In this research, the action of to salt sensation during consumption of salt solution is elevated.Method: 6 groups, each containing 10 male rat with 200 gr weight were selected. 5 concentration of salt in distilled water were prepared (1,3,5,7,9%). During this study, rats...

Glucocorticoid (GC) excess is associated with significant brain morphological changes including loss of volume and cerebral atrophy. These effects correlate with the degree and duration of GC elevation1. The neuropsychological abnormalities associated with GC excess, however, remain poorly understood2. Patients with Cushing’s syndrome represent a useful model in which to study the effects of severe and prolonged GC excess.We pr...

Objectives: GHR in adults with GHD favourably effects body composition (reduces fat and increases lean body mass) although body weight usually remains unchanged. However the effect of GHR on ingestive behaviour and voluntary physical activity in adults has not been studied.Methods: We studied 10 hypopituitary adults (8 males, 2 females, mean age 49.7 years) with severe GHD (mean peak GH response to glucagon 3.26 mU/l, baseline IGF-1 level 14.5 nmol/L) be...

In this study we wanted to assess whether affective changes influence cortisol response during low dose (1 microgram) ACTH test. Beck Inventory of Depression and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale and low dose ACTH test were performed in five subjects during the prolonged psychological stress induced by war and 18 months later. After the war, Beck Inventory of Depression and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale scores were significantly reduced. Suppression of the HPA axis was present dur...

We report a case of a 69-years-old woman who complained about progressive tachycardia, sweat and flush. Her single background was a breast cancer five years ago which was considered in remission. A first blood sample analysis showed an elevated rate of T4 whereas TSH was normal. An IgF1 assay was realised because of an acromegalic appearance and was abnormally high for sex and age. Further biological investigations confirmed central hyperthyroidism and acromegalia. Alpha subun...

Hypopituitarism is associated with profound androgen deficiency, even in patients who are adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) replete. DHEA has been shown to have a beneficial effect on well-being in patients with adrenal failure. We hypothesised that DHEA may be additive to the known effects of GH on psychological well-being in patients with hypopituitarism. In a double blind placebo controlled trial 50 mg DHEA or placebo was added to standard replacement, including growth ho...

Approximately 50% of patients with severe AGHD (defined by the international consensus criteria, peak GH <3 ng/ml) have a normal age- and gender-related IGF-I. It remains unclear whether in these individuals IGF-I is GH-dependent.We performed a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, cross-over study on the effect of pegvisomant (20 mg daily for 14 days) on the relationship between GH and IGF-I in 3 age-, gender- and BMI-matched cohorts (Norms:...

Approximately 50% of patients with severe AGHD (defined by the international consensus criteria, peak GH <3 ng/ml) have a normal age- and gender-related IGF-I. It remains unclear whether in these individuals IGF-I is GH-dependent. We performed a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, cross-over study on the effect of pegvisomant (20 mg daily for 14 days) on the relationship between GH and IGF-I in 3 age-, gender- and BMI-matched cohorts (Norms: 5 GHD patients with n...

Sleep related breathing disorders (SRBD), due to bone mass and soft tissue swelling of the upper airways, are frequently reported by acromegalic patients, but sleep disorders other than SRBD were rarely studied in acromegaly. We evaluated 38 acromegalics (14 M, 24 F, age 52.8±2.3 yrs) by a structured interview for insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), SRBD, sleep related movement disorders (SRMD), circadian sleep disorders and parasomnias. Epworth sleepness scale ...

Acromegaly is associated with cardiovascular diseases. Accelerated atherosclerosis may have important role in that. The aim of this study was to examine the presence of dyslipidemia, glucose control imapairment, inflamation and hypertension as risk factors for the development of atherosclerosis in acromegalic patients.Study group included 28 patients with acromegaly without lesions of thyroid, adrenal and gonadal axis. The examination was performed befor...

High risk of impaired glucose tolerance and diabetes mellitus is frequently observed in acromegalic patients. Some studies have reported a direct correlation between circulating GH levels and the degree of glucose intolerance. Microalbuminuria clusters with the metabolic syndrome and both conditions predict cardiovascular disease mortality. The reported relationships of microalbuminuria with the individual components of the metabolic syndrome are variable. Aim of this prelimin...

Pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) is endoproteolysed to ACTH and alpha MSH which bind to the melanocortin-1 receptor, (MC-1R), and act as principal mediators of human skin pigmentation. In addition there is increasing evidence that alpha MSH has important anti-inflammatory actions in the skin. The aim of this study was to determine the efficiency of processing and the involvement of the different peptides in melanogenesis. To address this question we utilized specific two-site immun...

Pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) is endoproteolysed by prohormone convertase-1 (PC1) to ACTH within the secretory pathway in pituitary cells, where the regulation of ACTH release is essential for mediating the stress response. However POMC is present in the human circulation, indicating that not all POMC is processed. This suggests that regulation of trafficking and processing of POMC are important in determining ACTH release. To investigate this, we analysed steady-state release o...

Introduction and objective: This study aims to report if hormone therapy modifies sleep architecture and dreams in menopausal women. Women with no hormone therapy for flushes usually present sleep deprivation and daily sleepiness as a result of nocturnal arousals. Estrogen and progesterone brain receptors can influence memory and cognition processes. Dreams modulators are cognition, socio-cultural factors, personality and brain physiology (REM/NREM percents, circadian influenc...

Nadir growth hormone (GH) levels after oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) as well as random insulin-like growth-factor I (IGF-I) levels, given as multiples of the upper limit of normal [xULN], were used to evaluate biochemical activitiy of acromegalic patients. The development of new, more sensitive GH assays makes it necessary to reevaluate the cut off values of the GH nadir after OGTT.In a cross sectional study, we evaluated nadir GH concentrations dur...

Objective: The aim was to investigate awakening salivary cortisol response (ACR) and its subsequent rise in normal prepubertal children and prepubertal survivors of leukaemia.Methods: 90 patients fulfilling the criteria of >1 year post treatment for leukaemia, >6 months off steroids, prepubertal, 5–12 years and in remission were recruited. Group1 Bone Marrow Transplantation (BMT) had Total Body Irradiation (n=26), Group2 Chemotherapy ...

Cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea is a recognised complication of pituitary surgery, and occasionally occurs following pituitary radiotherapy. Macroprolactinomas (MPRL) may result in spontaneous or dopamine-agonist-induced CSF leaks, however no detailed large comparisons have been made with non-functioning adenomas (NFA). The incidence of this phenomenon and the mechanisms underlying it are not understood.We have performed a retrospective review of s...

Objectives: Pituitary adenomas usually do not over-secrete gonadotropins in the bloodstream, although they may stain for gonadotropins. Our study aimed to assess whether the pre-operative gonadotropin level in CSF could be used as a marker of the pituitary tumour’s gonadotropin secretion.Patients and methods: 359 patients with pituitary adenomas, diagnosed between 1979 and 2005 in the Institute of Endocrinology, Bucharest, were evaluated before pitu...

The optimal post-operative management of patients undergoing trans-sphenoidal adenomectomy for non-functioning pituitary adenoma is uncertain. Since 1994, in our centre, patients receiving immediate post-operative radiotherapy have been monitored with annual visual field assessment. Annual MRI is undertaken for 5 years if radiotherapy has not been given, followed by 2-yearly MRI continued indefinitely.We aimed to examine the efficacy of our follow-up MRI...

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a cause of hypopituitarism. Previous reports suggest complete or partial pituitary dysfunction in up to 40% of subjects.Aim: To investigate the presence of anterior pituitary hormone deficits in TBI patients tested at least 3 months after the injury.Patients and methods: The patients were recruited from those who have been assessed by the local Rehabilitation Centre over the last 5 years....

Objective: Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a complex genetic disorder. Body composition abnormalities, hyperphagia, progressive obesity and diminished growth hormone secretion are common. In a previous one year GH intervention trial in 19 PWS adults, we have shown beneficial effects on body composition. In the present study we sought to re-evaluate the cohort, with special emphasis on long-term effects of GH treatment.Methods: Fourteen patients, 7 men and...

Background: The most significant hypotheses regarding biological causes of transsexualism are based on the role of environmental hormonal exposure on neural development.Aim: This study was to analyse the baseline hormonal results in a population of transsexuals attending a single clinic to identify any abnormalities in hormone levels in these individuals.Method: A retrospective cohort study was carried out using data collected from...

Objective: The mechanisms underlying the well known glucagon-induced satiety effect are unclear. We showed earlier that glucagon induces a remarkable decrease in the orexigenic hormone: ghrelin. It was the aim of the present study to further evaluate the effect of glucagon on ghrelin secretion and the possible site of origin of this effect.Methods: We studied the endocrine and metabolic responses to intramuscular glucagon administration in 23 subjects (1...

Background: Transsexuals in Britain are prescribed hormones as part of Gender Reassignment Treatment. Oestrogen therapy is associated with the development of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) with a 25 fold increased risk, and breast cancer; particularly in the older age group and smokers.Aims: To investigate the risk of developing deep vein thromboses in male to female transsexual patients who are, or have been, on oestrogen therapy, and seeing if this differs...

Animal and clinical models of GHRH excess suggest that GHRH provides an important trophic drive to pituitary somatotrophs. Mice in which GHRH neurons have been ablated using a novel viral ion channel transgene (GHRH-M2 mice) show marked anterior pituitary hypoplasia and GH deficiency although GH cells are present. GHRH-M2 mice are also deficient in prolactin which is surprising as GHRH has little or no direct effect on PRL synthesis or release (Le Tissier, Mol Endo 19). In mic...