Testosterone metabolism in patients with advanced carcinoma of the prostate: a comparative in vivo study of the effects of oestrogen and antiprolactin.

In the light of the high incidence of cardiovascular side effects with oestrogen therapy in patients with prostatic cancer, other medications altering androgen metabolism are under investigation. The influence of the anti-prolactin bromocriptine (CB154) on plasma kinetics of testosterone and on endogenous hormones was studied and compared with the effect of ethinyl oestradiol in 25 patients with prostatic carcinoma. Bromocriptine significantly suppressed both prolactin and testosterone, inhibited the transfer of androgen from the inner pool into the deep compartment and favoured its degradation. Ethinyl oestradiol decreased testosterone, LH and FSH, and prolonged the biological half-life of…

The Role of Monoamines in the Development of Cold-Induced Edema

Our results show that even the experimentally induced high concentrations of exogenous 5-HT in the brain tissue during the early phase of edema formation are not able to increase the amount of fluid accumulation in the normal and injured brain tissue. The changes of the endogenous 5-HT levels in the blood and the brain tissue result in similar hemispheric water and RISA differences between the injured and uninjured half of the brain. Moreover, 5-HT concentrations elevated by 100% failed to produce detectable edema in the normal brain tissue of the rat.

Bromocriptine and Prostatic Carcinoma: Plasma Kinetics, production and Tissue Uptake of3H-Testosterone in Vivo

The influence of the anti-prolactin bromocriptine on plasma kinetics, production rate and tissue uptake of testosterone was investigated in 15 patients with newly diagnosed stages C and D prostatic carcinoma. Bromocriptine was given for 5 days in a daily dose of 15 mg. orally. The studies were performed with the single injection technique using the 2-compartment model. Plasma testosterone, serum prolactin, and luteinizing and follicle-stimulating hormones were determined initially. Blood samples were drawn up to 5 hours after the injection of 3H-testosterone. For tissue studies a transrectal needle biopsy was done 3 hours post-injection. Bromocriptine suppressed prolactin and the endogenous…

Mathematical models for the processing of data from binding radioassays; transformations and approximations

Seasonal Variations on the Cortisol Concentration of the Subretinal Fluid in Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment

Probes of the subretinal fluid were obtained from 115 nonselected retinal detachments, operated on during the period from November 19, 1973 to December 20, 1974. All patients had no known endocrine abnormalities and had not ever received topical or systemic corticosteroid therapy. Subretinal fluid Cortisol was determined by competitive protein binding analysis. A statistically significant increase in mean subretinal fluid Cortisol concentration was found for the winter season (3.3 µg/100 ml), as compared with the summer months (1.5 µg/100 ml). This finding sharply contrasts with the seasonal incidence of the idiopathic retinal detachments which reaches its maximum in the months June to Augu…

Biosynthesis and transformation of 20α 21-dihydroxycholesterol by rat adrenal preparations

Abstract The biosynthesis of [ 3 H]-20α, 21 dihydroxycholestderol from [ 3 H]-20α-hydroxycholesterol and its transformation to [ 3 H]-21-hydroxypregnenolone by rat adrenal preparations has been demonstrated. 20α-Hydroxycholesterol was transformed to 20α, 21-dihydroxycholesterol by microsomal preparations in the presence of NADPH and 20α-21-dihydroxycholesterol was metabolized to 21-hydroxypregnenolone by mitochondrial preparations in the presence of a NADPH-generating-system. Comparison of the Michaelis-Menten-Kinetics of the steps “20α, 21-dihydroxycholesterol → 21-hydroxycholesterol” and “20α-hydroxycholesterol → pregnenolone” revealed that both compounds behaved as analogue substrates of…

Tagesprofile von Plasmaaldosteron,-Cortisol, -Renin, -Angiotensinogen und -Angiotensinasen bei Normalpersonen

Plasma cortisol and renin were estimated in 1 h intervals, plasma aldosterone, angiotensinogen and angiotensinases in 3 h intervals over periods of 24 h in six normal volunteers (age 20-26) under control conditions and subsequently under suppression of ACTH release by dexamethasone. Highest cortisol levels were found around 7 a.m., minimum levels between 9 p.m. and 1 a.m. Dexamethasone reduced cortisol to constantly low concentrations. Aldosterone was highest around 4 a.m. under control conditions and under dexamethasone, and showed lowest concentrations between 4 and 10 p.m. There were no significant differences between mean aldosterone concentrations at corresponding time points of the co…