Search results for "Adrenal gland"

The ratio of androstenedione: 11β-hydroxyandrostenedione is an important marker of adrenal androgen excess in women

1992

To determine if the ratio of serum androstenedione (A):11 beta-hydroxyandrostenedione (OHA) would be helpful in differentiating adrenal from ovarian hyperandrogenism.Prospective study of outpatients being evaluated for hyperandrogenism.Normal women (n = 27), those with hyperandrogenic chronic anovulation (n = 25), and 7 with adult onset of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) because of 21-hydroxylase deficiency.Fasting serum between 8:00 A.M. and 9:00 A.M. Patients with hyperandrogenic chronic anovulation and CAH received dexamethasone (DEX) 2 mg for 7 days.Serum testosterone (T), unbound T, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), A, and 11 beta-OHA by radioimmunoassay.Serum 11 beta-OHA an…

Arterial hypertension due to primary adrenal hydatid cyst.

2002

Age-related accumulation of congophilic fibrillar inclusions in endocrine cells

1991

Intracellular fibrillar congophilic inclusions are well known as neurofibrillary tangles in neurons and as Biondi bodies in choroid plexus epithelial cells. Recently similar amyloid-like inclusions in adrenal cortical cells were described (Eriksson and Westermark 1990). This study on 150 adrenal glands confirms these observations. In our material the age-related accumulation of congophilic inclusions starts earlier (in the sixth decade) and reaches a higher incidence (42.7%). We found similar intracellular inclusions in other endocrine organs, for example in the anterior lobe of the pituitary, in the cells of parathyroid glands and in Sertoli cells. The age-related incidence of these fibril…

MYCN gain and MYCN amplification in a stage 4S neuroblastoma.

2003

Abstract Stage 4S neuroblastoma is a disease associated with spontaneous regression and good survival. We present a patient whose evolution has shown the variety and complexity of this disease in infants. Biologic factors, such as ploidy, MYCN copy number, loss of 1p36, and other chromosomal gains and losses were determined. A complex pattern of genetic abnormalities, such as near-diploidy, MYCN gain (2–4 copies per haploid genome) and imbalance/deletion of 1p36 was seen in the diagnostic sample. An extensive disseminated disease after a latent period of 26 months was associated with a special genetic evolution, such as tetraploidy, MYCN amplification (2:100–500 copies), 1p36 deletion, and …

The selection of serum-independent PC12 cells for a more-reliable manganese cytotoxicity test.

2007

A major issue concerning the protocols of heavy metal cytotoxicity tests with PC12 cells was the hypothesis that serum in the culture medium might sequester the metal, thus altering the results obtained. However, serum withdrawal impairs the viability of PC12 cells themselves, thus impeding cytotoxicity testing in the absence of serum. In this study, we repeatedly selected undifferentiated, totally non-adherent PC12 cells in Petri dishes. Surprisingly, we discovered that these cells could survive and proliferate in serum-free medium. Moreover, features such as NGF-responsiveness, resazurin reduction potential, doubling rate, protein content, and basal caspase-3 enzyme activity, were equiva…

Expression analysis of neuroglobin mRNA in rodent tissues

2002

Neuroglobin is a respiratory protein which was reported to be preferentially expressed in the vertebrate brain. Here we present the first detailed analysis of the expression of neuroglobin in mouse and rat tissues. Neuroglobin mRNA was detected in all brain areas studied. Most, but not all, nerve cells were labeled, suggesting differential expression of Ngb. Neuroglobin mRNA was detected in the peripheral nervous system, explaining previous northern hybridization signals in organs other than the brain. Substantial neuroglobin expression was also found in metabolically active endocrine tissues such as the adrenal and pituitary glands. The granule localization of neuroglobin transcripts in va…

Congenital adrenal hypoplasia and hearing loss. A case report

1995

We report on the diagnostics, the therapeutics and the follow-up (to 3 years and 5 months) of a newborn affected by X-linked congenital adrenal hypoplasia. After the beginning of substitute hormonal therapy, the patient underwent periodical clinical examinations, with particular attention to the growth, and laboratory tests, which monitored the hormonal pattern. This experience points out the diagnostic role of low maternal levels of urinary estriol during pregnancy and the importance of a prolonged follow-up, so as to discover associated pathologies as early as possible. In our case, in fact, the study of auditory brainstem responses enabled us to recognize a mild transmission hearing loss…

Human fetal adrenal hydroxysteroid sulphotransferase: cDNA cloning, stable expression in V79 cells and functional characterisation of the expressed e…

1995

Dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) is a major adrenal secretory product, particularly in the fetus where it serves as a substrate for oestrogen biosynthesis by the placenta. The enzyme in the adrenal responsible for synthesising DHEAS, hydroxysteroid sulphotransferase (HST), is therefore essential for human development. We have isolated a full-length cDNA clone, encoding human fetal adrenal HST, and constructed a stable cell line expressing it by transfection into V79 Chinese hamster lung fibroblast cells. This cDNA was essentially identical to that isolated from adult human liver, where the role of HST is less well understood. This recombinant cell line allowed determination of the su…

Effects of escitalopram on the regulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and nerve growth factor protein levels in a rat model of chronic stres…

2009

Escitalopram (ES-CIT) is a widely used, highly specific antidepressant. Until now there has been very little evidence on how this drug under pathological conditions affects an important feature within the pathophysiology of stress-related disorders such as depression: the endogenous neurotrophins. By using a well-characterized rat model in which chronic stress induces depressive-like behavior, the levels of neurotrophins brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) were determined in representative brain regions and serum using a highly sensitive improved fluorometric two-site ELISA system. There was a significant increase of BDNF in the left and right cortices aft…

Effects of pulsed high-frequency electromagnetic fields on the neuroendocrine system.

1998

The influence of pulsed high-frequency electromagnetic fields emitted from a circularly polarized antenna on the neuroendocrine system in healthy humans was investigated (900 MHz electromagnetic field, pulsed with 217 Hz, average power density 0.02 mW/cm<sup>2</sup>). Nocturnal hormone profiles of growth hormone (GH), cortisol, luteinizing hormone (LH) and melatonin were determined under polysomnographic control. An alteration in the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis activity was found with a slight, transient elevation in the cortisol serum level immediately after onset of field exposure which persisted for 1 h. For GH, LH and melatonin, no significant effects were found under…