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Case Reports 2006; 27(1-2): 93-96 PubMed PMID: 16648809 Citation  Keywords:  Adenoma:metabolism, Adrenocorticotropic Hormone:blood, Cell Proliferation, Human Growth Hormone:blood, Humans, Hydrocortisone:blood, Immunohistochemistry, Insulin-Like Growth Factor I:metabolism, Male, Microscopy, Electron, Middle Aged, Pituitary Hormones.   

: Herein, we report the case of a 46-year-old male patient with only one month of double vision. Radiological examination revealed a pituitary tumor. Endocrinological investigations showed no pathological alterations of anterior pituitary function. Neuropathological examinations revealed a pituitary gland adenoma with an elevated proliferation rate (MIB-1 index 4-5 %) as well as an elevated p53 expression leading to the diagnosis of an atypical pituitary adenoma. Interestingly, the tumor exhibited strong basophilia in routine histology and densely secretory granules in electron microscopy (EM). However, no hormone excess was detectable in immunohistochemistry. In contrast to clinical and immunohistochemical observations, EM and routine histology findings implied a hormone production. This discrepancy might be due to a production of unfunctional pre-stages of pituitary gland proteins in this fast growing neoplasm....

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Journal Article 2006; 27(1-2): 257-259 PubMed PMID: 16648808 Citation  Keywords:  Animals, Bombesin:pharmacology, Estradiol:pharmacology, Estrogens:pharmacology, Female, Injections, Intraventricular, Luteinizing Hormone:antagonists & inhibitors, Ovariectomy, Rats, Rats, Inbred WKY,.   

OBJECTIVE: Bombesin, 14-amino acid peptide, discovered in the gastrointestinal tract, is widely distributed in the central nervous system (CNS). The specific receptors of bombesin in the pituitary have been characterized. Bombesin plays an important role in the gastric and pancreatic secretion, in the mechanism of food intake, thermoregulation and in pituitary hormone secretion. There are contentious opinions about the effect of bombesin on hormone secretion.

THE AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of estrogens in the modulation of bombesin action on LH release.

RESEARCH METHODS: Female Wistar-Kyoto rats, two weeks after ovariectomy (OVX), were implanted with a cannula being located in the third cerebroventricle. Thereafter, the rats were primed with 17beta estradiol in a dose of 25microg/0.2ml s.c. for three consecutive days. On the day of the experiment, bombesin at a concentration of 0.5 microg in 5microl vehicle (artificial cerebrospinal fluid) or equal volume of the vehicle was infused into the third ventricle with an automatic pump. At 60 or 120 min after the infusion the animals were decapitated, and the trunk blood was collected. Rat serum LH was measured by RIA kit supplied by Dr A.F. Parlow from NIDDK Baltimore, MD.

RESULTS: Bombesin inhibited LH release at 120 min and it did not change LH release at 60 min after icv administration.

CONCLUSIONS: The response of LH release after central injection of bombesin is modified by estrogens....

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Journal Article 2006; 27(1-2): 174-176 PubMed PMID: 16648807 Citation  Keywords:  Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Cataplexy:complications, Citalopram:therapeutic use, Ejaculation:drug effects, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Narcolepsy:complications, Retrospective Studies, Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors:therapeutic use, Sleep,.   

BACKGROUND: Narcolepsy with cataplexy is a debilitating sleep disease of which some symptoms can be treated with antidepressants. The antidepressant escitalopram is considered the most specific serotonin reuptake inhibitor.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ten patients (5 men and 5 women, age range 18-77 years) suffering from narcolepsy with cataplexy occurring at least weekly were treated with escitalopram 5 or 10 mg a day for 28-98 days. These patients were barred from taking any drugs influencing cataplexy and also had no other diseases affecting sleep or vigilance.

RESULTS: The mean number of cataplexies per week in 8 compliant patients declined significantly from 6.7 (+/-SD=7.2) to 0.3 (+/-0.6), P=0.02 (Sign test). Cataplexy completely disappeared in 6 patients. Subjective daytime sleepiness, power of concentration, quality of night sleep and mood remained unchanged. During the treatment, two patients had ejaculation disturbances. Two patients withdrew from the therapy (one because of ejaculation disturbance, the other for unknown reason).

CONCLUSION: Escitalopram proved to have anticataplectic effects in this small-scale open-label study....

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Journal Article 2006; 27(1-2): 183-188 PubMed PMID: 16648806 Citation  Keywords:  Absorptiometry, Photon, Acromegaly:blood, Adult, Aged, Body Mass Index, Bone Density:physiology, Cytokines:blood, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Female, Human Growth Hormone:blood, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Sex Characteristics, Testosterone:blood,.   

OBJECTIVES: Elevated cytokines levels were observed as a marker of increased bone resorption in certain diseases. The aim was to assess serum levels of selected cytokines in acromegaly, regarding to different disease's stages, gonadal function, gender and character of BMD change.

METHODS: The study was carried out in 62 patients with acromegaly (40 women, 22 men) aged 26-75 years in various stages of the disease. The controls were 30 healthy, age- and sex-matched subjects. Serum cytokines concentration was assessed using ELISA method.

RESULTS: We have shown higher (p=0.044) concentrations of TGF-beta in male patients with active acromegaly than in cured males. When the influence of all cytokines studied on BMD using multiple regression analysis was carried out, the borderline (p=0.099) statistical significance was achieved (regression coefficient B=0.68271) according to TGF-beta and trochanter major BMD. IL-6 and TNF-alpha were higher (p=0.062, and p=0.098, respectively) in these acromegalic patients, in which gain of trochanter major BMD occurred. IL-1beta levels were lower in patients with ultradistal radius and 1/3 distal radius BMD gain (p=0.007, and p=0.009, respectively). Lower TGF-beta levels (p=0.077) were shown in patients with 1/3 distal radius gain. IL-6 levels were higher in patients with total body BMD gain (p=0.059).

CONCLUSIONS: The relations between TGF-beta and acromegaly activity in men, and trochanter major BMD in both sexes were documented. Concentrations of all cytokines studied correlated with the BMD changes in different bone sites. Noteworthy is homogeneity of the secretory character of cytokines studied according to BMD changes within particular skeleton sites....

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Case Reports 2006; 27(1-2): 142-144 PubMed PMID: 16648805 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Anthropometry, Azoospermia:etiology, Body Height:physiology, Body Weight:physiology, Gonadal Steroid Hormones:blood, Humans, Klinefelter Syndrome:diagnostic imaging, Male, Testis:blood supply, Twins, Ultrasonography,.   

: A rare case of Klinefelter syndrome in identical twins is reported. Hormonal levels before and after hCG administration and testicular artery Doppler flow measurements are presented....

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Case Reports 2006; 27(1-2): 203-208 PubMed PMID: 16648804 Citation  Keywords:  Child Development:physiology, Congenital Hypothyroidism:drug therapy, Female, Growth:physiology, Hormone Replacement Therapy, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Schools, Twins, Monozygotic,.   

: Authors present the long-term development of two monozygotic twin sisters. One of them was detected by newborn screening as athyreotic (gemelus A) and healthy gemelus B sister. Therapy in athyreotic girl started at 4 weeks after birth and was monitored in order to maintain serum thyroxine and TSH in normal range. Both sisters spent their chilhood and adolescence together in the same family, school and work together as tailors in the same factory. Their development was very similar. In order to detect subclinical difference of their development, the school achievements were tested using their school certificates. Studies were divided to testing mechanical memory, logical thinking and skills. The evaluation of all classes of school attendance (13 years) reveals subtle differences - deficit of patient at approximately 6-15% level, mainly in studies demanding skills. However, dynamic evaluation after years reveals that the worse results of the patient (gemelus A) occurred during the first years of basic school whereas during adolescence having attended the special school tailor, she attained better results than her healthy sister. It seems that mental deficit in early treated hypothyroid patient is not severe and varies even during the life. Problem of the fetal hypothyroidism is probably more related to the iodine deficiency, which assures necessity of thyroid hormones for athyreotic child from mother's or twin's normally supplemented thyroid glands....

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Journal Article 2006; 27(1-2): 53-59 PubMed PMID: 16648803 Citation  Keywords:  Animals, Computer Graphics, Databases, Factual, Humans, Immune System:immunology, Internet, Neurosecretory Systems:immunology, Signal Transduction:genetics, Tissue Distribution,.   

OBJECTIVES: To construct a specific database for the neuro-endocrine-immune (NEI) interactions.

METHODS/RESULTS: Version 1.0 database for neuro-endocrine-immune (dbNEI) serves as a web-based knowledge resource specific for the NEI systems. dbNEI collects 1,058 NEI related signal molecules, their 940 interactions and 72 affiliated tissues from the Cell Signaling Networks database, manually selects 982 NEI papers from PubMed, and gives links to 27,848 NEI generally related genes from UniGene database. NEI related information, such as signal transductions, regulations and control subunits, is integrated. Especially, dbNEI represents as graphic visualization, by which control subunits can be automatically obtained according to the inquiring issues, the combinative queries and the NEI related diseases respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: dbNEI, which can be accessed at http://bioinfo.au.tsinghua.edu.cn/dbNEIweb/, provides a knowledge environment for understanding the main regulatory systems of NEI in a molecular level....

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Letter 2006; 27(1-2): 70-72 PubMed PMID: 16648802 Citation  Keywords:  Animals, Diabetes Mellitus:physiopathology, Hypothalamus:physiology, Insulin:physiology, Mice, Mice, Obese, Neuropeptide Y:physiology, Pro-Opiomelanocortin:physiology,.   

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