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Journal Article 2006; 27(1-2): 162-168 PubMed PMID: 16670671 Citation  Keywords:  Acromegaly:blood, Adult, Aged, Combined Modality Therapy, Female, Ghrelin, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Neurosurgical Procedures, Octreotide:therapeutic use, Peptide Hormones:blood,.   

OBJECTIVES: Very little is still known about ghrelin in cases of GH hypersecretion. We decided to evaluate whether ghrelin concentrations in acromegalic patients differ according to the administered therapy (surgical and/or with long acting octreotide). We wanted to assess the correlation between serum ghrelin levels and 1) the treatment applied in the past or being applied at the time of our study 2) GH, IGF-1 and insulin concentrations.

MATERIAL: Serum ghrelin, GH, IGF-1 and insulin were measured in 42 acromegalic patients who had received surgical and/or long acting octreotide therapy or who hadn't receive any treatment at all. According to the applied treatment, we divided the patients into groups, as follows: 1) LAO/+/, surgery /-/, 2) LAO /+/, surgery /+/, 3) LAO /-/, surgery /-/, 4) LAO /-/, surgery /+/. Ghrelin was also evaluated in 18 control healthy subjects.

RESULTS: The difference between mean ghrelin level in the healthy subjects and acromegalic patients was not statistically significant (p=0.08). LAO /-/, surgery /-/ patients showed fasting ghrelin levels indistinguishable from those seen in healthy subjects (p=0.1). There wasn't any statistically significant difference between LAO /-/, surgery /-/ patients and LAO /-/, surgery /+/ group (p=0.14). Serum ghrelin levels in LAO /+/, surgery /+/ group were significantly lower from those observed in LAO /-/, surgery /+/ patients (p=0.006). A similar reduction in ghrelin levels was also found in patients LAO /+/ (both after and without surgery) compared to LAO /-/ patients (both after or without surgery) (p=0.001). Serum ghrelin levels showed a significant negative correlation with IGF-1 concentration and a tendency to a statistically significant correlation with GH in LAO /-/ group (p<0,05).

CONCLUSIONS: Ghrelin concentrations were significantly lower in acromegalic patients who had been receiving long acting somatostatin analogue treatment; there was no significant difference in serum ghrelin levels between patients who had and who had not undergone surgery. A significant negative correlation between ghrelin and IGF-1 and a tendency to such correlation between ghrelin and GH was observed in LAO /-/ group of patients....

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Case Reports 2006; 27(1-2): 89-92 PubMed PMID: 16648816 Citation  Keywords:  Adenoma:metabolism, Adrenocorticotropic Hormone:biosynthesis, Adult, Cell Proliferation, Female, Humans, Immunohistochemistry, Intermediate Filament Proteins:biosynthesis, Ki-67 Antigen:metabolism, Pituitary Hormones:chemistry, Pituitary Neoplasms:metabol.   

: Herein, we report the case of a 28-year old woman clinically presenting with unclear weight gain over the last years. The patient displayed facial and neck edema in combination with unobtrusive striae distensae. Endocrinological examinations led to the diagnosis of Cushing's disease. Neuroradiological examination revealed an intrasellar tumor mass of 7 mm in diameter. Subsequently, transsphenoidal tumor resection was performed. Histological and immunohistochemical investigations revealed a pituitary gland adenoma showing a biphasic tumor growth pattern with two morphologically different tumor areas producing ACTH and prolactin respectively. Co-expression of ACTH and prolactin is exceedingly rare in pituitary adenoma. To our surprise, both tumor areas exhibited features of atypia consisting in elevated MIB-1 proliferation index in the ACTH-producing portion as well as p53 expression selectively in the prolactin-producing tumor parts. To our knowledge, this is the first case of an ACTH- and prolactin-producing pituitary gland adenoma exhibiting biphasic features of atypia....

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Journal Article 2006; 27(1-2): 114-120 PubMed PMID: 16648815 Citation  Keywords:  Adrenocorticotropic Hormone:blood, Adult, Estradiol:blood, Female, Follicular Phase:metabolism, Humans, Hydrocortisone:blood, Luteinizing Hormone:blood, Menstrual Cycle:metabolism, Progesterone:blood,.   

OBJECTIVES: A strong positive coupling has been already documented between the adrenocortical axis and the gonadal axis at the time of the initiation of the preovulatory LH surge of the menstrual cycle in the human. The LH preovulatory surge starts in the morning at the time of the acrophase (maximal plasma cortisol values) of the cortisol circadian rhythm. Also, it was shown that morning maximal plasma cortisol values were higher during the follicular phase than during the luteal phase. The objective of the present study was designed to determine the exact day of the fall of morning maximal plasma cortisol values and the functional correlates which could exist between plasma 17beta-Estradiol, LH, ACTH and Cortisol at the time of the preovulatory LH surge.

METHODS: We performed a detailed analysis of variations of plasma ACTH and cortisol concentrations during the various phases of the LH surge: 1) the day before the ascending phase, 2) the day of the ascending phase, 3) the day of the LH peak, 4) the day of the descending phase, 5) the day after the descending phase. 17beta-Estradiol, LH and FSH were determined by microparticle enzyme immunoassays kits and Progesterone determination was made using a radioimmunoassay kit. ACTH determination was made using a RIA kit and Cortisol was assayed by a RIA method.

RESULTS: Plasma ACTH concentrations were at their highest the day before the day of the ascending phase of the LH surge and significantly higher than the day of the descending phase and the day after the day of the descending phase (p < 0.02). Plasma cortisol concentrations were at their highest, with almost similar values, the day before the day of the ascending phase, the day of the ascending phase and the day of the LH peak; then, plasma cortisol concentrations were significantly lower than those of the preceding days, the day of the descending phase (p = 0.0001) and the day after the day of the descending phase (p = 0.02), when plasma 17beta-Estradiol starts to decrease.

CONCLUSION: Overall, these results suggest that the positive ACTH-Cortisol-Estrogen dependency, well documented in the female rat, is also operating at midcycle during the menstrual cycle in the human....

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Journal Article 2006; 27(1-2): 133-136 PubMed PMID: 16648814 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Aged, Aging:metabolism, Amino Acids:metabolism, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis:metabolism, Cytosol:metabolism, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Mitochondrial Myopathies:metabolism, Muscle, Skeletal:growth & development, Myositis:metabolism, Neurom.   

: Sarcopenia describes the involuntary decline in muscle mass with aging, coupled with fatigue, and loss of force and function. We investigated 113 human muscle biopsy specimens obtained from patients with neuromuscular diseases and controls. We measured 21 amino acids in these muscle biopsies. Age emerged as a significant negative predictor of cytosolic concentration ratio of glutamine to total branched chain amino acids and of glutamine to total aromatic amino acids using stepwise multiple linear regression analysis. This pattern of alteration corresponds well to documented alterations in skeletal muscle of critically ill patients and after immobilization. Additionally, in myositis, citrulline was significantly elevated, while glutamate, lysine and taurine were significantly reduced. Furthermore, in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (sALS) the total aromatic amino acids, arginine, glutamate, threonine, and tyrosine were significantly elevated. This study provides evidence, that alteration of glutamine is correlated to aging and might reflect increased proteolysis in aged and diseased human skeletal muscle....

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Journal Article 2006; 27(1-2): 73-80 PubMed PMID: 16648813 Citation  Keywords:  Adolescent, Aging:metabolism, Child, Electromagnetic Fields:adverse effects, Female, Humans, Male, Melatonin:urine, Sex Characteristics, Television,.   

OBJECTIVES: Changes in magnetic field are associated with a decrease in nocturnal urinary melatonin excretion. Television screens emit low and very low frequency electromagnetic waves (radiofrequencies and light) and exposure to them may be associated with a decrease in 24-hour melatonin in children's urine. Design and setting. An observational study in schools of Cavriglia, Italy, determined melatonin in 24-hour urines from 42 boys and 32 girls 6 to 13 years of age after one week of watching TV and after another week of abstaining from watching TV.

RESULTS AND MAIN FINDINGS: In a gender- and age-dependent fashion, exposure to a television screen was associated with lower urinary melatonin concentrations, affecting particularly younger children at a pubertal stage when important changes in melatonin's time structure occur.

CONCLUSION: Additional work should test further relations to growth, maturation and development, focusing on any adverse effect from exposure to a television screen also on obesity from a neuro-hormonal viewpoint, quite apart from any decreased activity and/or other lifestyle alterations associated with watching TV....

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Journal Article 2006; 27(1-2): 157-161 PubMed PMID: 16648812 Citation  Keywords:  Animals, Cattle, Craniocerebral Trauma:metabolism, Female, Hemorrhage:metabolism, Hypothalamus:metabolism, Immunohistochemistry, Male, Radioimmunoassay, Rest:physiology, Sex Characteristics, Stress, Psychological:metabolism, Vasopressins:blood,.   

OBJECTIVES: This study investigates antidiuretic hormone (ADH) plasma concentration in bulls and heifers at rest, after transportation stress, trauma and massive hyper-acute hemorrhage at slaughter, with special attention to differences between sexes. We also quantified ADH concentration in the ADH-producing hypothalamic area.

SETTING AND DESIGN: The study was carried out on animals at the abattoir, exploiting the routinely procedure of slaughtering to obtain the experimental stressful conditions. The control group was represented by a group of animals matched for breed, age and gender.

RESULTS: ADH plasma values suggest that transportation stress has little or no effect in heifers in contrast to bulls. In both sexes ADH release increases after open head trauma due to stunning prior to slaughter. Hemorrhagic hyper-acute stress caused by bleeding induces a rapid hundredfold rise of ADH plasma concentration that becomes diergic (physiologically different between sexes), with males showing far higher values. Females show a higher ADH concentration in the hypothalamus.

MAIN FINDING: This study points out a difference in ADH output between bulls and heifers under conditions of severe hemorrhagic stress, as produced by severing of the neck vessels at slaughtering.

CONCLUSION: Extreme stress unmasks endocrine differences in bovine ADH release that may be relevant only during specific circumstances, such as fighting....

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Journal Article 2006; 27(1-2): 281-287 PubMed PMID: 16648811 Citation  Keywords:  Analgesics, Animals, Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation:pharmacology, Blood Glucose:metabolism, Diabetes Complications:drug therapy, Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental:blood, Female, Fluoxetine:pharmacology, Hyperalgesia:drug therapy, Male, Mice, Mice,.   

OBJECTIVES: Clinical and experimental trials have demonstrated that some of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have some suspicious effects on blood glucose levels in different directions. Especially fluoxetine and sertraline are studied in this point of view. These drugs are also used in treatment of depression and peripheral neuropathy in diabetic patients. Paroxetine and fluoxetine, members of this drug group, besides having antidepressant effects were shown to have antinociceptive effects in animals and humans. They can be used in the treatment of chronic pain as an adjuvant drug or alone. But less is known about their actions on pain in case of diabetes. The aim of this study is to investigate the antinociceptive effects of fluoxetine and paroxetine in diabetic and non-diabetic mice while monitoring their effects on blood glucose levels.

METHODS: Mice of either sex were randomly used in experiments. The antinociceptive effects of paroxetine and fluoxetine were evaluated using hot plate test both in diabetic and non-diabetic mice. The effects of these drugs on blood glucose levels were also evaluated in another group of mice both in diabetic and non-diabetic mice.

RESULTS: Fluoxetine and paroxetine showed significant antinociceptive effect at all doses and at all times tested in non-diabetic mice, but they could not successfully show this effect in diabetic mice. They also had controversial effects on blood glucose levels.

CONCLUSION: Although they showed increasing or decreasing effects on blood glucose levels in non-diabetic and diabetic mice, they showed antinociception on hot-plate test showing dissociation between blood glucose levels and analgesia....

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Journal Article 2006; 27(1-2): 219-224 PubMed PMID: 16648810 Citation  Keywords:  3-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases:genetics, Adrenal Cortex Hormones:metabolism, Alleles, Child, China:epidemiology, Female, Gene Frequency, Genotype, Gonadal Steroid Hormones:blood, Humans, Insulin Receptor Substrate Proteins, Molecular Sequence Data, Phosp.   

OBJECTIVES: In order to investigate whether the variances in the candidate genes (Insulin receptor substrate IRS-1, beta3-adrenergic receptor ADRB3, 3 beta-hydro-xysteroid dehydrogenase HSD3B2, glucocorticoid receptor GRL and 21-hydroxylase CYP21) which affect the metabolism of adrenal steroids hormone and body composition, are associated with precocious puberty in Chinese girls.

METHODS: PCR-RFLP analysis method was applied in the typing of six activity SNPs in five genes in two groups: 176 precocious puberty girls as case and 192 healthy girls as control.

RESULTS: The typing results showed that the frequencies of the allele CYP21 L282 polymorphism were 32.7% and 32.6% in case and control groups (P=0.518), respectively. For IRS-1 R972, they were 0.6% in cases and 2.3% in controls (P=0.043), for ADRB3 R64, 13.6% in cases and 12% in controls (P=0. 378), and for GRL S363, 7.4% in cases and 5.73% in controls (P=0.335). No sample in the two groups carries the variation of CYP21 I172N and HSD3B2 L236S.

CONCLUSION: Among these six activity SNPs in five candidate genes, IRS-1 972R was statistically associated with the onset time of puberty in Chinese girls. In order to confirm whether the candidate genes have any other activity SNPs that are associated with the onset time of puberty in Chinese girls, resequencing of these candidate genes is needed in following time....

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