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Comparative Study 2007; 28(5): 621-628 PubMed PMID: 17984937 Citation  Keywords:  Acromegaly:blood, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Bone Density:physiology, Bone Resorption:blood, Estradiol:blood, Female, Follicle Stimulating Hormone:blood, Human Growth Hormone:blood, Humans, Hypogonadism:blood, Insulin-Like Growth Factor I:analysis, L.   

OBJECTIVES: The aim of our study was to evaluate bone metabolism and bone mineral density (BMD), and to indicate the main determinants of these parameters in a large group of patients with active acromegaly.

METHODS: A group of 121 active acromegalics, aged 23-80 years, from a single endocrinological center was studied. Serum GH, IGF-I, LH, FSH, PRL, estradiol/testosterone, osteocalcin (OC), type I collagen carboxyterminal telopeptide (ICTP) as well as BMD by DXA at spine L2-L4, femoral neck, Ward's triangle and trochanter were measured.

RESULTS: Serum OC and ICTP concentrations were elevated (mean+/-SEM: 31.7+/-2.2 microg/L, p<0.001; 7.3+/-0.5 microg/L, p<0.001, respectively), and positively correlated with each other, as well as with IGF-I. BMD (Z-scores) was increased at L2-L4, femoral neck and trochanter (0.35+/-0.15, p=0.016; 0.60+/-0.11, p<0.001 and 0.59+/-0.13, p<0.001; respectively). The main determinants of Z-scores and ICTP were gonadal status and gender, while of OC was IGF-I. Eugonadal acromegalics had higher than normal serum OC and ICTP, as well as Z-scores at all measured sites. Hypogonadal patients (2/3 of the population) had significantly higher serum ICTP concentrations and lower BMD at all sites, when compared to eugonadal acromegalics. Thirty five percent of hypogonadal subjects had T-score<-1. Men had significantly higher serum ICTP and lower Z-scores than women.

CONCLUSIONS: (i) In active acromegaly, enhanced IGF-I-dependent bone turnover and increased BMD is observed. (ii) In hypogonadal acromegalics, high bone resorption decreases BMD and may lead to osteoporosis. (iii) There is a smaller increase in bone resorption and greater increase in BMD in women with acromegaly than in men....

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Journal Article 2007; 28(5): 610-613 PubMed PMID: 17984936 Citation  Keywords:  Adjustment Disorders:blood, Adrenocorticotropic Hormone:blood, Adult, Anxiety Disorders:blood, Circadian Rhythm:physiology, Crime Victims:psychology, Dehydroepiandrosterone:blood, Depressive Disorder:blood, Female, Humans, Hydrocortisone:blood, MMPI, Male.   

OBJECTIVES: Evidence in the literature suggests stress-related changes of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in mobbing. We investigated the association between HPA activity and psychological profiles in mobbing, using a multidisciplinary approach.

DESIGN: Forty-eight victims of mobbing were evaluated by a working group of the Departments of Occupational Medicine, Psychiatry and Internal Medicine. After an informed consent, a detailed occupational history, a psychiatric interview with Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory 2 (MMPI-2) administration and a blood sample (8:00 AM) for the determination of basal adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) plasma levels were collected. Twenty-six patients received an overnight dexamethasone (dex) test.

RESULTS: Mean ACTH, cortisol and DHEAS levels were within normal ranges. The dex-test response was normal, with a significant hormone suppression (ACTH p<0.001, cortisol p<0.001, DHEAS p<0.001). The correlations between basal hormones and the psychometric scales of MMPI-2 revealed that cortisol was significantly and negatively related to Psychasthenia (Pt, p=0.003) and Depression (D, p=0.006), while DHEAS showed a significant negative correlation to Hysteria (Hy, p=0.008). Basal ACTH levels were not significantly related to psychometric scales.

CONCLUSION: A significant inverse correlation between morning plasma cortisol levels and psychometric parameters in victims of mobbing with adjustment disorders was observed. A larger group of patients is necessary to identify and validate a cut-off cortisol level that may become an innovative biological parameter for the diagnosis and follow-up in victims of mobbing....

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Journal Article 2007; 28(5): 662-665 PubMed PMID: 17984929 Citation  Keywords:  Adolescent, Adult, Altruism, Amylases:metabolism, Decision Making:physiology, Games, Experimental, Humans, Male, Reference Values, Reward, Saliva:metabolism, Self Concept, Social Perception,.   

OBJECTIVE: Little is known regarding the relationship between social evaluation-induced neuroendocrine responses and generosity in game-theoretic situations. Previous studies demonstrated that reputation formation plays a pivotal role in prosocial behavior. This study aimed to examine the relationships between a social evaluation-induced salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) response and generosity in the dictator game. The relationship is potentially important in neuroeconomics of altruism and game theory.

METHODS: We assessed sAA and allocated money in the dictator game in male students with and without social evaluation. RESULTS Social evaluation-responders allocated significantly more money than controls; while there was no significant correlation between social evaluation-induced sAA elevation and the allocated money.

CONCLUSIONS: Social evaluation significantly increases generosity in the dictator game, and individual differences in trait characteristics such as altruism and reward sensitivity may be important determinants of generosity in the dictator game task....

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Clinical Trial 2007; 28(5): 708-712 PubMed PMID: 17984925 Citation  Keywords:  Adolescent, Adult, Analysis of Variance, Dietary Supplements, Exercise:physiology, Humans, Magnesium:administration & dosage, Martial Arts:physiology, Physical Exertion:physiology, Reference Values, Rest:physiology, Statistics, Nonparametric, Thyroid Horm.   

: The effect of magnesium on thyroid hormones of sedentars and sportsperson in Tae-Kwon-Do, has been investigated in a 4-weeks training program. Group 1 consisted of sedentars receiving 10 mg/kg/day Mg for 4 weeks. Group 2 consisted of subjects receiving magnesium (Mg) supplement and practicing Tae-Kwon-Do for 90-120 min/day, for five days a week. Group 3 consisted of subjects practicing Tae-Kwon-Do but receiving Mg supplements. TSH levels increased with training and Mg supplementation (p<0.05). Mg increased FT3 values. (p<0.05). TT3 values of groups reduced in all groups (p<005). After supplementation, group 1 had higher TT4 values than groups 1 and 3 and the group 2 had higher TT4 values than the third group (p<005). Results of this research show that training until exhaustion causes reduction in thyroid hormone activity in sedentars and sportsperson. It has been established that Mg supplementation however, prevents reduction in thyroid hormone activity in sedentars and sportsperson....

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Journal Article 2007; 28(4): 410-416 PubMed PMID: 17693988 Citation  Keywords:  Adolescent, Adolescent Development:physiology, Anorexia Nervosa:complications, Blood Pressure:physiology, Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory, Bradycardia:etiology, Case-Control Studies, Child, Circadian Rhythm:physiology, Estradiol:blood, Female, Folli.   

OBJECTIVES: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is characterized by marked neuroendocrine and autonomic dysfunctions. In the recent studies using automatic blood pressure monitoring (ABPM), lower BP values and lack of circardian variation of BP in anorectic patients were demonstrated. Unfortunately effects of hormonal changes, that may explain BP abnormalities were not analysed together.

DESIGN: The aim of our study was the assessment of ABPM and hormonal status in anorectic girls.

SETTINGS: The study was performed on hospitalized 25 female anorectic adolescents aged 12-18 years. Control group was 17 age and height matched girls with normal weight and negative history for hypertension. ABPM was performed between 5 and 7 day of hospitalization, every 30 minutes during active period and every 60 minutes during sleep. Hormones (FSH, LH, estradiol, cortisol and fT4) serum concentrations were also evaluated.

RESULTS: Mean systolic BP values were significantly lower in patients with AN in comparison to controls. Maximal diastolic and mean arterial pressure values for the whole day and active period but not for sleep were lower in AN than in controls. Anorectic girls showed tendency to night-time bradycardia. Moreover, there were no physiological circadian variations of BP in AN.

CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that hormonal regulation of blood pressure and heart rate in anorectic patients is at least partially preserved. Lower blood pressure values, bradycardia and lack of physiological night fall of BP in anorectic patients may result from altered autonomic system function resulting from hormonal disturbances and other centrally mediated mechanisms....

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Journal Article 2007; 28(4): 382-385 PubMed PMID: 17693986 Citation  Keywords:  Animals, Biological Assay:methods, Cells, Cultured, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Enzyme Stability:physiology, Growth Hormone:metabolism, Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone:analogs & derivatives, Male, Pituitary Gland:cytology, Rats, Rats, Inbred WKY,.   

OBJECTIVE: It has been found that hGH-RH analogues with increased resistance to enzymatic degradation have a much higher potency than the native hGH-RH (1-29)-NH2 and have an ability to partially reverse growth hormone deficiencies.

THE AIM: The aim of these studies was to elaborate a method which can be used for preliminary evaluation of new GH-RH analogues both from the point of view of their potency to release GH and enzymatic stability.

METHOD: Two highly active GH-RH analogues with increased resistance to trypsin-like enzymes, and hGH-RH(1-29)-NH2 used as a standard, in doses 1 nM, 10 nM, and 100 nM were added to pituitary rat cell culture, and medium was collected after 30, 60, 120 and 240 min. GH concentration was measured by RIA kit.

RESULTS: It was observed that the potency of these two GH-RH analogues was several times higher than that of native compound. Moreover, the stimulation was much longer. This suggests that high activity of these analogues in vivo could be the result of increased enzymatic stability.

CONCLUSION: This method can be used for selecting more potent and more stable releasing peptides before in vivo evaluation....

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Comparative Study 2007; 28(4): 433-437 PubMed PMID: 17693981 Citation  Keywords:  Adolescent, Adult, Endocrine System:physiology, Female, Humans, Hydrocortisone:blood, Male, Odorants, Olfactory Pathways:physiology, Sex Characteristics, Testosterone:blood,.   

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to verify the influence of odor on the endocrine system (Cortisol, Testosterone).

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Three odors (Musk, Rose and Floral) and air were given to 16 healthy volunteers (8 males, 8 females), and cortisol (C) and testosterone (T) levels were measured before and after stimulation.

RESULTS: Each odor decreased levels of C, indicating that odor can attenuate stress. In males, T decreased with Musk, but increased with Floral. In females, T significantly increased with Musk, but decreased with Rose and Floral.

CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that influences on hormone levels depend on the type of odor, and sex differences exist in response to odors....

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Journal Article 2007; 28(4): 367-381 PubMed PMID: 17693980 Citation  Keywords:  Aged, Case-Control Studies, Critical Illness:therapy, Female, Humans, Lipid Peroxidation:physiology, Male, Middle Aged, Oxidation-Reduction, Oxidative Stress:physiology, Regression Analysis, Treatment Outcome, Triiodothyronine:blood,.   

OBJECTIVES: Increased oxidative stress and low-T3 syndrome may develop in critically ill patients. The study aimed at evaluating the level of lipid peroxidation (LPO) in critically ill patients and at estimating the relationships among LPO level, the death rate, the rate of low-T3 syndrome and patient's clinical status.

METHODS: Lipid peroxidation (LPO) level was studied in seventy (70) adult, critically ill patients and 48 healthy volunteers. Critically ill patients were classified into survivors and non-survivors, or those with and without the low-T3 syndrome (normal-T3).

RESULTS: LPO level was four times higher in critically ill patients than in healthy volunteers. Among non-survivors, LPO level was higher in patients with the low-T3 syndrome than in patients without this syndrome, and among survivors, the tendency was opposite. Additionally, the extent, to which LPO level increased, depended on the kind of the disease. The degree of LPO variability was higher in survivors than in non-survivors. LPO level was lower in patients with higher number of therapeutic interventions.

CONCLUSION: A tremendous increase in oxidative damage to lipids in critically ill patients strongly depends on the kind of pathological process and, under certain conditions, higher LPO levels could be due to more favourable outcome....

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