Pituitary-Adrenal Hyperfunction

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function.

Basal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) function is characterised by pulses of corticosterone secretion followed by a transient refractory period when the axis appears to be inhibited. In females pulses of corticosterone secretion occur approximately once per hour with variation in pulse amplitude underlying a diurnal rhythm. Males show smaller pulses of secretion which become widely spaced ...

Pituitary, Gonad, and Adrenal Conditions

JANUARY 2009 I REVIEW OF ENDOCRINOLOGY I 19 C ushing’s syndrome is the clinical manifestation of glucocorticoid excess. When the most common cause, exogenous glucocorticoid intake, is excluded, one is left with a group of disorders in which a tumor (or rarely hyperplastic tissue) either produces excess cortisol or stimulates excess cortisol production indirectly through overproduction of either...

The Pituitary-Adrenal-Gonadal Complex.

Spinal and supraspinal analgesic effects of Nimodipine : The role of Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Adrenal(HPA) axis .

Nimodipine, an L-type calcium channel blocker, can induce analgesia. However, it is not clear that this analgesic effect is at the level of spinal or supraspinal pain pathway. In addition, it has been reported that the analgesic effect of nifedipine, another L-type calcium channel blocker is related to the HPA axis, but there is no report indicating the role of this axis in the analgesic eff...

Pituitary-adrenal responses following major abdominal surgery.

OBJECTIVE Perioperative pituitary-adrenal responses after major abdominal surgery have not been well characterized. The aim of the present study was to further clarify perioperative pituitary-adrenal responses. DESIGN Thirty-six patients (20 men), aged 68+/-10 years (mean+/-SD), undergoing major abdominal operations were studied. Total cortisol (TC), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), cortic...