Background Regular transfusion in thalassemia major patients increases life expectancy and improves quality of life, but results in iron overload, which had toxic effects to organs including endocrine glands. The introduction of iron chelation therapy has reduced its toxicity, but complications may still occur. In Indonesia, most of our patients did not receive optimal iron chelation therapy, w...

Clusters of poorly demarcated neurons, called nuclei, situated in the hypothalamic area are the source of hormones which through the succession of their actions on the pituitary and the peripheral endocrine glands, regulate and control major functions of the organism, namely, reproduction, energy, metabolism and adaptation. The significance of these vital functions is obvious; thus our understa...

A lot of data suggests endocrine gland-derived vascular endothelial growth factor (EG-VEGF) to be restricted to endocrine glands and to some endocrine-dependent organs. Many evidences show that EG-VEGF stimulates angiogenesis and cell proliferation, although it is not a member of the VEGF family. At the time, a lot of data regarding the role of this growth factor in normal development are avail...

pable splenomegaly. Vitamin E is well known to have a close relationship with the endocrine system. For instance, the reduced function of the endocrine organs, mainly sex glands, has been reported in vitamin E deficient rats (Evans 1922, Bisceglie 1928, Martin 1939). On the other hands, close relationship between vitamin E and anemia has also been reported by several investigators such as Dinni...