The adrenal glands are involved in the production and secretion of hormones and control different metabolic pathways. Impairments in the adrenal glands (above the kidneys) thus have a significant impact on bodily functions. Hypercortisolism, hyperaldosteronism, adrenocortical deficiency and phaeochromocytoma are typical for this type of disease. Medical students should be familiar especially wi...

As Thomas Addison observed in his famous monograph written in 1855, the adrenal glands are ‘‘objects of deep interest’’ and so they remain [1]. In the monograph he described several patients who presented with generalised weakness and in whom abnormalities of the adrenal glands were found at post mortem. Addison had discovered primary hypoadrenalism, the disease that would later take his name. ...

The knowledge of the endocrine glands in aged animals seems necessary in the understanding of the relationship of endocrine glands to the whole organism. Most of our knowledge concerning the senile changes are based on the findings from laboratory animals . Meanwhile, reports concerning the ageing process of the endocrine glands of domestic animals are especially few. The present study is conce...

1. The objective of the present study was to analyse the peripheral effects of cannabinoids on adrenaline release from adrenal chromaffin cells. 2. In pithed rabbits with electrically stimulated sympathetic outflow, intravenous injection of the cannabinoid receptor agonists WIN55212-2 and CP55940 (5, 50 and 500 microg x kg(-1)) markedly lowered the plasma adrenaline concentration. The effect of...

objective: in the present study, we examined the effects of memantine administration within the nucleus accumbens on the alterations in brain and adrenal volumes and weight ratios induced by stress from electric foot shock. methods: a group of mice received various doses of memantine (0.1, 0.5 and 1 mg/kg) prior to induction of stress. another group underwent intra-accumbal cannulation after an...

1. Aldosterone-producing adenomas were located before operation in eighteen patients by comparison of aldosterone concentrations in blood obtained by percutaneous catheterization of the adrenal vein or renal vein. The concentration of aldosterone in the venous effluent from the adrenal glands containing adenomas was significantly greater than in the venous effluent from contralateral glands. 2....

Lymphoma may occasionally involve the adrenal glands, but primary adrenal lymphoma (PAL) is very rare and only few cases have been reported. We present a case of a 60-year-old, otherwise healthy, woman, with bilateral PAL presenting with adrenal insufficiency. The patient responded initially upon administration of large doses of intravenously hydrocortisone with total remission of symptoms. An ...

Intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) can damage multiple organ systems, but the explicit impact on the adrenal gland is unclear. To evaluate the effects of intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) on the secretory function of the adrenal glands, we established canine models of IAH. By comparing morphology; hemodynamics; plasma cortisol, aldosterone, epinephrine, and norepinephrine concentrations; and the e...

The adrenal glands consist of an outer cortex and an inner medulla, and their primary purposes include hormone synthesis and secretion. The adrenal cortex produces a complex array of steroid hormones, whereas the medulla is part of the sympathetic nervous system and produces the catecholamines epinephrine and norepinephrine. In the mouse, GATA binding protein (GATA) 4 and GATA6 transcription fa...