BACKGROUND/AIM To investigate prospectively the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis by adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation test. MATERIALS AND METHODS Tularemia was diagnosed according to guidelines. An ACTH stimulation test (1 µg) and a dexamethasone suppression test (DST; 1 mg) were performed in patients in the acute phase of tularemia before antibiotic treatment and in the ...

It has been repeatedly demonstrated that ACTH administration lowers plasma lipid concentrations in man. The present study was designed to test the hypothesis, based on observations of decreased apolipoprotein B (ApoB) synthesis and secretion in vitro, that ACTH administration inhibits the postprandial output of ApoB in man. Therefore, we studied the response to a fat-rich meal supplemented with...

BACKGROUND The ACTH stimulation test is currently required for definitive diagnosis of hypoadrenocorticism. Increased cost of synthetic ACTH (cosyntropin) has prompted a search for alternative diagnostic methods. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine whether a cortisol-to-ACTH ratio (CAR) can be used to differentiate dogs with hypoadrenocorticism from normal dogs and those with...

Adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) is of value in the treatment of a number of diseases which respond to corticosteroid therapy, and has been preferred to corticosteroids themselves by several clinicians on the grounds that side-effects are fewer and withdrawal easier (Savage, Copeman, Chapman, Wells, and Treadwell, 1962), that there is a better clinical response in rheumatoid arthritis (West,...

How sex steroids modulate glucocorticoid feedback on the hypothalamic-pituitary-corticotrope (HPC) unit is controversial in humans. We postulated that testosterone (T) in men and estradiol (E2) in women govern unstressed cortisol-mediated negative feedback on ACTH secretion. To test this hypothesis, 24 men and 24 women age 58 ± 2.4 yr were pretreated with leuprolide and either sex steroid (E2 i...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE The gold standard in the diagnosis of canine hypoadrenocorticism (HA) is the adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) response test. As synthetic ACTH (tetracosactide [Synacthen®]) is currently not available in the European Union, the evaluation of other diagnostic tests seemed warranted. The diagnostic efficacy of electrolytes, the leukogram and endogenous ACTH concentrations to dia...

BACKGROUND Measurement of the plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) level has been recommended as the first diagnostic test for differentiating between ACTH-independent Cushing syndrome (CS) and ACTH-dependent CS. When plasma ACTH values are inconclusive, a differential diagnosis of CS can be made based upon measurement of the serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) level and results ...

Loperamide, an opiate agonist of high specificity for mu-receptors, was recently reported to suppress ACTH and cortisol levels in normal subjects, but not in patients with proven ACTH-dependent Cushing's disease. However, there is little information on the site of action of loperamide in the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis of man. We investigated the effect of loperamide on pituitary hormone...

The ACTH test has been used to confirm the diagnosis of adrenal insufficiency and the classic and the non-classic adrenal hyperplasia due to the 3-HSD, 21 OH e 110H deficiencies. This article reviews the historical aspects of the use of ACTH in the diagnosis of hirsutism and points out its mains indications. In spite of new biological molecular advances in the diagnosis of adrenal enzymatic def...

The aim of our study was to investigate adrenocortical function in the context of disease activity and inflammatory status in premenopausal RA females. Adrenal glucocorticoid and androgen responses to the 1 microg ACTH 1-24 test were investigated in 23 premenopausal RA and in 15 age- and BMI-matched healthy females. Twelve RA patients were on low-dose prednisone (<8.5 mg/day). Patients with DAS...