Cells cultured from trabecular meshwork specimens obtained from patients with primary open angle glaucoma (TMPOAG cells) exhibited two major differences in cortisol-metabolizing enzymes when compared with similar cells from nonglaucomatous patients. One is a marked increase (greater than 100-fold) in delta 4-reductase activity and the other is a decrease (4-fold) in 3-oxidoreductase activity. P...

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Aminoglutethimide was introduced as an anticonvulsant drug in the U.S.A. in 1960. The occurrence of a number of side-effects, including several endocrine effects such as goitrogenesis, sexual precocity and virilization, led to its withdrawal. Further investigation indicated that the drug inhibited adrenal biosynthesis, particularly of aldosterone, cortisol and androgens, probably by interfering...

Cortisol controls the body's metabolism and response to inflammation and stress. Cortisol is released in pulses from the adrenal glands in response to pulses of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) released from the anterior pituitary; in return, cortisol has a negative feedback effect on ACTH release. Modeling cortisol secretion and the interactions between ACTH and cortisol allows for quantifyi...

Recently, during critical illness, cortisol metabolism was found to be reduced. We hypothesize that such reduced cortisol breakdown may suppress pulsatile ACTH and cortisol secretion via feedback inhibition. To test this hypothesis, nocturnal ACTH and cortisol secretory profiles were constructed by deconvolution analysis from plasma concentration time series in 40 matched critically ill patient...

Free-ranging animals often cope with fluctuating environmental conditions such as weather, food availability, predation risk, the requirements of breeding, and the influence of anthropogenic factors. Consequently, researchers are increasingly measuring stress markers, especially glucocorticoids, to understand stress, disturbance, and population health. Studying free-ranging animals, however, co...

CONTEXT Cortisol is a potent regulator of carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to determine whether obesity alone or in combination with type 2 diabetes increases splanchnic and/or leg cortisol production. DESIGN Splanchnic and leg cortisol production were measured using the hepatic and leg catheterization technique combined with infusion of D4...