OBJECTIVE Treatment of intractable seizures other than spasms is difficult and controversial. There are few studies on efficacy of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) in treatment of patients with intractable seizure. MATERIALS & METHODS Twenty-five patients with intractable seizure other than spasm including 14 boys and 11 girls with median age of 58 months referred to university clinics of P...

INTRODUCTION A standard short Synacthen test (SST) is the conventional diagnostic test for primary hypoadrenalism. Measuring simultaneous plasma cortisol and adrenocorticotrophin hormone (ACTH) and using the cortisol: ACTH ratio as a first-line test may be safer and more convenient than performing a SST. METHODS A retrospective study of 349 patients who had a SST with simultaneous baseline pl...

INTRODUCTION This study was aimed at characterizing basal and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-induced steroidogenesis in sepsis and nonsepsis patients with a suspicion of critical illness-related corticosteroid insufficiency (CIRCI), taking the use of etomidate-inhibiting 11β-hydroxylase into account. METHOD This was a prospective study in a mixed surgical/medical intensive care unit (ICU)...

objective infantile spasms (is) or west syndrome is a convulsive disease characterized by brief, symmetric axial muscle contractions (neck, trunk, and/or extremities).the therapy universally recognized as most effective in the treatment of is, is treatment with the adrenocorticotropic hormone (acth) or oral corticosteroids. this therapy however has important side effects. many studies have soug...

To differentiate between ectopic ACTH syndrome and Cushing's disease, gene expression of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), proopiomelanocortin (POMC), and glucocorticoid receptor was examined in 10 pituitary adenomas (Cushing's disease) and in 10 ectopic ACTH-producing tumors. CRH increased plasma ACTH levels in all patients with Cushing's disease and in five patients with ectopic ACTH syn...

To identify genes that are induced by corticotropin (ACTH) in adrenal cortex cells, we carried out a differential hybridization screening of adrenal cortex cDNA libraries. Some of the clones we identified represented tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1) mRNA. We examined ACTH dependence of the expression of TIMP-1 in vitro in cultured bovine adrenocortical cells, and in ACTH-treated...

Numerous experiments with peptides related to ACTH/MSH, and involving tests such as avoidance, approach, discrimination and rewarded behavior indicate that these peptides possess neuroactive effects on learning, motivation, attention, and concentration. In addition, ACTH/MSH neuropeptides affect social behavior, interact with opiate binding sites, and possess antiepileptic properties. Other CNS...

A 26 year-old man with suspected Cushing's disease underwent transsphenoidal exploration of the pituitary without any evidence of microadenoma or hyperplasia. Progressive hypercortisolism necessitated bilateral adrenalectomy. Postoperatively, skin pigmentation gradually developed with a marked elevation of plasma ACTH levels, and CT scanning uncovered a thymic mass. Following removal of the thy...

The effect of ACTH, adrenaline, noradrenaline, insulin, parathormone, hydrocortisone,and glucagonon the homeostaticmechanismcontrolling serum glucose,citrate, calcium, phosphorus,and potassium was studied in fasting rabbits and children. Citrate levelsare kept in balancebyACTH, adrenaline,and glucagon,which raisethe levels,and by insulin,which lowers them. Stressalone raisescitrate levels,proba...