Khamiras, a natural cardiac tonic: An overview.

The Unani system of Medicine (Unanipathy), which originated in Greece, is based on the principles proposed by Galen, a Greek practitioner. Since then, many Arab and Persian scholars have contributed to the system. Among them Ibn-e-Sina, an Arab philosopher and Physicist who wrote 'Kitab-al-shifa' are worth mentioning.

Effects of growth hormone administration on bone mineral metabolism, PTH sensitivity and PTH secretory rhythm in postmenopausal women with established osteoporosis.

Introduction: Growth hormone (GH) replacement improves target organ sensitivity to PTH, PTH circadian rhythm, calcium and phosphate metabolism, bone turnover, and BMD in adult GH-deficient (AGHD) patients. In postmenopausal women with established osteoporosis, GH and insulin like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) concentrations are low, and administration of GH has been shown to increase bone turnover and BMD, but the mechanisms remain unclear. We studied the effects of GH administration on PTH sensitivity, PTH circadian rhythm, and bone mineral metabolism in postmenopausal women with established osteoporosis.

PTH circadian rhythm and PTH target-organ sensitivity is altered in patients with adult growth hormone deficiency with low BMD.

Unlabelled: AGHD is associated with osteoporosis. We examined PTH circadian rhythmicity and PTH target-organ sensitivity in 23 patients with AGHD with low BMD and 20 patients with AGHD with normal BMD. Patients with low BMD had a blunted nocturnal rise in PTH concentration and reduced PTH target-organ sensitivity compared with patients with normal BMD; these factors may be important in the pathogenesis of AGHD-related osteoporosis.

The physiology of the circadian rhythm of parathyroid hormone and its potential as a treatment for osteoporosis.

Purpose Of Review: A circadian rhythm exists for parathyroid hormone, with a biphasic pattern showing a late afternoon/early evening rise and fall and a broader, longer-lasting increase late evening/early morning reaching nadir mid-morning. This review explores the characteristics of the circadian rhythm, factors regulating the rhythm and its role in bone metabolism.

Recent Findings: Gender differences exist in the circadian rhythm for parathyroid hormone.

Parathyroid responsiveness to hypocalcemic and hypercalcemic stimuli in adult growth hormone deficiency after growth hormone replacement.

Adult growth hormone deficiency (AGHD) is associated with osteoporosis. Previous reports have suggested that alterations in parathyroid gland responsiveness to changes in calcium concentration may play a role in the genesis of osteoporosis in untreated AGHD patients. We investigated the endogenous parathyroid hormone [PTH-(1-84)] response to hypocalcemic and hypercalcemic stimuli induced by sodium EDTA and calcium gluconate infusion, respectively, and to PTH-(1-34) infusion in AGHD patients before and during GH replacement (GHR).

Effects of growth hormone replacement on parathyroid hormone sensitivity and bone mineral metabolism.

Adult GH deficiency (AGHD) is associated with reduced bone mineral density, and decreased end-organ sensitivity to the effects of PTH has been suggested as a possible underlying mechanism. We investigated the effects of GH replacement (GHR) on PTH circulating activity and its association with phosphocalcium metabolism and bone turnover in 16 (8 men and 8 women) AGHD patients. Half-hourly blood and 3 hourly urine sampling was performed on each patient over a 24-h period before GHR and then after 1, 3, 6, and 12 months of GHR.

Diurnal rhythms of serum total, free and bioavailable testosterone and of SHBG in middle-aged men compared with those in young men.

Background: Conflicting views are reported on the association between advancing age and gradually diminishing concentrations of serum total testosterone in men. The putative loss of diurnal rhythm in serum total testosterone in older men is reported to be in part due to low concentrations in the morning when compared to concentrations found in young men. We have measured total, free and bioavailable testosterone along with SHBG in samples taken every 30 min throughout a 24-h period in 10 young and eight middle-aged men.

Objective estimates of the probability of developing hypothyroidism following radioactive iodine treatment of thyrotoxicosis.

Objective: Several risk factors have been shown individually to influence the outcome following radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy in the treatment of hyperthyroidism. However, no attempt has been made to determine their independent prognostic values that could be used in a regression model to provide objective estimates of the probability of developing hypothyroidism.

Study Design And Methods: We audited records of all hyperthyroid patients treated with first dose RAI between 1980 and 1996.

Effects of GH replacement on 24-h ambulatory blood pressure and its circadian rhythm in adult GH deficiency.

Objective: Increased prevalence of hypertension and cardiovascular mortality have been reported in hypopituitary patients who had been appropriately replaced with conventional pituitary hormones except GH. Growth hormone replacement (GHR) results in improvement of surrogate markers of cardiovascular function. Data on effects of GHR on blood pressure (BP) in adult growth hormone deficiency (AGHD), however, remain contradictory.