The sellar/parasellar endocrinopathies: a brief clinical overview.

Endocrine disorders of the pituitary and other hypothalamic structures are reviewed. Anterior and posterior pituitary physiology is described as well as hormone-producing tumors that cause Cushing's disease, hyperprolactinemia, acromegaly-gigantism, and precocious and delayed puberty. The diagnosis and management of diabetes insipidus caused by hypothalamic-posterior pituitary disorders complete the overview.

Thyroid disease in the elderly.

Overtreatment of hypothyroidism is particularly hazardous in older patients, who are often maintained on less than half the amount of replacement hormone required by younger patients. With the current sensitive assays for TSH, the goal is to reduce TSH to the normal but not to the suppressed range. For hyperthyroidism, prompt treatment with radioactive iodine is indicated.

The effect of glutaurine on thyroid hormones in the rat.

Glutaurine (gamma-L-glutamyl taurine), a proposed hormone isolated from parathyroid gland oxyphil cells, was examined for its effect on circulating thyroid hormones in the rat. In acute experiments performed over a 24 hr. period, glutaurine depressed plasma triiodothyronine (T3) levels in a dose-dependent manner; however, thyroxine (T4) levels were not affected significantly.

Pure gonadal dysgenesis with microscopic ovarian streak and gonadoblastoma.

A phenotypic female with an XY karyotype and no grossly demonstrable streak gonads is described. She had a microscopic focus of gonadoblastoma developing in a 3 X 2 mm area in the region of the ovarian vessels. The case stresses the importance of a careful search of the pelvic cavity in phenotypic females with a 46, XY karyotype.

Correlation of platelet taurine levels with thyroid function.

Changes in neurotransmitter or neuromodular activity and levels have been thought to be responsible for some of the behavioral characteristics observed in patients with thyroid disease. To investigate these relationships, taurine, a proposed inhibitory neurotransmitter or modulator, was measured in platelets, which may serve as biochemical model for synaptosomes. Blood of euthyroid, hypothyroid and hyperthyroid patients was collected.

Physiology of aging: metabolic changes during the climacteric and menopausal periods.

Endocrine regulation is altered with age. Changes in hormone secretory rates, patterns of secretion, and responses to physiologic and pharmacologic stimuli have been demonstrated. Target tissue sensitivity to hormones appears to be age related and to involve hormone receptor mechanisms, enzymatic responses, and carrier proteins.

Vitamin E and periodontal disease.

Vitamin E levels in patients with and without periodontal disease were measured. There was no significant difference in the levels of serum vitamin E between these two groups. These data do not provide support for the treatment of inflammatory periodontal disease with vitamin E.

Humor manifestations of neoplasms.

The exact prevalence of the humoral syndromes associated with neoplasm is not known but it seems clear that they exist more commonly than is realized. Hormonal syndromes are very often seen in patients with carcinoma of the lung. Awareness of the large number of ectopic hormonal syndromes in patients with tumors can lead to early diagnosis, treatment, and herald recurrence.