Association of pain intensity, pain-related disability, and depression with hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis function in female patients with chronic temporomandibular disorders.

Patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) commonly experience myofascial and joint pain, pain-related disability, and other pain conditions including depression. The present study was carried out to explore the function of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in relation to variables of the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) Axis II and comorbid depression in female patients with TMD. Cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) levels were determined in saliva samples that had been collected at various periods after waking (0, 30, and 60min) and at nighttime (2100-2200h) from 52 female patients with chronic TMD pain and age- and gender-matched controls (n=54, 20-40 years old).

Puberty-related changes in cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone, and estradiol-17β secretions within the first hour after waking in premenarcheal girls.

Objective: The onset of menstruation is the hallmark of female pubertal development. The present study determined whether pubertal girls experience adrenocortical and ovarian steroid secretions within their first waking hour before getting their period, similar to those observed in adult females with regular cycles.

Methods: Cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and estradiol-17β concentrations were measured in saliva samples collected after awakening (0, 30, and 60 min after awakening) from 158 normal premenarcheal pubertal girls and 69 adult females with regular menstrual cycles.

Differences in cardiovascular and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis functions between high-altitude visitors and natives during a trek on the Annapurna circuit.

Objective: Differences in the cardiovascular and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functions at high altitudes (HAs) between visitors to and natives of HA were examined.

Methods: The cardiovascular functions and peripheral oxygen saturation (SPO2) were monitored, and the cortisol awakening response (CAR) and nighttime cortisol concentration (NCC), as indices of the HPA axis function, were determined in 25 trekkers and 21 Sherpas during an Annapurna circuit trek.

Results: SPO2 decreased less in the Sherpas than in the trekkers at HAs (3,540, 3,800, and 4,800 m).

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function in patients with complex regional pain syndrome type 1.

An exaggerated inflammatory process is considered an important pathophysiological feature of complex regional pain syndrome type 1 (CRPS-1). The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis serves as a negative feedback mechanism for inflammatory processes. The present study examined the HPA axis function in patients with CRPS-1 by a determination of cortisol concentrations in saliva.