The stress response to laparoscopic cholecystectomy: investigation of endocrine parameters.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy, as a typical example of minimal invasive surgery, is associated with low complication rates and minimal patient discomfort, and provides the same safety as conventional cholecystectomy. In the present prospective observational study, endocrine parameters as indicators for stress response were measured. We investigated 53 patient with laparoscopy cholecystectomy and 12 patients with conventional cholecystectomy.

Cardiac function in endocrine diseases: I. Acromegaly.

The aim of our echocardiographic study was to characterize cardiac function and anatomy of 14 acromegalics (A: 9 women, 5 men; mean age: 42.4 yrs) more closely. The duration of acromegaly in 4 of these patients was between 3 and 12 years; the disease was diagnosed for the first time in the other patients.

[Diagnosis and therapy of asymptomatic adrenal tumors].

Adrenal tumours had been discovered incidentally (since 1981) in 32 patients (23 females and nine males; mean age 54 [25-73] years) who had had computed tomography (CT) or ultrasonography for other reasons: none had a history or symptoms of such tumour. Tumours were bilateral in eight, right or left-sided in 12 each: all had been confirmed by CT. Average tumour size was 3 cm (1-9 cm).

The effect of sodium valproate in Cushing's disease, Nelson's syndrome and Addison's disease.

Unlabelled: We investigated the effect of sodium valproate on plasma ACTH and serum cortisol concentrations in different pathological states of ACTH hypersecretion. Five patients with pituitary dependent Cushing's syndrome, two patients with Nelson's syndrome and five patients with Addison's disease were studied. Neither a single dose nor long term administration of sodium valproate resulted in a significant decrease of plasma ACTH levels in patients with Cushing's disease and Nelson's syndrome.

Nonhypnotic low-dose etomidate for rapid correction of hypercortisolaemia in Cushing's syndrome.

We determined the adrenostatic potential of low-dose nonhypnotic etomidate in six patients with Cushing's syndrome (ectopic Cushing's syndrome, n = 2; Cushing's disease, n = 3; bilateral adrenal adenoma, n = 1). Etomidate was given as a continuous infusion for 32 h in a dose of 2.5 mg/h (n = 5) or 0.

A pituitary adenoma secreting high molecular weight adrenocorticotropin without evidence of Cushing's disease.

We report a patient with hypersecretion of a high mol wt ACTH from an aggressive corticotropic pituitary tumor who did not have hypercortisolism. Basal plasma ACTH levels were clearly elevated (26-121 pmol/L), whereas basal and stimulated serum cortisol levels were in the normal range. The pituitary source of the ACTH hypersecretion was confirmed by selective venous catheterization.

[Adrenostatic treatment of ACTH-dependent Cushing syndrome using metyrapone and aminoglutethimide].

The adrenostatic effect of metyrapone (Metopiron) and aminoglutethimide (Orimeten) was assessed retrospectively in ten patients with ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome, four of them with the ectopic form. Five patients received metyrapone only, the other five both metyrapone and aminoglutethimide. Persistent lowering of the serum cortisol level was achieved in all, after an observation period of two weeks to four years.

Naloxone in treatment of circulatory shock resistant to conventional therapy.

The effect of naloxone (4.4-5.9 mg i.

FK 33-824, a met-enkephalin analog, blocks corticotropin-releasing hormone-induced adrenocorticotropin secretion in normal subjects but not in patients with Cushing's disease.

To further elucidate the site of action of opioids on the pituitary-adrenal axis, we studied the effect of D-Ala2,MePhe4,met-(O)enkephalin-ol (Sandoz, FK 33-824) on plasma ACTH and beta-endorphin immunoreactivity and serum cortisol in 7 normal subjects and 11 patients with Cushing's syndrome (Cushing's disease, n = 7; adrenal adenoma, n = 2; ectopic Cushing's syndrome, n = 2) after administration of human corticotropin-releasing hormone (hCRH). hCRH (0.1 mg; Bachem) was injected iv after pretreatment with 0.

Effects of high-dose and low-dose naloxone on plasma ACTH in patients with ACTH hypersecretion.

The effect of a high (5.4 mg/h) and a low (0.8 mg/h) dose of naloxone (i.

Adrenocorticotropin, calcitonin, and antidiuretic hormone as tumor markers in patients with bronchogenic carcinoma of various histological types.

We measured basal and dexamethasone-suppressed plasma ACTH in 246 patients with bronchogenic carcinoma (105 with small-cell carcinoma); in 138 of these patients (67 with small-cell carcinoma) basal and pentagastrin-stimulated serum calcitonin was also determined. In addition, in a subgroup of 120 patients (58 with small-cell carcinoma) plasma ADH with reference to plasma osmolality was also assayed. Non-suppressible plasma ACTH was found in 45% of patients with small-cell carcinoma but only in isolated cases of large-cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and squamous-cell carcinoma.

[Stimulating action of Brucella melitensis lipopolysaccharide on hemopoiesis in mice].

The bacterial mass, brucellar protective antigen and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) obtained from B. melitensis stimulated the formation of endogenous colonies in the spleen of mice belonging to different strains, subjected to irradiation in sublethal doses. The maximum stimulating effect was observed when the antigens were introduced 24 hours prior to irradiation.

Effect of meclastine, a selective H1 receptor antagonist, upon ACTH release.

To elucidate further the role of histamine in the control of ACTH secretion we investigated the effect of the selective H1 receptor antagonist meclastine on the ACTH response to insulin hypoglycaemia and to metyrapone-induced hypocortisolaemia in normal subjects. Intravenous meclastine (4.8 mg/90 min) significantly inhibited the hypoglycaemia-induced ACTH and cortisol increase whereas serum GH and PRL concentrations were unaffected.

[Activation of DNA synthesis in lymphocytes of guinea pigs induced by Staphylococcus antigens].

The proliferative activity of lymphocytes in the spleen and the thymus of intact guinea pigs in response to protein A isolated from Staphylococcus aureus, strain Cowan-1, and the corpuscular antigens of Staphylococcus aureus, strains Cowan-1 and Wood-46, has been studied. All Staphylococcus aureus antigens have been shown to have mitogenic activity in respect of splenic cells and to exert no influence on the synthesis of DNA in thymic lymphocytes. The mitogenic effect of protein A on splenic lymphocytes depends on the content of immunoglobulins in the serum used as culture medium.

Effects of a met-enkephalin analog on adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), growth hormone, and prolactin in patients with ACTH hypersecretion.

The effect of D-Ala2, MePhe4, Met-(0)enkephalinol (Sandoz FK 33-824; 0.5 mg, im) on pituitary hormone secretion was studied in 11 patients with Addison's disease and 11 patients with ACTH-dependent Cushing's disease. In patients with Addison's disease, a pronounced fall of plasma ACTH levels was observed (P less than 0.

[Role of interstrain differences in the elaboration of stem cell inhibitory factor].

Thymocytes of mice of different H-2 haplotypes are capable of releasing into culture medium an activity similar to that of stem cell inhibitory factor (SCIF) as regards suppressing action. All the test supernatants caused a decline in the number of hemopoietic colonies in the spleens of lethally irradiated (830 rad) syngeneic recipients. During study of the SCIF effect on bone marrow cells of different H-2 haplotypes, none of the strains appeared to be resistant to its action, which, probably, indicates the absence of genetic restriction of SCIF suppressive activity.

[Effect of staphylococcal substance on the phagocytic activity of mouse peritoneal exudate cells].

The cell walls, peptidoglycan and whole cells of St. aureus inhibit the phagocytosis of sheep red blood cells in the culture of mouse peritoneal macrophages. The intraperitoneal injection of cell-wall components (peptidoglycan, teichoic acids) and whole staphylococcal cells stimulates phagocytosis at different periods after immunization, then follows suppression.

[Effect of the stem cell inhibitory factor on the formation of hemopoietic colonies].

The activated T lymphocytes release in the culture medium a factor inhibiting the ability of hemopoietic stem cells to form hemopoietic colonies in the spleens of lethally irradiated recipients. An analysis of the effect of this factor on hemopoietic colonies was carried out. Its inhibiting effect was not related to the process of opsonization and to changes in the migration of spleen cells in the irradiated organism.