Finasteride in the treatment of hirsutism: new therapeutic perspectives.

Objective: To determine of the clinical and hormonal effects of finasteride (Proscar; Merck, Sharp, and Dohme, Rahway, NJ) in the treatment of idiopathic hirsutism and hirsutism in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Design: Controlled clinical study.

Setting: Istitute of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Naples "Federico II.

[123I]MIBG scintigraphy in neuroblastoma: a comparison between planar and SPECT imaging.

The aim of the present study was to assess the utility of SPECT imaging with [123I]MIBG in patients with neuroblastoma (NB). Twenty-two children were studied (11 males and 11 females: age range: newborn to 11 years). A total of 39 studies were performed in different clinical phases.

Puberal hormonal status and vaginal microbiology.

The Autors have examinated endocrine function in girls during puberal age. Have been showed datums relative to cultures effected on vaginal secrets withdrawn from little girls in prepuberal age. They have also studied polimicrobic vaginal flora related to sexual hormone levels.

Menopausal hormonal status and vaginal microbiology.

The authors have examined endocrine function in women during postmenopausal age. They have also studied polymicrobic vaginal flora related to sexual hormone levels. Have been controllated correlations between vaginal microbic status and cytohormonal response at different hormonal situation present in the same woman.

Subclinical hypothyroidism and hyperprolactinemia.

The authors have studied 25 women aged 22 to 26 years with a diagnosis of prolactinemia moderately increased in primary sterility. Among 25 women under observation, 7 (28%) showed a hormone picture of subclinic hypothyroidism. In fact the evaluation of TSH after stimulation with TRH showed a curve typical of the subclinic hypothyroidism.

Direct assessment of splanchnic uptake and metabolic effects of human and porcine insulin.

The hepatic vein catheterization technique was used to quantitate the splanchnic uptake and the metabolic effects of biosynthetic human insulin (BHI) and porcine insulin (PI) in normal man. BHI and PI were infused into a peripheral vein (0.9-1.

Differential roles of splanchnic and peripheral tissues in the pathogenesis of impaired glucose tolerance.

To identify the mechanism(s) of the altered glucoregulatory response to a glucose load in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance, we selectively quantitated the components of net splanchnic glucose balance, i.e., splanchnic glucose uptake and hepatic glucose output, as well as peripheral glucose uptake, by combining [3-3H]glucose infusion with hepatic vein catheterization.