Adrenal Gland AND Hormones

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Targeting specific steroidogenic enzymes is effective in decreasing testosterone synthesis, resulting in significant antitumor effects in prostate cancer. Such treatments result in disruptions of complicated and intertwining pathways with systemic physiologic consequences via effects on the adrenal gland and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone axis. This review highlights some of these aspects that need to be taken into consideration when treating patients with androgen biosynthesis inhibitors...

BACKGROUND: Various glucocorticoid replacement treatments (GRT) are available for adrenal insufficiency (AI). However, their effectiveness in restoring glucocorticoid rhythm and exposure lacks adequate biochemical markers. We described the diurnal salivary cortisol (SalF) and cortisone (SalE) rhythm among different GRTs and analysed the associations between saliva-derived parameters and life quality questionnaires. METHODS: Control subjects (CS, n=28) and AI patients receiving hydrocortisone (HC, n=9), cortisone acetate (CA, n=23), dual-release hydrocortisone once (DRHC-od, n=10) and twice a day (DRHC-td, n=6) collected 9 saliva samples from 07:00 to 23:00...

INTRODUCTION: The hippocampus is especially susceptible to age-associated neuronal pathologies, and there is concern that the age-associated rise in cortisol secretion from the adrenal gland may contribute to their etiology. Furthermore, because 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (HSD11B1) catalyzes the reduction of cortisone to the active hormone cortisol, it is plausible that an increase in the expression of this enzyme enhances the deleterious impact of cortisol in the hippocampus and contributes to the neuronal pathologies that underlie cognitive decline in the elderly...

Pregnancy causes physiological changes that support the growing fetus and get the mother ready for labor and delivery. Some of these modifications affect biochemical levels; they are normally stable, while others could imitate symptoms of illness. It is critical to distinguish between pathology associated with disease and typical physiological changes. This review article focuses on the significant changes that occur throughout a typical pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: To provide a clinical approach towards immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-associated endocrinopathies, their link with cancer outcomes, factors which differentiate them from other immune related adverse events (irAEs), and health systems innovation to improve care for these patients. METHODS: A literature search for articles pertaining to ICIs and endocrinopathies was performed and supplemented by expert opinions of the authors. RESULTS: While irAEs can affect almost any organ, they frequently target the endocrine glands, most commonly thyroid...

OBJECTIVE: Mitotane is an important cornerstone in the treatment of pediatric adrenal cortical tumors (pACC), but experience with the drug in the pediatric age group is still limited and current practice is not guided by robust evidence. Therefore, we have compiled international consensus statements from pACC experts on mitotane indications, therapy, and management of adverse effects. METHODS: A Delphi method with three rounds of questionnaires within the pACC expert consortium of the international network groups ENSAT-PACT and ICPACT was used to create 21 final consensus statements...

Although numerous studies have shown that the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis plays a vital role in the response to environmental stress by mediating the production of a series of hormones, the mechanism underlying these effects has not been elucidated. This study used proteomics techniques to investigate the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the pituitary glands of pigs and to elucidate the potential changes in the immune-neuroendocrine system under heat stress (HS). In total, 2517 peptides corresponding to 205 proteins were detected...

Aldosterone is a steroid hormone that is important for maintaining the volume and ionic composition of extracellular fluids and is produced in the zona glomerulosa of the adrenal cortex. The basic mechanisms controlling aldosterone secretion are known. However, more detailed studies on the regulation of aldosterone secretion often fail due to the lack of suitable models: although secretion can be studied in cultured adrenocortical cells under defined conditions, the differentiation status of the cells is difficult to control and the complex anatomy of the adrenal cortex is lost...

PURPOSE: Our aim was to develop a prediction model based on a simple score with clinical, laboratory, and imaging findings for the subtype diagnosis of primary aldosteronism (PA). The contribution of adrenal volumetric assessment to PA subtyping was also investigated. METHODS: Thirty-five patients with adequate cannulation in adrenal venous sampling (AVS) were included. Laboratory data, the saline infusion test (SIT), and the AVS results of patients with PA were retrospectively evaluated...

PURPOSE: To investigate the incidence of nephrolithiasis in a cohort of children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), and to study if there is an association with the metabolic control of the disease. METHODS: This study was designed as a multicenter 1 year-prospective study involving 52 subjects (35 males) with confirmed molecular diagnosis of CAH due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD). Each patient was evaluated at three different time-points: T0, T1 (+6 months of follow-up), T2 (+12 months of follow up)...

This report presents a case of a previously healthy 58 years-old man who had suffered from persistent weakness and dizziness after a cerebellar intracranial hemorrhage (ICH). Endocrine function tests revealed low levels of plasma cortisol (3.05 μg/dL; normal range: 5-25 μg/dL) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) (6.0 pg/mL; normal range: 10-60 pg/mL). The subsequent ACTH stimulation test suggested partial or recent hypopituitarism, resulting in adrenal gland atrophy and a subnormal cortisol response...

Adrenal myelolipoma is a rare, benign tumor of the adrenal gland, typically non-functional, asymptomatic and unilateral. With the increased use of radiological imaging, it has been discovered more frequently as incidental mass. It is common to occur concurrently with hormonal dysfunction conditions like congenital adrenal hyperplasia. However, there are few previous reported cases of malignancy concomitant with adrenal myelolipoma. We present a case of a 33-year-old patient diagnosed with congenital adrenal hyperplasia since birth...

INTRODUCTION: Gastric duplication cyst (GDC) is a rare congenital anomaly of the gastrointestinal tract. Though GDC is often misdiagnosed, misidentification as an adrenal cyst has rarely been reported. Herein, we report a case of GDC in a young female mimicking an adrenal cyst. CASE PRESENTATION: A 17-year-old female presented with chronic epigastric pain, nausea, and intermittent vomiting. Physical examinations revealed mild tenderness in the epigastric region...

BACKGROUND: Adrenal cellular schwannomas are exceptionally rare stromal tumors that are often misdiagnosed due to the lack of specific radiological, serological, or clinical features. In this report, we describe the differential diagnosis of a rare adrenal cellular schwannoma. METHODS: A 69-year-old man with a history of persistent hypertension, chronic kidney disease, hypertensive heart disease, and cardiac insufficiency was hospitalized due to bilateral lower extremity edema lasting for 3 months...

BACKGROUND: The zona glomerulosa of the adrenal gland is responsible for the synthesis and release of the mineralocorticoid aldosterone. This steroid hormone regulates salt reabsorption in the kidney and blood pressure. The most important stimuli of aldosterone synthesis are the serum concentrations of angiotensin II and potassium. In response to these stimuli, voltage and intracellular calcium levels in the zona glomerulosa oscillate, providing the signal for aldosterone synthesis. It was proposed that the voltage-gated T-type calcium channel CaV 3...

Adrenal glands, vital for steroid secretion and the regulation of metabolism, stress responses and immune activation, experience age-related decline, impacting systemic health. However, the regulatory mechanisms underlying adrenal aging remain largely uninvestigated. Here we established a single-nucleus transcriptomic atlas of both young and aged primate suprarenal glands, identifying lipid metabolism and steroidogenic pathways as core processes impacted by aging. We found dysregulation in centripetal adrenocortical differentiation in aged adrenal tissues and cells in the zona reticularis region, responsible for producing dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), were highly susceptible to aging, reflected by senescence, exhaustion and disturbed hormone production...

Bilateral adrenal masses, increasingly encountered in clinical practice, manifest across diverse contexts, including incidental discovery, malignancy staging, and targeted imaging after hormonal diagnosis of adrenal disorders. The spectrum encompasses various pathologies, such as cortical adenomas, macronodular adrenal disease, pheochromocytomas, myelolipomas, infiltrative disorders, primary and secondary malignancies. Notably, not all masses in both adrenal glands necessarily share the same etiology, often exhibiting diverse causes...

OBJECTIVE: This study determined the cut-off value of Ki-67 expression and discussed the interaction between Ki-67 and histological grade, further explored the prognostic role of Ki-67 in hormone receptor-positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HR+/HER2-) breast cancer;. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We assessed the Ki-67 expression of 956 patients with HR+/HER2 breast cancer diagnosed in the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University from 2015 to 2019 by immunohistochemistry (IHC), The disease-free survival (DFS) was defined as the time from postoperative to the first local recurrence, distant metastasis or death of the disease...

Intraportal islet transplantation in patients with type 1 diabetes enables restoration of glucose-regulated insulin secretion. However, several factors hamper a widespread application and long-term success: chronic hypoxia, an inappropriate microenvironment and suppression of regenerative and proliferative potential by high local levels of immunosuppressive agents. Therefore, the identification of alternative and superior transplant sites is of major scientific and clinical interest. Here, we aim to evaluate the adrenal as an alternative transplantation site...

PURPOSE: Measurement of cortisol concentrations is method dependent. The study aimed to establish assay-specific cut-off limits for cortisol after adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation, comparing Roche Elecsys Cortisol II immunoassay to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and to assess the impact of patient characteristics, estrogen containing oral contraceptives as well as relation to other adrenocortical steroid hormone dynamics. METHODS: One hundred healthy participants underwent a 250 μg ACTH-test, with plasma samples analyzed using ElecsysCortI, ElecsysCortII, and LC-MS/MS...