Hyperplasia fascicular zone

A 13-year-old Labrador retriever was diagnosed with Cushing's syndrome (CS) caused by primary bilateral nodular adrenocortical hyperplasia with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) expression. The pituitary origin of CS was ruled out by suppression of plasma ACTH concentration and absence of a proliferative lesion on histological evaluation of the pituitary gland using periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining, reticulin staining, and immunostaining for ACTH. A pheochromocytoma also was found at necropsy examination...

BACKGROUND: Adaptation of the organism to the action of certain damaging factors, including radiation, is closely related to the state of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system. The important role in its activities is played by adrenocorticocytes (ACC) - the cells of the fascicular zone of the adrenal cortex. The disturbance of the structure and function of these cells can significantly impair and limit the development of the adaptive reactions in the body. One of the most promising ways to prevent the post-radiation changes in adrenocorticocytes consists of the application of the non-pharmacological therapeutic factors, such as low-intensity electromagnetic radiation (EMR) of ultra high frequency ( UHF) and the low-frequency (LF) magnetic field (MF) of low intensity (LI) after the exposition of the cells to the action of radiation...

The structure of the normal adrenal cortex is changed by stimulating hormones (ACTH) and inhibiting hormonal drugs (especially glucocorticoids). ACTH induces hyperplasia and lipid depletion in the fascicular and reticular zones, whereas glucocorticoids lead to atrophy and lipid accumulation in both zones. In animal experiments, the adrenostatic drug mitotane causes shrinkage of the cells of the fascicular and reticular zones, whereas metyrapone induces a decrease in the steroid producing organelle system and aminoglutethimide leads to an increase in lipids...

Two forms of prostatic hyperplasia are distinguished: fibro-glandular (FGH) and glandular-fibrous (GFH). An increase in the number of adenohypophysis cells producing gonadotrophic hormone, hyperplasia of the adrenal reticular zone, hyperplasia and hypertrophy of Leydig and Sertoli cells in the testis were observed in FGH. Signs of enhanced functional activity were observed in all cases of hyperplasia. In GFH there was an increase in the number of adenohypophyseal cells producing adrenocorticotrophic hormone, hyperplasia of the fascicular layer in the adrenals, atrophy of Leydig cells in the presence of Sertoli cell hyperplasia...

The comparative investigation of the adrenal cortex in hypertensive (INHERITED STRESS-INDUCED ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION--ISIAH) and normotensive strain (Wistar) 12-months age rats was performed. The structural signs such as the lowering of the mitochondria volume involved in steroid synthesis in showed more notable age-related reduction of steroidogenesis in the adrenal glomerular and fascicular zones and in the ISIAH rats. The lowering of the cell steroidogenesis was compensated by the adrenal glomerular and fascicular zones and hypertrophy as a result the adrenocorticocytes hyperplasia...

Autopsy and operative material (adrenalectomy for hyperaldosteronism) was studied to elucidate morphology, incidence of nodules, aldosterone content in the adrenal of patients with essential hypertension (EH). It was established than nodular masses in the adrenals in the form of micro and macronodules are present in 80% of EH patients. Aldosterone content in the adrenals in both nodules and in the adjacent cortex is significantly higher than in the adrenals of patients without EH. This fact as well as increased cell nuclei size in the fascicular and glomerular zones indicate high secretory activity of the adrenals in EH...

Adrenal glands, hypophysis and thymus of infants (mean age-4 months), who died of SIDS (30 cases), AVRI (10 cases) and violence (4 cases) were studied by morphometrical methods. The following changes in SIDS (in comparison with AVRI and violent death) were observed: a decrease of hypothesis weight with decreased quantity and size of basophil cells; reduced adrenal weight with thinning of the cortex particularly in the fascicular zone; diminished volumes of the nuclei in the adrenocortical cells of the fascicular zone; thymomegaly with hyperplasia of the thymus cortex; increased number of correlation links between morphometric indices of hypophysis and adrenal cortex...

The adrenals and kidney incretory structures (the juxtaglomerular apparatuses and renomedullary interstitial cells) were studied in 12 cases of a desalinization form of the adrenogenital syndrome in children who died at the age of 1-6 mos of acute water-electrolytic disturbances in order to assess function of the structures involved in the regulation of the water-salt equilibrium. The adrenals and kidneys from 7 children of the same age who died of mechanical asphyxia, were taken as controls. The depth of adrenocortical zones, volumes of nuclei and nucleoli in different cortical zones were determined; the juxtaglomerular index, cell count (including vacuolized cells), the area of the juxtaglomerular apparatus and mesangium were determined in the juxtaglomerular apparatus...

Adrenals were studied in 17 children with adrenogenital syndrome with a salt loss. Adrenals from 9 children who died from mechanical asphyxia served as control. Adrenal weight, the width of adrenal zones were measured, the volumes of nuclei and nucleoli were calculated after having been drawn on millimeter paper. The dilatation of both fascicular and reticular zones, the persistence of a fetal zone were found. Nuclear polymorphism, hyperchromatism and in 2 cases-mitotic figures were observed in the fascicular zone...

Nerve biopsies were obtained from 27 patients with diabetic neuropathy. All had a symmetric distal sensory and autonomic neuropathy or a purely sensory neuropathy. Mean age was 39.8 years (range 23-57 years). Two patients had Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus and the remainder Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes. Morphometric observations on endoneurial capillaries were compared with results from organ donor control cases and from patients with type 1 hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy. The area of the lumen of the capillaries did not differ between the three groups...

Investigation of the state of the rabbit adrenal cortex under conditions of depression of the incretory activity of the testicles resulting from chronic inflammation of the prostate showed progressive hyperplasia of the reticular zone of the adrenal cortex; as to the glomerular zone, it failed to display any marked pathological changes, and the fascicular zone demonstrated some signs of hypoplasia. Thus, the normal or elevated androgen excretion observed in the experimental male rabbits, was provided by an intensified activity of the reticular zone of the adrenal cortex, despite a decrease in testosterone biosynthesis in the testes...