Procalcitonin (PCT), the precursor protein of calcitonin (CT), has been considered recently as a significant indicator of bacterial infection and sepsis. However, the major source of PCT in sepsis remains unclear. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is activated during sepsis. Moreover, immunoreactive CT (iCT) can be detected in the pituitary. Therefore, we examined the effects of lipopolys...

Glucocorticoids produced in the adrenal cortex under the control of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis play a vital role in the maintenance of basal and stress-related homeostasis and influence health and well-being. To identify loci affecting regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in the pig we performed a genome-wide association study for two parameters of acute and long-ter...

BACKGROUND Limited studies of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis regulation in posttraumatic stress disorder have been performed in premenopausal women. We therefore undertook a study of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis regulation in this population. METHODS Outpatient posttraumatic stress disorder subjects were compared with healthy, age- and weight-matched nontraumatized subjects. Subje...

The secretion of glucocorticoid hormones is tightly regulated by the circadian clock and by negative humoral feedback loops, both acting on the hypothalamic-pituitary gland-adrenal axis. However, a new study Ishida et al., 2005 [this issue of Cell Metabolism) shows that light can influence the adrenal's glucocorticoid output by a more direct pathway.

We have studied the plasma cortisol levels between attacks in order to investigate the role of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in migraine patients. We have not found any statistically significance between plasma cortisol levels of patients and control group, after taking the blood of 25 patients and 24 healthy controls between 8.30-9.30 am.

objective(s) the mechanism(s) by which antidepressants regulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (hpa) axis remain elusive. the endocannabinoid system (ecbs) which exhibits antidepressant potential, appears to regulate the hpa axis activity. therefore, we aimed to investigate the role of the ecbs in the action of doxepin including its effect on the hpa axis. materials and methods male wistar ...

Nutrition influences reproductive functions across vertebrates, but the effects of food availability on the functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis in wild birds and the mechanisms mediating these effects remain unclear. We investigated the influence of chronic food restriction on the HPG axis of photostimulated house finches, Haemorhous mexicanus. Food-restricted birds had...

To clarify the physiological role of placental corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), we measured plasma CRH, ACTH, and cortisol throughout pregnancy. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) CRH levels and ACTH responsiveness to synthetic CRH were also quantified in pregnant and nonpregnant women. Maternal plasma CRH levels, which increased progressively during pregnancy, correlated well with both ACTH and c...

Results Most studiesdidnotcontrol for confounding factors such as previous usage ofmedication, lifestyle, age and ethnicity.A fewconducted in drug-na|ve « patientswith first-episode schizophrenia appear to indicate thatthese patientshave higher than expectedrates of visceral obesity and impaired fasting glucose concentrations, whichmayberelated to a subtle disturbance ofthe hypothalamic^ pituit...

A case of Cushing's syndrome after long term intra-articular corticosteroid injections is described. Prolonged suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis occurred as assessed by an insulin tolerance test 11 weeks after the last intra-articular injection. Replacement steroid therapy was required.