Involvement of brain parenchyma or meninges in ANCA-associated small-vessel vasculitis such as Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) is not uncommon. In contrast, involvement of the pituitary is exceedingly rare with only a few cases reported so far. The diagnosis is usually made on the basis of imaging techniques and abnormal pituitary function tests in the setting of active systemic vasculitis. Howev...

The effect of centrally administered galanin (Gal; 100 pM i.c.v.) on the hypothalamo-neurohypophysial storage as well as blood plasma level of vasopressin and oxytocin was estimated in haemorrhaged (1 ml per 100 g b.w.) male Wistar rats. Gal i.c.v. treatment did not alter vasopressin and oxytocin content both in the hypothalamus and neurohypophysis as well as their concentration in blood plasma...

The neurohypophysis is a crucial component of the hypothalamo-pituitary axis, serving as the site of release of hypothalamic neurohormones into a plexus of hypophyseal capillaries. The growth of hypothalamic axons and capillaries to the forming neurohypophysis in embryogenesis is therefore crucial to future adult homeostasis. Using ex vivo analyses in chick and in vivo analyses in mutant and tr...

INTRODUCTION Rathke's cleft cysts are cystic sellar and suprasellar lesions, characteristically lined by a single layer of ciliated cuboidal or columnar epithelium. CLINICAL PICTURE We report 2 patients who presented with gastrointestinal symptoms and were initially investigated for dyspepsia. However, attention was subsequently drawn to persistent hyponatraemia that led to the diagnosis of p...

© 1999 Journals of Reproduction and Fertility 1359-6004/99 $15.00 Leptin is a peptide produced by adipocytes and achieves hormonal status by virtue of its secretion into the bloodstream (Considine et al., 1996). It is a potent satiety factor (Campfield et al., 1995; Halaas et al., 1995) but may serve other functions, such as the regulation of neuroendocrine systems and the gonads. This brief re...

An norexia nervosa is a disorder in which a patient deliberately loses weight and fails to maintain a inimal normal weight for his age and height. Bulimia nervosa is a disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating, often followed by purging of the food by vomiting. Both anorexia nervosa and bulimia are associated with pervasive endocrine dysfunction, including amenorrhea, oligome...

Behavioral and Neuroendocrine Actions of the Met-enkephalin related peptide MERF. dopamine and nitric oxide in the endocrine and behavioural action of endomorphin-1. MERF and its synthetic derivative on cocaine-induced neuroendocrine actions. Acta Physiol. mediation in the action of the synthetic derivative of MERF on behavioural and stress response. The effect of nitric-oxide on cocaine-induce...