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Biomedical subjects

D Mahana

Publications and source records attributed to D Mahana.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

[Cushing syndrome caused by macronodular adrenal hyperplasia, independent of ACTH: report of a case].

A 45 year old female with Cushing's syndrome due to non-ACTH dependent bilateral adrenal macronodular hyperplasia (AMH) is reported. The diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome was based on the typical clinical features and on the demonstration of high urinary levels of free cortisol (microF) (630 micrograms/24 h) and 17 hydroxysteroids (17-OHS) which failed to suppress during the Liddle test (17-OHS, (mg/g creat), Basal: 68.5, post Dexamethasone 2 mg: 59.6 and post Dexamethasone 8 mg: 69.9). The adrenal CT scan showed bilateral multinodular enlargement while the pituitary CT scan was normal. Due to the presence of severe hypertension (240/150) and depression, the patient was treated with ketoconazole (800 mg/d) during 8 months achieving eucortisolism (microF 14-39 micrograms/24 h); however, plasma ACTH was not detectable at the end of this period. A bilateral adrenalectomy was performed, and both adrenals showed multiple nodules (0.3-4.5 cm in diameter) and weighed 136 and 31 g respectively. The lack of suppression of the 17-OHS with 8 mg of Dexamethasone, the persistence of an adequate inhibition of cortisol biosynthesis with ketoconazole, and the absence of plasma ACTH suggest that the patient had a non-ACTH dependent AMH. The possible pathogenic factors involved in this case are discussed.

Adrenal Glands↗

Fever of unexplained origin, biochemical Cushing's disease and cerebral dysrhythmia corrected by valproate sodium.

A patient with cerebral dysrhythmia and fever of unexplained origin for 2 years is described. She had elevated and nonsuppressible levels of urinary 17-hydroxycorticosteroids but no clinical features of hypercortisolism. Treatment with valproate sodium corrected all the abnormalities. It is postulated that cerebral dysrhythmia can affect the hypothalamic mechanisms of body temperature and regulation of adrenocorticotropic hormone levels.

Adult↗

Inhibition of the kallikrein-kinin system and vascular reactivity in Bartter's syndrome.

To study the significance of the increased activity of the kallikrein-kinin system described in patients with Bartter's syndrome, we investigated the pressor response to infused angiotensin II in four patients with the syndrome receiving no treatment and during the administration of aprotinin and of indomethacin. Five normal subjects served as controls. Aprotinin is a proteolytic enzyme that inhibits the formation of kinins by inhibiting plasma and glandular kallikrein. Indomethacin, a prostaglandin-synthesis inhibitor, can also inhibit the kallikrein-kinin system and normalizes vascular responsiveness to angiotensin II in Bartter's syndrome. All patients had increased urinary kallikrein and prostaglandin E2 concentrations. Aprotinin significantly decreased the dose of infused angiotensin II required to induce a 20 mm Hg increase in diastolic blood pressure, from 11 +/- 4 ng/kg/min to 7.0 +/- 2.0 ng/kg/min (mean +/- SD; p less than 0.05) in normal subjects and from 135 +/- 57 ng/kg/min to 70 +/- 26 ng/kg/min (p less than 0.05) in the patients with Bartter's syndrome, without significantly changing plasma renin activity, mean control blood pressure, or urinary prostaglandin E2 concentration. Indomethacin normalized the pressor response to angiotensin II in three patients who had been pretreated for 4 days (pressor dose, 10 ng/kg/min) but not in one patient who received a single oral dose of indomethacin 5 hours before the test. Our results suggest that inhibition of the kallikrein-kinin system alone accounts for approximately a 50% decrease in vascular resistance to the pressor effect of angiotensin II in Bartter's syndrome, while additional suppression of prostaglandins entirely normalizes the vascular response to angiotensin II.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗