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Biomedical subjects

F Arcovedo

Publications and source records attributed to F Arcovedo.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1977

Anterior pituitary function during early neonatal period.

Anterior pituitary responsiveness to parturition was studied in 28 normal newborn infants. Cord blood sera samples were obtained for measurement of TSH, HGH, PRL, and FSH at birth and at intervals during four hours. The neonate infant's pituitary response to parturition consists of both PRL and TSH increments, which is probably mediated by an increase in TRH release.

Fetal Blood↗
PubMed1976

The effect of oral administration of thyrotropin-releasing hormone on lactation.

Sixteen puerperal women between the ages of 17-30 years, were studied in a double blind trial during the four weeks postpartum. Eight women received orally 20 mg of synthetic TRH three times a day, 30 minutes before the corresponding breast feeding; the remaining group received a placebo in the same fashion. The women receiving TRH exhibited higher basal concentrations of serum PRL as well as a higher increment in response to suckling; however, the PRL concentrations before and after breast feeding in this group were similar to those of the control group by the fourth week postpartum. TRH treatment showed no effect on the yield or content of milk during the four-week period. In a conjoint study, PRL concentrations did not rise after TRH administration in women with defective lactation, suggesting that some impairment of the PRL release mechanism was present. TRH caused no clinical hyperthyroidism in the mothers nor in the children. Serial determinations of serum T3 and TBG revealed values within the normal limits. It was also observed that TRH administration had no effect on FSH and LH secretion, and gonadotropin secretion was not inhibited despite of the increments on PRL concentrations. In both groups, suckling had no effect on serum levels of pituitary gonadotropins determined before and after breast feeding. We have concluded that in full lactating mothers: a) the oral administration of TRH produced a marked increment in PRL concentration but no significant augmentation of milk production was observed; b) in some cases of hypogalactia, TRH did not improve the milk production; and c) the PRL-enhanced secretion showed no effect on gonadotropin secretion.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1976

Serum FSH and synthetic LHRG response in pregnant women at term and in the newborn.

Serum immunoreactive FSH was undetectable in a) pregnant women past 38 weeks of gestation, b) newborn infants, and c) anencephalic infants. The intravenous administration of 100 mug of synthetic LHRH elicited no FSH release in each instance. These results seem to indicate that the absence of FSH in serum in pregnant women in the last trimester, as well as in the newborn, is due to the suppressive effect on the anterior pituitary of the increased amount of circulating sex steroids.

Anencephaly↗
PubMed1976

[Secretion of prolactin in normal anencephalic newborn infants].

Serum prolactin (PRL) was measured by radioimmunoassay in pregnant women at term and in newborns. In 38 newborns of gestational age 39--40 weeks, concentration of PRL in umbilical venous blood was 280.8 +/- 11.2 ng/ml; in maternal venous blood, concentration of PRL was 347.0 +/- 20.1 ng/ml. In the newborn it was found a significant difference in PRL values between both sexes (p less than 0.05), being higher in males than in females (290.0 +/- 14.6 vs. 260.0 +/- 17.1 ng/ml). In three anencephalic infants, PRL ranged from 92.6 to 369.0 ng/ml; 400 mug of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) administered as bolus injection evoked a rise in PRL in two out of the three, while synthetic luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LH-RH) elicited no response of FSH secretion. These observations in the fetus and anencephalic infants confirm that the fetus produces high levels of PRL and that this function is independent of any hypothalamic control. The high levels of gestational estrogens seem to be the direct stimulus on the lactotropes to induce synthesis and secretion of PRL. The role of PRL during gestation has not been elucidated.

Anencephaly↗