The local perspective.
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Biological Warfare↗
Biomedical subjects
M A Dempsey
Publications and source records attributed to M A Dempsey.
Expression of chromogranin-A messenger ribonucleic acid in parathyroid tissue from patients with primary hyperparathyroidism.
Chromogranin-A (CgA), also termed secretory protein-I, is an acidic glycoprotein that is synthesized and secreted by cells of the diffuse endocrine and neuroendocrine system. Several previous studies had suggested that plasma levels of CgA were elevated in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. In the present study we sought to examine expression of the CgA gene in human parathyroid tissue from patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. We characterized the mRNAs coding for CgA and beta-actin in parathyroid tissue fragments obtained from 12 patients with parathyroid adenomas, 11 patients with familial multiple endocrine neoplasia type I (FMEN I) with parathyroid hyperplasia, and 11 normal subjects. The mRNAs were detected and analyzed by dot and Northern blot hybridization using cDNA probes. CgA mRNA transcripts of 2.1 kilobases were detected in normal and pathological parathyroids. Similarly, beta-actin mRNA species of 2.1 kilobases was present in all tissues. The relative level of parathyroid tissue CgA mRNA, calculated as the CgA/beta-actin mRNA ratio, was 73 +/- 18 in parathyroid adenoma, 73 +/- 20 in FMEN I, and 100 +/- 9 in controls (mean +/- SE; expressed as a percentage of the control reference group value). There were no significant differences among the steady state levels of CgA mRNA levels in these three groups (F = 0.98; P = 0.39). These results demonstrate that expression of CgA mRNA is qualitatively and quantitatively normal in parathyroid tumors from patients with FMEN I and parathyroid adenoma.
Adenoma↗
Endocrine disorders in men infected with human immunodeficiency virus.
Gonadal, adrenal, and thyroid functions were evaluated in 70 men seropositive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, clinically categorized as asymptomatic (n = 19), AIDS-related complex (ARC) (n = 9), or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) (n = 42). Twenty of 40 men (50 percent) with AIDS were hypogonadal. Mean serum testosterone concentrations in both ARC (292 +/- 70 ng/dl) and AIDS (401 +/- 30 ng/dl) men were significantly less than in asymptomatic (567 +/- 49 ng/dl) or normal men (608 +/- 121 ng/dl). Of these hypogonadal men, 18 of 24 (75 percent) had hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. Seven of eight hypogonadal men (88 percent) had a normal gonadotropin response to gonadotropin-releasing hormone administration. Hypogonadism correlated with lymphocyte depletion and weight loss. Adrenal cortisol reserve, evaluated by adrenocorticotropin stimulation, was normal in 36 of 39 patients (92 percent) with AIDS. Indices of thyroid function were normal with the exception of one ARC man with a low free thyroxine index. In conclusion, hypogonadism is common in men with HIV infection and may be the first or most sensitive endocrine abnormality.
AIDS-Related Complex↗