Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P01189 (beta-endorphin)
 21,003 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Alpha-melanotropin stimulated the spontaneous secretion of human growth hormone in vivo and in vitro. This novel extrapigmentary action of alpha-MSH is also demonstrated in preparations of isolated pituitary tissue and cell cultures. It is concluded that alpha-MSH meets some of the criteria of a genuine growth hormone releasing hormone.
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PMID:[Stimulation of growth hormone secretion: a novel extrapigmentary action of alpha-melanotropin]. 35 64

A variety of vasoactive substances including biogenic amines, neuropeptide Y, somatostatin, enkephalin, ACTH, corticotropin-releasing hormone, growth hormone releasing hormone, vasoactive intestinal peptide, calcitonin, and atrial natriuretic factor have been extracted from intra-adrenal and extra-adrenal pheochromocytomas in men. Some of them appear to play an important role for the development of hypertension or clinical serious symptoms. However, informations on the molecular forms of other substances in pheochromocytomas are still limited, and precise amount of the peptides or hormones in the tumors has not yet been quantitated. Numerous in vitro or in vivo studies of this documented neoplasm over the years have been reviewed in this manuscript. Clinical analyses of early diagnosis, localization diagnosis, treatment of multiple endocrine neoplasia, preoperative and operative treatments are also evaluated in this paper. These informations will probably provide additional evidence for the multi-secretory APUD cells of neural crest origin and will contribute the therapy in patients with pheochromocytoma.
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PMID:[Pheochromocytoma--basic and clinical analyses]. 134 92

Endogenous opioids are thought to participate in the regulation of growth hormone (GH) release through the mediation of growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH). This study was intended to investigate whether the endogenous opioid beta-endorphin could modulate the GH response to GHRH and if this hypothesis could be demonstrated in children with familial short stature with or without constitutional growth delay. Seventeen children (6 female and 11 male) with stature below the fifth percentile were studied to rule out disorders in growth hormone dynamics. All had normal growth velocities, had appropriate predicted heights for their families and had normal GH levels on standard testing. Eight were prepubertal and 9 were Tanner II. All were given 0.1 mcgm/kg (1-44)hpGHRH-NH2 IV. Blood for growth hormone was obtained at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 minutes. Blood for beta-endorphin and cortisol was obtained at 0 and 60 minutes. The basal beta-endorphin level significantly correlated with the peak GH level (r = 0.868, p less than 0.05) in the prepubertal group only. In the same group of children, the degree of the negative feedback on the beta-endorphin level correlated significantly with the rise in GH level (r = 0.912, p less than 0.01). However, there was no correlation between the basal beta-endorphin and the peak GH level nor between the rise in GH level and the change in beta-endorphin in the pubertal children. These data are compatible with the hypothesis that beta-endorphin levels affect the GH response to GHRH in prepubertal children, but have no discernible effect on the GH response to GHRH in pubertal children.
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PMID:The relationship between beta-endorphin and the growth hormone (GH) response to GH releasing hormone in prepubertal children. 157 76

Neuropeptide Y is found in brain tissue. In dogs it has been shown to enhance activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis by corticotropin-releasing hormone. It is localized in certain catecholamine neurons and to some extent colocalized with somatostatin. Disturbances of the central noradrenergic system may underlie some forms of alcoholism. Therefore, we compared male alcoholics and normal controls on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of neuropeptide Y. There was no significant difference between the two groups for neuropeptide Y. There was also no significant difference for CSF levels of growth hormone releasing hormone. However, there were significant positive correlations between CSF levels of neuropeptide Y and CSF levels of corticotropin-releasing hormone, somatostatin, and growth hormone releasing hormone.
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PMID:CSF neuropeptide Y in alcoholics and normal controls. 197 53

In a study of the hypothalamic-pituitary-somatotropic (HPS) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) systems in early-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD), 10 drug-naive patients and matched controls were given 50 micrograms growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) at 9 a.m. and 100 micrograms corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) at 6 p.m. as an i.v. bolus dose. Compared with controls, patients with AD showed attenuated GHRH-induced growth hormone (GH) responses and decreased adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) but normal cortisol secretion following CRH. GH responses to GHRH were negatively correlated with the plasma insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I) concentrations and the severity of dementia. A positive correlation was found between GHRH-evoked GH release and ACTH responses to CRH. The results suggest a pathological process at the level of the pituitary or the hypothalamus, possibly involving a cholinergic, monoaminergic, or peptidergic imbalance in AD, and support the view that altered HPS and HPA secretory dynamics in AD are related to the underlying brain dysfunction.
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PMID:Endocrine responses to growth hormone releasing hormone and corticotropin releasing hormone in early-onset Alzheimer's disease. 217 39

It is well established that the central alpha 2-adrenergic agonist clonidine can enhance growth hormone (GH) secretion in humans. This effect is most likely due to stimulation of hypothalamic growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) release. To determine the potency of the new I1-imidazoline receptor agonist moxonidine to release pituitary hormones, 12 normal volunteers received clonidine (0.3 mg), moxonidine (0.3 mg), or placebo orally according to a randomized, double-blind protocol. Blood was drawn prior and up to 180 min after drug administration for determination of GH, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), prolactin, thyrotropin (TSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), glucose, clonidine, and moxonidine concentrations. The results were compared to those obtained in a standard GHRH stimulation test (1 microgram/kg i.v.). Serum GH levels increased significantly in response to GHRH, clonidine, and moxonidine. However, the increase was less pronounced in response to clonidine and moxonidine as compared to GHRH (mean +/- SEM): after clonidine, GH increased from 0.2 +/- 0.1 to 5.4 +/- 1.5 ng/ml, p < 0.05; moxonidine increased GH levels from 0.1 +/- 0.04 to 4.8 +/- 1.9 ng/ml (p < 0.05); GHRH caused an increase from 0.01 +/- 0.05 to 14.8 +/- 2.5 ng/ml (p < 0.05). No significant change was observed in the concentration of any other pituitary hormone. We conclude that the new I1-imidazoline receptor agonist moxonidine stimulates GH release to a similar extent as clonidine.
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PMID:Growth hormone secretion in response to the new centrally acting antihypertensive agent moxonidine in normal human subjects: comparison to clonidine and GHRH. 758 24

Some physiological parameters of pineal 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone receptor in the rat such as ontogeny, circadian rhythm pattern, and its modulation by various neuropeptides and neurotransmitters which have profound influences on the pineal hormone melatonin were examined. Pineal 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone receptors measured at different ages of the animal revealed that on day 10 both cytosolic receptor (CR) and nuclear receptor (NR) levels were high. With growth and development both groups of receptors declined and during puberty started again to rise. During adulthood both receptors were high; however, NR rose further with full maturation. Both groups of receptors showed circadian rhythmicity. While the CR was significantly higher at 6.00 h than at any time point through 24 h, the NR peaked at 18.00 h when the difference between both groups was maximum. Castration caused significant increment of NR. Treatment of castrated animals with a low dose of testosterone propionate (0.25 mg) significantly stimulated both receptor groups, while treatment with a high dose (2.5 mg) failed to do so. Treatment with various substances such as antiandrogen, opioids, neuropeptides, and neurotransmitters significantly modulated the pineal androgen receptor population: cyproterone acetate and monosodium glutamate suppressed CR; growth hormone releasing hormone increased NR; growth hormone release inhibiting hormone had no significant effects on either group of receptors; exogenous melatonin and norepinephrine increased NR; beta-endorphin increased only NR, but methionine enkephalin stimulated both, and epithalamine had no significant effects on either group of receptors, but thymosin alpha 1 increased NR.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Ontogeny, circadian rhythm pattern, and hormonal modulation of 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone receptors in the rat pineal. 809 77

Two brothers, aged 15 1/2 and 13 1/2 years, with dwarfism, microcephaly, and advanced sexual and skeletal maturation are described. One patient was mentally retarded. The parents were first cousins. Endocrine studies of these patients documented low growth-hormone levels after clonidine and insulin stimulation and blunted growth-hormone response to growth hormone releasing hormone. Gonadotropin releasing hormone stimulation produced no changes in levels of luteinizing and follicle-stimulating hormones. Basal levels of 17-alpha-hydroxyprogesterone were elevated in the two patients and increased further in response to stimulation with corticotropin. Levels of testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, and androstenedione were variably increased in both patients and showed a proportional increase on stimulation with human chorionic gonadotropin. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a familial association between growth-hormone deficiency and advanced bone and sexual maturation. A pituitary and an independent adrenal defect could account for the observations in these patients, but in view of the familial recurrence, a common underlying defect is possible.
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PMID:Familial isolated growth-hormone deficiency with advanced sexual maturation. 842 40

To evaluate the late-effects of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) on endocrine function 20 adults (10 females, 10 males) with hematological malignancies were studied after a mean of 3.2 years (range 1.0-10.0) following BMT. The mean age of patients at the time of BMT was 39 years. Dynamic tests of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis included growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH), gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) and thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) stimulations with measurements of serum growth hormone (GH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), thyrotropin (TSH) and prolactin (PRL) responses. Adrenal function was assessed with the adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) test. Five patients (25%) had a subnormal GH response to GHRH stimulation, but all had a normal serum insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) value. There was an inverse nonlinear relationship between the body mass index (BMI; kg/m2) and GH response but no relation between the GH response and total body irradiation (TBI), intrathecal treatment or occurrence of graft-versus-host disease. In females, serum FSH and LH basal levels and responses to GnRH, in spite of oestrogen substitution therapy in 9/10 patients, indicated ovarian failure and early menopause. Most responses to GnRH were delayed. All males had elevated serum basal FSH levels indicating damage in seminiferous tubulus and infertility. Serum basal LH was elevated only in four males but testosterone values were all within normal limits. However, the mean free androgen index (FAI) was in the low normal range, and two subjects had abnormally low FAI. Serum free thyroxine (fT4) levels were normal in all but one, but an exaggerated TSH response to TRH occurred in seven patients (35%). Four of them had received TBI and one total nodal irradiation suggesting radiation-induced damage to the thyroid gland. In 19 of the 20 patients, adrenal function judged with ACTH test was normal. We conclude that functional impairments of the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonad/thyroid axis are common while disturbances in GH, adrenal and prolactin occur less often in patients after intensive treatment and BMT. Typically, the target organ is more commonly affected than the hypothalamus-pituitary axis. In spite of normal serum testosterone and LH values, serum FAI may reveal androgen deficiency.
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PMID:Long-term effects of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) on pituitary, gonad, thyroid and adrenal function in adults. 972 67

The thymus provides an optimal humoral microenvironment for the development of immunocompetent T cells. Although yolk sac derived pre-T, committed hematopoietic stem cells enter the thymus using a homing receptor, the immigration process also requires secretion of a peptide called thymotaxin by the cells of the reticulo-epithelial (RE) network of the thymic cellular microenvironment. The majority of RE cells have a round or irregular pale nucleus, which contains few, scattered, chromatin granules with a defined, spherical nucleolus, rich in basic histones. Their cytoplasm occasionally displays RNP granules, and is rich in non-histone proteins, fine phospholipid, lipid or cholesterin granules, and vacuoles filled with secreted substances. The cells of the subcapsular, endocrine RE cell layer (giant or nurse cells), characterized by PAS positive granules, express A2B5/TE4 cell surface antigens and MHC Class I (HLA A, B, C) molecules. In contrast to medullar RE cells, these subcapsular nurse cells also produce thymosins beta 3 beta 4. Thymic nurse cells (TNCs) display a neuroendocrine cell specific immunophenotype (IP): Thy-1+, A2B5+, TT+, TE4+, UJ13/A+, UJ127.11+, UJ167.11+, UJ181.4+, and presence of common leukocyte antigen (CLA+). Medullar RE cells display MHC Class II (HLA-DP, HLA-DQ, HLA-DR) molecule restriction. These cells also contain transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) type II receptors and participate in the positive selection of T cells. Transmission electron-microscopic (TEM) observations have defined four functional subtypes of medullar RE cells: undifferentiated, squamous, villous, and cystic. All subtypes are connected by desmosomes. Immunocytochemical observations have shown that the secreted thymic hormones, thymosin alpha 1 and thymopoietin (and its short form, thymopentin or TP5), are produced by the same RE cells. Thymic RE cells also produce numerous cytokines including IL1, IL6, G-CSF, M-CSF, and GM-CSF that likely are important in various stages of thymocyte activation and differentiation. The co-existence of pituitary hormone and neuropeptide secretion, such as growth hormone, prolactin, adrenocorticotropic hormone, thyroid stimulating hormone, triiodothyronine, somatostatin, oxytocin, follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, arginine vasopressin, growth hormone releasing hormone, corticotropin releasing hormone, nerve growth factor, vasoactive intestinal peptide, (pro) enkephalin, and beta-endorphin, production of a number of interleukins and growth factors, as well as the expression of receptors for all, by the same RE cell is an unique molecular biological phenomenon. These data illustrate the immensely important and diverse immuno-neuroendocrine functions of the thymic RE cellular network. Based on our systematic observations of the thymus in humans and other mammalian species, we suggest that the thymic RE cell network represents an extremely important cellular and humoral microenvironment in homeopathic regulatory mechanisms of the multicellular organism. Intrathymic T lymphocyte selection is a complex, multistep process, influenced by several functionally specialized RE cell subtypes and under constant immuno-neuroendocrine regulation, reflecting the dynamic changes of the organism.
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PMID:Molecular biological ontogenesis of the thymic reticulo-epithelial cell network during the organization of the cellular microenvironment. 1045 6


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