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Biomedical subjects

D G Bartuska

Publications and source records attributed to D G Bartuska.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Thyroid disease in the elderly.

Overtreatment of hypothyroidism is particularly hazardous in older patients, who are often maintained on less than half the amount of replacement hormone required by younger patients. With the current sensitive assays for TSH, the goal is to reduce TSH to the normal but not to the suppressed range. For hyperthyroidism, prompt treatment with radioactive iodine is indicated.

Aged↗
PubMed1977

Physiology of aging: metabolic changes during the climacteric and menopausal periods.

Endocrine regulation is altered with age. Changes in hormone secretory rates, patterns of secretion, and responses to physiologic and pharmacologic stimuli have been demonstrated. Target tissue sensitivity to hormones appears to be age related and to involve hormone receptor mechanisms, enzymatic responses, and carrier proteins. The aging process reflects changes in cellular structure and metabolism that decrease the function and efficiency of tissues. Structural changes occur with age and are characterized by a loss of elastic tissue, accumulation of highly crosslinked collagen, reduction in ground substance, and an increase in a cellular fluorescent pigment called lipofuscin. These changes decrease the pliability of tissues and alter membrane permeability. Modifications in protein synthesis and enzymatic systems may predispose the aged to autoimmune and neoplastic disease. Endocrine diseases are common in the aged and often may be atypical in their presentation. Cancer is common in the elderly and may be associated with endocrine manifestations because the tumor is producing hormones. Physicians must be aware of these syndromes so that a correct diagnosis can be established, treatment instituted, and the quality of life improved. Laboratory test results in the aged must be carefully interpreted because most aged patients are taking medications that interfere with endocrine tests and also the normal range for the elderly has not been clearly established. Abnormal laboratory diagnostic tests are common in the aged and do not always imply endocrine disease. No hormone can reverse the natural process of aging; however, hormones do regulate all metabolic functions and the neuroendocrine system plays a key role in all phases of growth, maturation, and aging.

Adrenal Gland Diseases↗
PubMed1975

Humor manifestations of neoplasms.

The exact prevalence of the humoral syndromes associated with neoplasm is not known but it seems clear that they exist more commonly than is realized. Hormonal syndromes are very often seen in patients with carcinoma of the lung. Awareness of the large number of ectopic hormonal syndromes in patients with tumors can lead to early diagnosis, treatment, and herald recurrence. They may be responsible for new signs and symptoms which can be life-shortening. Hormonal causes of clinical deterioration must be considered before concluding that symptoms are due to metastases in patients with neoplastic disease. Tumors are chemically active and the important concept which has had great impact on the diagnosis, treatment, and basic understanding of mechanisms, which are important to endocrinologists and oncologists has been stated by Liddle: "Certain tumors of nonendocrine tissue can produce hormones that are similar to normal hormones except that their production is not appropriately controlled by normal physiologic mechanisms." Survival and quality of life can be reduced in patients with the metabolic complications of these humors. The list of humoral substances released by tumors is growing as technologic advances lead to their detection. Other chemical substances produced by neoplastic tissue may have biologic activity which impacts on the patient's clinical condition and which we cannot recognize, at this time, because the techniques to detect them have not been developed. If there are signs or symptoms of overproduction of a hormone, search for a tumor; if a patient has a tumor, search for biologically active substances.

Cushing Syndrome↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Correlation of platelet taurine levels with thyroid function.

Changes in neurotransmitter or neuromodular activity and levels have been thought to be responsible for some of the behavioral characteristics observed in patients with thyroid disease. To investigate these relationships, taurine, a proposed inhibitory neurotransmitter or modulator, was measured in platelets, which may serve as biochemical model for synaptosomes. Blood of euthyroid, hypothyroid and hyperthyroid patients was collected. Thyroxine was determined by RIA. Platelets were separated using differential centrifugation techniques. The taurine in platelets was separated by ion exchange chromatography and was assayed spectrophotometrically as a product produced by coupling with dinitrofluorobenzene. In hypothyroid, untreated hyperthyroid and euthyroid individuals, taurine/platelet and number of platelets/ml of blood were inversely related. In propranolol-treated hyperthyroid patients, such a relation was not found. Following initial treatment with either antithyroid drugs (i.e. methimazole or propylthiouracil) and/or propranolol, taurine/platelet returned to euthyroid levels while plasma thyroxine levels remained elevated. These data implicate a relationship between taurine in platelets and the thyroid state in man.

Blood Platelets↗