Biomedical subjects

M Procopio

Publications and source records attributed to M Procopio.

59 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

PubMed1989

Acute administration of pyridostigmine and clonidine has an additive stimulatory effect on GH release in normal children.

It has been shown in humans that both alpha 2-adrenoceptor activation by clonidine (CLON) and cholinergic enhancement by pyridostigmine (PD) have a clear-cut stimulatory effect on GH release. As this effect is probably mediated by two different mechanisms, i.e. via increased endogenous GHRH for CLON and via inhibition of endogenous somatostatin for PD, in 8 normal children we studied the effect of both single and combined acute oral administration of CLON (150 micrograms/m2) and PD (60 mg). When administered alone, CLON and PD induced a similar GH increase (peak, mean +/- SE: 14.6 +/- 2.4 vs 14.2 +/- 3.1 ng/ml; area under curve, AUC: 376.9 +/- 57.6 vs 390.0 +/- 74.3 ng/ml/h). Combined administration of CLON and PD had an additive effect on GH release (peak: 27.5 +/- 4.5 ng/ml; AUC: 920.8 +/- 153.3 ng/ml/h; p less than 0.005 vs CLON and PD alone). In conclusion, presented data show that: i) CLON and PD have similar GH-releasing effect in normal children; ii) The additive stimulatory effect on GH release exerted by acute combined administration of CLON and PD agrees with the hypothesized different mechanism of action of these two drugs; iii) A therapeutic association of CLON and PD may be envisaged in the treatment of some children of short stature.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1989

Effect of the potentiation of cholinergic activity on the variability in individual GH response to GH-releasing hormone.

In man the GH response to GHRH is highly variable and some normal subjects may be completely unresponsive to the neuropeptide. On the other hand, the potentiation of cholinergic activity by pyridostigmine (PD), a cholinesterase inhibitor, increases the GH response to GHRH, probably by inhibiting somatostatin release. The aim of this study was to assess the existence of intraindividual variability in the GH response to GHRH and verify the effects of PD treatment on inter- and intraindividual variability. Twenty normal adults (17 M and 3 F) and 10 normal prepubertal children (9 M and 1 F) underwent 2-5 administrations of 1 micrograms/kg GHRH on different days. Seven adults and all children also underwent 1-5 other tests in which GHRH was preceded (60 min before) by oral PD (120 mg in adults and 60 mg in children). The GH responses to GHRH were highly variable, not only within subjects but also in the same subject on different occasions (peak range; adults: 0.4-49.0 ng/ml; children: 2.4-50.0 ng/ml). PD always markedly increased the GH response to GHRH, even unmasking this response in 3 adults and 4 children hyporesponsive to the neuropeptide alone. However, the variability in the GH response was still present (adults: 27.2-108.5 ng/ml; children: 25.0-144.0 ng/ml), though reduced (adults: p = 0.0005; children: p = 0.0204). These data indicate that: i. A great inter- and intraindividual variability in the GH response to GHRH is present.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗

PubMed1989

Cholinergic enhancement of pyridostigmine potentiates spontaneous diurnal but not nocturnal growth hormone secretion in short children.

It has been shown that enhanced cholinergic tone induced by pyridostigmine (PD) increases both basal and GHRH-stimulated GH levels in both adults and children. In this study the effects of PD (60 mg orally) on GH secretion were studied both in the morning (from 8.00 to 12.00) and in the night (from 23.00 to 3.00) in 7 short children previously shown as having a normal spontaneous nocturnal GH secretion. In the morning, PD induced a GH increase higher than saline (peak, mean +/- SEM: 17.4 +/- 3.4 vs. 5.5 +/- 3.0 ng/ml, p less than 0.02; area under curve (AUC): 360.8 +/- 71.4 vs. 109.4 +/- 44.7 ng/ml/h, p less than 0.01). In the night, no difference was observed between GH secretion after PD (peak: 16.7 +/- 2.4 ng/ml; AUC: 468.2 +/- 95.5 ng/ml/h) and saline (peak: 16.0 +/- 2.7 ng/ml; AUC: 409.1 +/- 97.7 ng/ml/h). Spontaneous GH secretion was higher during the night than in the morning (p less than 0.02) whereas nocturnal GH secretion overlapped with that in the morning after PD. The ability of PD to increase GH secretion during the morning but not GH hypersecretion occurring at night implies that the cholinergic tone in the central nervous system areas controlling GH secretion is already maximally stimulated at night. Since, reportedly, the cholinergic system negatively modulates somatostatin secretion, presence of a physiologically reduced somatostatinergic tone may be envisaged at night.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1989

Repeated GH-releasing hormone administration unravels different GH secretory patterns in normal adults and children.

In normal adults, repeated GHRH administration leads to progressively decreasing somatotrope responses. To verify whether this GH secretory pattern also connotes normal growing children, we have studied the effects of two consecutive (every 120 min) 1 microgram/kg iv GHRH boluses on GH release in normal adults (N = 7, age 23.2-30.6 years) children (N = 6, age 10.4-13.2 years). In the adults, the GH response to the second GHRH bolus (peak, mean +/- SEM; 2.9 +/- 0.8 micrograms/l) was lower (P less than 0.02) than that to the first bolus (15.9 +/- 2.4 micrograms/l). Conversely, in children the GH response to the second GHRH bolus (25.6 +/- 6.3 micrograms/l) overrode the first one (13.6 +/- 6.5 micrograms/l), but this difference did not attain statistical significance. In adults cholinergic enhancement by pyridostigmine, a cholinesterase inhibitor, was previously shown to re-instate, even to potentiate somatotrope responsiveness to consecutive GHRH boluses. Thus, in 5 children GH response to repeated GHRH boluses was retested administering pyridostigmine (60 mg orally) 30 min before the second GHRH bolus. In these subjects, pyridostigmine failed significantly to potentiate the GH responsiveness to the second GHRH bolus (30.3 +/- 4.6 vs 25.0 +/- 7.6 micrograms/l). These data indicate that differently from in adults, in children repeated GHRH administration does not reduce somatotrope responsiveness and that cholinergic enhancement fails to potentiate GH responsiveness to the second GHRH bolus.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

GH response to GHRH combined with pyridostigmine or arginine in different conditions of low somatotrope secretion in adulthood: obesity and Cushing's syndrome in comparison with hypopituitarism.

BACKGROUND: Diagnosing GH deficiency in adults is difficult due to the age-related variations of GH/IGF-I axis and the influence of nutrition. Nowadays, GH replacement is allowed for patients with GH peak to provocative stimuli < 3 micrograms/L. Somatotrope insufficiency is present in hypopituitarism but also in obesity and hypercortisolism. However, to evaluate GH insufficiency in adults is difficult due to variations of GH and IGF-I levels as function of age and nutrition status. METHODS: We aimed to verify the GH response to GHRH (1 mg/kg i.v.) combined with pyridostigmine (PD, 120 mg p.o.) or arginine (ARG, 0.5 g/kg i.v.), in 26 hypopituitaric patients (GHD), in 11 obese women (OB), in 8 women with Cushing's syndrome (CS), and in 72 control subjects (NS). RESULTS: IGF-I levels in GHD were lower than those in OB (p < 0.01) and in CS (p < 0.01) which, in turn, were lower to those in NS (p < 0.02). In NS, the GH peak responses to GHRH + PD and GHRH + ARG were similar and the minimum normal GH peak was 16.5 mg/L. GHD had GH responses similar, lower than those in NS (p < 0.01) and always below the normal limit. However, only 12/20 and 8/14 had peaks < 3 micrograms/L; conventionally, below this limit severe GH deficiency is shown and rhGH replacement is allowed. In OB, the GH responses to GHRH + PD and GHRH + ARG were similar, lower (p < 0.01) and higher (p < 0.01) than those in NS and GHD, respectively. Six out of 11 OB had GH peaks below the normal limits but nobody < 3 micrograms/L. In CS, the GH response to GHRH + PD was lower than that to GHRH + ARG (p < 0.01); both these responses were lower than those in NS (p < 0.01) and even in OB (p < 0.01) but higher than those in GHD (p < 0.01). All and 7/8 CS had GH peaks lower than normal limits after PD + GHRH and ARG + GHRH, respectively while 6/8 showed GH peak < 3 micrograms/L after PD + GHRH but only 1 after ARG + GHRH. CONCLUSIONS: Present data demonstrate that the maximal somatotrope secretory capacity is reduced in OB and even more in CS. From a diagnostic point of view, PD + GHRH and ARG + GHRH tests distinguish OB from severe GHD. As hypercortisolism impairs the activity of cholinesterase inhibitors, only ARG + GHRH, but not PD + GHRH is a reliable test to explore the maximal somatotrope secretory capacity in CS. Notably, even with the ARG + GHRH test, in CS the maximal somatotrope secretory capacity is sometimes so reduced as to overlap with that of severe GHD.

Adult↗