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Biomedical subjects

U Schweiger

Publications and source records attributed to U Schweiger.

76 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

The luteinizing hormone response to luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone, prostaglandin E2 and naloxone is modulated by divergent sensitivity to testosterone feedback.

Testosterone (T) levels necessary to suppress LH secretion are reduced in starvation, and increased feedback sensitivity to T is therefore postulated. The luteinizing hormone (LH) response to naloxone (Nal) is more easily suppressed by starvation than is its response to prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and to luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LRH). If the divergent suppressibility is due to altered feedback sensitivity in starvation, it should be feasible to reproduce this phenomenon in normally nourished rats by increasing T levels. Adult male Wistar rats were castrated and implanted with silicone capsules (0-2.6 cm) filled with T. Indwelling jugular cannulae were implanted. On days 4 to 8 post operation rats were injected iv with LRH (25-400 ng/kg body weight), PGE2 (0.05-1.0 mg/kg body weight) or Nal (0.5-50 mg/kg body weight). Blood samples were drawn before and 10, 20 and 30 min after injection. Results show that the response to Nal was already suppressed at medium T levels. The LH response to PGE2 was diminished to a greater extent than the response to LRH but was never completely suppressed by increasing steroid levels. These data are compatible with the hypothesis that steroid feedback sensitivity augments with increasing levels of regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Age-associated changes of pituitary-adrenocortical hormone regulation in humans: importance of gender.

In the present study the hypothesis was tested that in normal human aging an insensitivity of the glucocorticoid feedback signals is acquired. Thus, 40 healthy elderly (mean age: 69 +/- 5 years) and 20 younger (mean age: 34 +/- 8 years) individuals underwent a combined dexamethasone suppression/CRH-stimulation test. Cortisol secretion after dexamethasone (DEX) pretreatment and before CRH was increased in the older age group, but none of the subjects escaped DEX-induced suppression of cortisol. However, after additional CRH administration to the DEX-pretreated volunteers, the older group released significantly more cortisol than their young counterparts. Within the group of the elderly only, a positive correlation between BASAL, DEX-pretreated cortisol concentration and post-CRH steroid responses was found. Gender profoundly affected DEX/CRH-test outcome: females, regardless of age, had an increased hormonal secretion in comparison to males. It is concluded that, during human aging, adaptive changes in glucocorticoid receptors take place, allowing for the system to maintain "peripheral" glucocorticoid homeostasis, but that more sophisticated challenge procedures such as the DEX/CRH test reveal an age-related increase in HPA system activity.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Testosterone, gonadotropin, and cortisol secretion in male patients with major depression.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies of sex hormone concentrations in depression yielded inconsistent results. However, the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system seen in depression may negatively affect gonadal function at every level of regulation. The objective of this study was to explore whether major depressive episodes are indeed associated with an alteration of gonadal function. METHODS: Testosterone, pulsatile LH secretion, FSH, and cortisol were assessed using frequent sampling during a 24-hour period in 15 male inpatients with major depression of moderate to high severity and in 22 healthy comparison subjects (age range 22-85 years). RESULTS: An analysis of covariance model showed that after adjustment for age only, daytime testosterone (p < .01), nighttime testosterone (p < .05), and 24-hour mean testosterone secretion (p < .01) were significantly lower in the depressed male inpatients. There was also a trend for a decreased LH pulse frequency in the depressed patients (p < .08). CONCLUSIONS: Gonadal function may be disturbed in men with a depressive episode of moderate to high severity.

Adult↗