Resolving Apparent Contradictions Concerning the Relationships Among Fear or Anxiety and Aggression During Lactation: Theoretical Comment on D'Anna, Stevenson, and Gammie (2005).

Pregnancy and lactation involve dramatic changes in behavior and physiology necessary for the successful production and sustenance of offspring. This requires numerous processes to emerge and be coordinated in a finely tuned manner. Reduced corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) receptor activity and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function are thought to be involved in numerous functions during lactation, such as reducing fear and anxiety, which in turn, is proposed to disinhibit aggressive behaviors. K. L. D'Anna, S. A. Stevenson, and S. C. Gammie (2005) reported that central infusion of urocortin 1 and 3, anxiogenic peptides that bind to CRF receptors, reduce maternal aggression in lactating mice and alter neural c-fos expression. However, the relationship between stress hormones and where they act, emotional state, and aggression during lactation is complicated, and our understanding of how these factors influence each other might benefit from a comprehensive reevaluation of these literatures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Diagnostic Accuracy of CT Texture Analysis in Adrenal Masses: A Systematic Review

Adrenal incidentalomas (AIs) are incidentally discovered adrenal neoplasms. Overt endocrine secretion (glucocorticoids, mineralocorticoids, and catecholamines) and malignancy (primary or metastatic disease) are assessed at baseline evaluation. Size, lipid content, and washout characterise benign AIs (respectively, <4 cm, <10 Hounsfield unit, and rapid release); nonetheless, 30% of adrenal lesions are not correctly indicated. Recently, image-based texture analysis from computed tomography (CT) may be useful to assess the behaviour of indeterminate adrenal lesions. We performed a systematic review to provide the state-of-the-art of texture analysis in patients with AI. We considered 9 papers (from 70 selected), with a median of 125 patients (range 20–356). Histological confirmation was the most used criteria to differentiate benign from the malignant adrenal mass. Unenhanced or contrast-enhanced data were available in all papers; TexRAD and PyRadiomics were the most used software. Four papers analysed the whole volume, and five considered a region of interest. Different texture features were reported, considering first- and second-order statistics. The pooled median area under the ROC curve in all studies was 0.85, depicting a high diagnostic accuracy, up to 93% in differentiating adrenal adenoma from adrenocortical carcinomas. Despite heterogeneous methodology, texture analysis is a promising diagnostic tool in the first assessment of patients with adrenal lesions.     

Tachykinins and tachykinin receptors in bone

Adrenomedullin (AM) was originally characterized in extracts of an adrenal medullary tumor. Since this original finding the peptide and its mRNA have also been found in the adrenal cortex, specifically, in the cells of the aldosterone-secreting zona glomerulosa. It is clear that the synthesis of AM is actively regulated in both cortex and medulla. Much research effort has been focused on identifying a role for AM in the adrenal gland. To date, no consistent effect on medullary catecholamine biosynthesis has been demonstrated. In the cortex the actions of AM are controversial and appear to depend on both the tissue preparation used and on the specific receptor population expressed in the individual gland. The results of further studies on the long-term actions of AM on adrenal growth and differentiation are awaited with interest.     

Involvement of the adrenal glands and testis in gap junction formation via testosterone within the male rat anterior pituitary gland

We investigated the influence of testicular and adrenal androgens on the presence of gap junctions between folliculo‐stellate cells in the anterior pituitary glands of 60‐day‐old Wistar‐Imamichi strain male rats. The animals were separated into six groups: Group A served as the controls and had free access to a normal diet and water, Group B was given a normal diet and 0.9% NaCl for their drinking water as the controls of adrenalectomized groups, Group C was castrated, Group D was adrenalectomized, Group E was both castrated and adrenalectomized, and Group F was also both castrated and adrenalectomized. In addition, the animals of Group F were administered a dose of testosterone that is known to produce high physiological levels of the hormones in plasma. Five rats from each group were sacrificed 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 days after their respective operation, and the anterior pituitary glands were removed and prepared for observation by transmission electron microscopy. We quantified the number of follicles and gap junctions and calculated the rate of occurrence as the ratio of the number of gap junctions existing between folliculo‐stellate cells per intersected follicle profile. Simultaneous removal of adrenal glands with castration resulted in a significantly decrease in the number of gap junctions, whereas the administration of testosterone to these rats compensated for this change. These observations indicate that the preservation of gap junctions between folliculo‐stellate cells is mainly dependent on androgens from both the testes and adrenal glands in adult male rats. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

电磁脉冲对大鼠肾上腺超微结构损伤的研究

目的 :本研究拟通过观察电磁脉冲 (EMP)辐照大鼠后其肾上腺组织学及超微结构的改变 ,初步探讨EMP致肾上腺损伤的特点。方法 :雄性二级Wistar大鼠 2 4只 ,随机分为 6组 ,每组 4只。其中 1组为对照组 ,其余 5组为辐照组。辐照组在高场强电磁脉冲模拟源下 ,以场强为 6× 10 4 V m ,脉冲上升时间为 2 0ns,脉宽为 30 μs的条件下 ,在2min内辐照大鼠 5次 ,对照组不做任何处理 ,辐照后于 1h、6h、12h、2 4h和 4 8h活杀动物 ,左侧肾上腺常规光镜制片 ,右侧肾上腺 4 %戊二醛及 1%锇酸双固定 ,Epon812包埋。LKB - 1180 0 (Pyramitome)半薄切片 ,定位后 ,LKB -Ⅴ型超薄切片机切片 ,乙酸铀和柠檬酸铅双染色 ,PHILIPS -CM12 0电镜下观察、拍片。结果 :辐射组大鼠肾上腺皮髓质细胞超微结构在 1h后即出现变化 ,且逐渐加重 ,包括皮质细胞内脂质颗粒及髓质细胞内的内分泌颗粒排空明显 ;细胞水肿 ,线粒体肿胀、空化、髓样体形成 ;内质网扩张 ;皮质细胞和毛细血管内皮细胞核异染色质边集 ,早期细胞凋亡表现 ;毛细血管内皮细胞线粒体的明显空化。结论 :EMP可引起大鼠肾上腺皮髓质细胞及毛细血管内皮细胞的损伤 ,并可诱导其凋亡的发生。细胞膜系统的损伤及应激反应可能参与了其超微结构损伤过程     

Salt-Sensitive Hypertension in GR+/− Rats Is Accompanied with Dysregulation in Adrenal Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase and Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Pathways

Mutations within the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) gene locus lead to glucocorticoid resistance which is characterized by several clinical symptoms such as adrenal gland hyperplasia and salt-sensitive hypertension, although the underlying mechanisms are still unknown. We studied GR haploinsufficient (GR^+/−) Sprague Dawley rats which, on a standard diet, showed significantly increased plasma aldosterone and corticosterone levels and an adrenocortex hyperplasia accompanied by a normal systolic blood pressure. Following a high salt diet, these rats developed salt-sensitive hypertension and maintained elevated enzyme-soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) in adrenal glands, while sEH was significantly decreased in wild-type rats. Furthermore, GR^+/− rats showed dysregulation of the equilibrated linoleic and arachidonic acid pathways, with a significant increase of less active metabolites such as 8,9-DiHETrE. In Sprague Dawley rats, GR haploinsufficiency induced steroid disturbances, which provoked hypertension only in combination with high salt intake, which was accompanied by disturbances in sEH and fatty acid metabolism. Our results suggest that sEH inhibition could be a potential target to treat hypertension in patients with GR haploinsufficiency.     

Prenatal androgens and gender-typed behavior: A study of girls with mild and severe forms of congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

Gender-typed behaviors and interests were investigated in 26 girls, aged 2-10 years, affected with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) and in 26 unaffected girls matched for age. Girls with CAH were more interested in masculine toys and less interested in feminine toys and were more likely to report having male playmates and to wish for masculine careers. Parents of girls with CAH rated their daughters' behaviors as more boylike than did parents of unaffected girls. A relation was found between disease severity and behavior indicating that more severely affected CAH girls were more interested in masculine toys and careers. No parental influence could be demonstrated on play behavior, nor did the comparison of parents' ratings of wished for behavior versus perceived behavior in their daughters indicate an effect of parental expectations. The results are interpreted as supporting a biological contribution to differences in play behavior between girls with and without CAH. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multi-Year Observation of Lung Cancer Metastases to the Adrenal Glands

The purpose of our study was to show if there is any correlation between the location of the primary cancer site in the lungs and the appearance of metastases in the adrenal gland. 2,340 patients with confirmed lung cancer were analyzed. The study group of 2,340 patients was divided into two subgroups： 1,998 patients were diagnosed with lung cancer located only in one lung, and 342 with disseminated lung cancer. Among the group of 1,998 patients, in 218 cases, pathological lesions in the adrenal glands were detected using computer tomography （CT） or magnetic resonance （MR）. In 161 out of 218 cases, suprarenal lesions were detected by ultrasound （US）. All patients with suprarenal lesions detected by US （161 cases in total ） underwent US-guided biopsy. Among these patients, metastases to the adrenal glands were histopathologically confirmed in 91 cases. In 70 cases, the histopathological reporting confirmed benign lesions. Altogether there were 64 adrenal metastases originated from the left lung cancer and 32 metastases from the right lung cancer. In 342 patients with disseminated cancer, four of them had confirmed metastases in both adrenal glands; seven patients had a metastatic lesion in the left and three in the right adrenal gland. Among this group, metastases to other organs such as the liver, bones, central nervous system and mediastinal lymph nodes were also detected. The authors came to the conclusion that the higher occurrence rate of adrenal metastases from the left lung carcinoma as compared to the right lung carcinoma is associated with higher blood flow in the left lung.     

Early maternal separation increases symptoms of activity-based anorexia in male and female rats.

Running activates the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, increasing the release of stress hormones known to exert anorexic effects. HPA axis reactivity is strongly influenced by early postnatal manipulations, including removal of pups from the dam for short (handling) or prolonged (maternal separation) durations during the preweaning period. The authors examined the effects of handling and maternal separation on food intake, body weight loss, and running rates of young adult male and female rats in the activity-based anorexia (ABA) paradigm. Postnatal treatment did not affect adaptation to a 1-hr restricted feeding schedule before the introduction of wheel running. During the ABA paradigm, maternally separated animals lost weight faster, ate less, ran more, and required fewer days to reach removal criterion compared with handled rats. Females were particularly vulnerable. These findings indicate that early postnatal treatment and sex influence ABA. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Loss of Protein Stability and Function Caused by P228L Variation in NADPH-Cytochrome P450 Reductase Linked to Lower Testosterone Levels

Cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (POR) is the redox partner of steroid and drug-metabolising cytochromes P450 located in the endoplasmic reticulum. Mutations in POR cause a broad range of metabolic disorders. The POR variant rs17853284 (P228L), identified by genome sequencing, has been linked to lower testosterone levels and reduced P450 activities. We expressed the POR wild type and the P228L variant in bacteria, purified the proteins, and performed protein stability and catalytic functional studies. Variant P228L affected the stability of the protein as evidenced by lower unfolding temperatures and higher sensitivity to urea denaturation. A significant decline in the rate of electron transfer to cytochrome c and thiazolyl blue tetrazolium (MTT) was observed with POR P228L, while activities of CYP3A4 were reduced by 25% and activities of CYP3A5 and CYP2C9 were reduced by more than 40% compared with WT POR. The 17,20 lyase activity of CYP17A1, responsible for the production of the main androgen precursor dehydroepiandrosterone, was reduced to 27% of WT in the presence of the P228L variant of POR. Based on in silico and in vitro studies, we predict that the change of proline to leucine may change the rigidity of the protein, causing conformational changes in POR, leading to altered electron transfer to redox partners. A single amino acid change can affect protein stability and cause a severe reduction in POR activity. Molecular characterisation of individual POR mutations is crucial for a better understanding of the impact on different redox partners of POR.