THE EFFECT OF EXOGENOUS CORTICOTROPHIN ON STEROID EXCRETION IN THE NEWBORN

1968 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 655-663 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Lauritzen ◽  
C. H. L. Shackleton ◽  
F. L. Mitchell

ABSTRACT The urinary excretion of the individual 3β-hydroxy-Δ5 steroids together with cortisol and the chromatographic bands of material containing its tetrahydrometabolites, have been studied in early infancy before and after stimulation by exogenous corticotrophin (ACTH). The average increase in the excretion of the Δ5 steroids after stimulation is relatively small (less than 185%) compared with the increase in cortisol and its metabolites (greater than 600%) and it is suggested that ACTH stimulation cannot be solely responsible for the formation of the considerable quantities of Δ5 steroids in early infancy and the high Δ5 steroid/cortisol production ratio in utero.

1964 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. C. Ferguson ◽  
A. C. G. Bartram ◽  
H. C. Fowlie ◽  
D. M. Cathro ◽  
K. Birchall ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Using a method dependent upon paper chromatography, the urinary excretion of the individual corticosteroids and the individual 17-oxosteroids has been studied before and after electro-convulsive therapy in five female patients suffering from a depressive illness. The corticosteroids, which are normally associated with stress, were found to show a fall in excretion from abnormally high levels before treatment to normal levels thereafter. The 11-deoxy-17-oxosteroids, on the other hand, showed a low level of excretion prior to treatment which was followed by a rise to normal values in clinical remission. These findings are discussed.


1969 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Lauritzen ◽  
C. H. L. Shackleton ◽  
F. L. Mitchell

ABSTRACT The urinary excretion of a range of steroids and steroid-like compounds, including the major compounds with the 3β-hydroxy-Δ5 configuration, have been studied in early infancy before and after the administration of human chorionic gonadotrophin. The only compound which showed any increase in excretion was dehydroepiandrosterone which was increased in four out of seven cases studied.


1990 ◽  
Vol 122 (6) ◽  
pp. 753-758 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Vierhapper ◽  
A. Kiss ◽  
P. Nowotny ◽  
S. Wiesnagrotzki ◽  
C. Monder ◽  
...  

Abstract. In patients with anorexia nervosa 24-h mean plasma concentration of cortisol were 0.44± 0.09 μmol/l (normal < 0.28 μmol/l). Following stimulation by ACTH (1–24) urinary excretion rates of cortisol were stimulated from 0.22 ± 0.08 to 4.85 ± 2.78 μmol/24 h. Similarly, plasma concentrations of the glucocorticoid metabolite, tetrahydrocortisone, increased from 23.3 ± 9.0 to 47.3 ± 30.2 nmol/l; urinary excretion rates of tetrahydrocortisone increased from 3.61 ± 0.90 to 8.40 ± 1.72 μmol/24 h. The relative share of the sulphate, glucuronide and free fractions of tetrahydrocortisone in the patients' urine did not indicate any defect in metabolization of this steroid metabolite. Excretion rates of the four glucocorticoid tetrahydro-metabolites, tetrahydrocortisone, allotetrahydrocortisone, tetrahydrocortisol, and allo-tetrahydrocortisol, expressed as percent of total steroid excretion, were similar in patients with anorexia and in healthy women under basal conditions (24 ± 6 vs 23 ± 6%) and during stimulation by ACTH (1–24) (36 ± 10 vs 45 ± 6%). The share of the two androgen metabolites, androsterone and etiocholanolone, was 24 ± 5% of total steroid excretion (basal; healthy women: 27 ± 8%) and 13 ± 2% (ACTH stimulation; healthy women: 12 ± 4%) in patients with anorexia nervosa. Thus, analysis of urinary steroid excretion rates did not indicate a shift in adrenocortical function. The results confirmed enhanced secretion of cortisol in patients with anorexia nervosa under basal conditions and during/following stimulation by ACTH. The ACTH-induced increase in the concentrations of the tetrahydro-glucocorticoid metabolites in urine was less pronounced than that of cortisol. The data strongly suggest a rate-limiting step in the transformation of cortisol into its main metabolites, most likely an impaired reduction of the double bond in positions C4/C5.


1963 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 499-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Van Der Straeten ◽  
A. Vermeulen ◽  
N. Orie ◽  
P. Regniers

ABSTRACT The authors studied the correlation between cortisol production, as measured by an isotope dilution method, and the urinary excretion of total and free Porter-Silber chromogens, as well as of 17-ketogenic steroids. Although a significant correlation exists between total Porter-Silber chromogens, 17-ketogenic steroid excretion and cortisol production, discrepancies are occasionally observed. Hence, different colorimetric methods should be used to assess the glucocorticoid activity of the adrenal cortex.


1968 ◽  
Vol 58 (3_Suppl) ◽  
pp. S5-S34
Author(s):  
Joseph W. Goldzieher ◽  
Leonard R. Axelrod ◽  
Arthur S. Weissbein

ABSTRACT Six women with atypical forms of adrenal cortical hyperfunction were studied by means of urinary excretion of 17-ketosteroids and 17-hydroxycorticoids and their response to ACTH stimulation and corticosteroid suppression. Unusual responses were observed, particularly with respect to the independence of 17-KS and 17-OHCS excretion. The adrenals of 3 patients were anatomically normal whereas the others showed hyperplasia. Minced adrenal tissue was incubated with 4-14C progesterone and the metabolites isolated and definitively identified. The pattern of biosynthesized corticosteroids showed great variation, and in some instances clarified certain clinical features. The pattern of certain C19-metabolites could not be studied adequately because of the use of a Δ4 rather than a Δ5 substrate.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shane Timmons

Encouraging consumers to switch to lower-rate mortgages is important both for the individual consumer’s finances and for functioning competitive markets, but switching rates are low. Given the complexity of mortgages, one potential regulatory intervention that may increase switching rates is to provide independent advice on how to select good mortgage products and how to navigate the switching process. Working with a government consumer protection agency, we conducted an experiment with mortgage-holders to test whether such advice alters perceptions of switching. The experiment tested how (i) the attributes of the offer, (ii) perceptions about the switching process, (iii) individual feelings of competence and (iv) comprehension of the product affect willingness to switch to better offers, both before and after reading the official advice. The advice made consumers more sensitive to interest rate decreases, especially at longer terms. It also increased consumers’ confidence in their ability to select good offers. Overall, the findings imply that advice from policymakers can change perceptions and increase switching rates. Moreover, the experiment demonstrates how lab studies can contribute to behaviourally-informed policy development.


2003 ◽  
Vol 128 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Kay ◽  
Richard M. Rosenfeld

OBJECTIVE: The goal was to validate the SN-5 survey as a measure of longitudinal change in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) for children with persistent sinonasal symptoms. DESIGN AND SETTING: We conducted a before and after study of 85 children aged 2 to 12 years in a metropolitan pediatric otolaryngology practice. Caregivers completed the SN-5 survey at entry and at least 4 weeks later. The survey included 5 symptom-cluster items covering the domains of sinus infection, nasal obstruction, allergy symptoms, emotional distress, and activity limitations. RESULTS: Good test-retest reliability ( R = 0.70) was obtained for the overall SN-5 score and the individual survey items ( R ≥ 0.58). The mean baseline SN-5 score was 3.8 (SD, 1.0) of a maximum of 7.0, with higher scores indicating poorer HRQoL. All SN-5 items had adequate correlation ( R ≥ 0.36) with external constructs. The mean change in SN-5 score after routine clinical care was 0.88 (SD, 1.19) with an effect size of 0.74 indicating good responsiveness to longitudinal change. The change scores correlated appropriately with changes in related external constructs ( R ≥ 0.42). CONCLUSIONS: The SN-5 is a valid, reliable, and responsive measure of HRQoL for children with persistent sinonasal symptoms, suitable for use in outcomes studies and routine clinical care.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda T. Betz ◽  
◽  
Nora Penzel ◽  
Lana Kambeitz-Ilankovic ◽  
Marlene Rosen ◽  
...  

AbstractRecent life events have been implicated in the onset and progression of psychosis. However, psychological processes that account for the association are yet to be fully understood. Using a network approach, we aimed to identify pathways linking recent life events and symptoms observed in psychosis. Based on previous literature, we hypothesized that general symptoms would mediate between recent life events and psychotic symptoms. We analyzed baseline data of patients at clinical high risk for psychosis and with recent-onset psychosis (n = 547) from the Personalised Prognostic Tools for Early Psychosis Management (PRONIA) study. In a network analysis, we modeled links between the burden of recent life events and all individual symptoms of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale before and after controlling for childhood trauma. To investigate the longitudinal associations between burden of recent life events and symptoms, we analyzed multiwave panel data from seven timepoints up to month 18. Corroborating our hypothesis, burden of recent life events was connected to positive and negative symptoms through general psychopathology, specifically depression, guilt feelings, anxiety and tension, even after controlling for childhood trauma. Longitudinal modeling indicated that on average, burden of recent life events preceded general psychopathology in the individual. In line with the theory of an affective pathway to psychosis, recent life events may lead to psychotic symptoms via heightened emotional distress. Life events may be one driving force of unspecific, general psychopathology described as characteristic of early phases of the psychosis spectrum, offering promising avenues for interventions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-28
Author(s):  
Goran Flegar ◽  
Hartwig Anzt ◽  
Terry Cojean ◽  
Enrique S. Quintana-Ortí

The use of mixed precision in numerical algorithms is a promising strategy for accelerating scientific applications. In particular, the adoption of specialized hardware and data formats for low-precision arithmetic in high-end GPUs (graphics processing units) has motivated numerous efforts aiming at carefully reducing the working precision in order to speed up the computations. For algorithms whose performance is bound by the memory bandwidth, the idea of compressing its data before (and after) memory accesses has received considerable attention. One idea is to store an approximate operator–like a preconditioner–in lower than working precision hopefully without impacting the algorithm output. We realize the first high-performance implementation of an adaptive precision block-Jacobi preconditioner which selects the precision format used to store the preconditioner data on-the-fly, taking into account the numerical properties of the individual preconditioner blocks. We implement the adaptive block-Jacobi preconditioner as production-ready functionality in the Ginkgo linear algebra library, considering not only the precision formats that are part of the IEEE standard, but also customized formats which optimize the length of the exponent and significand to the characteristics of the preconditioner blocks. Experiments run on a state-of-the-art GPU accelerator show that our implementation offers attractive runtime savings.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 2917
Author(s):  
Madalina Rabung ◽  
Melanie Kopp ◽  
Antal Gasparics ◽  
Gábor Vértesy ◽  
Ildikó Szenthe ◽  
...  

The embrittlement of two types of nuclear pressure vessel steel, 15Kh2NMFA and A508 Cl.2, was studied using two different methods of magnetic nondestructive testing: micromagnetic multiparameter microstructure and stress analysis (3MA-X8) and magnetic adaptive testing (MAT). The microstructure and mechanical properties of reactor pressure vessel (RPV) materials are modified due to neutron irradiation; this material degradation can be characterized using magnetic methods. For the first time, the progressive change in material properties due to neutron irradiation was investigated on the same specimens, before and after neutron irradiation. A correlation was found between magnetic characteristics and neutron-irradiation-induced damage, regardless of the type of material or the applied measurement technique. The results of the individual micromagnetic measurements proved their suitability for characterizing the degradation of RPV steel caused by simulated operating conditions. A calibration/training procedure was applied on the merged outcome of both testing methods, producing excellent results in predicting transition temperature, yield strength, and mechanical hardness for both materials.


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