Adrenal insufficiency

Os glicocorticóides apresentam um importante papel na regulação metabólica, nos sistemas cardiovascular, imune, nervoso, e na resposta adaptativa ao estresse. A insuficiência adrenal pode ser causada por uma doença primária da adrenal (baixas concentrações plasmáticas de cortisol e altas de ACTH) ou secundária a doenças do eixo hipotálamoipofisário (baixas concentrações plasmáticas de cortisol e de ACTH). A falta crônica de glicocorticóide leva a sintomas insidiosos e inespecíficos (mal-estar geral, fraqueza, inapetência, perda de peso, queixas gastrintestinais). Adicionalmente, quando há também deficiência de mineralocorticóide, a hipotensão, síncope, desidratação e choque cardiocirculatório, com hiponatremia e hipercalemia podem associar-se ao quadro clínico. O tratamento consiste na reposição de cortisol (hidrocortisona VO, 12 a 15 mg/m2 de superfície corporal, acetato de cortisona VO, 25mg/dia e prednisona VO, 5 a 10 mg/dia) na insuficiência adrenal secundária e de cortisol e minelocorticóide (9a fluorohidrocortisona VO, 0,1mg/dia) na primária. Doenças infecciosas, traumas e cirurgias podem precipitar uma crise aguda, chamada crise addisoniana, situação esta de risco de vida, quando não tratada. O tratamento consiste de reposição do volume intravascular com cloreto de sódio (soro fisiológico 0,9% 2 L/hora) e glicocorticóides (100 mg EV de hidrocortisona a cada 6 h). Desde que a crise addisoniana é freqüentemente desencadeada por processo infeccioso, o diagnóstico de infecção deve ser confirmado e, se presente, o uso de antibioticoterapia deve ser preconizado.  Glucocorticoids have an important role in the metabolic regulation, in the cardiovascular, immune, and nervous systems, and in the adaptive response to stress. The adrenal insufficiency can be caused by a primary disease of the adrenal (low concentration of cortisol and high ACTH levels) or secondary to the hypothalamic-pituitary dysfunction (low cortisol and ACTH levels). Chronic glucocorticoid deficiency leads to insidious and unspecific symptoms (weakness, fadigue, gastrintestinal symptoms, anorexia, loss of weight). In the presence of mineralocorticoid deficiency clinical findings are also associated to hypotension, syncope, dehydration and circulatory shock, with hiponatremia and hiperkalemia. Management consists of cortisol replacement (hydrocortisone PO, 12-15 mg/m2 cortisone acetate PO, 25mg/day or prednisone PO, 5-10 mg/day) for secondary adrenal insufficiency and cortisol and mineralocorticoid replacement (9a fluorohydrocortisone PO, 0.1mg/dia) for primary cause of adrenal insufficiency. Infections, traumas and surgeries can precipitate an acute crisis, Addisonian crisis, a life- threatening situation if not treated. Treatment consists of replacing intravascular volume with sodium chloride (0.9% NaCl 2L/h) and glucocorticoid (100 mg IV of hydrocortisone every 6 hours). Addisonian crisis is frequently associated with infection, therefore this diagnosis must be confirmed and properly treated with antibiotics

Apresentação clínica e análise molecular do gene da arginina-vasopressina neurofisina II de pacientes com diabetes insípido central idiopático com longo seguimento

INTRODUCTION: Central diabetes insipidus (DI) characterized by polyuria, polydipsia and inability to concentrate urine, has different etiologies including genetic, autoimmune, post-traumatic, among other causes. Autosomal dominant central DI presents the clinical feature of a progressive decline of arginine-vasopressin (AVP) secretion. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we characterized the clinical features and sequenced the AVP-NPII gene of seven long-term follow-up patients with idiopathic central DI in an attempt to determine whether a genetic cause would be involved. METHODS: The diagnosis of central DI was established by fluid deprivation test and hyper-tonic saline infusion. For molecular analysis, genomic DNA was extracted and the AVP-NPII gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction and sequenced. RESULTS: Sequencing analysis revealed a homozygous guanine insertion in the intron 2 (IVS2 +28 InsG) of the AVP-NPII gene in four patients, which represents an alternative gene assembly. No mutation in the code region of the AVP-NPII gene was found. CONCLUSIONS: The homozygous guanine insertion in intron 2 (IVS2 +28 InsG) is unlikely to contribute to the AVP-NPII gene modulation in DI. In addition, the etiology of idiopathic central DI in children may not be apparent even after long-term follow-up, and requires continuous etiological surveillance.INTRODUÇÃO: O diabetes insípido (DI) central, caracterizado por poliúria, polidipsia e inabilidade em concentrar a urina, apresenta diferentes etiologias, incluindo causas genética, autoimune, pós-traumática, entre outras. O DI central autossômico dominante apresenta a característica clínica de falência progressiva da secreção da arginina-vasopressina (AVP). OBJETIVO: No presente estudo, caracterizou-se a apresentação clínica e sequenciou-se o gene AVP-NPII de sete pacientes com DI central idiopático seguidos de longa data na tentativa de determinar se uma causa genética estava envolvida na etiologia. MÉTODOS: O diagnóstico do DI central foi estabelecido por meio do teste de jejum hídrico e infusão de salina hipertônica. Para a realização da análise molecular, o DNA genômico foi extraído e o gene AVP-NPII foi amplificado pela reação em cadeia da polimerase e, posteriormente, sequenciado. RESULTADOS: A análise do sequenciamento do gene AVP-NPII revelou uma inserção em homozigose de uma guanina no íntron 2 (IVS2 +28 InsG) em quatro pacientes, correspondendo a um arranjo alternativo do gene. Nenhuma mutação da região codificadora do gene AVP-NPII foi encontrada. CONCLUSÕES: A inserção em homozigose de uma guanina no íntron 2 (IVS2 +28 InsG) provavelmente não contribui na modulação do gene AVP-NPII no DI. Adicionalmente, a etiologia do DI central idiopático em crianças pode não se tornar evidente mesmo após um longo período de seguimento, necessitando de contínua vigilância da etiologia

Increased exposure to sodium during pregnancy and lactation changes basal and induced behavioral and neuroendocrine responses in adult male offspring

Excessive sodium (Na+) intake in modern society has been associated with several chronic disorders such as hypertension. Several studies suggest that early life events can program physiological systems and lead to functional changes in adulthood. Therefore, we investigated behavioral and neuroendocrine responses under basal conditions and after 48 h of water deprivation in adult (60-day-old Wistar rats) male, Wistar rats originating from dams were offered only water or 0.15 mol/L NaCl during pregnancy and lactation. Early life salt exposure induced kidney damage, as shown by a higher number of ED-1 positive cells (macrophages/monocytes), increased daily urinary volume and Na+ excretion, blunted basal water intake and plasma oxytocin levels, and increased plasma corticosterone secretion. When challenged with water deprivation, animals exposed to 0.15 mol/L NaCl during early life showed impaired water intake, reduced salt preference ratio, and vasopressin (AVP) secretion. In summary, our data demonstrate that the perinatal exposure to excessive Na+ intake can induce kidney injury in adult offspring and significantly affect the key mechanisms regulating water balance, fluid intake, and AVP release in response to water deprivation. Collectively, these novel results highlight the impact of perinatal programming on the homeostatic mechanisms regulating fluid and electrolyte balance during exposure to an environmental stress (i.e. dehydration) in later life.Fil: Silva, Marcia S.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Lúcio Oliveira, Fabiana. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Mecawi, Andre Souza. University of Malaya; MalasiaFil: Almeida, Lucas F.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasil. Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Ruginsk, Silvia G.. Federal University of Alfenas; BrasilFil: Greenwood, Michael P.. University of Bristol; Reino UnidoFil: Greenwood, Mingkwan. University of Bristol; Reino UnidoFil: Vivas, Laura Marta. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Elias, Lucila L. K.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Murphy, David. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasil. Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Antunes Rodrigues, José. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasi

Retrospective evaluation of whole exome and genome mutation calls in 746 cancer samples

Funder: NCI U24CA211006Abstract: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) curated consensus somatic mutation calls using whole exome sequencing (WES) and whole genome sequencing (WGS), respectively. Here, as part of the ICGC/TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium, which aggregated whole genome sequencing data from 2,658 cancers across 38 tumour types, we compare WES and WGS side-by-side from 746 TCGA samples, finding that ~80% of mutations overlap in covered exonic regions. We estimate that low variant allele fraction (VAF < 15%) and clonal heterogeneity contribute up to 68% of private WGS mutations and 71% of private WES mutations. We observe that ~30% of private WGS mutations trace to mutations identified by a single variant caller in WES consensus efforts. WGS captures both ~50% more variation in exonic regions and un-observed mutations in loci with variable GC-content. Together, our analysis highlights technological divergences between two reproducible somatic variant detection efforts

Functional characterization of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis of the Wistar Audiogenic Rat (WAR) strain

The Wistar Audiogenic Rat (WAR) strain is a genetic model of sound-induced reflex epilepsy which was selected starting from audiogenic seizures susceptible Wistar rats. Wistar resistant rats were used as WAR`s control in this study. In the acute situation, audiogenic seizures (AS) in WARs mimic tonic-clonic seizures and, in the chronic protocol, mimic temporal lobe epilepsy. AS have been shown to evoke neuroendocrine responses; however, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activity in the WAR has not been established. The aim of this study was to evaluate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) responses to exogenous ACTH stimulation (8 ng/rat), fifteen minute restraint stress and circadian variation (8 am and 8 pm) under rest conditions in these animals through plasma measurements of ACTH and corticosterone concentrations. We also measured the body weight from birth to the 9th week of life and determined adrenal gland weight. We found that WARs are smaller than Wistar and presented a higher adrenal gland weight with a higher level of corticosterone release after intravenous ACTH injection. They also showed altered HPA axis circadian rhythms and responses to restraint stress. Our data indicate that, despite the lower body weight, WARs have increased adrenal gland weight associated with enhanced pituitary and adrenal responsiveness after HPA axis stimulation. Thus, we propose WARs as a model to study stress-epilepsy interactions and epilepsy-neuropsychiatry comorbidities. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.FAPESPFAPESP-CinapceCAPESPROEX-PhysiologyPROEX-Neurology, FAEPACNPq-Brazi

Glucocorticoids are required for meal-induced changes in the expression of hypothalamic neuropeptides

Glucocorticoid deficiency is associated with a decrease of food intake. Orexigenic peptides, neuropeptide Y (NPY) and agouti related protein (AgRP), and the anorexigenic peptide proopiomelanocortin (POMC), expressed in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARC), are regulated by meal-induced signals. Orexigenic neuropeptides, melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) and orexin, expressed in the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA), also control food intake. Thus, the present study was designed to test the hypothesis that glucocorticoids are required for changes in the expression of hypothalamic neuropeptides induced by feeding. Male Wistar rats (230-280 g) were subjected to ADX or sham surgery. ADX animals received 0.9% NaCl in the drinking water, and half of them received corticosterone in the drinking water (B: 25 mg/L, ADX + B). Six days after surgery, animals were fasted for 16 h and they were decapitated before or 2 h after refeeding for brain tissue and blood collections. Adrenalectomy decreased NPY/AgRP and POMC expression in the ARC in fasted and refed animals, respectively. Refeeding decreased NPY/AgRP and increased POMC mRNA expression in the ARC of sham and ADX + B groups, with no effects in ADX animals. The expression of MCH and orexin mRNA expression in the LHA was increased in ADX and ADX + B groups in fasted condition, however there was no effect of refeeding on the expression of MCH and orexin in the LHA in the three experimental groups. Refeeding increased plasma leptin and insulin levels in sham and ADX + B animals, with no changes in leptin concentrations in ADX group, and insulin response to feeding was lower in this group. Taken together, these data demonstrated that circulating glucocorticoids are required for meal-induced changes in NPY, AgRP and POMC mRNA expression in the ARC. The lower leptin and insulin responses to feeding may contribute to the altered hypothalamic neuropeptide expression after adrenalectomy. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP), BrazilFundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP), BrazilConselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq

Prolonged Activation of Brain CB2 Signaling Modulates Hypothalamic Microgliosis and Astrogliosis in High Fat Diet-Fed Mice

Low-grade inflammation of the hypothalamus is associated with the disturbance of energy balance. The endocannabinoid system has been implicated in the development and maintenance of obesity as well as in the control of immune responses. The type 2 cannabinoid receptor (CB2) signaling has been associated with anti-inflammatory effects. Therefore, in high fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice, we modulated CB2 signaling and investigated its effects on energy homeostasis and hypothalamic microgliosis/astrogliosis. We observed no effect on caloric intake and body weight gain in control diet-fed animals that received prolonged icv infusion of the CB2 receptor agonist HU308. Interestingly, we observed a decrease in glucose tolerance in HFD-fed animals treated with HU308. Prolonged icv infusion of HU308 increases astrogliosis in the ventromedial nucleus (VMH) of obese animals and reduced HFD-induced microgliosis in the hypothalamic arcuate (ARC) but not in the paraventricular (PVN) or VMH nuclei. These data indicate that central CB2 signaling modulates glucose homeostasis and glial reactivity in obesogenic conditions, irrespective of changes in body weight