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Idiopathic primary hyperaldosteronism: normalization of plasma aldosterone after one month withdrawal of long-term therapy with aldosterone-receptor antagonist potassium canrenoate
No full textWe have re-evaluated 15 patients with idiopathic primary aldosteronism one month after withdrawal of therapy with aldosterone-receptor antagonist potassium canrenoate. Therapy had lasted for 3 to 24 yr. Median blood pressure (BP) in the sitting position at the time of diagnosis was 160/100 (ranges 150-200/95-110 mmHg); while 1 month after withdrawal of therapy median BP was 145/90 (ranges 125-160/80-100 mmHg). One month after withdrawal, the ratio aldosterone (ng/dl)/plasma renin activity (ng/ml/h) in the upright position was increased only in 3 cases (median 18, range 6.1-125). We found a significant inverse correlation between the upright aldosterone/plasma renin activity (aldo/PRA) ratio, 1 month after withdrawal, and the number of years of therapy with potassium canrenoate. We conclude that long-term therapy with the aldosterone-receptor blocker, potassium canrenoate, can normalize the aldo/PRA ratio in many cases of idiopathic primary hyperaldosteronism after one-month withdrawal of the drug. These data are consistent with possible regression of idiopathic primary hyperaldosteronism after long-term therapy with potassium canrenoate, or in alternative to a persistent effect of potassium canrenoate, on aldosterone synthesis
Licorice reduces serum testosterone in healthy women
No full textLicorice has been considered a medicinal plant for thousands of years. The most common side effect is hypokalemic hypertension, which
is secondary to a block of 11-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 at the level of the kidney, leading to an enhanced mineralocorticoid
effect of cortisol. We have investigated the effect of licorice on androgen metabolism in nine healthy women 22–26 years old, in the luteal
phase of the cycle. They were given 3.5 g of a commercial preparation of licorice (containing 7.6% W.W. of glycyrrhizic acid) daily for two
cycles. They were not on any other treatment. Plasma renin activity, serum adrenal and gonadal androgens, aldosterone, and cortisol were
measured by radioimmunoassay. Total serum testosterone decreased from 27.8±8.2 to 19.0±9.4 in the first month and to 17.5±6.4 ng/dL
in the second month of therapy (p < 0.05). It returned to pre-treatment levels after discontinuation. Androstenedione, 17OH-progesterone, and
LH levels did not change significantly during treatment. Plasma renin activity and aldosterone were depressed during therapy, while blood
pressure and cortisol remained unchanged.
Conclusions: licorice can reduce serum testosterone probably due to the block of 17-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and 17–20 lyase. Licorice
could be considered an adjuvant therapy of hirsutism and polycystic ovary syndrome
Effect of licorice on PTH levels in healthy women
No full textLicorice has been considered a medicinal plant for thousands of years. Its most common
side effect is hypokalemic hypertension, which is secondary to a block of 11-hydroxysteroid
dehydrogenase type 2 at the level of the kidney, leading to an enhanced mineralocorticoid
effect of cortisol. This effect is due to glycyrrhetinic acid, which is the main constituent of
the root, but other components are also present, including isoflavans, which have estrogenlike
activity, and are thus involved in the modulation of bone metabolism. We investigated
nine healthy women 22–26 years old, in the luteal phase of the cycle. They were given
3.5 g of a commercial preparation of licorice (containing 7.6%, w/w of glycyrrhizic acid)
daily for 2 months. Plasma renin activity (PRA), aldosterone, cortisol, serum parathyroid
hormone (PTH), 1,25-dihydroxy Vitamin D (1,25OHD), 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25OHD),
estradiol, FHS, LH, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), calcium, phosphate and creatinine, urinary
calcium and phosphate and mineralometry were measured. PTH, 25OHD and urinary calcium
increased significantly frombaseline values after 2months of therapy, while 1,25OHD
and ALP did not change during treatment. All these parameters returned to pretreatment
levels 1month after discontinuation of licorice. PRA and aldosterone were depressed during
therapy, while blood pressure and plasma cortisol remained unchanged. Conclusions: licorice
can increase serum PTH and urinary calcium levels from baseline value in healthy women
after only 2 months of treatment. The effect of licorice on calcium metabolism is probably
influenced by several components of the root, which show aldosterone-like, estrogen-like
and antiandrogen activity
Licorice consumption and serum testosterone in healthy man
No full textWe have previously found that licorice can reduce serum testosterone in healthy men. These results were not confirmed in another study, where the same amounts of licorice did not decrease salivary testosterone values. In the actual study we treated more cases with the same amount of licorice and reproduced our previous data. The mean testosterone values decreased by 26 % after one week of treatment (p < 0.01). There was also a significant increase in 17-OHP and LH concentrations and a slight, but not significant decrease in free testosterone. Licorice treatment, in addition, did not affect the response of testosterone and 17-OHP to stimulation with beta-HCG
Alzheimer's disease: pathophysiological implications of measurement of plasma cortisol, plasma dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, and lymphocytic corticosteroid receptors
No full textAlzheimer's disease is often characterized by an increase in plasma cortisol without clinical evidence of hypercorticism. Twenty-three consecutive patients with Alzheimer's disease and 23 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were studied by measuring plasma cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) (by enzyme immunoassay), the number of type I and type II corticosteroid receptors in mononuclear leukocytes (by radioreceptorassay), and the lymphocyte subpopulations (by cytofluorimetry). Results are expressed in terms of median and range. In Alzheimer's disease, plasma cortisol was higher than in controls (median 0.74, range 0.47-1.21 vs 0.47, 0.36-0.77 mmol/L; p < 0.001). Plasma DHEAS, the DHEAS/cortisol ratio, and the number of type 11 corticosteroid receptors were significantly lower in AD than in controls (DHEAS: median 1.81, range 0.21-3.69 vs 3.51, 1.35-9.07 μmol/L; DHEAS/ cortisol: 2.04, range 0.3-5.8 vs 6.8, range 2.7-24 and type 11 receptors: 1219, 1000-2700 vs 1950, 10352750 receptors per cell; p < 0.001). No correlation was found between the hormonal parameters, age, and minimental test score. These data support the hypothesis of a dysregulation of the adrenal pituitary axis in Alzheimer's disease, which is probably the consequence of damage to target tissues by corticosteroid
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Effect of licorice on the reduction of body fat mass in healthy subjects
No full textThe history of licorice, as a medicinal plant, is very old and has been used in many societies throughout the millennia. The active principle, glycyrrhetinic acid, is responsible for sodium retention and hypertension, which is the most common side-effect. We show an effect of licorice in reducing body fat mass. We studied 15 normalweight subjects (7 males, age 22-26 yr, and 8 females, age 21-26 yr), who consumed for 2 months 3.5 g a day of a commercial preparation of licorice. Body fat mass (BFM, expressed as percentage of total body weight, by skinfold thickness and by bioelectrical impedance analysis, BIA) and extracellular water (ECW, percentage of total body water, by BIA) were measured. Body mass index (BMI) did not change. ECW increased (males: 41.8±2.0 before vs 47.0±2.3 after, p<0.001; females: 48.2±1.4 before vs 49.4±2.1 after, p<0.05). BFM was reduced by licorice: (male: before 12.0±2.1 vs after 10.8±2.9%, p<0.02; female: before 24.9±5.1 vs after 22.1±5.4, p<0.02); plasma renin activity (PRA) and aldosterone were suppressed. Licorice was able to reduce body fat mass and to suppress aldosterone, without any change in BMI. Since the subjects were consuming the same amount of calories during the study, we suggest that licorice can reduce fat by inhibiting 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase Type 1 at the level of fat cells. (J. Endocrinol. Invest. 26: 646-650, 2003) ©2003, Editrice Kurtis milan
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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