China
Africa
Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
The patient with acute endocrine problems
Published in Peate Ian, Dutton Helen, Acute Nursing Care, 2020
The endocrine, nervous and immune system work in harmony to regulate the internal and external environment of human beings. The endocrine system is composed of various glands that are widely dispersed throughout the body, and they secrete chemical messengers called hormones (Brashers and Huether 2017). The major endocrine glands are the pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, thymus, pancreas, adrenal, ovaries and testes. The endocrine structure and function witness some changes due to the ageing process (Brashers and Huether 2017). In contrast to the exocrine glands, which discharge their products via ducts into the external environment, e.g., pancreatic juice, the endocrine glands, which are ductless, synthesise and release hormones directly into the circulation. Figure 11.1 identifies the position of the major endocrine glands and the hormones they produce.
Hepatobiliary and pancreatic emergencies
Published in Alexander Trevatt, Richard Boulton, Daren Francis, Nishanthan Mahesan, Take Charge! General Surgery and Urology, 2020
The pancreas is a retroperitoneal organ sited posterior to the stomach. It has a head, uncinate process, body and tail. It functions as an endocrine gland, releasing hormones including insulin and glucagon into the bloodstream, and an exocrine gland, releasing pancreatic fluid into the duodenum via the pancreatic duct and ampulla of Vater.
Regulatory Immune-Neuroendocrine Feedback Signals *
Published in Istvan Berczi, Pituitary Function and Immunity, 2019
Hugo Besedovsky, Adriana del Rey, Ernst Sorkin
The pituitary gland controls directly or indirectly the activity of almost all endocrine glands, and by its connections with the hypothalamus it is associated with sensorial-visceral and autonomic processes. These characteristics make this gland a major integrator of homeostatic mechanisms. The immune response may be considered as a homeostatic response since antigens elicit an immune response not only because of their potential risk for the host (harmless foreign agents can be good immunogens), but also because it leads to a perturbation of the “milieu interieur”. The capacity of the immune system to discriminate between self and non-self has its basis in the wide range of specificities expressed by immune cells, a high proportion of which is directed towards recognition of modified or altered self-cells or -molecules. This characteristic of the immune system implies that it can perceive an internal image of body constituents and react to particular distortions of this image. The immune response as a homeostatic response is therefore under physiological conditions contributing to the maintenance of the constancy and integrity of body cells and tissues. This concept also suggests the participation of neuroendocrine mechanisms in immunoregulation and thus, integration at the pituitary level as well.
Insights into the possible impact of COVID-19 on the endocrine system
Published in Archives of Physiology and Biochemistry, 2023
Adel Abdel-Moneim, Ahmed Hosni
The ongoing novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has infected more than 110.13 million people and also has claimed more than 2.43 million lives in 213 countries around the world, as of February 17, 2021. Actually, all organs and biological systems may be affected by the new coronavirus infection, either because the virus directly targets specific tissues or because of indirect effects. Some knowledge about effects on the endocrine system can be obtained from the prior severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak. The phylogenetic sequence of the whole SARS-CoV-2 genome is mostly identical to SARS-CoV (89.1% similarity in nucleotides) (Wu et al.2020). Accordingly, because the current SARS-CoV-2 is structurally similar to the SARS-CoV-1, it is important to study the clinical effect and pathogenesis of SARS to explore the possible impact of COVID-19 on different organs (Chen et al.2020c). Both SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 use angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as a functional receptor for invading host cells. Most endocrine glands express ACE2, including the pancreas, testis, pituitary, thyroid, and adrenal glands (Liu et al.2020).
Extracellular vesicles from endothelial progenitor cells promote thyroid follicle formation
Published in Journal of Extracellular Vesicles, 2018
Jonathan Degosserie, Charlotte Heymans, Catherine Spourquet, Mathias Halbout, Ludovic D’Auria, Patrick Van Der Smissen, Didier Vertommen, Pierre J. Courtoy, Donatienne Tyteca, Christophe E. Pierreux
The thyroid is an endocrine gland composed of three main cell types: thyrocytes, C cells and endothelial cells. Thyrocytes are polarised epithelial cells organised as monolayers into follicles enclosing packed iodothyroglobulin in the colloid, and responsible for the production of thyroglobulin-derived hormones, T3 and T4. C cells are epithelial cells, closely associated with follicles, which produce calcitonin. A dense network of endothelial cells surrounds each thyroid follicle. The close juxtaposition between follicles and blood capillaries is essential for bidirectional exchange supporting thyroid function. Iodide is captured from bloodstream into thyrocytes, and incorporated into thyroglobulin as T3 and T4 hormonogenic peptides. When T3 and T4 blood levels are low, thyrocytes capture iodothyroglobulin and release by proteolysis T3 and T4 hormones that are excreted into the blood flow. The functional couple between follicles and blood capillaries, often called the angio-follicular unit, forms during embryonic development [1,2].
Whey Protein Supplementation Improves Body Composition and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Overweight and Obese Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Published in Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2018
Kamonkiat Wirunsawanya, Sikarin Upala, Veeravich Jaruvongvanich, Anawin Sanguankeo
Body composition has been found to be strongly associated with cardiovascular and metabolic complications (26). Because adipose tissue is the main organ of triglyceride storage, excessive adipose tissue or increased fat mass can lead to hypertriglyceridemia via lipolysis and increased lipid synthesis in liver (27). A recent study has shown the correlation of abdominal obesity and high liver fat content, which may result in alteration of hepatic glucose output (26). Hence, hyperglycemic state and insulin resistance are largely explained by this phenomenon. Moreover, adipose tissue functions as an endocrine gland secreting some chemokines such as monocyte chemotactic protein-1, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin (IL) 1, IL-6, and IL-8, which could contribute to a chronic inflammatory state and insulin resistance (28). One article from the American Heart Association demonstrated that a decrease in visceral adiposity was found to ameliorate the cardiometabolic risk profile (26). Several studies revealed that weight reduction by calorie restriction and exercise and increased lean body mass are associated with increased HDL cholesterol levels, which could be a protective factor for development of cardiovascular complications by antiatherogenic functions (29-31).