[Use of the "extended" minor dexamethasone test in Itsenko-Cushing disease]. / Primenenie "rasshirennogo" malogo deksametazonovogo testa pri bolezni Itsenko-Kushinga.

An increase in the number of diagnostic parameters (in addition to the determination of the urine level of 17-OCS, a study was also made of the level of 17-KS, blood concentrations of ACTH, prolactin, cortisol, and glucose before and after dexamethasone administration at a dose of 0.5 mg every 6 h for 2 days) and strict rules to be observed by examinees prepared for test performance made in possible to raise the differential-diagnostic role of Liddle's minor dexamethasone test. This conclusion was based on the examination of 34 persons without obesity, 25 patients with exogenous constitutional obesity, 75 patients with juvenile pubertal dyspituitarism, 107 patients with hypothalamic obesity, 8 patients with Cushing's syndrome determined by adrenal corticosteroma, one patient with ACTH-ectopic syndrome, and patients with Itsenko-Cushing disease (128 untreated patients, 99 patients with recurrence, 98 patients in remission). The comparison of clinico-instrumental results with the results of the test has shown its informative value for objective assessment of the gravity of disease. Stages of body responses to small doses of dexamethasone (the stage of lost responses, the stage of incomplete loss and the stage of recovered responses) were identified contributing to objective assessment of the gravity, course, presence, recurrence and remission of Itsenko-Cushing disease.

[Hormone levels of the blood of the adrenal veins and inferior vena cava in patients with adrenal and kidney diseases]. / Kontsentratsiia gormonov v krovi nadpochechnykh ven i b basseine nizhnei poloi veny u bol'nykh s zabolevaniiami nadpochechnikov i pochek.

Hydrocortisone and aldosterone concentration was determined in 138 patients with arterial hypertension of adrenal and renal genesis in the blood of the adrenal veins and in the cistern of the vena cava inferior, that of deoxycorticosterone in 50 patients, ACTH in 51 and renin activity in the blood plasma of the renal veins in 21 patients. The concentration of steroid hormones adequately reflected adrenal cortex function facilitating differential diagnosis between renal and adrenal pathology variants. Differential diagnostic analysis on the basis of change in the concentration of steroid hormones was found difficult or impossible if the patients received steroidogenesis changing drugs on day, preceding veno graphic examination of the adrenals.

[Functional state of the pancreas in workers exposed to the long-term action of lead]. / Funktsional'noe sostoianie podzheludochnoi zhelezy u rabochikh pri dlitel'nom vozdeistvii svintsa.

Examination of the exocrine function of the pancreas in 52 workers exposed to lead, including 36 with the symptoms of intoxication (mild in 33 and marked in 3) revealed the primarily hyposecretory response of acinar cells stimulated with pancreozymin and secretin, while the hyposecretory and dyspancreatic responses were recorded less frequently. The endocrine function of the pancreas was revealed to be also lowered, which was confirmed by the decreased blood fasting insulin content and low blood insulin content after glucose intake as well. The changes in pancreatic function are among the pathogenetic mechanisms of the abdominal syndrome observable during lead intoxication.

[Effect of lithium on the energy metabolism of nervous tissue]. / Vliianie litiia na énergeticheskii metabolizm nervnoi tkani.

Lithium (0.5--4 mM) either significantly increase, either completely normalizers the intensity of the oxidative and energy metabolism of the brain mitochondria, decreased by the influence of the blood serum of patients with manic-depressive psychosis and attack like schizophrenia. At the same time lithium gives an insignificant increase in the intensity of processes of phosphorilation in cases of an action of the blood serum of patients with a continuous development of schizophrenia. Processes of phosphorilation become normalized in a joint action on the mitochondria by lithium and antioxidants. In the process of phosphorilation in comparison with the blood serum of patients who do not receive this preparation. It is assumed that an increase in the intensity of the energy metabolism is one of the mechanisms of therapeutical and prophylactic action of lithium.