In forty-two patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis and without recent alcohol ingestion the pituitary-testicular function was studied in an effort to relate the endocrine abnormalities with the degree of liver cell dysfunction, evaluated on a quantitative basis. Compared with values in twenty-one healthy controls, we found significantly elevated serum oestrone, oestradiol, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone and prolactin (P less than 0.01). Serum dehydro-epiandrosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate were significantly reduced in the cirrhotics (P less than 0.01), whereas serum testosterone was not significantly different from that in the controls. Raised levels of sex-hormone binding globulin were found in 71% (22/31) of the patients (median 8 x 10(-18) mol/l, range 3-17 x 10(-8) mol/l). The incidence of gynaecomastia (38%), cutaneous spiders (67%), testicular atrophy (24%) and reduced axillary hair (71%) was without significant relation to raised levels of sex-hormone binding globulin or progressively reduced liver function. In the presence of clinical or hormonal hypo-gonadism we found evidence of a state of primary hypogonadism together with an inadequate secretion of gonadotropins. The state of hyperoestrogenaemia and the concentration of gonadotropins were significantly correlated to the hepatic synthesis of coagulation factors.
6 long distance runners from the Danish marathon elite and 6 non-runners completed test runs of 28 and 12 km, respectively, Distance runners and non-runners showed the same responses in platelet function. We found a significant decrease in ADP induced platelet aggregability, a decreased serotonin release induced by ADP and collagen and an increase in platelet factor 4 immediately following the run. The antithrombin I11 levels remained constant. Euglobulin lysis time was shortened (by approximately 50 %) and the plasminogen levels significantly increased. The last 2 findings indicate an equal increase in fibrinolytic activity during distance running in both groups. While short term, strenuous exercise induces platelet hyperaggregation, long term distance running induces a state of exhaustion of platelet aggregation capacity.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.