Patients with types I, II, and pancreatogenic diabetes mellitus were examined for the counts of T precursor cells using autorosette formation test in the presence of t-activin, an activator of T lymphocyte differentiation. The counts of T lymphocyte precursors in patients with type II and pancreatogenic diabetes were virtually the same as in normal subjects. Disorders of cellular immunity in type I diabetes mellitus were found to be associated with depletion of pre-T-lymphocytes. These changes were the most manifest in the decompensation phase (ketoacidosis state). The results may be useful in development of immunomodulating therapy for type I diabetes and in prediction of the disease development in subjects predisposed to it.

Ninety six patients with diabetes mellitus were examined, 37 of these were included in group 1, the rest ones in whom diabetes was combined with coronary disease were included in group 2. Echocardiography revealed appreciable deceleration of the relaxation of the posterior wall of the myocardium in both groups. All patients presented with a reduced index of myocardial viability — by 32 and 58.6%, respectively. Besides disturbed diastolic function, group 2 patients developed deterioration of the systolic function of the myocardium.

Fertility of women suffering from insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and outcomes of pregnancy in them were analyzed on the basis of case histories of 279 women aged over 25 administered traditional nonintensified insulin therapy. No appreciable differences in the fertility of these women in comparison with that in the general population were revealed. The possibility of conception is increased if IDDM manifests after menarche and maturation of the sexual function. Fertility was the lowest in diabetic women in whom the disease manifested before the age of 10 years. Induced abortions were the most frequent outcomes of pregnancy in diabetic women. The incidence of spontaneous abortions in diabetic women was virtually the same as in the population at large. The incidence of stillbirths is evidently increased in comparison with that in the general population.

Sulfonylurea drugs stimulate the 1st phase of insulin secretion, activate adenylate cyclase, inhibit phosphodiesterase or cause prolonged depolarization of the beta cell membrane. The peripheral effect of the hypoglycemic action of sulfonylurea drugs is mediated through the effect on insulin receptors. It is clearly shown that sulfonylureas lead to an increase in the number of receptors on target cells (hepatocytes, muscle and adipose tissue, lymphocytes and other cells). It is known that patients with type II diabetes mellitus have a decrease in both the number of receptors and their affinity. The increase in the number of receptors on the membrane of target cells is not due to their de novo synthesis, but by improving the return of the receptor to the membrane from the cytosol, where they are translocated as an insulin-receptor complex after the interaction of insulin with the corresponding receptor.

One of the sulfonylurea drugs of the second generation is Gliquidone (glurenorm). This drug has one advantage, distinguishing it from other sulfonylurea drugs. About 95% of the drug is excreted from the body through the gastrointestinal tract, and only 5% is extracted by the kidneys. Therefore, it is the drug of choice in the treatment of diabetic patients with nephropathy, given the fact that the drug is metabolized in the liver and eliminated through the bile ducts into the intestine. Naturally, the question arises of the possibility of its influence on the liver function of patients who have been receiving long-term treatment with glurenorm.

Effects of different sources of protein on the level of postalimentary glycemia in type II diabetes mellitus were studied in 92 patients aged 35 to 56 (mean age 44.2 ± 5.0) with disease duration of 3 to 10 years (mean duration 5.2 ± 0.4 years). Six mixed breakfasts including various sources of plant and animal fat were tested. Each of these breakfasts contained 50 g of easily available carbohydrates; protein content varied from 8 to 40 g. The sources of plant protein were glutene concentrate and soybean protein isolate, milk (casecite) and fish (squid chops) were sources of animal protein. Addition of animal and plant proteins to standard carbohydrate loading was conducive to reduction of postalimentary glycemia in patients with type II diabetes, soybean protein being the most effective in this respect. The minimal glycemic effect of food loading with soybean protein indicates that special dietetic dishes including this protein should be developed for patients with type II diabetes.

A total of 386 patients with nodular goiter, compensated adenoma, lymphocytic thyroiditis, relapses of thyroid cancer, and metastases of thyroid cancer to regional lymph nodes were examined in order to assess the informative value of in vivo and in vitro radionuclide studies. In vivo studies were carried out using different systems of visual information processing gamma-chamber with ^99mTc - pertechnetate, sodium iodide (¹³¹I, ¹²³I) and ²⁰¹Т1-chloride. Standard radioimmunoassay kits were used for measurements of blood serum levels of thyroxin, triiodothyronine, hypophyseal thyroid hormone, thyroglobulin and antibodies to it, parathyroid hormone, and calcitonin. ²⁰¹Т1-chloride was found to be the optimal radionuclide for the differential diagnosis of tumors of the thyroid; as for the most informative in vitro test, thyroglobulin measurements should be preferred.

Results of radioimmunoassay of the adrenal and sex hormones and their precursors in the peripheral blood of men of different age groups are presented. The measurements were carried out in men of mature age of the two periods (22 to 35 years of age. I period, and 36 to 60. II period), elderly subjects aged 61 to 74, senile ones aged 75 to 90, and in long-livers aged 91 to 112. The content of the principal adaptive hormone, hydrocortisone, and its immediate precursor 11-deoxyhydrocortisone was found to be virtually the same in all age groups. At the same time, the levels of other precursors – pregnanediole, 17-hydroxypregnanediole and 17-hydroxyprogesterone progressively reduce with age. An inverse correlation can be traced between the level of the principal adrenal androgen, dehydroepiandrosterone, and the age of the examined men. In contrast to testosterone, the content of 5alfa-dehydrotestosterone is reliably reduced in elderly age and remains at this level in the subsequent years.

Primary hyperprolactinemia (PHP) is one of the principal causes of female sterility. Fifty-three women with pathologic hyperprolactinemia of various origins were examined. A high incidence of combination of PHP with mental disorders - up to 70% - was revealed. Despite comparative polymorphism and the nonspecific type of psychopathologic disturbances proper in different variants of primary hyperprolactinemia, women with the primary hyperprolactinemia syndrome develop similar personality characteristics, e.g. constellations of such features as conservatism, altruism, self-sufficiency, autism. The said constellation appears to reflect the pathological shifts in the brain systems of patients with PHP, which are related to the development of the adaptive forms of maternal behavior in the period of breastfeeding.

In recent years, more and more attention is drawn to the study of multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) - neoplastic syndromes with lesions of two or more endocrine glands. The source of tumors are tissues with embryologically common neuroectodermal origin, belonging to the APUD system. To date, there are three well-defined types of MEN syndromes: MEN I, the most important components of which are tumors of the parathyroid glands (in 80% of cases), pituitary (75%) and pancreas (65%); MEN IIA-medullary thyroid carcinoma (97%), hyperparathyroidism (50%) and pheochromocytoma (30%); MEN II B – multiple neuromas of the mucous membranes (100%), medullary thyroid carcinoma (90%), marphanoid appearance (65%) and pheochromocytoma (45%). Descriptions of observations of Sipple's syndrome - a combination of pheochromocytoma and medullary thyroid cancer are fairly common in both domestic and foreign literature. It has been repeatedly emphasized that the syndrome is caused by the presence of an autosomal dominant gene with high penetrance. However, in our opinion, the collection of family history and the need to examine the relatives of patients is not always given due attention. In the analysis of a large number of observations of MEN II found that pheochromocytoma is diagnosed primarily only in 10% of patients, 50% - in the examination for medullary cancer and 40% - in the late stages of neoplasia.

The combination of cystic changes in the thyroid gland with a violation of its function with cystic changes in other organs is rare and is of practical interest. Thyroid dysfunction can be due to various causes. In the literature, there are a small number of observations of a combination of cystic changes in a number of organs, including the thyroid gland.

The literature describes the combination of congenital cysts of the lungs, kidneys, thyroid gland in a child of 11 months, who was diagnosed with polycystic left kidney and multiple thin-walled cavities in the lower pulmonary field. Left-sided nephrectomy was performed. In 3 years - left-sided hemistrumectomy for macrofollicular adenoma of the thyroid gland. In the dynamics of the patient there was an increase in the size of cysts in the lungs without clinical manifestation. In adults, such changes are not described. This article presents a case of cystic thyroid changes with hyperthyroidism combined with cystic liver and kidney changes.

Besides intracellular receptors of thyroid hormones, specific binding sites for T3 and T4 were detected on plasma membranes (PM) of some cells and a relationship between membrane reception .and lipid composition of membranes shown. The parameters of 125I-T4 binding to highly purified PM of hepatic and cerebral cells of rats were studied. The hepatic and cerebral cellular membranes were found to contain two sites of hormone binding each, one of these sites being characterized by a high affinity and low capacity, and the other by low affinity and a higher binding capacity. The association constant of highly affine site of hepatocyte membranes was found to be higher than that of brain cell membranes. T4 membranous receptors may be significant in the process of cell “recognition" by the hormone. In vivo and in vitro experiments with 125I-T4 and 14C-labeled thyroxin in ganglioside fractions showed appreciable binding of the hormone to Gm3 fraction, this evidently pointing to participation of this, ganglioside in T4 interaction with membrane receptor. It is possible that gangliosides situated on membranous surface are components of or function as receptors.

The role of y-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and its receptors in the regulation of negative feedback mechanisms of the integral hypothalamo-hypophyseo-gonadal complex was studied in sham-operated and unilaterally castrated Wistar rats. An increase of GABA content in the body by aminoacetic acid, an inhibitor of GABA-transaminase, was associated with a suppression of the compensatory rise of testosterone level in the peripheral blood after its two- or threefold drop caused by castration, whereas a reduction of GABA content with thiosemicarbaside, an inhibitor of glutamate decarboxylase, was paralleled by a more intensive compensatory increase of testosterone level. All GABA receptors participate in its action. Stimulation of GABA receptors with muscimol suppressed, and their blocking with bicucullin intensified the compensatory increase of testosterone level following hemicastration. At the same time, stimulation of GABA B receptors with baclophene was paralleled by a more intensive compensatory rise of blood testosterone level. The authors come to a conclusion that GABAergic systems contribute to regulation of the function of the hypothalamo-hypophyseo-gonadal complex as a negative feedback mechanism.

A method of radioimmunoassay of aldosterone in the blood of humans and monkeys has been developed. Antiserum was prepared on rabbits against aldosterone-3-(0-carboxymethyloxime) conjugate with bovine serum albumin. The specificity of antiserum was tested in cross-reactions with 32 related steroids. High specificity of the antiserum in this method helped measure aldosterone levels without preliminary chromatographic isolation and purification of this compound. The sensitivity of the new method is 12.5 pg per 0.1 ml. Reproducibility of the method between different series of measurements was no more than 15%, within the same series below 12%. The method was used to assess the mineralocorticoid function of the adrenal cortex of man and monkeys.

Steroid profiles (SP) of urine, which are the most valuable diagnostic tests of diseases associated with disorders of the synthesis and metabolism of steroid hormones, have a number of advantages over other types of tests. Thus, in the profile analysis, the possibility of using the absolute value as a simple variable and comparing it with the norm is partially significant and not the main one, the ratio of some values with others comes to the first place. The next important feature is that the related compounds are determined, interconnected by their origin in the body, and this relationship between the components is quantitative, which provides unique information for understanding the origin of each component individually. The third advantage is that along with the known peaks of steroids, information about unknown substances can be used for diagnosis. The immunological methods of analysis that are now widespread, which allow one to quickly determine hormones in the blood, cannot surpass the SP in the quality and quantity of information received, and in determining the androgens in the clinic they can even compete with them In addition, immunological methods are limited to the available set of reagents (antibodies). The purpose of this review is to demonstrate the great diagnostic capabilities of determining endocrine disorders by analysis of urine SP obtained by the traditional method of capillary gas chromatography.

Treatment of hormone-active pituitary adenomas should be aimed at correcting metabolic disorders without the subsequent development of pituitary hormone deficiency. As a rule, selective adenomectomy is adequate to such requirements. However, intraoperative examination of the pituitary gland is not always successful, even with the use of an operating microscope. Therefore, preoperative detection of the location of pituitary adenoma should be absolutely accurate, which can significantly improve the results of surgical treatment. Prior to 1990, X-ray methods for examining the sella turcica were used only with a small degree of probability to suggest the presence of pituitary microadenomas. The appearance in the 70s of computed tomography (CT) made it possible to significantly improve the topical diagnosis of microadenomas and raise the percentage of their detection to 60-70. The next significant step forward in this direction was the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) since the early 1980s, with the percentage of detection of microadenomas reaching 87. However, in 10-15% of patients with clinical and laboratory manifestations of endocrinopathies, microadenomas cannot be detected. This makes us look for more advanced methods of diagnosis, which include bilateral catheterization of cavernous sinuses (BCCS), with subsequent measurement of the level of hormones in the blood flowing from the pituitary gland.

Due to the fact that endocrine functions are inherent in almost all areas of the brain, the hypothalamus ceases to be an exclusive object of research by neuroendocrinologists. An increasing number of brain regions are being drawn into the orbit of neuroendocrine research. Among them, the limbic region of the brain attracts the most attention, an important link of which, participating in the regulation of reproductive functions, is the amygdala complex (MC). Latest fundamental analysis, including structural, concerning histophysiologic and neuroendocrinological approaches are presented in the reviewed book. It must be admitted that the publication of this book is timely. Drawing on many years of experience of their own research and extensive literature, the authors analyze in detail the features of the structural organization of this region of the brain and the mechanisms of its interaction with the centers of the brain that control reproductive function. The book consists of a brief introduction, three main chapters and a conclusion. In addition to a large summary of the cited literature, attracts the attention of a rich and very illustrative material. The latter includes a volumetric reconstruction of the entire MC of the brain and its individual components, the reconstruction of the MC on a series of histological sections, each of which is further reproduced in the form of a schematic diagram, and finally, a series of the most informative sections of the MC, reflecting the main structures of this brain region on the frontal sections. Due to its uniqueness, the illustrative material can be used as an atlas of the structural organization of the MC, and therefore it is of independent value.

Held on October 21, 1994 in the Congress hall of the hotel “Cosmos” (Moscow) international Symposium, organized by the Ministry of health and medical Industry of the Russian Federation, the Russian Academy of medical Sciences and the German pharmaceutical company “Bayer", chaired by academician of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Prof. I. I. Dedov, amd was devoted to the treatment of diabetes mellitus and the results of the use of new antidiabetic drug “Glucobay" (Acarbose). In the speeches of Russian and German scientists of diabetologists, modern ideas about the pathogenesis of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) were highlighted and the basic principles of its treatment were outlined.

60 years have passed since the birth of the famous scientist endocrinologist, director of the Research Institute of Diabetes of the Endocrinological Research Center of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, doctor of medical sciences, professor Mikhail Ivanovich Balabolkin. A large place in the studies of M.I. Balabolkin is occupied by the issues of diagnosis and treatment of pituitary adenomas, autoimmune diseases of the thyroid gland, and more recently, the problem of the pathogenesis and treatment of diabetes mellitus and its late complications. M. I. Balabolkin published 350 scientific works, including 10 monographs. He is the author of a textbook on endocrinology for medical schools.

60 years have passed since the birth of the famous scientist biochemist-endocrinologist, head of the laboratory of biochemical endocrinology and hormonal analysis of the Endocrinology Research Center of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, doctor of medical sciences, professor Nikolai Petrovich Goncharov. He is a pioneer in the study of the synthesis and metabolism of steroid hormones in primates; he developed and implemented an adequate experimental model within the framework of the WHO Human Reproduction program to evaluate the pharmacokinetics, mechanism of action, efficacy and safety of both new steroid preparations and regulators of endocrine secretion of steroid hormones. A significant section of the research of N.P. Goncharov is devoted to a comparative study of the endocrine system of primates, the endocrine support of the stress response, the formation of the function of the endocrine glands in various periods of postnatal ontogenesis, and the role of steroid hormones in the pathogenesis of human leukemia. He is an author of about 200 scientific papers on various problems of hormone biochemistry and endocrinology.

On May 21, 1994, at the 69th year of his life, the famous Russian scientist professor Vladimir Mikhailovich Dilman died. V. M. Dilman made a significant contribution to the development of various fields of medical science and created a number of new scientific directions. Among the most important of them are the development of a model of the menopause mechanism (together with V. G. Baranov in 1949), the idea of the primary role of changing the sensitivity threshold of the hypothalamus in the mechanism of aging and age-related pathology (1958), the creation of a large number anagormones (1961 and subsequent years). V. M. Dilman formulated a fundamentally new model of the development of diseases, according to which age-related pathology is the result of the transformation of the development mechanism of the body into the mechanism of aging and the emergence of certain diseases (including, in particular, type II diabetes mellitus). V. M. Dilman is the author of 13 monographs and more than 400 journal articles. He is the founder of a large school, and his students and followers continue to work in the directions created by Vladimir Mikhailovich.