A dramatic change in growth hormone secretion was demonstrated during the 3rd trimester of human pregnancy, when compared with the non-pregnant state. The pulsatile pattern, with intermittent high peaks, and low or undetectable levels between peaks, characteristic of normal men and non-pregnant women, was completely abolished. All the 10 pregnant women investigated had the same stable basal circulating growth hormone concentration. Values were in the range 6-10 mU/l and there was no evidence of pulsatile activity. Previously, in animal experiments, a continuous secretion of growth hormone has been shown to 'feminize' hepatic steroid metabolism, hepatic prolactin receptors, hepatic sulphatase activity and to stimulate pregnancy protein synthesis. The same biological principle could be valid also during human pregnancy and be related to maternal metabolic adjustment.
Haptoglobin groups were investigated in 309 patients with primary lung cancer divided by sex, smoking habits and tumor type. Patients with squamous epithelial cancer and oat-cell cancer showed no significant difference from normal controls. Among patients with pulmonary adenocarcinoma the frequency of the Hp 2–2 type was significantly (p < 0.05) lower compared to the controls, with a corresponding increase of the Hp 1–1 and Hp 2–1 types. This difference was more pronounced (p < 0.025) among females with pulmonary adenocarcinoma.
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