Parathyroid hormone production and malignancy.

Abstract

period in the first test was taken as 100% the mean (± S.E. of the mean) change found in the second test was 13-25% (±6 0%) for the plateau acid output, 7.85% (±5.81%) for the peak acid output, and 13.88% (±9-14%) for the total acid output. DiscussionOur data indicate that the administration of insulin by a continuous infusion technique does produce a steady-state acid secretion in response to a steady level of hypoglycaemia.Although additional dose-response data will be required our initial trial indicates that a dose of 0 04 U of insulin/kg/hr produces the highest plateau of acid secretion associated with relatively few hypoglycaemic symptoms. It also appears important not to prolong the fasting period over 12 hours. It is as yet too early to reach any definitive conclusions about the ultimate value of the continuous insulin infusion test, but it already appears safe and is associated with few side effects. It is hoped that by producing a steady state as opposed to a peak secretory response its interpretation will be facilitated.The applicability of the criteria currently used for the conventional Hollander test (Hollander, 1946) and the definition of new criteria are at present being evaluated.We are grateful to Professor A. P. M. Forrest for his encouragement in the development of this test, to Dr. I.

Quantitative Bone Histomorphometry in Humoral Hypercalcemia of Malignancy: Uncoupling of Bone Cell Activity*

“…These data are compared to normal values (ES) and previously published results in patients with HPT (1°HPT), secondary hyperparathyroidism (2°HPT), and Paget's disease(7). the cases reported byMavligit et al (20), and Melick et al(21), Hirshorn et al(22), and Sztern et al(23).…”

Mechanisms in the skeletal complications of breast cancer.

“…In humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy (HHM) occurring commonly in many non-breast cancers , not only is the bone resorption excessive, but also calcium excretion is limited through the renal calcium-conserving action of parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP). The protein was originally purified from a breast cancer (Burtis et al 1987), and PTH-like immunoreactivity (non-parallel to standard PTH) was extracted from a breast cancer of a hypercalcemic patient by Melick et al (1972). Indeed, Paget in 1889 described generalized osteolysis in three women suffering from breast cancer, in whom there was no evidence of bone metastases.…”

Parathyroid Hormone‐related Protein in Hypercalcaemia of Malignancy

“…The first direct support for this came from the first PTH radioimmunoassay, when Berson and Yalow (1966) found significantly elevated PTH levels in an unselected group of patients with bronchogenic carcinoma. There were subsequently several reports of measurement of PTH by radioimmunoassay in plasma or extracts of cancers from patients with this syndrome (Sherwood et al, 1967;Melick et al, 1972;Buckle et al, 1970), of an arteriovenous gradient of PTH across a tumour bed (Knill-Jones et al, 1970), and we showed that a cell culture established from a renal cortical carcinoma of a hypercalcaemia patient produced immunoreactive PTH (Greenberg et al, 1973). In none of these instances, however, was the circulating level of PTH as high as frequently found in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism and comparable degrees of elevated plasma calcium.…”