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• A system of chemical control that works somewhat like a

thermostat
• The word endocrine derives from the Greek words "endo,"
meaning within, and "crinis," meaning to secrete
• A gland without a duct
• These glands secrete chemicals called hormones directly into the
bloodstream.
• The major glands of the endocrine system, each of which
produces one or more specific hormones, are the hypothalamus,
the pituitary gland, the thyroid gland, the parathyroid glands,
the islet cells of the pancreas, the adrenal glands, the testes in
men, and the ovaries in women. During pregnancy, the placenta
also acts as an endocrine gland in addition to its other functions.
• The chemical secreted by an endocrine gland that brings about
an effect in a specific tissue or organ,
• Most hormones are proteins or lipids called steroids.
• The specific tissue affected by a hormone is called a target
tissue.
• The bloodstream enables all tissues of the body to come in
contact with all hormones, but only specific target tissues react
to a specific hormone. Hormones work in very small amounts.
• The negative-feedback system is the basis of hormone
regulation.
• Not all organs that secrete hormones or hormonelike substances
are considered part of the endocrine system. For example, the
kidneys produce the hormone renin to help control blood
pressure and the hormone erythropoietin to stimulate the bone
marrow to produce red blood cells. In addition, the digestive
tract produces a variety of hormones that control digestion,
affect insulin secretion from the pancreas, and alter behaviors,
such as those associated with hunger. Fat (adipose) tissue also
produces hormones that regulate metabolism and appetite.
Additionally, the term "gland" does not mean that the organ is
part of the endocrine system. For example, sweat glands,
glands in mucus membranes, and mammary glands secrete
substances other than hormones.
• 2 endocrine glands are involved in controlling
growth- the anterior pituitary gland and the
thyroid gland.
• The anterior pituitary gland is located at the base
of the brain and secretes human growth hormone
(HGH)…
• The thyroid gland is located in the throat just below
the larynx, or voice box...
• Sometimes the pituitary gland does not produce the right
amount of growth hormone. When this happens, a midget
or giant results. In midgets, too little growth hormone is
produced. Bone growth stops before normal height is
reached. This condition has been treated by administering
growth hormone during the developing years causes an
abnormal increase in the length of bones and a person
grows very large.
• Acromegaly is giantism resulting from excessive pituitary
secretion. The bones of the face, hands and feet become
enlarged.
• Homeostatic mechanisms are designed to counteract the stresses
of everyday life.
• If stress is extreme or prolonged, normal homeostatic
mechanisms may not be sufficient to counteract it. The
hypothalamus is the body’s watchdog against stress. The
hypothalamus monitors the internal body situations that change
the homeostatic balance. When stress appears, the
hypothalamus stimulates the sympathetic nervous system and the
adrenal gland. The adrenal gland secretes the hormones,
epinephrine and norepinephrine. The sympathetic nervous
system and these hormones set into motion the fight-or-flight
mechanism . . .
• The pancreas is an organ located near the stomach. It is usually
associated with digestion since it produces digestive enzymes.
• The islets of Langerhans are endocrine cells within the pancreas
that produce insulin.
• Insulin is a hormone that enables glucose to move into a cell by
making the cell membrane permeable to glucose.
• Glucose is primarily used in cells as the source of ATP…
• To control endocrine functions, the secretion of each hormone must be
regulated within precise limits. The body is normally able to sense
whether more or less of a given hormone is needed.
• Many endocrine glands are controlled by the interplay of hormonal
signals between the hypothalamus, located in the brain, and the
pituitary gland, which sits at the base of the brain. This interplay is
referred to as the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. The hypothalamus
secretes several hormones that control the pituitary gland. The
pituitary, sometimes called the master gland, in turn controls the
functions of many other endocrine glands (see ). The pituitary controls
the rate at which it secretes hormones through a feedback loop in
which the blood levels of other endocrine hormones signal the
pituitary to slow down or speed up.
• Many other factors can control endocrine function. For example,
a baby sucking on its mother's nipple stimulates her pituitary
gland to secrete prolactin and oxytocin , hormones that
stimulate breast milk production and flow. Rising blood sugar
levels stimulate the islet cells of the pancreas to produce insulin .
Part of the nervous system stimulates the adrenal gland to
produce epinephrine .
• 200 B.C.: The Chinese begin isolating sex and pituitary
hormones from human urine and using them for medicinal
purposes
• 1025: In medieval Persia, the writer Avicenna (980-1037)
provides a detailed account on diabetes mellitus in "The Canon
of Medicine" (c. 1025), describing the abnormal appetite, the
collapse of sexual functions and the sweet taste of diabetic
urine.
• 1835: Irish doctor Robert James Graves describes a case of
goiter with bulging eyes (exophthalmos). The thyroid condition
"Graves' disease" was later named after the doctor.
• 1902: William Bayliss and Ernest Starling perform an
experiment in which they observe that acid instilled into the
duodenum (part of the small intestine) causes the pancreas to
begin secretion, even after they had removed all nervous
connections between the two organs.
• 1889: Joseph von Mering and Oskar Minkowski observe that
surgically removing the pancreas results in an increase of blood
sugar, followed by a coma and eventual death.
• 1921: Otto Loewi in 1921 discovers neurohormones by
incubating a frog's heart in a saline bath.
• 1922: Leonard Thompson, at age 14, is the first person with
diabetes to receive insulin. Drugmaker Eli Lilly soon starts mass
production of insulin.
• Hormone levels that are too high or too low indicate a problem
with the endocrine system. Hormone diseases also occur if your
body does not respond to hormones in the appropriate ways.
Stress, infection, and changes in the blood's fluid and electrolyte
balance can also influence hormone levels.
• Diabetes, a condition in which the body does not properly
process glucose, a simple sugar. This is due to the lack of insulin
or, if the body is producing insulin, because the body is not
working effectively,
• Hormone imbalances can have a significant impact on the
reproductive system, particularly in women.
• Another disorder, hypothyroidism, occurs when the thyroid gland
does not produce enough thyroid hormone to meet the body’s
needs. Loh noted that insufficient thyroid hormone can cause
many of the body's functions to slow or shut down completely.
• Thyroid cancer begins in the thyroid gland and starts when the
cells in the thyroid begin to change, grow uncontrollably and
eventually form a tumor.
• Hypoglycemia, also called low blood glucose or low blood
sugar, occurs when blood glucose drops below normal levels.
This typically happens as a result of treatment for diabetes
when too much insulin is taken.
• Diabetes, the most common disease of the endocrine system, can
be linked to obesity, diet and family history.
• Tumors — both benign and cancerous — can also disrupt the
functions of the endocrine system, Myers explained. Infections
and medications such as blood thinners can also cause adrenal
deficiencies.
• Diabetes is treated with pills or insulin injections. Managing
other endocrine disorders typically involves stabilizing hormone
levels with medication or, if a tumor is causing an
overproduction of a hormone, by removing the tumor. Treating
endocrine disorders takes a very careful and personalized
approach, Myers said, as adjusting the levels of one hormone
can impact the balance of other hormones.
• After completing four years of medical school, people who
want to be endocrinologists then spend three or four years in an
internship and residency program. These specialty programs
cover internal medicine, pediatrics, or obstetrics and
gynecology, according to the American Board of Internal
Medicine.
• Endocrinologists typically specialize in one or two areas of
endocrinology, such as diabetes or infertility. These specialists
treat patients with fertility issues and also assess and treat
patients with health concerns surrounding menstruation and
menopause.

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