Familial insulin resistance and acanthosis nigricans. Presence of a postbinding defect.

Type A insulin resistance, associated with acanthosis nigricans and menstrual irregularity, has been ascribed to a decreased concentration of insulin receptors. We now report four affected females from one family, a mother and three daughters (including identical twins) who appear to have the type A syndrome. Two of the kindred had no apparent ovarian dysfunction, while the other two had hyperprolactinemia without other findings of polycystic ovary disease, suggesting a genetic disease with variable penetrance. All had normal erythrocyte and monocyte insulin binding. Insulin dose-response studies to assess glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity were performed in the affected twins. The dose response to insulin was shifted to the right with a decrease in maximal response. These results are consistent with a postbinding defect in insulin action in these patients.

Collaborative study of the effects of human growth hormone in growth hormone deficiency. V. Treatment with growth hormone administered once a week.

Twenty-two GH-deficient patients received 6 IU GH weekly for 6 months. They increased their growth rate from 1.0 +/- 0.2 to 2.9 +/- 0.3 (SE) cm/6 months (P less than 0.01). However, their rate of growth was significantly less (P less than 0.05) than the rate [4.1 +/- 0.5 (SE) cm/6 months] observed earlier when they had received 2 IU GH three times a week. Seven patients received weekly GH for 18 months and they also grew significantly less (P less than 0.01) than when they had received GH divided over the week. These results suggest that once a week GH does not provide the most effective therapy for GH deficiency.

Failure of cimetidine to affect calcium homeostasis in familial primary hyperparathyroidism (multiple endocrine neoplasia, type 1).

Recent reports that cimetidine, a blocker of histamine H2 receptors, lowered serum calcium and/or immunoreactive parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentrations in primary or secondary hyperparathyroidism prompted us to administer the drug (300 mg, orally, every 6 h) to two patients with hyperparathyroidism accompanying familial multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1. The patients were hypercalcemic (10.9--11.2 mg/dl), hypophosphatemic (2.0--2.4 mg/dl), and hypercalciuric (greater than or equal to 410 mg/24 h), with elevated urinary cAMP and phosphate clearance and inappropriately high serum immunoreactive PTH levels. Multiple observations of these variables over 5 weeks of cimetidine treatment showed no systematic changes; in particular, serum and urinary calcium did not change, and there was no evidence of a decreased PTH effect on the kidneys. The data offer no support for the treatment of familial hyperparathyroidism with cimetidine.

Collaborative study of the effects of human growth hormone in growth hormone deficiency: IV. Treatment with low doses of human growth hormone based on body weight.

In order to define the minimum effective dose of human growth hormone (GH) in growth hormone deficient children, GH was administered to three groups of patients based on their body weight. Five children who received 0.01 International Unit (IU) GH/kg three times a week (tiw) failed to respond with a significant increase in their rate of growth. A dose of 0.03 IU GH/kg tiw increased the growth rate of 12 patients from 3.5 +/- 0.4 (SE) cm/year to 6.4 +/- 0.4 (SE) cm/year (P less than 0.001) during the first 12 months of therapy. Eight children (67%) larger than or equal to 6.0 cm/year. A similar increase growth rate from 3.6 +/- 0.4 (SE) cm/year to 7.3 +/- 0.4 (SE) cm/year (P less than 0.001) was observed over the first 12 months of therapy in 16 growth hormone deficient children who were given 0.06 IU GH/kg tiw. Thirteen children (81%) grew larger than or equal to 6.0 cm/year. During a second year of treatment, children receiving either 0.03 or 0.06 UI GH/kg tiw again showed a significant increase in their rate of growth. However, the response was significantly less than that observed during the first year of treatment. Comparison of these results with those available in the literature suggests that the most efficient, although not necessarily the optimal, initial dose of GH in children with growth hormone deficiency is 0.06 IU GH/kg administered three times a week.

Lipoblastomatosis: a tumor of children.

A 10-month-old boy with circumscribed lobular lipoblastomatosis of the trunk was examined and treated at the Mayo Clinic. This is only the third case of lipoblastomatosis at our institution. The diagnosis depends on the pathologist, and the lesion must be differentiated from low-grade liposarcoma. Effective treatment involves adequate local excision and local reexcision for recurrence.

Alimentary tract manifestations of multiple endocrine neoplasia, type 2b.

Alimentary tract manifestations were found in all of 17 patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia, type 2b. The manifestations are important because (1) they were chronic, (2) they were severe and led to abdominal operation in 5 patients, (3) they antedated detection of the endocrine neoplasms in the syndrome in 16 patients (94%), and (4) they provided clinical clues that stimulated search for thyroidal C-cell and adrenal medullary disease in 6 patients. The alimentary tract manifestations were diverse: symptoms included constipation, diarrhea, difficulty with feeding, projectile vomiting, crampy abdominal pain, and loud borborygmi; findings included thickened lips, nodules on the anterior third of the tongue, abdominal distention, visible peristaltic waves, and roentgenographic evidence of megacolon or diverticulosis of the colon or of dilatation of the small intestine and stomach. Initial misinterpretation or failure to realize the significance of one or more of these alimentary tract manifestations led to suspicion of aganglionic megacolon (three patients), malabsorption syndrome (two patients), and tracheal ring (one patient).

Feminizing adrenal adenoma in a boy. Case report and literature review.

Feminizing adrenal tumors in young boys are rare; such patients initially show bilateral gynecomastia, and may have signs of virilization. We present a patient with bilateral gynecomastia, left adrenal adenoma, and elevated estrogen levels but normal levels of 17-ketosteroids.

Albright's syndrome with rickets.

Four patients are reported who had Albright's syndrome, hypophosphatemia, and inappropriately low renal tubular reabsorption of phosphate. Three of the patients had radiologic evidence of rickets or osteomalacia, and the fourth had a bone biospy, which showed microradiographic evidence of a previous mineralization defect. Serum parathormone values were elevated before treatment in two patients. Intravenous infusions of calcium in one patient, and of calcium and parathormone in a second patient, showed appropriate target-organ responsiveness. Patients generally showed radiologic improvement of rickets after treatment with large doses of vitamin D, but such treatment failed to restore normal serum values of phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase. It is postulated that a substance elaborated from the dysplastic bone may be interfering with phosphate reabsorption in the renal tubule.

Primary adrenocortical nodular dysplasia as a cause of Cushing's syndrome in infants and children.

Two patients with Cushing's syndrome due to primary adrenocortical nodular dysplasia (PAND) are described. Both patients, an infant and a 14-year-old boy at the time of diagnosis, were treated by total bilateral adrenalectomy. On gross inspection, the adrenal glands of the infant did not appear to be abnormal but those of the older patient showed numerous dark nodules. Microscopically, the adrenal glands of each patient manifested multiple micronodules with internodular atrophy. The extreme internodular atrophy suggest that primary adrenocortical nodular dysplasia is a non-ACTH-dependent condition. Since the disorder appears to involve primarily the cortex of both adrenals, adrenalectomy followed by steroid replacement is the recommended treatment.

Management of parotid gland tumors in infants and children.

Seventy-four pediatric patients with parotid gland tumors were seen during a 52-year period. Seventy percent of the lesions were benign and 30% were malignant. When the primary treatment is either subtotal or total parotidectomy, the recurrence rate was 2.3%. The facial nerve should be dissected free of parotid parenchyma and preserved, except if the lesion was malignant--a situation in which the nerve might have to be sacrificed totally or in part to ensure adequate tumor removal. No patient died of a benign or malignant lesion in this series, and the morbidity after surgical removal of primary tumors of the parotid gland in children and infants was low.

Multiple endocrine neoplasia with skeletal manifestations.

There are three types of familial multiple endocrine neoplasia, but type 2b, which is characterized by medullary thyroid carcinoma, pheochromocytoma, and ganglioneuromatosis, is the only one in which patients also have skeletal anomalies. These musculoskeletal abnormalities include marfanoid habitus, pes cavus, talipes equinovarus, slipped capital femoral epiphysis, kyphosis, scoliosis, lordosis, increased joint laxity, and weakness of the proximal muscles of the extremities. Affected patients have several facial abnormalities as well, the most striking being enlargement of the lips. Therefore, when a patient is seen with one or more of these musculoskeletal defects, the diagnosis of type-2b multiple endocrine neoplasia should be considered. If the characteristic facial features of the disorder are present, the patient should have a prompt examination for medullary thyroid carcinoma and pheochromocytoma.