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Adrenals
Adrenals Located on the top of the kidneys, these glands that are responsible for the production of stress-related hormones such as cortisol, DHEA, and adrenaline.
RELATED TERMS--------------------------------------
Hormones
Biological compounds that communicate information at a distance. Hormones require specific receptors to begin their biological action and use second messengers to initiate the cellular process that uses that information.
Cortisol
The hormone released from the adrenal glands in response to stress or low blood glucose. Its primary mode of action in times of stress is to shut down eicosanoid synthesis. Its synthesis in the adrenal gland requires the second messenger, cyclic AMP.
DHEA
Dehydroepiandrosterone.
Adrenaline
Or epinephrine. One of two chemicals (the other is norepinephrine) released by the adrenal gland that increases the speed and force of heartbeats. It dilates the airways to improve breathing and narrows blood vessels in the skin and intestine so that an increased flow of blood reaches the muscles and allows them to cope with the demands of exercise.
SIMILAR TERMS--------------------------------------
Adrenal cortex
The outer portion of the adrenal gland that secretes hormones that are vital to the body.
Adrenal failure
A condition in which the adrenal glands do not produce enough of the adrenal hormones that control important functions such as blood pressure. The adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys. The adrenal is made up of an outer layer (the cortex) and an inner portion (the medulla). The adrenal glands produce hormones that help control the heart rate, blood pressure, the way the body uses food, and other vital functions. The adrenal cortex secretes steroid (cortisone-related) hormones and mineralocortoids that regulate the levels of minerals such as sodium and potassium in the blood.
Adrenal gland
The pair of adrenal glands are located on top of both kidneys. Adrenal glands work hand-in-hand with the hypothalamus and pituitary gland.
Adrenal glands
Two glands, one on top of each kidney, which produce a variety of hormones that affect nearly every body system.
Adrenal medulla
"The inner portion of adrenal gland. (The outer portion is the adrenal cortex). The adrenal medulla makes epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine (noradrenaline). Epinephrine is secreted in response to low blood levels of glucose as well as exercise and stress; it causes the breakdown of the storage product glycogen to the sugar glucose in the liver, facilitates the release of fatty acids from adipose (fat) tissue, causes dilation (widening) of the small arteries within muscle and increases the output of the heart. Norepinephrine secreted by the adrenal gland acts to narrow blood vessels and raise blood pressure. Underfunction of the adrenal medulla is virtually unknown. However, a tumor called a pheochromocytoma produces norepinephrine and epinephrine and is equivalent to overfunction of the adrenal medulla. Pheochromocytomas arise within the adrenal medulla or elsewhere in the sympathetic nervous system. They typically cause hypertension (high blood pressure) that may be paroxysmal (sharply episodic) with attacks of headaches, feelings of apprehension, sweating, flushing of the face, nausea and vomiting, palpitations and tingling of the extremities (the arms and legs)."
Adrenaline
Or epinephrine. One of two chemicals (the other is norepinephrine) released by the adrenal gland that increases the speed and force of heartbeats. It dilates the airways to improve breathing and narrows blood vessels in the skin and intestine so that an increased flow of blood reaches the muscles and allows them to cope with the demands of exercise.
Adrenergic
This refers to neuronal or neurologic activity caused by neurotransmitters such as epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine.
Adrenocortical carcinoma
Adrenocortical carcinoma is a carcinoma of the cortex (outer layer) of the adrenal gland. While most tumors of the adrenal cortex are benign (adenomas) and only occasionally cause Cushing's syndrome, the malignant form makes up about 3% of all cortical tumors and requires surgery and sometimes chemotherapy. Excess cortisol production may require suppression with ketoconazole or metyrapone. Production of aldosterone or androgens by carcinomas is extremely rare.
Adrenocortical hormone
One of the hormones, for example cortisol, secreted not from the internal medulla but from the external cortex of the bilateral adrenocortical glands.
Adrenocortiotrophic hormone
The hormone released from the pituitary gland. It interacts with receptors on the adrenal gland to begin the process of cortisol and DHEA production. ACTH uses the second messenger cyclic AMP to signal target cells in the adrenal gland.
Adrenoleukodystrophy
A rare genetic (inherited) disorder characterized by the breakdown or loss of the myelin sheath surrounding nerve cells in the brain and progressive dysfunction of the adrenal gland. Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) is one of a group of genetic disorders called the leukodystrophies that cause damage to the myelin sheath of the nerve fibers in the brain. The myelin sheath is a fatty covering which acts as an electrical insulator.
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Artery
A blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the body.
Arrhythmia
An abnormal heart rhythm, or heartbeat. The rhythm can be too fast, too slow, or irregular (beating at an off-beat rhythm). Some arrhythmias aren't a problem, but more serious arrhythmias can mean the heart is working less effectively, and may cause symptoms of palpitations, weakness, dizziness, chest pain, and shortness of breath.
Asbestosis
Disease caused by inhalation of asbestos fibers. It usually strikes workers in the textile, cement and insulating industries. Asbestos fibers are microscopic and virtually indestructible. When they are inhaled into the lung, the lung's defense cells try to destroy the asbestos fibers, but the body's defense mechanisms cannot break down asbestos. The result is that the asbestos fibers remain in the lungs and cause scarring and the inflammation continues for decades. This thickening and scarring prevents oxygen and carbon dioxide from traveling between the tiny air sacs of the lungs and into the blood stream, so breathing becomes much less efficient.
Adenosine triphosphate
The primary fuel used by cells to generate the biochemical reactions essential for life.
ATP
Adenosine triphosphate.
Adrenals
Adrenocortiotrophic hormone
The hormone released from the pituitary gland. It interacts with receptors on the adrenal gland to begin the process of cortisol and DHEA production. ACTH uses the second messenger cyclic AMP to signal target cells in the adrenal gland.
ACTH
Adrenocortiotrophic hormone.
Advanced glycosylation endproducts
The polymerized end-products of protein cross-linked with glucose. AGEs tend to adhere to capillaries and arteries. increasing the risk of heart disease, blindness, and kidney failure. AGEs are best estimated by the levels of glycosylated hemoglobin in the bloodstream.
Aerobic capacity
The body's ability to process oxygen. It is a combination of lung capacity, the size of the capillaries, the pumping action of the heart, and transfer of oxygen from red blood cells to target tissues.
Aerobic exercise
Exercise with a low enough intensity to facilitate adequate oxygen transfer to the muscle cells so that no buildup of lactic acid is observed. This type of exercise is useful for reducing insulin levels and lowering blood glucose.
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