Cortisol News and Research

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Cortisol is a hormone made by the adrenal cortex (the outer layer of the adrenal gland). It helps the body use glucose (a sugar), protein, and fats. Cortisol made in the laboratory is called hydrocortisone. It is used to treat many conditions, including inflammation, allergies, and some cancers. Cortisol is a type of glucocorticoid hormone.

Rare neuroendocrine tumours may be misdiagnosed as Cushing’s disease

Ectopic tumours secreting corticotropin-releasing hormone and adrenocorticotropic hormone are very rare in children and can result in a misdiagnosis of Cushing’s disease, say researchers.

30 Oct 2014

Fatty fish intake appears to increase antidepressant response rates

Up to half of patients who suffer from depression (Major Depressive Disorder, or MDD) do not respond to treatment with SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors). Now a group of Dutch researchers have carried out a study which shows that increasing fatty fish intake appears to increase the response rate in patients who do not respond to antidepressants.

21 Oct 2014

Newborns of mothers who smoke during pregnancy have altered stress hormones, DNA

Researchers from The Miriam Hospital have studied the effects of smoking during pregnancy and its impact on the stress response in newborn babies. Their research indicates that newborns of mothers who smoke cigarettes during pregnancy show lower levels of stress hormones, lowered stress response, and alterations in DNA for a gene that regulates passage of stress hormones from mother to fetus.

20 Oct 2014

Parental understanding regarding daily experiences may affect adolescent health, well-being

Adolescents whose parents better understand their daily experiences have better psychological adjustment, suggests a study in the October issue of Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine, the official journal of the American Psychosomatic Society.

16 Oct 2014

LCSB scientists characterize new tumour suppressor gene

Scientists at the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine of the University of Luxembourg have published their findings that mutations in a gene known as "ARMC5" promote the growth of benign tumours in the adrenal glands and on the meninges: ARMC5 appears to belong to the group of so-called tumour suppressor genes.

14 Oct 2014

Preoperative IV ibuprofen improves quality of recovery after laparoscopic cholecystectomy surgery

Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced that preoperative intravenous ibuprofen improved overall quality of recovery in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy surgery. These results will be presented at the American Anesthesiology 2014 Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.

12 Oct 2014

Social status can impact health, happiness even among egalitarian forager-farmers

In western society, where keeping up with the Joneses — or, better yet, surpassing them — is expected and even encouraged, status matters. So important is it that for many people, physical and emotional wellbeing are directly connected to their place in the social hierarchy.

9 Oct 2014

Epidurals and reduced postpartum depression: an interview with Dr. Zakowski

The “maternity blues”, which resolve within 10 days of giving birth, occurs in up to 80% of new moms. A major depressive episode, by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) criteria, is defined as having at least a 2-week period of persistent depressed mood ...

23 Sep 2014

Relationship between stress hormones and immune function across different stages in life

Young people have a more robust immune response to the loss of a loved one, according to new research from the University of Birmingham, providing insight into how different generations cope with loss.

10 Sep 2014

Investigators report on potential effects of hormone in borderline personality disorder

In the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics a group of German investigators is reporting on the potential effects of a hormone in borderline personality disorder.

4 Sep 2014

Female rats whose great grandparents exposed to toxins become more vulnerable to stress

Scientists have known that toxic effects of substances known as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), found in both natural and human-made materials, can pass from one generation to the next, but new research shows that females with ancestral exposure to EDC may show especially adverse reactions to stress.

26 Aug 2014

Amygdala stimulates stress responses in adults, say researchers

In contrast to evidence that the amygdala stimulates stress responses in adults, researchers at Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University have found that the amygdala has an inhibitory effect on stress hormones during the early development of nonhuman primates.

21 Aug 2014

Study links high cortisol in infants with socioeconomic status of mothers during pregnancy

Women who are poor experience higher cortisol levels in pregnancy and give birth to infants with elevated levels of the stress hormone, putting them at greater risk for serious disease later in life, according to a new research from the University of Colorado Denver.

21 Aug 2014

Fluticasone furoate effective in moderate-to-severe asthma

Once daily fluticasone furoate, used at a dose of 100 µg or 200 µg, provides substantial improvements in lung function and asthma control for patients with uncontrolled moderate-to-severe asthma, phase III trial results show.

13 Aug 2014

Suicidal tendency shows up in the blood?

American researchers have identified a genetic indicator that could be used to predict a person’s risk of attempting suicide.

31 Jul 2014

Alterations to single gene could predict risk of suicide attempt

Johns Hopkins researchers say they have discovered a chemical alteration in a single human gene linked to stress reactions that, if confirmed in larger studies, could give doctors a simple blood test to reliably predict a person's risk of attempting suicide.

30 Jul 2014

Peer-led interventions can reduce depression and anxiety in mothers of kids with autism

Peer-led interventions that target parental well-being can significantly reduce stress, depression and anxiety in mothers of children with disabilities, according to new findings released today in the journal Pediatrics.

22 Jul 2014

Women experiencing stressful events the day before eating high-fat meal can slow body's metabolism

A new study in women suggests that experiencing one or more stressful events the day before eating a single high-fat meal can slow the body's metabolism, potentially contributing to weight gain.

14 Jul 2014

Novel device uses smartphone to measure cortisol concentration in saliva

Researchers have developed a device that uses any smartphone to measure the cortisol concentration in saliva. The device was presented Tuesday, June 24, at ICE/ENDO 2014, the joint meeting of the International Society of Endocrinology and the Endocrine Society in Chicago.

25 Jun 2014

Patients with Cushing’s syndrome experience significant weight loss while taking oral medication

Sinai Hospital of Baltimore endocrinologist, Henry G. Fein, M.D., today presented new research showing that patients with Cushing's syndrome, a rare disease that can lead to extreme weight gain, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and psychological issues, experienced significant, sustained weight loss while taking oral medication daily over a number of years to manage symptoms of the disease.