HYPOTHALAMUS AND PITUITARY GLANDSThe pituitary gland, which is about the size of a pea, is located near the base of the brain, behind the bridge of your nose. The hypothalamus, a different region of the brain, is located not far from the pituitary gland.
The human body has systems that constantly monitor changes and other vital functions. The pituitary gland and the hypothalamus are a part of some of these systems. The hypothalamus regulates bodily functioning by receiving information from a variety of sources. One of the ways the hypothalamus accomplishes this is by regulating the pituitary gland and interacting with it via its own hormones. These hormones are transported to the pituitary gland, where they serve as a cue for the pituitary to start producing one or more of its hormones. The endocrine glands that the pituitary hormones are targeting are then stimulated to create their own hormones. These locally made hormones are what actually regulate your body. |
Example of how hypothalamus and pituitary glands regulate bodily functions
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Position of the pituitary gland in the brain
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Pituitary problems often result from either too much or too little activity of the pituitary gland. Pituitary adenomas, or pituitary macroadenomas if they are large, are distinct pieces of the pituitary gland that frequently cause complications. Pituitary adenomas can be problematic because they:
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Type of Disorder |
Medication |
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Side Effects |
Prolactin-secreting tumors (prolactinomas) |
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ACTH-producing tumors (Cushing syndrome) |
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Growth hormone-secreting tumors |
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Scitron is a Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs), derived from human umbilical cords. Upon treatment, the cultured cells are injected intramuscularly or intravenously into the patient. The cells are characterized by low immunogenicity, making them very safe, tolerable, and free of side effects.
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As shown in Figure (A), pituitary deficit can be corrected by inducing local stem cells in the pituitary to multiply and develop into the desired cell types. As an alternative, stem cells from pituitary tissue can be extracted, grown in a dish, and then either transplanted directly into the hypophysiotropic region beneath the hypothalamus or first differentiated and purified in a dish. The desired cell type can be created by transdifferentiating adult pituitary cells using the same methods. As described in Figure B, Pluripotent stem cells, such as embryonic stem cells (ESC) and iPSC, may be injected into the hypophysiotropic region of a patient with hypopituitarism, where they can develop to replace the damaged endocrine cell type. However, due to their tremendous ability for proliferation, the potent ESC and iPSC may result in the development of tumors. To get around this issue, ESC and iPSC could be differentiated in vitro first, followed by the isolation of the desired hormonal cell type and transplantation of only the pure cell type. |
The potential cell-therapeutic strategies for treatment of hypopituitarism
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