Endocrinology/Exam 1 notes

From PhysioWiki

The general consensus was that first endocrinology exam was a bit more difficult than expected. Here are some notes written approximately seven hours after I took the exam.

Contents 1 General exam notes 2 Specific topics 2.1 Hypothalamic and pituitary hormones 2.2 Puberty 2.3 Parturition 2.4 Steroid hormones 2.5 Clinical disorders

General exam notes

• 49 questions
• 2 hours (10-12pm)

Specific topics

Hypothalamic and pituitary hormones

• Location of synthesis of every hormone mentioned in class (e.g. all the releasing factors, pituitary hormones, VIP, epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, etc.)
• General shapes, peaks, and troughs of curves involving levels of hormones in menstrual cycle (e.g. when does estrogen peak?)

Puberty

• Role of GABA:glutamate ratio in onset of puberty

Parturition

• Role of fetal pituitary on onset of parturition (CRH)
• Role of fetal adrenal in later stages of pregnancy (DHEA-S, cortisol)

Steroid hormones

• Only 5-6 questions on the exam (far fewer than I expected)
• Not focused on the minutiae
• Key enzymes
  • 17α-hydroxylase
  • 18-hydroxylase and 18-hydroxydehydrogenase
  • 3β-HSD/Δ^5-4 isomerase
  • 21-hydroxylase
  • 11β-hydroxylase
• Know structures of a few key hormones (testosterone, DHEA, aldosterone, estrogens)
• Binding proteins: don't know them all, but know which hormones have a binding protein (e.g. PRL doesn't)

Clinical disorders

• Differentiate between congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency and CAH due to 11β-hydroxylase deficiency
• Know names associated with clinical disorders
  • Sheehan's syndrome → panhypopituitarism
  • Kallman syndrome → hypogonadotropic hypogonadism
  • Laron dwarfism → growth hormone resistance
• What would happen to PRL secretion if you sectioned the pituitary stalk?
• Effects of pituitary macroadenoma on vision