Problem Solving in Clinical Medicine.

Abstract

dolic agents tend to conflict with the. earlier findings.Melatonin is also reported to have a direct action on adrenocortical function: it enhances the in vitro formation of 5a-reduced metabolites of corticosterone.Pineal involvement in growth is reiterated through evidence that pinealectomy reduces the daytime levels of growth hormone in rats.Under the heading of miscellaneous effects are reports on pineal and melatonin involvement in tumour growth, activity and behaviour, temperature and blood pressure regulation, glucose metabolism and levels of serum electrolytes, and the pineal as a biologic clock.The last chapter, devoted to the human pineal, deals with reports on pineal tumours and their treatment, and with the measurement of melatonin in pineal tissue and body fluids.Important new data indicate that pineal function in.humans is in many respects similar to that in other animals.This review will be of immense value to those researching the physiologic roles of the pineal gland.