Notes

Drugs that affect anterior pituitary hormones mimic or antagonize the effects of specific pituitary hormones.

Hypothalamic agents can inhibit or stimulate the release of hormones from the anterior pituitary using hormones or factors. However, not all of these hormones are available for pharmacological use.

Adrenocortical agents are drugs used as short-term treatment to suppress immune system in patients with inflammatory disorders. They are also used for replacement therapy to maintain hormone levels when adrenal glands are not functioning adequately.

Parathyroid agents are drugs used to treat disorders that affect serum calcium levels. This can be either antihypocalcemic agent or antihypercalcemic agent (further classified into bisphosphonates and calcitonins).

The thyroid gland uses iodine to produce thyroid hormones that regulate body metabolism. Thyroid agents either replace or remove hormones to prevent deficiency and excess. Thyroid agents include thyroid hormones (T3, T4, TSH)and antithyroid drugs (further classified as thioamides and iodine solution).

Blood is the “river of life” that surges within us. It transports everything that must be carried from one place to another within the body- nutrients, wastes (headed for elimination from the body) and body heat through blood vessels. Long before modern medicine, blood was viewed as magical, because when it drained from the body, life departed as well.

Spina bifida is part of a group of birth defects called neural tube defects.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or attention deficit disorder (ADD), is a syndrome characterized by degrees of inattention, impulsive behavior, and hyperactivity.

Insulin is the hormone produced by the pancreatic beta cells of the islets of Langerhans.

Glucose-elevating agents raise blood level of glucose when severe hypoglycemia occurs at <40 mg/dL.