Article révisé par les pairs
Résumé : A small constant withdrawal pump was used to determine integrated concentrations (IC) of plasma cortisol and growth hormone (GH) in 6 normal subjects (1 male and 5 females) under ambulatory conditions. Blood was collected every hr for a 24 hr period. The well known circadian variations were observed for cortisol, whereas no nycthemeral rhythm could be evidenced for GH. However, IC of GH were significantly higher during the 6PM - 6AM period than during the 6AM - 6PM period: 2.0 ± 0.6 ng/ml (mean ± SEM vs 1.6 ± 0.5 ng/ml).