antidiuretic hormone
Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science & Medicine:
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antidiuretic hormone
ADH
A hormone produced in the hypothalamus and secreted by the posterior pituitary gland. ADH stimulates reabsorption of water through the distal convoluted tubules and collecting ducts of the kidney, resulting in less water being excreted in the urine, thus conserving water. Intense exercise is usually associated with an increase in ADH secretion so that plasma volume levels may be maintained, minimizing the risk of dehydration during periods of heavy sweating.
antidiuretic hormone (ăn'tēdīyūrĕt'ĭk), polypeptide hormone secreted by the posterior pituitary gland. Its principal action is to regulate the amount of water excreted by the kidneys. Antidiuretic hormone (ADH), known also as vasopressin, causes the kidneys to resorb water directly from the renal tubules, thus concentrating the salts and waste products in the liquid, which will eventually become urine. ADH secretion by the pituitary is regulated by neural connections from the hypothalamus, which is believed to monitor either the volume of blood passing through it or the concentration of water in the blood. Dehydration or body stress will raise ADH secretion and water will be retained. Alcohol inhibits ADH secretion. Failure of the pituitary to produce ADH results in diabetes insipidus. In pharmacological doses ADH acts as a vasoconstrictor. The structure and chemical synthesis of ADH was announced (1953) by Nobel laureate Vincent Du Vigneaud and others.
Mosby's Dental Dictionary:
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antidiuretic hormones
n
ADH, vasopressin
A hormone of the posterior pituitary gland that encourages resorption of water by acting on the epithelial cells of the distal portion of the renal tubule. It raises blood pressure by its effect on the peripheral blood vessels and exerts an antidiuretic effect (antifacultative resorption of water in the renal tubules). An absence of antidiuretic hormone H causes diabetes insipidus.
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categories related to 'antidiuretic hormone'
- Physiology - antidiuretic hormone: ADH; peptide hormone synthesized in hypothalamus and released from posterior pituitary, causing retention of more water in body
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Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science & Medicine
The Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science & Medicine. Copyright © Michael Kent 1998, 2006, 2007. All rights reserved.
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The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.
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Mosby's Dental Dictionary
Mosby's Dental Dictionary. Copyright © 2004 by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.
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