ABSTRACT
The endocrine system is one of the body's major homeostatic control systems whose aim is to maintain normal function and development in the face of a constantly changing environment. Working in tandem with the nervous system, which is mainly responsible for rapid and immediate responses, the endocrine system tends to act in a slower and more sustained manner to regulate a diverse set of processes. Multiple endocrine glands also work in concert with one another to form complex feedback loops, which tightly regulate critical physiological processes. The pituitary gland or hypophysis is situated within the sella turcica and, together with the hypothalamus, coordinates the structural integrity and functions of other endocrine glands. In severe cases, glomerular amyloid accumulates in the thyroid and parathyroid glands, among other organs, and is characterized by a diffuse expansion of the interstitial tissues with faintly eosinophilic, amorphous material, with separation and possible atrophy and loss of thyroid follicles and/or parathyroid chief cells.
