Endocrine Abstracts

Objectives: Radiation induces DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) that can be visualized and enumerated as microscopic γ-H2AX and 53BP1 foci. This study analysed the dose- and time-dependency of the DNA damage in blood lymphocytes in patients after a personalised high-activity 177Lu-DOTATATE treatment.Methods: We investigated multiple blood samples of three patients up to 96 h after personalised high-activity peptide receptor radionuclid...

Background: We have recently introduced [123/131I]iodometomidate (IMTO) which selectively binds to the adrenocortical enzymes aldosterone synthase and 11ß-hydroxylase as SPECT tracer. IMTO has been proven to be useful for molecular adrenal imaging and radiotherapy in adrenal cancer (ACC). As IMTO is rapidly inactivated by endogenous esterases which may impair target tissue to background activity and therapeutic efficacy, >50 new IMTO derivatives have been d...

Introduction: Diagnostic imaging of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) is the domain of somatostatin receptor (SSTR) agonists as well as FDG PET/CT in dedifferentiated tumors. SSTR also serves as target for receptor directed peptide therapy. More recently, specific ligands targeting the chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) were introduced potentially offering an additional theranostic option in NETs. Here we evaluated the CXCR4 expression using 68Ga-Pentixafor PET/CT in NET patie...

Cathepsin K is a cysteine protease known for its importance in bone remodelling. Inhibitors of cathepsin K are in clinical trials for osteoporosis treatment, but side effects included altered levels of related cathepsins in peripheral organs and in the central nervous system (CNS). Importantly, cathepsin K has been identified not only in osteoclasts but also in most epithelia and, recently, in brain parenchyma. Lately, we have also shown that cathepsin K deficiency in mice ind...

Background: Osteoporosis has been an excruciating disease for many years now. Although various treatments are available, there is an unmet need for disease prognosis, early disease diagnosis and prediction of treatment efficacy. New biomarkers are crucial for the diagnosis or prognosis of a disease as well as for monitoring treatment efficacy and improve decision making. Cathepsin K is a cysteine protease that cleaves collagen type I, the major type of collagen found in bone, ...

Epidemiological studies of postmenopausal women on oral oestrogen replacement therapy (ERT) show a reduction in the risk of developing colon carcinoma. Our previous study demonstrated that 17beta-oestradiol (E2) induced apoptosis in COLO205, a colonic cancer cell line. The aim of this study is to identify the genes important in the E2-induced apoptosis. cDNA array analysis 24h post E2 treatment showed a decrease in mRNA of erbB3 of 92%, K-RAS of 83% and p68TRK-T3 of 98% wherea...

Providing access to cutting edge technology and expertise in data analysis, the Genomic Services group at the WTCHG are empowering users to drive the pace of research into the underlying mechanisms of disease.The decade since the publication of the first full human genome has seen the development of sequencing technologies, fuelled by competitive pressure and the challenge of the $1000 genome. The latest High Throughput Sequencing platforms from LifeTech...

Sleep and wakefulness are behavioral and physiological activities. It is a modified form of the basic rest activity cycle. Humans usually fall asleep by entering in non Rapid Eye movement sleep, a phase accompanied by characteristic changes in the encephalogram (EEG). The person next moves to REM sleep, which is characterized not only by rapid eye movements but also by inhibition of skeletal muscle tone. These two states alternate with each other during sleep cycle. It has bee...

Diabetes mellitus is a group of diseases characterized by high levels of blood glucose resulting from defects in insulin production, insulin action, or both. Diabetes patients usually have accompanying cardiovascular disorders. Sulfonylureas have been the leading oral antihyperglycemic agents for type 2 diabetes treatment, which currently still constitute the most popular anti-diabetic drugs. Nevertheless, concern has arisen over the side effects of sulfonylureas on the cardio...

Calcification is a physiological process in bone but occurs also pathologically in the vasculature, favouring cardio- and cerebrovascular diseases (CVD). Vitamin K metabolites, particularly K1 and MK-4, are associated with decreased vascular calcification especially in patients with chronic kidney disease. We investigated the expression of components of the vitamin K cycle (VKC) and the MK-4 synthesis (MKS) in aorta and bone of 26 brain dead organ donors in order to identify d...