Endocrine Abstracts

Thyroid disease during pregnancy is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes and suboptimal fetal development. During the last decades, guidelines for diagnosing thyroid disease during pregnancy have changed considerably, and there has been increased awareness. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of thyroid disease treatment over time among pregnant women in Norway. We combined historical data from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway and the Norwegian Prescription D...

Background: Many studies in Norway have found inadequate iodine status in pregnant and lactating women, but no studies have been undertaken in a random, population-based sample. Globally, the main strategy to eliminate iodine deficiency is iodization of salt. However, this is not compulsory in Norway, where the current legislation only permits iodization up to 5 μg per gram of salt. To reach the Nordic Nutrition Recommendation (NNR) of 200 μg/day iodine, supplements ...

At present, the blue fox is extensively studied in connection with the process of domestication and there is a need for a better understanding of endocrine processes associated with reproductive and stress-response development in this species. Plasma concentrations of testosterone, oestradiol, ACTH and cortisol, gonadal in vitro production of testosterone and oestradiol and adrenal in vitro production of cortisol were measured by RIA in foetal (47-48 days of pregnancy, n=69), ...

Background: Primary aldosteronism (PA) patients have increased left ventricular mass (LVM) and increased cardiovascular morbidity compared with those with essential hypertension. Echocardiographic studies have demonstrated that adrenalectomy or spironolactone decreases LVM. The aim of the present study was to use MRI to assess both LVM and cardiac function before and during stress testing, at baseline and after treatment with adrenalectomy or spironolactone, compared with heal...

Background: Real-time reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) has become the method of choice for quantification of gene expression changes. Inappropriate data normalization and inconsistent data analyses are some limitations of RT-qPCR. Pituitary adenomas are frequent tumours and the interpretation of increasingly published data within this field is hindered by the lack of a proper selection and validation of stably expressed reference genes.Ai...

Context: Angiopoietin-like protein 4 (Angptl4) is a protein involved in lipolysis, that is regulated by non-esterified free fatty acids (FFA). GH promotes lipolysis and increases circulating FFA. Hypothesis: GH increases circulating Angptl4 levels by modulating its expression and secretion from fat and muscle. Angptl4 might be of metabolic relevance for the insulin resistance associated with GH/IGF1 excess or deficiency.Objective: To evaluate Angptl4 in ...

Background: Functioning (FCA) and silent corticotroph (SCA) pituitary adenomas act differently from a clinical perspective, despite both subtypes showing positive ACTH staining by immunohistochemistry. They are challenging to treat, the former due to functional ACTH production and consequently hypercortisolemia leading to Cushing disease, whereas the latter due to invasive and recurrent behaviour. Moreover, the molecular mechanisms behind their distinct behaviour are not clear...

Background: The exact mechanism behind the hypersecretion of ACTH and lack of negative cortisol feedback on POMC regulation in functional corticotroph adenomas (FCA) is unknown. Silent corticotroph adenomas (SCA) express, but do not secrete functional ACTH and have lower POMC expression. Using RT-qPCR and immunohistochemistry, previous studies have identified some POMC-transcription factors, regulators and processing enzymes to be differentially expressed between FCA and SCA. ...

Background: Long standing growth hormone (GH) excess causes the skeletal clinical signs of acromegaly with typical changes in bone geometry including increased cortical bone thickness (CBT). However, a high prevalence and incidence of vertebral fractures has been reported. The aim of this study was to assess the course of cortical bone dimensions in the hip by comparing patients with acromegaly and clinically non-functioning pituitary adenomas (NFPA) at baseline and one year a...

Background: Non-functioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs) necessitate prolonged clinical, biochemical and radiological observation, constituting a significant burden in terms of medical resources and societal costs. Reliable biomarkers associated with aggressiveness and recurrence of NFPAs are lacking. As the growth of tumor remnants is highly variable, molecular markers that can predict growth potential and tumor behavior are necessary.Aim: To identify tar...