Endocrine Abstracts

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with insulin resistance and obesity. Recent studies have shown that plasma omentin-1 levels decrease with obesity. Currently, no data exists on the relative expression and regulation of omentin-1 in adipose tissue (AT) of PCOS women.Objectives: To assess mRNA and protein levels of omentin-1 in omental (om) AT of PCOS women and matched controls, including circulating omentin-1. Ex vivo and in vivo</...

Introduction: Elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is an important risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Direct LDL-C measurement is not widely performed. LDL-C is typically estimated using the Friedewald (FLDL), Martin-Hopkins (MLDL) or Sampson (SLDL) equations, which may be inaccurate at high triglycerides (TG) or low LDL-C levels. We aimed to determine if machine learning (ML)-derived LDL-C levels agree better with direct LDL-C than...

The role of brown adipose tissue (BAT) in pathological states of energy homeostasis and impaired adipocyte function, such as obesity has been a major area of research interest in recent years. Herein, we sought to determine the direct effects of adipokines, visfatin and leptin on BAT thermogenesis. The effects of mouse recombinant visfatin, nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) and leptin with or without FK866 were studied on differentiated T37i cells. Treated cells were analyzed ...

Objectives: Visfatin and monocyte-chemoattractant-protein-1 (MCP-1) are elevated in cardiovascular pathologies, insulin-resistant and dysmetabolic states. Visfatin has been reported to exhibit pro-angiogenic actions in human endothelial cells by the induction of endothelial gelatinases and VEGF. Given MCP-1’s well described pro-angiogenic properties we sought to study the potential interaction between visfatin, MCP-1 and VEGF in human endothelial cells. More importantly, ...

Aim: Cardiovascular disease is more common in individuals with diabetes mellitus and obesity. Visfatin is elevated in obesity and T2DM; and thought to be an inflammatory mediator within atherosclerotic lesions inducing gelatinase activity, contributing to plaque destabilisation. We investigated the activation of NF-κB, a well-known pro-inflammatory transcription factor, by visfatin, in Human Endothelial Cells (EC).Research design and methods: We sta...

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: Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) concentrations are reduced by 20–50% in type 2 diabetes but studies in women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are inconclusive. Our aim was to study the GLP-1 profile during a glucose tolerance test (GTT) at GDM diagnosis and its relationship with insulin levels.Methods: A prospective study of selectively screened women was conducted. Plasma GLP-1, insulin and glucose were measured at 30-minute int...

Background: Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) concentrations are reduced by 20–50% in type 2 diabetes but studies in women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are inconclusive. Our aim was to study the GLP-1 profile during a glucose tolerance test (GTT) at GDM diagnosis and its relationship with insulin levels.Methods: A prospective study of selectively screened women was conducted. Plasma GLP-1, insulin and glucose were measured at 30-minute int...

Renalase is a recently discovered flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-dependent oxidase, predominantly secreted into the circulation from the kidney and regulates catecholamine degradation and metabolism. Renalase gene is also present in heart muscle, skeletal muscle and liver cells in humans, and in mouse testicles. Four isoforms of renalase gene has been identified in humans (hRenalase1 to hRenalase4), however only hRenalase1 is detected in human blood suggesting that hRenalas...

Introduction: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is associated with insulin resistance, visceral obesity -metabolic syndrome (MS) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Fetuin-A, human protein: α2-Heremans-Schmid glycoprotein is an abundant serum protein exclusively expressed in the liver and has been suggested to act as a link between obesity, insulin resistance (IR), and MS.Aims: A) To determine levels of Fetuin-A in PCOS women. B) To invest...