Endocrine Abstracts

The shortage of donor material has driven research towards finding a replenishable supply of islets for transplantation. We have previously shown that the exocrine material that results as a by-product of the islet isolation procedure can be transdifferentiated towards functional islet-like structures by overexpression of the pancreatic transcription factors (TFs) Pdx1, MafA, Ngn3 and Pax4 followed by culture in the presence of betacellulin, nicotinamide and exendin-4. These c...

The insulin gene is expressed almost exclusively in the β cells of the islets of Langerhans, where transcriptional control is conferred by cis-acting regulatory sequences located within 300–400 base pairs from the transcription start site. These elements bind β-cell restricted (e.g. PDX-1) and ubiquitous (E47) transcription factors. In non-β cells the insulin gene is localised within tightly packed (hetero) chromatin structures. Developments in under...

Hilary Critchley, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK AbstractHilary Critchley is Professor of Reproductive Medicine (Personal Chair awarded 1999) at the University of Edinburgh and clinical Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh.She graduated in medicine from the University of Manchester. Her research training was undertaken with Professor David Baird (Edin...

It is generally accepted that hepatic responses to α-adrenergic agonists are dependent on the redistribution of intracellular and also extracellular Ca2+. Besides, phenylephrine induces significant K+ flux changes and plasma membrane hyperpolarisation. Earlier it was shown that K+ channel blockers as well as chelating of extracellular Ca2+ with EGTA could inhibit phenylephrine-induced metabolic responses and activation of mitoch...

Objective: Objective to study the hypolipidemic efficacy, hepatoprotective activity, and tolerance of the fixed-dose combination of essential phospholipids with methionine (EPL+M) - Eslidine in the combination therapy with A in patients (pts) with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and type 2 DM who suffer from hyperlipidemia (HL) in order to optimize their treatment in daily clinical practice.Subjects and methods: The trial enrolled 60 pts (mean age 58.1&#17...

Introduction: Therapeutic approach of patients (pts) with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) may include the use of biological agents such as m-TOR inhibitors: temsirolimus (TM) and everolimus (EV). Its use is associated with metabolic dysfunction, especially with everolimus: hyperglycemia (37% TM treated pts vs 72% EV treated pts), hypercholesterolemia (25% TM treated pts vs 81% EV treated pts) and hypertriglyceridemia (30% TM treated pts vs 73% EV treated pts). Discontin...

The need for new therapeutic options in diabetes has become increasingly apparent. Until recently transplantation of isolated islets has had limited success. The Edmonton Protocol has described how many of the problems can be overcome, but has highlighted the need to develop methods of expanding islets cells in culture to provide sufficient tissue to meet the potentially huge demand for this treatment. We have focused on three approaches: 1. deriving replicating human Beta cel...

An increased understanding of the DNA sequences and transcription factors (TFs) involved in regulating expression of the insulin gene, and the role that these TFs play in the developing pancreas has opened up new prospects for cell and gene therapy for diabetes. Gene therapy involves injection of an insulin gene construct into muscle, chosen as the most accessible tissue. The major challenges are efficiency of uptake and expression of the exogenous gene, processing of proinsul...

Introduction: The thyroid is a multifunctional endocrine gland which, by its hormones, affects all the organs, metabolisms and nonspecific defence of the body. The aim of this study is to establish if endogenous thyroxin (FT4) is involved in the nonspecific defence of the organism.Material and methods: 94 patients were included in the study, 47 with hyperthyroidism and 47 with hypothyroidism, 81 women, 13 men aged 7–78. FT4 was...

Type 1 diabetes is a chronic autoimmune disease with a subclinical prodromal period characterized by the presence of circulating antibodies to various islet cell proteins. Our main objective is to estimate the prevalence of diabetes-associated autoantibodies in a group of 1st degree relatives, compared to healthy control subjects. Also, we tried to assess the insulin secretory capacity in subjects having multiple antibodies using first phase insulin response (FPIR) to intraven...