Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Pseudohypoparathyroidism (PHP) is a rare disorder characterized by parathormone (PTH) resistance, caused primarily by genetic defects involving the alpha-subunit of the stimulatory G protein. Biochemical and molecular analysis classify pseudohypoparathyroidism into types I-a, I-b, I-c and 2. We report a case of PHP I-b in an adolescent presenting with a neurological disorder.Case Report: 11 years old female patient, with no relevant persona...

Introduction: Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), an inducible enzyme in prostaglandin synthesis, plays a major role in the pathogenesis of sporadic colorectal carcinoma (CRC). COX-2 inhibitors reduce the mortality from sporadic CRC. Acromegaly is associated with an increased risk of CRC, with a preponderance of right sided disease, but COX-2 protein is reduced or absent in acromegalic normal and malignant colonic mucosa. The mechanisms responsible for this are unknown.Aims: (i) To ...

Introduction and aim: Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion via insulin pump is the most efficient way of imitating physiological insulin secretion, and it also provides better management of diabetes, lower rate of hypoglicemic episodes, better quality of life and prevention of long-term complications of diabetes mellitus. Aim of the research was to determine effects of subcutaneous insulin infusion therapy on parameters of glycoregulation during the two years trial.<p ...

Background: Infants born small for gestational age (SGA) usually show catch-up growth during the first few years of post-natal life. However, some infants remain small and little is known about the factors governing their growth failure. IGF-I receptor mutations account for a minority of cases therefore we have initiated an assessment of signalling molecules downstream of the receptor.Method: Skin biopsies were obtained with local ethics approval from he...

Somatostatin (SST) and cortistatin (CORT) are two highly related neuropeptides involved in the regulation of several endocrine secretions. In particular, SST and CORT are two primary negative regulators of GH secretion. Consequently, SST or CORT knockout (KO) mice exhibit elevated GH levels; however, this does not lead to increased IGF-I levels or somatic growth, which has been suggested that could be due to a compensatory mechanism between both peptides. In order to test this...

Introduction: Using discriminant analysis, a method based on two growth hormone (GH) dependent markers, insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and pro-collagen type III N-terminal peptide (P-III-P) has been devised to detect exogenously administered GH. It is believed that GH is a popular substance of abuse amongst adolescent athletes. As previous studies on the detection of GH abuse involved predominantly adult athletes, it is necessary to validate the method in adolescent athl...

Many PhD graduates will pursue a postdoctoral training position, most commonly in an academic laboratory. What can you expect from this period in your career? Do you need to go abroad to do a postdoc? What could/should you do to benefit the most of this time? And how can you use your time as a postdoc to help you with your career path once you leave?I recall being very excited about beginning my postdoc and leaving the ‘PhD nest’. I trained and...

Neuroprotection defines a set of homeostatic, self-repair mechanisms that probably evolved for the specially demanding conditions imposed by brain function. Among these, intercellular messengers such as the insulin-like growth factors (IGFs), that appeared very early during phylogeny, apparently play a prominent role despite their peripheral origin. In contrast to the heterogeneity seen in primitive organisms where at least 30 different IGF-like peptides are described, in mamm...

Introduction: Moderate weight loss (5–10%) translates into health benefits, including improvement in cardiovascular risk. It is essential to assess the results and indicators of success in treating obesity, which is the objective of this work.Methods: A retrospective study of patients with overweight and obesity, followed in Nutrition consultation between 2004 and 2010. We analyzed biodemographic and anthropometric variables, consultation reason and...

Growth hormone (GH) is the primary regulator of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) production in a wide variety of tissues. After secretion by the pituitary GH, GH is transported to the liver and stimulates IGF-I production in the liver. The IGF-I produced in the liver accounts for most of the IGF-I in the circulation. The circulating IGF-I will have effects on extra hepatic tissues as the heart, lung, muscles and kidney. Circulating IGF-I feeds back at the level of the pitu...