Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Obesity is a major risk factor to develop heart failure, in part due to possible lipotoxic effects of increased intramyocardial (MYCL) and/or pericardial (PERI) lipid accumulation. Recent evidence suggests that MYCL is highly dynamic and might rather be a surrogate marker for disturbed energy metabolism than the underlying cause of cardiac dysfunction. On the other hand, PERI might contribute directly by mechanic and paracrine effects. Therefore, we hypothesized th...

Introduction: Heterozygous inactivating mutations of the calcium sensing receptor (CaSR) gene cause mild alterations in calcium metabolism (familiar hypocalciuric hypercalcemia (FHH)). However, in addition to the parathyroid gland CaSR expression was recently identified in the myocardium and many other endocrine cells including pancreatic islet cells, entero-endocine cells and adipose tissue. So far, it is unknown whether FHH is associated with cardio-metabolic altera...

The mechanisms responsible for the progressive failure of hypoglycemia counter-regulation in type-1 diabetes (T1DM) are poorly understood. Alterations of brain energy metabolism could influence glucose sensing by the brain and, thus contribute to hypoglycemia associated autonomic failure. Thus, we measured intraneuronal kinetics of total ATP-synthesis from PCr (kfor) in T1DM patients and effects of hypo/hyperglycemia on this brain energy metabolism. Healthy n...

Recent data suggest that circulating retinol binding protein-4 (RBP4) is involved in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance in rodents and humans. Moreover, protein C inhibitor (PCI) which specifically binds retinoic acid was found to be increased in myocardial infarction survivors who are also insulin-resistant.Therefore, we investigated the association of insulin resistance with plasma retinol binding factors (RBP4 and PCI active antigen) in nondiabeti...

Background: Altered hepatic mitochondrial activity plays a key role in the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). GH has been shown to stimulate mitochondrial function in skeletal muscle. Therefore we hypothesize that the time course of serum GH concentrations during an oral glucose tolerance test might be related to hepatic mitochondrial energy metabolism in vivo in humans.Methods: 15 volunteers (male/female: 7/8; 55±8 y...

Recent case reports describe hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia after gastric bypass. The aim of this study was the assessment of insulin resistance and insulin secretion in non-diabetic morbidly obese patients before and six months after bariatric surgery.In 8 non-diabetic morbidly obese patients (OB:6f/2 m, age:42±3a, BMI:47.29±2.2 kg/m2) and 6 controls (CON:4f/2 m, age:43±0a, BMI:23.8±0.5 kg/m2) we performed a freq...