Endocrine Abstracts

Within the pituitary, GnRH acts via type I GnRH receptors to cause a Gq/11 mediated activation of PLC and consequent acute stimulation of gonadotrophin secretion and chronic regulation of gonadotrophin and GnRHR synthesis. The therapeutic effects of GnRH analogues are primarily (if not entirely) dependent upon activation, desensitisation or blockade of this system. There is also abundant evidence for expression of GnRHRs in extra-pituitary sites including the CNS, t...

GnRH acts via G-protein coupled receptors to stimulate phospholipase C. This activates protein kinases C, driving the activation of extracellular signal regulated kinases (ERKs) that mediates transcriptional effects of GnRH. GnRH is secreted in pulses that cause rapid, transient and reproducible ERK activation (1). ERK response kinetics dictate biological consequences in many systems and, although GnRH-mediated ERK activation has been thoroughly explored, little is known about...

Obesity increases the risk of certain cancers, especially tumours that reside close to adipose tissue (e.g. breast cancers and ovarian metastasis to omentum). Adipose tissue in obesity and tumour micro-environmentsshare a common pathogenic feature, oxygen deprivation (hypoxia, Hx). Here we hypothesised that this hypoxic microenvironment causes changes in key metabolic pathways in adipocytes leading to increased cancer cell growth. To test this, human or mouse breast (BC) and o...

Background: Severe maternal hypothyroidism during pregnancy may be associated with delayed development and lower IQ in the foetus. BES (2007) and NICE (2011) guidelines recommend maintaining TSH<2.5 mU/l with monitoring of maternal thyroid function test (TFT) 4 weekly, especially in the first trimester.Aim and methods: A retrospective study on all pregnant women with established hypothyroidism attending the Joint Antenatal Clinic (JANC) at Liverpool ...

Background: 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18FDG) PET is commonly used to quantify brown adipose tissue (BAT) mass/activity in humans but requires cold exposure. Rodent brown (BAds) but not white adipocytes (WAds) exhibit high choline content, thus we hypothesised that human BAT would demonstrate substantial 18F-fluorocholine (18FCH) uptake in vivo during warm and cold conditions.Methods: (1)...