Endocrine Abstracts

Serum was collected with ethical approval from Vanderbilt Medical Center, USA for blinded analysis between clinical phenotypes; heritable and idiopathic PAH patients (hPAH n=13, 14; iPAH n=7, 12) compared to non-PAH control (n =17, 17) (female, males, respectively). Quantification of circulating estrogens in human bio-fluids may reveal insights into disease aetiology but has been hampered through inadequate sensitivity and specificity of immunoassays...

Background: Adipose tissue dysfunction could partially explain the well-demonstrated association between obesity and survival in breast cancer (BC). Oestrogen and glucocorticoid concentrations and their respective activation enzymes, oestrogenic 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (17βHSDs) and aromatase, and 11βHSD1 are increased in adipocyte hyperplasia and hypertrophy, supporting the hypothesis of a potential role for locally generated steroids in obesity-assoc...

BackgroundObesity is closely associated with impaired adipose tissue function. Although bariatric surgery is the treatment of choice for severe obesity and its related conditions, there are conflicting data on the reversal of adipose tissue dysfunction after surgery-induced weight loss. We hypothesise that local steroid hormone availability influences fat deposition or mobilisation and that these changes track with weight loss improvements, because plasm...

Background: Endocrine systems are known to be disrupted in acute illness, and we previously demonstrated that plasma steroid concentrations correlated with severity in patients hospitalised with COVID-19. Given their similarity to some clinical hormone deficiencies, we hypothesised that ‘long-COVID’ symptoms may be related to ongoing endocrine dysfunction.Methods: Plasma steroids, precursors and metabolites were quantified by LCMS/MS in multi-c...

Background: Bone marrow adipose tissue (BMAT) comprises >10% of total adipose mass in healthy humans and further increases in diverse clinical conditions, including obesity/diabetes, osteoporosis and following caloric restriction (CR). However, why BMAT increases during CR remains unknown. One possibility is that this is mediated by glucocorticoid (GC) excess. GC action on target tissues depends on circulating and intracellular concentrations of t...

Background: Secretion and metabolism of glucocorticoids and sex steroids is disrupted in critical illness, and may be further disrupted in COVID-19. The host receptor (ACE-2) is expressed in endocrine tissues including adrenal cortex and gonad, and its occupancy may dysregulate the renin-angiotensin system. We hypothesise that severe COVID-19 results in glucocorticoid and sex hormone deficiency, and aldosterone excess.Methods: Plasma was obtained from 27...