Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Hyponatraemia (serum sodium <136 mmol/l) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. International guidelines suggest a clear algorithm for investigation, inclusive of measurements of paired urine sodium and osmolality, thyroid function tests and a morning cortisol. The aim of this study was to prospectively investigate the assessment, management and clinical outcomes associated with hyponatraemia on hospital admission.Metho...

Background: In females, timing of puberty and fertility require estradiol (E2) action at the infantile and late juvenilestages and are tightly influenced by environmental cues. A regulator of intra-ovarian E2 synthesis during reproductive life is the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). However, its action on E2 synthesis and its capacity to mediate the effect of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC)s has not been thoroughly evaluated during the prepubertal period.<p class="abs...

It is now well demonstrated that, in the human adrenal gland, aldosterone and cortisol productions are stimulated by autocrine/paracrine factors, like serotonin (5-HT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP). Several data indicate that these signals may also be involved in the regulation of corticosteroidogenesis in adrenocortical hyperplasias and tumors. 5-HT is detected in clusters of steroidogenic cells in aldosterone-producing adrenocortical adenomas (APAs), and in both ACTH-indepe...