Endocrine Abstracts

Adrenomedullin is a vasoactive peptide originally discovered in extracts of human pheochromocytoma. It is highly expressed in plasma and adipose tissue of obese subjects and considered as a member of the adipokine family. Adrenomedullin inhibits adipogenesis under the transcriptional control of insulin. We determined plasma adrenomedullin concentrations in a cohort of 360 healthy subjects and found a very significant positive correlation to body mass index (BMI). In parallel, ...

Ghrelin and PYY are gastrointestinal peptides involved in appetite regulation. The cholinergic part of the vagal nerve participate in the regulation of glucose and insulin levels. We aimed to examine the effects of the cholinergic antagonist atropine on ghrelin, PYY, glucose and insulin under basal conditions and after meal ingestion in lean and obese subjects. Eight lean and eight obese subjects received in a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled crossover study design...

Objectives: We investigated in women with prior GD (pGD) at risk of diabetes and premature atherosclerosis in comparison to women with normal glucose tolerance during and after pregnancy (C) parameters of inflammation, endothelial dysfunction and glucose tolerance in a follow-up study.Methods: 119 pGD and 41 C underwent an oral glucose tolerance test 3 months, 1 and 2 years after delivery with measurements of plasma concentrations of circulating adhesion...

Obestatin has recently been identified as a peptide derived from pre-proghrelin that opposes ghrelin effects on appetite and body weight in rodents. We studied the effect of food intake on both these hormones in obese and lean subjects and recorded in parallel the subjective sensations of satiety and hunger. Eight obese (two males and six females, BMI=31–52 kg/m2) and eight age- and sex-matched lean subjects (BMI=19–23 kg/m2) were randomized to ...

Background: Despite adequate hormone replacement therapy, evidence suggests that mortality is increased in patients suffering from primary adrenal insufficiency (AI), mainly because of cardiovascular diseases. Since activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosteron system (RAAS) plays an important role in the development of hypertension and cardiovascular disease we aimed to investigate, if there are differences in AI compared to healthy controls.Methods: E...

Introduction: Hypoparathyroidism can occur post-surgically after thyroid or parathyroid surgery or in autoimmune or genetic diseases. Over several decades, the management of hypoparathyroidism included only supplementation with calcium, vitamin D3 (cholecaliferol), as well as active 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (calcitriol). In cases with severe hypoparathyroidism, this treatment can be limited by hypercalciuria, and these patients often need substitution with recombinant parathyro...

Introduction: Hypertension (HTN) is a major cardiovascular (CV) risk factor and independent predictor of the increased mortality in patients with acromegaly. Surgical cure of acromegaly is associated with improvement in blood pressure (BP) levels, however little is known on the effect of pegvisomant (PEGV) treatment on HTN.Methods/design: ACROSTUDY is an open-label, international, prospective, non-interventional study monitoring the long-term safety of P...

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: Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) has recently been characterized as a cardiovascular risk factor. GDF15 correlates with insulin resistance and obesity in cross-sectional studies and exerts anorexigenic effects in interventional rodent studies. GDF15 has been proposed as a possible therapeutic target in the treatment of obesity, however its meal- and nutrient-dependent regulation in humans has not been investigated previously.Methods...

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...