Endocrine Abstracts

The Spanish acromegaly registry (REA) is an online epidemiological database created in 1997 to collect clinical and biochemical data of patients with acromegaly followed in Spain.Aim: To study trends in acromegaly treatment over time in Spain.Methods: REA is an online database in which registered endocrinologists collect data from all acromegalic patients seen at their practices in Spain. In the last year the neuroendocrine group o...

Glucocorticoid (GC) production rates are elevated in obese, insulin resistant individuals. We and others have demonstrated decreased hepatic cortisol regeneration through reduced 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) activity that converts inactive cortisone to cortisol. In addition, there is enhanced cortisol clearance by A-ring reductases, (notably 5α-reductase). We have argued that these changes drive the hypothalamo-pituitary–adrenal axis a...

Objective: To assess if weekly administration of 40 mg pegvisomant (PEG-V) improves quality of life (QoL) and metabolic parameters in acromegalic patients with already normal age-adjusted insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) concentrations during long-acting somatostatin analog (SSA) treatment.Design: Prospective investigator-initiated, double blind, placebo controlled, cross-over study. Twenty acromegalic subjects received for two consecutive treatment ...

Circadian rhythms in behaviours and gene expression are driven by the autonomously rhythmic cells of the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). In nocturnal rodents, restricting a daily meal to the lights-on phase, leads to entrainment of behaviour and gene expression in many extra-SCN hypothalamic nuclei and peripheral tissues. This anticipatory activity is independent of the SCN and is likely to arise from the activities of multiple hypothalamic centres including the do...

The bioavailability of activin, GDF11, and myostatin, members of the TGFβ superfamily, is regulated by the soluble antagonists follistatin (FST) and follistatin like-3 (FSTL3). Activin influences tissue fate determination and organogenesis in embryos as well as organ homeostasis in adults while myostatin decreases muscle mass in adults and GDF11 regulates pancreatic β-cell differentiation. In addition, the FST gene produces three protein forms (FST288, FST303, and FS...

Tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced adipose-related protein (TIARP)/six-transmembrane protein of prostate 2 (STAMP2) has been characterized as an adipocyte-expressed protein which might play a crucial role in metabolic homeostasis and inflammatory pathways. In the current study, the impact of insulin resistance-inducing and proinflammatory interleukin (IL)-1ß on TIARP/STAMP2 gene expression was determined by quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain re...

Introduction: 18-hydroxycortisol (18-OHF) is known to be elevated in glucocorticoid remediable aldosteronism but there are few data relating to 18-OHF in the differential diagnosis of primary aldosteronism.Aim: We evaluated the usefulness of lying and standing 18-OHF in patients with primary aldosteronism in differentiating between aldosteronoma, bilateral adrenal hyperplasia (BAH) and normality.Methods: Patients (n=27) with...

The role of endogenous glucocorticoid (GC) production and metabolism in the pathogenesis of obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes remains unclear. Patients with Cushing’s syndrome develop central obesity, insulin resistance and in some cases type 2 diabetes (T2DM), yet circulating cortisol levels are not elevated in simple obesity. Alterations in GC metabolism, including 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) that generates active cortisol ...

Joint UK guideline (2006) recommends that routine testing of thyroid function (TFT) in patients admitted acutely to hospital is not warranted unless specific clinical indications exist. Despite this, TFT is frequently requested during acute medical admission. In our previous audit in 2002, during a 1 month period from 18th September, 458 subjects were admitted to medical assessment unit (MAU) and 183 (40%) were offered TFT. 39 (29%) results were beyond the laboratory reference...

Joint UK guideline (2006) recommends that routine testing of thyroid function (TFT) in patients admitted acutely to hospital is not warranted unless specific clinical indications exist. Despite this, TFT is frequently requested during acute medical admission. In our previous audit in 2002, during a 1 month period from 18th September, 458 subjects were admitted to medical assessment unit (MAU) and 183 (40%) were offered TFT. 39 (29%) results were beyond the laboratory reference...