Endocrine Abstracts

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a complex and heterogeneous cancer that progresses from slow-growing, tissue-confined lesions, to highly aggressive and metastatic forms. Among the different processes involved in this progression, dysregulation of the alternative splicing mechanism, and, particularly, the generation of the spliced androgen receptor variant-7 (ARv7), plays a critical role in the pharmacological resistance of PCa patients (i.e. Abiraterone or Enzalutamide). In this cont...

Ghrelin receptor GHSR1α is expressed in hypothalamo–pituitary–gonadal tissues. Ghrelin reduces GnRH secretion in pre-pubertal period and concentrations of ghrelin are positively correlated with testosterone at adulthood. Nevertheless, the role of ghrelin in affecting pituitary and gonadal functions during normal pubertal development remains elusive. A possible correlation between ghrelin and LH, FSH, testosterone and inhibin B was examined in boys (n=55...

B lymphocytes are the source of autoantibodies against the thyroid--stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR) in Graves’ disease (GD). Characterization of autoimmune B-cell expression profiles might enable a better understanding of GD pathogenesis. To reveal this, the expression levels of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and mRNAs (genes) in purified B cells from patients with newly diagnosed GD and healthy individuals were compared using microarrays, which elucidated 604 differe...

Progesterone (PRG) deficiency has been linked to an increased risk of cancer, while normal levels of PRG in the body actually help protect you against some forms of cancer. The tumor suppressor role of this steroid was envisaged, however the mechanism through which this occurs was not clearly established. The effects of progesterone act via the progesterone receptor (PR) of which two isoforms, called A (PR-A) and B (PR-B) were discovered. Herein, we present a novel finding sin...

Inhibins A and B, peptides belonging to TGF-ß superfamily, have an ubiquitous antagonist action on activin signalling. In thyroid gland, TGF-ß1 and activin mainly exert an inhibitory action on growth and function. In human thyroid, beside the presence of activin β subunits and its transductional elements (ActRI/II, SMAD), there is no evidence for α subunit expression, an essential component for inhibin A/B gathering (α-ßA/α-ßB), nor for ...

Voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCC) play a fundamental role in the control of insulin secretion from pancreatic B-cells since they govern rises in cytosolic Ca2+ in response to depolarization-dependent agonists, such as glucose. Here, we have examined the function and expression of VGCC in human B-cells. We isolated tissue from patients with B-cell adenoma (AD) and Hyperinsulinism in Infancy (HI) following surgery and used transplantable human islets as controls. ...

Background: Relapse rates in young people with Graves’ disease (GD) are around 75% after 2 years of antithyroid drugs (ATD). However, there is little mechanistic insight into the pathophysiology of relapse and a lack of robust predictive biomarkers. B cell subsets and related cytokines may reflect humoral immune activity, for which T cells have an important supporting role.Aims: The purpose of this study was to evaluate T and B cell subpopulations, ...

The exact pathogenesis and causative interaction between T- and B-lymphocytes in peripheral blood and thyroid gland immune-mediated mechanisms of Graves disease (GD) are still unknown. Detailed knowledge about lymphocyte subpopulation composition in peripheral blood and thyroid tissue will therefore enhance our understanding of the pathogenesis of GD and might support the development of new immunomodulatory treatment approaches. Aim: to study the relationship between helper- (...

Graves’ disease (GD) has been recognised for more than 100 years, its pathophysiological mechanisms are incompletely understood.Aim: To investigate the helper- (Th-cells) and regulatory T-cells (Treg) influence on B-lymphocytes phenotypic composition of blood and thyroid tissue in GD.Materials and methods: The study included 43 women with GD, mean age 39.95±14.38, who were performed the epifascial thyroidectomy and 67 hea...

Berenice B Mendonca, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil AbstractBerenice B Mendonca received her M.D in 1973 from Faculdade de Medicina do Triangulo Mineiro, Brazil. In 1984, Prof Mendonca completed her research fellowship in Endocrinology at the University of Sao Paulo School of Medicine, where she developed the whole of her scientific achievements.During the course of her career, Prof Mendonca ha...