Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Acromegaly has until now been managed almost entirely in tertiary care. Introduction of nurses specialising in endocrinology has enabled us to take their care into the community.Method: 39 patients (P) mean age 57y(29-82) with active acromegaly, required Octreotide LAR treatment, and lived 5-173(median 38) miles from the endocrine unit. A shared care (SC) protocol was approved whereby the patient's first injection was given at the hospital, ...

Ghrelin, a novel GH-releasing n-octanoylated peptide, has been identified as an endogenous ligand for the 'orphan' GH secretagogue receptor. When administered iv or icv, Ghrelin causes a greater increase in serum GH concentrations than hexarelin or GHRH. However Ghrelin has a number of other actions: it promotes food intake, raises serum glucose and inhibits insulin secretion, increases ACTH and cortisol secretion and influences cardiac function.In orde...

There is increasing evidence that cytokines may play an important role in the pathogenesis of human pituitary adenomas. We have measured the production of interleukin-1 alpha from 30 cultured human pituitary adenomas and looked at the relationship of its secretion to interleukin-6 and soluble gp130. Tumours were also analysed for interleukin-2 secretion. We also used the HP75 cell line to look at the effects of varying levels of interleukin-1 on interleukin-6 secretion.<p...

The principal physiological effect of the anterior pituitary hormone prolactin is to stimulate milk production during lactation. However, recombinant mouse prolactin (PRL) has recently been shown to have an antidiuretic effect when the normal antidiuretic hormone, vasopressin, is either absent from the circulation or its secretion inhibited(1). The present study was designed to investigate whether this antidiuretic effect of prolactin was mediated by changes in the glomerular ...

There is no consensus on the role of insulin secreted from pancreatic β-cells in regulating its own secretion, nether in rodent islets nor in human islets. We have now investigated whether there is an autocrine signalling role for insulin in human islets by determining insulin receptor expression and assessing the effects of insulin receptor activation using a non-peptidyl insulin-mimetic termed L-783,281. All experiments used hand-picked human islets of Langerhans. Human...

Mice and rats are unusual amongst mammals for having 2 structurally similar but non-allelic insulin genes. Both genes are functional but their expression patterns relative to each other have not been conclusively determined. The insulin 1 gene (ins 1) has been shown in several studies to be selectively glucose responsive in mice and rats. We have used the MIN6 cell line to examine passage-related changes in ins 1 and 2 expression and to test glucose responsiveness of the 2 gen...

We are reporting a 33 years old female, known case of primary adrenal failure who presented to our emergency department feeling generally unwell, lethargic and short of breath, She found to be hypothermic, hypotensive and hypoglycaemic. ECG showed low voltage QRS complex with prolonged QT intervals and ECHO confirmed moderate to severe left ventricular dysfunction with features of ’broken heart’ and ballooning suggestive of Takusobo cardiomyopathy. In our case report...

There are controversial data on the beneficial/detrimental effects on the cardiovascular as well as on the metabolic system by the sex hormone testosterone. Recent data support the hypothesis that low levels of androgens are associated with adverse cardiovascular risk factors including an atherogenic lipid profile, obesity, insulin resistance and hypertension. AMPK is a sensor of energy balance at both the cellular and whole-body level. Once activated by low energy status, it ...

Research indicates that low testosterone is associated with CAD in men. Evidence suggests that men with hypotestosteronemia and concomitant CAD may benefit from physiological testosterone replacement therapy (PTRT). The mechanism by which testosterone produces these cardio-protective effects and the role of the androgen receptor remains largely unknown. The aim of this study was to determine whether testosterone modulates atheroma formation via its classical signalling pathway...

Research indicates that low testosterone is associated with CAD in men. Evidence suggests that men with hypotestosteronemia and concomitant CAD may benefit from physiological testosterone replacement therapy (PTRT). The mechanism by which testosterone produces these cardio-protective effects and the role of the androgen receptor remains largely unknown. The aim of this study was to determine whether testosterone modulates atheroma formation via its classical signalling ...