Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Over 9000 bariatric surgeries are conducted annually in the UK and post-operative micronutrient deficiency is common. We report a case of dry beriberi secondary to thiamine deficiency following Roux-en-Y bypass surgery.Case presentationA 45-year-old Caucasian obese lady (155 kg, BMI 57) presented with progressive proximal limb weakness, upper and lower limb paraesthesia, ataxia and athetoid tremors 18 months following...

Background/objectives: Irisin is a novel myokine, released predominantly by skeletal muscle. Peripheral action of irisin improves glucose homeostasis, increases energy expenditure and induces browning of adipocytes, with therapeutic potential for use in weight loss. However, there are no human studies on the central role of irisin in the regulation of appetite or energy expenditure. This study sought to examine the potential central role of irisin, by demonstrating irisin in h...

Aim: Manipulation of human brown adipose tissue (BAT) represents a novel therapeutic option for diabesity. The aim of our study was to develop and test a novel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) based method to identify human BAT and delineate it from white adipose tissue (WAT), and validate it by providing immunohistochemical confirmation.Methods: Initial scanning with 18F-FDG PET–CT radiotracer uptake on a 25-year-old Caucasian female wit...

Mitochondria are essential for synthesising ATP required for cellular metabolism. In response to changes in their cellular environment, mitochondria are able to alter their morphology and abundance through the balance of “fusion” and “fission” events. The aim of this study was to profile the expression of mitochondrial genes in the abdominal subcutaneous (AbSc) adipose tissue (AT) of lean, obese and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) individuals and determine ...

Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) is a member of the phospholipase A2 super family of enzymes that hydrolyse phospholipids, and is upregulated in arterial inflammation, obesity and cardiovascular disease. Secreted soluble Lp-PLA2 (sPLA2) increases arterial inflammation in addition to cytosolic calcium dependent PLA2 (cPLA2) and calcium independent PLA2 (iPLA2). These studies examined the influence of adipose tissue (AT) depots (abdominal subcutaneous (Abd Sc), ...

Background and aims: The mechanisms in HIV by which mitochondrial dysfunction occurs, leading to impaired energy homeostasis and metabolic regulation, are unclear; although similarities are noted in T2DM. Therefore, we investigated the effect of HIV status and ARV therapy on several mitochondrial and nuclear encoded genes related to mitochondrial metabolism and energy homeostasis.Materials and methods: Subcutaneous AT biopsies from the ileac crest were o...

Background and objectives: Obesity-associated inflammation is a key contributory factor in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Murine studies have revealed potential links between obesity-induced activation of the innate immune response and endoplasmic reticular (ER) stress. Our aims were therefore to (1) examine whether human abdominal subcutaneous (AbSc) adipose tissue (AT) obtained from lean and obese patients, differs in the level of ER stress, through ass...

Aims/hypothesis: Adiponectin is an adipocyte-derived secretory factor that is highly specifically expressed in adipocytes. It exerts effects on energy homeostasis via peripheral and central mechanisms. However, it is not clear whether adiponectin is crossing the blood brain barrier in humans. In serum, adiponectin circulates in several different complexes, each of which has distinct functions. Here, we wanted to test whether adiponectin can be found in human cerebrospinal flui...

Aims/hypothesis: Genetic and functional defects in mitochondria are linked with phenotypes of obesity, hypercholesterolemia, and type 2 diabetes (T2DM). However, the impact on mitochondria during surgery-induced metabolic recovery is unknown. We therefore studied the effect of restrictive versus malabsorptive bariatric procedures on indicators of mitochondrial efficiency and control of biogenesis/function.Methods: Forty-three morbidly obese, T2DM consent...

Background and aims: Bariatric surgery can lead to a quick reversal in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) status. However, despite this reversal inflammatory responses may still persist via activation of Toll-like receptors (TLR) within adipose tissue (AT); with triglycerides (TGs) noted as a potential mediator of such inflammation. Therefore the aims of these studies were to understand the impact of TG changes, pre- and post-bariatric surgery, on TLR expression in ex vivo</e...