Endocrine Abstracts

Background Ovarian follicles contain a specialised extracellular matrix (ECM), the basal lamina, separating granulosa cells (GC) and theca cells. An important gonadotrophin-regulated gene in ECM remodeling is LOX, which catalyses cross-linkage of collagen and elastin within ECM. Pro-LOX is proteolytically cleaved to active LOX by bone morphogenetic protein-1 (BMP-1), which also cleaves pro-collagens to mature forms. BMP-1 action is enhanced by procollagen C-proteinase enhancer...

Meiotically arrested mammalian oocytes are stimulated to resume meiosis by LH. This response is associated with interruption of gap junctional communication (GJC) within the ovarian follicle and can be reversed by elevation of intraoocyte cAMP. In the present study, we examined the hypothesis that termination of cellular communication in the ovarian follicle is sufficient for induction of oocyte maturation. To test our hypothesis we used rat follicle-enclosed oocytes (FEO) tha...

NPY acts centrally to stimulate appetite and the HPA axis. During late pregnancy enhanced inhibition of parvocellular paraventricular nucleus (pPVN) corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH)/ arginine vasopressin (AVP) neurones reduces HPA-axis stress responses1,2. We investigated activation of hypothalamic neurones regulating HPA responses to NPY, and a role for endogenous opioids in HPA hyporesponsiveness in late pregnancy.Pregnant (d21) and vi...

By including the synthetic glucocorticoid (GC), dexamethasone, in the maternal drinking water on gestational days 16–19 (0.5 μg/ml) or days 1–7 after birth (1.0 μg/ml), we have recently demonstrated (McArthur et al. J. Neuroendocrinol. 17: 475) that perinatal exposure of rat pups to GCs increased dopaminergic (DA) cell numbers in the adult ventral tegmental area (VTA) at −5.1 to −5.4 mm relative to Bregma (level I). In order to investig...

BackgroundThe gut hormone peptide YY (PYY) is released postprandially acting as a satiety signal. Obese adults have reduced concentrations of PYY in the fasting and postprandial state. Animal data suggest that lower PYY levels are likely to be a consequence rather than a cause of obesity. We aimed to investigate PYY in the fasting state and after a 420 kcal meal in post pubertal children.MethodNine normal wei...

Cannabinoids and ghrelin are potent appetite stimulators. The ghrelin receptor (GHS-R1a), endocannabinoids and the cannabinoid 1 (CB1) receptor are expressed in the hypothalamus. There is evidence that the novel CB1 antagonist, rimonabant, causes weight loss by both central and peripheral effects. The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a sensor of cellular energy status and regulates the energy metabolism within the single cell but also at whole body level. We have shown p...

Introduction Diabetes is a strong risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD). Coronary artery calcium measurement (CAC) provides a non-invasive accurate assessment of the presence and severity of CHD, and thus the need for further cardiological investigations and risk-factor modifications.Methods We analysed data from CACS assessment on 3337 male subjects who had no cardiovascular symptoms, of whom 188 had diabetes. CACS was measured by an Electron Bea...

In patients failing on oral antidiabetic (OAD) medication, insulin therapy is frequently started by adding basal or premixed insulin preparations to existing OADs. The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy and safety of two insulin analogue regimens in 255 patients (131 male; mean±SD age, 61.2±9.1 yrs) with type 2 diabetes. All patients gave written, informed consent; the study was approved by a local Ethical Committee and was performed in accordance with the ...