Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Hormones oscillate in circadian and ultradian rhythms. Single time point samples are difficult to interpret and high frequency measurements are time consuming, expensive and invasive. We developed a minimally invasive technique of ambulatory, automated microdialysis. This allows frequent 24-hour sampling of interstitial fluid while participants continue normal daily activities.Methods: Healthy volunteers (age 18–68, no regular medication...

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is associated with poor health outcomes. This is, in part, because doses of glucocorticoid sufficient to suppress excess adrenal androgens are also associated with adverse metabolic effects such as insulin resistance. This toxicity occurs with efficacious doses of all commonly prescribed glucocorticoids (hydrocortisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone). However, the glucocorticoid corticosterone may have an improved therapeutic index because...

Context: Perturbations in thyroid function are common in older people, and subclinical hyperthyroidism has been associated with increased risk of dementia in people aged 55 years and above. The significance of subtle perturbations of thyroid function in the very old remains poorly understood.Objective: This study sought to determine if subtle abnormalities of thyrotropin and variations of free thyroid hormones within the reference range correlate with co...

The most common form of endocrine cancer is differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). Outcomes of DTC largely depend on radioiodine treatment, which is mediated the sodium-iodide symporter (NIS). However, many tumours exhibit NIS dysregulation, resulting in a poorer prognosis. Since breast cancer can also overexpress NIS, albeit of limited function, radioiodine treatment may be a promising treatment option. Our previous data show that overexpression of the pituitary tumor-transform...

Introduction: LXRs are transcription factors that regulate cholesterol homeostasis and likely modulate other aspects of lipid metabolism. In the testis, tightly regulated lipid metabolism is crucial to maintain fertility. Testicular LXRs are highly expressed but their role in regulating lipid homeostasis is not fully understood. Lxrα/β double knockout male mice (Lxrα/β DKO) are sterile by 7 months of age, with aberrations in lipid...

Background: Germline mutations in the aryl-hydrocarbon receptor interacting protein (AIP) gene have been implicated in the tumorigenesis of patients with familial isolated pituitary adenoma (FIPA). Around 25% of FIPA patients have an identified AIP mutation; in the remainder of FIPA patients, molecular mechanisms involved in pituitary tumorigenesis have yet to be elucidated.Aims: To identify the genes and molecular mechanisms involved i...