Endocrine Abstracts

Aims/hypothesis: Several data have shown the association between diabetes type 2 (DM2) and transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) gene polymorphisms, in several and different ethnical populations. Although the pathophysiology is not completely clear, it seems that beta and alpha cell functions are abnormal. Up to these days there is no clinical data showing association between TCF7L2 gene polymorphism allele rs7903146 T and beta cell insulin and C-peptide contents in DM2 patie...

It has been reported that Ang II induces the growth of MCF-7 breast cancer cells (Muscella et al., J Endocrinol 173, 315-323, 2002). Here we have examined the signalling pathways evoked by Ang II in MCF-7. Ang II did not change the concentration of intracellular calcium but induced the cytosol-to-membrane translocation of atypical protein kinase C zeta (PKC-zeta). Ang II dose-dependently induced c-fos (mRNA and protein) and enhanced the phosphorylation state of extracellular s...

Introduction: The thyroid is a multifunctional endocrine gland which, by its hormones, affects all the organs, metabolisms and nonspecific defence of the body. The aim of this study is to establish if endogenous thyroxin (FT4) is involved in the nonspecific defence of the organism.Material and methods: 94 patients were included in the study, 47 with hyperthyroidism and 47 with hypothyroidism, 81 women, 13 men aged 7–78. FT4 was...

Interferon alpha (IFNα) and Ribavirin combination therapy effectively eradicates Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) in up to 80% of patients. Transient thyroid dysfunction (TD) (>80% hypothyroidism) usually due to a destructive thyroiditis has been recognised to occur in up to 25% of patients treated in Italy, Japan and Australia. However, data are lacking in a UK cohort and no standardised protocol for testing of thyroid function testing exists. The aim of this study was to det...

Background: IGF-1 is a ubiquitous growth factor that has been shown to play an important role in breast tissue development and tumorigenesis. Previously we have shown that IGF-1 expression is lost in approximately 1/3 of breast carcinomas. It is unsure whether this indicates the existence of a subset of breast cancers that may behave differently clinically and on a molecular level. Aims: To assess and quantify the mRNA expression of (i) Cox-2 and c-myc, genes imp...

Introduction: Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) and C cell hyperplasia (CCH) have a variable clinical presentation and prognosis and few data are available on the correlation between immunohistochemical characterization (IIC) and clinical behavior.Aim: We studied the clinical and morphological characterization of CCH and MTC and we evaluated IIC expression of PTTG-1, SSTR2A, VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2 and VEGFR-3 in 23 cases of CCH and/or MTC, correlating it with ...

Background: Thyroid hormones increase both serum levels of cystatin C and renal glomerular filtration rate (reflected by lower serum creatinine); the latter is considered the main determinant of cystatin C levels. A potential explanation for this apparently discrepant finding is an increased production, rather than a decreased clearance, of cystatin C. To study whether 3,3′,5-triiodo-L-thyronine (T3) increases the production of cystatin C in a w...

It is generally accepted that hepatic responses to α-adrenergic agonists are dependent on the redistribution of intracellular and also extracellular Ca2+. Besides, phenylephrine induces significant K+ flux changes and plasma membrane hyperpolarisation. Earlier it was shown that K+ channel blockers as well as chelating of extracellular Ca2+ with EGTA could inhibit phenylephrine-induced metabolic responses and activation of mitoch...

Patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) are at risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD). PHPT patients (n=190, 146 females and 44 males, aged 59.7±14.2 years) and non-hypertensive, non-diabetic age- and sex-matched healthy controls were evaluated for serum cystatin C and creatinine. PHPT patients and controls with established CKD were excluded. Serum cystatin C was measured by immunonephelometric assay and calculation of estimated glomerular filtration rate ...

Background and aims: This study was done to predict renal impairment in type 2 diabetic patients with normo or microalbuminuria by detection of serum cystatin C, serum and urinary TGF-β levels.Material and methods: Seventy-eight patients were categorized into four groups depending on urinary albumin excretion and eGFR: eGFR <60 ml/min per 1.73 m2 with normoalbuminuria in group 1; eGFR was <60 or >60 ml/min per 1.73 m2</su...