Endocrine Abstracts

C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) acts via its specific membrane-bound guanylyl cyclase receptor, GC-B, to stimulate cGMP production. Stimulation of cGMP impinges upon PKG and PKA signalling, leading to cell proliferation and cell cycle events. In endothelial cells, CNP is thought to perform a predominantly anti-mitogenic role, but the role of CNP on cell proliferation, cell cycle and DNA synthesis in pituitary cell lines has yet to be established. Using the mouse gonadotroph-d...

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...

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) has been associated with lung dysfunction and impairment of cardiorespiratory fitness and increasing evidences have suggested that comorbidities and systemic inflammation may be involved in these derangements. However, the results regarding cardiopulmonary dysfunction and its underlying mechanisms in DM are still controversial. In this study, we evaluated the relationship between metabolic variables and inflammation marker, including hemoglobin A1C (HbA1...

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...

Background and aim: Early glycemic control and weight reduction in diabetes has been associated with prevention of progression of β-cell dysfunction and reduction in diabetes-related complications. Digital therapeutics (DTx) platforms can provide evidence-based therapeutic interventions to improve glycemic control using sustainable behavior change. This study aims at assessing the real-world effectiveness of the Fitterfly Diabetes program in improving glycemic control and...

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...

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...

A 68-year-old woman presented with hypertension, oedema, weight gain and moon face. She had signs of proximal muscle weakness, thinning of scalp hair and bruising on her legs. Initial tests showed 24 hour urine free cortisol elevated at 946 nmol (0–300 nmol).Serum cortisol showed no circadian fluctuation (0900: 1094 nmol/l, 2400 hrs: 886 nmol/l) and no suppression by dexamethasone (2 mg/24 h for 48 h: 1067 nmol/l). ACTH levels were slightly raised (...

Dyslipidemiαs should be managed from childhood for prevention of early atheromatic vascular lesions and premature cardiovascular disease in adult life.Aim: We examined the frequency of different types of dyslipidemiα in children and the results on blood lipids of lifestyle intervention (diet and exercise).Patients and methods: We studied retrospectively 136 children, 74 boys and 62 girls, mean chronological age 8.5±3...