Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Since the last decade, the disease pattern has significantly changed around the world. Non-communicable diseases, most commonly diabetes mellitus, have become the main threat to global health. The incidence of diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2) is rising steadily, accounting for about two-thirds of deaths in Germany. Based on a prevalence of 9 million diabetic patients per year, DM2 constitutes a considerable medical and economic burden in Germany. However, the healthc...

Background: Families with inherited forms of diabetes insipidus (DI) have been described since the mid 19th century. Depending on the involved gene, the disorder is transmitted in autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, or X-linked fashion.Nephrogenic DI: Patients typically have a severe phenotype manifesting shortly after birth. They are most often males with X-linked disease due to variations in the vasopressin V2 receptor (AVPR2) gene. Rarely, variat...

Ovarian ageing is a naturally occurring physiological process, marked by dynamic changes in ovarian function and hormone secretion. A key of ovarian regulator is follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). FSH is secreted as two glycosylation variants: partially glycosylated FSH (FSH21) and fully glycosylated FSH (FSH24). Analysis has shown that the ratio of FSH21:FSH24 changes with age, with FSH21 predominant during reproductive prime, and FSH24 predominant around menopause. How FSH ...

The heterodimeric glycoprotein hormone, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and its receptor (FSHR) are vital for reproductive function, driving ovarian function via follicular recruitment, selection and development. FSH exists as two predominant glycoforms in females; partially glycosylated (FSH21) and fully glycosylated (FSH24), based on differing glycosylation patterns of the β subunit. The FSH glycoforms have different bioactivities, with FSH21 displaying a higher bind...

Background: Acromegaly is frequently associated with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or diabetes and treatment has also differential effects on glucose metabolism depending on specific type of medication.Objective: To study in 57 acromegalic patients evolution of glucose metabolism according to disease activity and treatment.Methods: IGF1 measurement, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and HOMA test to evaluate insulin sensitivity...

Autoimmune Addison’s disease (AAD) is widely believed to be associated with total loss of endogenous mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid production and secretion, due to cell-mediated immune destruction. Therefore, patients with AAD are prescribed lifelong mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid replacement therapy. We present a case of a 69 year old women known with polyglandular autoimmune disease type 2 (hypothyroidism, Addison’s disease and premature ovarian fail...

CNP, the third peptide of the mammalian natriuretic peptide family, exerts its biological effects through activation of the guanylyl cyclase B (GC-B) receptor and resulting cGMP accumulation. Our previous studies reported that CNP stimulates phosphorylation of MAPK family proteins in GH3 somatotrophs. This present study aimed to further characterise the mechanism of CNP-stimulated ERK phosphorylation and resulting biological consequences in GH3 cells. Western blot analyses sho...

In target tissues, CNP acts via the cell surface guanylyl cyclase B (GC-B) receptor to stimulate cGMP accumulation. Transgenic mice studies deleting either CNP or the GC-B receptor suggest a role for CNP in regulating bone formation and pituitary growth hormone secretion. Our previous studies have implicated a role for CNP in inhibiting calcium transients in alphaT3-1 pituitary gonadotroph cells; however the biological consequence of cGMP accumulation remains unclear. Therefor...

Adequate thyroid hormone levels are crucial for cell homeostasis in the adult human brain. To supply neuronal and glial cells, thyroid hormone (TH) transporters such as the monocarboxylate transporter 8 (MCT8) are required. While implications in TH levels in the human brain seem to play a role in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), altered expression of TH transporters has not been described yet. Our study therefore aimed to evaluate MCT8 expressi...

Ovarian ageing is a naturally occurring physiological process, marked by dynamic changes in ovarian function and hormone secretion. A key endocrine regulator of ovarian function is the heterodimeric glycoprotein hormone, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). FSH is secreted as two glycosylation variants: partially glycosylated FSH (FSH21) and fully glycosylated FSH (FSH24). These variants have different in-vitro activities, with FSH21 more bioactive than FSH24. Interest...