Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Prostate cancer is the most prevalent malignancy affecting Western males. Initially an androgen-dependent disease, androgens bind to the androgen receptor and drive expression of genes that promote proliferation and evasion of apoptosis. Although advanced disease involves reduced androgen dependence, androgen receptor signalling remains a key driver of growth. Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is first line, but resistance inevitably develops. A...

In women with PCOS, raised serum LH concentration is associated with lower age and BMI; converse associations are identified in women with IR. Our initial analysis of women with PCOS showed a 20–30% overlap of women with both raised serum LH concentration and IR. To investigate further the relationship between LH and IR we analysed endocrine data from a group of women diagnosed with PCOS by Rotterdam criteria. Notes of 241 women identified as having PCOS were reviewed; me...

In the adult, females release more ACTH and adrenal steroids than males in response to stress, and these differences have been attributed to the stimulatory and inhibitory effects on the HPA axis of oestrogens and androgens, respectively (see Rivier, Pharm. Biochem. Behav. 64(4):739-751, 1999). The effects of sex differences on pituitary-adrenal responses to stress during fetal life remain unknown. This study compared the plasma ACTH and cortisol responses to acute hypoxia in ...

The fetus may successfully respond to acute hypoxaemia, but little is known about what effects prevailing adverse intrauterine conditions might have on these responses. The fetal cardiovascular response to acute hypoxaemia involves increased plasma vasopressin, which aids the redistribution of blood flow away from the periphery towards the fetal brain (Perez et al. Am.J.Physiol. 256:1011-1018, 1989). We investigated the effects of prevailing, but independently-occurring, hypox...

Life events occurring during the perinatal period have strong permanent long-term effects on the behavioural and neuroendocrine response to stressors. In rats, repeated restraint stress of the pregnant dam during the last week of pregnancy produces long lasting changes in the HPA axis function and behaviours in the offspring. These changes include a hyperactivity of HPA axis response associated with a reduction in the number of hippocampal corticosteroid receptors. The HPA dys...

A key mechanism of persistent cell survival under testosterone suppression in advanced prostate cancer (PC) is continued Androgen Receptor (AR) activation. This results from AR mutation, overexpression, hyper-activation, and/or expression of constitutively-active AR transcript variants (AR-Vs). AR has an unusually long 3’ untranslated region (3’UTR), which performs vital regulatory roles but is remarkably understudied. Its contribution to continued AR activation unde...

Prostate cancer is an androgen dependent malignancy that initially responds well to androgen ablation therapy. However treatment, castrate resistant prostate cancer eventually emerges. Even in that phase of the disease, the androgen receptor (AR) still seems to play a role. MicroRNAs are small (19–25nt) non-coding RNAs that modulate gene silencing through inhibition of translation and mRNA degradation. They are considered to be master regulators of gene expression and act...

Aims: The aim of this study is to evaluate sitting height (SH) and leg length (LL) in girls with Turner syndrome.Methods: Retrospective study of SH and LL SDS, using SH–LL SDS (~0 in a proportionate child) as a measure of disproportion in 76 girls with Turner syndrome. Eligible girls were aged at least 4 years, had not started recombinant GH, and had no other chronic disease. 40 girls with measurements prior to pubertal induction and at adult height...

End stage renal disease (ESRD) is characterised by decreased renal synthesis of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25D). Therapeutic use of 1,25D analogues for the management of renal bone disease is routine. However ESRD patients are also deficient in 25D (the immediate precursor of 1,25D). Since 2014 UK guidelines recommend diagnosis and treatment of 25D deficiency/insufficiency in people with chronic kidney disease, but make no recommendations for dosage or monitoring. This, togeth...

Glycogen storage disease type 1b is a metabolic disorder resulting in an inability to shuttle glucose-6-phosphate across the sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum (SR/ER) lumen. Mutation of the SoLute Carrier 37a4 (slc37a4) or glucose-6-phosphate transporter (G6PT) gene responsible for the distribution of G-6-P across this membrane leads to, hypoglycemia, hepatic glycogen accumulation, hyperlipidemia, resulting in life-limiting outcomes including growth retardation and neutropeni...