Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Primary hyperaldosteronism is still an underdiagnosed cause of hypertension. The challenge lies however, not only in diagnosing the primary hyperaldosteronism, but also in the distinction between aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA) and idiopathic adrenal hyperplasia (IHA). Establishing the correct diagnosis is after all essential, because surgery is only effective in patients with adrenal adenoma.Case report: We report about a 67-year-old p...

The novel somatostatin receptor agonist SOM230 (pasireotide) binds with high affinity to somatostatin receptors sst1, sst2, sst3 and sst5. Acting principally through the latter, it inhibits basal and CRH-stimulated ACTH secretion from the AtT20 mouse corticotroph cell line and ACTH release from a proportion of human corticotroph adenomas both in vitro and in vivo. Data suggesting an additional antiproliferative effect has led to SOM230 being explored as a potenti...

Background: Type 2 DM is a disease caused by both insulin resistance and an insulin secretory defect.Reports suggest that vitamin D supplementation improves insulin resistance and pancreatic beta-cell function, however, there is paucity of data on vitamin D and glycaemia among type 2 diabetes mellitus in Nigeria.Objective: To determine the effect of vitamin D supplementation on insulin resistance and pancreatic beta-cell function i...

Somatostatin (somatotrophin release inhibiting factor; SRIF) is produced primarily in the hypothalamus and pancreas and inhibits the secretion of many hormones and neurotransmitters. Moreover, SRIF and SRIF analogs are able to inhibit tumor growth. Many human neuroendocrine and non-neuroendocrine tumors express the five known somatostatin receptors (sst1–5) in different amounts.Tachyphylaxis after prolonged treatment with octreotide (Sand...

Background: The 5-year survival rate for patients with unresectable, metastatic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs) remains less than 30%, emphasizing the need for new and effective treatment options for patients with advanced pNETs. Notch1 signaling is a critical cell-cell communication pathway responsible for regulating differentiation, cell fate determination, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Notch1 plays a critical role in the differentiation state of NE c...

Background: There are known outcome disparities between Black and White patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs). Recently, Black patients were shown to have higher rates of lymph node metastasis in smaller tumors than White patients, indicating possible differences in tumor biology. Numerous prognostic gene expression differences between racial groups have been reported in other cancers, but no such analysis has been conducted in pNETs. This study evaluated pNET...

Background: Currently there are no evaluated diabetes teaching packages for primary school age children which meet their learning needs, styles and are delivered by trained educators. Sheffield children’s Hospital produced and tested, as a randomized controlled trial (RCT), the KICk-OFF course for 11–16 year olds. This 5-day course based on carbohydrate counting and insulin dose adjustment showed significant improvement in HbA1c (9 mmol/mol, 0.8%) for those with poor...

Improved therapies for pancreatic and pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), which may occur in Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia type 1 (MEN1), are needed. We assessed the effects of pasireotide, a somatostatin analogue with high affinity for somatostatin receptors (SSTRs) −1, −2, −3 and −5, in a mouse model of MEN1. Men1+/− mice treated from 12 months of age with 40 μg/g pasireotide (n=71), or phosphate-buffered sal...

Case: A 25-year-old lady was incidentally found to have hyponatremia while she was investigated for painful left ankle and hand swelling. At the time of review in endocrine clinic, she was completely asymptomatic. Her menstrual period was normal. On examination she was found to be hypertensive with consistent blood pressure of 188/110. Rest of the systemic examination was unremarkable. Investigations revealed biochemical findings consistent wi...

The tumour suppressor menin, encoded by the multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) gene, has been reported to be a component of the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway. To investigate the effects of menin loss on this pathway, we have determined the cDNA expression profiles of pituitary tumours from 5 Men1+/− mice and in normal pituitaries from 5 Men1+/+ littermates by extracting total RNA and by hybridizing it to Affymetrix Mous...