Endocrine Abstracts

Estrogen protects women from cardiovascular disease through an unknown mechanism. Two subtypes of estrogen receptors (ERalfa and beta)have been isolated and cloned. We have demonstrated abundant vascular expression of ERbeta in female rats and mice using immunocytochemistry. A majority of endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cell nuclei in various segments of the vascular tree showed immunoreactivity towards ERbeta. Activation of vascular ERbeta with the selective ERbeta ago...

Objective: Many studies suggest that thyroid function modifies the process of healthy aging in humans. However, both a progressive increase and decrease of TSH with advancing age have been reported. The discrepancy may lie in the iodine intake in the population under, since low iodine intake results in an inverse association of TSH with age, while high iodine intake results in a positive association. We aimed to investigate whether FT4, FT3 and FT3</...

Introduction: An increasing notion suggests that aldosterone contributes to the development and progression of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Experimental studies documented an upregulation of cellular adhesion molecules, which are involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, after administration of aldosterone. However, evidence for an association between circulating aldosterone levels and soluble cellular adhesion molecules in humans is sparse.<p class="...

Background: Des-acyl ghrelin (Des-G) is an isoform of ghrelin without the n-octanoyl modification at Ser3 present in this peptide. It is mainly produced in endocrine cells located in the stomach, in the mucosal layer of the fundus, and it is secreted into bloodstream where it circulates in higher amounts than ghrelin (2:1).Although Des-G was previously thought of as a non-functional peptide, since it does not activate GHS-R1a, recent studies have shown t...

A 60-year-old gentleman who had previously undergone a right nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma was admitted electively for a left adrenalectomy due to metastatic disease. Prior to this he had been treated with immunotherapy (Sunitinib) and radiotherapy for pulmonary and bony metastases respectively. He was given perioperative cover with hydrocortisone. A short synacthen test (SST) performed the morning after discontinuing hydrocortisone showed a baseline cortisol of 406 nmo...