Endocrine Abstracts

The vasoactive peptide adrenomedullin (ADM) has effects on several vascular beds including the cerebral circulation. The peptide has a positive impact on blood-brain-barrier (BBB) integrity, and transcription of ADM mRNA is enhanced by pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-1 and TNF-alpha in neuronal cell types. The current study has investigated whether ADM may be a marker for disease progression, in vivo in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE), a model of the human disease...

Background: Consumption of a high-meat, low carbohydrate diet in late pregnancy is associated with fetal growth restriction, and raised blood pressure and glucose intolerance in the offspring. In a recent study in Motherwell, Scotland, where pregnant women had been advised to eat one pound (0.45 kg) of red meat per day during pregnancy and to avoid carbohydrate-rich foods, we found elevated fasting plasma cortisol levels in men and women whose mothers reported higher protein c...

Objective. Recent studies suggest that in utero programming of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis is important in explaining the link between small size at birth and adult cardiovascular disease. We therefore examined the relationship between adult cortisol concentration and measurements at birth.Subjects. 420 men and women (mean age 69.5, range 65.0-75.8 yrs) born and living in Helsinki, Finland, with detailed birth records.<p class="ab...