Endocrine Abstracts

About one in six hospital admissions are for a primary diagnosis of gastrointestinal (GI) disease in the UK, according to the British Society of Gastroenterology, and there is a similar incidence of disease in other developed countries. Inflammatory disease of the gut, in particular, alters the release of cytokines and gut hormones. Medication is used to manage GI diseases and endoscopies help visually monitor its progression. However, this procedure is invasive and causes dis...

Neurotensin is expressed throughout the gastrointestinal tract and acts as a gut hormone. Recent work has established neurotensin modulates lipid absorption at the gastrointestinal lumen, but its role in the control of glucose homeostasis remains unclear. Neurotensin acts via three receptors, including the NtsR1 and is endogenously released following the ingestion of olive oil. Previous work in our group has identified that neurotensin acutely improves glucose tolerance in bot...

The gut plays an important role in energy homeostasis, and gut function is under intensive neuroendocrine control. The non-invasive imaging techniques contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) imaging and super resolution ultrasound (SRUS) have the potential visualise the gut and provide novel insight into its structure and function. We aimed to demonstrate that changes in duodenal villi structure can be monitored using CEUS and SRUS, providing an insight into the structural of the ...

High protein diets are hypothesised to improve glucose tolerance by modulating the secretion of gastroenteropancreatic hormones via amino-acid sensing. Glucagon, traditionally associated with hyperglycaemia, has beneficial effects on glucose homeostasis, potentially due to its role as an insulin secretagogue via intra-islet signalling and as a regulator of pulsatile insulin secretion. The calcium sensing receptor (CaSR), known for its role in calcium homeostasis, also function...