Endocrine Abstracts

The melanocortin-2-receptor (MC(2) receptor), also known as the ACTH receptor, is a critical component of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. The importance of MC(2) receptor in adrenal physiology is exemplified by the condition familial glucocorticoid deficiency (FGD), a potentially fatal disease characterised by isolated cortisol deficiency. MC(2) receptor mutations cause ~25% of cases. The discovery of a MC(2) receptor accessory protein MRAP, mutations of which account...

The melanocortin-2-receptor (MC(2) receptor), also known as the ACTH receptor, is a critical component of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. The importance of MC(2) receptor in adrenal physiology is exemplified by the condition familial glucocorticoid deficiency (FGD), a potentially fatal disease characterised by isolated cortisol deficiency. MC(2) receptor mutations cause ~25% of cases. The discovery of a MC(2) receptor accessory protein MRAP, mutations of which account...

The melanocortin receptor (MCR) family consists of five G protein-coupled receptors (MC1R-MC5R) with diverse physiological roles. MC1R controls pigmentation, MC2R is a critical component of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, whilst MC3R and MC4R have a vital role in energy homeostasis and MC5R is involved in exocrine function.The melanocortin receptor accessory proteins, MRAP and its paralogue MRAP2, are small single-pass transmembrane proteins tha...

Overt hypothyroidism, diagnosed and treated with L-thyroxine pre-pregnancy, affects 1% of pregnancies. Untreated maternal hypothyroidism is associated with adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes, and even when partially treated the risks of miscarriage and prematurity remain elevated compared to euthyroidism. With increased understanding of the normal physiological changes to thyroid function during pregnancy, there should be a predictive approach to thyroxine ...

Objectives: To investigate whether there is a sex difference in serum leptin concentration in Chinese Type 2 diabetic patients with and without nephropathy.Methods: Early morning fasting serum leptin concentrations were measured in 34 Type 2 diabetic patients (mean age 62.1) with nephropathy (creatinine 120-450micromol/l and spot urinary albumin creatinine ratio (ACR) > 25 mg/mmol), 12 newly diagnosed diabetic subjects (mean age 62.5) with normoalbumi...

We adapted holistic needs assessment tool used in oncology setting to create a simple tool to assess the learning need of people with adrenal insufficiency. This simple tool consists of 17 items and it allows endocrine nurse educators to obtain a quick assessment on the self-care management knowledge and skill of people with adrenal insufficiency before embarking on adrenal education.The tool 17 items are:Understanding of adrenal i...

Background: The association between diabetes and dementia has been well documented (1, 2, 3) and with Australia’s aging population, the already significant disease burden of both pathologies will inevitably progress over time. Despite both being progressive pathologies which escalate over time, there have not been any studies pertaining to degree of glycaemic control and the extent to which this relates to prevalence of dementia.Aims: To determine a...

The sonic hedgehog (shh) pathway is known to be essential for pituitary development but little is known of its role in adult pituitary. Patched1, encoded by the Patched1 (Ptch1) gene, is a receptor for shh expressed in all cell types of the anterior pituitary. Adult onset hypogonadotropic hypogonadism has been reported in a genetically engineered mouse line with deletion of Ptch1 using S100a4 promoter driven CRE recombinase expression which is restri...

Lipocalin 2 has become an important biomarker for kidney disease and it is important to now understand it’s role in cardiomyopathy and understand it’s direct effects on the heart. Autophagy is now established as a critical determinant of cardiac function and here we investigated regulation of cardiac autophagy by lipocalin-2 and the functional consequences. After treating H9c2 cells with lipocalin-2 we used transmission electron microscopy, Western blotting and immun...

Primary hyperaldosteronism is a common cause of secondary hypertension. Distinguishing between the two subtypes (unilateral aldosterone-producing adenoma and bilateral idiopathic hyperaldosteronism) is crucial for patient’s management. Adrenal venous sampling is an important method for evaluation of the condition, but selective successful right adrenal venous sampling is often reported to be a difficult procedure. A retrospective review of 51 cases suffering from primary ...