Endocrine Abstracts

Aspergillus infection of the paranasal sinuses is an unusual phenomenon but is the commonest fungal infection of these structures. A 67 year-old man was admitted with six months' lethargy, vomiting, and weight loss. Past history included sinusitis. On examination he was well but dehydrated. BP 100/60. No other abnormal findings. Routine blood results were normal.A provisional diagnosis of upper GI malignancy was made but gastroscopy was normal. The thyro...

Annexin I (ANXA1), a Ca2+- and phospholipid-binding protein is an important mediator of glucocorticoid (GC) action in the host defence and neuroendocrine systems. In the anterior pituitary ANXA1 is highly expressed by the folliculo-stellate (FS) cells (1). We have shown that GCs cause the externalization of annexin I in a FS cell line (murine TtT/GF) despite the fact that ANXA1 lacks a signal sequence and is not packaged in secretory granules. In bacteria and yeast ...

Background: The late gestational surge in glucocorticoids is vital for the maturation of fetal organs in preparation for birth and survival during the neonatal period. Metabolic maturation of cardiomyocytes involves a switch in fuel substrate from glucose utilization to fatty acid (FA) oxidation. In fetal cardiomyocytes, glucocorticoids induce expression of Ppargc1a (encoding PGC1a, a master regulator of mitochondrial capacity). We hypothesized that glucocorticoids pr...