Endocrine Abstracts

The mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) is primarily involved in osmoregulation in mammals, with additional roles of brain-behaviour implicated. However, the understanding of this role is limited, partly due to the mortality of MR-knockout mice due to impaired Na+ reabsorption. Many steroidogenesis pathways and hormone receptors are highly conserved in zebrafish, providing a great potential to become a high-throughput model for translational endocrine research. My proje...

Patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) undergo parathyroid ultrasound, Tc-99m sestamibi scan or MRI to localize hyperfunctioning parathyroid gland(s). When scans are negative or discordant we perform parathyroid hormone selective venous sampling (PTHSVS).We report the results of 18 patients (four males, 14 females, average age 58.7) with PHPT, who underwent PTHSVS followed by either focused parathyroidectomy (FP) or bilateral neck exploration (...

Patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) undergo parathyroid ultrasound, Tc-99 m sestamibi scan or MRI to localize hyperfunctioning parathyroid gland(s). When scans are negative or discordant we perform parathyroid hormone selective venous sampling (PTHSVS).We report the results of 17 patients (Four males, 13 females, average age 58.6) with PHPT, who underwent PTHSVS followed by either focused parathyroidectomy (FP) or bilateral neck exploration ...

Previous studies demonstrated that the N-terminal peptide of annexin A1 (AnxA1) (peptide Ac2-26) can mimic the anti-inflammatory actions of the full-length protein in various systems. In the current study, we report the effectiveness of the peptide Ac2-26 as an anti-inflammatory agent in a model of human SGBS adipocytes. We have previously demonstrated that plasma AnxA1 protein is significantly inversely correlated with BMI, body fat level and waist to hip ratio. We have also ...

Sex development in zebrafish is highly plastic, making this species an ideal model for investigation of endocrine disruption and gonadal development and function. However, the hormonal regulation of these processes in zebrafish is poorly understood. We have used a model of androgen and glucocorticoid deficiency to explore these processes. In humans, ferredoxin (FDX1) is an electron-providing cofactor required for steroid biosynthesis. The zebrafish homologue of FDX1, ...

Annexin A1 (AnxA1), an endogenous glucocorticoid regulated protein, is a pivotal homeostatic regulator of the magnitude of the inflammatory response. We have previously demonstrated that plasma AnxA1 protein is significantly inversely correlated with waist to hip ratio (P=0.017). Given that low-level systemic inflammation is seen in metabolic syndrome-associated chronic pathologies, here, we investigate if AnxA1 is also involved in the regulation of adipose tissue infla...

The escalating public health problem represented by obesity has spurred multidisciplinary research into adipose tissue and importantly, the molecular biology of the adipocyte. Recent studies suggest that obesity related metabolic disorders are characterised by chronic mild inflammation as a result of adipocytokine production from fat tissue leading to dysregulation in the pro/anti-inflammatory systemic balance. Adipokines and pro-inflammatory markers are implicated in insulin ...