Endocrine Abstracts

Although improvements in obstetric and neonatal care in recent years have led to reduction in morbidity and mortality from pre-eclampsia, our ability to predict the condition has not improved significantly. Endothelial dysfunction underlies many of the manifestations of pre-eclampsia. In this study we will assess methods of detecting endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffness in high-risk pregnant women in early and late pregnancy. Sixty women with 2 or more risk fa...

Background: Evidence suggests sex-specific differences in the development and progression of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Men and women have been shown to respond differently to certain therapies and epidemiological data suggest underuse of statins and renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blocking agents in women. We evaluated our local practice to identify differences in clinical characteristics and prescribing between men and women with DN.Methods: Clinical da...

Introduction: Several biomarkers are elevated in late pregnancy in women with preeclampsia (PET), but none have been sensitive or specific enough to be used routinely in early pregnancy to predict the condition. We measured plasma levels of the anti-angiogenic peptides FMS-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFLT-1), soluble endoglin (sENG), placental growth-factor (PGF), and an array of cytokines and adhesion molecules in early and mid pregnancy to assess their ability to predict PET.</p...

Background: There are differences in the development of diabetic nephropathy (DN) between men and women but the underlying molecular mechanisms are unknown. The urinary proteome may contain sex-specific biomarkers and thereby identify differentially regulated pathways to DN in men and women.Method: Urine samples were obtained from 157 patients with type 2 diabetes (age, 61 (29–71) years; 120 men and 37 women), preserved renal function (eGFR, 88 &#17...

Recent guidelines indicate that pregnant women with subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH, TSH above the pregnancy-related reference range where available, or ≧2.5 mU/l) should be treated with thyroxine. We aimed to determine the frequency of overt hypothyroidism (OH; TSH>5 mU/l) and SCH (TSH >2.5 but <5 mU/l) in pregnancy, and to examine how many are diagnosed with thyroid problems after pregnancy. Four thousand three hundred women were recruited between 2007 and...

Background: Aldosterone levels are elevated in normal pregnancy but fall despite volume contraction in preeclampsia. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1) have been implicated in this phenomenon in vitro and in animal work. Low placental growth factor (PlGF), which is closely linked to VEGF signalling, identifies women at risk of preeclampsia between 20 and 35 weeks gestation. We aimed to examine these relationships ...