Endocrine Abstracts

IntroductionRecent studies have confirmed that IGF-I is an important determinant of future glucose homeostasis and cardiovascular risk. Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) is the principal carrier protein for IGF-I in the circulation. Therefore we tested the relationship of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 to insulin resistance in an ethnic group with a high incidence of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.Methods. In a population-based study 100 subjects of...

IntroductionThe metabolic syndrome is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system has been implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease and glucose intolerance. We have previously shown that a low IGFBP-1 concentration coupled with a low circulating IGF-I predicts worsening glucose tolerance. In this study we further investigated relationships between the IGF-system and...

IntroductionWe have previously demonstrated profound effects of hormone replacement treatment (HRT) in post-menopausal women on the IGF-system. HRT is widely used to prevent osteoporosis. The IGF-system has been implicated in bone formation. IGFBP-4 and IGFBP-5 are known to be important in modulation of IGF activity in bone. In this larger study we have examined the effects of HRT on circulating IGFBP-4 levels.MethodOral conjugated equine estrogen (CEE) alone or in...

Abnormal fetal growth remains a problem in pregnancies, complicated by diabetes and is associated with increased maternal and offspring mortality and morbidity. Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) are important regulators of fetal growth. Their effects are controlled by binding proteins (IGFBPs). IGFBP-1 is particularly important in pregnancy. Phosphorylated IGFBP-1 (pIGFBP-1) has a high affinity for IGF-I and inhibits IGF-I actions, whereas de-phosphhorylated IGFBP-1 has a low...

Clinic based studies have shown that patients with Addison's disease have relatively high rates of depression and anxiety symptoms compared with population-based reference samples. Addison's disease results in deficiency of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and DHEA-sulphate in addition to glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids. DHEA is thought to have beneficial effects on energy level and mood, independent of circulating testosterone levels. Thus there may be a direct link betwe...

OBJECTIVE Measurement of serum testosterone level is an integral part of the assessment of men presenting to endocrine clinics. Little is known about variation of testosterone level by ethnic group. The principal determinant of testosterone bioavailability is sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) which itself is a marker for insulin sensitivity. Our aim was to examine variations in testosterone and SHBG levels across three ethnic groups in relation to ethnic differences in insul...

Introduction: T2DM is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in the UK. Epigenetic mechanisms impact gene expression and could predispose individuals to a particular metabolic phenotype. We investigated association of LINE-1 methylation (a surrogate of global DNA methylation) with cardiometabolic parameters in a longitudinal cohort of T2DM patients.Methods: Global LINE-1 DNA methylation in blood-derived DNA samples from 795 (men 60%, women 40%...

Introduction: T2DM is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in the UK. Epigenetic mechanisms impact gene expression and could predispose individuals to a particular metabolic phenotype. We investigated association of LINE-1 methylation (a surrogate of global DNA methylation) with cardiometabolic parameters in a longitudinal cohort of T2DM patients.Methods: Global LINE-1 DNA methylation in blood-derived DNA samples from 795 (men 60%, women 40%...

Low IGFBP2 is associated with the metabolic syndrome, but high IGFBP2 is longitudinally associated with worsening renal function. IGFBP2 binds IGF2 (and IGF1) and modified IGF bioavailablilty. The aim of our study was to identify whether baseline IGFBP2 concentrations were associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in type 2 diabetes.554 subjects (59.3% male, mean age 63.7 (S.D. 10.7)) with type 2 diabetes from the Salford Diab...

AimsThe increasing incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus with age in the context of ageing populations worldwide highlights the need to understand better factors that influence glucose homeostasis. Our hypothesis was that lifestyle change accompanying migration influences the relationship between pancreatic beta cell function (HOMA-B) and age.MethodsWe compared a specific migrant Gujarati community in Britain...