Endocrine Abstracts

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is characterised by hyperandrogenism and insulin resistance. It is thought that androgen excess contributes to the mechanism of insulin resistance. Granulosa cells in PCOS demonstrate impaired insulin-induced glucose uptake and lactate accumulation1. The aim of this study was to characterise insulin signalling (via the PI3-Kinase (PI3-K) pathway) and glucose metabolism in an immortalised mouse granulosa cell line (KK1)2, a...

BMPs form part of the TGFβ superfamily, which are important regulators of proliferation and differentiation in many cell types. The intraovarian production of specific BMP members and their receptors in a stage-specific manner is crucial for normal follicle development to proceed. Regulation of BMP signalling pathways can occur by intracellular inhibition of the signal transducers (Smads), or by BMP antagonists that bind extracellular BMPs to prevent or alter ligand–...

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the commonest cause of anovulatory infertility in women, but its aetiology is poorly understood. There is evidence for a primary disorder of androgen secretion, which has its origins before puberty, but it is not clear how this may cause the characteristic ovarian abnormalities. We have developed an ovine model for PCOS to explore possible differences between the small preantral follicles of androgenised female lambs with those of normal ova...

Introduction :CH diagnosis has advanced from no screening in the past , to cord bloodscreening -free thyroxine(FT4) ,Tawam and Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH),Oasis Hospitals- to the present National Screening Programme (NSP) for capillary TSH from January ,1998.Aim :To screen all newborns and to scan and treat all positive cases before 21 days and to monitor progress and outcome....

Early follicular development in polycystic ovaries (PCO) is abnormal; a higher proportion of follicles have entered the growing phase than in normal ovaries [1]. IGF-I stimulates the initiation of preantral follicle growth in a human tissue culture system using a growth factor-reduced extracellular matrix, Matrigel [2]. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of IGF-I on early preantral follicle development in polycystic and normal ovaries. Small ovarian cortical biop...