Endocrine Abstracts

One of the hallmarks of parturition in most mammals is a dramatic drop in plasma levels of progesterone (P4), which promotes myometrial relaxation, prior to labor. In humans and some other primates however, the opposite occurs and placental P4 production increases with advancing pregnancy. The expression of nuclear progesterone receptor (PR)-responsive genes is decreased in the primate uterus at term, which suggests ‘functional’ progestin withdrawal involves repressi...

Pregnancy, a state of insulin resistance (IR), is associated with elevated levels of cytokines and profound alterations in metabolism, directed towards supplying adequate nutrition for the fetus. Adiponectin, an adipokine with anti-inflammatory and insulin sensitising properties, plays an important role in energy homeostasis. Interestingly, in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), a state of greater insulin resistance, serum adiponectin levels are lower than normal subjects. We...