Endocrine Abstracts

In utero exposure of female lambs to testosterone affects ovarian function such that ovaries contain multiple, abnormally large antral follicles. This study characterises further the follicular and cellular abnormalities underlying excessive and prolonged large antral follicle growth. Pregnant Poll Dorset ewes were injected twice weekly (30–90 days of gestation) with 100 mg of testosterone propionate in 1 ml oil, while controls received vehicle injection only. Andr...

Recent data suggests that oestrogen(E)-responsive somatostatin neurones are involved in the generation of the ovine GnRH surge. Specifically, somatostatin neurones in the hypothalamus are activated (as assessed by nuclear fos) and mRNA levels are elevated in the early stages of the surge induction process. In addition, somatostatin fibres have been visualised in close apposition to hypothalamic GnRH neurones, which may indicate direct neural connection between GnRH and somatos...

Prenatal manipulations in animal models result in lifelong alterations in the stress responsivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA). While several human studies have found raised 0900h cortisol concentrations in low birthweight individuals, twenty-four hour cortisol profiles do not vary according to birthweight (a marker of adverse antenatal exposures). One explanation for this dichotomy is that 0900h cortisol concentration measured in a novel clinic setting ma...

BackgroundPreoperative localisation of parathyroid adenomas may allow more limited neck exploration. Ultrasound is the least expensive imaging technique available. However, correct localisation may be difficult. We have undertaken a study to see whether asking one radiologist (SM) to perform all scans offers a diagnostic advantage.MethodAll patients undergoing surgery for primary hyperparathyroidism since Ju...

Bone turnover decreases markedly following both oral glucose and feeding. The mechanism for this is unclear. The aim of this study was to examine whether insulin itself could be responsible for the effect of feeding. We examined the acute effect of a hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp (E) and stepwise hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemic clamp (H) on bone turnover and PTH. Sixteen healthy male volunteers (mean age 22) attended on two occasions at 0800 after an overnight fast. The stud...

We conducted a retrospective notes analysis to determine the incidence, prevalence and predictive factors of idiopathic postprandial hypoglycaemia (IPH) in a population of 230 000 served by our Hospital.Using the Biochemistry Database all patients who had a 5-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) from 1995 to 2001 were identified, and their notes were reviewed. Demographic, clinical and biochemical data were recorded for each patient. The latter includ...

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...

PCOS is the most common endocrine disorder of premenopausal women. The in utero testosterone-treated ewe shares several key features with PCOS women (sub/infertility, multi-follicular ovaries, hypersecretion of gondotrophins and androgens) and, therefore, may be a useful animal model for this condition. In addition to reproductive abnormalities, PCOS women are at increased risk of hyperinsulinaemia and insulin resistance. The aim of this study was to determine if similar metab...

BackgroundSomatostatin (sst) acts via a series of 5 G-coupled receptors (sstr1-5) which control exocrine and endocrine secretions and also regulate cellular proliferation and apoptosis in many parts of the body. Recent experimental data suggests that sst plays a roles in ovarian function and the synthetic sstr agonists octreotide has been used in the treatment of polycystic ovarian syndrome. We have investigated the expression of somatostatin receptors (...

Lipocortin 1 (LC1) is a well-characterized anti-inflammatory, -anti mitotic and anti-proliferative member of a structurally related family of Ca2+ and phospholipid-binding proteins. LC1 is readily detectable in the neuroendocrine system by Western blot analysis, ELISA, and immunohistochemistry (1). In these tissues, glucocorticoids regulate both the expression and subcellular distribution of LC1. Other studies have also demonstrated the presence of LC1 in endometrium tissue th...