Endocrine Abstracts

Prader-Willi syndrome is characterized by severe hypotonia and feeding difficulties in early infancy, followed in later infancy or early childhood by excessive eating and gradual development of morbid obesity and learning difficulties. Hypogonadism occurs in both males and females, manifested by genital hypoplasia, incomplete pubertal development, and infertility. Type 2 diabetes mellitus is common in obese individuals, most likely secondary to hyperphagia. Diabetes is often d...

Biopharmaceuticals are complex molecules and can show variation between production batches. Physicochemical tests and biological activity measurements contribute complementary data to the characterisation of these products.As part of a project to correlate physicochemical and bioassay data, under the Department of Trade and Industry’s Measurements for Biotechnology programme, we have developed a simple, robust cellbased bioassay protocol for interfe...

Ghrelin, a novel GH-releasing n-octanoylated peptide, has been identified as an endogenous ligand for the 'orphan' GH secretagogue receptor. When administered iv or icv, Ghrelin causes a greater increase in serum GH concentrations than hexarelin or GHRH. However Ghrelin has a number of other actions: it promotes food intake, raises serum glucose and inhibits insulin secretion, increases ACTH and cortisol secretion and influences cardiac function.In orde...

Background: Studies of memory function in patients treated for pituitary adenoma demonstrate deficits in immediate memory (IM) regardless of whether surgery or radiotherapy was received. We have previously shown variability in IM between patients who received the same treatment. The present study was designed to identify changes in the neurological pathways associated with memory function in patients treated for non-functioning pituitary adenoma (NFA) using functional magnetic...

Current therapeutics target cGMP in treating erectile dysfunction and other cardiovascular disorders. In the endocrine system, cGMP mediates the vast majority of biological effects of the natriuretic peptides (ANP, BNP and CNP) acting via their specific guanylyl cyclases receptors (GC-A and GC-B). There are severe endocrine consequences for mice and humans exhibiting mutations to GC-B receptors, including achondroplasia, growth hormone deficiency and female infertility. Despit...

Testosterone (T) acts as a coronary vasodilator and reduces myocardial ischemia in men with coronary heart disease. We have previously demonstrated that T inhibits the pore forming alpha1c subunit of the cardiovascular L-type calcium channel in HEK293 cells. In this study we investigated the effects of T and 5β-dihydrotestosterone (5β-DHT) on extracellular calcium entry in A7r5 vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). A7r5 cells grown on coverslips in 12-well plates in ...

Background: Testosterone treatment has been shown to increase exercise capacity in men with chronic heart failure but the mechanism of benefit is unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine the acute haemodyamic effects of testosterone in men with heart failure.Methods: Twelve men with stable heart failure (age 62.8 (8.8)years; ejection fraction 30.9 (6.3)% (NR>60%)) were enrolled in a double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over study. Cardiac o...

Testosterone is a coronary vasodilator and is known to increase ischaemic threshold in men with angina. We have previously demonstrated that testosterone inhibits the pore forming alpha1c subunit of the cardiovascular L-type calcium channel transfected into HEK293 cells. In this study we have investigated the effect of testosterone on potassium-stimulated extracellular calcium entry in A7r5 vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs).A7r5 cells grown...

Objective: To investigate pancreatic beta cell morphology and function in rat adult offspring of dams fed a high fat diet in pregnancy.Methods: Female Sprague Dawley rats were fed either a control breeding diet (4% fat) or a high fat diet (20% animal fat) balanced for vitamins and nutrients. Experimental diets were fed for 10 days prior to mating, throughout pregnancy and weaning. Weaned pups were fed standard low fat chow throughout adult life. The time...

Testosterone therapy has been shown to be beneficial in men with coronary artery disease (CAD) and chronic heart failure (CHF), effects which are proposed to be due to a direct vasodilatory action. We utilised fluorescence measurements to investigate whether testosterone inhibits extracellular calcium entry induced by 50mM high potassium (K+) buffer, in A7r5 vascular smooth muscle cells.A7r5 cells were grown on coverslips in 12-well plates in ...