Endocrine Abstracts

The functional interleukin-4 receptor is a heterodimeric complex composed of the IL-4 receptor alpha chain and the common cytokine gamma chain. The interleukin-4 receptor (IL-4R) gene is located on human chromosome 16p12.1-11.2. A polymorphism at codon 50 of the alpha chain alters the receptor response to the Th2 cytokine interleukin-4 (IL-4). The allele with the amino acid isoleucine at position 50 (Ile50) upregulates receptor activity in response to binding with IL-4 ...

Background: Bone metastasis from gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (GEP-NENs) was once considered rare, but prevalence has recently been reported as high as 12%. Although bone metastasis has been associated with poor prognosis, the most frequent cause of mortality in this population remains liver failure when liver metastases are present. Thus, it remains unclear whether patients with concurrent liver and bone metastasis who receive liver directed therapy (LDT) w...

Introduction: Patients with acromegaly have an increased risk of colorectal cancer and pre-malignant adenomatous polyps; however the frequency of colonoscopic screening remains unclear.Aims: To determine optimum frequency for repeated colonoscopy of acromegalic patients.Methods: Since 1992, 254 patients (mean age 56.6 years) at our centre have undergone at least one fibre-optic colonoscopic surveillance; 156, 60 and 15 patients hav...