Endocrine Abstracts

In patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D), pancreatic β cells are destroyed by a selective autoimmune attack and their replacement with functional insulin-producing cells is the only possible cure for this disease. The field of islet transplantation has evolved significantly from the breakthrough of the Edmonton Protocol in 2000, since significant advances in islet isolation and engraftment, together with improved immunosuppressive strategies, have been reported. The main li...

Obesity is characterized by insulin resistance and pancreatic β-cell dysfunction; moreover, secretion of adipokines from adipocytes may affect metabolic functions in several tissues, including pancreatic β-cells. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), released by cells as exosomes or shedding vesicles, play a key role in cell-to-cell communication, modifying the phenotype and function of recipient cells by delivering proteins, RNAs and microRNAs. The crosstalk between adipocy...

It has been suggested that the selective m-TOR inhibitor, Rapamycin, has been improved the success pancreatic islet allotransplantation (ITx) in type 1 diabetic patients (T1DM). Forty-one ITx were studied. Thirteen T1DM in poor glycemic control underwent a 45-days Rapamycin before ITx followed by standard Edmonton Protocol (EP, group 1, Milan), and they were compared to 28 T1DM patients undergoing EP (group 2, Miami). Outcome measures were daily insulin requirement (DIR), HbA1...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that repress protein production post-transcriptionally. MiRNAs play crucial roles in metabolism, endocrine cells development and in processes altered in T2D, such as insulin secretion. MiR-125b controls proliferation, apoptosis and differentiation of various cell types, although its role in β-cells remains unclear. Recent studies show an association between high levels of circulating miR-125b and hyperglycaemia (HbA1c) in predi...

Introduction: Pancreatic β-cells control glucose homeostasis by secreting insulin in response to high glucose. MiRNAs regulate β-cell function and contribute to β-cell failure in type 2 diabetes. MiR-184 regulates β-cell compensatory expansion during pregnancy and obesity and its expression is reduced by glucose through unknown mechanisms. AMPK is a suggested target of antidiabetic drugs and an important energy sensor. Its β-cell-selective inactivation...

Background: Limited data exists on the hormonal mediators connecting metabolism and reproduction. Animal studies show that the reproductive hormone, kisspeptin, may also be important in metabolism. We investigated the effects of kisspeptin on human metabolism for the first time, to explore possible kisspeptin-mediated links between reproduction and metabolism.Methods: We performed intravenous glucose tolerance tests (IVGTTs) in 15 healthy men (age 25&#17...